The Red Lure

  CHAPTER XIV FORGOTTEN TRIBES

  Johnny Thompson and Jean found it strangely fascinating to be marchingstraight on over the beaten trail that led to the great unknown. It wasexciting, entrancing, this sharing a secret which had not been so much aswhispered by either of them, yet the glances and curious smiles which thegirl bestowed upon him told Johnny plainer than words that she knew;moreover, that she knew he knew.

  "But pshaw!" he told himself with a sudden shake as if to waken himselffrom a dream. "There may be nothing to it, probably isn't. There probablyare many hard-beaten trails leading away into this wilderness. Why shouldthis particular one lead to the home of a wild Maya? Probably end inscattered settlements of Mexicans in some camp. It may end--" he caughthis breath, "we may have gone in a circle. It may end in Daego's camp.Pretty mess if it does! Have to be careful!"

  So, beneath the flickering lights and drifting shadows of palms, overridges, through low depressions where there were no streams, nowfrightening droves of small wild pigs from their sleep and now sendingflocks of brilliant colored cockatoos fluttering away into the bush, theytraveled on. There were more pools now. By noon they had passed three.The air was cooler. They were ascending to higher altitudes. Johnny tooklong, deep breaths and thought how like it was to the air of theCumberlands in Kentucky. Now and again, through the palm leaves, hecaught glimpses of distant scenes.

  "Mountains over there to the left," he said to Jean. "Looks two or threethousand feet high."

  "Johnny," the girl stopped suddenly in the trail (the others had gone onbefore), "where are we going?"

  "I don't know. Do you?" Johnny's face was sober.

  "No, I don't."

  "Want to go back?"

  "No--o. But I feel sort of shivery. It's so strange!"

  "Yes, it is. But then, all life is strange, and death is strangest ofall. Besides, I guess we're doing the logical thing. We're lost in thewilderness. What do men do when they're lost? Find the nearest humanbeing and ask the way home. That's what we're doing. And from the signs,I'd say we were almost there. I saw fresh prints of bare feet beside thelast pool."

  "So did I. And Johnny, look!" she held up a short string of small, roundbeads.

  "Green," he said with a low exclamation. "Green jade!"

  Again he seemed to hear Hardgrave running on in a low, melodious tone sosuggestive of great secrets: "Three gods; a black one, a green one andone of pure gold."

  "Green--green jade," he thought to himself. "That's it, to be sure. Thegreen god would be carved from jade."

  To the girl he said, "That's a rare find. Ever see any like it before?"

  "No, never."

  "We'd better go on. Ought not to get separated from the rest."

  As they hurried on, Johnny heard a slight movement among the palms to theright of him and for a second, above the tallest leaf, there flashed agleaming blade.

  "Did--did you see it?" the girl asked, gripping his arm.

  Johnny nodded.

  "Wha--what was it?"

  "A spear point, I'd say." He spoke as calmly as he could.

  "Now, I am beginning to be afraid," she said.

  "No use being afraid now. We've gone too far. Walk straight on as if youhad seen nothing. We'll see more."

  They did. It was uncanny, unnerving in the extreme. There came a gleamfrom a bush and a brown face appeared, to vanish instantly. Then therecame a rustle and a low call.

  "It--it's spooky," whispered the girl, keeping close to Johnny's side.

  He wondered how the affair would end. Who were these people? Were theyreally wild Mayas? He thought of their own weapons. Few enough they were.He was carrying Roderick's light rifle and there was some extraammunition strapped in his pack. A good machete hung at his side.

  "But what are we against so many? There must be no fight."

  Yet there was to be a fight, such a strange one as he could not havedreamed of, and that right soon.

  As they rounded a turn in the trail, a sudden, piercing scream rent theair. The next moment a beautiful Indian girl dressed in a strange garmentof scarlet, with her hair streaming behind her, came racing wildly downthe trail and behind her, in mad pursuit, came the strangest creature ithad ever been Johnny's lot to behold.

  As heavy as an ox, but shorter of leg and broader of back, the creaturehad such a face as an elephant might present had he been robbed of halfhis trunk. Rage gleamed from his small, black eyes. From his side thereprotruded the shaft of a spear and this, no doubt, was the cause of hissudden anger.

