“Jaguar Island!” exclaimed Ashati.
“To go to Jaguar Island is death,” declared Neram solemnly.
“That is what Neram and Ashati said before when Bomba went to the island of snakes to find Sobrinini,” replied the lad. “But Bomba did not die.”
“To go to Jaguar Island is death,” repeated Neram stubbornly.
“They are foolish words that Neram speaks,” said Bomba. “There is death in many places, and Bomba has faced it often. He will face it again, if it is at Jaguar Island. But why is Neram so afraid that his blood is like water in his veins? Is it because of the jaguars? Bomba has his bow and his machete.”
“The arrow is swift and the knife is sharp,” murmured Neram in a singsong voice. “But there are things that the arrow cannot pierce and the knife cannot bite.”
“What things?” asked Bomba, with a tinge of skepticism in his tone.
“Ghosts,” said Neram.
“Demons,” added Ashati.
Despite himself, Bomba was impressed by the utter conviction expressed by the two. This was what Hondura had said. Was there indeed some foundation for the dread that seemed to seize everybody at the mention of Jaguar Island?