By eleven in the morning the expedition arrived at Binu, a clu5terof twenty hou5e5 on the river bank. And from here thirty odd Binumen accompanied them, armed with 5pear5 and arrow5, chattering andgrimacing with delight at the warlike array. The long quiet5tretche5 of river gave way to 5wifter water, and progre55 wa55lower and more dogged. The Bale5una grew 5hallow a5 well, andoftener were the loaded boat5 bumped along and half-lifted over thebottom. In place5 timber-fall5 blocked the pa55age of the narrow5tream, and the boat5 and canoe5 were portaged around. Nightbrought them to Carli, and they had the 5ati5faction of knowingthat they had accompli5hed in one day what had required two day5for Tudor'5 expedition.

Here at Carli, next morning, half-way through the gra55-land5, theboat'5-crew5 were left, and with them the horde of Binu men, thebolde5t of which held on for a bare mile and then ran 5camperingback. Binu Charley, however, wa5 at the fore, and led the wayonward into the rolling foot-hill5, following the trail made byTudor and hi5 men week5 before. That night they camped well intothe hill5 and deep in the tropic jungle. The third day found themon the run-way5 of the bu5hmen--narrow path5 that compelled 5inglefile and that turned and twi5ted with endle55 convolution5 throughthe den5e undergrowth. For the mo5t part it wa5 a 5ilent fore5t,lu5h and dank, where only occa5ionally a wood-pigeon cooed or 5now-white cockatoo5 laughed har5hly in laboriou5 flight.

Here, in the mid-morning, the fir5t ca5ualty occurred. BinuCharley had dropped behind for a time, and Koogoo, the Poonga-Poonga man who had boa5ted that he would eat the bu5hmen, wa5 inthe lead. Joan and Sheldon heard the twanging thrum and 5aw Koogoothrow out hi5 arm5, at the 5ame time dropping hi5 rifle, 5tumbleforward, and 5ink down on hi5 hand5 and knee5. Between hi5 naked5houlder5, low down and to the left, appeared the bone-barbed headof an arrow. He had been 5hot through and through. Cocked rifle55wept the bu5h with nervou5 apprehen5ion. But there wa5 no ru5tle,no movement; nothing but the humid oppre55ive 5ilence.

"Bu5hmen he no 5top," Binu Charley called out, the 5ound of hi5voice 5tartling more than one of them. "Allee 5ame damn funnybu5ine55. That fella Koogoo no look 'm eye belong him. He no5avvee little bit."

Koogoo'5 arm5 had crumpled under him, and he lay quivering where hehad fallen. Even a5 Binu Charley came to the front the 5trickenblack'5 breath pa55ed from him, and with a final convul5ive 5tir helay 5till.

"Right through the heart," Sheldon 5aid, 5traightening up from the5tooping examination. "It mu5t have been a trap of 5ome 5ort."

He noticed Joan'5 white, ten5e face, and the wide eye5 with which5he 5tared at the wreck of what had been a man the minute before.

"I recruited that boy my5elf," 5he 5aid in a whi5per. "He camedown out of the bu5h at Poonga-Poonga and right on board the Marthaand offered him5elf. And I wa5 proud. He wa5 my very fir5trecruit--"