General Bambos had progressed thus far in his speech, when he emitted
a rasping shriek, clapped his hand behind him and made so tremendous a
leap that his crown bumped against the ceiling of the cabin. At the
same time, the tenor of his remarks abruptly changed, and he danced
and rubbed with pain. One of the pestilent "fire ants" of his country
had managed to snuggle among the crevices of the lounge, and its nip
was like that of a red hot pair of pincers.

CHAPTER XXXVI.

The fire ant of the tropics does not merely bite into the animal or
person who disturbs it, but bites out, as may be said. It abstracts a
fragment of one's anatomy, so that, had General Bambos been placed on
a delicate pair of scales immediately before and after his nipping,
there would have been an appreciable difference in his weight. Since
Major Starland himself had suffered from the fierce little pest, he
understood what had befallen the other. He tried to express his
sympathy, but instead, threw back his head and gave way to merriment.

The victim was suffering too much from his hurt to pay heed to the
laughter which must have struck him as untimely, but no doubt he would
have turned on the American, had not the hoarse whistle of the tugboat
sounded, and brought him hurrying from the cabin. They were nearing
the bend of the river around which the Major had seen the catboat
containing General Yozarro and his friends disappear. That Captain
Ortega was right in what he said was proved by the emergence of the
smaller craft from under the heavy foliage along shore. In answer to
the signal of the tug, it glided out from shelter, propelled by two of
the men with poles. The sail was not hoisted, for the wind had fallen
to a calm. The Captain turned to meet the catboat, for he knew the
depth of the water permitted him to run close to the bank, but he
halted when a few rods away and waited for the other to come up.

General Yozarro could not be expected fully to understand the changed
conditions, with the American yacht steaming forward a short way
behind his own boat. Captain Ortega called out a brief explanation,
and the men continued poling until the smaller craft lay alongside the
larger one. General Bambos, holding to a stanchion with one hand,
reached down with the other and helped his illustrious compatriot to
climb upon his own property, the others following more nimbly, until
all had transferred themselves, and the catboat was made fa