blanket, lay some person—a woman, I thought.
I reported back at once. It was decided to wake her and question her.
"Better be careful," said Lassignac. "There may be more than one there."
His voice had a peculiarly penetrating quality and he spoke louder than he had intended. For at once there was some stirring in the hut, and a few seconds later the door opened and there stood—Bonita!
"I'll be damned!" said Darrell in disgust. For some reason we had forgotten about her, although we knew that she had gone with Don Ramon the night before. But we were looking for something monstrous and hideous and grotesque, for in our minds only that sort of thing could be associated with the fiendish killing of our friends and others. Yet here was the brilliant dancing girl of yesterday, and the tracks led straight to her door! I was befuddled, completely so.
"Let me question her," said Janis. Without waiting for a consenting reply, he addressed her. "Señorita, where is Don Ramon?"
With her streaming hair, and dressed in a sacklike garment, she looked the Indian part of her rather than the Spanish. I mentioned to you, didn't I, that she was of mixed blood? She didn't appear to be the least bit embarrassed or afraid. In fact, she faced us with a certain reckless confidence, such as one sees in boxers when they are sure of having an easy time with an opponent.
Janis repeated the question. She smiled and shook her head. "Señores, I know not where he is," she said.
"But you must know," Janis insisted softly. "Why did you run away from him during the night? Out there in the forest."
This time she did not smile, but looked at Janis with sharp eyes. "I ran away," she said slowly, "I ran away because—because that—that thing came. I heard it—and then ran."
Janis eyed her contemplatively. "This—this thing, as you call it—has it ever attacked you?"
"Oh no, señor. It kills only—men!" And here she laughed rather gleefully. It gave me the shivers.
"If that is true, if it attacks only men, then why did you run away from Don Ramon and leave him?"
This time Janis had scored. Now I saw the purpose of his questions. Bonita saw it, too. But she
snapped her fingers. "Oh, la la! I just heard—and ran."
"You—you ran—you, who are very strong? When your strength added to Don Ramon's might have saved him?" Janis continued with emphasis. His eyes gleamed with sudden light. "Yes, and Connaughton, too!" he added sternly.
Bonita became enraged at Janis' insistence. "What care I for these men?" she flared. "I could kill them myself! I could kill you!" She stamped the ground in anger. "And I will! I will!" she screamed.
Darrell came running from behind the hut. We had not seen him disappear, he had moved so quietly. But now he came in a rush, waving something at us.
"I've got them! She's the murderer!" he called, pointing at Bonita. "You—you she-devil!" he bellowed at her. "Though you're only a woman, blast you, you're going to die! And die right now!" He flung the things he carried into Bonita's face.
As they fell to the ground we saw what they were. Just large, oblong strips of leather fastened to a pair of ordinary woman's shoes—that's all. But at once we understood how the tracks in the forest could be made with them. Most certainly these—
