It’s literal “rising action” as our heroes trek on foot up into the Andes mountains, while the bad guys prepare to chase them in a helicopter. The thin mountain air works against both sides for different reasons, but the heroes don’t whine about it too much:
“By lightning! I feel like I've become a mountain goat!”
“Keep going, Mister No. You're doing well.”
“You seem to know these places very well, Uriaga.”
“Yes, I feel at home here, gringo. My career began by toiling in these mountains, transporting contraband and earning the respect of the bandits of the area. Cordero and De Medeiros are spineless. They don't even know what this life is.”
Meanwhile, the villains gripe: “Damn! Because of that idiot Cordero we wasted a lot of time for nothing! And now we are forced to use the helicopter to follow a mule track at a snail's pace!”
“Don't exaggerate, Senor. Even if we go more slowly than usual, we are still much faster than their Jeep.”
As a hero, Mister No doesn't use interjections like "Damn," preferring the milder "Lightning!" to express surprise. I included Uriaga's speech from page 30 for completeness.
