H. A. Lamb

“ His small eyes darted unceasingly from the sleeping girl to Stuart and me.
For the sake of those who seek knowledge, I will say that the dwarfs of Santo are no more dwarfs than certain tribes in the interior of Africa, or the older races; of Japan. They are merely exceptionally small, and being very timid, are so seldom seen that tales have sprung up about them. ”

“ The hillmen of Santo, generations ago, must have seen the Bible in the hands of the Quiros party. And the dwarfs had treasured it, when it came into their possession, believing it to be a “devil-devil” symbol, what we would call a talisman. And they treasured the girl Mary. It was natural, under the circumstances, that they gave her the book.
And Mary, being a woman, saw nothing desirable in the worn leather covers. Yet the hillmen had told her, repeating the tales handed down by their fathers, that it was a talisman. And she believed them. ”

“ Jack Stuart did not know. She was no native. Even then, however, I knew that it would be useless to try to take her away from Santo. Have you ever taken a young bird from its nest? Or a fox cub from its thicket? If you have, you know the misery that fastens on your victim, and the sense of guilt which comes upon you.
The Lord has ordained that certain of His creatures may not be taken from their environment and live. Man has made bird cages and kennels. And I wonder sometimes if they are not a sin. Certainly civilized man has fashioned cages for women of other races. ”