Part 20 (1/2)
”Walk four ht And for soround changed, the light irowth becaress iave the two leaders a chance to cut their way straight onward instead of dodging about; and cut they did
Their h what seele Now every yard ofand the struggle up some of the sharp slopes winded more than one man
Then the slope dipped the other way, and they slipped down into a ravine where water gleaht for a fallen tree Tim squatted and mopped his face for the hundredth time
”Gosh!+ This is what I call travelin'!” he panted ”Flounderin' round in mud soup, bit to death by skeeters and them what-ye-call-'em flies--piums--sweatin' yerself bone dry and totin' forty thousand pounds, on yer back, not toall over ye--this ain't no place for a uy, I'll tell the world
And this is only the start!”
A call fro to the spot where the guides waited at the butt of a slanting tree trunk spanning the gulf As they reached it Pedro walked carefully up the trunk, carrying a long slender sapling, which he lowered and fixed in the botto himself with the upper end of this pole, he continued his journey to the other side, where he flipped the sapling back to Lourenco One by one the others crossed, slipping, al to evade a fall Ti down, saw that the surface of the water was dotted with the heads of veno your trail of yesterday?” demanded McKay
”No, Capitao Yesterday we circled To-day we go as nearly straight as possible”
”And you can find the appointed place by this new route?” The captain's tone was dubious
”Certainly Else I should go the other way Coed country which seeher and harder to traverse In the rew suspicion that, for the first ti; it seemed impossible for any man to keep his sense of direction in such a th the leader paused and sent the long call of the h the trees No answer ca ahead with sharper gaze, each holding a little tighter
To the Ae
Four le and arhtest scratch meant death, could strike down every man of this expedition without even a wound in return; for of what avail were high-power guns, autoainst invisible enemies? Yet there was assurance in Lourenco's confident air, and reassurance in the thought that these tribemen would be unlikely to assail a band avowedly on its way to visit their chief
Besides--Knowlton sered for human flesh it would be hterhouse on its own legs than to kill it here and carry it hoain no answer came For a short distance farther the file continued itswhere the uptorn roots of a tree rose like a wall at one side, it halted
”The place ofbut the upstanding roots, the forest jumble, the misty serpentine lianas None heard any sound but their own hoarse breathing, the solemn drip of water, the insect hum, and the occasional melancholy notes of birds The place see of being watched
Slowly, deeply, Lourenco spoke The wordsto his mates
They were like no words they knew His eyes roved about as he talked, and it was evident that he saw no uessed that he said he and they were there as agreed, with peace in their hearts, and that he was telling the uessed rightly
As quietly as a phantoe of the tree roots Tall, straight, slender, syht-bronze hue, straight black hair, and deep dark eyes, he was a splendid type of savage Face and body were adorned with glossy paint--scarlet and black rings around the eyes, two red stripes from teer than hi and pointed doard, but ready for instant use Diagonally across his body ran a cord supporting a quiver, from which the feathered shafts of several arrows projected above his left shoulder Around his waist looped another cord froled a small loin mat Otherwise he was totally nude--a bronze statue of freedoain in the sae stepped warily forward At the same moment three other naked men appeared with equal stealth from tree trunks which had seemed barren of all life Like the first, each of these held an arrow ready, but pointing doard; and each uar Their eyes searched those of these strangeheavy weapons of steel, burdening thehts on their backs, now invaded the wilderness which they and their fathers had roamed untrammeled for centuries The invaders in turn studied the faces of the Mayorunas, of who silent ns of treachery--and found none
Ti the orders of the day, spoke out abruptly At the gruff jar of his voice the wild uys cannibals? I was lookin' to see so jaws and mops o' frizzy hair, like them Feejee Islanders ye see pitchers of Barrin' the paint, I've seen worse-lookin' fellers than these back hoes a wide, unrin
”Shut up!” muttered McKay
Lourenco, unruffled, made instant capital of Tim's remarks