“Gone back?”
“Yes. The Indians seem to have deserted us at the ending of this stage of our journey.”
“Bless my time-table!” cried Mr. Damon. “You don’t say so! What does it mean? What has becomes of our friend Jacinto?”
“I’m afraid he was rather a false friend,” was the professor’s answer. “This is the note he left. He has gone and taken the canoes and all the Indians with him,” and he held out a paper on which was some scribbled writing.
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Chapter 13
CHAPTER XIII
FORWARD AGAIN
“WHAT does it all mean?” asked Tom, seeing that the note was written in Spanish, a tongue which he could speak slightly but read indifferently.
“This is some of Beecher’s work,” was Professor Bumper’s grim comment. “It seems that Jacinto was in his pay.”
“In his pay!” cried Mr. Damon. “Do you mean that Beecher deliberately hired Jacinto to betray us?”
“Well, no. Not that exactly. Here, I’ll translate this note for you,” and the professor proceeded to read:
“Se�ors: I greatly regret the step I have to take, but I am a gentleman, and, having given my word, I must keep it. No harm shall come to you, I swear it on my honor!”
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“Queer idea of honor he has!” commented Tom, grimly.
Professor Bumper read on:
“Know then, that before I engaged myself to you I had been engaged by Professor Beecher through a friend to guide him into the Copan valley, where he wants to make some explorations, for what I know not, save maybe that it is for gold. I agreed, in case any rival expeditions came to lead them astray if I could.