“The bow, the knife and the fire stick are Bomba’s friends,” he declared. “Without them he would be like a man without arms and legs. They will do harm to no one but the wicked. Bomba will keep his friends.”
They could have fallen upon him and overpowered him by sheer weight of numbers. But they had seen a demonstration of his skill and knew that he would take toll of some of them before he succumbed. Any one who could shoot a buzzard through the neck at two hundred feet and sling a jaguar over his shoulders, was to be treated with respect. And doubtless the mention of the fire stick that spoke with the voice of thunder had been extremely potent.
Again there was a discussion and again the Indians yielded the point in question.
“It shall be as the stranger wills,” announced Abino. “The warriors of Japazy will skin the jaguar and take its meat and then they will lead the stranger to the place where Japazy dwells.”
“It is well,” said Bomba, with more relief than he allowed to appear. “The men of Japazy have good hearts.”
The men set to work on the jaguar, and Bomba helped them. The dexterity and sureness with which he wielded his knife contributed still further to the respect the Indians had conceived for him.
When the work was finished the men lifted up their respective burdens and led the way, with Bomba bringing up the rear. He did not think that any treachery was intended, for Abino, somehow, had given him an impression of sincerity. But he was on the alert and ready for instant action at any suspicious movement, for his life in the jungle had taught him to take no chances.
Nothing untoward developed, however, and before long they came to the straggling outskirts of a village that seemed to have a considerable population. From every hut, as the little procession moved along, people poured out with exclamations of curiosity as they stared at the stranger who should have been a captive and yet walked behind the rest more with the air of a conqueror.
Most of the houses were of the usual native cabin type, but in the center of the town was a building of so much greater pretensions that Bomba concluded it must be the dwelling of Japazy.
Abino led Bomba to a little cabin not far from the palace, if it could be dignified by that name, and left him there with the promise that he would see Japazy and return.