"Conway!" "We can't take more than seven." "All right." "I'm sorry." "Another plane in a minute." "All right." "Wait, everybody." "Plenty of planes are coming." "Have patience, we'll be all right." " It won't be long!" " Don't worry." "Leave everything to my brother." " Yes, sir, 10 passengers aboard." "10 passengers." "Good." "Say, get me Shanghai." " Is Colonel Marsh there?" " Right here, Conway." "Go ahead." "I need more planes." "I've still about 30 people to get out." " Where are the planes you promised?" " We sent all we could find." "They better get here, or I can't be responsible..." " I think I hear motors." " Wait a minute, they may be here now." "George, get down on the field and guide those planes in." "Be sure none of the natives get in." " Hello, Colonel?" " Hello, Conway." " Thanks, and take care of your liver." " My word!" "Get ready, everyone." "Planes are here." "One at a time." "Children first." "Where are they?" "Come stand over here." "Where's the mother?" " They're orphans." " I see." "You come here, and you..." " What about us, Mr. Conway?" " Wait your turn." "Come on, you." "Take some of those squealing men with you first." "They might faint on you." "I'll wait." "Just as you say." "You, madam." "Come through here." "Wait on one side." " Don't lose your heads!" " What was that explosion?" "They've blown up the powerhouse!" "The planes can't land without lights." "We'll burn the hangar." "That will make light for them." "There's going to be a big fire." "All right." "Go ahead!" "We go on the next plane." "Bring out any people that are left." " Hello, Fenner." " Hello, Conway." "Having a little trouble?" "Never mind me." "Get this gadget off the ground." " Bob, these are all that are left." " Quick." "You can't leave me here, you blighter!" "I'm a British subject." "Look out, Bob!" "All right, Fenner." "Go ahead!" "Down on the floor!" "Go ahead, Fenner!" "Let's go!" "I guess we're out of range." " Everybody all right?" " That was close." "I've never been in a situation like this in my life." " Where do you come from?" " I'm Alexander P. Lovett." " Why aren't you registered?" " It'd serve you right to be left behind." "How could I know a war was going to break out over my head?" "Right over my head." "My word!" "Those Chinese were pouncing on me." "I had to get into these ridiculous clothes in order to escape." " Where were you hiding?" " Hiding?" "No." "Hunting." "I was in the interior hunting fossils." " This morning I looked up suddenly..." " And a war broke out right over your head!" "Next time you're in wild country like this, keep in touch with the British consul." "Very good, Freshie." "Put his name on the list and make out a report later." "I beg your pardon, brother." " What did you say you were hunting?" " Fossils." " Fossils?" " I'm a palaeontologist." " A what?" " A palaeontologist." "I see." "I have here a discovery that will startle the world." "It's the vertebra from the lumbar of a Megatherium, found in Asia." " What do you know about that?" " Found in Asia." "When I get home, I'll probably be knighted for it." "You don't say!" " Do you mind if I take a look at it?" " Not at all." "Sorry." "This is the only thing I was able to save when those heathens surrounded me." "From this vertebra, I'll be able to reconstruct the entire skeleton..." "You expect to be knighted for finding that soup bone?" "This is the vertebra of a Megatherium found in Asia." "I remember." "You said that before." "Sir Henry Derwent was knighted." "He never got beyond the Mesozoic era." " Poor fellow!" " Yes, it just shows..." "I don't know why I'm talking to you." "Who are you?" " Okay, brother." " Don't call me "brother. "" "Okay, sister." "No offence." "Cigarette?" " I say, will you have a cigarette?" " No." "You're an American, aren't you?" "Go and annoy the rest of your playmates." "Let me alone." "Look what I found." "Just what I needed, too." "You." "Just this once, Bob." "I feel like celebrating." "Think of it." "A cruiser sent to Shanghai just to take you back to England." "You know what it means?" "Here you are." "Don't bother about those cables now." "I want you to drink with me." "Gentlemen, I give you Robert Conway, England's new Foreign Secretary." "Hooray!" "How I'm going to bask in reflected glory." "People will point to me and say:" ""There goes George Conway, brother of the Foreign Secretary. "" " Don't talk nonsense." "Give me the bottle." " That's why they're sending for you." "With all these foreign entanglements, it was bound to happen." "You can laugh if you want to." "But whom else can they get?" "Who else in England is half the fighter and half the diplomat who has half your knowledge of the foreign situation?" "They can't stop you now." "Hello, Freshie." " Did you make that report out yet?" " Yes, Bob." " Did you say we saved 90 white people?" " Yes." "Hooray for us." "Did you say that we left 10,000 natives down there to be annihilated?" "No, you wouldn't say that." "They don't count." "You'd better try to get some sleep." "Just you wait until I'm foreign secretary." "Can't you just see me with all those other shrewd little foreign secretaries?" "The trick is to see who can outtalk the other." "Everybody wants something for nothing." "If you can't get it with smooth talk, you send your army in." "I'm going to fool them." "I'm not going to have an army." "I am going to disband mine." "I'm going to sink my battleships." "I'm going to destroy every piece of warcraft." "When the enemy approaches, we'll say:" ""Come in, gentlemen." "What can we do for you?"" "So then the poor enemy soldiers will stop and think." "And what will they think?" "They'll say, "Something's wrong here, we've been duped!" ""This is not according to form." ""These people seem quite friendly." "Why should we shoot them?"" "Then they'll lay down their arms." "You see how simple the whole thing is?" "Centuries of tradition kicked right in the pants." "And I'll be slapped straight into the nearest insane asylum." "You'd better not drink anymore." "You're not talking sense." "Don't worry, George, nothing's going to happen." "I'll fall right into line." "I'll be the good little boy that everybody wants me to be." "I'll be the best little foreign secretary we've ever had." "Just because I haven't the nerve to be anything else." " Do try to sleep, Bob." " Yes." "Good thing, sleep." "Ever notice the sunrise in China?" "You should." "It's beautiful." "Good morning, Lovey." " I beg your pardon?" " I say, "Good morning, Lovey. "" "Good morning." "Look here, young man." "I didn't care for "sister" last night, and I don't like "Lovey" this morning." " My name is Lovett, Alexander P." " I see." " It's a good morning, anyway." " I'm never conversational before coffee." "Wait a minute." "Is it a good morning?" "We're supposed to be travelling east, aren't we?" " Of course." " It looks to me as if we're travelling west." " That's ridiculous." " Is it?" "It certainly is." "Any child knows how to tell direction." "I don't care where the child is, in the air, on the earth, or in the sea." "If you face the rising sun, your right hand is north, your left hand is south." "I get it twisted because I'm left-handed." " Really?" " Yes." "Just reverse it." "Your left hand is..." "What difference does it make?" "The north is the north." "All I know is the sun rises in the east, and we're going away from it." "Now you're irritating and absurd." "Of course." "Boy!" "We're travelling in the wrong direction." " We're going in the wrong direction." " Couldn't you make less noise?" "We're going west, and Shanghai is way east of here." "Quiet!" "Fenner's the best pilot in China." " It's Fenner." " He may have lost his way." "That's what I told him." "You can't expect him to sail in the dark." "Calm yourself." "I'll speak to Fenner." "Fenner!" "I say..." " Bob, it isn't Fenner in the cockpit!" " Stop it." "The bloke up there looks Chinese or