Evening star., 1925-01-12
Continued from Yesterdays Starr


say no living man could endure
as the master endured. AS he spoke
to me in the forest that night, be-
gan to think that everything but the
will was gone; body, soul-every-
thing which goes to make UP the
moving, whimpering, purposeless
thing we call nRn-everything but
the will. The viii and the vision.
Yet, as I look back on the years
! that began that night, remembering
the love I bore him, and the tender,
winning, ungrudging patient some
thing that emanated from him to
wrap me to him. l hope and pray that
more than the will was left.
And So" he finished, and so, my
dear Seton, that afternoon when !
opened my eyes and saw you, / be-
lieved that at last / had found my
lieutenant. 1 believed that at last
the path toward realizing my dream
was opened for me. Are you the man,
Sholto Seton? Think well, for here is
| the least 1 will take from you, the
| most will offer you. Three years OF
belief, of unanswered devotion to my
cause. Three years of unremitting
toll. without reward except that
which will come from the cause tt
self l offer you no more. will
take no less"
AS l rose from my chair, my whole
body was quivering and l was soake0 d
in perspiration. / could not answer
him. l reeled to the tent door and out
into the open, then stumbled across
the clearing to the riverside. 1 put
my head on two hands crossed against
big tree, and, do what 1 might, /
could not hold myself from a terrible
dry sobbing.
When / lifted my head, faint light
was beginning to steal through the
leaves overhead, and birds were be-
ginning to chatter. I walked back
to the tent. He was still in his chair,
as though he had not moved
We'll, Seton?"
Yes, sir" 1 said-"if you'll have
me-"
THAT is WELL" he said. 'And now.
my dear fellow, find what remnants
of sleep you can. We must begin at
once, and I have much to tell you
yet"
In the cool OF the following morn
Ing we broke camp and set off on the
long trek back to Manaos. OF the
journey there Is little of moment to
tell. l had made my own arrange
ments for retiring from the wilderness,
and they were fresher for being
oSco a lllllc IndI ndQ an
ticipated. | had a bungalow. outside
OF the town OF Manaos. and there ]
took the master and my two men. /
had paid off the bearers a good deal
higher up the river, and we finished
our journey on a power boat of mine.
The wash-leather bag which / had
thought contained geological speci-
mems proved to have in it a coIlec-
tion of the finest rough Brazilian di-
l O mn Dc
to see. The master, in the character
istically sparing way he had, simply
stated that he had discovered a pipe
of them in the higher reaches of the
Negro, and his idea was that funds
for beginning our work should come
from the sale of these uncut gems.
I had to go to Amsterdam to dis
pose of them. and it was also agreed
that should begin to liquidate my
property by degrees, so that no
suspicious would be aroused
/ left Grumstock with the master at
Manaos. and took Higgins with me
to Europe, where. from list provided
ME, l began to buy chemicals and
physical plants for the work the
master had to do. 1 had, in fact, to
bring together all the instrume nj s
necessary for a small laboratory.
1t was 10 weeks before the liner
dropped me and my stores at Manaos
found the master greatly recovered
and Grumstock very much installed
| as his body-servant, cook and house
keeper. Grumstock Informed me
quite gratuitously that he was ready
to follow the owner-as he called our
| leader-anywhere. On this hint,
found 1t expedient to outline the plan
| to my two old petty officers, and ]
was gratified to find them willing and
eager to come into the sch heme Thus
We had two good men, tried men
honest and handy, as a., nucleus for
| our crew. 81
A few days after my return. to
Manaos We began our voyage up the
river. At former base, where !
was friendly with a local headman, ]
was fortunate enough to secure a
fine lot of bearers. Among the stores
they carried were the sections of q
| good sized canoe. Grumstock was an
efficient carpenter, and the plan was
| to finish our journey by water, after
! he had put our little craft together
This plan5 the master assure ed us, was
possible.
1t was perhaps as well that the
| plan included the dismissal of our
bearers when we took to the water
for as we approached the end of our
portage, it became manifest that the
Indians were growing restless and
| uneasy. / was afraid that they ware
about to desert us. and I searched fol-
the reason of their unrest, but found
the more intelligent of the bearer.
unwilling to talk. 1t was Higgins who
| brought me the clue.
| "As far as I can make out, SIR" he
explained, we're headin' due and
proper for a place they call the Hill
| of Spooks. Another name they give
| 1t is the Wound in the World Ac-
cordin' to them niggers, there's a
! great big bloody scar in the body OF
/ the earth somewhere near 'ere, and
every now and then you can hear the
| earth howlin' and groanin' wi ths
pain from it. It was old Brass bottle
that told me about 1t, and a scared
niger he was, too, when he said 1t
I got it from him by degrees, like"
/ took this report to our, leader.
| "Yes, yes, Seton," he replied. 'It /,
a point in our favor. The scar is there
on the plateau, a red outcrop of arido
active minerals, which 1 hope to bt
| MUSICAL INSTRUCTION