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“What do you know? The Chulo national colors”

Gamay’s eyes widened as she looked past Paul, who had his back to the forest

“That’s not the only thing around here that’s blue and white”

Paul turned and saw about twenty Chulo Indians ee from the trees, their faces and bodies painted the colors of sky and

bone He cursed hi the plane’s discovery to push caution aside As silently as the ghosts they were reputed to be, the Indians surrounded them There was no way to run Paul and Gamay were completely boxed in

The Indians advanced with their spears held high, but then they did a peculiar thing They opened the circle One Indian indicated with his spear that they were to go through the opening The Trouts glanced at each other fortheuard, theythe river

The path widened into a road that took theate wide enough to drive a truck through Froate tall wooden staffs that had knobs on the top like flagpoles As they neared the entrance Gahter

“Paul, look,” she said

He followed her gaze “Oh, hell”

The knobs were in fact human heads Their faces had been baked brown like apples in the sun, and the birds and insects had beeninroads, but it was still possible to pick out Dieter’s features He wasn’t s Neither was Arnaud or his taciturn assistant, Carlo The fourth head belonged to their Indian henchnized him by the New York Yankees baseball cap

Then they were through the gates, past the grisly decorations Behind the fence were several dozen long thatched huts clustered along the river No wouards had lowered their spears and unstrung their arrows and were using the presence of their bodies to keep the Trouts fro foolish

Paul said, “Look at that water wheel We have theland”

Water had been diverted froh wooden chutes to turn a wheel They didn’t get the chance for a closer look Their guards directed them toward a structure at the center of the settle huts, and the walls were s They stopped in front of a portal that looked like a large, gapingover the entrance was the bladed fan froine The Indians closed ranks behind them, put their weapons aside, and kneeled with their noses touching the earth

“Nohat?” Gamay said with astonishment at the sudden submissiveness of the fierce Indians

“I wouldn’t advise running for it We wouldn’t get ten feet before they nailed us My guess is they want us to go in After you, madame”