At the first glow of dawn Rosa appeared at the door of the hut. She said, “Come!” And there was an excited light in her eyes as she rolled them.
The girls lost no time in obeying her command. A guard of young men went ahead, then came Pedro and his wife, followed by Terry and Prim with two tall and powerful guards. The young women of the tribe came next, and the procession ended with more guards.
“We don’t know where we’re going,” said Prim in a whisper to her sister as they walked along. “But we’re going in style!”
It was a long walk through the jungle passage, a mile perhaps, but it was hard for the girls to tell how far they had come. The damp heat of the tunnel was oppressive. Perspiration streamed from their bodies. Their thick clothes were unbearably hot, although one of the guards carried their heavy coats.
Terry and Prim arrived at the next clearing, pale, hollow-eyed and ready to drop. But the end of their journey was not yet. They had reached the edge of the jungle and now had to climb up a steep ridge to a broad plateau. But the hot air was a relief after the humid atmosphere of the passage through the vines and creepers of the jungle. Suddenly they stopped, looking toward the sky, Joe Arnold might be watching from the air.
Terry and Prim scanned the horizon for signs of an approaching plane. It was hopeless. They both knew that it would never occur to the boys, if they were saved from the storm, to hunt for them to the eastward.
Finally as they reached the ridge, the blacks stopped and prepared to camp.
“What’s the matter with these people?” whispered Prim. “Do they imagine they can hide us on the very top of the ridge? What are they going to do?”
“I haven’t the least idea, Prim, but I’m going to trust Pedro. I believe he is honest and really wants to help us,” answered Terry as she watched the blacks.
Suddenly Pedro dropped to the ground. Terry looked just in time to see the earth swallow him up. She rubbed her eyes and looked again. Pedro had disappeared. Then Terry saw what was going on. Evidently these people had a subterranean hiding place, the opening of which was at the summit of the ridge. The entrance was narrow and Rosa had some difficulty in getting her large body through. She squeezed and struggled, and Pedro pulled from below until she finally slid through. Terry was invited to follow.