didn't bury those. Purdy kept on the move. He told me, after an
eternity, that it was just ahead of us, and at last we did come to some
other men. They were Colombians. We astonished them, but nothing could
astonish us any more. Purdy learned that he had got to our ultimate
destination all right. Then some fellow appeared, in a gaudy uniform and
a sword, who spoke English. When Purdy asked to be taken to the manager
of the company, this gay chap laughed fiercely, and kept looking at Purdy
in triumph. 'Him?' he shouted, when he had got enough fun out of it,
'im? He's dead. We execute him. All those people--they go. No more
company. All finish. No good.' He was very bright about it.

"Purdy never said a word. All he did was to turn to me, and then stare
beyond me with big eyes at something which couldn't possibly have been
there."




VII. Not in the Almanac

It was an unlucky Friday morning; "and, what's more," the chief officer
stopped on the gangway to call down to me on the quay, "a black cat
crossed my path when I left home this morning, and a very nice black
cat it was." The gangway was hauled up. The tugs began to move the
big steamer away from us, a process so slow that the daylight between
us and the ship increased imperceptibly.

On my way home I paused by the shop which sells such antiques as old
spring mattresses, china dogs, portable baths, dumb-bells, and even the
kind of bedroom furniture which one would never have supposed was