 African drums are talking. The symphony of the jungle night plays on. An undertone of humming insects like a million violins muted by distance. The staccato bark of a jackal, the chatter of monkeys, and scurrying squeak of small denizens, backed by the soulful wail of a night bird. Fertive unseen voices of the jungle. The bullfrog booms his incessant message. The darkness is peopled with invisible movement. Suddenly the earth vibrates to the roar of a lion. A blank dead silence follows. The baton is held poised. Not an instrument speaks. Every creature holds its breath. The world listens. Then one by one as if guided by the hand of a master, which instrument is brought again into the weird symphony of a jungle night. This is Africa. Ifabi, a beautiful native girl and mistress of the arts of hypnotism, shows Professor Edwards an antique cup of solid gold, which she says is part of a buried treasure lying in the whispering forest of death. Ifabi urges him to start for the forest immediately. And after a week's travel, the professor and his party gather with Ifabi, leaving the moonlit plain over which they have just passed, enter the whispering forest of death. Eerie place. I can swear there are voices coming from all around it. Can't you hear them, father? I know what you mean, Lonnie. Yes. But you mustn't think of it that way. No matter what the natives say, we know it's the wind through those tall trees overhead. But what causes this, sir? We've been in force before and not heard that peculiar voice-like effect. I don't think I can give you an explanation, but why think of it? I wonder the natives won't come near the place. Even the vegetation looks too green. Those patches of red flowers we saw as we came in. They look like flashes of blood. They are coal in your tongue, the flowers of the dead. What a comforting name for a place like this. I thought you said nothing lived in here, Ifabi. What do you have jungle noises about? It is in the heart of the forest that the breath of sleep comes to all. Oh, I'm very tired, father. We have to go much farther before making camp. No, Lonnie, we don't have to, but I was hoping we'd come across the stream before camping for the night. But I guess Jack and I can go on a forage and fill the bottles. Muguro, you stay here and make camp. I want to... Come on, Jack. I'd like to get this job done. We've allowed the water supply to get too low. Don't be long, Jack. Okay, Lonnie. Do you think there's water ahead, sir? Well, there should be from the lay of the ground. That's still in listen. Yes, that's running water. I couldn't see which direction the sound's coming from. I'm found that whispering seems to throw sound at you from all directions. Well, if we follow this animal trail, I think we'll find it. What about those two brothers we were supposed to follow, sir? It probably seems to have forgotten all about them. We certainly haven't been keeping on any given trail for days. I think that it was just an excuse to get us out of the village as quickly as possible, as it was we only just managed to get out. I have no doubt whatever that Malini's death came from knowing too much of Ifabi's intentions. The keepers of the treasure. Was that just a story to back up her claim? No, I don't think so. We did follow the trail of two men at the start. No doubt they were what Ifabi claimed them to be. But she intended them to get us far ahead of us and do their job and leave the forest before we entered. That young lady has been in this place before. Well, I won't make you think that, sir. She knows too much about it. She was very definite about us entering at night. And she watched for a whole day from that plateau before she was satisfied we could come in tonight. Waiting for the two brothers to leave, eh? I think so. She wouldn't allow us to light a fire all day yesterday. Your hunch about the water was correct, sir. See that looks inviting. I'd like to take a swim. Better fill up the bottle and get back. Wait a bit, Jack. There's something happening over on the other side of the stream. It's an animal coming down to drink. No animal makes a racket like that when it moves except an elephant. It's something that has no fear of being disturbed. Keep still. Here it comes. Don't move for your life, Jack. I've never seen anything like it. Looks like a huge gorilla, but it isn't. I have human. Keep still. It might pass us. Heaven's name? What is it? I don't know, Jack. It's lucky we were downwind from it. Fill the bottles while I keep an eye open. We've got to get back quickly. The things seem to be covered with white paint. It walked upright, too. It was fairly upright. I think it's a human being, Jack. One that we've read of in books but haven't seen. The thing had a human face. A little forehead, of course. Here. Give me three of those water bottles. They're out to get heavy when they're full. Oh, thanks, sir. How