The Lost World
"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