Part 31 (1/2)
As he spoke the last light of day vanished Stars and a quartersky The sainst the poles of the night shelters
Lights glian to streak across the gloo the streauard lurked no light shone They had built no fire, and now they were almost invisible in the faint ht be ed over to Tucu, atching those shadoith a fixed cat stare, and inforun would be always on guard while the rest slept The Indian grunted approval By way of precaution against being killed by his own men, the Brazilian added the information that later on he and his coo upstream for a tihts of the town, and returned In thenored it and strolled back to his _taher The anian to di hose acrid smoke alleviated the insect pests, smoldered dull red McKay and Knowlton drew lots for the first sleep, the captain winning and pro under his net In the Mayoruna shelter all was dark and silent, each htly with one hand on a weapon The two Brazilians also were out of sight in their hut
Up and down, a barely distinguishable figure, Knowlton passed sloith holster unbuttoned and rifle cocked, eyes turning periodically to the Red Bone outpost and ears intent to pick any unusual sound out of the night noise Gradually the shts of the town faded out To all appearance, sleep had whelht The watchers on the farther shore stirred a little at times, but the blot they made in thethings were the khaki-clad sentinel and the blazing fireflies
Another hour rolled slowly by The sentinel stopped and stood at a corner of the _taood a time as any for the Brazilians to start their perilous reconnaissance Perhaps they had gone to sleep
He squinted at their ha softly to the hammock of Pedro, he lifted the net to whisper to the occupant
Then he stared, dropped the net, and lifted Lourenco's curtain A soft, self-derisive chuckle sounded in his throat as he stole out again
The hammocks were occupied, yes; but only by packs and rifles Armed only with machetes, the two bushmen noere--where? He did not even knohen or which way they had gone Fine sentinel, wasn't he, to let two full-grown et out so slick, why couldn't soet in with equal facility?
Wherefore he beca his slow pace, he stood quiet at a corner, scrutinizing everything within his range of vision, listening more intently than ever Two or three times he leaned forward and lifted his piece as so noise in the creek cauards on the other bank also sprang to see what caused the sound, then grunted to one another and relaxed, so he kneasmoved And theoff the silent hours of the night watch
Then all at once every nerve in hi was there! He had not heard it--seen it--s that did not belong there With s there
Motionless, feeling slightly creepy, concealed under the roof corner, he waited A sound ca in
Lourenco and Pedro, perhaps? Stooping low, he peered along the ground under the ha on all-fours like an animal He was too stealthy to be either of the Brazilians Knowlton glimpsed hied here And now, as on a previous occasion almost identical in its circumstances, the watchman acted in accordance with Tim Ryan's General Order Number Thirteen
In three juun butt crashed down on the rising head The other collapsed on the ground
Swiftly Knowlton snapped a match with his thumb-nail The sudden flare half blinded him, but what he saw made him suck in his breath When the match went out he turned the senseless body over, drew his pocket flashlight, stabbed its white ray doard Then he committed the unpardonable sin of the army--he dropped his rifle
Dark haired, dark bearded, streaked with red dye and bleeding slightly at the nose, at his feet lay the man for whom the indomitable trio had traveled thousands of le--the Raposa
CHAPTER XXI
SHADOWS OF THE NIGHT
”Rod! Wake up!”
The tense whisper aroused McKay instantly With one sweep of the arm his net was torn aside and he leaped out with pistol drawn
”Right, Merry What is it?”
”We've got hilooun, but he ca minute he stood as in a trance When he attempted to holster his weapon he fumbled three times for the sheath before he found it
”Whew!” he breathed ”Have you killed him?”
”Nope--don't think so Lord! I hope not! Now that I think of it, I did give hi in here, and naturally I didn't stop to ask for his card Feel his head”