Athalie

"Is he living?--I mean as we are?"

"No."

"Was he tall, olive-skinned, black-bearded--"

"Yes," said Dane coolly; "did you see him just now?"

"Yes."

"I wondered.... There are moments when I seem to feel his presence. I

was thinking of him just now. We were on the upper Amazon together

last winter."

"How did he die?"

"He'd been off by himself all day. About five o'clock he came into

camp with a poisoned arrow broken off behind his shoulder-blade. He

seemed dazed and stupefied; but at moments I had an idea that he was

trying to tell us something."

Dane hesitated, shrugged: "It was no use. We left our fire as usual

and went into the forest about two miles to sleep. Jacques died that

night, still dazed by the poison, still making feeble signs at me as

though he were trying to tell me something.... I believe that he has

been near me very often since, trying to speak to me."

"He laid his hand on your shoulder, Captain Dane."

Dane's stern lips quivered for a second, then self-command resumed

control. He said: "He usually did that when he had something to tell

me.... Did he speak to me, Miss Greensleeve?"

"He spoke to me."

"Clearly?"

"Yes. He said: 'Would you please say to him that the greatest of all

the ancient cities is hidden by the jungle near the source of the

middle fork. It was called Yhdunez.'"

For a long while Dane sat silent, his chin resting on his clenched

hand, looking down at the rug at his feet. After a while he said,

still looking down: "He must have found it all alone. And got an arrow

in him for his reward.... They're a dirty lot, those cannibals along

the middle fork of the Amazon. Nobody knows much about them yet except

that they are cannibals and their arrows are poisoned.... I brought

back the arrow that I pulled out of Jacques.... There's no analysis

that can determine what the poison is--except that it's vegetable."

He leaned forward, as though weary, resting his face between both

hands.

"Yhdunez? Is that what it was called? Well, it and everything in it

was not worth the life of my friend Renouf.... Nor is anything I've

ever seen worth a single life sacrificed to the Red God of

Discovery.... Those accursed cities full of vile and monstrous

carvings--they belong to the jaguars now. Let them keep them. Let the

world's jungles keep their own--if only they'd give me back my

friend--"