Adventure Magazine Cover — page 95: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

J ungle Business thrust him toward his batelao and pointed him to his work with the pistol. “Miravel,” I said. ‘This is the first good thing that I have seen come out of that home town of yours—the miraculous pistol play of you Americanos.”’ At that he laughed at me with loud merriment. “My friend,” said he. “In my home town there is very probably no man who has ever fired a pistol in his life—as neither did I before I came here.”’ “But—but, name of a saint,” I began. But he interrupted me, jeering. “But—but, am I not learning how to conduct a business here beyond the borders of the law? Twice have I sent down to Santa Isabel to the steamer and purchased I do not know how many kilos of cartridges. I have been practising the ways of your Amazonas, my friend; I have been prac- tising. Yet I will tell you—” he laughed again—"T aimed to hit that man anywhere between his belt and his hat. But it is good for my reputation that ke does not know that.” “Carramba, rest on that reputation,” said I. “The tale will spread. You will never have to shoot again.” He shrugged and turned to see that his - orders about the nuts were being carried out. Then he beckoned to an Indian who stood watching all these things with a scared countenance. The man came in answer to the summons and at five paces distance prostrated himself upon the ground with his face between his folded hands. The Pel- loroxo spoke to him sternly in the Geral: ‘“Tutua, descendant of a black spider- monkey, you are a fool. You will return immediately to these men .who are half white their machete; and you will come to- morrow to my place and will receive again that which I gave you—for which you will now deliver four canoe-loads of nuts.” The man raised himself, and laying his crossed fingers against his forehead, an- swered: “What my white chief says, will be. Only, O Kariwa, those men gave me no machete, they only said they would give.” The Pelloroxo threw back his head and laughed with much enjoyment. “Good,” said he. ‘“That tale will spread. Let them rest on that reputation.” Then to the Indian, “Go. And take an offering with you to the ipagé, that he may remove -his curse from you.’ > And to me, “Amigo, we have time to smoke a cigaret while we watch these little thieves unload. But I left him to enjoy his tube of refuse — and busied myself with seeing that the last — of our nuts was well and truly delivered out — of the bottoms of those bateldos. At last it was finished; and the men stood denuded of their stolen plunder and sullenly sub- missive. Pitiable to look at; the one with his arm rudely bandaged and the other un- recognizable through the poultices of chewed leaf where the fish had taken pieces out of him. The Pelloroxo stood smiling at them with a hard mouth. Then he gave them their orders. ‘Listen, you two. You will go from here quickly; and you will remember for your selves, and tell it also to all the rest of your kind, ‘that I, Pelloroxo, the up-river man, have drawn a line across the mouth of this igarape to mark it as my water. That is all, and it is easy to remember. Now go.” They gave no argument; but climbed into their bateldos, scowling and silent. The In- dians pushed off without the customary chant; and in less than a minute the dimness beyond the next bend had swallowed them. I laid my hand on my partner’s shoulder. “Amigo,” said I. “That was well done. An improvement even on our custom. And for some of those things that I said yester- day when I came, I give you my apology.” He grinned. “They are forgotten, good friend of the upper jungle,” saidhe. “Have a cigaret.” I DID not go back with him to his camp. It was quite clear to me that he had well absorbed all the knowledge necessary for the conducting of an up-river man’s business— at all events in the jungle. Santa Isabel would be another problem; for there I could forsee conflict with men not so simple and well-meaning as Indians of the back ereeks. . But there was growing in me a very satis- fying confidence in this Pelloroxo since he had begun to understand that custom was a thing that people adhered to slavishly whether in our country or in his. So I went back from that place and up to my own water to attend to my business; once again with an easy mind free of mis- giving. His parting word to me was: “Tf you listen carefully from up your creek you will hear the howl that those ecomicbooks.com