heard the sound of voices. Yes! the
sound of human voices.

Those were speaking at about twenty paces to the right of him.

The first care of Torres was to hide himself in a dense thicket. Like
a prudent man, he did not wish to show himself without at least knowing
with whom he might have to deal. Panting, puzzled, his ears on the
stretch, he waited, when suddenly the sharp report of a gun rang through
the woods.

A cry followed, and the monkey, mortally wounded, fell heavily on the
ground, still holding Torres' case.

"By Jove!" he muttered, "that bullet came at the right time!"

And then, without fearing to be seen, he came out of the thicket, and
two young gentlemen appeared from under the trees.

They were Brazilians clothed as hunters, with leather boots, light
palm-leaf hats, waistcoats, or rather tunics, buckled in at the waist,
and more convenient than the national poncho. By their features and
their complexion they were at once recognizable as of Portuguese
descent.

Each of them was armed with one of those long guns of Spanish make which
slightly remind us of the arms of the Arabs, guns of long range and
considerable precision, which the dwellers in the forest of the upper
Amazon handle with success.

What had just happened was a proof of this. At an angular distance of
more than eighty paces the quadruman had been shot full in the head.

The two young men carried in addition, in their belts, a sort of
dagger-knife, which is known in Brazil as a _"foca,"_ and which hunters
do not hesitate to use when attacking the ounce and other wild animals
which, if not very formidable, are pretty numerous in these forests.

Torres had obviously little to fear from this meeting, and so he went on
running toward the monkey's corpse.

But the young men, who were taking the same direction, had less ground
to cover, and coming forward a few paces, found themselves face to face
with Torres.

The latter had recovered his presence of mind.

"Many thanks, gentlemen," said he gayly, as he raised the brim of his
hat; "in killing this wretched animal you have just done me a great
service!"

The hunters looked at him inquiringly, not knowing what value to attach
to his thanks.

Torres explained matters in a few words.

"You thought you had killed a monkey," said he, "but as it happens you
have killed a thief!"

"If we have been of use to you," said the youngest of the two, "it was
by accident, but we are none the