Chapter 27 Chapter 12 On the way to rescue

The Indian boy's answer was so detailed that there was no time to delay, and he had to rush to rescue the French traveler who had been captured by the Kivas. If Father Esperante had known which direction to go, he would have been eager to hit the road and gallop across the prairie that evening. But where is Alphaniz now?Will it still be around Frascais?Won't!According to Gao Mo, he should have left the day after the successful raid.Furthermore, for his own safety, he would have to stay away from Santa Juana and hide in the dense forest near the highlands, or he might rush to the mouth of the Torrida on the Orinoco River to rob travelers staying ships there.

Father Esperante realized that some reconnaissance was necessary before the operation could begin. At six o'clock the two Indians mounted their horses and galloped to the Frasques ford. When they returned three hours later, there was no sign of the Kiva. Did Alphaniz and his men cross the river to the forest to the west, or did they head towards the Palima plateau, so as to reach the Monua camp along the left bank? I don't know, but I have to figure it out, even if it costs me a whole night. Two more Indians left the mission and were ordered to inspect the prairie beyond the headwaters of the Orinoco, and it was possible that Alphaniz might have flowed directly down the river.

The two Indians traveled twenty-five kilometers and returned to Santa Juana at dawn the next day.Although they didn't meet the Kivas, they saw a few Bravos on the grassland, and learned from them that the Kiwa gang had gone to the Palima Plateau.It appears that Alphaniz is on his way to the headwaters of the Orinoco, with the natural intention of attacking the Maunois camp. Therefore, we need to go to the Palima Plateau to stop them. With the help of God, I hope this time we can completely eradicate these villains for the local area. As soon as the sun rose, Father Esperante left the mission.

More than a hundred Guaharibu people under his leadership have received special training and will use new weapons.The brave soldiers knew they were going after their old enemies, the Kiva, and this time the goal was not just to defeat them, but to wipe them out. Two dozen other Indians on horseback escorted a group of carts containing enough food for several days. The village of Santa Juana was handed over to Brother Angelus, who would maintain close contact with the troops abroad through liaison officers. Father Esperante rode at the head of the procession. He had taken off his priestly robe and changed into a more mobile attire, wearing a helmet-shaped cloth cap and leather boots.A repeating carbine was slung from the saddle, and a revolver was slung in his belt.

The priest's heart was turbulent and extremely turbulent, but he didn't want to show it, he just walked forward silently, meditating.The Indian boy's words aroused his confusion. He was like a blind man who needed someone to make him see again, and he was not sure whether he could see again. A group of people left Santa Juana, set foot on the grassland to the southeast and went to the grassland with lush forests, thorny acacias, delicate chiaparos, and low palms, whose leaves swayed when the wind blows.Indians are accustomed to walking, and their steps are brisk, and walking is not much slower than riding a horse.

The terrain rises very slowly until it approaches the Palima Heights.The swampy area, that is, Estero, is only puddled in the rainy season. At present, it has become solid due to the heat, and it does not sink when stepped on. The team passed directly, and there was no need to go around. This road and Gao Mo led Jacques.The route Ailoch and the others took was at an acute angle, and it was the shortest path between the missionary site and the Palima Heights.Judging from the footprints on the road, just a few days ago, a large team just passed by here. The Guaharib people gradually moved away from the Torida River, which flows to the southeast. On the way, they encountered many small tributaries on the left bank of the Torida River.However, there are several swamps filled with stagnant water that has not evaporated all the year round, so they cannot pass through, so they have to go around.

At noon, Father Esperante let the team rest for half an hour, and then set off again, moving so fast that by five o'clock in the afternoon, the Guaharib were standing at the foot of the Palima Heights, a distance from Xia Fangrong named Ferdinand.De.Lesseps Hill is not far away. The place where the Guaharib people are located has just been camped not long ago, the cooling ashes, the leftovers from the meal, and the straw mats, there are all signs that people have stayed here the night before, so there is no doubt that Alfani The kiva bandits of Zezi, and of course their captives, were heading for the Orinoco.

The team rested for another hour, and the horses ate some grass, while Father Esperante paced around alone. All his thoughts were centered on the two names uttered by the young Indian. Sergeant Marshall, he kept muttering, Sergeant is here on his way to Santa Juana Then he thought of Jean.De.Kellmer, the boy looking for his father!Who is this boy?The Colonel has no sons!No!Gao Mo got it wrong!In any case, the French are their own compatriots, they have become captives of the Kivas, and they must be rescued! The procession continued, and at six o'clock reached the right bank of the Orinoco.

