Part 24 (1/2)
It releaned from the Mayorunas At the first halt, which did not come until nearly sundown, the Americans discovered that one of thein the botto all the afternoon Froet information as to the reason for Suba's enmity--but in vain The tall fellow spoke not a word in reply, and his face remained unreadable
Camp was made, and by Yuara's direction the packs of the adventurers were restored to thees appointed by the subchief's son When the nightremained but to seek hammocks and sleep, for further attempts at conversation by Lourenco met with the same silent rebuff from every cannibal addressed None showed active hostility by either look or manner, but it was plain that betild and civilized le dwellers to leap over in deadly action if occasion should be given Wherefore the whites held thelad Yuara is with us,” Lourenco said ”As he proet as done for him He will keep this band in control, and unless I am much mistaken he will tell Monitaya all he knows of us, which surely will not do us any harht And since it does no good to puzzle about what is gone by or to worry about what has not yet to come to pass, let us sleep now”
”Ho-hum!” yawned Tim ”Renzo, ye spill more solid sense to the square inch than any feller I seen in a long time We're here because we're here; to-day's dead and to-ht now Night, gents”
So, surrounded by man eaters, the trailers of the Raposa slept far ht down the river when their companions had been supposedly civilized Peruvians Whether a watch was kept by their guards during the night they neither knew nor cared, since they had no intention of atte escape
They awoke to find theto speak for the first ti the _ for their breakfasts
Before long the hunters catheir companions None of this meat was offered to the prisoners, who ate unconcernedly fro the Indians sink their sharp-filed teeth into broiled monkey haunches and tear the meat from the bones, snorted and turned his back to theobblin' babies,” he ht”
So uncorie meal was finished Then their attention beca at the canoe wherein Yuara had journeyed yesterday
To the gunwales amidshi+ps two of the men fastened a couple of small crotched posts In the forks was laid a pole, crosswise of the boat, and fro
Strolling down to the canoe, the travelers found that athwart its botto two shorter crotched posts, bethich stretched another transverse pole; and from this pole in turn the lower ends of the four slabs had been suspended Now the savages joined the tips of each pair of slabs by carved end sections, and the contrivance see at an angle of forty-five degrees
As the Aement in perplexity, one of the crew picked up from the bow of the canoe a pair of mallets the heads of which rapped in hide With these he struck the slabs in rapid succession Out rolled four notes of astonishi+ng voluain he ran the the creek and died
”By George! a big xylophone!” Knowlton exclaiht out loud,” said Tiuys, at that Bet this is their brass band, and we'll go rip-snortin' into the next town like as on parade Oughter have so up in the boats, and mebbe a drum corps to help out Wisht I had a tin whistle or somethin' and I'd join the orchester I can toot a whistle fine”
”My favorite instruhed Knowlton ”But I think you're wrong--this is soht, senhor,” Lourenco affirh I never before saw the instrument itself Those notes will carry at least fivethe bars in different order This run which we have just heard is always used first, and no raph,” nodded McKay ”First call your operator and then shoot the enious for a bunch of absolute savages”
Lourenco turned to Yuara and asked a question Yuara curtly replied
”He says, Capitao, that this is to tell Monitaya we come Butare too far off for Monitaya'sso that they can be used as soon as we are within hearing He says also that we start now”
The Mayorunas already were entering their canoes With cool deliberation the whites gathered up their equipment and settled themselves for the journey at whose end lay either life or death The boat of Yuara started, and once more the flotilla was on its way
For an hour or raph instrument was put to use Then it paused, and the sonorous voice of the xylophone spoke to the jungle A period of waiting brought no reply
The canoe ain thescale of the call And then, faint, mellow, far off, sounded the answer
While every man sat silent the bars boomed out their fateful news Slow, brief, deep as a bell tolling a dirge, a reply rolled back And with the solee the canoes onceof the paddles beating like a pulse of dooth the crew of Yuara held their paddles Yuara himself turned toward the second canoe and talked a nal to his men, and his boat proceeded All the others reoes to Monitaya to speak of us,” said Lourenco ”He will return We have only to wait”