f New York, and a
chain which held a stylographic pen, lay among the bones. There was
also a silver cigarette-case, with "J. C., from A. E. S.," upon the
lid. The state of the metal seemed to show that the catastrophe had
occurred no great time before.

"Who can he be?" asked Lord John. "Poor devil! every bone in his body
seems to be broken."

"And the bamboo grows through his smashed ribs," said Summerlee. "It
is a fast-growing plant, but it is surely inconceivable that this body
could have been here while the canes grew to be twenty feet in length."

"As to the man's identity," said Professor Challenger, "I have no doubt
whatever upon that point. As I made my way up the river before I
reached you at the fazenda I instituted very particular inquiries about
Maple White. At Para they knew nothing. Fortunately, I had a definite
clew, for there was a particular picture in his sketch-book which
showed him taking lunch with a certain ecclesiastic at Rosario. This
priest I was able to find, and though he proved a very argumentative
fellow, who took it absurdly amiss that I should point out to him the
corrosive effect which modern science must have upon his beliefs, he
none the less gave me some positive information. Maple White passed
Rosario four years ago, or two years before I saw his dead body. He
was not alone at the time, but there was a friend, an American named
James Colver, who remained in the boat and did not meet this
ecclesiastic. I think, therefore, that there can be no doubt that we
are now looking upon the remains of this James Colver."

"Nor," said Lord John, "is there much doubt as to how he met his death.
He has fallen or been chucked from the top, and so been impaled. How
else could he come by his broken bones, and how could he have been
stuck through by these canes with their points so high above our heads?"

A hush came over us as we stood round these shattered remains and
realized the truth of Lord John Roxton's words. The beetling head of
the cliff projected over the cane-brake. Undoubtedly he had fallen
from above. But had he fallen? Had it been an accident? Or--already
ominous and terrible possibilities began to form round that unknown
land.

We moved off in silence, and continued to coast round the line of
cliffs, which were as even and unbroken as some of those monstrous
Antarctic ice-fields which I have seen depicted as stretching from
horizon to horizon and towering high ab