“ During the last ten minutes, a tempest had been driving up from the west, which now burst with all its force upon the valley of the Hidden River.
Africa is the land of mighty storms. The sky grew so dark that it was impossible for Max to see one yard before him. Then, there approached in one wild, savage gust, a roaring, raging wind that bent the great trees of the forest like saplings and picked up the water in the lake before Makanda in little driving waves, whilst the rain came down in sheets. The suspension bridge swung to and fro like a kite. ”

“ As for Crouch, he was always the look-out man. His only eye was quick and keen as that of a falcon.
Hour by hour they toiled into the Unknown, until the sweat poured from their faces and their hands were blistered in the sun; and the blisters would not heal, because of the insects that followed in a crowd. The jungle grew more magnificent and wild as the river narrowed. The character of the trees changed, and of the undergrowth--all became more luxuriant, more profuse, until they found themselves in a land where Nature was something fantastic and superb. ”

“ Max had never felt so powerless. He was in the heart of the Unknown. Close at hand, lay those who had been stricken by a force which all the resource of modern science had entirely failed to conquer. Overhead, echoed and mirrored by the rocks, the typhoon rent the sky with sheets of fire, whilst peal upon peal of thunder caused the earth to tremble.
Yet Max was by no means disposed to forget the object of his quest. He was determined to find out the nature of the work which was carried on at the quarry. He hastened forward, and presently blundered into one of the great heaps of sifted débris. ”

“ Max never lost possession of his senses; he was only dazed. And, whilst in that condition, he was lifted in the strong arms of the Arab, and thrown bodily into the canoe. When he was sufficiently recovered to endeavour to rise to his feet, he found that he was in mid-stream, drifting rapidly towards the river. He looked about him for a paddle, and seeing none, turned his eyes to the bank. And there stood the Arab, in his mud-stained garments, his white teeth showing in his swarthy face in a broad, unholy grin. Moreover, in both hands, he held the paddles which he had taken from the canoe. ”

“ His ears caught nothing but the varied sounds of wild, nocturnal life in the jungle. The stockade was not more than a hundred paces distant from the skirting of the forest. Somewhere near at hand a leopard growled, and a troop of monkeys, frightened out of their wits, could be heard scrambling through the branches of the trees. Farther away, a pair of lions were hunting; there is no sound more terrible and haunting than the quick, panting noise that is given by this great beast of prey as it follows upon the track of an antelope or deer. ”

“ The old man bowed his head.
"I trade in ivory," said Cæsar, "black ivory. You understand what I mean. Now, listen to my command. I desire twenty more slaves, of your youngest and most able-bodied men. They must be ready to return with me to Makanda before the setting of the sun."
At that the headman threw himself upon the ground.
"It is impossible!" he cried. "Only last moon the great Fire-god took away all the men of the village. No one remains but those who are old, and women and children. The Fire-god can see for himself." ”

“ To the south-west, above the tree-tops of the forest, M'Wané had been able to observe the crest-line of the red granite hills which enclosed the station of Makanda. Almost due south, from out of the midst of the forest, like a giant in a stubble-field, a great mountain towered into the sky. On the northern slopes of this mountain the Fan chief had been able to discern a little village, lying like a bird's nest in a declivity, thousands of feet above the dark, inhospitable forest. ”

“ His eyes were fixed upon the granite hills across the river, to the east of the gorge. The sky-line was rugged, by reason of the great boulders that lay upon the crest. Two of these were close together, and from that position they bore a striking resemblance to two faces in profile--that of an old man and a woman. As Max looked, the resemblance became more lifelike. And then something dark passed from behind one boulder to the next. It had been visible for no longer than an instant, but in that instant Max recognized M'Wané. ”

“ For himself, he believed that the Fire-gods were masters of some kind of witchcraft. It would be madness to fight them with spears and bows and arrows. He believed, from what he had heard, that even his own rifle would be impotent. High on a tree-top was perched a parrot, that preened its feathers in the sunlight, and chattered to itself. Crouch pointed this parrot out to the bewildered natives, and then, lifting his rifle to his shoulder, fired, and the bird fell dead to the ground. That was the power he possessed, he told them: he could strike at a distance, and he seldom failed to kill. ”

