IT was in Batavia I met him--at the Hotel des Indes--the leather--visaged, stormy-voiced ruin of a very powerful man. I shall call him Thurston. He laughed when I spoke of Five-Skull Island. "Where they found the five skeletons?" he said. "I see you've made the Aru voyage. Or was it the Ke? Lived in Ke once myself " "Yes Would he take anything?" He would, and did--then did again, and expanded. "You're a young chap to have gone poking down into that out-of-the-way corner. Not trade, I can see Money to throw away, eh? Or was it Science? Never mind About this Five-Skull business People here...