Page 131 - The English Carnival 7

“Don’t come near me,” he said, and went and leant against a tree. Then in a steadier

voice, “I’ll be better in a minute.”
Presently his grip upon the trunk loosened, and he slipped slowly down the stem of the

tree until he was a crumpled heap at its foot. His hands were clenched convulsively.
His face became distorted with pain. Hooker approached him.

“Don’t touch me! Don’t touch me!” said Evans in a stifled voice. “Put the gold back on
the coat.”

“Can’t I do anything for you?” said Hooker.

“Put the gold back on the coat.”

As Hooker handled the ingots he felt a little prick on the ball of his thumb. He looked
at his hand and saw a slender thorn, perhaps two inches in length.

Evans gave an inarticulate cry and rolled over.

Hooker’s jaw dropped. He stared at the thorn for a moment with dilated eyes. Then
he looked at Evans, who was now crumpled together on the ground, his back bending
and straightening spasmodically. Then he looked through the pillars of the trees and

network of creeper stems, to where in the dim grey shadow the blue-clad body of the
Chinaman was still indistinctly visible. He thought of the little dashes in the corner of
the plan, and in a moment he understood.

“God help me!” he said. For the thorns were similar to those the Dyaks poison and use
in their blowing-tubes. He understood now what Chang-hi’s assurance of the safety of
his treasure meant. He understood that grin now.

“Evans!” he cried.

But Evans was silent and motionless, save for a horrible spasmodic twitching of his
limbs. A profound silence brooded over the forest.

Then Hooker began to suck furiously at the little pink spot on the ball of his thumb--
sucking for dear life. Presently he felt a strange aching pain in his arms and shoulders,

and his fingers seemed difficult to bend. Then he knew that sucking was no good.

Abruptly he stopped, and sitting down by the pile of ingots, and resting his chin upon his
hands and his elbows upon his knees, stared at the distorted but still quivering body of
his companion. Chang-hi’s grin came into his mind again. The dull pain spread towards
his throat and grew slowly in intensity. Far above him a faint breeze stirred the greenery,
and the white petals of some unknown flower came floating down through the gloom.

–H.G. Wells

129
The Englsih Carnival-8