“ I shall die. I don't want this money. I want to live. I--I fear to die." His voice trembled. He was pitiful to see.
"You shall not die," said Crouch; "I'll make it my business to see that you live. I can't cure you, but I can keep you alive till we reach the coast. There, one week on the sea will restore your health."
"That's what I want," said de Costa, "the sea air. Oh, for a breath of the sea!"
"I'll take you down with us," Crouch ran on. "I'll doctor you on the way. Max Harden is a young man of science. ”

“ A loud moan arose from every hand--a moan which gave expression to their mingled feelings of bewilderment, reverence and fear. From that moment Crouch was "the White Wizard," greater even than the Fire-gods, as the glory of the sun outstrips the moon. ”

“ He answered Crouch with all the pleasantry of manner he had at his command.
"Captain Crouch," said he, "you are a man after my own heart. I also respect the laws of the jungle. I have shaken the dust of civilization from my feet. It is only the strong man who can do so. In you I recognize an equal."
In his heart, Crouch stigmatized such talk as this as high-falutin' nonsense. Still, he thought it unwise to hatch a quarrel with the man, and answered with a kind of grunt.
"I suppose you're right," said he.
"And what of our poor invalid?" said Cæsar, turning to de Costa. ”

“ Though Max had not known it, this was the very place for which the other two were looking. Backwoodsmen though they were, they had no desire to face a hostile tribe in jungle so dense that it would scarcely be possible to lift a rifle to the present.
The reeds grew in tufts capable of bearing the weight of a heavy man; but, in between, was a black, glutinous mud.
"If you fall into that," said Crouch, who still led the way, "you'll stick like glue, and you'll be eaten alive by leeches." ”

“ In a second, the butt of his rifle was at his shoulder, and his left eye was closed. He took in a deep breath, and aimed. At that moment, there was a sharp crack from the wall, whence nothing of the Arab was visible but the upper part of his head. And Edward Harden's bullet drilled a hole in the centre of the man's forehead; so that his head just dropped like a broken toy, and he lay still and lifeless, with his loaded rifle in his hand. Son of a warlike race, that for centuries had oppressed the ignorant and the weak, he had gone to make his peace with God, the Giver of Life and Death. ”

“ De Costa lay with one arm hanging listlessly over the side of the bed. His eyelids were half-closed, and underneath the whites of his eyes could be seen. When a man sleeps like that, he is in a bad way. The sands of life are running down.
"He's asleep," said Crouch. "That's all he wants. The fever has subsided. He'll be much better to-morrow. Let us leave him."
Together they went out. The little sea-captain walked back to his hut, and threw himself down upon his blankets. As for Cæsar, he remained standing in the moonlight, with his long fingers playing in his beard. ”

“ When about fifty paces distant, each party lay still and listened for the signal to assault. This was to come from Crouch, who could imitate to the life the jackal's howl.
Max and M'Wané, lying close as hares, waited for the signal to come. They could hear the wild beasts in the jungle, and now and again a faint, piercing cry, as some animal was seized in the strong jaws of a leopard or a lion. The great cats were hunting like the white men who surrounded the stockade. ”

“ Before he went to sleep, he awakened Max.
"Max," said he, "I want you to keep watch till daybreak. Keep your eyes open, and if any one enters the hut, give him 'hands up' on the spot."
"Have you discovered anything?" asked Max.
"Nothing," said Crouch, "except that de Costa's our friend's weak point. Given half a chance, I will find out the truth from him. But Cæsar suspects us, as much as we suspect him; and, from what I have seen of the man, I'm inclined to think that he'll stick at nothing. We must never cease to be on our guard. ”

“ At last he stopped, and placed an ear to Max's chest. Thereupon, he went on again, more feverishly than ever.
Soon after that, a quick cry escaped his lips. He had looked into Max's face, and seen the eyelids flicker; and presently, two eyes were staring in his face. And at that the little man just toppled forward in a faint, and lay upon his face across the body which his efforts had brought back to life.
Without doubt, the mind is master of the body, and the will is king of the mind. One had but to glance into the face of Captain Crouch to see that he was possessed of a will of iron. ”

