“Vaya con Dios. Go with God,” the ahau replied, shaking hands gravely. He signaled to the “medical” quintet, who had stripped off their A HELIUM MYSTERY 33
store clothes and bundled them on their backs. The chief next beckoned to two natives he had selected to accompany Tom to the ship and bring him back.
“Good luck, pal,” said Bud.
“Thanks. Take it easy, you two. I’ll return as soon as possible.”
Armed with compass, canteen, and machete, Tom plunged off into the jungle in a southerly direction with his seven Mayan companions. The natives had long hooked knives, as well as water gourds and two rifles between them. They swung the knives with easy, freehand strokes to cut away any vines or underbrush that barred the way. This was done so smoothly and rapidly that the Indians almost seemed to glide through the dense jungle.
Tom found it hard to keep up with them. Jogging along at a fast trot, he was soon perspiring profusely and would have doffed his shirt except for the stinging insects that buzzed around him constantly.
“Boy, I should’ve practiced up for this jungle bit,” Tom thought with a rueful grin.
It was late afternoon when he and the Mayas finally reached the cargo jet.
The ship had landed in a sizable clearing.
“Hi, skipper!” Slim and the other crewmen greeted Tom with backslaps and good-natured ribbing about the stranded paraplane.
34 ELECTRONIC RETROSCOPE
“Fine place you picked to run out of gas!” joked Arv Hanson. He was a husky six-footer, who built the precision scale models for all Tom’s major inventions.