Inaguy were to be retained as hostages while the
headman was to be released upon condition that he returned at once to
the Great White Chief, conveying a message that unless the latter and
his party turned up at the village before sunset, the hostages would be
put to death.

It took Earle not a moment to decide what his action should be, when
Inaguy brought his narrative to a conclusion. The men's lives must be
saved at any cost; and since the village was situated at a considerable
distance from the camp, and it would mean quick marching for the party
to reach it within the stipulated time, the tent was immediately struck,
and the march was at once commenced.

They arrived at the village with only a few minutes to spare, so few
indeed, that they found the villagers already assembling in preparation
for the sacrifice, while the sun's disc was within less than half of its
own apparent diameter from the summits of a range of hills that bounded
the horizon.

The first object to attract the visitors' attention was an enormous
figure, some forty feet high, bearing a rude resemblance to that of a
seated man, which had evidently at some remote period, been sculptured
out of a solid block of black marble seemingly springing vertically out
of the ground. There was nothing artistic in the conception or
execution of the image, which was a mere travesty of the human figure,
every member being absurdly out of proportion, while the only features
upon the modelling of which any pains had been taken were those of the
face, the expression of which hideously suggested the extremes of
mingled cunning and ferocity. An altar of the same black marble, about
three feet high and ten feet long, stood at the feet of the figure, and
this was already piled with wood in preparation for the anticipated
sacrifice.

At the precise moment when the party came within sight of this
extraordinary figure they also became conscious of a peculiar taint in
the air suggestive of mud and rotting vegetation; and as Earle sniffed
it he remarked:

"Umph! Big swamp not far off, I guess, which, apart from anything else,
is enough to account for sickness in the village. Swamp fever, most
likely. Say, Dick, that's an ugly-looking guy, that idol, eh. Won't
these ginks get a startler when they hear him speak presently!"

"Speak?" repeated Dick. "How do you mean?"

"You just wait and see, sonny," returned Earle. "Oh, yes, he'll speak,
you bet. And what h