don't know paying stuff when I see it."

"Let it rest," said Brace, in a half-whisper. "Don't let the men hear
you talking about gold again. You remember what occurred before."

"Right. I won't mention the word; but if the Indians who live in these
parts haven't found out and made use of the metal here, the same as the
Mexicans and Peruvians did, they must be a queer sort of people.
Shouldn't wonder if we see some more of them to-day."

"Neither should I," said Brace, grasping his piece. "Look: that must be
the canoe we saw yesterday evening. What are they doing?"

"Fishing," said the captain quickly. "Now then, gentlemen, let's be
ready for emergencies, but make no sign, and maybe they'll be friendly
instead of showing fight."

All eyes were directed at a canoe in which three Indians were busy
fishing, while a fourth sat in the stern keeping the craft straight by
dipping his paddle and giving it a swoop from time to time. They were
some three hundred yards ahead, just off a pile of massive rounded rocks
which jutted out into the river, and evidently gliding with the current
in the same direction as the two boats.

One thing was very evident: they were so intent upon their work that
they did not look back, and hence were in perfect ignorance of the
approach of the adventurers, while at the end of a couple of minutes
they glided on in their frail canoes beyond the rocky promontory, which
completely hid them from the view of those in the boats.

"Do you think we ought to follow them up, sir?" asked the captain.

"Yes," replied Sir Humphrey, "and keep our weapons out of sight as if we
had come upon a peaceful errand."

"I'm afraid they won't understand us, sir," said the captain gruffly;
"but we'll try."

The current was running very gently now, so that the approach of the
boats to the promontory took time; but at last it was rounded, revealing
to the occupants of the boats a scene as startling as it was strange.

There, a couple of hundred yards away, was the canoe they had followed,
while at various distances farther on no less than six more small canoes
were dotted about, their feather-crowned crews all busily employed
fishing, while as the boats glided round the tree-covered rocks the
nearest Indians struck up a soft minor-keyed chant which was taken up by
the crews of the other canoes, the whole combining in a sweet low melody
which floated over the smoothly-flowing river, fully explaining the
soun