Mongolian." "We're nowhere near Shanghai." "We're going in the opposite direction." "We're over the desert." "That's funny." "Charming chap." "Nice puss to meet in a dark alley." " That's that." " I wonder what happened to Fenner." "Who is he?" "How'd he get there?" "Do you think we stopped last night and changed pilots?" "That's not possible." "If we'd landed, we would've awakened." "We never left the air." "I didn't sleep the whole night long." " That fellow got on at Baskul." " Where's he taking us?" "He may be a maniac for all we know." "What are you going to do?" " I'll make him tell us his game." " What if he refuses?" " We'll smash his face in." " Brilliant!" "Can anyone here fly a plane?" "That's no good." " I guess we're in for it." " In for what?" "I don't know." "He must have had some purpose in taking the plane." " When he lands, we'll find out." " You won't do anything till we land?" " What do you suggest?" " Why, you..." " He may dash us to pieces." " It might afford you a great deal of relief." "I am going back to sleep." "I was having such a peaceful dream." "As soon as he lands, let me know." "We're heading down!" "We're going to land." "We're coming to a village." " What are these people?" " I don't know." "I can't get their dialect." "They're loading up with gasoline." "Imagine having that fuel there, waiting for us!" "Something tells me our journey is just beginning." "Where are we going?" "If you ask me, we're heading straight for those mountains." "Douglas plane from Baskul with Conway and four others aboard still missing." "Unreported between here and Baskul." "Make it very emphatic that His Majesty's government will hold the Chinese government and all governors of Chinese provinces responsible for the complete safety of Robert Conway." "Good morning, gentlemen." " No news yet, sir?" " It's fantastic." "The plane couldn't disappear into thin air." "Cable Lord Gainsford at Shanghai." "Leave no stone unturned to find Conway." " Robertson?" " Yes, sir." "Postpone the Far East conference." "We can't meet those nations without Conway." "This can't be kidnapping." "They wouldn't be taking us so far on such a dangerous trip." "No sense to it." "What do you make of it, Bob?" "You must have some idea." "I give it up." "Not knowing where you're going is exciting anyway." "Mr. Conway, for a man who's supposed to be a leader your do-nothing attitude is very disappointing." " What do you want him to do?" " I don't know." "I'm a palaeontologist, not a foreign secretary." " George, come on." " It's not knowing that's so awful." "Not knowing where you're going, why, or what's waiting when you get there." "We got above that storm." "I can't stand it any longer!" "Take us down!" "I can't stand the pain any longer." "Let me out of here!" "I can't stand it any longer!" "Let me out of here!" "It's oxygen." " Take this in your teeth." " Let me alone." "Come on." "That's right." "Bite on that." "What's that?" " What's happening?" " He must have run out of fuel." "Look!" "Look down there!" "George!" "Everybody!" "Better get back towards the tail." "He may nose her over." "Into the corner!" "Quick, George!" "Cushions!" "Blankets!" "Take that behind you." " Everybody all right?" " Yeah." " He's fainted?" " Looks like it." "You smell those fumes?" "Here, George, take the gun." "Hold the light." "I'll search him before he comes to." "We might find something interesting." "There's a map." " He's dead." " Dead?" "It must have happened when he hit the ground." "Let's take a look at this map." "What is it?" " See that spot?" " Yes." "That's where we were this morning." "He had it marked." "Right on the border of Tibet." "Here's where civilisation ends." "We must be 1,000 miles beyond it." "Just a blank on the map." " What does it mean?" " It means we're in unexplored country." "Country nobody ever reached." "Conway!" "What's happening?" "Our chances of getting out of this are slim, but it's up to us." "We can't have three hysterical people on our hands." " What do you say?" " Everything's all right." "The pilot won't trouble us anymore." "He's dead." " Dead?" " Probably a heart attack." "What are we going to do?" "Nothing until the morning." "The storm will probably die down before then." "My suggestion is that we better all try and get a good night's rest." "Why not tell them the truth." "We're a million miles from civilisation without a chance of getting out of here alive?" "It's slow starvation." "It's slow horrible death." "That's perfect." "Just perfect." "What a kick I'm going to get out of this." "A year ago, a doctor gave me six months to live." "That was a year ago." "I'm already six months to the good." "I'm on velvet." "I haven't got a thing to lose." "But, you, the noble animals of the human race what a kick I'll get out of watching you squirm for a change." "What a kick!" "They've been gone for hours." "Left us here to rot." "That's what they've done." " Heroes of the newspapers." " All right." "Keep quiet." "Here they come." "Hello, everybody." "We found some food." "No chance of starving now." " What is that?" " Mountain grass." "It's good." "Have some." "I've read of people lasting 30 days on this stuff." "My brother and I have worked out a plan." "If we use our heads we'll keep alive for weeks, till he gets back." " Gets back?" " Where's he gone?" "He's starting out right away in the direction of India." "Sooner or later, he's bound to run into a tribe or something." "Here's the idea." "We found a cave over that small hill." "As soon as we bury the pilot, we'll move in." "We can have a fire." "I shouldn't be surprised to see Bob back within a week." "You haven't a Chinaman's chance of getting out of here alive." "You know it." " Cave?" "Where?" " Over by that hill." "Hey, look!" "Look, Bob!" " Where are they?" "Do you see them?" " Yes." "Do you think they're cannibals?" "I am from the nearby lamasery." "My name is Chang." "He's speaking English." " And mine's Conway." " How do you do?" "You've no idea how unexpected and very welcome you are." "My friends and I, and the lady in the plane left Baskul the night before last for Shanghai." "But we were travelling in the opposite direction." "At the mercy of a mad pilot." " We'd be eternally grateful if you..." " Where is your "mad" pilot?" "He must have had a heart attack, or perhaps the fumes." "When the plane landed he was dead." "We were going to bury him when you came along." "Pardon me." "If you will be good enough to direct us to your lamasery..." "It is an honour to accompany you and your friends." "You'll need suitable clothes for the journey." " It is not particularly far, but quite difficult." " Thank you." "Welcome to Shangri-La." "You see we are sheltered by mountains on every side." "A strange phenomenon for which we are very grateful." "It's magical." " I definitely do not like this place." " Will you quit squawking?" " Look at what they gave me to wear." " You never looked better." "As soon as our clothes are cleaned, they'll give them back to us, Lovey." "Something tells me this means food." "Come on." "I just feel as though I'm being made ready for the executioner." "If this be execution, lead me to it." "That's what they do with cattle just before the slaughter." "Fatten them." " You're a scream, Lovey." " Please don't call me "Lovey. "" "That was refreshing." "The food looks good." "Some layout they got here." "You see the rooms?" "Couldn't do better at the Ritz." "All the conveniences for the condemned." " Don't mind Lovey." "He's got the misery." " I don't like this place." "It's too mysterious." "It's better than freezing to death down below, isn't it?" "Is there something I can do for you?" " What do you want?" " I've ordered you some warm broth." " I thought perhaps..." " Get out of here!" "If any of you men think you can come busting in here..." "Please." "Please calm yourself." "You'll soon be well if you do." "I don't need any advice from