een.

In three jumps he was upon the invader. His gun butt crashed down on the
rising head. The other collapsed on the ground.

Swiftly Knowlton snapped a match with his thumb-nail. The sudden flare
half blinded him, but what he saw made him suck in his breath. When the
match went out he turned the senseless body over, drew his pocket
flashlight, stabbed its white ray downward. Then he committed the
unpardonable sin of the army--he dropped his rifle.

Dark haired, dark bearded, streaked with red dye and bleeding slightly
at the nose, at his feet lay the man for whom the indomitable trio had
traveled thousands of miles and dared all the deaths of the jungle--the
Raposa.

CHAPTER XXI.

SHADOWS OF THE NIGHT

"Rod! Wake up!"

The tense whisper aroused McKay instantly. With one sweep of the arm his
net was torn aside and he leaped out with pistol drawn.

"Right, Merry. What is it?"

"We've got him! Look!"

The electric ray again streaked the gloom. The astounded captain did not
drop his gun, but he came near it. For a long minute he stood as in a
trance. When he attempted to holster his weapon he fumbled three times
for the sheath before he found it.

"Whew!" he breathed. "Have you killed him?"

"Nope--don't think so. Lord! I hope not! Now that I think of it, I did
give him a mighty solid smash. Used the butt. He was crawling in here,
and naturally I didn't stop to ask for his card. Feel his head."

McKay complied. His exploring fingers found only a huge bump under the
thick hair.

"No, his skull's whole. Didn't even split the scalp. You crowned him
hard, but unless he got concussion he's still useful. His nosebleed
comes from hitting the ground, I think. Turn off the light. Are you
still on guard?"

"Yes. The Brazilians are out."

"Take a turn and see that all's clear. Can't tell what might break any
minute now. Leave your flash here."

Passing the flat, nickel light-box to the captain, Knowlton retrieved
his gun from the ground and resumed his patrol. Slight as the
disturbance had been, uneasiness was in the air. The savages on the far
shore were up, peering at the _tambo_ and muttering to one another.
Measuring the distance, the lieutenant saw that, though they had
undoubtedly seen the flashlight switched on and off and made out the
movements of men, they could not have discerned what lay on the ground
beyond the hammocks. Nearer at hand, Tucu and a couple of the Mayorunas
were awake and lo