The Dark Star

The native missionary smiled, picked up the Yellow Devil, shook the

figure, listening.

"There is something inside," he said; "perhaps jewels. If you drilled

a hole in him you could find out."

The Reverend Mr. Carew nodded absently: "Yes; it might be worth while," he said.

"If there is a jewel," repeated the missionary, "you had better take

it, then cast away the figure. Erlik brings disaster to the land where

his image is set up."

The Reverend Mr. Carew smiled at his Chinese and Christian confrère's

ineradicable vein of superstition.