 This is the story of a man who never belonged anywhere, whose backyard is the world, whose ways of life are the dreams of escape for those who want action, but never find it, a man John Steele adventurer. Most people spend most of their lives digging for wealth in one way or another, and only a few find it, big money that is. Well, I was around when it happened, and really big stuff was found, and you never know what greed can do until you're there to find out for yourself. I'd like to tell you what I found in a story I like to call Loser Sleeper. Bonuses, all expenses paid, temporary foreign service for qualified personnel. That's what the ad said, the ad in the paper. I've never quite gotten over rating them. Well, the man at Interworld Airlines said the same thing, thanked me for answering the employment notice, and made me an offer. That is, he did when he found out I knew about isobars, isotherms, and adiabatic rape. Three weeks later, I was in Port Edward on Africa's Gold Coast, and it was hot. It was a small coast to port, growing now because the airlines had come in and taken over the old military air base. Nothing to see and do, but it served as a good refueling stop. I soon found Big Charlie's, the place where all the boys went after work. Just one night, there was a fellow sitting next to me and he wanted to talk. You don't mind my budding in on your privacy, but you're American, right? Right, the tours trade coming back? Do I look like a tourist? Yeah. Thanks. Where are you from, Chicago? No, haven't been to the States for ten years. I've never gone back. Well, I am. All you can do here is go home and sleep. Miss the bright lights, eh? No, I do miss having a little excitement now and then, I guess. They'll go to the right places, that's all. What do you mean? I know this town inside out. Well, you come with me, you'll get excitement. Where's that? In, what? Away from the coast. In, we have to be smart to live, and that's the kind of smart you find in polite society. Sounds good. I've been up to Calmer's Pass, Shepherd's Plateau, know the jungle like a book. Wow. Uh, what do you do? Hunt? Hunt. Yeah, you might say that's just it, but I hunt. Not anything, animals, precious stones, ivory, whenever I can find. Had much luck? Awesome. One of these days I'll hit it big, big, then maybe I'll go back to the States. Well, here's luck. Thanks. No, you don't know what life is till you've been on a hike through the Black Coral Lake country. Those babies are so mean, they... Pardon me. All right. Oh, hello. I couldn't help but hear your conversation. No, we don't mind. Sit down, sit down. Thank you. Have a drink? And with it? No, thank you. It's all right. My friend here works for Interworld. He's got money. I'll trade places with you anytime. You can have it. I didn't mean to interrupt anything. Yeah, you're not. You're not. When you spoke about knowing the Shepherd's Plateau... I thought you might be able to help. Help what? Me. Oh, that won't be hard. It's a business proposition, strictly. It's still interesting. I wanted to be sure you understood. I do. I do. What's the job? I want to go up on Shepherd's Plateau. It's a long trip. I don't care. And a rope. That doesn't matter. But you want to go there for? I'll pay you a thousand pounds to take me there and back. A thousand pounds? In American dollars, that ought to be about... That's all I can give you. You must want to go back. I'll pay you a thousand pounds to take me there and back. A thousand pounds? In American dollars, that ought to be about... That's all I can give you. Pretty bad. I do. A thousand pounds. Well? When do you want to leave? As soon as possible. Whatever you say. You're paying for it. How about me? What about you? Need an assistant? Do you want to go? I don't know much about the jungle, but I'm a good shot. Well, you got a job. I can get time off. One excitement, eh? Oh, I'd like to see what some of the rest of this continent has to offer. Sorry, bud, but... Just a moment. Eh? I think it's a good idea. You want him to go? I said I think it's a good idea. Look, I have enough trouble watching over one tour as much less than... You really want to make the trip? Very much. And you're a good shot? I have a marksman. All right, all right. If you want, we'll take him. You're paying for it, lady. Good. My name is Breckenridge. I'm John Steep. Look, Miss Breckenridge, you better tell me just where it is you want to go on Shepherd's Plot, so I got to get things together. Here's a map of the place marked on it. I'll let you decide the best way to get there. You leave everything to me. I will. I'm at the Bond Hotel. What time do you want to leave tomorrow? Oh, about five. You'll pick me up? I'll drop by. Five. You too, Mr. Steele. I'll be there in just a minute. Yes? I need a little... It's got to get together supplies, carriers. I don't expect me to finance it myself, do you? No, of course not. Here. 500 now. 500 more pounds when we get back. Fair enough. In the morning at five. That's right. Good night, gentlemen. Well, no, I can buy the drinks with a man. Ah, I guess you can. You're going to get your excitement all right. Yes. Trusting so, isn't she? What do you mean? She gives you 500 pounds and walks out. So, what's to stop you from walking out? A lot of things, bud. I just wondered. Hey, look here on this map she gave me. You see that circle? Yeah. That's where she wants to go. Middle of