a foghorn voice and, much to the edification of
"Joey" (whose name really was Joao) and the rest of Remate de Males,
burst into song:

"Mademoiselle of Armenteers,
Pa-a-arley-voo!
She smoked our butts and bummed our beers,
Pa-a-arley-voo!
She had cockeyes and jackass ears
And she hadn't been kissed for forty years,
Rinkydinky-parley-voo!"

As his musical effort ended, out from the dense jungle hemming in the
town burst a hideous roaring howl. Again and again it sounded in a
horrible crash of noise.

"Holy Saint Pat!" gasped Tim, throwing his rifle to port and bracing his
feet. "Now look what I went and done! Is that the echo, or a couple
dozen jaggers all fightin' to oncet?"

"Guariba, Senhor Ree-ann," snickered Joao. "Not jaguars--no. Only one
little guariba monkey. The howler."

"G'wan! Ye're kiddin'!"

"But no, _amigo_. It is as I tell you. One monkey. It is sunset, and the
jungle awakes."

"My gosh! I'll say it does. Sounds like a Sat'day night row in a Second
Av'noo saloon, except there ain't no shootin'. Guess you boys have some
night life, too, even if ye are away back in the bush."

"Time for us to move, Tim," laughed Knowlton. "It'll be dark in no time.
Joao, will you have our baggage moved to the hotel?"

"_Si_, senhor. _Immediatamente._ Antonio--Jorge--Rosario! And you, too,
Meldo--_vem ca_! Carry the bundles of the gentlemen to the hotel,
presto! Proceed, senhores. I, Joao d'Almeida Magalhaes Nabuco Pestana da
Fonseca, will remain here on guard until all your possessions have been
transported. Proceed without fear."

CHAPTER III.

THE VOICE OF THE WILDS

McKay, eyes twinkling again, awaited them at the top of the hotel's
street ladder.

"Rooms any good, Rod?" hailed Knowlton.

"Best in the house, Merry."

"See any insects in the beds?"

"Nary a bug--in the beds." The twinkle grew. "Didn't look in the bureaus
or behind the mirrors. Come look 'em over."

Entering a sizable room evidently used for dining--for its chief
articles of furniture were two tables made from planed palm
trunks--McKay waved a hand toward a row of four doorways on the right.

"First three are ours," he explained. "Only vacancies here. Eight rooms
in this hotel--the other four over there." He pointed across the room,
on the other side of which opened four similar doors. "They're occupied
by two sick men, one drunk--hear him snore?--and one she-goat which is
kidding