In a torrent of Spanish, the woman apologized to Father Francisco. He scolded her soundly for her behavior and bade her be gone.
Still chattering, the woman backed out of the room and vanished into the corridor.
“Do you suppose she followed us here?” Ken speculated. “Our presence in the village seems to be stirring plenty of excitement.”
“Lolita has ears like a sponge,” said Father Francisco. “She is a friend of Captain Carter’s. One of his few supporters in the village.”
Forgetting the parrot woman, the Scouts once more examined the ancient Portuguese manuscript. At their request, Father Francisco read aloud a passage in which the Portuguese adventurers described their first glimpse of the treasure area.
“‘Our native Indians said it was a country whose Gods did not wish it to be known,’” he recited, “‘and that they would visit wrath and terror upon all intruders.’”
Skipping through the manuscript, the missionary read several beautiful passages, including one in which the writer told of making camp near the treasure mountain.
“‘Darkness made terrifying the unearthly landscape of chasm, precipice and gorge,’” Father Francisco quoted. “‘At dawn, the sun lit up frightful precipices which none could scale, and in the bush-strewn and craggy path we took at the foot of these weird mountains, we had to step warily because of lurking rattlesnakes. Had we been bitten, of antidote there was none.’”
Glancing up from his reading, the missionary smiled at the two Scouts.
“There is more, much more. This, however, gives you a faint idea of what you might expect to encounter should you decide to try to follow the route taken by Burton Monahan.”