the
disappearances, Umanuh works unsuspected. He is holding these women
until Schwandorf comes again--and it may be that Schwandorf is not far
off at this moment. Now that we have come seeking the wild man, Umanuh
at once thinks of selling him also; and he wonders whether we or
Schwandorf will pay the more for him."

"By thunder! I believe you're right!" Knowlton coincided. "He's stalling
for time, holding us here while Schwandorf comes up, I'll bet. No wonder
he and his men are wary of the Mayorunas--they thought we'd come to
snoop around and catch 'em with the goods. You fellows must have done a
mighty slick job to find out this stuff without getting caught. Isn't
the house guarded at night?"

"Indeed it is! Two clubmen are there now, and there is only the one
door. Not even a window. But Lourenco worked a small hole between two
logs at the back while I watched the clubmen, and through the hole he
whispered with one of the women inside. If only we had known the wild
man was here we could have jumped the guards and tried to bring back the
women. But of course your business about the Raposa had to be thought of
first, so all we could do was to tell them friends were here."

For a few seconds there was the silence of thought. Then Knowlton
chuckled.

"I'll say we have our hands full this night. Now we not only have to get
ourselves and Rand out of here, but also rescue the fair damsels from
the clutches of the ogre. 'Twon't do to leave them here while we go back
to Monitaya and get the rest of his army. By the time we could come back
they'd be gone--one way or another. What's done has to be done now or
never."

"Right!" McKay commended. "We'll have to save the women, of course.
Question is--how?"

Lourenco answered at once.

"My idea, Capitao, is this: We two will return. With us we will take
Tucu. The three of us can handle those guards quietly. We must have
Tucu, because the women do not know us and might balk at the last
moment. Women are queer creatures, and these might think themselves
safer inside prison walls than following two strange men through the
night; but Tucu can handle them. When once we are clear of the houses
Tucu can lead the women to the bank above here, and we shall try for the
canoes. Then it will be fast work to get away, but if we have good
fortune it can be done."

"Confound it! You fellows are taking all the risks! Can't you take more
men--"

"No. No man but Tucu. He has a cool hea