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to instant rest as he turned his gaze upward。 He could make out
nothing； but； deciding to chance it； had fired at it a heavy charge
of number five shot。 Squalling like an infuriated cat； the shadow
crashed down through tree…ferns and orchids and thudded upon the
earth at his feet； and； still squalling its rage and pain； had sunk
its human teeth into the ankle of his stout tramping boot。 He； on
the other hand； was not idle； and with his free foot had done what
reduced the squalling to silence。 So inured to savagery has
Bassett since become； that he chuckled again with the glee of the
recollection。
What a night had followed！ Small wonder that he had accumulated
such a virulence and variety of fevers； he thought； as he recalled
that sleepless night of torment； when the throb of his wounds was
as nothing compared with the myriad stings of the mosquitoes。
There had been no escaping them； and he had not dared to light a
fire。 They had literally pumped his body full of poison； so that；
with the coming of day； eyes swollen almost shut； he had stumbled
blindly on； not caring much when his head should be hacked off and
his carcass started on the way of Sagawa's to the cooking fire。
Twenty…four hours had made a wreck of him … of mind as well as
body。 He had scarcely retained his wits at all； so maddened was he
by the tremendous inoculation of poison he had received。 Several
times he fired his shot…gun with effect into the shadows that
dogged him。 Stinging day insects and gnats added to his torment；
while his bloody wounds attracted hosts of loathsome flies that
clung sluggishly to his flesh and had to be brushed off and crushed
off。
Once； in that day； he heard again the wonderful sound； seemingly
more distant； but rising imperiously above the nearer war…drums in
the bush。 Right there was where he had made his mistake。 Thinking
that he had passed beyond it and that； therefore； it was between
him and the beach of Ringmanu； he had worked back toward it when in
reality he was penetrating deeper and deeper into the mysterious
heart of the unexplored island。 That night； crawling in among the
twisted roots of a banyan tree； he had slept from exhaustion while
the mosquitoes had had their will of him。
Followed days and nights that were vague as nightmares in his
memory。 One clear vision he remembered was of suddenly finding
himself in the midst of a bush village and watching the old men and
children fleeing into the jungle。 All had fled but one。 From
close at hand and above him； a whimpering as of some animal in pain
and terror had startled him。 And looking up he had seen her … a
girl； or young woman rather； suspended by one arm in the cooking
sun。 Perhaps for days she had so hung。 Her swollen； protruding
tongue spoke as much。 Still alive； she gazed at him with eyes of
terror。 Past help； he decided； as he noted the swellings of her
legs which advertised that the joints had been crushed and the
great bones broken。 He resolved to shoot her； and there the vision
terminated。 He could not remember whether he had or not； any more
than could he remember how he chanced to be in that village； or how
he succeeded in getting away from it。
Many pictures； unrelated； came and went in Bassett's mind as he
reviewed that period of his terrible wanderings。 He remembered
invading another village of a dozen houses and driving all before
him with his shot…gun save； for one old man； too feeble to flee；
who spat at him and whined and snarled as he dug open a ground…oven
and from amid the hot stones dragged forth a roasted pig that
steamed its essence deliciously through its green…leaf wrappings。
It was at this place that a wantonness of savagery had seized upon
him。 Having feasted； ready to depart with a hind…quarter of the
pig in his hand； he deliberately fired the grass thatch of a house
with his burning glass。
But seared deepest of all in Bassett's brain； was the dank and
noisome jungle。 It actually stank with evil； and it was always
twilight。 Rarely did a shaft of sunlight penetrate its matted roof
a hundred feet overhead。 And beneath that roof was an aerial ooze
of vegetation； a monstrous； parasitic dripping of decadent life…
forms that rooted in death and lived on death。 And through all
this he drifted； ever pursued by the flitting shadows of the
anthropophagi； themselves ghosts of evil that dared not face him in
battle but that knew that； soon or late； they would feed on him。
Bassett remembered that at the time； in lucid moments； he had
likened himself to a wounded bull pursued by plains' coyotes too
cowardly to battle with him for the meat of him； yet certain of the
inevitable end of him when they would be full gorged。 As the
bull's horns and stamping hoofs kept off the coyotes； so his shot…
gun kept off these Solomon Islanders； these twilight shades of
bushmen of the island of Guadalcanal。
Came the day of the grass lands。 Abruptly； as if cloven by the
sword of God in the hand of God； the jungle terminated。 The edge
of it； perpendicular and as black as the infamy of it； was a
hundred feet up and down。 And； beginning at the edge of it； grew
the grass … sweet； soft； tender； pasture grass that would have
delighted the eyes and beasts of any husbandman and that extended；
on and on； for leagues and leagues of velvet verdure； to the
backbone of the great island； the towering mountain range flung up
by some ancient earth…cataclysm； serrated and gullied but not yet
erased by the erosive tropic rains。 But the grass！ He had crawled
into it a dozen yards； buried his face in it； smelled it； and
broken down in a fit of involuntary weeping。
And； while he wept； the wonderful sound had pealed forth … if by
PEAL； he had often thought since； an adequate description could be
given of the enunciation of so vast a sound melting sweet。 Sweet
it was； as no sound ever heard。 Vast it was； of so mighty a
resonance that it might have proceeded from some brazen…throated
monster。 And yet it called to him across that leagues…wide
savannah； and was like a benediction to his long…suffering； pain
racked spirit。
He remembered how he lay there in the grass； wet…cheeked but no
longer sobbing； listening to the sound and wondering that he had
been able to hear it on the beach of Ringmanu。 Some freak of air
pressures and air currents； he reflected； had made it possible for
the sound to carry so far。 Such conditions might not happen again
in a thousand days or ten thousand days； but the one day it had
happened had been the day he landed from the NARI for several
hours' collecting。 Especially had he been in quest of the famed
jungle butterfly； a foot across from wing…tip to wing…tip； as
velvet…dusky of lack of colour as was the gloom of the roof； of
such lofty arboreal habits that it resorted only to the jungle roof
and could be brought down only by a dose of shot。 It was for this
purpose that Sagawa had car