nowhere. And I know this spot, I think. I want to find out why a dame like her will spend a thousand pounds to get there. I guess I'd better figure the best way to travel, of course. I think we can get up to Wittlesley by car. On my job in the next morning we started off in the Bond Hotel in a couple of rented cars, loaded to the running boys with supplies and equipment. I thought you started breaking away for the while immediately. That's why the car surprised me. We drove over 160 miles that day and stopped on the road, ended abruptly at a trading post called Wittlesley. We spent the night there. Then loaded up our things and long boats and started to paddle up a wide muddy river. I was in one boat with Miss Breckenridge. Aslet and the huge black native called Schultz was in the other. All that second day we went upstream with few words spoken between us. Wasn't an almost sunset, as you spoke directly to me. It won't be pleasant to spend the night in a shore like that. Have you been up here before, Miss Breckenridge? Quite a while. Well, you don't seem to take notice of all the strange sounds, the scenery and everything. Oh? You act as if you've seen it all your life. Perhaps I have. You don't look like you spend much time in this office. I haven't. Let them go like that. I'll get it, sir. Yes. As if this is where we're in. Get up on that, buddy. Don't move. Don't show you. Ed was having trouble. Yes. He's talking to the boy. Let's get it sure. Sure. I'm gonna get up on it. Thanks for going up your head so full of water. I know what I'm doing. Let him come up for air. Thank you, my arm. We're drowning under. I gotta do what he's doing. Let him off. Let him off. I said let him off. More brainless with your arm. See how you like it. Come ahead. What did you do? Gotta teach his mate of your boss. He can't get any work out of it. That doesn't include drowning. I was just teaching him to live. You were perfectly right, Mr. Hazard. It was the only thing you could do. Well, of course it was. You'd let him drown this man? I was just giving him a little. What's the matter? Shut up. It sounds like drums. It does. Not good. He's in ya. Hand that bag out of the boat quick. What do you want? Get it. All right. And this for one? That's it. You can get two miles through this jungle if we don't. There. Not good, boy, not. It looks like a drum. What are you going? Quiet. Quite a trick. Quiet. Jungle telegraph system. Not good. Shut up, you. All right, still. Let's get to work. The beginning of danger and a piece of the unknown. There's much of these when in a moment we hear more in the story of John Steele, adventurer. Came quickly, almost before we got the tents set up on the riverbank. And later as I lay there under the mosquito netting, I heard the drums begin again far off in the jungle. All night they beat out their messages. Morning, and as we broke camp and started through the heavy growth inland, they seemed to follow us through the green wilderness. At night, Bart would take out his drum and answer those in the distance. While he beat on the drum head, the woman, Faye Breckenridge, would stare at him across the fire as it hypnotized, but never a glance at me or the native, Karlo. On the third day, we followed a path up the side of a rocky cliff until we finally reached what Bart called Shepherd's Plateau. Once on top, the going was easier through the tall grasses that covered the land as far as I could see, but the drums stayed with us. Bart gave me a rifle and put me last in line to watch for big cats, which he claimed were numerous in the area. And trailing the column, I got into trouble. The shock nearly broke my neck, and I swung at the end of a vine-like rope, head down under the tall half-bent tree. I'd read about snares. I'd opened a bent tree for a spring, and now I knew about them firsthand. I yelled for help and tried to pull myself high enough to reach the rope, but I couldn't make it to somewhere nearby. I heard a drum beating much closer than before, beating almost like a voice at night. Then I was free and fell head-first into the grass. Karlo was sliding down the tree from night in hand. You're good, Bonner. Not hurt. I think not. It got me by surprise. You were already quick to catch up with others. Thanks for cutting me down. I felt like a trapped animal. Go hurry fast. What's the rush? What's the cheeky country? Drums. Drums? Well, those were friends. Not friends. Of course they are. What's the cheeky set trap? Not yet. What's the matter? That arrow. I'll get it, I'll show it. No, still. It's not bad. Just through the flesh. Wait a minute, I am. Break the shaft. Push the arrow head through. Sorry if that hurt too much. We better get on with the others. Someone around here doesn't like us. Come on. Well, are you coming? In your hole. What's the matter with you? Arrow from what, cheeky? We'll get another when you stick around here. You come. No, that's more like it. Thanks for coming back when I yelled. I might have rung forever in that tree. Not long, die soon. Yeah, I suppose so. Didn't Bart and Miss Brackenridge hear me? They'd no stop. No, I guess they didn't. Funny, they didn't get caught up in the thing. Boss, wanna go around it. What? E.C. Robin Grasse was bent free. Take White Missy around the side. Oh, I see. Not good. But he didn't warn me. In your hole. What do you mean by that? Not good. I know, I know. Not good. Thanks anyway. Come on, we better