you." "Get me a doctor." " I'm sorry, we have no doctors here." " No doctors." "Well, that's just fine." " Please let me help you." " You can help me jump over that cliff." "I've been looking at the bottom of that mountain but I haven't got the nerve to jump." "You shouldn't be looking at the bottom of the mountain." "Why don't you try looking up at the top sometime?" "Don't preach that cheap, second-hand stuff to me." "Go on, beat it!" "Beat it!" "Peace be with you, my child." "Good evening, my friends." "Please sit down." " I hope you found everything satisfactory." " Swell." "Excellent." " You shouldn't have waited for me." " Where's the girl?" "Miss Stone." "She's remaining in her room." "She isn't feeling very well." "Please go on without me." "I eat very little." "There's certainly nothing wrong with that meal." "Thank you." " And the wine is excellent." " I'm glad you like it." "It's made right here in the valley." "Now that dinner is over, we're very anxious to discuss ways and means of getting back home." "First, we want to cable the Foreign Office." "England's waiting for news of my brother." "There's a cruiser at Shanghai to take him back." "Really?" "As regards cabling, I'm afraid I can't help." "Unfortunately we have no wireless here." "As a matter of fact, we have no means of communication with the outside world." " Not even a radio?" " It's been a source of deep regret but the mountains surrounding us have made reception almost impossible." "We'd better make arrangements to get some porters immediately." "Some means to get us back to civilisation." " Are you so certain you are away from it?" " As far away as I ever want to be." "The porters will be very well paid." "That is, within reason." "I'm afraid that wouldn't help." "We have no porters here." "No porters here?" "What about those men we met this morning?" "Those are our own people." "They never venture beyond where you were met this morning." "It's much too hazardous." "How do you account for all this?" "Who brought it in?" "There is a tribe of porters some 500 miles from here." "That is our only contact with the outside world." "Every now and again, depending upon favourable weather, they make the journey." " How can we get in touch with them?" " In that respect you are very fortunate." "We are expecting a shipment from them almost any time now." "What do you mean by "almost any time now"?" "We've been expecting this particular shipment for the past two years." " Two years?" " Yes." "Well..." "But I assure you, gentlemen, if there is a prolonged delay Shangri-La will endeavour to make your stay as pleasant as possible." "And now, if you will excuse me, it is getting late." "I do hope you all sleep well." "Good night." "Good night, Mr. Conway." "Good night, sir." "That's what I mean, mysterious." "I don't like that man." "He's too vague." "We didn't get much information out of him, did we?" "It seems we should be grateful." "We were in a bad mess this morning." "After all, this is quite pleasant." "Why not make ourselves comfortable until the porters do arrive?" "That's what I say." "What do you say to a rubber of bridge?" " I saw some cards in the other room." " Not for me, thanks." "I'm too weary." "How about you, Lovey?" "Come on." "Let's you and I play a game of honeymoon bridge." " I'm thinking." " Thinking?" " What about some double solitaire?" " In fact, I'm very good at it." " No kidding?" " Yes." "Then I'm your man." "Come on, Toots." " Hello, George." "Cigarette?" " Thanks." "I suppose all this comes under the heading of adventure." "There's been plenty of it in the last few days." "It's far from over from what I can see." "This place gives me the creeps." "Hidden away like this, no contact with civilisation." "You don't seem concerned at all." "I'm feeling far too peaceful to be concerned about anything." "I think I'm going to like it here." "You talk as if you intend on staying." "Something happened to me when we arrived here that..." "Did you ever go to a strange place and feel sure you'd been there before?" " What are you talking about?" " I don't know." "You're a strange bird." "No wonder Gainsford calls you:" ""The man who always wanted to see the other side of the hill. "" "Do you ever want to see what's on the other side?" "What else could there be, except another hill?" "In any event, I'm not curious." "It seems to me we should be concerned about getting home." " I'd give anything to be in London now." " Of course you would." "If ever we get out of this place, you should take that job with Helen's father." "What do you mean, "lf"?" " Did I say, "lf"?" " That's what you said." "Well, I mean..." "You talk as though we're going to have trouble getting out of here." "I've been putting things together." "Do you notice the resemblance between those natives and the pilot?" "Why did those clothes materialise so conveniently when they met us?" "Chang himself just said that they never venture beyond that point." "What brought them there, unless it was to meet us?" "Chang's first question was about the pilot." "There must be some connection between the plane and this place." "They must have deliberately brought us here." "What reason could they have for doing a thing like that?" "That's what's on the other side of the hill." "It's 3,000 feet practically straight down to the floor of the valley." "The Valley of the Blue Moon, as we call it." "There are over 2,000 people in the valley besides those here in Shangri-La." "Who and what is Shangri-La?" "You?" "Goodness, no." " So there are others?" " Yes." " Who, for instance?" " In time you will meet them all." "For a man who talks a lot, it's amazing how unenlightening you can be." "There are some things, my dear Conway, I deeply regret I may not discuss." "That's the fourth time you've said that." "You should record it." "Let's go inside." "I'd like to show you our rare treasures." " Good afternoon." " Excuse me, I..." "Please, don't go." "Tea will be served any moment." "Won't you come in?" "My name is Maria." "Won't you sit down?" "By the way, what religion do you follow here?" "To put it simply, I should say that our general belief was in moderation." "We preach the virtue of avoiding excesses of every kind." "Even including excess of virtue itself." "That's intelligent." "In the valley, it makes for better happiness among the natives." "We rule with moderate strictness and in return, we are satisfied with moderate obedience." "As a result, our people are moderately honest, moderately chaste and somewhat more than moderately happy." "How about law and order?" "You have no soldiers or police?" "Good heavens, no!" "How do you deal with incorrigibles, criminals?" "We have no crime here." "What makes a criminal?" "Lack, usually." "Avariciousness, envy." "The desire to possess something owned by another." "There can be no crime when there is a sufficiency of everything." "You have no disputes over women?" "Only very rarely." "It wouldn't be considered good manners to take a woman that another man wanted." "Suppose he wanted her so badly that he didn't give a hang if it was good manners or not." "In that event, it would be good manners on the part of the other man to let him have her." "That's very convenient." "I think I'd like that." "You'd be surprised how a little courtesy all around helps to smooth out the most complicated problems." "At some time in the future you will have the pleasure of meeting her." "Some man had better get ready to be very courteous to me." "Mr. Chang, all these things, books, instruments, sculpture were they all brought in over those mountains by porters?" "They were." " That must have taken..." " Centuries." "Centuries." "Where did you get the money to pay for all these treasures?" "We have no money as you know it." "We do not buy or sell or seek personal fortunes because there is no uncertain future here for which to accumulate it." "That would suit me