A dreadful thing has happened
to us. Who could have foreseen
it? I cannot foresee any end
to our troubles. It may be that
we are
condemned to spend our whole lives in this strange, inaccessible place.
I am still so confused that I can hardly think clearly of the facts
of the present or of the chances of the future. To my astounded
senses the one seems most terrible and the other as black as night.
No men have ever found themselves
in a worse position; nor is there
any use in disclosing to you
our exact geographical situation
and asking our friends for a
relief party. Even if they could
send one, our fate will in all
human probability be decided
long before it could arrive in
South America.
We are, in truth, as far from
any human aid as if we were in
the moon. If we are to win through,
it is only our own qualities
which can save us. I have as
companions three remarkable men,
men of great brain-power and
of unshaken courage. There lies
our one and only hope. It is
only when I look upon the untroubled
faces of my comrades that I see
some glimmer through the darkness.
Outwardly I trust that I appear
as unconcerned as they. Inwardly
I am filled with apprehension.
Let me give you, with as much
detail as I can, the sequence
of events which have led us to
this catastrophe.
When I finished my last letter
I stated that we were within
seven miles from an enormous
line of ruddy cliffs, which encircled,
beyond all doubt, the plateau
of which Professor Challenger
spoke. Their height, as we approached
them, seemed to me in some places
to be greater than he had stated--running
up in parts to at least a thousand
feet--and they were curiously
striated, in a manner which is,
I believe, characteristic of
basaltic upheavals. Something
of the sort is to be seen in
Salisbury Crags at Edinburgh.
The summit showed every sign
of a luxuriant vegetation, with
bushes near the edge, and farther
back many high trees. There was
no indication of any life that
we could see.
That night we pitched our camp
immediately under the cliff--a
most wild and desolate spot.
The crags above us were not merely
perpendicular, but curved outwards
at the top, so that ascent was
out of the question. Close to
us was the high thin pinnacle
of rock which I believe I mentioned
earlier in this narrative. It
is like a broad red church spire,
the top of it being level with
the plateau, but a great chasm
gaping between. On the summit
of it there grew one high tree.
Both pinnacle and cliff were
comparatively low--some five
or six hundred feet, I should
think.
"It was on that," said Professor
Challenger, pointing to this
tree, "that the pterodactyl was
perched. I climbed half-way up
the rock before I shot him. I
am inclined to think that a good
mountaineer like myself could
ascend the rock to the top, though
he would, of course, be no nearer
to the plateau when he had done
so."
As Challenger spoke of his
pterodactyl I glanced at Professor
Summerlee, and for the first
time I seemed to see some signs
of a dawning credulity and repentance.
There was no sneer upon his thin
lips, but, on the contrary, a
gray, drawn look of excitement
and amazement. Challenger saw
it, too, and reveled in the first
taste of victory.
"Of course," said he, with
his clumsy and ponderous sarcasm, "Professor
Summerlee will understand that
when I speak of a pterodactyl
I mean a stork--only it is the
kind of stork which has no feathers,
a leathery skin, membranous wings,
and teeth in its jaws." He grinned
and blinked and bowed until his
colleague turned and walked away.
In the morning, after a frugal
breakfast of coffee and manioc--we
had to be economical of our stores--we
held a council of war as to the
best method of ascending to the
plateau above us.
Challenger presided with a
solemnity as if he were the Lord
Chief Justice on the Bench. Picture
him seated upon a rock, his absurd
boyish straw hat tilted on the
back of his head, his supercilious
eyes dominating us from under
his drooping lids, his great
black beard wagging as he slowly
defined our present situation
and our future movements.
Beneath him you might have
seen the three of us--myself,
sunburnt, young, and vigorous
after our open-air tramp; Summerlee,
solemn but still critical, behind
his eternal pipe; Lord John,
as keen as a razor-edge, with
his supple, alert figure leaning
upon his rifle, and his eager
eyes fixed eagerly upon the speaker.
Behind us were grouped the two
swarthy half-breeds and the little
knot of Indians, while in front
and above us towered those huge,
ruddy ribs of rocks which kept
us from our goal.
"I need not say," said our
leader, "that on the occasion
of my last visit I exhausted
every means of climbing the cliff,
and where I failed I do not think
that anyone else is likely to
succeed, for I am something of
a mountaineer. I had none of
the appliances of a rock-climber
with me, but I have taken the
precaution to bring them now.
With their aid I am positive
I could climb that detached pinnacle
to the summit; but so long as
the main cliff overhangs, it
is vain to attempt ascending
that. I was hurried upon my last
visit by the approach of the
rainy season and by the exhaustion
of my supplies. These considerations
limited my time, and I can only
claim that I have surveyed about
six miles of the cliff to the
east of us, finding no possible
way up. What, then, shall we
now do?"
"There seems to be only one
reasonable course," said Professor
Summerlee. "If you have explored
the east, we should travel along
the base of the cliff to the
west, and seek for a practicable
point for our ascent."
