High palms and lofty, wide-branched trees rose above the jungle at this spot, and the runway showed like the entrance of a tunnel into the dense, green wall of tropical vegetation.
Van Horn, regarding the shore for some sign of life, lighted a cigar and put one hand to the waist-line of his loin-cloth to reassure himself of the presence of the stick of dynamite that was tucked between the loin- cloth and his skin.

The lighted cigar was for the purpose, if emergency arose, of igniting the fuse of the dynamite.

And the fuse was so short, with its end split to accommodate the inserted head of a safety match, that between the time of touching it off with the live cigar to the time of the explosion not more than three seconds could elapse.

This required quick cool work on Van Horn's part, in case need arose.

In three seconds he would have to light the fuse and throw the sputtering stick with directed aim to its objective.