“And if they leave us?”
“There are a thousand men in Belize.”
“Pant,” said Johnny slowly, “I think one of them tried to kill me. I—I think it was Petillo.”
Johnny seated himself on a log and told of his night’s experiences, from his narrow escape on the bank and in the river to his discovery of the mysterious Spanish girl in the trail.
“What do you make of it?” he asked at the end.
“Don’t make much.”
“Of course, there’s that man-eating jaguar they’ve been talking about. They may have run away because they were afraid. They may have—”
“But what of that fellow down by the river!” exclaimed Pant. “No! I tell you what, Johnny, someone is plotting against us, someone with money and power. We’ll not spend a night here alone. We’ll get right back to Belize. And we must not come back unless we find a real, fearless crew.”
“I’m afraid that last is a big contract.”
“Maybe so. But let’s hope it’s not impossible.”