 African drums are talking. What is there in the beat of the drum that from the beginning of time has stirred man to the very depths of his being? Marco Polo, writing of his travels, said, and they came to the hill of the drum. And some went mad because of the booming of the drum in the night and they fled screaming into the wastes. The drum booms on. Even the jungle pauses to listen to its rhythmic message. Primitive, treacherous, full of brooding mystery. This is Africa. Professor Anton Edwards and his little party of explorers journeying through a dark cavern are warned by an old woman to beware the eyes of the moon. Reaching the cave mouth, they emerge onto a mountainside. The whole country is bathed in the light of a full moon. Drums are beating in a nearby village. The professor identifies them as ceremonial drums such as are used as an guru says to talk with the spirits of the dead. As they contemplate the scene before them, Jack's gaze is drawn to the moon. A subtle change seems to take place in the lad and his hand gripping Lorna's arm seems to the girl to be the claw of some wild animal. He has difficulty in bringing his attention back to Earth. The professor thinking Jack has a touch of fever starts the party toward the village for a rest. They draw near the village where the drum is beating. What part of the country is this, father? Do you know? I'm afraid I don't, Lorna. When I get a look at those natives and hear the dialect, maybe I can form some opinion. Jack seems to be all right now. What on Earth could have come over him? He seems so strange for those two men. The commentary let down, that's all. He's probably burning up with fever and doesn't want to worry us with it. Mustn't let them get too far ahead, though. Jack, a guru. Come on, we must catch up with them. Will those drums keep going all night? Probably. Some sort of ceremony going on. Any ideas to our whereabouts, sir? Not yet, Jack. Have to get a look at those villages first. Lorna, him drum go talk for moon. That's the case, a guru. We won't be welcome at this time. Why is that, sir? A guru says they're moon worshippers. If so, this must be a ceremony to the full moon. They won't like outsiders watching, especially whites. I should think that'll be very interesting to watch. It is, if they're not cannibals. Then it gets rather, uh, messy. Funny we haven't encountered any scouts or gods. Lorna, huh. Now on our road. That must be one of the paths into the village. No, no. Come back, Jack. Lorna, see. Stop, everyone. What is done, guru? Chewie, now or not. Polly, Polly. I see it. What is it? There's an animal watching us from the limb of that tree over there. You can only see its eyes. Oh yes, I see it. A guru says it's a leopard. This place must be infested with them. Aren't you going to shoot it, father? No, we're right on the outskirts of the village. I want to get a look at the people before they know we're here. Rifle shot now would upset everything. Well, that tree is overhanging the path. And we've been walking on it. Exactly. Keep your eyes open and let's go on. Well, there's an open space. A little to the left, sir. It must have been cleared for some reason or another. Doesn't the moonlight give it an eerie look? What are those poles grouped in the center? They have little round objects on them. Those are fetish poles. And the little round objects on the top are... Skulls. Exactly, skulls. Keep moving and try to make less noise. This wouldn't be amongst the huts. I don't hear a sound except a drum, father. No, I guess they're all sitting around that huge fire we can see in the center of the village. Make for that hut over there, the one with no walls to it. What do they use that one for, sir? They don't use it. It belonged to a man who evidently died recently. They pull the walls down like that to give his spirit free passage. No moonlight shines into it so we can stay there in the shadow of the roof and watch what's going on. I can see them. They're in a circle about the fire. Buona, many a sicari make for witch doctor Palava. So I see. Is it a war, shall we? No, Buona, him spirit talk, bring him devil. Careful now. There's about five yards of open space between this elephant grass and that hut. Take a look at the Goro. Aye, Buona. Their attention is evidently centered around the witch doctor. Why all these precautions, sir? You don't usually take this trouble and bring a village. There are far too many cats in this vicinity. Leopards don't hang around the village in numbers unless they're easy pickings. These people might have some sort of leopard fetish. They have. They're a cruel bunch. Buona, all dogs make for devil bone. No eyes see. Maybe witch doctor smell them, huh? No eyes can