  To be snatched from the silence of the jungle to the sudden strain ofaction is like being dragged from the deep dark of midnight to theglaring light of day. For a second Johnny stood petrified. Then, born ashe was for action, and trained for it, too, he sprang forward. Theshoulder straps of his pack were thrown off and the pack struck the trailwith a thump. Then, like an ancient warrior, Johnny lifted the lightrifle and prepared to stand his ground.

  "Look out!" screamed Jean. "It's a mountain cow, a tapir. He's mad withpain. He--he'll trample you to death."

  With one hand Johnny pushed her into the brush; with the other hesteadied his rifle. Down the trail came Indian girl and tapir.

  The tapir was gaining, and so in line with the girl that Johnny could notfire. Now he was four yards behind, now three, now two. And now, with aterrifying scream, the Indian girl tripped and fell.

  For a second it seemed that nothing could save her. By great good fortuneshe rolled over once. This brought her to the side of the beaten path.The tapir, too near to halt or swerve, flew on by.

  Not to be thwarted, as if realizing that here at his feet lay the darlingof the tribesmen who had sent the spear into his side, he stopped shortwith a mad snort to whirl about and renew his attack.

  This was Johnny's chance. He now had a broadside shot and could reach theheart. The rifle was a light one, far too light to be used on such gameunless the bullet found a vulnerable spot.

  The end of the Indian girl must soon have come, had not Johnny, takingquick, but sure aim, pressed the trigger and sent a small but paralyzingbullet into the heart of the maddened beast.

  It was a dramatic moment. For a moment the tapir stood swaying backwardand forward, then plunged headlong into the bush, twitched convulsivelyfor a few seconds and then lay quite still. He was stone dead.

  Hardly had the tapir fallen when Johnny was treated to a sudden surprise.He was gripped tightly about the knees. Looking down, he met a pair ofdark eyes looking into his. It was the Indian girl, stammering words inher own tongue. Johnny understood not one word of it, but knew wellenough that he was being called a brave one, a hero, a young god. And,having read all this in her eyes, he did not know whether to laugh orsmile. He ended by doing nothing at all until, finding himself surroundedby a half hundred little brown men all armed with bows and spears, andhaving become conscious of Jean close beside him, he stooped, and liftingthe brown girl to her feet, placed her hand in the white girl's as hemurmured that word which everyone of whatever land or tongue mustunderstand by knowledge or instinct:

  "Sister," he said, simply and quietly.

  There were tears in the brown girl's eyes, tears in Jean's as well; yetthey smiled through their tears. Who can tell how strong was the bond offriendship welded at that moment?

  It would have been difficult for either Jean or Johnny to tell how themovement started, but before they realized what was happening, a line ofmarch formed along the trail. Before them were many brown hunters withtheir weapons; in long procession others followed, while close besidethem was the Indian girl. Just as the procession started, awe-struck andsilent, Roderick and the Carib woman materialized from somewhere to jointhem.

  A wild, weird chant was struck up, then all moved slowly forward.

  "How strange! How--how fascinating!" whispered Jean.

  "Like a march of triumph," Johnny whispered back.

  In and out among the palms the procession wound. T
here appeared to be noend to that trail. Whence had come these people? Whither were they bound?

  "Now where are we?" Johnny asked, an air of mystery in his voice.

  As if in answer to his query, a great brown shaft, elaborately carved andgray with the moss of centuries, reared itself up before them. Beyondthis they came at once into cleared spaces where were cornfields andpastures with goats grazing in them. Beside the trail were stone cottageswith thatched roofs. Beside these dwellings women sat weaving cloth onnarrow looms while others working over strange stone bowls beat soakedcorn into batter.

  "The wild Mayas," the girl whispered with a thrill in her tone. "We havefound them! At last we have found them!"

  "And they have found us," Johnny's tone was solemn. "We are in theirhands. This is their land. When shall we leave it? Ever?"

  "Ev--ever?"

  "Perhaps never. Who knows?"