"That's it," said Lord John. "The
odds are that this plateau is
of no great size, and we shall
travel round it until we either
find an easy way up it, or come
back to the point from which
we started."
"I have already explained to
our young friend here," said
Challenger (he has a way of alluding
to me as if I were a school child
ten years old), "that it is quite
impossible that there should
be an easy way up anywhere, for
the simple reason that if there
were the summit would not be
isolated, and those conditions
would not obtain which have effected
so singular an interference with
the general laws of survival.
Yet I admit that there may very
well be places where an expert
human climber may reach the summit,
and yet a cumbrous and heavy
animal be unable to descend.
It is certain that there is a
point where an ascent is possible."
"How do you know that, sir?" asked
Summerlee, sharply.
"Because
my predecessor,
the American
Maple White,
actually
made such an ascent. How otherwise
could he have seen the monster
which he sketched in his notebook?"
"There you reason somewhat
ahead of the proved facts," said
the stubborn Summerlee. "I admit
your plateau, because I have
seen it; but I have not as yet
satisfied myself that it contains
any form of life whatever."
"What you admit, sir, or what
you do not admit, is really of
inconceivably small importance.
I am glad to perceive that the
plateau itself has actually obtruded
itself upon your intelligence." He
glanced up at it, and then, to
our amazement, he sprang from
his rock, and, seizing Summerlee
by the neck, he tilted his face
into the air. "Now sir!" he shouted,
hoarse with excitement. "Do I
help you to realize that the
plateau contains some animal
life?"
I have said that a thick fringe
of green overhung the edge of
the cliff. Out of this there
had emerged a black, glistening
object. As it came slowly forth
and overhung the chasm, we saw
that it was a very large snake
with a peculiar flat, spade-like
head. It wavered and quivered
above us for a minute, the morning
sun gleaming upon its sleek,
sinuous coils. Then it slowly
drew inwards and disappeared.
Summerlee had been so interested
that he had stood unresisting
while Challenger tilted his head
into the air. Now he shook his
colleague off and came back to
his dignity.
"I should be glad, Professor
Challenger," said he, "if you
could see your way to make any
remarks which may occur to you
without seizing me by the chin.
Even the appearance of a very
ordinary rock python does not
appear to justify such a liberty."
"But there is life upon the
plateau all the same," his colleague
replied in triumph. "And now,
having demonstrated this important
conclusion so that it is clear
to anyone, however prejudiced
or obtuse, I am of opinion that
we cannot do better than break
up our camp and travel to westward
until we find some means of ascent."
The
ground at the
foot of the
cliff was rocky and broken so
that the going was slow and difficult.
Suddenly we came, however, upon
something which cheered our hearts.
It was the site of an old encampment,
with several empty Chicago meat
tins, a bottle labeled "Brandy," a
broken tin-opener, and a quantity
of other travelers' debris. A
crumpled, disintegrated newspaper
revealed itself as the Chicago
Democrat, though the date had
been obliterated.
"Not mine," said Challenger. "It
must be Maple White's."
Lord
John had been
gazing curiously
at a great tree-fern which overshadowed
the encampment. "I say, look
at this," said he. "I believe
it is meant for a sign-post."
A slip of hard wood had been
nailed to the tree in such a
way as to point to the westward.
"Most certainly a sign-post," said
Challenger. "What else? Finding
himself upon a dangerous errand,
our pioneer has left this sign
so that any party which follows
him may know the way he has taken.
Perhaps we shall come upon some
other indications as we proceed."
We did indeed, but they were
of a terrible and most unexpected
nature. Immediately beneath the
cliff there grew a considerable
patch of high bamboo, like that
which we had traversed in our
journey. Many of these stems
were twenty feet high, with sharp,
strong tops, so that even as
they stood they made formidable
spears. We were passing along
the edge of this cover when my
eye was caught by the gleam of
something white within it. Thrusting
in my head between the stems,
I found myself gazing at a fleshless
skull. The whole skeleton was
there, but the skull had detached
itself and lay some feet nearer
to the open.
With
a few blows
from the machetes
of our Indians we cleared the
spot and were able to study the
details of this old tragedy.
Only a few shreds of clothes
could still be distinguished,
but there were the remains of
boots upon the bony feet, and
it was very clear that the dead
man was a European. A gold watch
by Hudson, of New York, and a
chain which held a stylographic
pen, lay among the bones. There
was also a silver cigarette-case,
with "J. C., from A. E. S.," upon
the lid. The state of the metal
seemed to show that the catastrophe
had occurred no great time before.
"Who can he be?" asked Lord
John. "Poor devil! every bone
in his body seems to be broken."
"And the bamboo grows through
his smashed ribs," said Summerlee. "It
is a fast-growing plant, but
it is surely inconceivable that
this body could have been here
while the canes grew to be twenty
feet in length."
"As to the man's identity," said
Professor Challenger, "I have
no doubt whatever upon that point.
