latter's strained ear caught the
crackling of a twig, above the din of the rapids (which was much less
there than below), and something was discerned moving among the trees
on his right. His frightened glance in that direction gave him a
glimpse of a dusky figure in the act of hurling his javelin.

Thus it was that the spearman and archer let fly at precisely the same
instant, and Jared Long, who was so anxious to help his friend, saw
only the deft movements of the archer. Grimcke could not fire at both
in time to save himself, but he instinctively did the very best and
indeed the only thing that could be done. Without moving his feet, he
dropped to a sitting posture, instantly popping up again like a
jack-in-the-box.

The movement took place at precisely the right instant, and both the
javelin and arrow whizzed over his head, without grazing him, but the
arrow shot by Long's temple so close that he blinked and for an instant
believed he had been hit.

But, like the hunter when bitten by a rattlesnake, he determined to
crush his assailant and to attend to his hurt afterwards.

The sharp crack of the Winchester, the shriek of the smitten savage and
his frenzied leap in the air, followed in such instant succession that
they seemed simultaneous. When the wretch went back on the ground he
was as dead as Julius Caesar.

A man can fire with amazing rapidity, when using a Winchester repeater,
but some persons are like cats in their own movements. The New
Englander leveled his weapon as quickly as he could bring it to his
shoulder, but the native along the side of the Xingu had vanished as
though he never existed.

Whether he knew anything about fire-arms or not, he was quick to
understand that some kind of weapon in the hands of the white men had
knocked the bowman out of time, and he bounded among the trees at his
side, as though he, too, was discharged from the bow. He was just
quick enough to escape the bullet that would have been after him an
instant later.

The moment Grimcke knew that he was safe from the javelin, which sped
over his head, he straightened up, and, still maintaining his removable
posture, discharged his gun at the point whence came the well-nigh
fatal missile.

But the shot was a blind one, for he did not see the native at the
instant of firing. Nothing could have surpassed the alertness of these
strange savages. The one with the javelin disappeared with the same
suddenness as did his b