Captain Carter fired twice into the crowd. Then, leaping down from the temple steps, he fled up the trail toward the entrance to the treasure lake.
“The man is mad!” Mr. Monahan exclaimed. “Now that he has discredited himself, he should try to escape before the natives turn upon him completely.”
“He’s heading straight for the treasure lake!” Jack cried in alarm. “I’ll bet he has explosives hidden up there somewhere!”
Minutes passed. From their hiding place, the Scouts watched the angry natives pursue the fleeing seaman. Their own position, they realized, was highly precarious. But escape, even through the lower passageway, was cut off. They could only wait and hope that if the situation became critical, Ino might influence the natives in their favor.
Suddenly the Scouts heard a series of muffled explosions which shook the earth.
“What was that?” Ken demanded, startled. “Sounded like dynamite all right!”
“Hand grenades being exploded under water,” Mr. Monahan informed the group. “Carter brought in a supply of them. He’s determined to get the gold, even if it costs him his life. And I think it will. Nothing can save him now.”
In the plaza, a native was pounding an alarm on the temple gong. Bong! Bong! Bong! Weirdly the sound echoed through the streets of the village.
“Even if Captain Carter succeeds in killing the cannibal fish, how can he hope to hold the natives at bay while he brings up the treasure?” Jack speculated.
“It’s madness!” Mr. Monahan asserted.