CHAPTER XIX
The Nipa Hut
Colonel Felix Rojas paced the floor of Tony Briotti's room in the ManilaHotel. He was in uniform now, but his visit, as he made quite clear, wasnot official. At least not yet.
Rick had just finished relating the story of how the golden skull hadfallen into the hands of Lazada. "Can't you just go to him and demandthe skull?" he asked.
Rojas smiled sadly. "If only it were that simple. Suppose two Malaysarrived at your Department of Defense and claimed that your AssistantSecretary of the Interior had stolen a valuable Indian necklace from anarchaeological expedition. What would happen?"
Rick knew perfectly well what would happen. "They would get thrownout--if they could get anyone to listen to them in the first place."
"Exactly. The situation is not particularly different, except that I'msure we pay more attention to Americans here than you would to Malays inyour country. After all, you owned us for nearly half a century."
"You warned us," Scotty said. "Why?"
Rojas shrugged. "I may as well be frank. I knew of Nangolat's visits toLazada. In fact, I was present at one meeting. And I knew that ouresteemed Assistant Secretary was hungry for that buried gold. If I couldprove some of the things I know about that man, he would no longer holdpublic office. He would be in jail. My hands were tied, officially, butunofficially I tried to warn you. I couldn't come right out and denounceLazada."
"Of course not," Tony agreed. "We're grateful that you were able to sayas much as you did."
Rojas nodded. "Let us continue. After you flew back to Bontoc, whathappened?"
Rick picked up his tale. "Pilipil was on the mountain, waiting. Wedropped down and signaled for him to go to Banaue in the jeep, then welanded at Bontoc and picked up the other jeep. Chahda became an Igorotagain. He took the jeep and started for Baguio right away, while Istayed behind in Bontoc."
"I don't get the point of that," Rojas interrupted.
"Chahda intended to follow Lazada or Nast, whoever had the skull. Theywere coming over the mountain in a fast station wagon, and there wereonly two routes they could take--north to the Kalinga country, or southto Baguio. We didn't think they would go north. So Chahda started forBaguio, knowing that they would probably catch up to him before the jeepreached the Baguio gate. They were in so much of a hurry that they wouldnot suspect an Igorot who pulled to the side of the one-lane road to letthem pass him, which would make trailing them easier."
"Smart," Rojas said. "Then your friends arrived at Bontoc late thatafternoon, and you flew them back to Baguio, leaving Angel Manotok tobring the truck."
"Yes. Of course we paid off Pilipil, Balaban, and the Igorots who hadguarded the plane. Dog Meat rode back with Angel."
"And you haven't heard from your Hindu friend since?"
"No."
Rojas picked up his cap. "I would like very much to find Lazada withthat golden skull in his possession. It would be a major service to thePhilippines, because it would give the Secretary and the Presidentpositive grounds for his dismissal. I ask a favor. If you hear from yourfriend, will you let me know?"
"First thing," Tony Briotti promised.
When the constabulary colonel had gone, the three washed up and wentdownstairs. Tony was restless and Rick knew that he wanted to get towork on the artifacts they had flown down to Manila. The Ifugaotreasure, minus the skull, was under guard at the university museum.
"Go on out to the museum," Rick said. "You're so restless I'm beginningto itch just watching you."
"Same here," Scotty agreed. "Go on, Tony. We'll wait here for word fromChahda."
"I really would like to," Tony said. "Perhaps I will, if you'll let meknow the moment Chahda comes."
The boys promised to do so and Tony departed. They found comfortablechairs in the lounge and ordered fresh limeades.
"Angel should be arriving with the truck tomorrow," Scotty observed.
"Yes, with Dog Meat. Wonder if Chahda will be back by then?"
"I wish he'd let us know where he is," Scotty grumbled. "For all weknow, Lazada may have captured him and tossed him into Manila Bay."
A waiter approached. "Ask him where our limeades are," Scotty said. "I'mthirsty. And I'm getting hungry."
"Again? We finished dinner less than an hour ago."
"It didn't seem like dinner," Scotty explained. "I can't get used toeating when the sun is high in the sky. I don't care what time it is, itshould be dark when we eat. Now it's dusk and I'm hungry."
The waiter bowed. "Phone call for you, Mr. Brant--or Mr. Scott."
"Thank you. Wonder who this can be?"
"Chahda?" Scotty asked.
"That would be too much to hope for. Besides, he sends notes whenever hecan. Doesn't like to phone."
