f, for
Rokoff had led him into the horrors he had undergone. There was hatred
of the police of a score of cities from which he had had to flee.
There was hatred of law, hatred of order, hatred of everything. Every
moment of the man's waking life was filled with morbid thought of
hatred--he had become mentally as he was physically in outward
appearance, the personification of the blighting emotion of Hate. He
had little or nothing to do with the men who had rescued him. He was
too weak to work and too morose for company, and so they quickly left
him alone to his own devices.

The Marjorie W. had been chartered by a syndicate of wealthy
manufacturers, equipped with a laboratory and a staff of scientists,
and sent out to search for some natural product which the manufacturers
who footed the bills had been importing from South America at an
enormous cost. What the product was none on board the Marjorie W. knew
except the scientists, nor is it of any moment to us, other than that
it led the ship to a certain island off the coast of Africa after
Alexis Paulvitch had been taken aboard.

The ship lay at anchor off the coast for several weeks. The monotony
of life aboard her became trying for the crew. They went often ashore,
and finally Paulvitch asked to accompany them--he too was tiring of the
blighting sameness of existence upon the ship.

The island was heavily timbered. Dense jungle ran down almost to the
beach. The scientists were far inland, prosecuting their search for
the valuable commodity that native rumor upon the mainland had led them
to believe might be found here in marketable quantity. The ship's
company fished, hunted, and explored. Paulvitch shuffled up and down
the beach, or lay in the shade of the great trees that skirted it. One
day, as the men were gathered at a little distance inspecting the body
of a panther that had fallen to the gun of one of them who had been
hunting inland, Paulvitch lay sleeping beneath his tree. He was
awakened by the touch of a hand upon his shoulder. With a start he sat
up to see a huge, anthropoid ape squatting at his side, inspecting him
intently. The Russian was thoroughly frightened. He glanced toward
the sailors--they were a couple of hundred yards away. Again the ape
plucked at his shoulder, jabbering plaintively. Paulvitch saw no
menace in the inquiring gaze, or in the attitude of the beast. He got
slowly to his feet. The ape rose at his side.

Hal