He had evidently put up a fight, for a bloody trail led away from the
body.
Once they were well into the thick bush the horses had to be abandoned.
Papehara was left in charge of them, while Joan and Sheldon and the
remaining Tahitians pushed ahead on foot. The way led down through a
swampy hollow, which was overflowed by the Berande River on occasion, and
where the red trail of the murderers was crossed by a crocodile's trail.
They had apparently caught the creature asleep in the sun and desisted
long enough from their flight to hack him to pieces. Here the wounded
man had sat down and waited until they were ready to go on.
An hour later, following along a wild-pig trail, Sheldon suddenly halted.
The bloody tracks had ceased. The Tahitians cast out in the bush on
either side, and a cry from Utami apprised them of a find. Joan waited
till Sheldon came back.
"It's Mauko," he said. "Kwaque did for him, and he crawled in there and
died. That's two accounted for. There are ten more. Don't you think
you've got enough of it?"
She nodded.
"It isn't nice," she said. "I'll go back and wait for you with the
horses."
"But you can't go alone. Take two of the men."
"Then I'll go on," she said. "It would be foolish to weaken the pursuit,
and I am certainly not tired.
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