The Pirates of Shan: A Rick Brant Science-Adventure Story “Dangerous Discovery” - Chapter 3 Bagobo Country

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Dream. Audie Books presents the Pirates of Shan A Rick
Brandt science adventure story Dangerous Discovery by Harold L. Goodwin,
Chapter three, Bagobo Country. By ten o'clock on the following morning,
Rick and his friends were jouncing along a twisting, bumpy
road in the foothills of Mendano. They had risen with

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the dawn and taken the Philippines Airlines p A L
for short to Devoo. On arrival, they had checked in
at the Appauview Hotel and had lost no time in
finding local constabulary headquarters. Major Paullo Laxen, in charge of
the detachment, had instantly ordered a pair of command cars

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before the Spindrifters quite realized it. They were whisked out
of town en route to the point where Briati and
Shannon had vanished. Colonel Rojas's letter of introduction had really worked.
Magic Rick steered out at the tropical landscape and toward
the peak of Mount Apo, an active volcano over nine

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thousand feet high, but he didn't really notice details. In
a short while they would be at what he considered
the real start of their search. The Major drove the
lead car with Zirkon in front, Beside him, Rick and
Scottie occupied the rear seat. In the second car were
four armed enlisted men. As a small convoy roared toward

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the town of Kalinin, Major Laxon told them all he
knew of the case. It was the same information that
three had already received. Naturally enough, since their information had
been based on the officer's reports, Rick shook his head worriedly.
If Laxen, obviously an intelligent and efficient officer, could find

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out no more, how could three strangers. The command car
whisked by an abaca plantation with mile after mile of lush,
green banana like ebacca plants extend into the foothills. Look
Scotty pointed at the drying rocks on which manila hemp
fiber product of Abaca, was drying. The fiber was a

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honey blonde shade. It's just the color Barbie's hair, Rick exclaimed.
Major Laxon explained, Abaca is graded by color. White is best,
but that shade means it is very good. It will
bring a good price. Then, as the command car topped
a rise, the Major pointed ahead, there is clinin the

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town was a small one with stores and houses on
both sides of a single main street. The place had
a sleepy air. At the edge of town, Laxon drew
up in front of a house that flew the flag
of the Republic. A sergeant ran out, came stiffly to attention,
and saluted. After a brief command from the major, the

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sergeant ran to climb into the second car. Wan speaks
a little Bogobo, Laxon explained, he can translate for us.
The two cars moved through the town, passed a group
of colorfully arrayed people with flat turbans. There are some
Bogobos now, Laxon said. They come to town to shop.

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Rick looked with interest in the few seconds before the
car sped out of sight. He saw that the primitives
were light of skin, had pierced ears from which dangled loops,
and that the men wore trousers formed of a single
piece of cloth put on like a skirt, then pulled
between the legs and fastened to an ornate belt. Their

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clothes were brightly colored. As Klinin dropped behind, the country
turned to tropical forest, tall the wand and Tangouli trees,
the source of so called Philippine mahogany. Once Rick saw
coffee bushes growing under the trees. Then only a short
distance from Calinan, the paved road came to an abrupt

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end and narrowed to little more than a dirt trail.
The command car bucked over hummocks of cogging grass, while
the boys held on to keep from being tossed out. Finally,
in a small clearing, the road petered out entirely. This
was the glade, Laxon explained, in which the truck driver
had left Piatti and Shannon. No one had seen them since.

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Towering trees cut off the sun, and the air was
heavy and damp, with a smell of tropic growth. Mosquitoes whined.
Laxen handed around a small bottle of insect repellent Rubin' well,
he directed, you can leave your coats in the car.
It will be a warm hike. Rick shed his coat gladly.
They had worn their tropical suits, and Laxin had rushed

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them off so fast there been no chance to change.
The major gave the orders and Chabakoron two troopers saluted
and fell back. They would stay with the cars. Wan,
the trooper from Kalinin, took the lead. As the rust
started up, the trail that led into the jungle from
the clearing. Wan knows the trail, Laxen said, also, he's

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good at spotting snakes and animals. Rick fell into line
behind Zircon and Laxen. Scotty walked at his side while
the two enlisted men brought up the rear. It was
an eerie hike through growth so thick one couldn't see
more than five paces on either side of the trail. Overhead,
the foliage met and the group walked through a kind

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of steaming green tunnel. The sun never penetrated to the
jungle floor, where pale plants grew in profusion. There was
life in the trees overhead, heard but unseen. Once Rick
recognized the howl of monkeys again. By the side of
the trail, there was a sudden shiittering, and a tiny
furry form made a fantastic leap to the safety of

