The Boy Fortune Hunters in Yucatan by L. Frank Baum

The mountain, Chaka stated, was four days' journey from the City of Itza. This was because the country surrounding the barren peak was rugged and very difficult to traverse. Yet our path through the air was so smooth and our speed so great that it was early in the afternoon when we approached so near to Aota that caution induced us to descend and call a halt.

"Here lies the goal of all our struggles," said Paul. "From this moment we must exercise great care in all we do, for we cannot afford to risk failure by an error of judgment."

After counseling with Chaka, Allerton decided to land on the west side of the mountain, about half way to the summit. By a careful manipulation of our wings and gradually letting the gas from our jackets we managed to accomplish this in safety, and although we lit upon the rocks about half a mile from the spot we had first selected we were well satisfied with the result of our exciting trip.

No wonder the Itzaex never ventured near Mount Aota. Such a jumble of huge jagged rocks, treacherous precipices, canyons, rifts and caverns I have never seen before nor since. As we settled to the ground we saw no place level or large enough to hold us all, except a deep ravine; so we fluttered down into this and planted our feet upon a pebbly bottom through which a torrent rushed during the rainy season, but which was now dry as a bone.

"It isn't a bad hiding place, from which to reconnoiter," remarked Paul, when we had all seated ourselves to rest and take breath, for flying is rather strenuous when long continued. "What do you think, Chaka; shall we make our camp here?"

"Let us find water," suggested the atkayma.

So we set off in pairs and in different ways to discover water, leaving Pedro to guard the chests. Archie and I walked up the canyon together, finding many fissures leading from it and many dark caverns appearing in the rocks; but no where was there evidence of water. After proceeding a half mile or so we returned to find all the party again congregated. Nux and Bryonia alone had been successful, having found a way to climb up the lower side of the ravine, from whence they descended the mountain a short distance and reached a spring of clear, cold water that bubbled out of a rift in the rock. Quite near was the mouth of a large cave, which they did not wait to explore.

As this spot seemed the most suitable location for a camp we took the chests and made our way laboriously out of the ravine and down the mountain a few hundred feet to the spring, where we all drank of the water eagerly. There was but a narrow ledge to give us foothold here, so we approached the cave, the mouth of which appeared just where the ledge ended.

A few paces from the entrance the cavern was black as ink; so Paul got out his lamp-a modern acetylene search-light affair-and lighted it.

"Get your weapons ready," he said, "for we don't know who lives in this mansion, or whether the owner is willing to take boarders. Don't use firearms; we're too near the Tcha city for that. If you have to defend yourselves shoot the electrites."

The search-light soon cast its gleam to the further wall, and we decided the cave was vacant. A slight rustling sound now reached our ears, growing gradually louder in volume, and looking downward I saw dozens of snakes wriggling toward us, hissing venomously as they came. They were tiny things, not much bigger around than a lead pencil and some seven or eight inches long.

"Reetee! " shouted Chaka, springing backward. "Run, friends-run for your lives!"

"But no, my brother," answered Paul, restraining him. "We are well protected."

Chaka shuddered, but stood his ground, watching the serpents fearfully. They struck at our feet and legs continually, not coiling but throwing themselves forward by rising upon their tails.

Although the sheathing of our shoes and gaiters was impervious to their fangs, the attack was too horrible not to resent. With one accord we began trampling them under heel, destroying the creatures by scores. But the more we killed the more appeared, creeping upon us from numberless tiny cracks in the walls. They came straight to the attack, fighting mad at being disturbed, and we soon began to tire of the hopeless battle.

"Let's cut it! " said Archie, and there was no dissenting voice. Gradually we withdrew toward the mouth of the cave, the snakes following persistently, until when we stood upon the ledge it looked as though we must abandon the position and seek another camp.

"What _are_ the things, anyhow? " asked Ned.

"Reetee," said Chaka; "the most deadly serpents known."

Nux and Bryonia knew snakes pretty well, having had large experience with them in the South Seas. Bry begged Allerton to give him the key to the supply chest, and going to it he searched for and brought out a package of dry mustard. Then he took the lamp and reëntering the cavern with it, the black kicked the bodies of the dead and dying serpents together in a heap and scattered over it fully half the mustard the package contained. Next moment he came running back to us, and was none too soon, for with a rush the vermin attacking us wriggled back into the cave, where they made straight for the mustard heap, burying their fangs in the carcasses of their damaged brethren.

The result was astonishing. Almost instantly the deadly reetee succumbed to "mustard poison," as our blacks gravely called it, and in five minutes that lot of harmless mustard-harmless to us, that is-had accomplished more than our boot-heels could do in a week. The odor of the mustard drew every serpent from its hiding place, and contact with the yellow powder was its death warrant. We didn't care for the cave, with its horrid carpet of dead reetee, but at least we were now free from the vipers' attacks.