toactasourpersonalservants,tocook,torow,ortomakethemselvesusefulinanywayatapaymentoffifteendollarsamonth.Besidesthese,wehadengagedthreeMojoIndiansfromBolivia,whoarethemostskilfulatfishingandboatworkofalltherivertribes.ThechiefofthesewecalledMojo,afterhistribe,andtheothersareknownasJoseandFernando.Threewhitemen,then,twohalf-breeds,onenegro,andthreeIndiansmadeupthepersonnelofthelittleexpeditionwhichlaywaitingforitsinstructionsatManaosbeforestartinguponitssingularquest.
Atlast,afterawearyweek,thedayhadcomeandthehour.Iaskyoutopicturetheshadedsitting-roomoftheFazendaSt.Ignatio,twomilesinlandfromthetownofManaos.Outsidelaytheyellow,brassyglareofthesunshine,withtheshadowsofthepalmtreesasblackanddefiniteasthetreesthemselves.Theairwascalm,fulloftheeternalhumofinsects,atropicalchorusofmanyoctaves,fromthedeepdroneofthebeetothehigh,keenpipeofthemosquito.Beyondtheverandawasasmallclearedgarden,boundedwithcactushedgesandadornedwithclumpsoffloweringshrubs,roundwhichthegreatbluebutterfliesandthetinyhumming-birdsflutteredanddartedincrescentsofsparklinglight.Withinwewereseatedroundthecanetable,onwhichlayasealedenvelope.Inscribeduponit,inthejaggedhandwritingofProfessorChallenger,werethewords:—
"InstructionstoLordJohnRoxtonandparty.TobeopenedatManaosuponJuly15th,at12o'clockprecisely."
LordJohnhadplacedhiswatchuponthetablebesidehim.
"Wehavesevenmoreminutes,"saidhe."Theolddearisveryprecise."
ProfessorSummerleegaveanacidsmileashepickeduptheenvelopeinhisgaunthand.
"Whatcanitpossiblymatterwhetherweopenitnoworinsevenminutes?"saidhe."Itisallpartandparcelofthesamesystemofquackeryandnonsense,forwhichIregrettosaythatthewriterisnotorious."
"Oh,come,wemustplaythegameaccordin'torules,"saidLordJohn."It'soldmanChallenger'sshowandweareherebyhisgoodwill,soitwouldberottenbadformifwedidn