ey had just sighted the glint of water between the trees
some distance away on their left front, when a heavy crashing was
suddenly heard among the underbush, and a moment later a creature about
the size of a half-grown calf was glimpsed trotting heavily towards the
water. As in the case of the jaguar, its colour could not be
distinguished, but its shape was very remarkable. Dyer compared it to a
pig with exceptionally thick legs and a peculiar, elongated snout; and
that was about as near as he could reasonably be expected to get to it.
It subsequently became known to natural historians as the tapir.

It was about a quarter of an hour afterwards that an answering cry to
Dyer's signal shout was first heard, and some five minutes later, as the
two Englishmen emerged from the gloom of the forest and entered a
natural clearing of about fifteen acres in extent, they were suddenly
confronted by six big, stalwart blacks, who barred their further
progress with threatening spears of most formidable appearance. These
men seemed to be a cross between the African negro and the Indian of
Central America, for they were somewhat lighter of colour and slighter
of build than the negro, while their black hair hung down to their
shoulders in crisp curls. They were naked, save for a skin apron girt
about their loins; and by way of ornament they wore necklaces composed
of the teeth and claws of animals and the beaks of birds strung upon
thin strips of hide. They also all wore bits of bone thrust through the
lobes of their ears.

The individual who appeared to be the leader of the party addressed the
two white men in a somewhat thick, throaty tone of voice, but in
language of which the Englishmen were quite ignorant, the only thing
that was at all clear being that it was a question of some sort that he
was propounding.

"Speak you to un, cap'n," said Dyer. "I don't understand their lingo,
but I think most of 'em understands Spanish. Cap'n Drake could always
make hisself understood."

The six blacks gazed intently at Dyer as he spoke, apparently striving
to gather some conception of the meaning of his words, and George
noticed that at the mention of Drake's name they all started, while two
or three of them murmured to each other, "Drake--Drake--_El Draque_?"
questioningly. He at once jumped to the conclusion that Drake's name
was familiar to them, and promptly acted upon the assumption.

"Yes," he said in Spanish, "we are friends