Pages 9 through 25 Summary

The protagonist is is a fugitive from justice but claims his innocence. An Italian rug merchant he meets in Calcutta tells him about the island of Villings. It was a land settled by white men in 1924 but abandoned soon after several large buildings had been constructed. Pirates refuse to go ashore on the island. There is a dreadful disease that enters the body on the outside and works its way inward. These who come down with this malady lose their toenails, fingernails and hair. Their skin and eyes "die." The rest of the body only lasts a few weeks more.

The protagonist is so desperate to escape unjust imprisonment, however, that he takes a row boat to the island. On the island, he finds no one but there is a museum, tower and swimming pool. He explores the huge museum, which...