Part 15 (2/2)
”I know little of the Red Bone people, for I have never met them That is one reason why I now should like to s I have heard are not pleasant Yet it may be that the tales are worse than the people I have also heard terrible stories of the light-skinned cannibals, the Mayorunas; yet I have been ah it is true that they eat the flesh of their enereat difference how they are approached and who the o unhar even _los Ossos Vermelhos_--the Red Bones We shall see
”Of the Raposa I think I do know so I have seen him”
Everyone except Pedro sat up with a start
”You have seen him?” exclaimed the coronel ”When? Where? How? Why have you not spoken of it?”
”Because, Coronel, I forgot it until now Itto us--yes, Pedro ithin the bush
In tiht have remembered it and told you But you knoe have been busy”
”True But go on”
”It was only a little ti trip on which you sent us to locate new rubber trees We were seven--eight--seven--”
”Eight days' journey from here,” prompted Pedro
”_Si_ We were in our canoe when a sudden storot ashore to wait until it was over The place was on an _ygarape_--a creek--about two days away froround free fro out at us from a hollow tree
”He was naked and streaked with paint--that was allin the flashes that came and went The rain was heavy, and we stayed where ere until it ended Then we ordered that man to come out
”He came, and he held bow and arrow ready to shoot We, too, were ready to shoot, but we held back our bullets and he held back his arrow We saw that his paint was red and that it traced his bones; that his skin was that of a tanned white man and his hair was dark with a white streak over one ear No, we did not notice the color of his eyes--the light was not good and he stood well away from us
”We looked around for other men, but saw none We asked hiave no answer He looked at us for a long ti away sidewise, watching us steadily, holding his arroays ready Finally he disappeared a the trees andhim no ht of him he spoke out in a queer voice like that of a parrot And the thing he said was, 'Poor Davey!'”
McKay thumped a fist on his chair
”Davey! David Rand!”
”Perhaps so, Capitao I do not know But he spoke English”
”By thunder! David Rand! Merry, where's that picture?”
Knowlton was already unbuttoning his pocket flap Quickly he produced the photograph
”That the fellow?”
Lourenco studied the face The eagerly anticipated affirmative did not come
”I cannot say surely This is a full-faced, clean-shaven aunt, covered partly with beard and partly by long hair, and ere not close to him, as I have said I would not say the tere the same until I could have a better look at the wild man”
”You didn't follow hi to us and we let hih But it was only an empty tree, not his home; a place where he had stepped in out of the storain and paddled off”