"But has he settled his bill, as a man would who has gone for good?"

"By no means; he left his room about an hour ago, and he will doubtless
come back to supper."

"Do you know what road he took when he went out?"

"We saw him turning toward the Amazon, going through the lower town, and
you will probably meet him on that side."

Fragoso did not want any more. A few seconds afterward he rejoined the
young fellows, and said:

"I am on the track."

"He is there!" exclaimed Benito.

"No; he has just gone out, and they have seen him walking across to the
bank of the Amazon."

"Come on!" replied Benito.

They had to go back toward the river, and the shortest way was for them
to take the left bank of the Rio Negro, down to its mouth.

Benito and his companions soon left the last houses of the town behind,
and followed the bank, making a slight detour so as not to be observed
from the jangada.

The plain was at this time deserted. Far away the view extended across
the flat, where cultivated fields had replaced the former forests.

Benito did not speak; he could not utter a word. Manoel and Fragoso
respected his silence. And so the three of them went along and looked
about on all sides as they traversed the space between the bank of
the Rio Negro and that of the Amazon. Three-quarters of an hour after
leaving Manaos, and still they had seen nothing!

Once or twice Indians working in the fields were met with. Manoel
questioned them, and one of them at length told him that a man, such as
he described, had just passed in the direction of the angle formed by
the two rivers at their confluence.

Without waiting for more, Benito, by an irresistible movement, strode
to the front, and his two companions had to hurry on to avoid being left
behind.

The left bank of the Amazon was then about a quarter of a mile off. A
sort of cliff appeared ahead, hiding a part of the horizon, and bounding
the view a few hundred paces in advance.

Benito, hurrying on, soon disappeared behind one of the sandy knolls.

"Quicker! quicker!" said Manoel to Fragoso. "We must not leave him alone
for an instant."

And they were dashing along when a shout struck on their ears.

Had Benito caught sight of Torres? What had he seen? Had Benito and
Torres already met?

Manoel and Fragoso, fifty paces further on, after swiftly running round
one of the spurs of the bank, saw two men standing face to face to each
other.

They were Torres and