The Chief gave the order for the bow-and-arrow men to start in single
file, the others to follow after, in close succession. The Chief and I
fell in at the rear. In the meantime I had examined my Luger automatic
pistol to make sure of the smooth action of the mechanism, and found
besides that I had in all thirty-seven soft-nose bullets. This was my
only weapon, but previous narrow escapes from death and many close
contacts with danger had hardened me, so I was willing to depend
entirely upon my pistol. The women and children of the _maloca_ stood
around, as we disappeared in the jungle, and, while they showed some
interest in the proceeding, they displayed little or no emotion. A
couple of sweethearts exchanged kisses as composedly as if they had
been bluecoats parting with the ladies of their choice before going
to the annual parade.

Soon we were in the dark, dense jungle that I was now so well
acquainted with, and, strange to say, the green and tangled mass of
vegetation contained more terrors for me than the bloody combat that
was to follow.

For an hour we travelled in a straight line, pushing our way as
noiselessly as possible through the thick mass of creepers and
lianas. About three o'clock, one of the scouts sighted the Peruvians,
and our Chief decided that an attack should be made as soon as
possible, before darkness could set in. We stopped and sent out two
bow-and-arrow men to reconnoitre. An anxious half hour passed before
one of them returned with the report that the Peruvians were now
coming towards us and would probably reach our position in a few
minutes. I could almost hear my heart thump; my knees grew weak,
and for a moment I almost wished that I had stayed in the _maloca_.