perfectly." "I'm always broke." "How did you pay for them?" "Our valley is very rich in a metal called gold which, fortunately for us, is valued very highly in the outside world." " So, we merely..." " Buy and sell." "Buy and sell..." "Pardon me." "Exchange." "I see." "Gold for ideas." "There's something so simple and naive about all this that I suspect there's been a shrewd guiding intelligence somewhere." "Whose idea was it?" "How did it all start?" "That, my dear Conway, is the story of a remarkable man." "Who?" "A Belgian priest by the name of Father Perrault." "The first European to find this place and a very great man indeed." "He is responsible for everything you see here." "He built Shangri-La, taught the natives and began our collection of art." "In fact, Shangri-La is Father Perrault." "When was all this?" "Way back in 1713, I think it was that Father Perrault stumbled into the valley, half-frozen to death." "It was typical of the man that one leg being frozen and there being no doctors here, he amputated the leg himself." "He amputated his own leg?" "Oddly enough, when he had learned to understand their language the natives told him he could have saved his leg." "It would've healed without amputation." " They didn't actually mean that?" " Yes." "They were very sincere about it, too." "You see, a perfect body in perfect health was the rule here." "They've never known anything different." "What was true for them, they thought would be true for anyone else living here." "Well, is it?" "Rather astonishingly so, yes." "Particularly in the case of Father Perrault himself." "When he and the natives had finished building Shangri-La he was 108 years old and still very active in spite of having only one leg." "108 and still active?" "You're startled." "No, I'm just a little bowled over, that's all." "Forgive me." "I should've told you it's quite common here to live to a very ripe old age." "Climate, diet, mountain water, you might say." "But we like to believe it is the absence of struggle in the way we live." "In your countries, on the other hand, how often do you hear the expression:" ""He worried himself to death," or, "This thing or that killed him"?" " Very often." " And very true." "Your lives are, therefore, as a rule, shorter." "Not so much by natural death, as by indirect suicide." "That's all very fine if it works out." "A little amazing, of course." "You surprise me." "I surprise you!" "Now, that's news." "I mean your amazement." "I could've understood it in any of your companions, but you who have dreamed and written so much about better worlds." "Or is it that you fail to recognise one of your own dreams when you see it?" "If you don't mind, I think I'll go on being amazed..." " ... in moderation, of course." " Then everything's quite all right?" "It's terrific!" "I just saw something that'd make your hair stand on end." "You see those hills over there?" "Gold." "Popping right out of them." "Tons of it." "You keep this under your hat." "If the others hear about it, they'll declare themselves in." "But if I can mine that stuff, I'll throw a bombshell into Wall Street." "Now look, I've got a plan and if I..." "Say, honey you ain't feeling so well, are you?" "Don't pay attention to what those doctors tell you." "I've seen a lot of people fool 'em." "And I've got a hunch this place is gonna be good for you." "Honest I have." "Come on, you be a good kid and snap out of it." "And I'll cut you in on the gold deal." "I'm going up and make a deal with Chang right now." "Oh, my!" " Good morning." " Good morning, Mr. Conway." " You speak English?" " Yes, sir." " Would you like to take a ride?" " No, thanks." "Not just now." "Well, I think I'll take that ride." "Fossils!" "Why?" "What for?" "Running around digging up a lot of old bones." "You didn't dig yourself out of one of those holes by any chance?" "You seem gay." "Did you find out anything?" "I heard that if you want a man's wife, she's yours if he's got any manners." " Nothing about the porters yet?" " Porters?" "We've been here two weeks and we haven't found out a thing." "Well, we haven't been murdered in our beds yet, have we?" "I'm afraid the porters are just a myth." "Guess we'll never know why we're here or how long we'll be held prisoners." "Hurry up, you slowpokes." "I'm starved." ""Please, do not wait for me." ""I eat so very little. "" " Good evening." " Good evening." "I'm glad to see us all finally organised." "Okay, handsome." "Dish it out and make it snappy." " What's happened to you?" " Nothing." "Why?" "You look beautiful." "That's unkind." "Miss Stone always looks beautiful." "I got it." "It's your make-up." "You've got none on." "Honey, you look a million percent better." "Wholesome, kind of, and clean." "Take a tip from me, don't ever put that stuff on your face again." "It's like hiding behind a mask." "Who're you to talk about a mask?" "What do you mean?" "You've been wearing a mask ever since we met you." "Have I?" "Strange, you've never told us anything about yourself." "Who are you, anyway?" "Why not take your mask off for once?" "Unbosom yourself, Mr. Hyde." "All right, I will." "I'll let my hair down." "Why not?" "It can't make any real difference now." "Lovey..." " ... were you ever chased by the police?" " Certainly not!" "Believe me, it's no fun." "When you picked me up at Baskul, they were on my tail for a year." "The police?" "Did you ever hear of Chalmers Bryant?" "Chalmers Bryant?" "Bryant Utilities." "That's me." "I knew it." "I knew I had a reason for hating you." "Sir, you're a thief!" "He never stole from you, did he?" "I have 500 shares of Bryant Utilities I bought with money I'd saved for 20 years, teaching school." "Now, I couldn't sell it for postage stamps." "That's too bad." "I got a half million shares." "My whole foundation." "Now look at me." "The nerve you have sitting there, talking about it so calmly." "The swindler of thousands of people." "That's what makes the whole thing so funny." "A guy like me, starts out in life as a plumber." "An ordinary, everyday slew-footed plumber." "And by the use of a little brains, he builds up a gigantic institution." "Employs thousands of people." "Becomes a great civic leader." "Then the crash comes." "Overnight, he's the biggest crook the country ever had." "You're a thief and a swindler and I'll be glad to turn you over to the police when we get back." ""When we get back! "" "What makes you think we'll ever get back?" "You're all prisoners here." "We were kidnapped and brought here and nobody knows why." "I don't want to be a prisoner." "I'm finding out when we're leaving here." "I'll make that Chinese talk if it's the last thing I do." "Where's Chang?" "Where's Chang or I'll blow your brains out?" " What do you think you're doing?" " Let me go." "Come here!" "Come here, you!" "You idiot!" "Had to sock him?" " Let me up." " You all right?" "Sorry." "Is it true about us being kidnapped?" "I say, is it true about us being kidnapped?" "Mr. Chang!" "Do you mind stepping in here for a moment?" "Won't you sit down?" "You have been very kind to us and we appreciate it." "But for some reason we're being held prisoners here and we want to know why." "Personally, I don't mind at all." "I'm enjoying every minute of it." "But my brother is not of the same opinion, nor are the others." "It's time we were told what it's all about." "We want to know why we were kidnapped, why we're being kept here but most important of all, do we get the porters and when?" "Until we get this information I'm very much afraid we cannot permit you to leave this room." "You know, it's very strange but when you saw me in the corridor, I was actually on my way to you." "I bring the most amazing news." "The High Lama wishes to see you." " The High Lama?" "Who in blazes is he?" " I thought you ran this joint." "High lamas or low lamas, do we get the porters?" "The High Lama is the only one from whom any information