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--"

He rested a moment as he was, then straightened up impatiently as
though ashamed.

"Death is death," he said in matter-of-fact tones.

Athalie slowly shook her head: "There is no death."

He nodded almost gratefully: "I know what you mean. I dare say you are
right.... Well--I