But it was Chahda. He gave them rapid instructions. Dress in darkclothing. Meet him at Paranaque, a town to the south, just below theairport. Hurry. Chahda hung up. He had obviously been excited.
Rick and Scotty ran for their room. They changed clothes, then Ricktried to phone Tony at the museum. There was no answer. ConstabularyHeadquarters regretted that Colonel Rojas did not answer the phone inhis quarters. They would send a messenger to find him. Rick left themessage that he and Scotty were meeting Chahda, then the boys hurried tothe desk and left a similar message for Tony.
A taxi took them to Paranaque. Like most small towns in the Philippinesit consisted of a cathedral, a market, a _botica_ or drugstore, and afew houses.
They found Chahda in front of the cathedral. He was dressed Filipinostyle in slacks and sport shirt, and his hair had been recut to amodified crew cut-the only cut possible after the Igorot one.
They dismissed the taxi. Chahda had the jeep. While he drove themthrough a backwoods road, he told them his story. He had pulled off theone-lane road to let Lazada and Nast pass just before he reached Baguio.Following them had been no problem from then on. They went to a house onthe outskirts of Baguio, and by asking a few questions of the houseservants--after first loosening their tongues with a few pesos--he hadfound that Lazada was proceeding on to Manila by car the followingmorning.
"There was a chance he might give Nast the skull to take care of,"Chahda admitted, "but I not think so. Lazada not the kind of man withliking for letting gold out of his hands. So I go to barbershop, gethaircut, pick up clothes where I left them with a friend of Dog Meat.Then I drive to Manila and stop at Malolos."
That was a town to the north of Manila on the road to Baguio. Chahda hadpulled the same trick of letting Lazada overtake him.
"He comes by, and Nast is with him," Chahda continued. "I am surprised,because Lazada goes right to his house. I wait around nearly all day.Cannot call, because no phone handy. Well, tonight he took blacklimousine, and he and Nast come to Paranaque. He has skull. They go tothis little barrio where we going, and go into nipa shack. Lazada staysthere with the skull. Nast goes off in the limousine. So what I think?"
"What do you think?" Rick asked.
"I think Nast goes to get somebody, to bring them to Lazada. So I rushoff and call you. Before you came, I saw Nast go by. So now the meetingis being held, and we must figure how to get the skull."
Chahda reached forward and switched off the jeep's headlights. For aninstant it was very dark, then as Rick's eyes became adjusted to thedarkness he saw that the road was visible as a white pathway between therice paddies. Ahead were the lights of houses. They had reached thebarrio where the meeting was to be held.
Rick looked around and saw that the sky to the north was aglow with thelights of Manila. Then he saw a plane take off and realized that theywere only a short distance from the airport.
Chahda pulled off the road into a patch of nipa palms, went through thepalms, and parked behind a feathery thicket of bamboo. "We walk toshack," he said. He took a bolo from under the rear seat of the jeep andtucked it into his belt.
The Hindu boy led them a hundred yards down the road, then turned offonto a path. In a moment he pointed.
Ahead, alone in a clearing, was a typical nipa hut. It was built onstilts in the traditional Filipino way, and there was room underneaththe supporting posts for a tall man to stand upright. The house itselfwas square, with walls of woven thatch made from the nipa palm. The roofwas pyramidal, heavily thatched with layer after layer of straw. Thefloor was of split bamboo, a single layer of springy bamboo strips aswide as a man's thumb laid across a framing of whole bamboo supports.
Except that it allowed mosquitoes to roam in and out and gave no bar tolizards or snakes, it was ideal for the climate. The openwork floorallowed the breezes to circulate through the whole house. Also,housekeeping was simple. Dust couldn't gather. It just fell through thefloor.
Filipinos had lived in houses like this for centuries, but the influenceof Western civilization was visible in the form of electric lights. Itwas visible in another way at this particular nipa hut, too. Next to itwas a shiny limousine, the property of Irineo Lazada.
Chahda whispered, "We get close. Be very quiet and follow me."
It was dark enough. Chahda led the way, and Rick and Scotty followed.There was little cover, but there was no guard outside the house.Apparently Lazada and Nast felt quite safe. They did not know howeffectively Chahda had shadowed them.
Chahda made his way slowly until they were beside the big limousine.There was a murmur of voices from above, Lazada's predominating.