see us. I'll guarantee the witch doctor won't smell us. Come on, single file. Aye, Buona. I'll give him time to get there. Now you check. All right. Follow him now, Buona. You're right, sir. It's some sort of important ceremony. There are about five hundred of them intently watching that dancing figure in the center. He's wearing an animal skin over his head and down his back. Buona, leopard man, huh? Yes, Buona. I thought as much. What does it all mean, father? Are they cannibal? I don't know yet, but the leopard cult is one of the most cruel in Africa. They believe the witch doctor can change himself into a leopard, not only himself but others as well. Quite a number wearing those skins over their heads and backs. Leopard men usually work themselves into a frenzy until they believe they're animals and go out and attack some poor native. They kill with the long steel claws that they have attached to their hands. The witch doctor is dancing this way now. Something very cap-like about him. My father, I think it's... Why? It's a woman, sir. Buona, which woman dance for devil? Hi, George. It is a woman. Well, I never heard of that before. Well, I don't believe she's the witch doctor in that case. At least not the chief one. No. There he is, sitting a little to the right of the fire by that long box. That box looks like a coffin. She's a very beautiful girl, sir. Man, this is all new to me. She certainly does move like a cat. There's the witch doctor getting up as she moves toward him. He's taking the lid off the box. Going to work some magic of some sort. His one arm seems to be hanging limply at his side. Well, let's see what Tricky is going to pull out of the bag, eh? Look, the girl's getting into the box. You don't think they're going to bury her, do you? They're liable to do anything. Watch closely. He's put the cover on. Hmm, yes. This is where the leopard men do their dance. In a few minutes, they'll be probably in a religious frenzy. What are they singing as they circle a box? Buona, they speak. Witch woman, full moon, make foby chewy. The witch of the moon, eh? What does it mean, sir? Well, they evidently call the woman the witch of the moon. And then Guru says the witch doctor is going to transform her into a leopard. Bad and dull, Buona, bad. Oh, don't worry, and Guru will never be able to do it. He probably has all the natives in the circle hypnotized by now, and when she steps out of the box, she'll come up on all fours with that leopard skin over her. They'll think it's the real thing. They're lifting the box. Probably going to carry it around to let the nuns know. They placed it right for the fire. Eh, building the fire up, too. What's that long pole the witch doctor has? They're all taking hold of it. They're going to push the box into the fire. Can't we stop them, sir? That girl will be... Keep quiet, Jack. We can't do anything. There it goes. A leopard jumped from the fire. The beast's heading this way. Keep still, everyone. Don't move. Don't move a muscle. Shoot it, Jack. I... I couldn't. I couldn't shoot it. Did you see those eyes? Eh, how it beats me. They put the box in the firing. A leopard jumped out. The beast came right up to us and stopped. Saw Jack and started going towards him. Yes. And you frightened her away. Yes, it is bad medicine and guru. The animal looked at us in turn and then made slowly for Jack. If it hadn't been for you, she'd have... she'd have spoken to me. What's that? It was the woman. Did you see her eyes? I saw them in the moon tonight. The eyes? The eyes of the moon? That's what the old woman said. Beware, the eyes of the... All nonsense. Jack's full of feveries imagining things. The whole thing was a-tracon. Yet I... And yet, white man, can you not believe that which you see? It... it was. You are... Who are you woman that you speak my language? I am in your tongue, called the witch of the moon. My people await me. Remain here until I call. You will not be home. Oh, Father, I'm frightened. It was rather a shock, wasn't it? This whole thing is... Oh, it's preposterous. There's bound to be a trick to it. She came out of that high grass behind it, just where the leopard disappeared. It's very uncanny. I'll admit, but... And she had round yellow eyes, just like a cat. Her skin is white. She can't belong to these people. Look, the whole village is bowing and scraping to her as she enters the circle again. Jack, what's wrong? Well, her eyes commanded me to follow. I must obey her. Oh, hold on, old man. You can't... She has... has called. Hold him and go. The boy is full of fever. It's all right, Jack. She told us to remain here. You, yes. But me, she calls me to fulfill that which is written in the moon. Yes. Written in the moon.