. A scientist can go anywhere. No one wonders what he is
about. It wouldn't take three months. And the climate isn't poisonous. I
think it's mostly high ground. Tony didn't complain about it."

The biologist answered without looking up.

"I haven't got the money, Sir Godfrey."

The dapper little man jerked his head as over a triviality.

"I'll stake you. It wouldn't cost above five hundred pounds."

The biologist sat back in his chair, at the words, and looked over the
table at his guest.

"That's awfully decent of you, Godfrey," he said, "and I'd go if I saw a
way to get your money to you if anything happened."

"Damn the money!" cried the other.

The biologist smiled.

"Well," he said, "let me think about it. I could probably fix up some
sort of insurance. Lloyd's will bet nearly any sane man that he won't
die for three months. And besides I should wish to look things up a
little."

Sir Godfrey rose.

"Oh, to be sure," he said, "you want to make certain about the thing. We
might be wrong. I hadn't an idea what it was until I brought it to you,
and of course Tony hadn't an idea. Make certain of it by all means."

The biologist extended his long legs under the table. He indicated the
water color in his hand.

"This thing's certain," he said. "I know what this thing is."

He rapped the water color with the fingers of his free hand.

"This thing was painted on the spot. Maartin was looking at this thing
when he painted it. You can see the big shadows underneath. No living
creature could have imagined this or painted it from hearsay. He had to
see it. And he did see it. I wasn't thinking about this, Godfrey. I was
thinking the Dutch government might help a bit in the hope of finding
some trace of Maartin and I should wish to examine any information they
might have about him."

"Damn the Dutch government!" cried the little man. "And damn Lloyd's. We
will go it on our own hook."

The biologist smiled.

"Let me think about it, a little," he said.

The dapper man flipped a big watch out of his waistcoat pocket.

"Surely!" he cried, "I must get the next train up. Have you got a place
to lock the stuff? I had to cut this lid open with a chisel."

He indicated the tin dispatch box.

"Better keep it all. You'll want to run through the diary, I imagine.
Tony's got down the things explorer chaps are always keen about;
temperature, water supply, food and all that..... Now, I'm off. See you
Thursday afterno