“That parchment might have helped us find Burton Monahan.”
Father Francisco told the Scouts that although he had no copy of the Portuguese manuscript, he had pored over it so often he could recall countless passages from memory. He promised that he would write as much as he could remember in English and have it for the boys if they came again.
“We’ll return,” Jack assured him. “Having a copy of that manuscript means a lot to us.”
Taking leave of the missionary, Ken and Jack went directly to the beach. Father Francisco had made no mistake in identifying the Shark. The familiar schooner was anchored some distance from shore. Even now, a small boat was plying its way across the harbor.
“There’s Captain Carter!” Jack cried, recognizing the man in the bow. “Let’s head him off.”
At the dogtrot, the Scouts started down shore. But they were too far away to hail the Captain. His boat touched the beach some distance away, and without seeing them he started off alone in the opposite direction.
Determined to overtake him, Ken and Jack followed. Captain Carter was still some yards away when abruptly he halted to talk to a woman at an open-air vegetable stall.
“The parrot woman!” Ken exclaimed, stopping short. “Father Francisco was right! They’re old friends.”
The two Explorers were too far away to hear the conversation, even if they could have understood the rapid flow of Spanish. But they noted that the two spoke most earnestly together.
And then Lolita, with a movement so swift that Ken and Jack nearly missed it, whipped something from her dress front. She handed the bulky object to Captain Carter, who thrust it under his coat.