Rick swallowed hard as Chahda left the limousine and and walked rightunder the hut, but he and Scotty followed, scarcely daring to breathe.It was dark and he almost knocked over a stack of wooden boxes. Then,under the hut, there was light.
Rick had not realized that the bamboo floor was nothing more than alatticework of bamboo strips. He could look right up between them andsee the occupants of the room!
There was Lazada, of course, and Nast. And with them were two Chinese.
Nast was talking, "Don't you worry about delivery. If I say I'll get theskull into Macao, I'll do it. You just worry about the price."
Rick recognized the name of Macao. It was the Portuguese colony on theChinese coast just below Hong Kong. It had the reputation of being thegathering place for smugglers, gun-runners, Chinese river pirates, andequally unsavory folk.
One Chinese spoke in sibilant, accented English. "The price you ask istoo much. The skull is worth its exact weight in gold, at fifty Americandollars an ounce. What do we care if it is a very old native religiousobject? That has value only for an Ifugao, not a Chinese, and ourcustomers are not Ifugaos."
Rick gasped. Lazada and Nast were intending to sell the skull just forthe gold in it!
Lazada put his hand on a box that sat beside him on the floor. "Thecustomers you have usually want bullion gold, true. But perhaps you haveone very wealthy customer who could use a museum piece of great value."
"If we could have the skull legally, yes. But it is the only one of itskind. In a few days the press will have sent its description to everycity in the world, because its loss is a good news story. No one in hisright mind would buy such an object."
"I'm afraid he's right," Nast said. "We'll have to settle for its valuein weight. But that's worth something."
Chahda pulled Rick's sleeve, then Scotty's. The boys followed him fromunder the house back to the edge of the clearing. He whispered, "See thebox? I'm sure that is skull. Now, you feel brave?"
"What's your plan?" Scotty asked.
Chahda drew his bolo. "Bamboo cuts easy. Two swings and box falls intoour hands. We run like wild men, they not catch."
Rick objected. "The skull is too heavy. We couldn't run with it easily.They'd catch whoever had it."
Scotty nodded. "And the box is too small for two people to get a goodgrip on it. We'd fall all over each other."
"Could be," Chahda agreed, but he was not convinced. He said that theremust be some way to get the box.
Rick studied the house as though the sight of it might give himinspiration. The house didn't, but something else did. "The purloinedletter!" he exclaimed suddenly. "Remember the story by Poe? No one foundthe letter because it was in the most obvious place--so obvious that noone looked." He whispered his daring plan.
Scotty chuckled. "I'll even forgive you for biting me in Baguio, forthat one."
Chahda salaamed. "Mighty is the mind of Rick. I glad you on my side.Let's go."
They sneaked back to the house and made preparations for the audaciousrecovery of the box. Chahda tested the edge of his bolo, reached up withit, and measured the length of his stroke and where the blade wouldtouch. It would work. He looked at the boys expectantly.
Rick knew that bamboo was remarkable stuff. It had great strengthagainst nearly everything except a sharp blade applied across its grain.But it had to be cut cleanly. Also, Chahda would have to make two cutsbefore the box could drop through the floor. On the first cut, Lazadaand Nast would be moving. They could make it down the stairs before thesecond cut was made.
He shook his head at Chahda. Not yet. He motioned to Scotty and togetherthey examined the stairs, which ran down the outside of the framing.Scotty gestured toward the boxes stacked at one corner of the house.They examined them. The boxes were full of a special kind of sea shellused commercially in the Philippines. They were fairly heavy.
Working together, they piled a few boxes on the stairs. Anyone notwatching his footing might fall over them.
Then Scotty motioned to a stack of bamboo poles just outside the housepilings. He whispered, "You help Chahda. I'll use one of these." Heselected a long one about two inches in diameter and held it in bothhands like a lance. With Scotty standing beside the stairs, the polewould reach almost through the door of the hut.
Scotty nodded. Rick stepped to a position beside Chahda and nodded.
Chahda flexed his muscles, wrapped his fingers tightly around the handleof his bolo, spread his feet and swung.
The steel blade hit the bamboo floor and sliced through, flying in agreat arc.
There were yells from the men upstairs. Chahda swung again as runningfeet made the floor vibrate. Scotty gave a wild yell and charged like aknight attacking an enemy. The bamboo pole caught Nast in the stomachand drove him back into the hut.
The box containing the skull slid and caught.
