"Have you thought of anything?" asked Peter, who for the first time fully appreciated the intricacies of the problem by which Uncle Brian was confronted.
"I have," replied Uncle Brian. "I've been thinking it out for months--almost as soon as I discovered what I was engaged for. There's one line of retreat."
He pointed to the chart, indicating a vast extent of mountainous country, through which several rivers wended their way. The whole district, judging from the map, was devoid of towns and villages. Occasionally an outpost was indicated, where detachments of armed police were stationed for no other apparent purpose than to keep watch over an uninhabited district.
"Of course, we may not find these police posts," continued Uncle Brian. "Since the settlement of the boundary dispute they may have been withdrawn. Tajeco, whence our pipe line runs, is the only place of any consequence. Apart from that, the whole country is mountainous, with the valleys stiff with tropical forests. Now, this is my plan: see these two rivers--the Rio Tinto and the Rio del Morte? They both join the Rio Guaya at about thirty miles above Tepecicoa. As you know, ordinary navigation is impossible ten miles above the town, owing to shallows, but canoes and light draft craft can ascend both the Rio Tinto and the Rio del Morte for a considerable distance. In fact, the Rio del Morte has never been explored to its source, so the map is merely guesswork as far as that river is concerned. That's our way to freedom, Peter. It will be a difficult, a hazardous way, but with luck we'll win through."
"We'll have a jolly good shot at it," declared Peter with grim determination. "But how can we get away from here without arousing suspicion? For anything we know, your friend Diaz may be keeping an eye on us already."
"Bluff," replied his uncle. "I'll tackle Don Ramon Diaz, tell him I'm badly in need of a holiday. Fact!" he continued; "haven't been ten miles from El Toro for months. We'll get his permission for a ten-days shooting trip up the Rio Guaya. He'll probably take good care that we do go up, not down, because he'd never imagine that we were fools enough to attempt to penetrate that wild and mountainous country. We'll give out that we are exploring the Rio Tinto, but in reality we'll make a dash up the Rio del Morte as far as we can by water and foot it the rest of the way. It won't be a picnic, Peter, I can assure you. We'll have to travel light, depend upon our rifles for food, probably be half frozen before those mountains are crossed--but it's worth it."