As I made my way up the river
before I reached you at the fazenda
I instituted very particular
inquiries about Maple White.
At Para they knew nothing. Fortunately,
I had a definite clew, for there
was a particular picture in his
sketch-book which showed him
taking lunch with a certain ecclesiastic
at Rosario. This priest I was
able to find, and though he proved
a very argumentative fellow,
who took it absurdly amiss that
I should point out to him the
corrosive effect which modern
science must have upon his beliefs,
he none the less gave me some
positive information. Maple White
passed Rosario four years ago,
or two years before I saw his
dead body. He was not alone at
the time, but there was a friend,
an American named James Colver,
who remained in the boat and
did not meet this ecclesiastic.
I think, therefore, that there
can be no doubt that we are now
looking upon the remains of this
James Colver."
"Nor," said Lord John, "is
there much doubt as to how he
met his death. He has fallen
or been chucked from the top,
and so been impaled. How else
could he come by his broken bones,
and how could he have been stuck
through by these canes with their
points so high above our heads?"
A hush came over us as we stood
round these shattered remains
and realized the truth of Lord
John Roxton's words. The beetling
head of the cliff projected over
the cane-brake. Undoubtedly he
had fallen from above. But had
he fallen? Had it been an accident?
Or--already ominous and terrible
possibilities began to form round
that unknown land.
We moved off in silence, and
continued to coast round the
line of cliffs, which were as
even and unbroken as some of
those monstrous Antarctic ice-fields
which I have seen depicted as
stretching from horizon to horizon
and towering high above the mast-heads
of the exploring vessel.
In five miles we saw no rift
or break. And then suddenly we
perceived something which filled
us with new hope. In a hollow
of the rock, protected from rain,
there was drawn a rough arrow
in chalk, pointing still to the
westwards.
"Maple White again," said Professor
Challenger. "He had some presentiment
that worthy footsteps would follow
close behind him."
"He
had chalk,
then?"
"A
box of colored
chalks was
among the effects
I found in
his knapsack. I remember that
the white one was worn to a stump."
"That is certainly good evidence," said
Summerlee. "We can only accept
his guidance and follow on to
the westward."
We had proceeded some five
more miles when again we saw
a white arrow upon the rocks.
It was at a point where the face
of the cliff was for the first
time split into a narrow cleft.
Inside the cleft was a second
guidance mark, which pointed
right up it with the tip somewhat
elevated, as if the spot indicated
were above the level of the ground.
It was a solemn place, for
the walls were so gigantic and
the slit of blue sky so narrow
and so obscured by a double fringe
of verdure, that only a dim and
shadowy light penetrated to the
bottom. We had had no food for
many hours, and were very weary
with the stony and irregular
journey, but our nerves were
too strung to allow us to halt.
We ordered the camp to be pitched,
however, and, leaving the Indians
to arrange it, we four, with
the two half-breeds, proceeded
up the narrow gorge.
It was not more than forty
feet across at the mouth, but
it rapidly closed until it ended
in an acute angle, too straight
and smooth for an ascent. Certainly
it was not this which our pioneer
had attempted to indicate. We
made our way back--the whole
gorge was not more than a quarter
of a mile deep--and then suddenly
the quick eyes of Lord John fell
upon what we were seeking. High
up above our heads, amid the
dark shadows, there was one circle
of deeper gloom. Surely it could
only be the opening of a cave.
The base of the cliff was heaped
with loose stones at the spot,
and it was not difficult to clamber
up. When we reached it, all doubt
was removed. Not only was it
an opening into the rock, but
on the side of it there was marked
once again the sign of the arrow.
Here was the point, and this
the means by which Maple White
and his ill-fated comrade had
made their ascent.
We were too excited to return
to the camp, but must make our
first exploration at once. Lord
John had an electric torch in
his knapsack, and this had to
serve us as light. He advanced,
throwing his little clear circlet
of yellow radiance before him,
while in single file we followed
at his heels.
The cave had evidently been
water-worn, the sides being smooth
and the floor covered with rounded
stones. It was of such a size
that a single man could just
fit through by stooping. For
fifty yards it ran almost straight
into the rock, and then it ascended
at an angle of forty-five. Presently
this incline became even steeper,
and we found ourselves climbing
upon hands and knees among loose
rubble which slid from beneath
us. Suddenly an exclamation broke
from Lord Roxton.
"It's blocked!" said
he.
Clustering behind him we saw
in the yellow field of light
a wall of broken basalt which
extended to the ceiling.
"The
roof has fallen
in!"
In vain we dragged out some
of the pieces. The only effect
was that the larger ones became
detached and threatened to roll
down the gradient and crush us.
It was evident that the obstacle
was far beyond any efforts which
we could make to remove it. The
road by which Maple White had
ascended was no longer available.
Too much cast down to speak,
we stumbled down the dark tunnel
and made our way back to the
camp.