can come." " Don't believe him." " Sounds like a stall to me." " Better have him talk..." " One moment." "You say the High Lama's the only one who can give us information?" "The only one." "And he can arrange for the porters to take us back?" "The High Lama arranges everything." "Then he's the man I want to see." "Will you come along?" "Better wait here until I get back." "We'll soon know where we stand." "Good evening." "Please, come in." "Sit here, near me." "I'm an old man and can do no one any harm." "Are you the High Lama?" "Yes." "I trust you've been comfortable at Shangri-La, since your arrival." "Personally, I've enjoyed your community very much." "But my friends do not care for this mystery." "They are determined to leave as soon as..." "It's astonishing and incredible, but..." "What is it, my son?" "You're the man." "Chang told me." "You're the first who..." "Two hundred years ago." "You're still alive, Father Perrault." "Sit down, my son." "You may not know it, but I've been an admirer of yours for a great many years." "Not of Conway, the empire builder and public hero." "I wanted to meet the Conway who in one of his books said:" ""There are moments in every man's life when he glimpses the eternal. "" "That Conway seemed to belong here." "In fact, it was suggested that someone be sent to bring him here." "That I be brought here?" "Who had that brilliant idea?" "Sondra Bizet." "The girl at the piano?" "Yes." "She has read your books and has a profound admiration for you." "As have we all." "Of course, I've suspected that our being here was no accident." "Furthermore, I have a feeling we're never supposed to leave." "But that, for the moment, doesn't concern me greatly." "I'll meet that when it comes." "What particularly interests me at present is why was I brought here?" "What possible use can I be to an already thriving community?" "We need men like you here to be sure that our community will continue to thrive." "In return for which Shangri-La has much to give you." "You are still, by the world's standards, a youngish man." "Yet in the normal course of existence you can expect 20 or 30 years of gradually diminishing activity." "Here, however, in Shangri-La by our standards, your life has just begun." "And may go on and on." "To be candid, Father, a prolonged future doesn't excite me." "It would have to have a point." "I sometimes doubted whether life itself has any." "If that is so, then long life must be even more pointless." "I'd need a much more definite reason for going on and on." "We have reason." "It is the entire meaning and purpose of Shangri-La." "It came to me in a vision long ago." "I saw all the nations strengthening not in wisdom, but in the vulgar passions and the will to destroy." "I saw their machine power multiplying until a single-weaponed man might match a whole army." "I foresaw a time when man, exulting in the technique of murder would rage so hotly over the world that every book, every treasure would be doomed to destruction." "This vision was so vivid and so moving that I determined to gather together all things of beauty and culture that I could and preserve them here against the doom toward which the world is rushing." "Look at the world today." "Is there anything more pitiful?" "What madness there is, what blindness, what unintelligent leadership." "A scurrying mass of bewildered humanity crashing headlong against each other..." "The time must come, my friend when this orgy will spend itself." "When brutality and the lust for power must perish by its own sword." "Against that time is why I avoided death and am here and why you were brought here." "For when that day comes, the world must begin to look for a new life." "And it is our hope that they may find it here." "For here, we shall be with their books and their music and the way of life based on one simple rule:" "Be kind." "When that day comes it is our hope that the brotherly love of Shangri-La will spread throughout the world." "Yes, my son, when the strong have devoured each other the Christian ethic may at last be fulfilled and the meek shall inherit the earth." "I understand you, Father." "You must come again, my son." "Good night." "Well?" " What did you find out?" " We thought you were never coming back." " When do we leave?" " What about the porters?" "Porters?" " Didn't you find out about the porters?" " Why, I'm sorry, but I..." "What were you doing all this time?" "What's the matter with you?" "You went there..." "Do you mind?" "I'm sorry, but I can't talk about it tonight." "Hello." "Good morning." ""Lay thee down now, and rest" ""May thy slumber be blessed" ""Lullaby, and good night" ""Thy mother's delight" ""Bright angels around" ""My darling shall sound" ""They will guard thee from harm"" "Do you mind?" ""They will guard thee from harm" ""Thou shall wake in my arms"" "This is Mr. Conway, children." "Good morning, Mr. Conway." " How do you do?" " Very well, thank you." "Children, Teacher is going to be very busy this afternoon." "So, school's dismissed." "Please." "I hope you're not going to run away this time." "My name's Sondra." "I hope you'll forgive me for..." "You know, each time I see you, I hear that music." "What is it?" "You mean my pigeons." "It's these little flutes that I attached to their tails." "See?" "Come along with me and I'll show you how I put them on." "This is how we tie them on." "By varying the size of the flutes, I can get any notes I wish." "The wind does the rest." "Here's a little fellow who has lost his." " Was this your idea?" " Yes." "Hold this pigeon." "You suggested my being brought here, didn't you?" "What gave you the idea I'd fit in?" " That was easy." "I'd read your books." " You've read my books?" "You do more things." "What have my books got to do with it?" "I saw a man whose life was empty." ""A man whose life was empty. "" "I know, it was full of this and full of that." "But you were accomplishing nothing." "You were going nowhere and you knew it." "As a matter of fact, all I saw was a little boy whistling in the dark." ""A little boy whistling... "" "Do you realise that there was a British cruiser waiting at Shanghai smoke pouring out of its funnels, tugging at its moorings waiting to take Mr. Conway back to London." "Do you know right now there are headlines shrieking the news that Conway's missing?" "Does that look like a man who's life was empty?" "Yes." "You're absolutely right." "I had to come to a pigeon house in Shangri-La to find the only other person who knew it." "May I congratulate you?" "I only brought you here to show you my pigeons." "Don't worry about them." "Now you can put flutes on my tail and bells on my feet." "I've so many questions I'd like to ask, I don't know where to begin." "I'll help you." "To begin with, you'd like to know what I'm doing here." " That I was born here." " Thank you." "Well, I was almost born here." "It took place in that wild country beyond the pass." "My parents were in a party of explorers who got lost and wandered for a year." "When Chang found us only father and I were alive." "He was too weak to climb the pass." "He died on the way." "I was brought up by Father Perrault." "I envy you." " I talked to him last night." " I know." "I can't quite get used to this age thing." "I'm 30." "You're going to make life very simple." "It's inconceivable." " What?" " All of it." "Father Perrault and his magnificent history." "This place, hidden away from the rest of the world with its glorious concepts." "And now you come along and confuse me entirely." "I'm sorry." "I thought I was to be the light." "Why do I confuse you?" "Am I so strange?" "On the contrary, you're not strange." "And that in itself is confusing." "I had the same idea about Shangri-La." "The sense I've been here before, that I belonged here." "I'm so glad." "I can't quite explain it, but everything is somehow familiar." "The very air that I breathe." "The lamasery