The Ely miner., 1942-10-08

Jerry. You've heard Of Fora
Mitchell and Bill Henderson without
a doubt. Convinced of danger here,
but don't know what it is. Old Man
Moore has confidential file on every
one of consequence in TERRA Libre.
Hates to give out but I must know
all I can about Montaya. Make him
spill to you, and meet me at River
bend about nine Saturday night. Hir-
ing Collins, no chance to talk to him
yet. c."
He cast about for an envelope,
found one, sealed and addressed his
message.
The native timekeeper had been
staring at him throughout all this,
half in amazement, half in resent
ment. Curt asked his name.
Rafael DiaZ, Senor."
"Bueno, Rafael" said Curt. 'tTen
no one about this. See that Senor
McInnis gets this as soon as possi-
BILE. Phone him to come here. Put
it in his hands yourself. Under
stand?"
He gave the young man a ten
dollar American bill, thinking that
should keep the fellows mouth shut
and deliver the note.
Isl, 81, Senor," the boy promised.
"Es importante," Curt cautioned
again. 'No digas nada!"
AS Curt made off at a trot across
the clearing, to disappear under the
banana plants, the timekeeper, note
in one hand, money in the other,
shrugged his shoulders, muttering,
''Locos - todos locos, Americanos.
Siempre tienen prisa :" (These
crazy Americans, always in hur-
ry.)
On his way back to the river Curt
thought of his sweat-sodden shirt.
He ripped it off as he trotted and
let the breeze he created nearly
dry it by the time he reached the
hill, when he put it on again. 1t
would still show wet but that could
be accounted for by his exertions
along the river.
He saw brilliant orchid in bloom,
an epiphyte fastened to a slender
dead tree limb within reach. It
was one of the butterfly" orchids
Lee wanted, and had two three-foot
candelabra branches covered with
dozens of small bright yellow
blooms, like butterflies alighted.
Here was his excuse for lost time!
First wrapping the dubious roots
firmly to the limb with fibrous
creepers so they wouldn't jar loose,
with his machete he hacked off the
limb, fortunately half rotten,
trimmed the ends, and carried his
prize along.
A family of tiny gray monkeys,
hardly larger than kittens, chartered
down at this outrage to their pri-
vacy. They followed Curt, scolding
shrilly, until he emerged on the
crest of the hill, where rocks had
prevented thick vegetation. There
he saw Emilio was nearly through
setting the stakes and anxiously
watching for him to appear.
Curt put on the rest of his act
with deliberation. He studied the
opposite shore, the rising hills be-
hind, put away his field glasses, took
his pictures, then fought his way
through the underground down the
hill to meet the launch.
"It was some time you were gone
from view," said Emilio, when at
last picked up. The man was jit-
terry. 81 worried. You had diff
culty?"
"Some," admitted Curt. "But
this is what lost me many minutes.
My wife wants an orchid collection.
She had one when we lived here be-
fore"
Curt exhibited the plant with such
real pride that it appeared to salts
fly Emilio, and the man fell into
narrow-eyed sullenness.
s'Weu, I'm through here" said
Curt, tapping the camera. Lets 60"
They picked up the flags Emilio
had planted-in his pictures they
would mark 100-foot intervals
though this was no more essential
to Curt than the pictures. But the
ruse had worked. During this proc
ess Curt also hunted couple more
orchids to bolster his excuse fol
the delay across the river.
Then they proceeded to eat lunch
in the boat, in the lengthening after.
noon shade of stand of mangroves
Roots of these trees, sprouting from
branches in midair, had taken holo
in the river bottom, making nat
ural awning against the sun.
Perched on a branch not far from
the launch, noisy kiskadee jawec
necessarily. Esteban, the Carib
called it a ''heet-gee-gee." At frs
it was merely annoying, but before
the meal was finished the bird hac
become a definite nuisance.
Curt pulled his pistol, took aim
fired. His brows shot up in aston
| ishment!
There had been no kick when he
squeezed the trigger, and the bull
let, expelled without force, made &
curious arc and plopped harmlessly
into the water.
He tried another shot, but with
the same result. Then he removed
the clip and examined the remain
ing bullets. They seemed to be al
right. The brass shell case from
the first shot had elected over the
side, but the second had fallen int
the boat.
Curt picked it up and examined
it. Undoubtedly, it was from the
same lot as the rest of the clip
Suddenly he noted that Emilio's sui
lenness had disappeared, that the
native was eyeing the proceeding:
with a dead-pan countenance anc
completely Indifferent eyes.
The bird meanwhile had merely
hoped couple of steps at eacf
shot and was still jabbering its rauc
GUS notes. Curt snapped home tn.
Il