The Adventurers

Chapter 13

Emerging from the dense forest onto the start of a sloping plane that began the foothills to the Paqtaz mountain range, the party almost cheered. The air changed immediately from thick soupy dampness to a cooler, thinner product. Sax ordered a rest stop, and sent one of the natives to scout ahead. Birds crossed back and forth in the sky in an intricate choreography and what seemed like millions of flying insects hovered over the short growth covering the slope.

Krena sat heavily on a bare piece of ground and lay back closing her eyes. Carrying her daughter for most of the time through the jungle had tapped her strength to the maximum. Jed had tried to help but Sax discouraged him, insisting he needed to be combat alert and ready at all rimes and being saddled with a small child was a definite hindrance.

Chessery did what she could to help but it too was discouraged; Sax needed eyes everywhere, not just on the mother and child. After a brief rest they moved on. The going was easier but the slope put a strain on calf muscles and soon they could feel the tightness beginning.

"We need to rest again," Jed said. "The women are flagging."

Sax scanned the tree line below and chewed a lip. "Give it another fifteen minutes." He looked ahead and picked out a section that seemed to give way to larger scrub and scattered boulders. "There. We'll rest there, it'll give us a bit of cover." He pointed the way and moved on.

The two natives squatted beside a large boulder and watched as the whites dragged up to the site and dropped their packs.

"I thought being out of the jungle would be a hell of a lot easier." Jed complained.

"You're getting the full effect of the sun even if it is hidden in that sky and the grade is steeper than it looks." Sax passed his water bottle around to the women. "Not too much, remember what I said."

Chessery found a puddle of shade and sat with her head against the rock. "Any sign of our friends?"

"Not yet but that smoke earlier was not days behind, more like hours." Sax went and spoke to the natives and they split up, one going ahead and the other going back.

"Not again." She sat up as she watched the native glide back down the hill toward the trees.

"That's why we brought them; you can't expect to just go through this country like you're on some kind of Sunday outing. They know the environment."

"Do you know where we are exactly?"

"Exactly? No. But I brought some satellite pictures we had for our own use down here. They show decent close-ups of this area of the country"

He dragged his pack over and sat down next to her. Jed came over with Krena and Luna and they all huddled together over the photos.

"There is las Almenas." He pointed to a pen dot on the photo then followed the thread of river to where he believed they put ashore. "That's the end of the tree line, so we are somewhere around here."

"That's a huge area," Chessery said.

"Right but see here?" He pointed to a tiny silver shape. "I think that's your Lake of Green Mist. You said it was shaped like a boomerang."

She leaned over and squinted. "Hell that could be anything." Jed was giving him an odd look and she picked it up. "What? What's wrong?"

Sax pulled out another photo and dropped it on her lap. This one was a much more detailed picture with a clear shot of the river and even details of the kind of vegetation along the shoreline. She stared at it and her cheeks reddened as she saw the plain they had climbed and even the rocks among which they were sitting.

Then she saw her lake and there was no mistaking its shape or position with regard to the compass he handed to her.

"Always time for a prank, eh, Sax?" She handed the photo back.

"Keeps us all grounded." He caught Jed's smirk and held his own face straight.

Krena watched with a puzzled expression at the byplay and held her daughter tighter. Laughing and talking strangely when being hunted didn't seem right. These white people were indeed odd. The young man that helped her was very nice though and she gave him a timid smile just to show she too was not afraid.

"By the way, that photo indicates we are about one and a half day away from your lake yet." Her face fell and she looked off into the distance. "What's the matter?"

"Nothing... I just- nothing." She sat up, pushing a hand through her hair.

"Here comes one of the boys." Jed pointed down the hill and stood as the native loped up them, barely breathing hard at all. Sax listened to his report and made a face. "They're closer than we thought. The main group is still where I said but there's a party of three only a few hours away"

"How many all together?" Jed asked. The native held up his fingers. Seven.

"That's not many. Anson must have taken a few with him." Jed said.

The native said something else and Krena took in a sharp breath.

"What? What's he say?" Chessery looked at the woman.

Sax frowned and stared back at the jungle. "He says there was another smoke sign maybe a day behind Pazzo. It might mean more men for Pazzo or another group altogether."

While they broke camp and prepared to move on, the other scout returned and, for change, had some good news.

"Tapuk says that we have to cross a deep gorge to get to the plain leading to the lake.

"He's found a primitive vine bridge that we can use to cross that will give us a big advantage if we move quickly" Sax patted the native on the shoulder and urged the others to get moving.

"I didn't see that on your photo," Chessery snarked.

"It's there but until now it wasn't important. Tapuk is hunting for the quickest way to the lake."

Almost an hour later they stood at the edge of the gorge and looked with less than pleasure at what had been described as a bridge.

"We can't cross on that flimsy thing." Jed exclaimed.

Tapuk nodded eagerly and proceeded to demonstrate the means. The 'bridge' consisted of three sturdy vines, one overhead, to use as a handhold, and two to place the feet on. He slipped a rope under his arms and over the top vine as an anchor in case his feet slipped off the walking vines, and proceeded to shuffle across the gorge.

"No way the women can do this," Jed said.

"A rather chauvinistic outlook," Chessery scolded. She looked at Krena who seemed capable but concerned for Luna and suggested that Tapuk take her across first.

Sax spoke to the native and he nodded, showing no concern whatsoever. A few tense minutes later, he and the little girl stepped onto the far side and waved happily at the others to come across. Chessery allow Sax to tie the safety rope about her and get her started across and fifteen minutes later all were over the gorge except Matzumen, who was keeping an eye out for the party following them.

He was part way across when the three Katopi natives appeared on the hill leading down to the gorge. Sax hollered and pointed and then drew his gun as he watched one native load an arrow into his bow. Sax fired as the native released the arrow and it sailed dangerously close to Matzumen. He hurried his passage and, with help, was hauled to safety as another arrow buried itself in the bushes near Krena.

"Get them back out of sight." Sax shouted, firing across the gorge to keep the natives down. He snatched a machete from Tapuk and slashed the vines that they had walked on but another volley of arrows sent them diving for cover and into retreat before he could cut the last vine.

"Leave it," Jed called. Those arrows are coming too close for comfort.

"Are we safe do you think?" Chessery asked.

"Well they can go hand over hand for sixty or so feet or find another way through a hundred foot gorge, so for now I think we are. But let's keep moving anyway."