with its feet rooted in the good earth of this fertile valley while its head explores the eternal." "All the beautiful things I see, these cherry blossoms, you all somehow are familiar." "I've been kidnapped and brought here against my will." "A crime, a great crime, yet I accept it amiably." "With the same amiability one tolerates only from a very dear and close friend." "Why?" "Can you tell me why?" "Maybe 'cause you've always been part of Shangri-La without knowing it." " I wonder." " I'm sure of it." "Just as I am sure there's a wish for Shangri-La in everyone's heart." "I've never seen the outside world, but I understand there are many people who are supposed to be mean and greedy." "I just know that secretly they are all hoping to find a garden spot where there is peace and security." "Where there's beauty and comfort." "Where they wouldn't have to be mean and greedy." "I just wish the whole world might come to this valley." "Then it wouldn't be a garden spot for long." "I don't know why I associate with you, Mr. Barnard or Mr. Chalmers Bryant or Mr. Embezzler, or whatever your name may be." " Just call me Barney." " Barney?" "Why should I?" "Never, we have nothing in common." "What effrontery!" "Okay, Lovey." "And this trip to the valley." "Why did I allow you to drag me here?" "You don't know anything about these people." "We're not even armed." "They're very nice people, except that they've got horns." " Horns?" " You know." "Horns." "What kind of horns?" "Come on." "They won't hurt you." "All I want is a glass of wine." " Thanks." " Sit down." "Now this is fine." "This is swell." "No, thanks, just a drink." "I've been walking and I'm a little thirsty." "That's all right." "I just don't happen to be very hungry." "All I asked for was a glass of wine." "Look here, I've got to have some help with this." "Where is Lovey?" "Look!" "Mr. Barnard!" "Come here!" "I asked for a glass of wine, look what I got." "Come on, sit down." "This is where you are." "I might have known." " No wonder you couldn't hear me." " Relax and have a glass of wine." " Sit down!" " And be poisoned out here in the open?" " Won't you please have a glass of wine?" " I never drink wine, in the daytime." " There you are." " This doesn't obligate me in any way." "No." "The bears came right into the bedroom and the little baby bear said:" ""Somebody's been sleeping in my bed. "" "And then the mama bear said:" ""Somebody's been sleeping in my bed. "" "And then the big papa bear, he roared:" ""And somebody's been sleeping in my bed. "" "You have to admit, the poor little bears were in a quandary." "Well, I'm going to sleep in my bed." "Come on, Lovey." " They were in a quandary." " Come on, Lovey." "Why, "Come on" all the time?" "What's the matter, you going to be a fuss-budget all your life?" "Drink it up." "Aren't you having any fun?" " Where was I?" " In a quandary." "I'm telling this story." "The poor little bears they didn't know what to do." "Somebody had been sleeping in their beds." "Who slept in their beds?" "Who was it, Lovey?" "You called me "Lovey"?" "Look at those eyes." "There's the devil in those eyes." ""Here we go gathering nuts in May" ""Here we go gathering nuts in May Early on Tuesday morning" ""Here we go, Shangri-La, Shangri-La" ""Here you are in Shangri-La"" "Hello, Maria." "You promised to come for tea yesterday." "I waited for so long." "Sorry." " I haven't got any cigarettes left." " I'll make some for you." "You will come today?" "Perhaps." "Please say you will." "The days are very long and lonely without you." "Please." "All right, I'll be there." "Thank you." "You'll tell me the things I want to know, right?" "Who's in charge?" "Why we were kidnapped and what will happen to us?" "Chang's been lying about those porters, hasn't he?" "Beautiful." " I'm waiting for the bump." " "Bump"?" "When the plane lands at Shanghai and wakes us all up." "You see." "It's not a dream." "I sometimes think that the other is the dream." "The outside world." " Have you never wanted to go there?" " Goodness, no!" "From what you tell me, it doesn't sound very attractive." "It's not so bad really." "Some phases of it are sordid, of course." "That's only to be expected." "Why?" "Usual reasons." " A world of people struggling for existence." " Struggling?" "Why?" "Everyone naturally wants to make a place for himself." " Accumulate a nest egg and so on." " Why?" "If you keep on asking that, we're not going to get anywhere." " And don't ask me why." " I was just going to." "It's the most annoying word in the English language." "Ever hear a child torture his parent with it?" ""Mother's darling mustn't stuff her fingers in the salad bowl. "" ""Why?"" ""Because it isn't ladylike to do that. "" ""Why?"" ""That's what forks are made for, darling. "" " "Why, Mother?" - "Mother read it in a book somewhere." ""If Mother's little darling doesn't take her fingers..." ""... out of the salad bowl this instant, Mother's going to wring her little neck. "" " Would you like to wring my little neck?" " I'd love it." "Why?" "I'm sorry." "I've thought about it for years." "I knew you'd come." "And I knew when you did, you'd never leave." "Am I forgiven for sending for you?" "Forgiven." "When we were on that plane I was fascinated by the way its shadow followed it." "That silly shadow racing along over mountains and valleys covering 10 times the distance of the plane." "Yet always there to greet us with outstretched arms when we landed." "I've been thinking that somehow you're that plane and I'm that silly shadow." "That all my life, I've been rushing up and down hills leaping rivers, crashing over obstacles never dreaming that one day, that beautiful thing in flight could land on this earth and into my arms." "This place is amazing." "That marble quarry in the valley is simply magnificent." "I've looked around." "I've seen everything." "Your woodworkers and your cloth weavers are all so happy." "You may not know it, but right here you have Utopia." " You're very kind." " I don't mean it in that sense." "I only give credit where credit is due." "I'm very anxious to have you realise that I never for a moment believed that ridiculous kidnapping story." " I'm so glad." " Simply preposterous." "Do you know what I did last night?" "I held a sort of a self inventory." "I said to myself last night, "Lovey, Mr. Lovett... "" " I said, "You are an ungrateful fool. "" " No." "Those are my very words to myself last night." ""These people here are doing everything to make your stay comfortable..." ""... and I haven't done one single thing to show my appreciation. "" "What would you like to do?" "I thought with your permission and while I'm waiting for these porters I'd like to organise classes for the children in the valley and teach them something practical and something useful." "Geology." " Splendid." " Isn't it?" "I was a professor for 20 years." " And a very good one." " I'm sure you were." " When would you like to start?" " Immediately." "Then it's done." "Thank you." "You get the idea?" "From this reservoir here, I can pipe the whole works." "I'm going to get a kick out of this." "It's just to keep my hand in." "With the equipment we have here I can put a plumbing system in the whole village." "Rig it up in no time." "Do you realise those people are still going to the well for water?" " It's unbelievable." " Think of it!" "In times like these!" "What about that gold deal?" " Gold, you know..." " Oh, that." "That can wait." "Nobody's going to run off with it." "I've got to get busy." "I want to show this layout to Chang." " Don't you take any wooden nickels." " All right." "You're acting like a child." "You haven't talked for two weeks." "There's nothing to say." " I'm afraid that does it." " I'm afraid it does." "Shall we have another?" "Not tonight, if you don't mind." "Come in, my dear." "Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt." "I thought Mr. Conway's