
On a quiet night aboard a small vessel cutting through the phosphorescent waters of the Spanish Main, Doctor Leyden and his shipmate swap stories about the elusive workings of the mind. Their banter drifts from conventional trauma to the unsettling notion that an organ could poison the brain, hinting at a case that defies ordinary medicine. This conversation sets the tone for a tale that blends scientific curiosity with a creeping sense of dread.
When Leyden recalls a haunting expedition into the remote highlands of Papua, the narrative shifts to a landscape of mist‑shrouded valleys, rainbow‑arched canyons, and a towering mountain that locals whisper about as a source of primal fear. The protagonist, drawn by the promise of gold and the mystery of the mountain, confronts exotic flora, uncanny visions, and the thin line between courage and madness. Listeners are invited to follow his uneasy trek, where every step up the slope tests both intellect and nerve.
Language
en
Duration
~4 hours (278K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by Barry Abrahamsen and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive)
Release date
2018-01-24
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1874–1933
A practicing surgeon who also built a career in popular fiction, he wrote adventure and mystery stories that reached a wide audience and even made their way to the screen. His work has the brisk, high-stakes feel of early 20th-century magazine storytelling.
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