ACROSS UNKNOWN SOUTH AMERICA 
with the three men lying helpless on the rocks — Filippe 
the white man and Benedicto also collapsed. Again the 
same treatment was applied. 
Alcides looked at the other men with an air of con¬ 
tempt and said: 44 They are rotten fellows! They cannot 
eat anything without getting poisoned. I feel no pain at 
all; the fruit has done me no harm.” 
When I turned round to look at his face it had turned 
a lemon-yellow colour, which I did not quite like, but 
I did not mention the fact to him, and went about from 
one dejected man to another, trying to bring them back to 
life again. 
Filippe the negro opened his eyes for a moment. 44 I 
am dying!” he said. 44 Good-bye, sir! Please give all 
my money to my sweetheart in Araguary.” 
I noted her name and address in my book, for I really 
thought Filippe was about to expire. 
The moans and groans all round me were most 
funereal, and the odour unbearable, the nuts having 
formed a chemical combination in their insides which made 
their breath most offensive. The heat of the sun was 
oppressive on those volcanic rocks. My bare feet were 
absolutely scorched as I walked on them. 
Not many minutes later Alcides was rolling himself 
upon the rocks in intense pain. When I rushed to him to 
apply my favourite method he rebelled, refusing the 
treatment. 
44 Very good,” I said to him; 44 will you live or will 
you die? ” 
44 1 prefer to die,” said he, and proceeded to moan 
and groan, and also to dictate the name and address 
of his sweetheart in Araguary for me to pay to her the 
money which belonged to him. 
In a way I was sorry to see my men suffering so 
much. I was already thinking of how I could get out 
of that difficult dilemma. It would have been out of the 
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