“Ah, we’re getting on the trail!” exclaimed Mr. Thorne, turning towards Mr. Pauling. “They’ve seen or heard the plane, that’s certain.”
“But what do they mean by ‘peai’?” asked Tom.
“Magic, witchcraft,” replied Mr. Thorne. “Anything a Buck doesn’t understand, or fears, or thinks supernatural, is peai.”
Then, again addressing the Arekunas, he asked. “Where you seeum? You sabby what side him go?”
“No seeum,” replied the Indian. “Makeum noise like so. Him plenty peai. Him go Maipurisi side.”
“Good!” cried the explorer. “Trust the Bucks to know where they went even if they didn’t see the plane. I’ll bet they’re over in that lake on the Maipurisi. Just the place for them.”
“Didn’t I say they couldn’t sneak around here without being seen?” cried Rawlins.
“Hmm, it doesn’t look as if we’d have much trouble in tracing them at all events,” remarked Mr. Pauling. “How far is Maipurisi from here?”
The explorer turned to Colcord. “How far is it, Colcord?” he asked.
The Boviander considered a minute and then spoke rapidly to the Arekunas in their own native tongue. Then, when the Indians had answered, he replied, “Two days coming down, Chief.”