brother was here." "Excuse me." "Charming, isn't she?" "Yes." "Charming." "Your brother seems quite fascinated by her." "Why not?" "She's an attractive young woman." "Young?" "She arrived here in 1888." "She was 20 at the time." "She was on her way to join her betrothed when her carriers lost their way in the mountain." "The party would've perished, but for meeting some of our people." "Amazing." "Still doesn't look over 20." "When is she likely to grow old in appearance?" "Not for years." "Shangri-La will keep her youthful indefinitely." "Suppose she should leave?" "Leave Shangri-La?" "That's not likely." "You couldn't drive her out." "I mean her appearance." "If she should leave the valley, what would happen?" "She'd quickly revert in appearance to her actual age." "It's weird." "How old are you?" "Age is a limit we impose upon ourselves." "Each time you Westerners celebrate your birthday, you build another fence around your minds." "There you are!" "You're just the man I'm looking for." "A fine trick." "Smart, aren't you?" "What lies you told us about those porters!" "The minute they arrive we can leave, if they'd take us." " But you know you'd tell 'em not to." " My dear boy..." "You've been lying since we arrived." "It's worked for some people." "Because they lack the courage to do something." "But not me." "You're up against the wrong man." "I'll leave, even if I have to blow this place into the valley." "I'll get out, porters or no porters!" "You must prevail upon him not to attempt the journey." "He could never get through that country alive." "I can't let him go alone." "It's suicide." "Yes, of course your brother is a problem." "It was to be expected." "I knew you'd understand." "That's why I came to you for help." "You must not look to me for help." "Your brother is no longer my problem." "He is now your problem." "Mine?" "Because, my son, I'm placing in your hands the future and destiny of Shangri-La for I am going to die." "I knew my work was done, when I first set eyes upon you." "I've waited for you, my son, for a long time." "I've sat in this room and seen the faces of newcomers." "I've looked into their eyes and heard their voices always in hope that I might find you." "My friend, it is not an arduous task that I bequeath for our order knows only silken bonds." "To be gentle and patient." "To care for the riches of the mind." "To preside in wisdom while the storm rages without." "Do you think this will come in my time?" "You, my son, will live through the storm." "You will preserve the fragrance of our history and add to it a touch of your own mind." "Beyond that, my vision weakens." "But I see at a great distance a new world stirring in the ruins stirring clumsily but in hopefulness seeking its lost and legendary treasures and they will all be here, my son." "Hidden behind the mountains in the Valley of the Blue Moon preserved as by a miracle." "We run the pipes through here and connect with the main waterline here." "Where are you going to get pipes?" "That's a cinch." "I'll show them how to cast pipes out of clay." "There you are." "You'd better get your things together." "We're leaving." " Leaving?" " The porters are taking us back." "We've got clothing, food, everything." "When are you going to start?" "This very minute." "They're waiting for us on the plateau." "That Chinaman thought he could stop me." "Come along." "I think I'll stick around." "I'll leave with the porters on the next trip." "You mean you don't want to go?" "Well, I'm..." "You're afraid of going to jail." "You see I've got this plumbing business." "If you insist being an idiot, I won't coax you." "How about you?" "You don't want to go yet, honey." "She'll stick around, too." "That right?" "If you want me to." "Sure." "Don't you worry." "I'll take care of you." "All right, suit yourself, but just remember you had your chance." " How about you?" "Do you want to go?" " Where?" "Home." "I've got porters to take us back." "I'm sorry." "That's impossible." "I have my classes." "I don't care what you've started." "Do you want to go?" "No, I think I'd better wait." " Yes, I'll wait." " You'll wait until you rot!" " Hello, Gloria." " Hello." "I've just finished translating an interesting old tablet." "It told me of the origin of the Masonic symbols..." " That's swell." " What?" "I want to show you something." "Isn't that pretty." "What is it?" "Plumbing." "Everything modern." "I'm going to run pipes all through the village." "Hello, George." "You can stop worrying now." "I've made arrangements to leave." "If you let me close that window, I can talk to you." "That noise is driving me crazy." "I said we're getting out of here." "Back to civilisation." "I made a deal with the porters." "They're leaving tomorrow at dawn." "They're waiting for us outside the valley." "Get your things together." " Where's your topcoat?" " You can't leave." "What's going to stop me?" " You've got to stay here now." " Stay here?" "What's the matter with you?" "You've acted strangely since we came." "I've never seen you like this." "What's stopping us from leaving?" "Something grand and beautiful." "Something I've been searching for all my life." "The answer to the confusion and bewilderment of a lifetime." "I've found it and I can't leave it." "You mustn't either." "I don't know what you're talking about." "You're carrying around a secret that's eating you up." " Tell me about it." " I want to tell you." "I'll burst with it if I don't." "It's weird and fantastic and unbelievable but so beautiful." "As you know, we were kidnapped and brought here..." "And that's the whole story." "He died, as peacefully as the passing of a cloud's shadow." "His last words were:" ""I place in your hands, my son..." ""... the future and destiny of Shangri-La. "" "Now you know why I can't leave." "I really don't know what to say." " Except that you must be completely mad." " You think I'm mad?" "What else can I think after a tale like that?" "Things like that don't happen today." " We're living in the 20th century." " You think it's nonsense?" "You've been hypnotised by fanatics." "I wouldn't believe it in England." "Why should I swallow it here in Tibet?" "How do you know these things are true?" " Did they show you proof?" " I don't need proof." "I knew there was a reason why I hated this place." "I'd love to fly over it with bombs for what they've done to you." "All this talk about lamas being hundreds of years old." "How do you know?" "Did you see their birth certificates?" "I can't believe it." "A bunch of old men sit around and dream about reforming the world and you, two-feet-on-the-ground Conway, want to join them." "It's horrible." "Is that all my story meant to you?" "What else could it mean to me?" "It's obviously a lot of bunk." "Then you'd better go." "This is no place for you." "It's no place for you." "Think of what's waiting for you." "Do you want to stay here till you're half dead?" "Till your mind starts corroding like the rest of them?" " I don't want to talk about it anymore." " You've got to talk." "And me?" "They stole the plane to bring you here." "I didn't want to come." "You owe me some responsibility." "I'm tired of owing you things." "You're free to go." "Go ahead." "It's that girl." " That girl has twisted and turned..." " That's enough." "Never mind the girl." "Why don't you go?" "Look here." "Ever since I can remember you've looked after me." "Now, you're the one that needs looking after." "I'm your brother." "If there's something wrong with you let me help you." "I don't feel like making that trip alone." "You couldn't possibly stay here, could you?" "I'd go mad." "I may be wrong." "I may be a maniac but I believe in this and I'm not going to lose it." "You know how much I want to help you but this is bigger, stronger if you like, than brotherly love." "I'm sorry." "I'm staying." "I can't think of anything more to say." "Goodbye." "Are you