catch up with the others. This Bart is tricky. Hazlet was surprised when we caught up to him. He didn't show it. Maybe I was wrong. Because I couldn't think of the single reason why he'd want to get rid of me. I was just a stranger along for the ride. And the arrow in Carlos' flesh showed me that maybe Bart had friends out there in the drums. That didn't mean they were my friends, too. Maybe he'd simply forgotten to warn me about the snare. Maybe it was a mistake, that arrow hitting Carlos. It might have been for me. I was going to be careful from here on. It was that afternoon when Bart called a halt. Map in hand and we gathered around him. All right, Faye, here's where you wanted to come. Is it? According to the map. Well, I don't see anything different. Are you sure this is the place? Told ya, told ya know this land like a book. Here's the four trees called for on the map. Well, I don't see why anyone would want to come here. Could be reasons of Faye. Yes. Well? Which way is north? North? Yes. Right toward the sun. There ought to be a... yes. There ought to be a what? Right over there. Come on. Just a pile of rock. Help me pull the top ones away. Yeah, I'll help y'all. Yeah. Yeah. After all these years. There should be a metal box. Gotta be here. I don't get it. Maybe. That might be it. Might be what? Yeah, that's it. Still intact. What is it? Got to open it, be sure. Give me the box, Tesla. Where's the exit? Got to open it. What's this all about? We'll see. What's in it? Give it to me. Give him. All of them. Give them to me, Bart. What are they? Give them to me, Bart. I knew if I waited long enough. They look like little bubbles. They're rock diamonds. What? I looked and looked and I'd never found them. But now you're not going to keep them. Not going to keep them? No, Bart. They're mine. They never were yours. But I didn't know who you were. I knew the minute you handed me the map. You still don't know. You walked up and hired me. Me, the one guy you wanted to meet. I didn't want to miss you. I was looking for you. Ms. Blackenridge, if Bart here has something that belongs to you. I wasn't sure you were the one, I wanted you to come along. Do you understand? I wanted it to be you. Well, it's over now. I don't have to wait anymore. Don't come any closer. You'd better put that gun down. Get back. That won't do any good. You're going to do a lot of good. Look, if you just tell me what's going on. You're going to wait until he's after I've been waiting all this time. You're crazy, Hazard. Now you can run while I just... Got you. Got you. Get that gun out of his hand before it goes off again. Oh, good. Now get up, Hazard. Get up. All right. Now what you're going to do? I got your pebbles, Faye. Thanks, Carla. Now what you're going to do? What'll it be, Faye? Kill him. Now, wait a minute. He deserves it. I have no doubt of that, but that's the job for the law. He's a murderer. That's why I brought you alone to kill him. Well, you brought the wrong guy. I'm beginning to see that. Carla and I will get you back to Port Edward. We'll let Bart here come along. In front of us. Go ahead. Try and get back. I'm staying here. All right. Stay. We can get back without you. You can try. Carla will help us. Dave's in the woods. Get back. I just want to pick up my pack. You wouldn't want to leave me without anything, would you? You can have your pack, but that's all now. I'll leave a gun for you at the edge of the plateau. Carla. Yes? Not good. What's not good? I'll leave White Boss here. Why not? In your home. Now listen. I've been patient enough. Go ahead. Get back without me if you can. Come on, Faye. You ought to kill him. We're not safe. Sorry. I'm not that kind. Are you coming? Yes. Your journey. What? What's out for the snare? Well, it's the last one that saved me the trouble. Now I'll let that jungle do my work for me. Come on, Faye. Do you have the diamonds? In my pocket. Keep them there. I will. What's that for? I don't know. It's part on his drum. He's signaling, I think. Talk with what cheeky. Oh, that native tribe? Bad people. Go hurry fast. Will they do what he says? Not good. Yes, they will. Bart Hazlett is the only white man who's been able to make friends with him. Then without Bart, he's going to travel as fast as we can. Two. Can you stand it? I can. Let's go. Suspense and action. One leads to the other. The result will hear in just a moment with the climax of another adventure with John Steele. We made good time back across the plateau down the side of the cliff and into the jungle below. But no matter how fast we could travel, even if we could run across the treetops like the monkeys above us, we couldn't have outrun the drums. They were always behind us. As we went through the night, we could hear them beginning on one side of us, too. Bart's drum had told them something, and they were taking his orders. I didn't have to use my imagination to know what those orders were. It was hard-going, but they seemed to be holding up remarkably well. It was a native boy, Carlo, that surprised me. Each step he took was becoming harder for him, and I could see lines of pain forming on his face. His lips were clamped tight, and he shook his head when I tried to question him. Carlo couldn't fail on the snarl. We'd never get back to the river without him. I don't know how long we'd fought our way through the jungle, resting only a few hours at night, and pushing on behind Carlo's