Lost in the Wilds of Brazil

  CHAPTER V

  A Worth-while Offer

  Both Mr. Lewis and Mr. Holton smiled. It was evident that they had notexpected this.

  "That's the only thing that'll satisfy you?" the former asked, hismind working rapidly.

  The young men nodded.

  "We'll be careful and do all we can for the good of the expedition,"said Bob anxiously. "Please arrange to take us along."

  There was a period of suspense. Then the men looked at each other.

  "What will we say?" Joe's father asked, totally undecided.

  Mr. Holton had been mentally debating the subject. Now he was readyfor an answer.

  "Let's let them go," he said. "They're as big and strong as we and areusually equal to any crisis. You see what they did to this gang ofmen. Shows they are resourceful, and that's what you have to be in astrange land where danger lurks at every step. In my opinion they'd bea valuable asset to the expedition."

  The youths looked at Mr. Holton gratefully. They felt that the battlewas nearly half won.

  For nearly a minute Mr. Lewis was silent. Then he spoke with decision.

  "I think you're right, Howard," he said. "We'll have a talk with theirmothers this afternoon, and I am of the opinion that they'll givetheir consent if we go at them right."

  "Fine!" cried Bob joyously. "Do your best to win them over. I thinkthey'll agree to let us go, especially since they have so much faithin you. But say! You haven't told us who all intend to make up theexpedition. There isn't to be a large number, is there?"

  "No," Mr. Holton answered. "We only intended to have three, Mr. Lewis,an anthropologist, and myself, but if you boys accompany us the numberwill, of course, be raised to five. And perhaps," he went on, "thatwould be better than to have so few. You see it isn't like anexpedition into Africa, where there are plenty of native carriers tobear your provisions. We'll have to rely more on our own resourcesand be extremely careful that we don't get lost. Several millionsquare miles of jungle is a wide area to cut into, especially when somuch of it is unexplored."

  "Should think it would be great fun," commented Joe, mentallypicturing the many thrills that promised to make the trip interesting.

  "It will be," Mr. Holton returned. "But it will also have its dangers.These are mainly of human character. Why, it is said that there aretribes of Indians so uncivilized that they think nothing of----"

  "Ahem!" Mr. Lewis cut in purposefully.

  "What were you going to say?" Joe asked.

  "Perhaps I'll tell you some other time," came the reply. "Right now Ithink I'll have a look at my firearms. In all probability they needoiling."

  He left for the house, and the others remained for several minuteslonger. Then Mr. Lewis departed also, leaving the youths tothemselves.

  "What do you suppose Dad was going to say--about the savages, I mean?"Bob asked, glancing around to make sure that the men were gone.

  "Something that shouldn't go into our young ears," smiled Joe and thenturned to the house.

  As he did so he happened to glance out at the street, to see that twomen were making their way up to the house. Each carried a small handsatchel. That they were strangers Joe guessed at once, although theymight not be to his father and Mr. Holton.

  Joe waited until the men were close and then turned to meet them.

  "Naturalists by the names of Lewis and Holton," one man said. "Can wefind them here?"

  "Yes," Joe replied, wondering what was meant. "Come in the house andI'll call them."

  The strangers did as directed, and Joe went around to find his fatherand Mr. Holton.

  Bob took a chair on the porch.

  Joe found the men cleaning their rifles. Neither could explain who thestrangers were.

  "Perhaps they're from the museum," said Bob's father, as he and Mr.Lewis left for the living room of the Lewis home.

  During the discussion Bob and Joe remained on the porch, not wishingto intrude on the naturalists' private affairs. They were not therelong, however, till Mr. Holton called them in with the others.

  "Boys, this is Mr. Weslowe, and this, Mr. Duncan, both of the NeumanFilm Corporation. The young man on my left is Joe Lewis; on my right,Bob Holton, my son."

  After a few casual remarks, Mr. Holton proceeded to tell why therepresentatives from the film corporation were there.

  "You see, they learned of our proposed expedition into the wilds ofBrazil," he explained, "and they have come to make a businessproposition. Suppose one of you continues," he ended, looking at themen, "for if these young men are to be a part of the expedition theyshould know about this."

  "As you know, we are with the Neuman Film Corporation," Mr. Wesloweexplained. "Now this house is always on the lookout for an opportunityto take motion pictures of little-known places, and here is certainlyan opportunity. Unexplored Brazil! Ah! What a chance!

  "The minute Neuman learned of this expedition they lost no time insending us out here to make an offer--one that we sincerely trust youwill take up."

  He stopped to open his satchel and get out a folded paper. Then hecontinued:

  "We want you to take motion pictures of Brazil for our company. Willyou do it?"

  For a few seconds no one answered. Then Mr. Lewis leaned forward.

  "Won't it be difficult?" he asked.

  "On the contrary," Mr. Duncan returned. "Very simple. Hardly anythingto it. We'll give you complete instructions and will not hold youstrictly responsible for any lost film. In fact it nearly alwayshappens that at least several score feet of film are lost on such anexpedition, where wet and damp have so much to do with the success ofthe pictures taken."

  "Of course," said Mr. Weslowe, "we realize that yours will be anexpedition for the good of science, not to take moving pictures. It isfor this reason that we will willingly place the responsibility, whichisn't very much, in the hands of these young men here--your sons.

  "Now this will not mean," he assured them, "that they must put in alltheir time for this cause. We only wish several scenes along thejourney. For instance, you might start by taking a movie of Para, orwhatever other city you first reach. Then several hundred feet may beused along the mainstream of the Amazon, showing the gradual progressof the expedition. When you turn onto a less-known river, that's whenwe want the real show to start. The country you'll pass through willbe wilder, and the pictures will be more interesting. But once againlet me assure you that the apparatus we'll furnish will be of thesimplest design, and you need not worry about not meeting with successas far as that goes. And we'll pay you well for your trouble. Here'sthe contract. Read it over. See what you think of it."

  He passed the paper to Mr. Holton, who shared the reading with Bob,Joe, and Mr. Lewis.