Page:Rowland--The Mountain of Fears.djvu/41

   the animal will know and avoid this thing. At that time I was conscious of a morbid physical condition, but was unable to trace its source. Vinckers, lacking imagination, knew at once. 'Heaven,' I heard him mutter, 'was there ever such a mockery! We come to look for gold and we land in—quarantine!' It struck me as a new idea and I almost laughed. Gold and death, sickness and disease! How appropriate that they should be unichromatic! But it was Vinckers' next words which struck me. 'It is that accursed corpse-wax!' he muttered, 'that greasy stuff that we have been growing fat on!' Ugh! You see, Doctor, he was able to link physically cause and effect.

"MacFarlane began to mutter. Tomba brought him some water and he drank thirstily, swallowing with the audible gulps of a horse.

I'm feverish,' he said, panting from the long draught, 'verra nervous and feverish. 'Tis a feverish place, this.' [ 25 ]