Part 29 (1/2)

The street behind noas filled with the mass of Red Bone warriors who had trooped after the column All exit in that direction was blockaded

But the ex-officers noted that between the houses were spaces each wide enough to hold a couple of ave defensive instructions to Lourenco

”If fighting starts, have the Mayorunas take cover along these houses on each side We who have guns will use the chief's house We can sweep the whole street from there You two fellows capture the chief alive if possible He'll be e than as a corpse”

Pedro beamed approval of this swiftly formed plan Lourenco muttered to Tucu, who in turn passed the word down the line Then all stood waiting

Presently the Red Bone man came out He shouted a na and peering at the small but formidable body of newco a little, to the hatchet-face The latter talked briefly to him, then to Tucu The Mayoruna leader pointed to Lourenco The old man spoke to the Brazilian, who answered at once Thereupon the wizened old fellow entered the chief's house

”That old ue quite well, Capitao,” said Lourenco ”He says you and I shall enter and talk through his mouth with the chief All others remain outside, and we ht Glad we can leave Tucu out here to control these fellows

Here, Merry” He passed his rifle to Knowlton Pedro took Lourenco's gun With packs still on their backs the chosen men proceeded to the doorway and entered the house where waited the ruler of the Red Bone tribe

Behind the The Red Bones, though so coed as to cut off any chance of escape, held their distance, obviously neither inclined to fraternize nor ready to precipitate conflict by crowding Thus, while keeping their ears open for any sound of a concerted movement from behind, the visitors could use their eyes to inspect the huts nearest them

In so with unwinking absorption at the light-skinned, athletic men outside ere so much better to look upon than their own lances ofbut totally uninterested--as well they ht be, for these poorly shaped, heavy-mouthed, mud-skinned females were not to be compared with their oomen Knowlton and Pedro, too, looked the a falanced into other huts now eid red-hued objects hanging from the roofs

”The red bones of the dead, senhor,” Pedro ain at the sinister decorations, nodded without reply

Voices ca deliberation Evidently no cause for friction had yet arisen They let their eyes rove on beyond the guarded doorway, to pause at a house a short distance away at the right There stood a clubman, who leaned idly on his weapon, but showed no intention offrom his place The door of that house was closed Not only closed, but barred on the outside

”Hm! Looks like a jail,” said Knowlton Pedro smiled, but an intent look came into his face and he studied the closed house

Suddenly both started At one corner of the house, unseen by the clubman, a head had cautiously slipped forth For only an instant it hung there before dodging back out of sight But both the watchingdark hair and a thick beard, was e And in the hair above one ear was a white streak

CHAPTER XX

THE RAPOSA

McKay and Lourenco, in a broad, low,room, faced a man who stood and a e who could talk in the Mayoruna language The man who sat was the chief of the Red Bones

In his first words to the visitors the old interpreter revealed that the name of the Red Bone ruler was Uoa geral_ of the Amazonian Indians (which, however, was not spoken by this tribe) the word ”umanuh” nified in the language of the Red Bones, its Tupi definition fitted with disagreeable precision For Uray skinned, lank haired, hollow of cheek and eye, with thin, cruel lips so tight drawn that the teeth behind see on bony knees, his whole fra dead, the headtribe was the antithesis of both the piggish Suba and the herculean Monitaya Only his eyes lived; and those eyes were cold and merciless as those of a snake or a vulture A aze unhastly tortures, ould devour huhoulish relish--such was the creature who sat in a red-dyed hammock and contereat chief, eater of his enereat snake, awaits the greeting of the one-whose-hair grows-from-his-mouth,” droned the oldmen of the Blackbeards, whose voice is the thunder and whose hand spits lightning and death, gives greeting to U tone

A pause Uht and cold, aze Between the tho spoke not was a testing of wills

”Makkay brings with him none of the Blackbeard warriors,” pointed out the interpreter, who seele ht skins”