nd headdresses, armed with the most powerful
weapons of their tribe, and loftily conscious of the fact that they were
chosen as Monitaya's best. Savage and civilized, each man was fit,
alert, formidable. Nowhere in the loosely joined chain was a weak link.

Before the departure the Americans had been at some trouble to rid
themselves of Yuara, who, with his men, had tarried at the Monitaya
_malocas_ during Tim's sickness. While Knowlton was giving his ripped
arm a final dressing he had calmly announced his intention of joining
the expedition into the Red Bone country, and it had taken some skillful
argument by Lourenco to dissuade him without arousing his anger. All
four of the adventurers would gladly have taken him along had he not
been hampered by his injury, but, under the ruthless rule barring all
men not in possession of all their strength, he had to be left.

Now, as on the previous jungle marches, the way was led by two of the
tribesmen, followed by the Brazilians and the Americans, after whom the
main body of the escort strode in column. The leader and guide, one
Tucu, was a veteran hunter, fighter, and bushranger, who had been more
than once in the Red Bone region and withal possessed the cool judgment
of mature years and long experience; a lean, silent man who, though not
a subchief, might have made a good one if given the opportunity. With
him Lourenco had already arranged that a direct course should be
followed, and that whenever dense undergrowth blockaded the way the
machete men should take the lead.

For some time no word was spoken. The path wound on, faintly marked, but
easy enough to follow with Tucu picking it out. It was not one of the
frequently used trails of the Monitaya people, but a mere _picada_, or
hunter's track; yet even this had its pitfalls to guard the tribal
house. Soon after leaving the clearing Tucu turned aside, passed between
trees off the trail, went directly under one tree whose steep-slanting
roots stood up off the ground like great down-pointing fingers, and
returned to the path. All followed without comment.

A considerable distance was covered before any further sign of the
presence of ambushed death was shown by the savages. Then it came with
tragic suddenness.

Tucu grunted suddenly, and in one instant shifted his gait from the easy
swing of the march to the prowl of a hunting animal. Behind him the line
grew tense. The click of rifle hammers and of safeties being thrown