Page:Weird Tales Volume 27 Number 02 (1936-02).djvu/8

Barry interrupted. "I thought they were kind of green, or something."

"In their wild state, yes—with a double row of large, oval, black spots on the back. But this—my pet—has lived for three years inside a trunk, my friend. In darkness. Bleached out. You see, he eats a—well, let us say, a meal—and then he sleeps six months until he is hungry again."

Barry shuddered. "You were talking about Cariaco."

"So! To be sure. The other natives told me there was just one man who could always catch the giant devil-snake—Cariaco. He possessed magic power over the reptiles, they said. They even devoured all his enemies, if he commanded."

"Hooey!" snorted Barry.

"Not hooey," insisted Vroom. "I found it was the truth. Not magic, but a rare potion he carried in an Indian vial of clay. A potion that has an effect upon these huge anaconda much like catnip has upon the cat family. It attracts them powerfully and, unless they are already gorged, stimulates their appetite tremendously."

"Oh, yeah?" demanded Barry sarcastically.

"Cariaco would place some of the substance upon a lamb. The lamb would be staked a short distance from the water's edge, as bait. The anaconda would be attracted. When he had swallowed the lamb he would become sluggish, and unable to move quickly. The natives would pounce upon him with lassoes—so!"

"Well, what of it?" Barry was prodding him on, stalling for time.

"Only this, my friend. Cariaco used it also to rid himself of his enemies. He would place some of the substance upon the clothing of the enemy. The odor is almost indistinguishable to a human being. The first time the enemy approached the water's edge, at night—pouf! He vanished! So!"

"That musty, sickening odor I noticed when I first came in?" asked Barry, and Vroom nodded and went on:

"'Twas the truth. I know. My companion on the expedition, a surly fellow, immensely rich, who was financing the trip, carried a huge amount of cash, but would spend none of it. I grew to hate him. So I anointed his clothing with Cariaco's snake potion. That night Rutherford Giblin went down to the water's edge—and never came back!"

Barry cried out in horror at Vroom's calm recital. "You—you murdered him? Man, you mean to say, you let him be devoured by a snake?"

Vroom smiled. He was immensely pleased with himself.

"My knowledge opened up a whole world of pleasing possibilities, my friend. I brought Cariaco and a living specimen of the anaconda back with me on my yacht."

"Your yacht?"

"I forgot to tell you, my friend. I bought the yacht with the money Giblin should have spent, but didn't. But it takes money to support a yacht. A year later I was nearing the end of my resources. I cultivated the acquaintance of Jakob Pfrimmer, the wealthy old——"

Barry interrupted. "I know. The rich old jewel merchant, who disappeared a year ago, with a hundred thousand dollars worth of diamonds. Man, oh man, what I'd give to work on a case like that!"

Vroom fingered his beard and sighed.

"After all, a hundred thousand dollars doesn't go very far when one has a yacht like mine to support. Have you seen it, down at pier number——"

Barry interrupted with a cry of horror.

"You fiend! You placed that ointment on his clothing, so your ghastly silver