Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-09-11
CHAPTER VIII (ContinuedO

w Iona although not exactly of his party
and certainly not in the least of the military
persuasion, was round-paunched, hullet-
headed man, who, arrayed in the himslest OF
apparel a e-fapping Panama sombrero
coming down to his ears. paced restlessiy
about the deck tanning himself. vigorously
with a huge palm-leaf fan. Although of pure
Spanish lineage. there was nothing or the
traditional polish of his race in this explosive
persons manner of speech. He had rolled
about-one can hardly describe his mode of
travel by another phase--among many peo-
pie who had recently settled down In the
delightfully."- fever-rdden section of colombia
TO practice medicine. Doctor Quinine' he
was called--behnd his back-and II is said
that he had simpifed the methods of his pro-
fesson by administering on all occasions and
for all diseases the one simple. famous drug
discovered centuries ago by his ancestors in
his native Peru Quinine and few drastic
purgatives summed up his medical creed.
The quinnizng of the human race. how
ever, was not the mission upon which Dr.
Manuel Naiente Miranda had at present en-
barked. He had recently made a journey to
the United States. whittier he had gone to
take out a patent on some marvellous pill
doraS de quinina" of his own connection.
Having succeeded in the main object Of his
trip and having failed incidentally to sell a
single box of these same patented "ptdoras"
to any one of the beughted thousands whose
faith was pinned to the ordinary medical
practitioner he had resolved to return to his
old occupation of dosing with uuninc the
faithful on the Colombian coast.
On his homeward journey. however. he
met party of Americans who induced him
to abandon for a time his original project
and to join them in a trip to Bogota. AS
he was man of Independent means a poit-
ical exile from his native land. with no fam
lily ties whatsoever there was nothing to
hinder this sudden change in his plans.
Hence his presence on the Barcelona
where he had assumed guardianship over
his American frends-whom he abused on
occasion. his wont with those he
liked--and where he engaged in sarcastic
tits with his old ally Eel General"
Harold and ina Leighton. David Meudon.
Andrew Parmelee and Mrs. Quayle We're the
Americans to whom Doctor Miranda had at
tached himself on this pilgrimage to Bogota.
1t an oddly assorted party. That the
persons composing it should be voyaging to-
gether up the Magdalena. with eccentric
Peruvian physician as sort of cicerone,
and in friendly intimacy with group of
discredited army officers accused of trait
0rous abandonment of the national cause,
formed one Of those curious situate not
unusual in South American travel.
The reader has already learned of the de-
ciSon reached by Harold Leighton and
David to visit Bogota in order to solve there
the mystery of the three months following
the dynamite explosion in the Guatavita tlIn
mel AS her uncle had foreseen. Una insisted
going with them, and had brought Mrs
Quayle along besides. There was particu.
lar reason why that estimable lady should
accompany them. She had rarely ventured
beyond the borders of her native Connecticut,
and could certainly be of no possible
long and difficult journey this
But something had to be done with her. She
was afraid to be left alone at Stoneleigh and
as she was anxious about Una it seemed best
the whole to take her along. She proved
an inoffensive traveller and gave amusement
to more than one tourist by her eXtraord-
nary costumes. especially the massive old
fashioned jewery. with which her hands and
neck were covered and from which she re-
fused ever to be parted
The trip was a hard one for Leigh on
who was welded to his quiet methodicai
life in Rysdale, and who had no mind for
the distractions and annOyances of foreign
travel He was spurred to activity however,
by his interest in the psychological puzzle
presented by David. added to which was a
growing curiosity regarding the mysterious
Indian lake and its reputed treasure An
ordinary mining scheme, no matter how
promising. would not have moved the phllo-
sophie master of StOneleigh. But here was
something out of which might come fine
scientific discovery revealing the secrets of
a bygone civilization. Hence, he had not
regretted his resolution to make this QuiXottc
pilgrimage and, as he had latterly fallen
into a sort of dependence on Andrew Parme-
lee for much of the detail work connected
with his scientific studies. he had arranged
with the village authorities for the school
master to accompany him to Colombia.
Andrew was not a little alarmed at the
intimate daily association with Una. the OBJ
ject of his alteration, which such journey
involved. But the fancied terrors of the
situation had their compensations. 1t might
even happen that in the primitive region to
which they were going he could be of vital
service to this ny-hearted fair one-a pos
sibility that filled him with dreams of deadly
peril by land and sea in which he acted the
part of rescuer to helpless innocence. So
this modern knight errant was miraCulously
strengthened to ward off the attacks of his
Aunt Hepzibah, and departed on his mis-
sion fred with all the zeal of the hero of
La Mancha. his high resolve unclouded by
the horrors that speedily came to him in the
rotund nightmare known in the flesh as
Doctor Miranda
"Ab this little Yankee" repeatedly de-
ared that restless follower of Aesculapius,
regarding the bewildcred Andrew with pro-
fessional glee "he must take my pills he
will die!'
Then. Andrew, helplessly declaring TT he
never felt better in his life would be seized
by the mercless doctor. his eyelids forced
anart until the whites of the eyes We're
TnlIy exposed to whoever cared to inspect
them while triumphant announcement
marked the success of the dismal exhibit:
"See, II is all yellow This leetle fellow
have the malaria. the calentura. And he
refuse to take my pills-the estupido.'
R,t IL Andrew disturbed by these
alarming outbreaks of the doctor, his COM
nanions enjoyed to the full that mental and
nhysical relaxation experienced by many only
IN the tropics. An endless panorama of
nrimeyal forest, broken at intervals by
clusters of wattled Indian huts, known as
villages, with high-sounding names. to the
Maydalena boatmen, gave to the long river
tourney the pleasant surprises of some half
remembered dream
For Una and David all this formed a
memorable interlude in their mutual expert
ences. Even the complex mission upon which
the girl had entered was forgotten in the
novelty of the world to which chance had
brought her. The scenic splendor of the
river exceeded anything she had imagined.
she was fascinated by the wide sweep of
water, the foliage, the glorious passion
eowers that embroidered here and there, the
thick mantle of green vines and swayng
uanas that bound the treetops TO the river
beneath; by the fiocks of parrots, gistening
like living emeralds in the sun-bathed air,
Iap Of xyill hnnn