“How revolting,” Smithback said, writing eagerly. “The individuals were also scalped, and their brains extracted and made into a kind of—how does one say it?—a compote, a mousse, spiced with chiles. I found the . . . the substance placed inside each of the skulls.” As if on a macabre cue, the cook emerged from his tent, fastidiously zipped up the flap, then approached the fire.
