Number Eight in the Bomba the Jungle Boy Series by Roy Rockwood
Bomba is out hunting soon after his return to the moluca of the Araos from the Swamp of Death. There, he had acquired medication from a rare flower that was slowly helping Cody Casson and Sobrinini regain their memories about Bomba's origins. It will work but not in time for this volume of Bomba's Amazon adventures.
The action never slackens. While hunting, Bomba is attacked and chased by the headhunters of the Giant Cataract. Both Nascanora and Ruspak (the Medicine Man)accompany this band and Bomba is fortunate to find (an inevitable) cave with a secret entrance to escape capture in. But this encounter is only the tip of the tropical ice berg, because it is soon found out that the Giant Cataract and Swamp of Death are about to unite in an assault on the molocca of Honduras. What? No cannibals from Terror Trail?
Awaiting the attack, Sobrinini predicts Bomba will find his father, and yet not. This, along with her vision of the headhunters and Abaragos reveal she has true insight to the future.
It appears that two such war-like tribes can't stay in alliance too long and soon, the Abaragos return to their swamp, leaving the assault to the headhunters. Bomba handles the village's defense and when Nascanora attacks, it is with a decisive defeat, yet again!
Fearing the worst, Chief Hondura had sent his daughter Pirah to safety with the friendly Mantanas tribe, along with Gibo, Ashati, Neram and Lodo. When Bomba goes to retrieve Pirah after the Araos victory, he stumbles across Lodo returning with a tale of ambush and capture by warriors from the Valley of Skulls, the Araks. Naturally, Bomba travels to this forbidden land to rescue Pirah and his friends.
Uncharacteristically negligent, Bomba is captured by the Araks, who guard the entrance to the Valley of Skulls. In their village, Bomba is interrogated by the half-breed Tom Paul and ultimately transported into the valley where the Jungle Boy meets Ashati, Neram and Gibo, plus the valley's master, The Boss, Don Mendonza. The Boss pretends to be Bomba's father, based on the info the Jungle Boy had passed along to Tom Paul. Finally, Bomba realizes the fraud being perpetuated and arranges the escape of himself, his three friends, Pirah and the slaves of the valley.
The Araks seek them out but when Tom Paul and Don Mendonza stumble into quicksand, they are quickly left to their fate by the Araks who discontinue their pursuit of the escaped captives and slaves. All's well for now, until Bomba's and Gibo's journey along the Underground River!
