Part 12 (1/2)
Froe, some thirty feet above, the taller of the tatchers answered:
”_Si_, senhor The headquarters of the coronel Do you coht”
”Then permit me to help you The path is a little ahead Pull up and tie to this stake”
The tall fellow ca swiftly doard At the saone
With a dexterous twist the nated stake Then he reached a hand toward Tim to help him out
”I ain't no old woround unassisted McKay and Knowlton followed But Jose, afterthe sharp slope, hesitated and then shrugged his shoulders
”I am tired, senores,” he said ”And perhaps it would be well for one to stay here and watch”
The tall Brazilian's eyes narrowed
”There is no danger of loss,” he asserted, with dignity ”We ht eht have been taken as an inti Jose's htened For a moment Brazilian and Peruvian eyed each other in obvious dislike Then, with a glance at his crippled ar, Jose,” McKay said ”Stuff's safe enough”
”As you will, Capitan”
He lounged to the edge, hesitated, wavered slightly At once the Brazilian darted out a hand and gave him support And while the four clarip on the Peruvian's ared on the level, however, he dropped his hand i bow of thanks, to which he replied with a short nod Then he stepped back and let the Peruvian precede him toward a number of substantial pole-supported houses a hundred yards away
”No love lost between theht Tih, this new feller Ready to help a guy that needs it, whether he likes him or not; ready to knock his block off, too, if he needs that Bet he'd be a hellion in a scrap Dang good-lookin' lad, too”
Wherewith he introduced hirowled at ye down below,” he said, with a friendly grin ”Sounded rough, mebbe, but that's my style I'm Tim Ryan, from the States I bark more 'n I bite”
The overture met with instant response--a quick smile and a twinkle in the warive offense, senhor, but the way they are spoken--and the rowl, but you like him Another may speak smoothly, but you itch to strike hiueiro_ who should be tapping trees instead of loafing here Buttrip into the _sertao_--wilderness--and are resting”
”Yeah? Was that yer buddy I seen with ye?”
”My--ah--buddee? Partner? Yes, that was he--Lourenco Moraes, the best coone to tell the coronel of your arrival
Have you met with an accident downriver?”
Herinificently, raised five fingers, winked, and twitched his head toward the Peruvian Pedro lifted his brows, nodded quick understanding, pointed to the bad arer Ti and throwing a knife Whereat the Brazilian, aware that Jose was not a prisoner and probably knowing that North Americans were not knife throwers, looked n manual went no farther, for they now approached the house which evidently for and office of Coronel Nunes
At the foot of the ladder stood a broad-shouldered, square-jawed, thick-, pointed a thumb upward Above, in the dooraited an elderly Brazilian ofwith soldierly erectness and garbed in white duck of semimilitary cut He beamed down at McKay and Knowlton, but as his black eyes encountered those of Jose they seeaze rested on Tientlemen,” he invited ”_Esta casa e a suas ordenes_--this house is at your disposal”
McKay, with a bow, cli stare at the wide-shouldered e, also went up Tim came fourth and last, for Pedro stopped beside his countryman, who evidently was Lourenco