 African drums are talking, land of serene beauty and staring horror, slimy rivers and parched plain, where nature laughs in a thousand voices to mock the efforts of civilization, where masked murder thrives and hides itself behind the cloak of life. This is Africa. Professor Anton Edwards and his party, led by Farby, a beautiful native girl, enter the whispering forest of death in search of a legendary treasure. Leaving Lorna and Ifabe with Nguru, the professor and Jack go in search of water. They find a stream, but as they stoop to fill the containers, a weird prehistoric man creature wades through the water, passes close to them and disappears among the trees. A scream from Lorna brings them running to camp, but the girls are vanished and only the tracks of the beast man are visible. They follow these and find Nguru already following the tracks. The trail leads them to a lake with the huts of prehistoric lake dwellers skirting the shore. All is quiet and the professor believes that the man they're following is waiting in the fringe of the forest for the moon to be obscured before carrying his prizes across the open space between forest and lake. The three men intently watch the curving edge of the forest as a cloud moves eerily across the moon. Something moving across the sedge. It's keeping loose of the trees. Jack, follow the line of my finger. It's moving outwards now. Yes, I've got it. Going down toward the lake. That's the fellow we're after, see? Yes. He's carrying the girls, one over each shoulder. No, Nguru, we can't do it that way. I wish we could. One yell out of him and we'd probably have the whole village to deal with. We must watch and see where he goes, then try to do things quietly. He's making for the bridge of that hut straight ahead of us. Doesn't seem to be anybody moving on that one. Yes, there he goes. Come on, we've got to follow and get in the shadow of that bridge. There's a low fire burning in the platform, sir. He's taken them into the hut. Evidently, there's a doorway on the right facing down the lakeshore. I believe there's someone sleeping at the fire. Looks like a hub of body. Let's get down under the bridge here. We'll be able to see more what's going on, make plans. Well, no. Nayani man, no, no. He's come out of the hut and going to the fire. Yes. That was someone sleeping there. He's kicked him awake. Probably once more wood on the fire. Hope it won't throw too much light. We've got to get up there unseen, if possible. No, sir, it's another man. He's coming this way towards the bridge. Keep down, everybody. Nayani man, him guard. Yes, he's a guard, all right. He's squatting on the bridge, looking toward the forest. We'll have to get behind him somehow. Where did the other one go? Back in the hut. You can hear him moving about. I think you can swim out and climb up one of the piles and attract the guard's attention. Jack and I will come up behind him when he turns. But the job must be done silently. Here it is. Off you go then. I hope we can get him that hut soon. Lana must be scared to death. Well, she knows we're doing everything we can to find them. Probably listening now for the slightest sound of our approach. Look, one guru is climbing the upright. Maybe there are others for the fire on the far side. Don't worry. You take a good look before making his move. There's someone walking on the platform. Coming this way. Two of them up there now. I wonder if that's the fellow from the hut. I don't think so, sir. The footsteps came from way back to the fire. Well, we'll have to wait for him, guru, to get there before starting anything. There, he's climbing about the platform. Your legs are drawn a bottle-side now. We'll have to take a chance to watch what's going on. Slide out a bit until you can see. We've got to be ready to move quickly. There are two of them sitting close together watching the forest. The fellow evidently expected to be followed. And guru's making two of them. Looks as if he means to tackle them alone. We can't let him do that, sir. Don't worry about him. He knows what he's doing. Moving just like a shadow on all fours. He's rising. Get ready, Jack. This is one of his favorite tricks. He'll crack their skulls together and they won't know what happened. But don't move until he gives us a signal. There it goes. See what he's doing? Why, the two guards are still there. And the guru's lying in their shadow holding the unconscious bodies upright. That's in case someone heard the noise he made. If anyone comes out to take a look, everything appears to be normal. Sleep. Good work, guru. You'll have to stay here and watch them. Try not to swing the bridge as you move. It makes it come from the rocket. Sounds as though you were right, sir. He's sleeping. There's the entrance. The work in darkness after that. Never mind that now. Use your knife on those lungs. Saw through them. You'll never get them on side. You all right, Bobby? What, man? The hour is not yet for you, Bobby. She's been wonderful. I couldn't bend that thick neck for the life of me. Oh, crack-a-neck, huh? Plenty hard for runger, see? Well, that's a perfectly good war club. All's out to pieces. You see that, Jack? Take a look at it. Why, it's split down the middle. Head of a gorilla wouldn't make that impression on it. Well, thanks again, guru. Another minute and Jack and I would have been pulp. They are animals, white man. Who served the devils that live in the forest. It was told to me by the man who gave it, Bobby, the golden cop. The keepers of the treasure alone know what lives within the forest. And they shall tell no man. I thought as much. How do you feel, honor? All right, now, father. Oh, hasn't it turned cold? Yes, it's down coming up. Rain come for plenty soon, buhanna. White man, we follow the trail of the keepers of the treasure. How do you know it, Bobby? This tree, it has a mark upon it. The tree's been blazed, sir. Yes, recently, too. Why should they blaze the trees like this, if, Bobby, if they know the path? The forest devils changed the path to confuse the traveler. But the trees are planted by a shimbam shamba, and no devil may touch them. There's a wind starting. We're going to get soaked in a few minutes. Better crawl under some of these large ferns. He'll give us a little shelter anyway. If Bobby goes along the trail, while the white man shelters himself, she will return. Oh, why is that? Aren't you afraid of the forest devils? The rain will keep the devils busy. And if Bobby should know the way that we may travel faster. What's the thombies' idea, sir? I don't know, Jack. It's possible, though. She thinks the same as I do. Those trees were blazed especially for our benefit. To lead us the wrong way? But no one knew we were coming here, though. Goodness knows. Well, here comes the rain. You will not wait much longer, Adako. What about the white woman? The devil's servant shall find her tied to a tree. You must kill the black warrior. The white men will look into if Bobby's eyes and die by their own hands.