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a ratan vine. Rick caught a glimpse of monkey like
face and huge eyes a tarsier. Zurkon remarked Shannon had
hoped to collect one. Rick wondered whether Shannon and Briotti
had hiked up this trail. The head men of the
Bogobo village, and told Laxen that the Americans had not
been seen by his people. Might they have vanished on

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this trail. He wiped his face and neck with a
sodden handkerchief and plodded ahead through the green steam bath.
Insects formed a cloud round his head, flew into his
eyes and even to his mouth. He bore it stoically.
It was as bad for the others. Anyone who walked
off the beaten trails would be helplessly lost. Without a
compass or inexperienced guide, a man could wander in the

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dense growth until death, in some unpleasant form, claimed him.
One couldn't even see a trail for more than a
few feet away. Half an hour later, Rick saw that
the growth was giving way to a different kind of
jungle forest as the trail sloped upward. In a short time,
they entered a more normal forest of tall white luawans

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over a hundred feet high, with strange roots like fining buttresses.
Soon the forest gave way to open plain, sparsely dotted
with papia trees and a lone mango. Laxing called that
they were almost at their destination. Rick wiped his face
and was grateful his clothes hung on him as though
he'd been caught in a torrential rain. In spite of

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the insect repellent, he'd been chewed by assorted bugs. He
forgot his discomfort at the side of the village. Apparently
civilization had reached the Bogobos. The huts were of sowed
lumber and tin roofing material. He saw one roof made
from an American gasoline sign. In contrast with the drop surroundings,

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the people were bright spots of color. They eyed the
group with frank curiosity, then followed as wand led the
way to the headman's hut. The headman met them with
a dignified courtesy. Rick saw that the man was nearly
six feet tall, with a lean, hawk like face. The
skin stretched tightly over high cheek bones. He looked like

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an American Indian, but his skin was a colorful white
man who had spent his life outdoors in the tropics.
The big Gobo's clearly were of a different race than
the Filipinos. That's quite a man, Scotty whispered, and Rick nodded.
He too, was impressed by the headman, except for one thing.
Although the Bogobo talked freely through one His eyes never

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once met those of any of the party. He looked
everywhere but at the visitors. It was out of character.
Rick thought, this man, who obviously had a kind of
fierce barbaric pride, should look any man squarely in the eye.
The talk went smoothly, and Rick realized the headman had
been through all this before, probably more than once in

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the interviews with the constabulary. To each question, the Bogobo
chieftain answered that he had seen no Americans, nor had
his people. Had they come to the village, he would know.
We'll get nothing here, zurk and finally said to the
major frankly, I expected nothing. If there was information to
be gained from this man, you could have gotten it,

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lax and shrugged. True, perhaps, but I thought you would
want to check for yourself. Rick only half listened. He
noticed a Bogobo standing nearby, watching intently, and on impulse,
walked over to him and held out his hand. The
warrior took it instantly and smiled his brown eyes on Rick's.
Rick returned the smile and walked back to his friend's

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forehead wrinkled in thought. That had been a straightforward reaction.
The Bogobo had met his eyes squarely and openly. On
the way back to Devo, Rick pondered the meaning of
the headman's failure to look at any of them, But
not until they were cleaning up at the hotel did
he decide to put his thoughts into words. The headman lied,

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Rick stated, I can't figure it any other way. It's
easy to see that the Bogobos are a proud race.
They're any man's equal, and they know it. The headman
should be the proudest of all. But instead he was shifty.
He wouldn't look at any of us. That's right, Scottie acknowledged.
He kept his eyes everywhere but on us. What's more,

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he's not the shifty type. He looks like a fierce
old eagle who'd stare down at charging elephant. But he
couldn't look at us because he was lying, and he
was ashamed of it. You may have something, Zerkan agreed
after a moment of thought. I wasn't that observant, but
now that you mention it, I believe the head man
kept his eyes on the ground most of the time.

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I agree. It certainly seemed out of character. If he
was lying. What can we do about it? Scotty asked.
Rick wasn't sure, but he had an idea how to
start earlier. Immediately on arrival, he had tried to contact
Shadhada without success. Now he got a megabut unit, put
the earplug in place and tried again. Shahata, this is Rick.

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Are you on the Indie boy answered at once the
signal was loud. He probably was in the hotel waiting Rick.
Where you been? Rick quickly sketched the day's activities, and
Shahada replied that he had spent time with his Indian
contacts but had discovered nothing new. Ok Rick, shah Hatta concluded,
I try to find out why headman lies. Tomorrow I

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go to Bagobo village to sell tax tills. Be back noon,
meet you hotel. I hope you find out more than
we did, Rick said. Shahata urged please not to worry.
This good day's work. One man who lies may be
has keys to many doors. End of Chapter three. Dream

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Odio Books hopes you have enjoyed this program