“Perhaps,” purred Serbot, “Urubu is trying to shoot an anaconda, the way he did the other day.”
“Or some other jungle creature,” added Pepito, over Biff’s shoulder, “like those that we heard run away.”
Biff guessed that they were trying to draw out facts from him, to learn if he and Kamuka had followed Luiz and listened in on the discussion that had shaped the later events. As Biff tightened his lips, determined not to answer, Urubu became impatient.
“And maybe,” put in the leering guide, “I just now try to kill some person, the way Luiz was chased and killed.”
“What happened to Luiz was his own fault,” Biff argued hotly. “He tried to kill my father first, with a knife.”
“Your bearers did not tell us that,” stated Serbot smoothly. “We met them on their way back to Santa Isabel, and they told us that Whitman had fired at Luiz, who ran into quicksand—”
“Where we tried to save him. Did they tell you that?”
“Yes, they told us that. But not that Luiz had tried to kill your father.”
“That happened before they even woke up. By then, Luiz had started to run, so naturally Mr. Whitman went after him.”
“The boy lies,” snarled Urubu. “The bearers did not give you foolish talk like this.”