back here before you'd be half through
the preliminaries. Saves time."

"All right, if it's not too much trouble."

"A good deal less trouble than if you went, to be frank. I'm known, and
I can go straight about the business. So sit down and wait. Thomaz! My
hat!"

Out he tramped to the piazza, where he paused a moment to run a swift
eye over the disheveled figure of Tim, who had fallen sound asleep in a
chair. Then, without a further word or glance, he descended the ladder
and swung away down the street. The Americans, watching him from the
doorway, observed that children in his path hastened to get out of it,
and that he spoke to nobody.

"Prussian," rasped McKay.

"M-hm! Done time in the Kaiser's army, too, even if he has been here
since before the war. But he's treating us pretty white."

The captain made no answer. Their eyes followed the big figure until
they saw it go sliding away toward Peru in a canoe propelled by two
languid townsmen. Then McKay dropped a hand on Tim's shoulder. The
red-lashed eyes flew open instantly.

Briefly, quietly, Knowlton told of what had passed while he napped, then
asked what information he had gleaned from Joao.

"He says," answered Tim, "this guy is a queer duck. Been around here
quite a while, but Joey don't know what's his game. He goes off on trips
upriver, stays quite a while, comes back unexpected, and nobody knows
where he's been or why. He don't use Brazilian boatmen--gits his men on
the other side. And the Peru boys themselves dunno where he goes, or,
anyways, they say they don't.

"Two of 'em come over here awhile back and got drunk, and Joey tried to
pump 'em, but all the dope he got was that this here Fritz goes away
upstream to a li'l' camp, and from there he goes off into the bush
alone, and the Peru guys jest hang around the camp till he gits back.
Sounds kind o' fishy to me, and Joey says it does to him, too, but he
couldn't work nothin' more out o' the drunks because about that time
Sworn-off himself comes buttin' in and asks these guys what they think
they're doin' on this side the river, and they beat it back to Peru toot
sweet. He's got their goat, all right, and I wouldn't wonder if he's got
Joey's, too. Anyways, Joey tells me he's off this geezer and advises me
to lay off him, too, though he can't name a thing against him."

"Queer," said Knowlton, looking again at the canoe out on the water.

"Gun running?" suggested McKay.

"Nope," Tim contradi