And the reason for
such a command is this:

"For many moons the Mayorunas, especially those of the smaller and
weaker _malocas_, have been losing women. From time to time sudden raids
have been made by gangs of gun-carrying Peruvian Indians and
_mesticos_--half-breeds--who shot down the defenders of the houses
before they could reach their weapons, and carried off girls. This, of
course, is nothing new here, for such things have happened occasionally
for many years. But within the past five years there has been a
difference in these attacks which has made them much more deadly.

"These raids used to be made always at night, and they were few and far
between. But of late they have come about also in the day, at times when
almost all the men of the small _malocas_ were far out in the forest
hunting meat and the women had little protection. Several chiefs have
been killed by the raiders, who seemed to be acting according to an
agreed plan, to be organized for this work, and to know when to strike
and how to get away quickly. And what is more, the men who did this were
not chance parties who came only to get women for themselves and then
stayed away. The same men came back time after time.

"A few of these were killed, but only a few; and all the dead were
Peruvians. Being dead, they could tell nothing. But the Mayorunas felt
that all these raids were directed by one mind. And they became sure of
this when one captured girl escaped by killing a Peruvian with his own
knife and returned to her own _maloca_. She said the raiders took her
and the other girls to the big man with the black beard, who waited at a
safe place a day's march from the tribal house.

"A few weeks later another small _maloca_ several miles from here was
attacked at night while two men of Monitaya were there, having stayed
out too late on a hunting trip and taken refuge with their neighbors
until day. Both these men were hit and crippled by bullets in the wild
shooting that opened the attack. One was struck in the knee, the other
in the lower part of the back. But both caught a glimpse of the leader's
face and saw that he was the black-bearded man himself.

"So you see, Capitao, why we have been near death. Suba and Monitaya
both thought you were the man. We were lucky to escape alive from Suba,
and still more lucky that hero were two men who knew the face of the
blackbeard."

"Schwandorf!" barked McKay.

"Yes, Capitao, it must be the German--"