wereseatedtogetherinthesmoking-roomoftheRoyalSociety'sClubinSt.James'sStreet.Onceonlydidtheycondescendtodiscussthem.
"MiranhaorAmajuacacannibals,"saidChallenger,jerkinghisthumbtowardsthereverberatingwood.
"Nodoubt,sir,"Summerleeanswered."Likeallsuchtribes,Ishallexpecttofindthemofpoly-syntheticspeechandofMongoliantype."
"Polysyntheticcertainly,"saidChallenger,indulgently."Iamnotawarethatanyothertypeoflanguageexistsinthiscontinent,andIhavenotesofmorethanahundred.TheMongoliantheoryIregardwithdeepsuspicion."
"Ishouldhavethoughtthatevenalimitedknowledgeofcomparativeanatomywouldhavehelpedtoverifyit,"saidSummerlee,bitterly.
Challengerthrustouthisaggressivechinuntilhewasallbeardandhat-rim."Nodoubt,sir,alimitedknowledgewouldhavethateffect.Whenone'sknowledgeisexhaustive,onecomestootherconclusions."Theyglaredateachotherinmutualdefiance,whileallroundrosethedistantwhisper,"Wewillkillyou—wewillkillyouifwecan."
Thatnightwemooredourcanoeswithheavystonesforanchorsinthecenterofthestream,andmadeeverypreparationforapossibleattack.Nothingcame,however,andwiththedawnwepusheduponourway,thedrum-beatingdyingoutbehindus.Aboutthreeo'clockintheafternoonwecametoaverysteeprapid,morethanamilelong—theveryoneinwhichProfessorChallengerhadsuffereddisasteruponhisfirstjourney.Iconfessthatthesightofitconsoledme,foritwasreallythefirstdirectcorroboration,slightasitwas,ofthetruthofhisstory.TheIndianscarriedfirstourcanoesandthenourstoresthroughthebrushwood,whichisverythickatthispoint,whilewefourwhites,ourriflesonourshoulders,walkedbetweenthemandanydangercomingfromthewoods.Beforeeveningwehadsuccessfullypassedtherapids,andmadeourwaysometenmilesabovethem,whereweanchoredforthenight.AtthispointIreckonedthatwehadcomenotlessthanahundredmilesupthetributaryfromthemainstream.
Itwasintheearlyforenoonofthenextdaythatwemadethegreatdeparture.SincedawnProfessorChallengerhadbeenacutelyuneasy,continuallyscanningeachbankoftheriver.Suddenlyhegaveanexclamationofsatisfactionandpointedtoasingletree,whichprojectedatapeculiarangleoverthesideofthestream.
"Whatdoyoumakeofthat?"heasked.
"Itissur