"Uh-huh. And you met the funny little man, I suppose?"
"If you mean Bhruulo," Conley said with a grimace, "we sure did! Is he head man here?"
"More about that later. My name's Spurlin. Ross, Fleming, Adams," he introduced the others.
Jim was staring at the speaker, a huge man with a purposeful set to his unshaven jaw. "Then you're Gregg Spurlin, who headed the scientific expedition three years ago in the search for M'Tonak!"
"And found it, as you can see. Found it too damn well. But we weren't the first. What about you?"
Briefly, Jim told of their trek, and of his search for his brother. "What about him?" he said in imitation of Spurlin's own brusqueness. "Frank Landor. He should have arrived here weeks ago, unless—"
He stopped there, looking from one to the other. The men were looking uncomfortably at each other.
"No Frank Landor ever showed up here," Adams said.
Fleming nodded agreement, a little too hurriedly, Jim thought, and none of the men would look directly at him.
"They're lying to you," Spurlin said. "You might as well know the truth; but before I tell you about it let's get back inside, out of this green hell."