unsteady lead. All I remember are the drums, and there were voices, too, chanting softly. So softly, you weren't sure they were there. It was nearly morning when Carlo finally dropped to the ground in front of us. No, no, good. Are we near the river? River up there, both. We'd better hurry. Come on, Carlo. You go, I die here. What? Now I die. You're not going to die. My cheeky arrow, I die. That was just a flesh wound, wasn't it? Was he hit with an arrow? Yes, not badly. Just after we got up on the plateau. Why didn't you tell me? Well, I didn't think about it. Well, cheeky arrow's a poison. You can't survive a hit in the body. He didn't tell me. Well, we couldn't have done anything anyway, except make him comfortable. The wound is in the body. There's no hope. Go to river. Was cheeky drums? John. Yes? You noticed the difference? The drums? They're coming from the river, too. Yeah, all around us. Well, we tried. Now we'll have to fight. Go fight. Kill, quick. They're coming closer. Sit tight. I'll fix it so they'll... Wait. Carlo. Carlo. Why not? I know you've done a lot for us, but you've got to do just one more thing. I die. Can you talk to them, Carlo? Can you make them understand? I try. Well, I can talk. All right, listen. Tell them if they don't go away, I'll bring rain. Heavy rain. Very quick. You'll make rain. Yeah, that's it. But son, right... There's just a few clouds overhead. Can you do it? Tell them I will bring strong rain that they do not go. All right. I'll call them. I'll call them. Hey! Hey, you! Hey! Listen, listen! More none. More none. More none. You think they heard? Of course they did. I hope it works. It'll only give us time. All I need is time. They'll wait for a little while out of curiosity. Then when the rain doesn't come, they'll get impatient. Oh, it's no use, John. It's just prolonging it. It's our one chance to get to those boats. I knew it was a good impulse to have you come along. At least you've tried. Well, it's lucky Carlo here could speak. Carlo did. He lived just long enough. Yeah, just long enough. Are your pebbles worth it? No, John. We sat there beside the body of Carlo, looked out at the undergrowth, neither saying a word. All around us, we could feel eyes looking in on us, waving. There wasn't a sound from the jungle except chattering of birds and monkeys. You'd never know a hundred or more little men with spears, arrows, and drums were crouched around us in a huge circle. It was too quiet. Then the drums started as their patients wore out. There wasn't going to be enough time. They was right. The idea had only prolonged the ending. I picked up the rifle, caught it, and pulled extra rounds of ammunition out of the pack. There was a full place for a fight, but there wasn't any choice. The drums were getting out and I could feel the circle moving in. There wasn't enough time. Any moment the arrows would pour in from the brush around us and the little men would fall after. I lifted the rifle ready to shoot at the first target I saw. Then the sun went out as a heavy black cloud swept over and the drums broke their rhythm. A moment later the rain started. Suddenly, heavily. Head for the river. Wonderful rain. Over this way. Rain! Gotta get on the river before they recover. Water! The boats ought to be here. There it is. There's one. Come on. Get in. I got it on fire. Hi, man. Lie down on the boat. Just in case. It's all right. They won't follow one of their own territory. I'm not so sure. That's what Father said. Your father? He sent me, John. Forget the diamonds? Yes. I'm to find Bart Haslick. There wasn't anybody else to send. Father and my brother, Jack, were here before the war prospecting for diamonds. Bart went out on a partnership with them. When he started home after hitting a strike, Bart killed my brother. He tried to kill Father. Oh, I see. Father hid the box of diamonds up on the plateau so that Bart couldn't kill him for them. That's why Father couldn't come himself. Why? Well, Bart tortured him. He found where they'd been hidden. He hasn't been able to walk since. It was his word against my father, so no court would ever convict Bart. And you were going to lure him into the jungle. Kill him some way. Well, that was my idea, not Father. He just wanted the diamonds. You could have done it. I know. But you didn't. Why? I couldn't. I... I wasn't man enough. You mean you weren't animal enough? Well, I'll give you what you came after, and you can have them. You're, uh, dying. Something wrong? Well, I had them in this pocket. The lower seam is ripped. They're gone. Gribbled out back there in the jungle. They're gone. They're gone. They're gone. They're gone. They're gone. They're gone. They're gone. Back there in the jungle. There's one left. Small one. Well, that's best. I'm sorry. That's all right. At least you can have the police pick up Bart when he comes out. I'll back up any charges you make. Maybe not for your brother's murder, but this kind of other's we can make. Here, you keep this last pebble and saboteurs. No, you keep it, John. You might need it Franks, maybe I will, being you, huh? You don't say it quite right. I'll have to teach you. If you tell me how you knew it, we're going to rain. Well, you've forgotten. I'm a weatherman. Now, you see, when the dew point is high, then you have a certain cloud for me, which in the cloud, which is known as a secondary cold. Now, this Russian is the most secondary cold.