First Sentence

"Horloge, ignoring the chilling yowls of a troop of Howler monkeys above him on the steep mountainside, continued to adjust his apparatus. "What is it now?" he asked turning from the equipment when a boy he had hired for a few francs as a guide tapped his shoulder. He turned to see a stranger with a pistol trained on him. "What you want man with that gun?" the boy demanded bravely. Recognizing the weapon, Horloge pulled the boy close. The man just glared at them both, oblivious to the churning volcano in the distance."