CHAPTER IX "Who could have Foreseen it?"

Challenger."ItmustbeMapleWhite's." LordJohnhadbeengazingcuriouslyatagreattree-fernwhichovershadowedtheencampment."Isay,lookatthis,"saidhe."Ibelieveitismeantforasign-post." Aslipofhardwoodhadbeennailedtothetreeinsuchawayastopointtothewestward. "Mostcertainlyasign-post,"saidChallenger."Whatelse?Findinghimselfuponadangerouserrand,ourpioneerhasleftthissignsothatanypartywhichfollowshimmayknowthewayhehastaken.Perhapsweshallcomeuponsomeotherindicationsasweproceed." Wedidindeed,buttheywereofaterribleandmostunexpectednature.Immediatelybeneaththeclifftheregrewaconsiderablepatchofhighbamboo,likethatwhichwehadtraversedinourjourney.Manyofthesestemsweretwentyfeethigh,withsharp,strongtops,sothatevenastheystoodtheymadeformidablespears.Wewerepassingalongtheedgeofthiscoverwhenmyeyewascaughtbythegleamofsomethingwhitewithinit.Thrustinginmyheadbetweenthestems,Ifoundmyselfgazingatafleshlessskull.Thewholeskeletonwasthere,buttheskullhaddetacheditselfandlaysomefeetnearertotheopen. WithafewblowsfromthemachetesofourIndiansweclearedthespotandwereabletostudythedetailsofthisoldtragedy.Onlyafewshredsofclothescouldstillbedistinguished,butthereweretheremainsofbootsuponthebonyfeet,anditwasveryclearthatthedeadmanwasaEuropean.AgoldwatchbyHudson,ofNewYork,andachainwhichheldastylographicpen,layamongthebones.Therewasalsoasilvercigarette-case,with"J.C.,fromA.E.S.,"uponthelid.Thestateofthemetalseemedtoshowthatthecatastrophehadoccurrednogreattimebefore. "Whocanhebe?"askedLordJohn."Poordevil!everyboneinhisbodyseemstobebroken." "Andthebamboogrowsthroughhissmashedribs,"saidSummerlee."Itisafast-growingplant,butitissurelyinconceivablethatthisbodycouldhavebeenherewhilethecanesgrewtobetwentyfeetinlength." "Astotheman'sidentity,"saidProfessorChallenger,"Ihavenodoubtwhateveruponthatpoint.AsImademywayuptheriverbeforeIreachedyouatthefazendaIinstitutedveryparticularinquiriesaboutMapleWhite.AtParatheyknewnothing.Fortunately,Ihadadefiniteclew,fortherewasaparticularpictureinhissketch-bookwhichshowedhimtakinglunchwithacertainecclesiasticatRosario.ThispriestIwasabletofind,andthoughheprovedaveryargumentativefellow,whotookitabsurdlyamissthatIshouldpointouttohimthecorrosiveeffectwhichmodernsciencemusthaveuponhisbeliefs,henonethelessgavemesomepositiveinformation.MapleWhitepassedRosariofouryearsago,ortwoyearsbeforeIsawhisdeadbody.Hewasnotaloneatthetime,buttherewasafriend,anAmericannamedJamesColver,whoremainedintheboatanddidnotmeetthisecclesiastic.Ithink,therefore,thattherecanbenodoubtthatwearenowlookingupontheremainsofthisJamesColver." "Nor,"saidLordJohn,"istheremuchdoubtastohowhemethisdeath.Hehasfallenorbeenchuckedfromthetop,andsobeenimpaled.Howelsecouldhecomebyhisbrokenbones,andhowcouldhehavebeenstuckthroughbythesecaneswiththeirpointssohighaboveourheads?" AhushcameoverusaswestoodroundtheseshatteredremainsandrealizedthetruthofLordJohnRoxton'swords.Thebeetlingheadofthecliffprojectedoverthecane-brake.Undoubtedlyhehadfallenfromabove.Buthadhefallen?Haditbeenanaccident?Or—alreadyominousandterriblepossibilitiesbegantoformroundthatunknownland. Wemovedoffinsilence,andcontinuedtocoastroundthelineofcliffs,whichwereasevenandunbrokenassomeofthosemonstrousAntarcticice-fieldswhichIhaveseendepictedasstretchingfromhorizontohorizonandtoweringhighabovethemast-headsoftheexploringvessel. Infivemileswesawnoriftorbreak.Andthensuddenlyweperceivedsomethingwhichfilleduswithnewhope.Inahollowoftherock,protectedfromrain,therewasdrawnarougharrowinchalk,pointingstilltothewestwards. "MapleWhiteagain,"saidProfessorChallenger."Hehadsomepresentimentthatworthyfootstepswouldfollowclosebehindhim." "Hehadchalk,then?" "AboxofcoloredchalkswasamongtheeffectsIfoundinhisknapsack.Irememberthatthewhiteonewasworntoastump." "Thatiscertainlygoodevidence,"saidSummerlee."Wecanonlyaccepthisguidanceandfollowontothewestward." Wehadproceededsomefivemoremileswhenagainwesawawhitearrowupontherocks.Itwasatapointwherethefaceofthecliffwasforthefirsttimesplitintoanarrowcleft.Insidethecleftwasasecondguidancemark,whichpointedrightupitwiththetipsomewhatelevated,asifthespotindicatedwereabovetheleveloftheground. Itwasasolemnplace,forthewallsweresogiganticandtheslitofblueskysonarrowandsoobscuredbyadoublefringeofverdure,thatonlyadimandshadowylightpenetratedtothebottom.Wehadhadnofoodformanyhours,andwereverywearywiththestonyandirregularjourney,butournervesweretoostrungtoallowustohalt.Weorderedthecamptobepitched,however,and,leavingtheIndianstoarrangeit,wefour,withthetwohalf-breeds,proceededupthenarrowgorge. Itwasnotmorethanfortyfeetacrossatthemouth,butitrapidlycloseduntilitendedinanacuteangle,toostraightandsmoothforanascent.Certainlyitwasnotthiswhichourpioneerhadattemptedtoindicate.Wemadeourwayback—thewholegorgewasnotmorethanaquarterofamiledeep—andthensuddenlythequickeyesofLordJohnfelluponwhatwewereseeking.Highupaboveourheads,amidthedarkshadows,therewasonecircleofdeepergloom.Surelyitcouldonlybetheopeningofacave. Thebaseofthecliffwasheapedwithloosestonesatthespot,anditwasnotdifficulttoclamberup.Whenwereachedit,alldoubtwasremoved.Notonlywasitanopeningintotherock,butonthesideofittherewasmarkedonceagainthesignofthearrow.Herewasthepoint,andthisthemeansbywhichMapleWhiteandhisill-fatedcomradehadmadetheirascent. Weweretooexcitedtoreturntothecamp,butmustmakeourfirstexplorationatonce.LordJohnhadanelectrictorchinhisknapsack,andthishadtoserveusaslight.Headvanced,throwinghislittleclearcircletofyellowradiancebeforehim,whileinsinglefilewefollowedathisheels. Thecavehadevidentlybeenwater-worn,thesidesbeingsmoothandthefloorcoveredwithroundedstones.Itwasofsuchasizethatasinglemancouldjustfitthroughbystooping.Forfiftyyardsitranalmoststraightintotherock,andthenitascendedatanangleofforty-five.Presentlythisinclinebecameevensteeper,andwefoundourselvesclimbinguponhandsandkneesamonglooserubblewhichslidfrombeneathus.SuddenlyanexclamationbrokefromLordRoxton. "It'sblocked!"saidhe. Clusteringbehindhimwesawintheyellowfieldoflightawallofbrokenbasaltwhichextendedtotheceiling. "Theroofhasfallenin!" Invainwedraggedoutsomeofthepieces.Theonlyeffectwasthatthelargeronesbecamedetachedandthreatenedtorolldownthegradientandcrushus.Itwasevidentthattheobstaclewasfarbeyondanyeffortswhichwecouldmaketoremoveit.TheroadbywhichMapleWhitehadascendedwasnolongeravailable. Toomuchcastdowntospeak,westumbleddownthedarktunnelandmadeourwaybacktothecamp. Oneincidentoccurred,however,beforeweleftthegorge,whichisofimportanceinviewofwhatcameafterwards. Wehadgatheredinalittlegroupatthebottomofthechasm,somefortyfeetbeneaththemouthofthecave,whenahugerockrolledsuddenlydownwards—andshotpastuswithtremendousforce.Itwasthenarrowestescapeforoneorallofus.Wecouldnotourselvesseewhencetherockhadcome,butourhalf-breedservants,whowerestillattheopeningofthecave,saidthatithadflownpastthem,andmustthereforehavefallenfromthesummit.Lookingupwards,wecouldseenosignofmovementaboveusamidstthegreenjunglewhichtoppedthecliff.Therecouldbelittledoubt,however,thatthestonewasaimedatus,sotheincidentsurelypointedtohumanity—andmalevolenthumanity—upontheplateau. Wewithdrewhurriedlyfromthechasm,ourmindsfullofthisnewdevelopmentanditsbearinguponourplans.Thesituationwasdifficultenoughbefore,butiftheobstructionsofNaturewereincreasedbythedeliberateoppositionofman,thenourcasewasindeedahopelessone.Andyet,aswelookedupatthatbeautifulfringeofverdureonlyafewhundredsoffeetaboveourheads,therewasnotoneofuswho