Daoud pointed to the two Africans, who stood calmly by, awaiting orders.
"_They_ know. In the jungle below the great desert, where it is very hot
and wet, a body can rot in hours. Tiny men, less than half our size,
live there, and they hunt large animals for their meat. They smear this
stuff on their darts. It comes from a mushroom that grows in their
forest. The animal struck is paralyzed and unconscious, but it lives.
They have time to carry it back to their village, which may take days,
and then they can slaughter it and butcher it."
"But what a blessing this could be for the wounded and the sick," said
Lorenzo. "Why does the world not know of it?"
Daoud shrugged. "The tiny men kill those who venture into their forests.
What little is brought back by Arab traders is kept as a precious
secret. Only sultans may permit its use." He turned to the two blacks.
"Take him upstairs now."