e!" and
he pointed to a thin wreath of smoke which was rising from the wood.
Their languor seemed to leave them, and they ran down the hill and
reached the wood once more. Just as they were about to enter it Lewis
stooped and pointed to a small plant with white flowers and three
oval-shaped leaves rising from the root.

"What's that?" he asked Stewart, who was the better botanist of the two.
The flowers were quite white, and each had six pointed petals.

"It's a kind of garlic, I think," said Stewart. Lewis bent down over it.
"It doesn't smell," he said. "It's not unlike moly (_Allium flavum_),
only it's white instead of yellow, and the flowers are larger. I'm going
to take it with me." He began scooping away the earth with a knife so as
to take out the plant by the roots. After he had been working for some
minutes he exclaimed: "This is the toughest plant I've ever seen; I
can't get it out." He was at last successful, but as he pulled the root
he gave a cry of surprise.

"There's no bulb," he said. "Look! Only a black root."

Stewart examined the plant. "I can't make it out," he said.

Lewis wrapped the plant in his handkerchief and put it in his pocket.
They entered the wood. The air was still more sultry here than outside,
and the stillness even more oppressive. There were no birds and not a
vestige of bird life.

"This exploration is evidently a waste of time as far as birds are
concerned," remarked Lewis. At that moment there was a rustle in the
undergrowth, and five pigs crossed their path and disappeared, grunting.
Lewis started, and for some reason he could not account for, shuddered;
he looked at Stewart, who appeared unconcerned.

"They are not wild," said Stewart. They walked on in silence. The place
and its heavy atmosphere had again affected their spirits. When they
spoke it was almost in a whisper. Lewis wished they had not landed, but
he could give no reason to himself for his wish. After they had been
walking for about twenty minutes they suddenly came on an open space and
a low white house. They stopped and looked at each other.

"It's got no chimney!" cried Lewis, who was the first to speak. It was
a one-storeyed building, with large windows (which had no glass in them)
reaching to the ground, wider at the bottom than at the top. The house
was overgrown with creepers; the roof was flat. They entered in silence
by the large open doorway and found themselves in a low hall. There was
no furniture