“Hector Quintana and Ramiro Casal were barely out of their teens, yet they were towering, muscled men who had worked on both land and sea almost since they were old enough to walk. They knew how to survive on the water and how to survive on land, so unbeknownst to us, Etienne offered to split our finds with them if they would join us in our journey. Once we heard of this and our egos fell back to earth, it was as they say nowadays…” Max paused, scratching his head as he searched his brain. “Damn it all to hell. What in the world is that bloody saying?”

A smile broke across Bennett’s lips. “A no-brainer?”

“Yes. That’s it,” Max said, slapping his leg. “A no-brainer. I mean, why wouldn’t a bunch of haughty fools give up some of their coin to have our bags carried and our firewood gathered for us?”

“Why indeed?”

Max couldn’t help but snigger. “I did mention we were idiots, didn’t I?”

“Something along those lines.”

“Yes, well, that’s putting it mildly,” Max said before taking a drink. “Anyway, Hector and Ramiro readily agreed to help us, so when de Solis and a few of his crew departed the ship in a small boat, we piled into another and then followed them to shore.

“The day was balmy and bright, and having finally grown our sea legs, I remember it being a short but enjoyable row to land. There was a slight breeze, helping to cool our faces in the noonday sun, and when I set foot on that small patch of sand bordering the cove, I felt…I felt free. Our plans had finally come to fruition. We were where we wanted to be, and there was nothing that was going to stop us, or so we thought.”

Max slumped back in his chair, and scrubbing his hand over his clean-shaven face, his expression grew grim. “Eager to get our expedition underway, and with several hours of sunlight left in the day, after exploring the beach for only a short time, we bid de Solis and the rest of his landing party adieu. We snatched up our things, and Hector, Ramiro, and the rest of us trekked into the forest. We were barely fifty paces from the beach when the first shouts reached our ears. For a moment, I thought it was simply de Solis yelling at his men about one thing or the other, and then the shouts turned into screams, blood-curdling ghastly screams.