Scene 28

Jungle Outpost in the Guyana Highlands

The pain shooting through my left arm shocked me awake. I discovered that I was being strung between two poles, my arms and legs spread wide. The stretching of my wounded arm was causing the pain.

“Well, Mr. Dove, I see you are awake again,” Secuaz said to me with a sneer. “I must say I was very surprised to see you here. You do get around.”

I did my best to maintain my composure. “I like to travel,” I said to him.

“Meddle is more like it!” he shot back. “Because of you I was relieved from my position in the Mexican Army.** I was forced to leave in disgrace and become a mercenary. Now I’m stuck out here in this miserable jungle watching slaves.”

“Couldn’t be helped,” I said. “I didn’t care for your accommodations.”

“Oh, I suppose you think you’re funny. Because of your escape, General Ricos stripped me of my rank and threw me out of the Army. He had to blame someone, and I was the victim. I should have killed you when I had the chance.”

“So, are you going to kill me now?”

“Oh, yes, Mr. Dove, I am; but first I am going to make an example out of you. Two of my slaves escaped because of you, but they will be found. That young one will bring me a lot of money on the market. After my men ‘train’ her, of course.”

I knew what kind of ‘training’ took place in these operations. Hopefully, Ms. Crane would get the girl far away.

“You see,” Secuaz continued, “I can’t have people like you disrupting my operations. It gives the slaves hope and I can’t have that. I’m first going to leave you strung up here as an example to the slaves and then you will be executed right in front of them.”

“Try to enjoy the next few hours,” he said sarcastically. “They will be your last hours alive.”

He turned to the two guards with him. “Guard him,” he said in Spanish. “He has allies in the jungle and they will try to rescue him.”

** Lieutenant Secuaz was first encountered in my third story, Kilts in a Cage.