e full
reward of their labours, and were glad that they had resisted the
often-repeated temptation to leave it behind when they encountered some
exceptionally difficult bit of road.

Thanks to the help afforded by a strong breeze from the north-east, the
end of their second day's journeying on the Maranon found them some
seventy miles above the spot where they had struck the river, and in the
territory--had they but known it--of the fierce and warlike Mayubuna
Indians. They had seen several parties of these during the latter part
of the day, and, contrary to the usual custom of the Indians which they
had thus far met with, instead of running away at the first sight of the
canoe, the Mayubunas had stood on the river bank and watched their
progress, manifesting no fear of the whites, but, on the other hand,
displaying no outward signs of hostility, unless, indeed, the fact that
about an hour before sunset a large canoe had been manned at the last
village which the white men had passed, and had proceeded rapidly up the
river ahead of them, might be so construed. Unfortunately for them,
they did not so construe it, but regarded it rather as a sporting
attempt on the part of a number of Indians, bound up the river, to
display the superiority of the paddle over the sail, and were amused
accordingly.

But when, upon rounding the next bend of the river, the two Englishmen
sighted two large canoes, full of Indians, ahead of them, one canoe
paddling along close in with the left bank, while the other as closely
hugged the right, they began for the first time to suspect that all was
not quite as it should be, and Phil--who was sitting idly amidships,
while Dick sailed the canoe--rose to his feet and hailed them in the
Indian dialect, which he had picked up from Vilcamapata. No notice,
however, was taken of the hail, but it was observed that the sailing
canoe was now gaining distinctly upon the others.

Encouraged by this evidence of superior speed, the white men pressed on,
anxious to get into communication and establish friendly relations with
the Indians before nightfall; and it was not until the two canoes ahead
suddenly swerved outward and laid themselves athwart the hawse of the
sailing canoe, as though to bar her further progress, that either of the
occupants of the latter thought of looking astern. Then they realised
that matters were indeed beginning to look serious, for behind them were
no less than four large canoe