so!"

"What story?" asked Montenay sharply.

"Why, a tradition I heard up in the Sahara, that there was a white race
of small people somewhere down this way. The Arab who told me was
mighty reticent about it, and I gathered that there was some queer
religious feature to the tradition, if it was one."

"It was not," asserted Montenay, betraying signs of excitement for the
first time, and leaning forward. "Wallace, it was fact! I found the
white pigmies!"

"What!" A simultaneous cry went up from his three listeners and Mr.
Wallace's eagle-face was bent sternly upon the narrator.

"Careful, Montenay!" he said with repressed eagerness. "Remember you are
not talking to green hands!"

"Man, it's the truth!" There could be no doubt of Captain Mac's
sincerity as he leaned forward and met the American's gaze. There was
more than sincerity in his eyes. There was an appeal for belief, a
conviction, that won over the others instantly. "The truth! But that's
only the least of it."

"And your proofs?" inquired Mr. Wallace crisply.

"Proofs enough," rejoined the other, more calmly, "in their time. I
didn't take much stock in the Arabic stuff, but I thought I'd take a
shot at it. I sent half o' the boys back wi' the ivory and a plausible
story o' how we came to get so much. Then I asked the rest if they'd go
with me.

"After the way we'd wiped up Yusuf, they were ready for anythin'. After
all was fixed up we started, fifty boys an' me. We worked down slowly
from the high country, takin' it easy an' gatherin' in spoils as we
went. Finally we got down to the jungle an' touched the edge o' the
pigmy country. Then it began.

"We had no trouble till we started inquirin' through some o' the pigmies
that come in to trade. As soon as we asked about their white relations
the camp emptied like a flash. The last little deevil out turned an' put
an arrow through one o' my boys.

"It was just a massacre, man. The boys were fair ragin' at the way they
were shot down, and I pushed 'em ahead fast. We went through that jungle
like a whirlwind. Finally there were only seven boys left, an' they
refused to go any farther. Didn't do 'em any good, for the next day the
pigmies rushed us. I was pretty well played out by that time, as ye can
judge. When the smoke blew away five o' my boys were laid out, and I
was tied up with the other two. If I hadn't been so obstinate about
pushin' on we might ha' pulled out.

"However, we put a good face on