“It is a woman,” Howard answered, and he opened up his engine, putting on every ounce of power he dared, and bending low as the boat shot along the treacherous waterway.
CHAPTER XI.
Revenge! Revenge!
“Have you got any guns aboard?” Jim asked tensely.
“No. There are a good many in the settlement and at the stations, but I’ve never bothered to carry any on the boat,” Howard answered.
Then again came the frightened cry of a woman, followed by a number of screams, which stopped suddenly as if a hand had been placed over the mouth that uttered them. With straining eyes the Buddies tried to peer through the tall, impenetrable foliage which grew on both sides of them, while the engineer stared tensely ahead lest he send his boat on the rocks that lined the way. It seemed to them as if hours passed, although it was only a few minutes before they raced around the last turn and shot forward into a wider stretch of water at the further end of the village.
At first they could not see anything unusual about the community, but as they went along they made out a confused collection of native men and women. The white people among them appeared to be herded in the middle, and the moment the engine was silenced, startled voices cried protestingly, as the huge Indians crowded close. Jim heard one voice above the others, speaking a language he did not know, and recognized Don’s clear tones which sounded cool and determined. Howard brought the boat up to the beach, but he hesitated a moment.
“Thinking of taking some of them off?” Bob whispered and the man nodded his head.
“Looks as if the natives have jumped on the whites for some reason or other,” he answered. “I don’t want to hop out if we can get the women away, but those fellows look ugly and our chances are mighty slim, I’m afraid.”
“Wait here for us,” Jim said softly. Then he leaped ashore, his hands dug deep in his coat pockets, and Bob, not knowing what was in his step-brother’s mind, followed suit.
“Better keep on the outer edge of them,” Howard warned.