biscuit left. I offered it to her, whereon she thanked me and all
of us for our courtesy toward a woman, took the biscuit, and gave it to
Japhet, who ate it like a wolf.

It was some time after this incident that we discovered Japhet to be
missing; at least we could no longer touch him, nor did he answer when
we called. Therefore, we concluded that he had crept away to die and,
I am sorry to say, thought little more about it for, after all, what he
suffered, or had suffered, we suffered also.

I recall that before we were overtaken by the last sleep, a strange
fit came upon us. Our pangs passed away, much as the pain does when
mortification follows a wound, and with them that horrible craving for
nutriment. We grew cheerful and talked a great deal. Thus Roderick gave
me the entire history of the Fung people and of his life among them and
other savage tribes. Further, he explained every secret detail of their
idol worship to Higgs, who was enormously interested, and tried to
make some notes by the aid of our few remaining matches. When even that
subject was exhausted, he sang to us in his beautiful voice--English
hymns and Arab songs. Oliver and Maqueda also chatted together quite
gaily, for I heard them laughing, and gathered that he was engaged in
trying to teach her English.

The last thing that I recollect is the scene as it was revealed by the
momentary light of one of the last matches. Maqueda sat by Oliver. His
arm was about her waist, her head rested upon his shoulder, her long
hair flowed loose, her large and tender eyes stared from her white, wan
face up toward his face, which was almost that of a mummy.

Then on the other side stood my son, supporting himself against the wall
of the room, and beyond him Higgs, a shadow of his former self, feebly
waving a pencil in the air and trying, apparently, to write a note upon
his Panama straw hat, which he held in his left hand, as I suppose,
imagining it to be his pocket-book. The incongruity of that sun-hat in
a place where no sun had ever come made me laugh, and as the match went
out I regretted that I had forgotten to look at his face to ascertain
whether he was still wearing his smoked spectacles.

"What is the use of a straw hat and smoked spectacles in kingdom-come?"
I kept repeating to myself, while Roderick, whose arm I knew was about
me, seemed to answer:

"The Fung wizards say that the sphinx Harmac once wore a hat, but, my
father, I do not know if he h