Chahda swung again, in desperation, and the box dropped through! Rickcaught it, and the weight would have driven him to the ground had notChahda given a hand.
They rushed the box to its prearranged hiding place, then Rick gave apiercing whistle. They ran, all three of them, in three differentdirections.
Chahda headed for the jeep. He ran quietly. Scotty headed south, yellingas he went; Rick ran north, giving an occasional bellow. That was todraw the pursuit away from Chahda, so he could get to the jeepundisturbed.
The pursuit had organized, apparently, because both Nast and Lazada werebarking orders. Rick kept yelling, but he was now in the brush. Scottywas yelling, too.
Rick pushed his way through the brush and emerged on the bank of a riveror estuary of some kind. Beyond, on the opposite bank, were rows ofwooden forms that marked the outline of salt pans. Water was let intothe square pools in the early morning, and by nightfall it hadevaporated, leaving its salt behind.
For a tense moment Rick waited. Perhaps he was not being followed.Perhaps they had followed Scotty. Then he heard the brush snapping andknew they were on his trail. He had to keep going. He stepped into thewater and went right on until it was over his head. He spluttered, hiseyes stinging from the salt. The water was brine, already partiallyevaporated and ready for the salt pans.
A few strokes took him to the opposite bank. He climbed out onto thesalt pans, his clothes dripping and his shoes soggy. He ran.
He was almost across the field of salt pans when a shot whistled past.He bent low and ran faster, remembering that Nast carried a .38 in ashoulder holster.
The second shot was closer, but not close enough. He reached the fieldbeyond the salt pans and headed for a coconut grove about three hundredfeet ahead. The field w
as covered with a low-growing vine of some sort.He floundered and tripped, then got to his feet again, looking back overhis shoulder. Apparently the pursuers were looking for a way across thewater. He couldn't see them.
He reached the shadow of the coconut grove and stopped, glad of a chanceto wring out his clothes. He did so, a garment at a time, watching histrail. In a few moments he saw two men emerge from a far corner of thesalt pans and start across. For a moment he turned to run, then an ideastruck him and he grinned.
There was pretty complete darkness. He could see and be seen in theopen. But under the palms he would be invisible from a distance oftwenty yards. He need not run; he could wait until the pursuit passed,then walk leisurely to the airport, get a cab, and go home. Chahdaprobably was already there. He thought he had heard the jeep enginestart. Even if pursued, Chahda could get away all right. The jeep wasfaster than the limousine on rough roads.
Scotty's fate was less certain. If two men were after Rick, the othertwo probably were after Scotty. They had scattered just for the purposeof splitting the enemy forces, and to allow Chahda time to get the jeepunderway.
As Rick watched, the two men reached the near edge of the salt pans. Oneproduced a flashlight and they walked along the edge of the salt pansshining the light at the ground.
Rick wondered. Surely they weren't looking for foot-prints. Both thesalt pans and the field were perfectly dry. He wasn't particularlyafraid of the flashlight. He would wait until they were close to thepalm grove, then move laterally away from them and lie flat on theground. The light couldn't pick him out from any great distance.
The men walked slowly down the edge of the salt pans until they reachedthe place where Rick had left the pans and entered the field, then, assurely as blood-hounds, they followed the route he had taken.
He stared, amazed. How had they tracked him? Then, suddenly, he knew.Makahiya! The sensitive mimosa! The field was covered with it. And wherehe had walked, the mimosa's leaves were rolled up tightly!
Rick turned and ran through the grove, trying to be silent. He used abeacon from nearby Manila Airport as a guide, and in a moment he saw redlights on the other side of the grove. It was the field. They wereboundary lights.
He saw instantly that he was in a bad spot. The only way to go wasstraight ahead, across the open airport. He would be seen instantly whenhis pursuers emerged from the grove, and from then on it would be a footrace. There was nothing else to do but go on. He climbed over theairport fence and started for the lights of the administration buildinga mile away.
To conserve his strength and wind he kept his pace to a dogtrot. Hecrossed one paved strip and cast a look behind in time to see thepursuers climb the fence. A yell told him he had been seen. He startedto zigzag, anticipating a bullet. His spine tingled and there was acrawling sensation between his shoulder blades. But when the shot didcome it was such a wide miss that he did not even give an instinctiveduck.
