Page:Dick Sands the Boy Captain.djvu/217

 THROUGH THE FOREST. I9I CHAPTER XVI. THROUGH THE FOREST. Although there was no obvious cause for appréhension, ît cannot be denied that ît was with a certain degree of foreboding that Dîck Sands first entered that dense forest, through which for the next ten days they were ail to wend theîr toilsome way. Mrs. Weldon, on the contrary, was full of confidence and hope. A woman and a mother, she might hâve been expected to be conscious of anxiety at the péril to which she might be exposing herself and her child ; and doubtless she would hâve been sensible of alarm if her mind had not been fully satisfied upon two points ; first, that the portion of the pampas they were about to traverse was little infested either by natives or by dangerous beasts ; and secondly, that she was under the protection of a guide so trustworthy as she believed Harris to be. The entrance to the forest was hardly more than three hundred pades up the river. An order of march had been arranged which was to be observed as closely as possible throughout the joumey. At the head of the troop were Harris and Dick Sands, one armed with his long gun, the other with his Remington ; next came Bat and Austin, each carrying a gun and a cutlass, then Mrs. Weldon and Jacky on horseback, closely foUowed by Tom and old Nan, whileActxon with the fourth Remington, and Hercules with a huge hatchet in his waist-belt, brought up the rear. Dingo had no especial place in the procession, but wan- dered to and fro at his pleasure. Ever since he had been