er's lips and sew his mouth up tight. Then he flies off
lookin' for another liar."

"_Por Deus!_ And the liar starves to death?"

"Wal, no. O' course he can git somebody to cut the stitches. But the
needle is a good thick one and it leaves a row o' holes all along the
feller's lips. Any time ye see a guy with li'l' round scars around his
mouth, Pedro, ye'll know he's such an awful liar the devil bug got him."

McKay coughed. Knowlton blew his nose into a big handkerchief. Lourenco
squinted sidewise at Tim, who was solemn as an owl. Pedro, his eyes
twinkling, bent forward and scrutinized Tim's mouth.

"You have been fortunate, senhor," he said, simply--and stepped around
to the other side of the fire.

"Huh? Say, lookit here, ye long-legged gorilla--"

Knowlton exploded. McKay and Lourenco snickered.

"It's on you, Tim!" vociferated Knowlton. "You dug the hole yourself.
Now crawl in and pull it in after you."

Tim snorted wrathfully, but his eyes laughed.

"Aw, what's the use o' trying to educate you guys?"

"You swallowed a mosquito just now, but I cannot swallow that devil
bug," Pedro grinned.

Tim rumbled something, solaced himself with a cigarette, then squatted
and joined the others in their frugal breakfast of coffee and
_chibeh_--a handful of farinha mixed with water in a gourd. When it was
finished McKay, who never smoked in the morning until he had eaten,
filled a pipe and suggested:

"Guess we'd better plan our campaign. We didn't take time yesterday. In
case we find no trace of the Raposa at the place where you fellows saw
him, what's your idea?"

Lourenco, puffing thoughtfully, stared into the fire.

"There will be time enough to decide that, Capitao, after we have
visited that place," he said, slowly. "Still, perhaps it is best to make
some plan; it can be changed at any time."

For a moment longer he looked at the dying flame. Then, dropping his
cigarette stub into it, he continued:

"If I were going alone to find a man among the Red Bones, I should go
first to the Mayorunas and work through them to make sure of a friendly
reception by the other people. I would--"

"Why, that's the very thing Schwandorf suggested!"

"Yes? I have not heard what he said. Tell me."

McKay did so. Lourenco smiled.

"Sometimes, Capitao, the devil puts into the hands of men a weapon which
is turned against himself. So it is now. That _Allemao_, Schwandorf,
never expected you to reach the people you seek,