ALBACORA 201 



To Jose, Lou was more frightening than the bad road. 

 We lurched around the vast bay and then climbed to- 

 ward the top of a steep hill. We rose for half an hour. 

 Then the truck thumped slowly to a stop. 



"We're stuck," I announced. 



"We can't turn around," Jo said. "Not on this moun- 

 tain." 



"Engine bust," Jose informed us, brightly. 



"Somebody had better get going to Salango on foot," 

 John Manning said. "We probably can get some burros 

 there and finish this damn trip that way." 



"I'll go," Lou said. "You stay here and see that 

 Jose keeps his distance from the girls." 



In the jungle, things were whining and hooting and 

 hissing. Behind us the undergrowth crackled, and out 

 of the darkness to our right two great red eyes flashed 

 for an instant. 



"What was that?" I shouted. 



"Jaguar," John Manning said. "A leopard, maybe." 



"Stop kidding," I said. 



"I'm not kidding," John said. 



"You're staying here," I said to Lou. 



"Sleep well," he said. "I'll see you with some burros 

 in a few hours." 



For more than a few hours I tried to fall asleep. 

 But I was listening for Lou's footfalls constantly and 

 at the end of that time I was more alert than I had 

 been before. Dear God, I prayed, let me hear his foot- 