do you count for the white paint or whatever it was covering its body? It's probably a clay taken from the ground and the president gives it that white look in the dark. They're very likely prepared before putting it on the body. They, sir? Do you think there are more of them around here? Well, it's possible, Jack. Science seems to have missed this place. The ordinary African native won't come in here. There are legends about it that have been handed down for hundreds of years, and that's all we know about it. Those two keepers of the treasure, as they call them, they come here once a year. Surely they'd see an African native at trust like that and he'd die before revealing anything about the place. Yes, I'm almost positive the thing was human. It had a decided chin which picks it out of the animal class. Are we on the right trail, sir? Think seems to tell me we've wandered off. That's Lana. Come on, Jack. Straight ahead. Do you think that thing could have come this way? It might have. There's light over there on the ground. Well, this is where we left them. It's Lana's flashlight. Where's Nguro? Let that light off, Jack. Stand still a minute. Are there any tracks around that we can follow? Put that light on again. We'll look. Good heavens, sir. That thing's been here. Look. Yes, I see. It leads this way. Come on. No need for the light. It's left a trail like an elephant. But it couldn't be for three of them. The two women, perhaps, but Nguro... Stand and Nguro's tracks lead off to the side. Well, he wouldn't leave Lana if the whole army came along. I know. That's what puzzles me. It's a human being we're following, Jack. But then I'm certain. And I've never known Nguro to run from a devil. Let her own a man. Here's a clearing, sir. Which way do we go? Put that light down here. This dam first will show us. Look. There's its mark. Heading across the clearing. Keeping a straight line. We'll pick it up when the word enters the bush. Well, there are no tracks left by Lana or Fabi. Well, they're both being carried. Oh, there's where it went in. Nguro, where are you? Nguro, flakum, nayana, mutu. Here, buana, come. Nguro, wait. Where's Lana? What's happened? Nguro, go for long grass for missy beds. Here, missy calls. Flakum, nayana, mutu. Well, he knows no more than we do, Jack. Listen, in fact, he hasn't even seen it. Why do you call him guerrilla man, Nguro? In fact, him say man, say nayana. Well, that's as good a description as any. Trail him, Nguro, and trail him fast. Aye, buana. Nguro was gathering grass for Lana's bed when the guerrilla man, as he calls it, came upon the women. Must have seen him or heard him. Which means that those things can move silently if they want to. Well, if it's on Nguro, why didn't it attack him? Probably saw the girls first and... I don't think of it, Jack. There's an end to this trail somewhere. We may have to give some more people their first introduction to gunfire. The ground breaks away in front, sir. Nguro's going downhill. He's come to the end of the underbrush. It's going to be a little more difficult to follow. Yeah, this must be the edge of the forest. The trees stopped down there. Look, there's water ahead. I can see the moonlight on it. There must be a lake. Well, what is it, Nguro? Nguro. Oh, keep back on the trees, Jack. Nguro says there's a hut out there. Just take a look. Careful. Great Scott. You see what it is, Jack? The lake is dotted with huts raised out of the water. The standing on platforms supported by piles. Lake dwellers, Jack. It's a perfect village of lake dwellers. See the bridge that leads out to each one, eh? And the fires at the end of the platforms. You can see the people sitting around some of the fires. Man, this is marvelous. Go on, sir. Oh, good Lord, yes. Oh, I'm sorry, Jack. I guess I was... Well, do you see any extra movement on any one of those platforms? No, sir. They all look alike to me. I guess if there's any excitement, it's died down by now. But we can't stand there kicking our heels. We've got to do something. Hey, Jack, we can't rush things. We're going to get them out alive. We've got to do things quietly. Any trail in front of Nguro? No track, Buona. We come no good too quick. Why were we following the wrong trail? Well, we kind of been at lunch right here. Possibly one made earlier in the day. Keep calm, Jack. That plan wasn't five minutes ahead of us. From the look of the sky, no cloud has passed across the moon for some time. But there'll be one in a moment, see? Keep your eyes on the edge of the forest down that side. Nguro and I will watch this way. If you see anything moving, let us know. All right, sir. I hope you're all right. Wouldn't Lorna keep calling out and hope that we'd hear her? She's probably fainted and knows nothing of what's going on. He probably wouldn't call out to please Satan. Now keep your eyes open. There goes the cloud over the moon.