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And the reason for such a command is this: "For many moons the Mayorunas, especially those of the smaller and weaker _malocas_, have been losing women. From time to time sudden raids have been made by gangs of gun-carrying Peruvian Indians and _mesticos_--half-breeds--who shot down the defenders of the houses before they could reach their weapons, and carried off girls. This, of course, is nothing new here, for such things have happened occasionally for many years. But within the past five years there has been a difference in these attacks which has made them much more deadly. "These raids used to be made always at night, and they were few and far between. But of late they have come about also in the day, at times when almost all the men of the small _malocas_ were far out in the forest hunting meat and the women had little protection. Several chiefs have been killed by the raiders, who seemed to be acting according to an agreed plan, to be organized for this work, and to know when to strike and how to get away quickly. And what is more, the men who did this were not chance parties who came only to get women for themselves and then stayed away. The same men came back time after time. "A few of these were killed, but only a few; and all the dead were Peruvians. Being dead, they could tell nothing. But the Mayorunas felt that all these raids were directed by one mind. And they became sure of this when one captured girl escaped by killing a Peruvian with his own knife and returned to her own _maloca_. She said the raiders took her and the other girls to the big man with the black beard, who waited at a safe place a day's march from the tribal house. "A few weeks later another small _maloca_ several miles from here was attacked at night while two men of Monitaya were there, having stayed out too late on a hunting trip and taken refuge with their neighbors until day. Both these men were hit and crippled by bullets in the wild shooting that opened the attack. One was struck in the knee, the other in the lower part of the back. But both caught a glimpse of the leader's face and saw that he was the black-bearded man himself. "So you see, Capitao, why we have been near death. Suba and Monitaya both thought you were the man. We were lucky to escape alive from Suba, and still more lucky that hero were two men who knew the face of the blackbeard." "Schwandorf!" barked McKay. "Yes, Capitao, it must be the German--"
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