Adventure Magazine Cover — page 22: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

16 several Indians armed with arrows and spears. The wild men had looted the boat, and with their plunder and the white girl they had gone back into the bush. We followed the footmarks of the killers a short distance before turning back to Sen- hor Tom, and found that they led almost straight eastward. We found also some- thing very valuable to us just at that time— a bag of farinha, dropped or flung aside by some man who thought it not worth carry- ing. It was one of our own bags, and it held little enough; but we pounced on it as if it were gold. Returning to the dead man to pick up the two upset gourds, we spied a couple of chunks of our salt pirarucu fish which he had not lived long enough to eat. With these and our news, we went back to our comrade who sat patiently waiting. We gave him the news first, of course, and half the fish and farinha next. Pedro and I shared the other half between us, glad that he could net see how we were favoring him—for he certainly would have refused to eat more than his portion. As it was, he devoured all he had before saying a word. “1 tee) better,” he . announced then. “Wish I could have manhandled that brute myself, but since I couldn’t I’m sure glad the Indians did him up so thoroughly. And Miss Marshall is at least one degree safer with the Indians, even though they are kill- ers, than she was with the scum who dragged her here. “This isn’t cannibal country, as far as I know. The Indians hereabouts are mostly Tucunas, and they’re a pretty decent lot. Likely as not they’re taking her along to protect her. They’ll lead her to their chief, anyway, and she’s safe until then or later. Now we'll just have to trail them and talk straight to the chief, and everything will be fixed up. Let’s go.” Pedro and I looked at each other and tried to grin. We knew, and Senhor Tom himself knew, that matters were not so hope- ful as he said. For one thing, we did not know that the Indians were Tucunas, and the body lying near us certainly did not _ look as if the killers were a “pretty decent lot.” Even if they were Tucunas, the Tu- cuna race had made up the army of the dead Black Hawk, who preyed on whites and was a destroyer of women. True, the Indians in his gang had obeyed him because they feared him, and most of them were » Adventure glad of his death. Still—no, the outlook for the girl was not at all bright. Nor were the chances very good that three men—one blind, the others poorly armed—could peaceably rescue a prisoner from a tribe who had just shown such feroc- ity toward the strange man who had landed there that morning. But there was only one thing for us to do—to take the trail as Senhor Tom had said. And we could waste no more time in talking about it. Yet, with the path plain before us, we found ourselves facing a new problem. Up to this point our blind companion had been no hindrance to us; but now, with stealthy bush-work ahead, a sightless man was likely to be the worst possible obstacle to either speed or silence. For a minute or so we pondered. There was no way out of it— he must come with us. We could not leave him alone there, even if we hoped to return ‘soon. Many things might come about while we were gone, and if we failed to come back he could only die in misery. “Are your eyes any better, comrade?” Pedro asked gently. “No better. Can’t see a thing. You fel- lows had better Jeave me behind. I’m no good any more.’ “We shall do nothing of the kind,” I re- fused. ‘“‘We stick together. It takes only one eye to follow the track of those sav- ages, and*we have four eyes among us. I will- go ahead, and Pedro will follow with you.’ “But “But sae? Pedro cut him off. “We shall do just that. The Indians probably have not come far from their village, and we ought to find them before long. You are so well used to jungle’ travel that you can walk nearly as quietly as we, so long as you have a guide. I will cut a short stick, which you and I will carry in our left hands. I will move the stick to right or left as we turn, lift it if we have to step high, and push back if we must stop. If you feel - me drop it suddenly, squat as low as you can and keep still.” With that he cut a small stiff piece of bush and trimmed it to a‘ bare stick about a yard long. With no more argument, Senhor Tom grasped the end Pedro gave him and stood behind him, ready to follow. I took the revolver from my partner and started away along the trail. Once started, I gave little attention. to Eomichoo <S) (E@)