One incident occurred, however,
before we left the gorge, which
is of importance in view of what
came afterwards.
We had gathered in a little
group at the bottom of the chasm,
some forty feet beneath the mouth
of the cave, when a huge rock
rolled suddenly downwards--and
shot past us with tremendous
force. It was the narrowest escape
for one or all of us. We could
not ourselves see whence the
rock had come, but our half-breed
servants, who were still at the
opening of the cave, said that
it had flown past them, and must
therefore have fallen from the
summit. Looking upwards, we could
see no sign of movement above
us amidst the green jungle which
topped the cliff. There could
be little doubt, however, that
the stone was aimed at us, so
the incident surely pointed to
humanity--and malevolent humanity--upon
the plateau.
We withdrew hurriedly from
the chasm, our minds full of
this new development and its
bearing upon our plans. The situation
was difficult enough before,
but if the obstructions of Nature
were increased by the deliberate
opposition of man, then our case
was indeed a hopeless one. And
yet, as we looked up at that
beautiful fringe of verdure only
a few hundreds of feet above
our heads, there was not one
of us who could conceive the
idea of returning to London until
we had explored it to its depths.
On discussing the situation,
we determined that our best course
was to continue to coast round
the plateau in the hope of finding
some other means of reaching
the top. The line of cliffs,
which had decreased considerably
in height, had already begun
to trend from west to north,
and if we could take this as
representing the arc of a circle,
the whole circumference could
not be very great. At the worst,
then, we should be back in a
few days at our starting-point.
We made a march that day which
totaled some two-and-twenty miles,
without any change in our prospects.
I may mention that our aneroid
shows us that in the continual
incline which we have ascended
since we abandoned our canoes
we have risen to no less than
three thousand feet above sea-level.
Hence there is a considerable
change both in the temperature
and in the vegetation. We have
shaken off some of that horrible
insect life which is the bane
of tropical travel. A few palms
still survive, and many tree-ferns,
but the Amazonian trees have
been all left behind. It was
pleasant to see the convolvulus,
the passion-flower, and the begonia,
all reminding me of home, here
among these inhospitable rocks.
There was a red begonia just
the same color as one that is
kept in a pot in the window of
a certain villa in Streatham--but
I am drifting into private reminiscence.
That night--I am still speaking
of the first day of our circumnavigation
of the plateau--a great experience
awaited us, and one which for
ever set at rest any doubt which
we could have had as to the wonders
so near us.
You will realize as you read
it, my dear Mr. McArdle, and
possibly for the first time that
the paper has not sent me on
a wild-goose chase, and that
there is inconceivably fine copy
waiting for the world whenever
we have the Professor's leave
to make use of it. I shall not
dare to publish these articles
unless I can bring back my proofs
to England, or I shall be hailed
as the journalistic Munchausen
of all time. I have no doubt
that you feel the same way yourself,
and that you would not care to
stake the whole credit of the
Gazette upon this adventure until
we can meet the chorus of criticism
and scepticism which such articles
must of necessity elicit. So
this wonderful incident, which
would make such a headline for
the old paper, must still wait
its turn in the editorial drawer.
And yet it was all over in
a flash, and there was no sequel
to it, save in our own convictions.
What occurred was this. Lord
John had shot an ajouti--which
is a small, pig-like animal--and,
half of it having been given
to the Indians, we were cooking
the other half upon our fire.
There is a chill in the air after
dark, and we had all drawn close
to the blaze. The night was moonless,
but there were some stars, and
one could see for a little distance
across the plain. Well, suddenly
out of the darkness, out of the
night, there swooped something
with a swish like an aeroplane.
The whole group of us were covered
for an instant by a canopy of
leathery wings, and I had a momentary
vision of a long, snake-like
neck, a fierce, red, greedy eye,
and a great snapping beak, filled,
to my amazement, with little,
gleaming teeth. The next instant
it was gone--and so was our dinner.
A huge black shadow, twenty feet
across, skimmed up into the air;
for an instant the monster wings
blotted out the stars, and then
it vanished over the brow of
the cliff above us. We all sat
in amazed silence round the fire,
like the heroes of Virgil when
the Harpies came down upon them.
It was Summerlee who was the
first to speak.
"Professor Challenger," said
he, in a solemn voice, which
quavered with emotion, "I owe
you an apology. Sir, I am very
much in the wrong, and I beg
that you will forget what is
past."
It was handsomely said, and
the two men for the first time
shook hands. So much we have
gained by this clear vision of
our first pterodactyl. It was
worth a stolen supper to bring
two such men together.
But if prehistoric life existed
upon the plateau it was not superabundant,
for we had no further glimpse
of it during the next three days.
During this time we traversed
a barren and forbidding country,
which alternated between stony
desert and desolate marshes full
of many wild-fowl, upon the north
and east of the cliffs. From
that direction the place is really
inaccessible, and, were it not
for a hardish ledge which runs
at the very base of the precipice,
we should have had to turn back.
