“After we had been walking several hours--long after leaving the forest--a man on horseback rode up to us and asked us what we wanted. There were houses and sheds not far ahead and he came from that direction. When we told him he began shooting at us and chased us away. “We came back faster than we went--much faster, or we should not be here yet. There were Indians in the woods, too, but we escaped them.” “But did you tell them you only wanted to find out how far----” “We tried to, but the barbarian gave us only a half minute’s start before he began to shoot. We could not talk and run at the same time.” “You two cowards,” said the captain in disgust. “We have lost a whole afternoon on your account.” “Anybody would have acted as we did.” “Perhaps the man was joking,” David ventured. He was far from being comfortable. “We could not read his mind. We know what he said and did, and that was not very funny,” they said hastily. “What kind of a place was it--I mean the houses?” David continued. “Did it look like a real ranch?” “It did not look like much--from a distance,” one of the men replied. “But we did not get very near to it.” “I suppose I shall have to find out for myself then,” he said with a sigh. “Are you going to stop here anyway?” asked the captain in surprise. “Yes. You will have to leave me here.” “It will be a long walk--and no telling what will happen when you get there, according to the report of these two.” “Well, I will have to take a chance. I can follow the trail and go slowly. I am sure they will not try to chase me away.” David wanted to start right away, but the captain would not hear of it. It was too late in the day to undertake such a long tramp through the forest. And for one unfamiliar with the country the attempt to spend the night under such circumstances was ill-advised, to say the least, for the trail was indistinct and difficult to follow even in the daytime. David reluctantly agreed to the force of these arguments, and as the boat was to remain there anyway for the night he decided that he would stay aboard. After supper they rowed a short distance into the stream and anchored. It was well that he did not ignore Don Marco’s advice not to attempt to spend the night alone in that, to him, unknown jungle, for the onrush of darkness had scarcely enveloped the earth when one of the terrific storms, as greatly feared as they are common on the Amazon, swooped out of the west and for two hours held land and river helpless in its merciless grasp. The onslaught came suddenly. Before the first warning drops had awakened the sleepers, a wall of wind and falling water swept down the river and struck the batalao with such force that it nearly capsized. The men sprang from their hammocks and crowded into the storeroom, where they were held prisoner while the storm spent its fury.