A Matter of Trust

13 - El cocodrilo.

Pedro grunted when his companion kicked his boot, and pushed his sombrero back from his face, lifting up onto one elbow. "¿Qué?" The man pointed across the gorge and made walking signs with his fingers. "Aah, they are on the move." He stood and gathered up his rifle and canteen, dusted off his pants with his hat then pulled it firmly onto his head. "Come, my silent friend, we will continue the chase." The two men went to the edge of the gorge and began a careful decent along the well worn animal track.

***************

Claude strode along with a careless attitude, flipping ash from his cigar and ignoring the grueling pace he was setting for Vincent and Thomaso who were carrying all the supplies.

"You wanna slow down just a bit for Chrissake?"

Claude stopped and turned around. "Do I really need you along on this venture, Vincent?"

"Unless you wanna be the donkey or unless you know how to work the radio or contact Gravestone or set up the stove to make a simple goddam cup of coffee!" Vincent snarled belligerently.

"Hmmm . . . well the beaner can carry the stuff and make the coffee . . . and I think if I asked nicely, you'd show me how to work the radio." Claude leered at his cohort as Vincent staggered past under his load.

"Don't make book on it, DeGeer." Vincent was getting sick and tired of the killer and he promised himself to be very alert and to raise the question with Gravestone on their next contact.

Thomaso hurried nervously past the two Americanos, his heart pounding every time the one called Claude spoke or looked his way. He was under no illusions about his intended fate once they caught up with the professor and the woman; what he had to do was watch and wait for an opportunity to make his escape.

He thought ahead to the route and his hopes lifted slightly when he thought about crossing the river by the falls. Vincent made another remark to Claude who laughed derisively and flicked his cigar butt away, immediately lighting a fresh one. Thomaso thought harder about the river crossing, trying to picture just how he would make his break.

*****

They looped the ropes around trees and let themselves down the steep incline into the gorge, pulling the rope after them and repeating the process once again. Finally, at the bottom, they retrieved the lines and packed them away and took a well earned break. It had taken nearly all morning to make the descent.

"I hope we don't have to go back this way," Arnold moaned.

"That remains to be seen. Nobody said this was going to be easy."

"Nobody asked me either." He pouted back.

The professor lit his pipe and tapped Arnold on the shoulder. "I wouldn't spend a lot of time bemoaning my situation if I were you, Arnold. You should be thinking about how you could become one of the people to uncover the richest treasure in modern times.

Think of what this will mean to man's enlightenment of the ancients, think of the glory!" Gretta and Arnold looked at him strangely, his statements had briefly taken him off into some world of his own and when he realized their concern, he laughed and tamped his pipe out on the ground. "I sound a little extravagant don't I? I was just thinking of the esteem that the association would garner with a find like this."

"We should be moving." Gretta stood and shouldered her pack and started along the floor of the gorge. "We'll find a good spot and stop for the night, tomorrow will be a more grueling march down here."

Arnold stumbled along behind, somewhat less agile than Gretta and even less aware than the professor of where to place his feet. The night had been noisier and the dampness had kept him tossing uncomfortably. He dreamed of dog-sized bugs chewing their way into his tent and eventually into him.