### 297

Warily you approach the settlement, your keen senses absorbing every detail. The line of deserted mud huts looks innocuous but the words of the voice of Naar still linger in your memory. This humid jungle realm lies within his domain; it is therefore reasonable to expect that the inhabitants of this place will be wholly devoted to the cause of Evil.

You reach the edge of the undergrowth and pause to assess potential threats. The huts are semi-derelict, all bearing some signs of neglect and decay. The nearest one is a clay-tiled hovel that, like the others, appears to be empty. But when you focus upon its open doorway you see that a trench has been cut into its earth floor. You magnify your vision and at once you detect steps in the wall of this excavation, leading underground.

If you wish to enter the hut and investigate where these steps lead to, turn to 161.

If you choose instead to check the hut for traps, turn to 27.