The water from the Palima Heights gushes out of the gorge here. On December 18, 1886, a heroic explorer planted the French flag at the source of the river. This part of the highlands is covered with towering old trees, which I fear will only grow old and fall of their own accord in the distant future, for the woodcutter's axes do not swing in so remote a country. The place looked utterly desolate.In the hot season, not to mention boats, even canoes will not go up here.The two boats of the French travelers anchored fifty kilometers downstream. If the enthusiasm of the Guaharib people is as high as their leader, the 50 kilometers can be crossed overnight, and they can reach the Monua Peak camp early the next morning.As for getting lost, there is absolutely no possibility of getting lost, just go straight along the right bank, the small tributaries are dry, and there will be no obstacles.

Father Esperante was so confident that he didn't even ask his men if they were willing to continue marching. Instead, he stood up and walked straight to the front of the team.The cavalry and infantry followed without a word. The source section of the Orinoco River flows between the steep walls, the embankment is mixed with clay and rock, and the width of the river is only a few meters.During the season when the water level is high, ships passing through this section will encounter several rapids and often have to drag for a long time to pass. At eight o'clock, the sky began to darken, and the people of Guaharibi walked past the wading place of Crispo, which was marked on Xia Fangrong's map. Crispo was the President of the Republic of Venezuela at that time.