“ Crouch took a piece of charcoal from the brazier, that was white-hot, and, without a moment's hesitation, he thrust this upon the place where the poison had entered his flesh. As he underwent that agony, his sallow face turned a trifle paler, his lips grew thinner, and his only eye more bright; but never a groan, or even a sigh, escaped him.
At last he threw the charcoal back into the fire.
"That's all right," said he. "It isn't a pleasant remedy, but it's sure." ”

“ Before the stockade, standing at the water's edge, was the figure of a European dressed in a white duck suit. He was a tall, thin man with a black, pointed beard, and a large sombrero hat. Between his lips was a cigarette, and in his hands he held a rifle, from the muzzle of which was issuing a thin trail of smoke.
As the canoe approached, this man grew vastly excited, and stepped into the river, until the water had risen to his knees. There, he again lifted his rifle to his shoulder.
"Put that down!" cried Crouch. "You're a dead man if you fire." ”

“ Something was moving in the jungle. They heard distinctly a quick, panting sound, coming nearer and nearer.
"There!" cried Crouch. "Shoot!"
He pointed down the tunnel, in the direction they had come. Max turned, and beheld the head of a great beast thrust through the leaves of some creeping plant that bound the trunks of two trees together in a kind of lattice-work.
It is unfortunate that the mind cannot retain a complete recollection of scenes that have momentarily impressed us. Most of us, when asked to describe in every detail even the most familiar objects, fall very short of the mark. ”

“ It was far darker than the jungle. It is in these swamps that the mosquitoes swarm in myriads, and all the deadly diseases of the country are engendered. To pitch a standing camp in the vicinity of a mangrove swamp, is to court a certain death from malaria or typhoid.
They were weary, faint, and aching in their bones when they came upon the banks of the Kasai. No wonder this had been named the "Hidden River." It joined the great tributary of the Congo in a thousand little streams, all flowing silently through darkness beneath the close-packed trees.
Crouch turned to the right. ”

“ The poor fellow was too weak to obey; and thereupon the slave-master raised his whip and three times brought down his lash upon the naked back of the sufferer. The man's cries for mercy carried even to the hills, and it was all Max could do to restrain the burning indignation which kindled in his soul.
Presently the order was given for the slaves to return to the kraal; and the whole party set out across the bridge, driven forward by the whip. If any man, in all God's Kingdom, had merited death by dint of his misdeeds, it was surely this relentless Portuguese. ”

“ His eyes shot back to the fire, and there he beheld to his amazement that once again their breakfast had disappeared. He immediately awoke the little sea-captain, and told him what had happened.
"Did it look like a leopard?" asked Crouch.
"No," said Max, "I think it was a lion."
Crouch got to his feet.
"I don't believe it," said he. "The king of beasts is the greatest coward I know. The most courageous animal in the world is the African buffalo, and after him come the peccary and the wild boar. All the cats are cowards, and the lion the biggest of all. ”

“ Cæsar was utterly without pity. If a man fell ill he cursed him, and as often as not, resorted to the whip. Max Harden felt that these things sickened him. He had never dreamed that such barbarity could exist in an age of enlightenment and toleration. ”

“ The riddle of the valley was yet unsolved. The Portuguese still guarded well his secret. In his fortress by the river, encompassed upon every hand by the dark, inhospitable jungle, he had every reason to think himself secure. Moreover, he had cause to believe that both Max and Crouch were dead--the former drowned at the cataract, the latter lost in the jungle. Half the victory is gained when one can take one's adversary by surprise. Cæsar had lost Gyp, his most accomplished scout. He might patrol the river, but he would find no trace of the Englishmen from Makanda to the rapids. ”

“ And that was the oath of Captain Crouch, which--when we have got to the end of the story--will prove to us that oaths are very futile after all. The strength of man is limited; in face of the wonders of the universe, his knowledge is indeed small. He may be strong and brave and unswerving of his purpose; but, after all, where men teem in cities, no less than in the heart of the illimitable and mighty forest, there is a greater Power than anything that is human--the all-pervading Spirit of the Universe, before whom the foolish vows of men are of infinitesimal account. ”