ndling the crew. Now
that there is no crew my duty ends. Also, Capitan, I would like my pay
now."

"You quit?"

"Why not? I have done my best. I can do no more. I am crippled. I am of
no further use to you. Give me my pay, a little food, a small canoe, and
I go."

"It is possible, Senhor Jose," spoke the coronel, with ironic
politeness, "that you may not go so soon. You have killed two men
recently. You refuse to reveal some things which should be known about
the German. Perhaps the law--"

Jose burst into a jeering laugh.

"Law? You speak of law? There is no law up the river but the law of the
gun and the knife. And if there were, senor, what then? I killed in a
fair fight. I killed men who would do murder. I killed on the west bank
of the river--Peru. Neither you nor any other Brazilian can lay hand on
me. And though I now have only one good arm, it will not be well for
anyone to try to hold me. My knife and my right hand still are ready."

"By cripes! the lad's right!" Tim blurted, impulsively. "And I'll tell
the world I'm for him. He's got a right to keep his mouth shut if he
wants to. He don't owe us nothin'. Mebbe he's got somethin' up his
sleeve, at that; but he stuck with us in the pinch, and--"

"And we'll give him a square deal, of course," Knowlton cut in. "Jose,
your own wages to this point, at a dollar a day, are eighteen dollars.
The wages of the five other men to the place where they--quit--would
aggregate seventy-five dollars. Grand total, ninety-three. The others
chose to take their pay in lead instead of gold, so their account is
closed. Therefore I suggest that their pay go to you as _puntero_,
_popero_, and good sport. What say, Rod?"

"Make it a hundred flat," McKay agreed.

"Right. A hundred in gold. Satisfy you, Jose?"

"Indeed yes, senor. I did not expect such generosity."

"That's all right, then. We'll fix you up before we move on, and--Say!
Are you in Schwandorf's pay, too?"

Jose hesitated. Then he replied:

"Since you mention it, I will admit that _el Aleman_ offered me certain
inducements to make this journey. I now see that he had no intention of
meeting his promises. But you can leave it to me to collect from him
whatever may be due."

Even the coronel nodded at this. The gleam in the Peruvian's eyes
presaged unpleasantness for Schwandorf.

"You gentlemen, of course, will not attempt to continue your journey for
the present," the coronel suggested. "You are fatigued an