Cast Among Robbers 
canoe and then sullenly returned without paying 
the slightest attention to my courteous salutation. 
This silence was a declaration of war. 
While impatiently awaiting the return of my 
messenger, I noticed other men moving about 
behind the bushes and I also saw guns. It was 
now clear that we had been drawn into an am¬ 
bush, and the robbers were waiting to see what 
we were going to do before making an attack 
upon us. When the chief of the Parraquoi came 
down, I saw that he was excited and disturbed, 
and I merely paid my respects to him and re¬ 
quested permission to go in peace. He laid his 
staff on my shoulder and solemnly bid me go in 
peace. Poor old man! Those kind words were 
his death warrant. So soon as he had spoken, 
the robbers rushed altogether from their cover¬ 
ing and dragged the canoe with us in it, out 
upon the bank. Then there was a fierce hand- 
to-hand struggle for the mastery between the 
followers of the chief and the band of robbers 
who acted in concert but did not seem to have 
any leader. They fought with clubs mostly, but 
the din was so deafening, I could give no orders 
to my own men. 
After a brief struggle the Parraquoi got be¬ 
tween us and our enemies, and with the assist- 
271 
