 African drums are talking, through fertile valleys and on to the highest mountain tops, the rhythmic beats carry their message. Africa, a land of primitive impulse, mystery, juju groves, and jungle. Professor Anton Edwards and his little scientific party in Africa have encountered many dangers in their search for a lost race. They quickly moved their camp by the Bakari River because of a tribal hostile cannibals, and after a week's march, come to a mountain range which the professor determines to scale. With him is his daughter, his assistant Jack Martin, and the faithful Guru, a huge Messiah bodyguard, who carries the talking head in a basket. Oh, but I'm tired, father. When we get to the top, do we make camp? Yes, we'll probably stay there for a day or two. I want to look around. Oh, darn these mosquitoes. One of them just took a piece right out of my nose. Well, if it falls up as much on you as the bites do on me, you're going to lose your beautiful profile, my dear. Well, I'm proud to carry, Jack. My face has gone right back to nature already. There must be some stagnant water around here somewhere for these mosquitoes to breed. I hope you didn't forget the quinine, Jack. No, sir. You'll find some at the bottom of your heversack. Father, I meant to ask you this before. Did you hear anything moving around after we turned in last night? No, after that long climb yesterday, I went to sleep as soon as I hit the pillow. Oh, it was probably some animal on a white. Well, I thought I heard some loose stone rolling just before I went to sleep. A mountain goat moving somewhere above, as I expect. The nearest humans to us are the porters. We left at the base camp. That awful red dude with the jitters. Does it have to do that? Well, it's the first time it's talked for days, Jack. Yes, I'd hoped it had gone to sleep for good. What did it say, sir? Just the usual instructions. Go north. Doesn't seem to worry and grow a bit. If I was carrying that basket and it let out a tackle like that, I know I'd drop the thing. Don't mind that boulder you crawl by. Looks as if the least push would send it rolling down the mountain. I'd hate to get in front of it once it started. The reins watch the base almost entirely away. You know, it's strange we haven't seen any signs of life, Jack. You notice there are no small animals scooting out in front of us as they did yesterday? Yes, I have. So have I. Ever since that great big rat ran over my foot yesterday, I've been keeping a lookout. But I haven't seen a thing. What's the answer to that one, sir? There must be a reason somewhere. Father, I have to take me to some new boots when we get back to camp. The toes of these are almost worn out. Not much further to go, my dear. In a few moments, we'll be at the top. And we'll see what we shall see. What's the real reason for all this climbing, sir? I know you're out after data of the country, but that's not the whole reason. We're on the second day away from camp. And you act as if you were going into an entirely unexplored country. Can't your youngsters wait until we get to the top of this mountain and see for yourselves? Well, I've noticed such strange formations of rock lately that I've become curious. I'm so tired of climbing, I want to have something to look forward to. What's that moving over there? Where? Way over there. Probably a herd of mountain goats. Well, if you must have it, these mountains behind us have been scaled by others. But I don't know of anyone who had the patience to come through those valleys and try this one. Well, what's the hunch, sir? Did the head tell you to come up here? You don't usually go mountain climbing just to be the first. Or to be perfectly frank, Jack, this inner range has always intrigued me. And I wouldn't be satisfied if we passed it by. No white man has ever reported on it. And we might find something to make those old fossils at the Academy say death, hm? Well, you can tell them that it took us two days to climb. And that I left my mosquito net behind and the little pest got bigger as we went out. The darn things do look something like small hummingbirds, don't they? No, I know. You're to be the first over the top. Come on up here. I'll give you a lift. Well, that's an honor anyway. Well, I'm too tired to be thrilled. Well, are you ready? Yes. All right. Here you go. You next, Jack. Let me give you a hand, sir. Oh, wait a minute. Wait a minute. You're a turn of the guru. What a... Guru no make phopy goat. No make phopy eagle. Come on up with you, you old grumbler. Take that basket with the head with you. All right? Now, Jack. Oh. Oh. There. Look out. I'm coming over. Well, now that we're here, I hope you're satisfied. Jack, you see what this is? It looks like a huge crater to me. That's just what it is. The whole of this inside circular range is one huge volcanic crater. Look at those trees down below. They're put usually looking trees, Father. What on earth do you call them? Come on, people. Down to that ledge of rock. What did I tell