When darkness fell he lighted the
lamps he had previously located. Their odor caused him to guess that
the fuel they used was some sort of animal fat. In the strange glow
from the lamps, his shadow on the walls, as he walked to and fro, was
grotesque, terrible--and at times a grim reminder of the great apes.
It caused him to consider how, after all, human beings were akin to
gorillas and chimpanzees. Somehow, now, it was a horrible thought.

* * * * *

The night wore on and Bentley's stride became faster. Now and again he
peered into the girl's room. She was sleeping the sleep of utter
exhaustion and he did not waken her. Bentley felt it was near midnight
when Barter returned, his return heralded by a strange commotion in
the clearing, and the frightful drumming of the great apes--or at
least _one_ great ape. Bentley shuddered as the animal behind the
locked door answered the drumming challenge with a drumming thunder of
his own.

Barter came in, and Bentley accosted him at once.

"See here, Barter," he began. "I don't like it here. There's something
strange going on in this clearing. Miss Estabrook and I wish to leave
immediately in the morning! And that grave behind the cabin, who or
what is it?"

Barter studied the almost trembling Bentley for all of a minute.

"That grave?" he said at last, with silken softness. "It's the grave
of a jungle savage. He died in the interest of science. As for you,
you'll leave here when I bid you, and not before, understand? I've a
guardian outside that would tear both of you limb from limb."

But Bentley caught and held fast to certain words the scientist had
spoken.

"The savage died in the interest of science?" he said. "What do you
mean?"

Barter smiled his red-lipped smile.

"I took the savage and Manape, who wasn't called Manape then, and
administered an anesthetic of my own invention. You've heard that I
was a master of trephining? No matter if you haven't heard, the whole
world will know soon! While the native and the ape were under
anesthesia I transferred their brains. I put the black man's brain in
the skull pan of the ape, and the ape's brain in that of the savage.
The ape lived--and he is Manape. The savage, with the ape's brain,
died, and I buried him in that grave you asked about!"

* * * * *

With a cry of horror Bentley turned and fled from Barter as though the
man had been His Satanic Majest