Part 28 (1/2)

CHAPTER XIX

THE RED BONES

Four days the expedition traed labyrinthine hills Four nights its members slept in utter exhaustion

Neither by day nor by night was any sign of the Raposa seen, nor of any other hule did the Aan to picture the endary creature, which they never would find even though they searched the inscrutable forests until the end of time Yet when, on the fifth day, Tucu infor the principal settlement of the Red Bones, the announcement cheered them as if they were about to enter a civilized city and there meet David Rand safe and sane

Not that any chance of striking his trail had been neglected in the hly understood that if he were met anywhere he was to be made prisoner, and that thereafter the back trail should be taken Lourenco had impressed on Tucu the fact that the whole journey had for its object the finding of the wild man, and that he must not be killed if found Since the Indians were not in the habit of hunting so assiduously anyone but a bitterly hated foe, it is quite possible that they misunderstood the spirit of the quest and believed the ”dead-alive”

proould, if captured, undergo some extremely unpleasant treat as it was ht at all, Lourenco did not trouble about what the Mayorunas , pathless trail approached, arose a question of which McKay had previously thought but had not spoken--hoas to converse with the Red Bone chief Lourenco asked Tucu whether the Red Bones spoke the Mayoruna tongue Tucu replied that they did not He added, however, that the languages were not so dissi reached between members of the two tribes The veteran bushue fails, Capitao, the hands still can talk,” he said ”It takes more time and work, that is all Ah, here is a path!”

It was so For the first tiion a path lay under their feet And for the first ti that faint track, showed hesitation

”Why the delay?” snapped McKay

”They suspect traps I will go ahead and feel out the way I have done it before on other paths”

After a feords to Tucu, Lourenco cut a long, sli slowly, pausing so it with unswerving gaze as he progressed The thin but rigid feeler, strong enough to tip the cover of any pit or to spring any concealed bow or blowgun, was at least ten feet long, and between the scout and the head of the line Tucu preserved another ten-foot interval Progress was necessarily slow, but it was sure

In this fashi+on they advanced perhaps half a mile Not once did they have to leave the path, but Lourenco's caution did not diminish Rather, it increased as they neared the Red Bone town At length another path joined the one on which they were traveling Here Lourenco paused for round and the bush

Suddenly he cocked his head as if listening Then, with a backward motion of the hand to enjoin silence, he faced down the branch path and stood calht rustle of leaves and a scuffle offeet; a sudden cessation; then Lourenco's voice speaking to sorowth His tone was slow, quiet, easy--the tone which, even if the words were not understood, would soothe suspicious and abruptly alar, pointing carelessly to the place behind hiuttural voice replied A head peered cautiously froe of the bush, stared fixedly at Tucu, and withdrew The voice sounded again Immediately three Indians stepped into view, poised for action Another interval of staring, and they relaxed

”Coain at the junction of the trails Tucu spoke to one of the newcorunted some sort of answer Those behind the Mayoruna leader craned their necks and scanned the Red Bonethe tall-bonneted cannibals and the broad-hatted pair of whites

Man for man, these Red Bones were in every way inferior to the eaunt, their skins more coppery, their foreheads lower, and their expressions ent Furthermore, they wore not even the bark-cloth clouts which for of the Mayorunas--they were totally naked

The one point of similarity between the two tribes was that the faces of the Red Bone n was much different: two short transverse stripes on the forehead, and three lines on each cheek, running from the eyes, the end of the nose, and the corners of the es, Knowlton and McKay recalled Schwandorf's statement that these people not only ate human flesh, but tortured prisoners of war It was easy to believe that he had told truth

McKay, standing behind Pedro, shi+fted his position a bit At once the eyes of the three Red Bones widened and riveted on his face Heretofore they had seen only his hat and eyes, the rest being hidden fro palm tip Now that they saw his black-bearded jaw, they started slightly and peered intently at him

”I think, Capitao, you would do well to shave,” Pedro suggested, with a sranted ”Black beards evidently are _de trop_ in the jungle social set at present”

But then one of the Red Bonenarrowly, and his expression was not hostile In fact, it was more friendly than it had yet been After a closer scrutiny, however, his face turned blank Slowly he stepped back andto his companions

At this Pedro's eyes narrowed speculatively But his expression did not change, and he said nothing

A lengthy conference took place between Lourenco and Tucu on the one hand and the three Red Bone tribesn language both were used and frequently repeated

Eventually an understanding was reached The three stepped back, picked up so Lourenco, returned, and led the way along the path Lourenco cast aside his poke stick and resumed his usual place in the coluait than before

”Note--this path is not ht Knowlton

This proved true Moreover, the way noas more broad and firm, so that travel on it wasit debouched abruptly into a cleared space Here all halted