uld see an Igorot village far below, but this was
mostly uninhabited country. On Scotty's map, not so far away, were great
white patches marked with a single word: UNEXPLORED. It seemed
incredible that after nearly fifty years of American Government and a
few years of independence, the island of Luzon, seat of the capital, had
unexplored areas. But it was true.

Rick knew that he need not watch the road carefully for a little while,
except to follow it. If the truck and sedan were headed for Bontoc and
Banaue they had a good start. He doubted that they were traveling
together.

"You know," he said, "we're not so smart."

"I've always known it," Scotty replied. "But what have we done that's
especially stupid?"

"We could have phoned the first gate and asked if the truck and sedan
had passed through."

Scotty groaned. "You are so right!"

Angel spoke from the rear seat. "True, true! It is my fault. I am
ashamed to you that I did not think of it."

Rick suspected that it hurt Angel to be so humble and admit that he was
ashamed. He looked like a proud man, one used to holding his head high.

"We liked Nangolat," he said. "We thought he was Angel Manotok. He had
all your papers. We didn't doubt him because he looked like a fine man.
We were taken in, all right."

Angel seemed to cheer up a little. "Yes? Then perhaps you understand how
it was easy for him to catch me and try to kill me when I also liked him
and thought he was my friend."

"That's easy to understand," Scotty told the Filipino. "No one could
blame you, Angel."

"You are good to say it," Angel replied. He seemed relieved.

Rick knew that they had made a friend by expressing their understanding.
Before, Angel would have done his best because of Okola. Now, he
thought, Angel would do his best because he knew they were friendly and
understood how a man's pride can be hurt even when it is not his fault.

"We'd better start keeping an eye peeled," Scotty advised.

They flew in silence, inspecting the road below. There was almost no
traffic. Since leaving Trinidad Valley they had seen only the Bontoc
bus, a brilliant orange speck on the road below, and two jeeps. They had
identified the gates easily. Once they passed a gate where a south-bound
panel truck waited. Rick knew that the truck driver couldn't know what
kind of vehicle he waited for, but from the air it could be seen that
the Bontoc bus was the only moving thing between the two gates.

The