Somewhere down the line a big plane was getting ready to take off, thepilot was checking his magnetos, revving up his engines. He searched forlights as he ran and saw them over a mile down the field. It was aStrato-cruiser, probably bound for America. Then he saw the runway aheadand realized that it would be a race to see whether or not he got acrossbefore the plane reached that point. The lights told him that the planewas already moving. He lengthened his stride.
He had a choice. He could stop and wait until the big plane passed, orhe could run for it and hope to beat it. If he stopped, it would givehis pursuers a chance to catch up.
He ran faster, still breathing easily. But there were signs that hiswind was giving out. He cast anxious glances down the field. The bigplane was rolling, its engines roaring. He tried to gauge the pointwhere it would be air-borne, but it was too hard. It should be in theair by the time it reached him, but he couldn't be sure. The runway wasonly yards ahead now. He sprinted.
The plane roared down at him. Then he was on the runway, realizing thathe would not be across in time. In sudden terror he threw himself flat,just as the big plane lifted. The wheels were only a few feet above himas it passed over.
Then he was on his feet, running again, weak from the certainty of amoment ago that he was done for. But the administration building wasonly a short distance away now, and he found the strength to keep going.He ran past astonished airport personnel, made his way through the crowdthat had come to see the flight off, and leaped into a taxi just aheadof the Filipino gentleman who was about to enter.
"Get going!" he panted. "Hurry!" The driver responded with a burst ofspeed that snapped Rick back against the cushions. He turned and watchedthrough the rear window, but he couldn't see his pursuers. He had madeit!
CHAPTER XX
Surprise Package
Colonel Felix Rojas fingered the eagle on one shoulder. "It took methirty years to become a colonel," he said. "If you are wrong, ColonelRojas will be Private Rojas by morning. You know that?"
"If Lazada is at home," Rick repeated, "it will mean that he hasn'tfound the golden skull. If he is not at at home, and doesn't come home,it will mean that he has it."
"You need not worry, Sahib Colonel. Rick has plenty bright idea. Lazadawill not find that skull, believe me," Chahda assured him.
Chahda and Scotty had beaten Rick to the hotel, and had found both Rojasand Tony Briotti waiting as a result of the messages the boys had left.Chahda had gotten away easily, and he had lingered in Paranaque, parkedin shadow, until he saw Scotty go by. Then he had picked him up. WhenRick did not appear, they went to the hotel to wait for word.
Scotty had ditched his pursuers easily by climbing a mango tree andwaiting until they passed. He was more at home in the woods at nightthan any of them, including Chahda.
Tony Briotti asked, "Does your father know what kind of chances youtake, Rick?"
Rick grinned. "He's been along on a few expeditions, remember. He knowswe can take care of ourselves."
"So do I, now. Colonel, I have faith in the boys' theory. I think we hadbetter go to Lazada's."
Rojas nodded. "Even if it means being broken, the chance is worth it tohang something on that man. Our republic is young. It cannot toleratemen like him in public office. Without proof we cannot touch him, but ifthe proof is there...."
"It will be," Rick said confidently.
Rojas picked up the phone and asked for a number. He got his connection,gave his name, and asked for Captain Lichauco. To the captain he gaveorders. A platoon was to meet him at Lazada's in fifteen minutes. Noearlier and no later. Then he phoned Dr. Okola and requested that he,also, be at Lazada's.
"Now," Colonel Rojas said to the Spindrift group, "let us go."
Ten minutes later they got out of the colonel's car in front of Lazada'shouse. A Sikh guard started to open the door for them, but Chahdastopped him and spoke rapidly in Hindi. The guard replied.
"He here, also car," Chahda said.
Colonel Rojas consulted his watch. "We'll wait here."
The minutes ticked by in silence until the headlights of a truckappeared. The truck pulled up and a young captain got out of the frontseat. He saluted. Rojas gave his crisp orders in Tagolog, which thecaptain relayed to the men on the truck. They climbed down with aminimum of noise and went to surround the house.
"Now," Rojas said, "let us visit Mr. Lazada."
He pushed open the door and marched up the front stairs, the Spindriftgroup close behind. At the top of the stairs the constabulary colonelbrushed aside a houseboy and strode into the living room where Lazadasat with Nast. The two leaped to their feet.
Lazada turned red. "What is the meaning of this?" he demanded.
Colonel Rojas bowed. "I regret to inform you that you are under arreston charges of grand larceny, attempting to sell gold illegally, andconspiracy to smuggle gold out of the country."
Lazada snarled. "I'll have you broken for this, you fool! I don't knowwhat you're talking about."