Many times we were up to our
waists in the slime and blubber
of an old, semi-tropical swamp.
To make matters worse, the place
seemed to be a favorite breeding-place
of the Jaracaca snake, the most
venomous and aggressive in South
America. Again and again these
horrible creatures came writhing
and springing towards us across
the surface of this putrid bog,
and it was only by keeping our
shot-guns for ever ready that
we could feel safe from them.
One funnel-shaped depression
in the morass, of a livid green
in color from some lichen which
festered in it, will always remain
as a nightmare memory in my mind.
It seems to have been a special
nest of these vermins, and the
slopes were alive with them,
all writhing in our direction,
for it is a peculiarity of the
Jaracaca that he will always
attack man at first sight. There
were too many for us to shoot,
so we fairly took to our heels
and ran until we were exhausted.
I shall always remember as we
looked back how far behind we
could see the heads and necks
of our horrible pursuers rising
and falling amid the reeds. Jaracaca
Swamp we named it in the map
which we are constructing.
The cliffs upon the farther
side had lost their ruddy tint,
being chocolate-brown in color;
the vegetation was more scattered
along the top of them, and they
had sunk to three or four hundred
feet in height, but in no place
did we find any point where they
could be ascended. If anything,
they were more impossible than
at the first point where we had
met them. Their absolute steepness
is indicated in the photograph
which I took over the stony desert.
"Surely," said I, as we discussed
the situation, "the rain must
find its way down somehow. There
are bound to be water-channels
in the rocks."
"Our young friend has glimpses
of lucidity," said Professor
Challenger, patting me upon the
shoulder.
"The rain must go somewhere," I
repeated.
"He
keeps a firm
grip upon actuality.
The only drawback
is that we have conclusively
proved by ocular demonstration
that there are no water channels
down the rocks."
"Where, then, does it go?" I
persisted.
"I
think it may
be fairly assumed
that if it does not come outwards
it must run inwards."
"Then
there is a
lake in the
center."
"So
I should suppose."
"It is more than likely that
the lake may be an old crater," said
Summerlee. "The whole formation
is, of course, highly volcanic.
But, however that may be, I should
expect to find the surface of
the plateau slope inwards with
a considerable sheet of water
in the center, which may drain
off, by some subterranean channel,
into the marshes of the Jaracaca
Swamp."
"Or evaporation might preserve
an equilibrium," remarked Challenger,
and the two learned men wandered
off into one of their usual scientific
arguments, which were as comprehensible
as Chinese to the layman.
On the sixth day we completed
our first circuit of the cliffs,
and found ourselves back at the
first camp, beside the isolated
pinnacle of rock. We were a disconsolate
party, for nothing could have
been more minute than our investigation,
and it was absolutely certain
that there was no single point
where the most active human being
could possibly hope to scale
the cliff. The place which Maple
White's chalk-marks had indicated
as his own means of access was
now entirely impassable.
What were we to do now? Our
stores of provisions, supplemented
by our guns, were holding out
well, but the day must come when
they would need replenishment.
In a couple of months the rains
might be expected, and we should
be washed out of our camp. The
rock was harder than marble,
and any attempt at cutting a
path for so great a height was
more than our time or resources
would admit. No wonder that we
looked gloomily at each other
that night, and sought our blankets
with hardly a word exchanged.
I remember that as I dropped
off to sleep my last recollection
was that Challenger was squatting,
like a monstrous bull-frog, by
the fire, his huge head in his
hands, sunk apparently in the
deepest thought, and entirely
oblivious to the good-night which
I wished him.
But
it was a very
different Challenger
who greeted
us in
the morning--a Challenger with
contentment and self-congratulation
shining from his whole person.
He faced us as we assembled for
breakfast with a deprecating
false modesty in his eyes, as
who should say, "I know that
I deserve all that you can say,
but I pray you to spare my blushes
by not saying it." His beard
bristled exultantly, his chest
was thrown out, and his hand
was thrust into the front of
his jacket. So, in his fancy,
may he see himself sometimes,
gracing the vacant pedestal in
Trafalgar Square, and adding
one more to the horrors of the
London streets.
"Eureka!" he cried, his teeth
shining through his beard. "Gentlemen,
you may congratulate me and we
may congratulate each other.
The problem is solved."
"You
have found
a way up?"
"I
venture to
think so."
"And
where?"
For answer he pointed to the
spire-like pinnacle upon our
right.
Our faces--or mine, at least--fell
as we surveyed it. That it could
be climbed we had our companion's
assurance. But a horrible abyss
lay between it and the plateau.
"We can never get across," I
gasped.
"We can at least all reach
the summit," said he. "When we
are up I may be able to show
you that the resources of an
inventive mind are not yet exhausted."
After breakfast we unpacked
the bundle in which our leader
had brought his climbing accessories.
