“It’s my fault,” he assured the worried crewmen. “I should have made certain the Mayas came aboard.”
The trio rushed to the plane’s windows to peer outside. The streaming moisture on the heavy panes and the sheets of water falling made it hard for them to see outside. But no Mayas were in sight.
“Maybe they didn’t run away for good,” Bob suggested. “They may have figured this plane wouldn’t be safe in the storm.”
Tom was not convinced. Still worried, he
40 ELECTRONIC RETROSCOPE
opened the door of the compartment and poked his head out into the rain for a better view. The crewmen heard him gasp.
“See something, skipper?” Bill Bennings asked.
“Those store clothes the Mayas were carrying all bundled up on their backs-they’ve dumped them on the ground at the edge of the clearing 1”
“Probably too heavy to bother with, once they got soaked.”
“That’s just it,” Tom agreed. “Why leave them to get soaked? If those men ducked for shelter, why didn’t they take the clothes with them? They were mighty proud of those suits.”
“It does look as if they’ve run out on us,” Bob agreed, “but they may not be far away. Let’s look for them as soon as the rain stops.”
The storm ended as abruptly as it had begun. Tom and Bob hurried outside and the young inventor shouted in Spanish for the Mayas to return. There was no answer.
“Now what?” Bob asked.
“We’ll just have to go after them. Surely they’d head for the village.”
He and Bob followed the cleared trail through the forest and were able to travel at a good pace despite the soggy earth. Within ten minutes they caught sight of the native volunteers and their companions. The men were huddled in the middle of the jungle path chattering intently.
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