"I think you do. These American gentlemen have told me quite a story."
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"I'm sure of it. And whose word do you take? That of your countryman andsenior official, or the word of these foreign adventurers?"
"Theirs," Rojas said. "I will accept from you the custody of a certaingolden skull, stolen by you from the Ifugaos."
Lazada had recovered his composure. He chuckled. "I have no goldenskull. You are free to search, even without a warrant, Colonel."
"Thank you. Please lead the way to your garage."
"Certainly, but you will find nothing there but my car."
Lazada led the way to the back of the house and down a flight of stairsto a garage. If the sight of constabulary troopers with ready carbinesbothered him, he didn't show it. But Nast, obviously, was worried. Hekept casting glances at the boys.
"Better give the colonel that shoulder gun you missed me with earliertonight," Rick told him. "You might hurt yourself with it."
Colonel Rojas held out his hand. "Give."
Nast did.
In the garage was the limousine. Lazada waved at it. "As I told you,nothing here but my car."
"And a golden skull," Rick said. He opened the trunk and reached in forthe box!
Lazada screamed with sudden fear and rage. He leaped for Rick. He metScotty's fist and sat down, hard.
Colonel Rojas had been sweating profusely. Now, at the sight of thegolden skull, he took out his handkerchief, wiped his face, and smiledcontentedly. "We'll need a new Assistant Secretary now," he saidhappily. "And we'll ship Mr. Nast back to America as an undesirablealien. The authorities there will take him into custody."
"Have you found it? Where is the skull?" someone called.
Dr. Okola came running up the driveway, and with him, in immaculatewhite linens, was Nangolat!
* * * * *
The group sat in Dr. Okola's office at the museum. Outside, constabularytroopers were on guard. Inside, a fabulous collection of golden andsilver artifacts, dominated by the golden skull, received the admiringattention of the Spindrift group, Colonel Rojas, Angel Manotok, and Dr.Okola, with Nangolat as lecturer.
When he had finished describing the various objects and their uses, theIfugao said, "And now, I must explain. I am here because I gave myselfup to Dr. Okola. He, in turn, will hand me to the police. I asked onlythat I be permitted to examine the treasures."
Tony Briotti shook his head. "I don't understand. You're intelligent,well-educated, and well on the road to becoming a scientist. Why did youdo it?"
Nangolat's broad face was sad but composed. "How can I explain? I almostkilled my good friend Angel. I attacked innocent American scientists whohad no evil intentions toward my people. I goaded the young men ofBanaue into war against the wishes of their elders. It is only becausemy gods watched over me that I do not have your blood on my hands. Buthow can I explain?"
His dark eyes pleaded for understanding. "You cannot know what it is toan Ifugao or an Igorot. In America you respect your primitives--yourIndians. But here, we are just aborigines--primitive animals, eaters ofdog. We are sneered at and despised. To Americans we are curiosities. Wewear breechcloths and funny hats that we use for pockets."
"Nangolat!" Dr. Okola exclaimed. "I never suspected that you felt likethat. I thought we had always treated you as we did any other student."
"You were the ones who treated me as a man," Nangolat admitted. "You andAngel. But when I worked with you in tracing down the golden skull andwhat it meant to my people, something happened. The more we learned, themore I resented the attitudes of the others, those who despise theIfugao as a dog-eating animal. I believed that in the golden skull wehad the proof that the Ifugaos were better than any of you, that ourcivilization was older. I lost my civilization. I forgot my friends. Icould only think that here was proof of the greatness of the Ifugao, andthat the Americans were coming to take it away."
"But we said that the artifacts would remain here," Tony Briottireminded him. "We told Dr. Okola that we would not ask permission totake them out of the country."
"Yes, but I was worried. I went to Lazada, to plead with him to forbidyou to take them under any circumstances, and he told me that he washelpless, officially. He said that the American Government would insiston getting the treasures of my people, and that our own government wouldhave to yield because we need American financial aid."
"Of all the rotten lies!" Rick exclaimed angrily.
"Yes. But he was an official of our government and I believed him. Thenhe goaded me. He said that only an Ifugao would allow such a thing tohappen, because the Ifugaos were less than men. Men would protect theirtreasures. I was emotionally upset already. His goading drove meberserk. I was truly mad. So, I acted as I did."
"Tell them what happened at Banaue," Okola said gently.