From it he took a coil of the
strongest and lightest rope,
a hundred and fifty feet in length,
with climbing irons, clamps,
and other devices. Lord John
was an experienced mountaineer,
and Summerlee had done some rough
climbing at various times, so
that I was really the novice
at rock-work of the party; but
my strength and activity may
have made up for my want of experience.
It was not in reality a very
stiff task, though there were
moments which made my hair bristle
upon my head. The first half
was perfectly easy, but from
there upwards it became continually
steeper until, for the last fifty
feet, we were literally clinging
with our fingers and toes to
tiny ledges and crevices in the
rock. I could not have accomplished
it, nor could Summerlee, if Challenger
had not gained the summit (it
was extraordinary to see such
activity in so unwieldy a creature)
and there fixed the rope round
the trunk of the considerable
tree which grew there. With this
as our support, we were soon
able to scramble up the jagged
wall until we found ourselves
upon the small grassy platform,
some twenty-five feet each way,
which formed the summit.
The first impression which
I received when I had recovered
my breath was of the extraordinary
view over the country which we
had traversed. The whole Brazilian
plain seemed to lie beneath us,
extending away and away until
it ended in dim blue mists upon
the farthest sky-line. In the
foreground was the long slope,
strewn with rocks and dotted
with tree-ferns; farther off
in the middle distance, looking
over the saddle-back hill, I
could just see the yellow and
green mass of bamboos through
which we had passed; and then,
gradually, the vegetation increased
until it formed the huge forest
which extended as far as the
eyes could reach, and for a good
two thousand miles beyond.
I was still drinking in this
wonderful panorama when the heavy
hand of the Professor fell upon
my shoulder.
"This way, my young friend," said
he; "vestigia nulla retrorsum.
Never look rearwards, but always
to our glorious goal."
The level of the plateau, when
I turned, was exactly that on
which we stood, and the green
bank of bushes, with occasional
trees, was so near that it was
difficult to realize how inaccessible
it remained. At a rough guess
the gulf was forty feet across,
but, so far as I could see, it
might as well have been forty
miles. I placed one arm round
the trunk of the tree and leaned
over the abyss. Far down were
the small dark figures of our
servants, looking up at us. The
wall was absolutely precipitous,
as was that which faced me.
"This is indeed curious," said
the creaking voice of Professor
Summerlee.
I
turned, and
found that
he was examining
with great
interest
the tree to which I clung. That
smooth bark and those small,
ribbed leaves seemed familiar
to my eyes. "Why," I cried, "it's
a beech!"
"Exactly," said Summerlee. "A
fellow-countryman in a far land."
"Not only a fellow-countryman,
my good sir," said Challenger, "but
also, if I may be allowed to
enlarge your simile, an ally
of the first value. This beech
tree will be our saviour."
"By George!" cried Lord John, "a
bridge!"
"Exactly,
my friends,
a bridge! It
is not for
nothing that
I
expended an hour last night in
focusing my mind upon the situation.
I have some recollection of once
remarking to our young friend
here that G. E. C. is at his
best when his back is to the
wall. Last night you will admit
that all our backs were to the
wall. But where will-power and
intellect go together, there
is always a way out. A drawbridge
had to be found which could be
dropped across the abyss. Behold
it!"
It was certainly a brilliant
idea. The tree was a good sixty
feet in height, and if it only
fell the right way it would easily
cross the chasm. Challenger had
slung the camp axe over his shoulder
when he ascended. Now he handed
it to me.
"Our young friend has the thews
and sinews," said he. "I think
he will be the most useful at
this task. I must beg, however,
that you will kindly refrain
from thinking for yourself, and
that you will do exactly what
you are told."
Under his direction I cut such
gashes in the sides of the trees
as would ensure that it should
fall as we desired. It had already
a strong, natural tilt in the
direction of the plateau, so
that the matter was not difficult.
Finally I set to work in earnest
upon the trunk, taking turn and
turn with Lord John. In a little
over an hour there was a loud
crack, the tree swayed forward,
and then crashed over, burying
its branches among the bushes
on the farther side. The severed
trunk rolled to the very edge
of our platform, and for one
terrible second we all thought
it was over. It balanced itself,
however, a few inches from the
edge, and there was our bridge
to the unknown.
All of us, without a word,
shook hands with Professor Challenger,
who raised his straw hat and
bowed deeply to each in turn.
"I claim the honor," said he, "to
be the first to cross to the
unknown land--a fitting subject,
no doubt, for some future historical
painting."
He had approached the bridge
when Lord John laid his hand
upon his coat.
"My dear chap," said he, "I
really cannot allow it."
"Cannot allow it, sir!" The
head went back and the beard
forward.
"When
it is a matter
of science,
don't you know, I follow your
lead because you are by way of
bein' a man of science. But it's
up to you to follow me when you
come into my department."
"Your
department,
sir?"
"We
all have our
professions,
and soldierin' is mine. We are,
accordin' to my ideas, invadin'
a new country, which may or may
not be chock-full of enemies
of sorts. To barge blindly into
it for want of a little common
sense and patience isn't my notion
of management."