you, Jack? Those trees alone are enough to make these stay-at-homes envious. What do they remind you of, eh? Why, they look something like a weeping mullow turned upside down. Why not? Devil look'em. Now, now. Huh, huh. Great Scott. What is it? Don't shoot, Jack. I want to take a good look at it through the grasses first. Why, it looks like a dragon out of some fairy tale. A lizard, Jack. A lizard, that size, sir? Yes. No wonder Un'Guru said a devil was looking at us. It's a lizard grown out of all proportion until it looks like a small alligator, but twice as ugly. Don't shoot it unless it comes to attack us, but I don't think it will. Gwana, this place home for devil. Devil hand-pull Un'Guru hair. There's another species of tree on that ledge there. It's not a grotesque looking thing. Great heaven. Is that the tree, Father? I'll have to go back to school. I'm not to miss something. You've missed nothing, Gwana. Don't you children realize we're in another land? It's a world that science seems to have missed or forgotten. Haven't you noticed the difference in the air you're breathing since we came over that rim of rock? Well, why, yes. It seemed to get warmer all of a sudden. It is warmer. The air seems to have a bracing effect. I was a little tired a few moments ago, but now I feel ready to lift a ton. It's oxygen. That's what Un'Guru felt when he said his hair was lifting, Jack. Ah, this is marvelous. The whole inside range makes a huge crater. Well, it must be at least a hundred miles across. Look. Look over there. Good heavens. It seems to slope down interminably. Can you make out the bottom of it with the glasses? No. No, it just fades and fades into nothingness. The sides are lined with a thick white volcanic dust. Gwana. Gwana. Look. What is it, Father? It's quite an ostrich or a great chicken. There's a big lizard chasing it. You cover the bird, Jack. I'll take the lizard. All right. All right. Go ahead. I guess that stopped him. Good Lord. It seems as if the mother of all chickens was coming at us to avenge the eggs we'd eaten. Un'Guru fits the bird here, Jack. I want to take a look at this peculiar tree. Is that a kind of fruit on it, Father? I don't think so. No. They're leaves. But look, they're half an inch thick, and they look just like human hands. Nevertheless, they're leaves. I'll pick one and show you. There. Here you are. Now, you see the formation? It's covered with skin and veined exactly like a hand. Oh, look at the branch you picked at some. It's bleeding, and the hand is too. Good heavens, so it is. Don't look so scared, Lord. It's just a red-colored statue. Not blood. Oh, throw it away, Father. It's too horrible for words. Well, there you are, sir. It's a wingless chicken. But I'd hate to have to eat a leg at one sitting. It weighs 100 pounds, but it weighs a ounce. Well, I know. Devil blows so-so full chicken. Make them plenty big, huh? Oh. Is that how you account for it? What did he say, Father? Well, Guru thinks that devils have breathed into these chickens and expanded them beyond all reason. Yeah, it's a species of chicken, all right. Why, what's the matter with your hands, sir? It's covered with blood. No, no, it's not blood. It's a peculiar red juice from that tree. It's horrible. Oh, that thing bleeds just like a human being. Take a good look around you, Jack. Use your glasses. You too, Lorna. All right. Why, this place is alive with those huge lizards. Well, and there are some more of those large chickens over there. Hey, do you notice anything peculiar about those trees? They're the funniest trees I've ever seen. Nothing, sir, except they're species I've never come across. Yeah, no one else has ever come across them, Jack. Where's the first? But what I meant was the animals, avoiding that one that looks, as you said, like a weeping willow turned upside down. Yes, they do seem to give it a wide berth, don't they? There's a reason for that somewhere. I'd like to go up and find out. Both wrong. There's a chicken going straight towards it as it feeds. Look! Yeah, so there is. Well, I guess that was wrong. What did you think it was? One of those poisoned ones? Wait a minute, sir. Look, the branches of the tree are moving. They're straightening out and coming down slowly. Watch it closely, Jack. What's it going to do? The branches suddenly dropped around the bird. See it, Jack? See it? The bird is being lifted up. The bird's gone. The tree looks the same as before. Good heavens, or what kind of a country is this? Oh, that was horrible. That poor bird didn't have a chance. It was gone in ten seconds. Farna, him devil tree catch him chopped one time. He put that chicken right in the center, where the top of the trunk must be. Must have a mouth. The guru says it's the devil inside the tree, and even devils must eat. Oh, don't talk about it. I'm glad we found out before going near it. What if you'd gone there, father? Would it... Would it eat human beings? Would it eat human beings? I don't think I'll go close enough to find out just yet.