He has to wait ten days for the caravan; during this time he meets the Accountant for the Company. The Accountant reveals himself to be a man with no care for anything but his job. The Accountant complains when a sick man is brought in, because this makes his counting more difficult. This is the first time Marlow hears of the man named Kurtz. The Accountant speaks very highly of Kurtz, saying he is the best agent in the Company. The Accountant explains that Kurtz brings in more ivory than all the other agents combined.
The next day Marlow and his caravan set out for the Central Station. Marlow encounters images that begin to reveal the hopelessness of the place he is plunging into. After two hundred miles, they arrive at the Central Station only to learn that his boat is at the bottom of the river in need of repair. Marlow begins to suspect some type of conspiracy. He hears the Manager of the Company talking, and picks up Kurtz's name. The reality was that the Manager was trying to delay Marlow's trip so he would not be able to save the sick Kurtz. The Manager stalls repairs to the ship as long as he can. The Manager's motive is greed and jealousy. He feels that Kurtz is trying to take his job, and the Manager knows that Kurtz cannot survive long. However, the steamer is repaired, and they begin the last part of their trip to the Inner Station where Kurtz is being cared for. The Manager accompanies Marlow, as well as twenty native cannibals. On their journey they come upon a hut and Marlow finds wood that had been left for them and a journal with codes written in it. When they get within miles of the Inner Station they are attacked by natives and the helmsman is killed. They reach the Inner Station and Marlow learns the attack was out of fear that Kurtz would be abducted. Marlow sees Kurtz's lodge, which happens to be surrounded by human heads, and soon comes face to face with Kurtz.