The sky was clear, without a trace of cloud, the sun had already set, a full moon was slowly rising, and the stars seemed sparse and dim. The moonlight was so bright that the Guaharibi could travel far in one night.They would not go to the swamp overgrown with weeds. It was too dark to see clearly, and they might sink half of their bodies. The river bed below the embankment is lined with rocks, making boating impossible even in the rainy season.If Garineta and Moricher had arrived three months ago, the rapids of Galeri, Uvira, and Savayo marked on the map would not be so easy to pass, and they would almost certainly be unloading and carrying ships. .It is doubtful whether the upper Orinoco will ever become a normal shipping channel.This section of the river is divided into several small streams by the reef, and there is only such a shallow layer on the white clay.But after Ferdinand.De.After the hill of Lysips, tributaries began to flow in from the left and right, and the river became deeper and deeper. At five o'clock the next morning, in the midst of daylight, Father Esperante reached a bend in the Orinoco, twelve kilometers from the mouth of the Torrida. In less than three hours, he will be able to see another ship boss Pashaer and other crew members who stayed behind on the two ships. Across the Orinoco, on the southwest side, the summit of Monument Monument is already silhouetted by the first rays of sunlight.A round mountain with a height of six or seven hundred meters stretches out below it. Now is not the time to take a break, even for an hour.If the Kivas really went straight to the camp along the river, they should have arrived by now. Maybe they have robbed the boat and fled to the grassland?Who knows if Alphaniz will implement the plan immediately and escort the captives to western Venezuela? The procession marched for another hour, and it seemed that Father Esperante would not order a rest until they reached the mouth of the Torrida River.But at six o'clock something happened. The Indian boy and his father had walked this road more than once, and this time he led the way fifty steps away from the large group, carefully observing whether there were traces of Kiwa people walking by.Suddenly, he stopped, bent down, and let out a scream. At the place where he lay down, lay a man lying motionless, either in a deep sleep or out of breath. Hearing Gao Mo's cry, Father Esperante galloped towards this side, and in a blink of an eye he reached the boy. It's him, him!the boy cried. he?Father Esperante was puzzled. He jumped off his horse and approached the man. Sergeant, Sergeant Marshall!The priest cried out. The ground next to the veteran was blood-stained. He had been shot in the chest and was probably dead. Martial!Martial!Father Esperante called out loudly, and large tears burst from his eyes. He held Martial up, leaned close to his face, tested his nose and lips for breath, and only heard him say: He's alive, he's alive! Indeed, Sergeant Martial was still breathing weakly.At this time, his arm was raised, and then fell down weakly.He barely opened his eyes, and glanced at the missionary. You, my colonel!Alfaniz over there! After saying this, Martial twitched and fainted. Father Esperante stood up, and countless thoughts surged up at once, making a mess in his mind.Sergeant Martial is here, he's not with the boy who's looking for his father, both of them come to such a remote part of Venezuela, if poor Martial doesn't have time to explain to him what's going on If he just dies, wouldn't so many strange things become mysteries to him?No!Sergeant will not die!The missionary would save him from death again, as he had saved his life in battle, and wrest him back from death. The priest ordered a cart to be pushed over, a straw mattress was spread out, and Sergeant Martial was placed on it. The wounded man's eyes were closed, his lips were tight, and he was bloodless, but he was still breathing weakly. The team moves on.Father Esperante was walking near the car, and his old comrade-in-arms was lying on it. After so many years of separation, the other party recognized him at a glance. His sergeant, Kyle, was determined never to return fourteen years ago. The Upper School House in Brittany!Now he saw the sergeant again, and it was likely that the bullet in this remote country was the murder of Alfaniz. So, he thought, Gomer was right, he was talking about Sergeant Martial, but what about the kid?Looking for father son son son son? He asked the Indian boy beside him: You told me this veteran wasn't alone, right?And a boy with him? Yeah, my friend Jean. Are both going to the mission field? Yes, they're looking for Colonel Kellmer. This boy is the colonel's son? Yes, it is his son. The boy's answer was so positive that Father Esperante's heart almost jumped out.I can only calm down and wait, maybe this mystery can be solved today. As long as you meet the Kiwa people in the Mowa Peak camp, from Martial just now, you can confirm that Alphaniz is there at the moment, and you will hit them hard and rescue the captives.This is the team's only goal right now. The Guaharibe began to advance at a run, leaving the vehicles behind with sufficient escorts. The brave Indian troops go out to eliminate the gangsters, led by the former colonel of the Santa Juana missionary, and the final victory will undoubtedly belong to them. Just before eight o'clock, the team turned a bend along the river and came to a fairly wide open space. Father Esperante reined in his horse and the team stopped. The Maunois stands directly on the opposite bank of the Orinoco, and the embankment on the right is empty, and there is no boat on the river. There was a puff of smoke at the bend in the river, so it went straight up with no wind. It was obvious that someone was camping, not more than a hundred and fifty meters away, that is to say, on the left bank of the Torrida. Only the Kivas can camp, but just to be on the safe side, it should be confirmed first. Several Guaharibs burrowed into the bushes.When he came back three minutes later, it was indeed Alfaniz and his gang who were entrenched here. Father Esperante's team gathered at the back of the clearing.Vehicles arrived too, the one with Sergeant Martial lying in the middle. Colonel Kellmer inspected Martial's injury and saw that it had not deteriorated, so he began to arrange to encircle the Alphaniz gang.He led the team across the open space and surrounded the Kivas tightly, making it impossible for any of them to escape. A moment later, shouts shook the sky, and muskets were fired. Before Alphaniz had time to organize a counterattack, the Guaharibs rushed over.The teams of both sides were equal in number, but the Guaharib were far more well-armed and commanded than the Kiwa.The weapon in the hands of the Spaniards was Jacques just snatched from the ship.A few pistols that Elloch did not take, plus those taken from the captives. The fight didn't last long.The bandits were caught off guard, and with only a few feeble resistances, most of the Kivas dispersed like birds and beasts.Some headed into the woods with their heads in their arms, and some jumped into the almost dry river to run to the grassland on the other side, but most of them were killed or seriously injured. At the same time, Jacques.Alloch, Germain.Paterna, Valdez, Pashaer and the crew also wrestled with the Kiva guarding them. Gao Mo was the first to run towards them, shouting: Santa Juana!Santa Juana! There will be a final battle at camp. Alphaniz, other fugitive convicts, and the remaining Kivas resisted with guns.Several Guaharibi were hit, but fortunately not seriously injured. At this moment, Father Esperante jumped out of the encirclement. Let Na.De, Kellmer immediately felt strongly attracted by the missionary, and she was about to rush forward and be caught by Jacques.Eloch held back. The Kivas had left their leader and fled long ago. They could only hear their shouts from a distance, but Alphaniz was still stubbornly resisting, with the corpses of the other two convicts under his feet. Father Esperante stood face to face with the Spaniard.The Guaharib had surrounded him, and the priest stopped them with a gesture. Alphaniz retreated towards the river bank, the gun in his hand still loaded with several bullets. There was a moment of silence.Father Esperante's sonorous voice sounded: Alphaniz, it's me! Missionaries of Santa Juana!cried the Spaniard. He said he raised his gun and was about to fire, Jacques.Ai Luohe grabbed his wrist all at once, and the bullet flew far away. Yes, Alfaniz, I am Father of the Santa Juana Mission and Colonel Kellmer! Alfaniz suddenly saw the colonel's son Jean just a few steps away from him, so he immediately raised his gun to aim. Before he could pull the trigger, there was a bang, and the villain fell under Father Esperante's gun. The car pushing Sergeant Marshall also arrived at the scene at this time. Jeanne had thrown herself into the arms of Colonel Kelmer, calling for her father. Colonel Kellmer thought that his daughter was long gone, his daughter whom he had never met, how could he figure out who the boy in front of him was, so he just murmured blindly: I don't have a son. Sergeant Martial sat up with support, pointed to Jeanne and said: You have no son, my Colonel, but you have a daughter, and she is!