The remonstrance was too reasonable
to be disregarded. Challenger
tossed his head and shrugged
his heavy shoulders.
"Well,
sir, what do
you propose?"
"For all I know there may be
a tribe of cannibals waitin'
for lunch-time among those very
bushes," said Lord John, looking
across the bridge. "It's better
to learn wisdom before you get
into a cookin'-pot; so we will
content ourselves with hopin'
that there is no trouble waitin'
for us, and at the same time
we will act as if there were.
Malone and I will go down again,
therefore, and we will fetch
up the four rifles, together
with Gomez and the other. One
man can then go across and the
rest will cover him with guns,
until he sees that it is safe
for the whole crowd to come along."
Challenger sat down upon the
cut stump and groaned his impatience;
but Summerlee and I were of one
mind that Lord John was our leader
when such practical details were
in question. The climb was a
more simple thing now that the
rope dangled down the face of
the worst part of the ascent.
Within an hour we had brought
up the rifles and a shot-gun.
The half-breeds had ascended
also, and under Lord John's orders
they had carried up a bale of
provisions in case our first
exploration should be a long
one. We had each bandoliers of
cartridges.
"Now, Challenger, if you really
insist upon being the first man
in," said Lord John, when every
preparation was complete.
"I am much indebted to you
for your gracious permission," said
the angry Professor; for never
was a man so intolerant of every
form of authority. "Since you
are good enough to allow it,
I shall most certainly take it
upon myself to act as pioneer
upon this occasion."
Seating himself with a leg
overhanging the abyss on each
side, and his hatchet slung upon
his back, Challenger hopped his
way across the trunk and was
soon at the other side. He clambered
up and waved his arms in the
air.
"At last!" he cried; "at
last!"
I gazed anxiously at him, with
a vague expectation that some
terrible fate would dart at him
from the curtain of green behind
him. But all was quiet, save
that a strange, many- colored
bird flew up from under his feet
and vanished among the trees.
Summerlee was the second. His
wiry energy is wonderful in so
frail a frame. He insisted upon
having two rifles slung upon
his back, so that both Professors
were armed when he had made his
transit. I came next, and tried
hard not to look down into the
horrible gulf over which I was
passing. Summerlee held out the
butt-end of his rifle, and an
instant later I was able to grasp
his hand. As to Lord John, he
walked across--actually walked
without support! He must have
nerves of iron.
And there we were, the four
of us, upon the dreamland, the
lost world, of Maple White. To
all of us it seemed the moment
of our supreme triumph. Who could
have guessed that it was the
prelude to our supreme disaster?
Let me say in a few words how
the crushing blow fell upon us.
We had turned away from the
edge, and had penetrated about
fifty yards of close brushwood,
when there came a frightful rending
crash from behind us. With one
impulse we rushed back the way
that we had come. The bridge
was gone!
Far down at the base of the
cliff I saw, as I looked over,
a tangled mass of branches and
splintered trunk. It was our
beech tree. Had the edge of the
platform crumbled and let it
through? For a moment this explanation
was in all our minds. The next,
from the farther side of the
rocky pinnacle before us a swarthy
face, the face of Gomez the half-breed,
was slowly protruded. Yes, it
was Gomez, but no longer the
Gomez of the demure smile and
the mask-like expression. Here
was a face with flashing eyes
and distorted features, a face
convulsed with hatred and with
the mad joy of gratified revenge.
"Lord Roxton!" he shouted. "Lord
John Roxton!"
"Well," said our companion, "here
I am."
A shriek of laughter came across
the abyss.
"Yes,
there you are,
you English
dog, and there you will remain!
I have waited and waited, and
now has come my chance. You found
it hard to get up; you will find
it harder to get down. You cursed
fools, you are trapped, every
one of you!"
We were too astounded to speak.
We could only stand there staring
in amazement. A great broken
bough upon the grass showed whence
he had gained his leverage to
tilt over our bridge. The face
had vanished, but presently it
was up again, more frantic than
before.
"We nearly killed you with
a stone at the cave," he cried; "but
this is better. It is slower
and more terrible. Your bones
will whiten up there, and none
will know where you lie or come
to cover them. As you lie dying,
think of Lopez, whom you shot
five years ago on the Putomayo
River. I am his brother, and,
come what will I will die happy
now, for his memory has been
avenged." A furious hand was
shaken at us, and then all was
quiet.
Had the half-breed simply wrought
his vengeance and then escaped,
all might have been well with
him. It was that foolish, irresistible
Latin impulse to be dramatic
which brought his own downfall.
Roxton, the man who had earned
himself the name of the Flail
of the Lord through three countries,
was not one who could be safely
taunted. The half-breed was descending
on the farther side of the pinnacle;
but before he could reach the
ground Lord John had run along
the edge of the plateau and gained
a point from which he could see
his man. There was a single crack
of his rifle, and, though we
saw nothing, we heard the scream
and then the distant thud of
the falling body. Roxton came
back to us with a face of granite.
