The entire ship’s company was aroused by this time, and it amused me to find that every man jack, down to the commonest sailor, was tremendously indignant and most properly incensed because Nalig-Nad had dared to steal his own daughter—the successor to his throne—from the white men with whom she had fled.  
Ned Britton’s plan was to arm our entire company “to the teeth” and march in solid ranks through the forest until we came to the king’s village, which he figured lay about opposite the point where our ship had stranded. Once at the village we could surprise the place, capture Ilalah, and bear her in triumph back to the wreck.
 
266
There were several objections to Ned’s optimistic plan. In the first place we did not know the forest, and the Indians did. They could hide behind the trees and pick us off with their arrows before we could use our fire-arms; or they might ambush us, and annihilate our band. Moreover, we were not sure Ilalah had been taken directly to the king’s village. They might have hidden her somewhere else.
 
“It’s another case of automobile, Mr. Moit,” declared Uncle Naboth. “If we’re a-goin’ to get that girl you’ll have to use the convertible, as sure as fate.”
 
“There is no doubt of that,” returned the inventor, promptly. “I have determined to start as soon as it is daylight.”
 
“What is your idea, Duncan?” I asked.
 
“Simply to enter the country of the Techlas, show them a bold and fearless front, find out where the princess is, and then rescue her in some way. I’m afraid they will treat her badly, because she defied them and ran away with me.”
 
“But she is to be their next ruler, after Nalig-Nad is dead,” said I.
 
“Yes, if she outlives him. But the king has two other children, and he may prefer one of them to rule.”
 
267
“That’s a fact,” I answered. “I’ve seen them. And Nalig-Nad must have been furious at Ilalah for favoring the hated whites.”
 
“There is no time to lose,” continued Duncan, nervously. “We must start as soon as possible and make our plans on the way. Who will go with me?”
 
Everyone wanted to go, of course; but finally it was settled that Uncle Naboth and I, with Nux and Bryonia, should accompany Duncan Moit in the automobile. If we did not return within twenty-four hours then Ned Britton was to land his sailors and march quickly through the forest to our rescue. This arrangement was the best we could think of, and when I frankly told the men that this hazardous duty would not be forced upon them, since the adventure was wholly outside their province as seamen, they one and all declared they would “see us through” or die in the attempt.
 
Only Dick Lombard, whose arm had been broken, and an old sailor with a bruised knee were to be left behind, that they might care for the ship in our absence.
 
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“No one can steal the cargo, anyhow; it’s too heavy,” I remarked; “and if the Indians manage to do us up entirely Mr. Harlan will still be able to get his steel beams. So we need not worry over the ship.”
 
It was a desperate enterprise, and we knew it; but so strong was our admiration for the Princess of the Techlas that we did not hesitate to attempt in her behalf all that brave men might be capable of.
 
At the first break of day we got the automobile over the side and safely launched it. There was not a moment’s unnecessary delay, and as Duncan was now familiar with the river channel we were soon paddling at our best speed up the river.
 
By the time the red rays of the rising sun gleamed over the water we had passed the two hillocks and reached the southern tributary that led into the land of the Techlas.
 
We saw no Indians in the forest this time. Either it was too early for them to be abroad or they had assembled inland for some purpose. The forest was deserted.
 
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Our progress was, of course, much slower than on land. I think the automobile paddled about eight miles an hour in still water, but as we now had to stem a current we made less time than that. But distances are not great in Panama, where the isthmus has a breadth of only some fifty miles, so that we were not long in passing the northern forest and coming to the coastal plains.
 
We left the river at the same spot as before, where the bank was low and shelving; for in talking over our plans we had decided to make directly for Nalig-Nad’s own village. It was reasonable to suppose that Ilalah had been first taken there, it being the nearest point to the ship from whence they had stolen her. The king migh............