And how in God’s name did Santiago find out about the laser? Even Queen Victoria’s sex life wasn’t a better secret. - Philip José Farmer

You know, Doc and … as if they were brothers … coloring … black hair and gray eyes and a darker skin, but Doc has …” They talked on, rambling much. I got the impression that these two octogenarians had known each other intimately for a long long time. They had been through much with each other, and they were very fond of each other. The abuses and insults they loosed at each other were good-natured, indeed, their second natures. And as I listened — read, rather — I understood that they were here on The Last Great Adventure. There had been three other men who had shared their exploits and dangers in the past. But these were dead now. The two old men expected to die soon, but they had insisted on coming to Africa with Caliban, and he had reluctantly agreed.

Of course, I’m only indulging in mankind’s vice of trying to make a symbol out of coincidence.

All the human beings I met were either sure that there would be no afterlife or else that they would get preferential treatment in the hereafter.