The Daily Alaska empire., 1934-02-07
by Herbert Jensen

sweat started trlckling from his forehead, and the palms of his hands were slippery.
 He called ahead to Juan, who slowed his pace until his back was but yard or two ahead of Grahame.
 Tell me. son." b said. Have you ever seen these people who live in the jungie?"
 "Often. We call them sublevados -unconquered ones. The men come to the coast at the right season and bring blocks of chlcle which they sell to the agents.
 What do they look iike?"
 "A poor lot" Juan spoke contem- tuously. "Barbarians. None have ever heard of the Virgin of Guada- lupe. or of the Church. for that mat ter. They will burn in Hell. all of them. which is a pity perhaps, since some of them are white. 1 have even seen blond ones"
 "What!" exclaimed Grahame. Did you say white?"
 "Si. senor. white" He chuckled in the darkness. "Ah, those Spaniards were great travellers. They tell me Cortez himself was rubio, blond"
 Have you ever seen their wo- men?"
 "No." answered Juan shortly. Nor has any other Mexican either. That is the reason, l think. why these jungle people hate us so When Diaz was president. he sent troops in here who acted badly. That was years ago. They were all killed"
 Hmm" Grahame strode along in silence. Blood calls to blood. If there were renegade whites living in some jungle sanctuary. perhaps there was more than just robbery behind this Ortega's plan to bring the motion picture troupe-with wo- men-into this inaccessible place.
 Grahame's belief was growing that MeGrath's Ortega and the one who had taken him 1T his launch to the east coast were of one and the same identity. Some instinct told him also that the Ortega of Hollywood might be the same man.
 He remembered how the man had run from him. his arm dangling. He saw again the white jacket he wore showing plainly against the dark background as he sped toward the back trail.
 As he recalled how he had had this target iI the sights of his auto matic. and then had lowered the arm. he sighed. He wondered If ever he could shoot :. man in the back. no matter how richly that man might deserve killing
 If this man were Ortega, and he was in the business of turing men and women into helpless situations for the purposes of murder. rob bery and worse, he should be ex- terminated like a rattle-snake-on sight. THE night grew cooler. Toward morning. the jungle gave way to a chain of open savannahs. through which the trail followed. Deer bound ed up from the tall grasses. bird-life made sleepy ,iia; once dark shadow fitted ahead of them. some kind of large cat. thought Grahame as he swung his rifles muzzle for | ward.
 "No!" called Juan sharply. Jaguar. Dangerous, You may only wound it." half hour later abruptly dawn broke over the tree tops. Juan turned his head questioningly.
 Mot yet" the American replied to the unspoken Interrogation. Tt will be cool for another couple of hours"
 They strode onward. Already the mists of morning arose with humid promise of approaching heat. A small hill thrust upward out of the brush and palmetto. ahead of them. Gra- hame wondered at its abrupt topog- raphy in a country that for some miles had been quite fiat. He stopped to adjust his pack.
 Then from somewhere ahead of them bedlam broke loose.
 First were two shots closely spaced, followed by a rattle of sustained rife fire. There was shouting. and drum ming of hoofs. Grahame grasped Juan by the arm and pulled him of the trail. Careening down the trail toward them came a charging burro, it's pack lurching and swaying with each convulsive leap. AS 1t galloped by. Graharne saw the broken tether rope dangling from its neck. | With back bent the man and the boy slipped away from the trail to ward the small hill that Grahame had noticed few minutes before.
 As they crawled up the steep sides of the hill, the rife fire ceased. but from the side of the hill opposite them they heard the sounds of many people moving about. The hill wa, difficult to climb without noise.
 Pieces of stone of conventions rectangular shape lay about. Thii was evidently some forgotten Magyar edifice. Grahame believed. as he care fully tested each upward step. A jun gle-hidden fragment built by a los race. The country had many such.