ved to possess some
knowledge of a wonderful people answering to the description which Earle
had given, but that the Catus--the tribe whose guests the party now
were--had as little as possible to do with the Mangeromas, since the
latter were an exceedingly fierce, warlike and barbarous race, more than
suspected of cannibalism. This unsavoury reputation, however, affected
Earle not in the least, he was out for adventure, and was determined to
have it, moreover he wanted definite information concerning El Dorado
and the city of Manoa, and was prepared to take his chance, even among
cannibals in order to get it.

"Well," remarked Dick, "that's all right; where you go, I go with you,
even if it should be into a country where cannibals are as common as
blackberries in August. And I have no doubt that, if need be, you can
scare them as effectually as you did those niggers this evening. And
let me tell you, while I think of it, that you did it remarkably well.
Why, you puzzled even me for the moment."

"Did I, really?" demanded Earle, with every symptom of extreme
gratification. "I am glad of that, for, to tell you the truth, I am a
bit out of practice, and the idea did not occur to me until Inaguy
mentioned the idol this afternoon. Then I thought that if, by means of
ventriloquism, I could make the idol speak, it would cause our friends
here to sit up and take notice, as it did. Ventriloquism, Dick, is a
very useful accomplishment for a man who goes much among savages, as I
have done, and it has got me out of an extremely tight corner more than
once. It always appealed to me powerfully, from the time when, as a boy
of seven years old, I attended a ventriloquial entertainment and heard
the guy conversing with unseen people in mid-air, and heard remarks
addressed to him by obviously inanimate objects. There seemed to me to
be useful possibilities in it, and I started trying to do it at once,
finally taking lessons from a wonderfully clever guy, who told me that
my throat was specially well adapted for it. Ah! here comes Peter with
supper, for which I'm glad, for I happen to be possessed of a ten dollar
appetite to-night."

The meal over, Earle unpacked, his medicine chest and mixed a sufficient
quantity of medicine to serve his patients through the night, and took
it up to the village, where he remained nearly three hours ministering
to the sick, and talking, through Inaguy, to Yahiti, the chief of the
Catus. When