Free River of Death by Alistair MacLean

arrested far less convicted. Serrano is a small-time crook, not too bright and a fearful coward.’
    ‘He can’t be all that cowardly if he ventures alone into the rainforests of the Mato Grosso. Not many white people would.’
    ‘That thought, I admit, has also occurred to me. I’m merely passing on reported reputation, accuracy not guaranteed. Now, Heffner. Heffner’s the joker. Wouldn’t recognise a camera if he tripped over one. Well known to the New York police. Associated with crimes of violence and alleged gangland killings, but he’s always beaten the rap. Not too surprising really—no police in any country are going to come over all zealous and excited when one hoodlum dispatches another. Curious fellow. Usually well spoken and civilised enough—look at those pillars of society, the Mafia bosses—but the veneer vanishes when he gets next to a bottle of bourbon. And he has a weakness for bourbon.’
    ‘And all this leaves Smith unaffected?’
    ‘Nothing known against him, as I said, but you can’t associate with characters like Hiller, Heffnerand Tracy without some tar rubbing off. Could well be the other way round, of course.’ He looked up as a knock came at the door. ‘Come in, come in.’
    Ramon and Navarro entered. The twins were clad in khaki suits and smiling cheerfully. Diaz looked at them and winced.
    ‘The famous Detective-Sergeant Herera and the famous Detective-Sergeant Herera. Or infamous. You are far from home, gentlemen.’
    ‘Senor Hamilton’s fault, sir.’ Ramon spread his hands apologetically. ‘He’s always leading us astray.’
    ‘Mary’s little lambs. Ah. Major.’
    A young officer entered and unrolled on the table a map of Southern Brazil. It was marked with legends of varying kinds. Differently coloured flags in circles and squares indicated different tribes, races and languages. Other symbols indicated the state of hostility or friendliness of the tribes.
    The major said: ‘This is the most up-to-date picture the Indian Protection Service can give you. There are some places, you understand, where even the Service do not care to investigate too closely. Most of the tribes are friendly—pacified, if you like. Some are hostile. Nearly always the white man’s fault. A very few cannibal tribes. Those are known.’
    ‘And to be avoided, of course. The Chapates, Horenas and Muscias especially.’
    Hamilton pointed at a town on the map and looked at Diaz. ‘Corrientes. Smith has a hovercraft there—for obvious reasons. It’s at the junction of the Paraná and Paraguay rivers and he must be pretty sure the Lost City lies near the head-waters of one of those. I’m going up the Paraguay. I don’t know it well, there may be bad rapids for all I know, but the helicopter can help if there are.’
    Diaz said: ‘Your friend has a helicopter?’
    ‘My friend, as you call him, has got everything. This is a giant—a Sikorsky Skycrane. Well enough named—it can just about lift any damn thing. We’ll base the helicopter at Asunción. The hovercraft can go up in three stages—to either Puerto Casado or Puerto Sastre in Paraguay, then into Brazil to Corumbá then finally to Cuiabá. From there the helicopter can airlift it to Rio da Morte.’
    ‘And you would like to have some units of the Federal army exercising near Cuiabá, is that it?’
    ‘If it can be arranged.’
    ‘That has already been done.’
    ‘I am in your debt, Colonel Diaz.’
    ‘It would be more accurate to say that we are in your debt. If, that is to say—’
    ‘If I
come back?’
    ‘Precisely.’
    Hamilton gestured towards the two young men. ‘With the heavenly two to watch my back, what harm can befall me?’
    Diaz looked at him briefly and doubtfully then pressed a button. An aide came in carrying abrown leather case, extracted what looked to be a large movie camera and handed it to Hamilton, who pressed a button on the base. There came the faint whirring noise typical of an electric-powered