"Dr. Briotti convinced me that he was not trying to steal our treasure.That is, he almost convinced me, and he did convince our priests. ButLazada came, and he said the American ambassador was already demandingcustody of the treasure as soon as it was found. You know what happenedthen."
"We sure do," Scotty said.
"Then the jeep got away, and later the plane came. We did not keepattacking, because many of our young men had lost heart. They couldn'tsee the sense of rushing into the muzzles of your rifles over sometreasure they knew nothing about. I had worked them up to the point ofattacking once, but I could not do it again. Then the plane dropped thesack. We did not know what was in it, except that it must be part of thetreasure. Lazada carried it to his car. I followed and demanded the bag.He said he had no bag, although it was in plain sight. He was smiling.He said the plane got all the bags; he didn't have any. I saw at oncewhat he was doing. He was going to take the bag and pretend that he hadnever seen it, and it would be the word of a group of poor Ifugaonatives against the word of a great official. I saw red. I reached forhim, and Nast struck me with his gun."
Nangolat rubbed his head. "He knocked me out, and he knocked sense intome. I walked to Bontoc and took the bus south. Now I am ready to bepunished."
Rick was deeply touched by Nangolat's recital. He remembered howfavorably impressed they had been that first day, when they thought hewas Angel. "Speaking for myself," he offered, "I am grateful to Nangolatfor a warm reception at Banaue, and for an interesting visit to the riceterraces."
Scotty took the cue. "As for me, I haven't had so much fun in a fightsince that free-for-all at Canton Charlie's in Hong Kong."
Chahda bowed. "I also represent ancient Asia people. Very grateful toNangolat for fine demonstration of how Ifugaos fight. Very differentfrom Hindu method."
The three boys looked at Tony. He had suffered the most at Nangolat'shands. Nangolat had tried to kill him, then had kidnaped him, and hadintended to take his head.
Tony smiled. "And I am grateful to Nangolat for personally conducting meto Banaue and for putting on such an interesting series of rituals anddances."
Angel Manotok went to Nangolat and took his hand. "Can a Filipino beless of a friend than an American? It was too bad I fell on my head andalmost fractured my skull. How nice it was of you, Nangolat, to pretendto be me so I would not lose face with the Americans by not appearing towork for them."
There were tears in the Ifugao's eyes. "What a magnificent group ofstorytellers you are!"
Colonel Rojas grinned. "Sounded like the truth to me, Nangolat. And ifanyone wants to know what kind of men the Ifugaos are, send them to me.I led Mountain Province warriors against the Japanese. They attackedtanks barehanded. They fought like fiends. They made me proud to be aFilipino."
Tony Briotti picked up the golden skull. "We have a lot of work to do,Nangolat. We'll need your help. And all of us will have to testifyagainst Lazada."
"Golly, that's right," Rick said. "What a nuisance that will be. We'llhave to wait around for weeks."
"Not that long," Colonel Rojas promised. "This is one case that will betried in a hurry. But you will have to stay a while. You will my guests.There's a lot of the Philippines you haven't seen. We might even be a
bleto stir up a little excitement for you."
"No, thanks," Rick said.
"Sorry," Chahda said.
"Need peace and quiet," Scotty said.
Tony laughed. "Don't believe them. They may stay quiet until tomorrow,but I doubt it. What do you have in mind?"
"I'd like to take them to Mindoro Island, south of here, to hunttimarau. In case you don't know, those are water buffalo. They rate asthe most dangerous game animal in Asia."
"Too exciting for me," Rick said.
But in later years when the Ifugao expedition was mentioned, Rick,Scotty, and Chahda always talked much more about the hunting on Mindorothan they did about their encounter with the Ifugaos. And they wereprouder of the timarau heads in the study than of the Ifugao spears thathad been thrown at them and brought back by Angel as souvenirs.
_The_ RICK BRANT SCIENCE-ADVENTURE _Stories_
BY JOHN BLAINE
THE ROCKET'S SHADOW THE LOST CITY SEA GOLD 100 FATHOMS UNDER THE WHISPERING BOX MYSTERY THE PHANTOM SHARK SMUGGLERS' REEF THE CAVES OF FEAR STAIRWAY TO DANGER THE GOLDEN SKULL THE WAILING OCTOPUS THE ELECTRONIC MIND READER THE SCARLET LAKE MYSTERY THE PIRATES OF SHAN
The Golden Skull: A Rick Brant Science-Adventure Story Page 19