sure the porters will take care of you?" "It's all set." " Maria made the arrangements." " Maria?" " The little Russian girl." " How's she involved?" " She's going with me." " You're crazy." " You can't take her away from here." " Why not?" "You can't." "Do you know what will happen if she leaves Shangri-La?" "She's fragile and can only live where fragile things are loved." "Take her out of this valley and she'll fade away like an echo." "What do you mean, "Fade away like an echo"?" "She came here in 1888." "This'd be funny, if it weren't so pathetic." "She isn't a day over 20." " You're wrong." " I'm not wrong." "She told me so." "Besides, she wouldn't have to tell me." "I'd know anyway." "I found out a lot of things last night." "I'm not ashamed of it." "It's one of the few decent things that's ever happened in this hellish place." "Everyone is happy in Shangri-La." "Nobody would ever think of leaving." "It's all just rot!" "She's pleaded with me since I came to take her away from this place." "She's cried in my arms, for fear I'd leave her here." "She's made two trips to the plateau to bribe the porters." "For me!" "I don't believe a word of it." "All right, I'll prove it to you." "You've believed everything they're told you without proof." "I'll prove my story." "Come in a minute." "I've got some bad news for you." "My brother and I've decided we can't take you along." "You can't take me?" "You promised to take me with you!" "It's all your fault." "It was all arranged until he spoke to you." "Why can't you leave us alone?" " You want to leave Shangri-La?" " I'll die if I have to stay another minute." "I've waited a long time for this chance and you're not going to stop me now." "If I have to, I'll go alone." "I brought the porters." "If it weren't for me, you'd never get out." "The High Lama told them not to take anyone." "The High Lama!" "Who pays any attention to him?" "The porters laugh at the High Lama." "They only want to know how much gold he'll give." "I gave them more gold." "I've been stealing it for a year." "I'd do anything to leave this place." "To leave the High Lama, who calls himself Father Perrault." "He's been insane for years." " Father Perrault is dead." " He's dead!" "That's fine." "You won't see me shedding any tears over him." "You must take me with you." "Aren't you afraid to leave?" "You don't want to look like an old woman, do you?" "Old woman?" " Chang told you that, didn't he?" " Yes." "I thought so." "He tells everyone I'm old." "He wants them to stay away from me." "He gets mad when anyone comes near me." "He's punished me for every minute I've spent with George." "If it weren't for him, I'd have left long ago." "But he always stops me." "Six months ago I tried to escape and he locked me in a dark room." "I nearly went crazy." "Look at me!" "Do I look like an old woman?" "Is this the skin of an old woman?" "Look into my eyes." "Are these the eyes of an old woman?" "She was kidnapped and brought here two years ago just as we were." "I don't believe it." "I can't believe it." "She's lying." "You're lying." "Every word you've been saying is a lie." "Say it!" "You're lying, aren't you?" "No, I'm not lying." "What reason could I have for lying?" "Chances are we'll never come out of that horrible trip alive." "But I'd rather die out there in a snowstorm, be buried alive than to stay here one more minute." " You say the porters are waiting for us?" " Yes." " Clothes?" " Yes, everything." "What about the others?" "I've asked them." "They're afraid to make the trip." "We'll have to send an expedition back after them." "Come on, we're wasting time." " Are you taking me?" " Certainly." "Come on." "It won't be long before we're in London." "Can't you just see everyone when we pop in out of the blue?" "We'll have them breathless when we tell them our story." "You had me worried for a while." "I thought you were gone completely." "Lucky for me you snapped out of it." "You saved my life." " I never could have made it alone." " What was that?" " I was saying..." " Shut up!" "Must you go on babbling?" " What's happened?" "Where's Bob?" " He's going, my child." " Going?" " But he will return." "No!" "I can't stand it." "I can't go on anymore." "I've got to rest." "How long is this going to go on?" "I can't stand it." "Can't you get them to wait for us?" "They're leaving us farther behind every day." "There's nothing that would suit 'em more than to lose us, but we must go on." " Come on, darling." " I can't." "You've got to let me rest." "Target practice again." "One of these days they're going to hit us." "As long as they keep on aiming at us, we're safe." "Come now." "Look at her face!" ""Dropping from nowhere after a year! "" " Cable from Gainsford." " Read it!" ""Leaving today for London with Conway aboard S.S. Manchuria." ""Conway can tell nothing of his experiences." ""Is suffering from complete loss of memory. " Signed, Gainsford." " "Loss of memory"?" " All right, give it to the press." " All of it?" " Yes." "Might as well all of it." "I'll dispatch a convoy to meet him." "Conway's gone again." "Listen to this, from Gainsford." "Let me have it." ""Aboard S.S. Manchuria." ""Last night Conway recovered his memory." "Talked about Shangri-La." ""Telling a fantastic story about a place in Tibet." ""Insisted upon returning there at once." ""Locked him in, but he escaped and jumped ship at Singapore." ""I'm leaving ship to overtake him, as fearful of his condition." ""Wrote down details of Conway's story about Shangri-La, which I am forwarding." ""Lord Gainsford. "" "Here's Gainsford now." " It's good to see you back." " Glad to see you." " It's good to see you again." " Thought you would never come." " Sit down." "Have a drink." " Scotch and soda." "I'm parched." "Here you are." "Ready and waiting." " Any news of Conway?" " We're eager to know what you discovered." "Where is he?" "Gentlemen, you see before you a very weary old man who has just ended a chase that lasted nearly 10 months." "You never caught up with him?" "Since that night he jumped off the ship, till two weeks ago..." " ..." "I've been missing him by inches." " You don't mean it." " Was he that determined to get back?" " Determined?" "Gentlemen, in the whole course of my life, I've never encountered anything so grim." "During those last 10 months, that man has done the most astounding things." "He learned how to fly, stole a plane, got caught, put in jail, escaped in an amazingly short space of time." "This is only the beginning of his adventure." "He begged and fought, pushing forward to the Tibetan frontier." "Everywhere I heard these amazing stories of the man's adventures." "Positively astounding." "Till eventually I trailed him to the most extreme outpost in Tibet." "Of course, he had already gone." "But his memory..." "His memory will live with those natives for the rest of their lives." ""The man who was not human," they called him." "They won't forget the stranger who tried six times to climb a mountain pass that no other human being dared to travel." "And six times was forced back by the severest storms." "They won't forget the madman who stole their food and clothing." "Who they locked up in their barracks and who fought six guards to escape." "Their soldiers are still talking about their pursuit to overtake him and shuddering at the memory." "He led them the wildest chase through their own country." "Finally, he disappeared over that very mountain pass that they themselves dared not travel." "And that, gentlemen was the last that any known human being saw of Robert Conway." "That's what I call fortitude." " Think of it." " Tell me something, Gainsford." "What do you think of his talk about Shangri-La?" "Do you believe it?" "Yes." "I believe it." "I believe it, because I want to believe it." "I give you a toast." "Here's my hope that Robert Conway will find his Shangri-La." "Here's my hope that we all find our Shangri-La."