Evening journal., 1922-12-13

into the haze, pierced by the narrov
white shaft OF the National Monu
ment extending into the sky.
There was a heavy odor OF jessa
mine and heneysuckle lying abou
the southern portico of The Execu
tive Mansion. But there were M
lights. The whole of the portic'
was in heavy shadow. A big. strong
masculine voice, cultivated and firm
was speaking.
Il am glad that business of YOU
embassy brought you to America
Monsieur Jonquelle.' It said. "be
cause / wanted TO ask you abou
that last expedition of Chauvannes
I knew Chauvannes in South Afri
ca. He was a first-class man. Whaf
was the mystery about his death
The current report at the time could
not have been the truth. II wa'
too fantastic"
One might have made out the
figure OF the Frenchnan by looking
CLOSELY in the dim light. He sat II
scisaret. unlighted, moving in his
fingers. His voice was low and clear
when he spoke, like one engaged
with a reflection.
1T was all the truth, EUceIlency, Z"
he said, "as we now know"
The big voice interrupted, That
fantastic story"
The Frenchman's voice did not
change.
.s1,h. ,-,,.,. oko,,. a. - l.. Ia sa.
even more fantastic than the cur
rent story of the time. Nobody be-
lieved II. When his journal finally
came in. everybody thought Chau-
vannes had gone mad before the
end The things he wrote down
simply could not have happened"
He paused. Then: But II was
every word the truth. There are
the emeralds in the Louvre"
The big man beyond Monsieur
Jonquelle, obscured by the thick
shadow made an exclamation OF
establishment.
THE emeralds." he said, ARE Of
course proof OF the fact that Chau-
vannes found some evidences OF the
thing he was after. But his journal
could not have been the truth. The
man who wrote the closing pages OF
that journal must have, been mad"
The Frenchman replied with no
change in his voice.
.ExceIleney." he said ''the man
who wrote the closing pages OF that
journal was not only not mad but
he was so clever that I have never
ceased TO admire him. He was In a
desperate position, from which. he
knew perfectly we'll there was no
escape. and he undertook to do a
thing that not only required the
soundesa intelligence. but II also re-
quired a degree OF cleverness that
has not been equaled by anybody
feel thar ought 10 stand and
uncover whenever ] think about
Chauvaunee"
There was a sound in the dark
ness az OF uns drawing ones body
swiftly Together IN q chair. There
was & sort q booming u the big
voice.
-Tou amaze me-" il said "Of
course I knew what Chauvannes
wss after. He used 20 <aik about
y when we were shooting on the
yazl Re had the clew. be thought.
-c q lost civilization OF an immense
are. IN the great wilderness o. Cen
-rzl Africa. little north OF .he Con-
&c"
he continued 20 speak In his
strong firm voice:
4 was not surprised that Chau-
rannes found some evidence OF the
thing ne was looking for. He was a
rrstciass archaeologist- He knew
all about everything Of the sort that
rad been uncovered. And he was a
good. ail-round explorer. none bet
Ter. II there was any man In the
world who could have gone from the
Congo across ths old trail Of the
ivory ra .ders. northeast 10 the Al
bert Nyanza. It was Chauvannes. 1
can believe that Chauvannes went
in there, and that he found the evi-
dences Of the things he was looking
for: but the journal that the sur
vivor OF the expedition brough in
could not be true. Chauvannes was
insane when ne wrote tiff the ex-
cerpts I cav Of it were not colored"
Monsieur Jonquelle replied in the
same even voice.
"our government. Excellency." he |
said was precisely of your opinion. ]
when the journal finally came in.
They thought Chauvannes was mad
at the end But he was not mad!'
He was sane and cleyer-how sane
ana how clever you will realize when
you get the whole thing clearly in
your mind. 1t was long time be- d,
fore we understood It, although how !
we could have been so stupid seems
to me now greater wonder than
the fantastic incidents with which
Chauvannes filed the closing pages [
Of his journal.
Il think the first clew we got was
the method Chauvannes had taken
10 be sure that the journal would
get into Paris after his deah. His
direction. written on the back of It,
was that the bearer who brought 1t
in should be paid five thousand
francs by the executors OF his es-
tate. You see he was offering a re-
ward for the thing to get in.
-Only one OF the three men that
Chauyannes constantly speaks OF in
his journal ever appeared. One can
..magiDe what happened TO the other
two-ths same thing, doubtless, that
happened to all the persons who
Started with Chauvannes northeast
70 the Nyanza after he had aban-
doned his excavations"
The big man beyond Monsieur
Jonqueiie in the dark seemed TO have |
composed himself 10 listen. He was
.rfo-- 1r1 rro~cfau- Toro.-a11a -r-avs