. "We have seen the poison death, and we know."

McKay also shook his head.

"Experiments have been made with the wurali of the Macusis," he stated.
"It was tried on a hog, a sloth--and a sloth is mighty hard to
kill--also on mules, and on a full-grown ox weighing almost half a ton.
It killed every one of them."

A momentary silence followed. Tim gazed sourly at the arrow, now
harmless but still sinister.

"Urrrgh!" he growled. "Cap, ye had a narrer squeak--come near gittin' it
from in front, and behind, too. Wisht I could have drilled that guy."

The bushmen grinned. And Lourenco's next speech was amazing.

"Be thankful you did not. That bullet might have killed us all."

After enjoying their puzzled expressions a moment he continued.

"We are nearer to a Mayoruna _maloca_ than I thought. Not the one I
intended to seek, but a smaller one. It is about three days' journey
from here, and to reach it we must go through the bush. The man who left
this arrow here to-day is from that _maloca_.

"A week ago his brother went hunting, and he has not returned. So this
young savage and three of his comrades now are searching the bush for
some sign of him. To-day they separated, each going in a different
direction, agreeing to meet again to-night at a place less than half a
day's journey from here. This man circled around and worked along this
creek, knowing his brother would hardly go beyond the water. He spied
our canoes, then sought the men who had come in them and found you.

"He watched you for some time, and if you had not rushed at him he would
have slipped away without attacking you, for he was alone and he saw
your guns. But when you, Capitao, suddenly leaped at him he darted away,
then stopped long enough to send an arrow at you. After that he dodged
out of sight and ran to the camp of his three friends. He is there now,
telling about you."

"Great guns! You chaps are wizards!" cried Knowlton. "How do you know
all this?"

"Because we met him while on our way back here. He was running hard, and
we heard him, so we blocked him. After we convinced him that we were
friendly we talked for some time--I can speak their tongue--and he told
us about you. He was sure you were enemies to him and his people, and
believed also you had killed his missing brother, and he was going first
to rejoin his companions and then hasten to the _maloca_ to bring all
their fighters against you. It was well that we met him in time. It w