“I wish I could say the same for those weapons your guards are carrying,” Paul said, eyeing the steel tips of the short throwing spears their guards carried. Each man also carried a bow and a quiver of long-shafted arrows.

“Those bows and spear tips were made with aluminum from the plane. The shortened bow is easier to carry through the forest, and the design makes the arrow fly farther.”

“If Arnaud and his men were still alive they could vouch for their effectiveness,” Paul said.

“I'm truly sorry about those men, but they brought their fate upon themselves. The Chulo are a comparatively small tribe, and they've always preferred flight to fight. Oh, they'll shrink a head or eat an enemy, but they rarely go out and catch someone in a raid. They just want to be left alone. The white man drove them further into the forest. They thought they were safe once they went beyond the Great Falls, but white exploiters continued to press them. They would have been destroyed if I hadn't helped them improve their defenses.”

“I've been noticing the arrangement of the village,” Gamay said. “The layout reminds me of the architecture I've seen in old walled cities.”

“Very perceptive. Anyone who got past the stockade fence would be in a most uncomfortable position. The village is full of cul-de-sacs and blind alleys that offer prime opportunities for ambush.”

“What if the intruders were coming to rescue you?” Paul said. “Wouldn't these preparations be self-defeating?”

“I gave up hope of rescue a long time ago. My father would have made sure search parties scoured the forest. He must have become convinced that I was dead, which is just as well. Three men died in the plane crash, and the tribal chief was killed be cause of me. I wouldn't want to be responsible for additional deaths.”

“It's ironic,” Gamay mused. “The more you do for these people, the less likely they are to release you.”

“True, but they would have kept me captive even if I just sat around making goddess sounds and getting fat. As long as I had to be here, it would have been sinful not to use my talents to improve their lot. When white men finally come, I hope the Chulo will use their knowledge rather than their arms to deal with civilization's impact. Unfortunately in the meantime I have little control of the tribe's more murderous instincts. Once Arnaud and his friends showed hostile intent they were doomed. There was no way I could save them. In your case it was easier. You were so helpless in the forest, they never saw you as a threat until now.”

Gamay's ears perked up. “A threat?”

“Try not to look alarmed,” Francesca said. A smile played on her lips, but her eyes were deadly serious. “They don't understand what we're saying, but they sense things.” She stopped to demonstrate a water pipe that served as a fire hydrant, then resumed her casual walk. “They're worried. They think you are flawed gods.”