exible purpose. So he merely said:

"Then good luck, old chap! And if you meet Schwandorf give him our
affectionate regards."

"_Si_, senor," was the sardonic answer. "I will do that thing. And here
is something that may be of interest to you. I happen to know that
before we left Remate de Males a swift one-man canoe left Nazareth, and
that the man in it was an Indian who is in the German's control. It went
upstream while we were loading your supplies, and it has not returned.
By this time it must be many hours above this place. I do not know what
message that Indian carries, nor where he goes. But he is a short man,
and his left leg is crooked. If you meet such a one make him talk.
Good-by, senor."

Just how and when the _puntero_ cat-footed his way out that night none
ever knew but himself. But before the next dawn he had vanished from the
Brazilian shore.

CHAPTER X.

BY THE LIGHT OF STORM

"One thing I can't understand," Knowlton said, toying with his coffee
cup the next morning, "is why Schwandorf should double-cross us. We
never did anything to him. Another thing I don't quite get is how he
expected to have the Peruvians wiped out when he knew blamed well they
were aware of the enmity of the cannibals. They'd hardly be likely to go
into the bush with us under those circumstances."

"My guess is this," McKay replied. "He set a trap. He is on a friendly
footing with some of the savages above here, no doubt. He dispatched
that Indian messenger to stir them up with some false tale and bring
them to some place where they'd be pretty sure to get us. He primed the
crew to jump us at the same place, perhaps. Then the crew would kill us
or we'd kill them, and whichever side won would be smeared by the
Indians. Sort of a trap within a trap. Why he did it doesn't matter
much. He double-crossed us, he double-crossed the crew, he
double-crossed Jose. First thing he knows he'll find he's double-crossed
himself."

"Yeah," Tim grunted. "He better beat it before we git back!"

"He wanted no killing before we reached the cannibal country," McKay
went on, "because then it would all be blamed on the savages and he
could show clean hands. Francisco's vengefulness tipped over his cart."

"Still, he might have known we'd stop here for a call on the coronel,
and that there was a big chance for us to be warned here about the feud
between Mayorunas and Peruvians."

"That probably was provided for. Crew doubtless had o