"I have been a blind simpleton," said
he, bitterly, "It's my folly
that has brought you all into
this trouble. I should have remembered
that these people have long memories
for blood-feuds, and have been
more upon my guard."
"What
about the other
one? It took
two of them
to lever
that tree over the edge."
"I
could have
shot him, but
I let him go. He may have had
no part in it. Perhaps it would
have been better if I had killed
him, for he must, as you say,
have lent a hand."
Now that we had the clue to
his action, each of us could
cast back and remember some sinister
act upon the part of the half-breed--his
constant desire to know our plans,
his arrest outside our tent when
he was over-hearing them, the
furtive looks of hatred which
from time to time one or other
of us had surprised. We were
still discussing it, endeavoring
to adjust our minds to these
new conditions, when a singular
scene in the plain below arrested
our attention.
A man in white clothes, who
could only be the surviving half-
breed, was running as one does
run when Death is the pacemaker.
Behind him, only a few yards
in his rear, bounded the huge
ebony figure of Zambo, our devoted
negro. Even as we looked, he
sprang upon the back of the fugitive
and flung his arms round his
neck. They rolled on the ground
together. An instant afterwards
Zambo rose, looked at the prostrate
man, and then, waving his hand
joyously to us, came running
in our direction. The white figure
lay motionless in the middle
of the great plain.
Our two traitors had been destroyed,
but the mischief that they had
done lived after them. By no
possible means could we get back
to the pinnacle. We had been
natives of the world; now we
were natives of the plateau.
The two things were separate
and apart. There was the plain
which led to the canoes. Yonder,
beyond the violet, hazy horizon,
was the stream which led back
to civilization. But the link
between was missing. No human
ingenuity could suggest a means
of bridging the chasm which yawned
between ourselves and our past
lives. One instant had altered
the whole conditions of our existence.
It was at such a moment that
I learned the stuff of which
my three comrades were composed.
They were grave, it is true,
and thoughtful, but of an invincible
serenity. For the moment we could
only sit among the bushes in
patience and wait the coming
of Zambo. Presently his honest
black face topped the rocks and
his Herculean figure emerged
upon the top of the pinnacle.
"What I do now?" he cried. "You
tell me and I do it."
It was a question which it
was easier to ask than to answer.
One thing only was clear. He
was our one trusty link with
the outside world. On no account
must he leave us.
"No no!" he cried. "I
not leave you.
Whatever come,
you always
find me here. But no able to
keep Indians. Already they say
too much Curupuri live on this
place, and they go home. Now
you leave them me no able to
keep them."
It was a fact that our Indians
had shown in many ways of late
that they were weary of their
journey and anxious to return.
We realized that Zambo spoke
the truth, and that it would
be impossible for him to keep
them.
"Make them wait till to-morrow,
Zambo," I shouted; "then I can
send letter back by them."
"Very good, sarr! I promise
they wait till to-morrow, said
the negro. "But what I do for
you now?"
There was plenty for him to
do, and admirably the faithful
fellow did it. First of all,
under our directions, he undid
the rope from the tree-stump
and threw one end of it across
to us. It was not thicker than
a clothes-line, but it was of
great strength, and though we
could not make a bridge of it,
we might well find it invaluable
if we had any climbing to do.
He then fastened his end of the
rope to the package of supplies
which had been carried up, and
we were able to drag it across.
This gave us the means of life
for at least a week, even if
we found nothing else. Finally
he descended and carried up two
other packets of mixed goods--a
box of ammunition and a number
of other things, all of which
we got across by throwing our
rope to him and hauling it back.
It was evening when he at last
climbed down, with a final assurance
that he would keep the Indians
till next morning.
And so it is that I have spent
nearly the whole of this our
first night upon the plateau
writing up our experiences by
the light of a single candle-lantern.
We supped and camped at the
very edge of the cliff, quenching
our thirst with two bottles of
Apollinaris which were in one
of the cases. It is vital to
us to find water, but I think
even Lord John himself had had
adventures enough for one day,
and none of us felt inclined
to make the first push into the
unknown. We forbore to light
a fire or to make any unnecessary
sound.
To-morrow (or to-day, rather,
for it is already dawn as I write)
we shall make our first venture
into this strange land. When
I shall be able to write again--or
if I ever shall write again--I
know not. Meanwhile, I can see
that the Indians are still in
their place, and I am sure that
the faithful Zambo will be here
presently to get my letter. I
only trust that it will come
to hand.
P.S.--The more I think the
more desperate does our position
seem. I see no possible hope
of our return. If there were
a high tree near the edge of
the plateau we might drop a return
bridge across, but there is none
within fifty yards. Our united
strength could not carry a trunk
which would serve our purpose.
The rope, of course, is far too
short that we could descend by
it. No, our position is hopeless--hopeless!
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