CHAPTER IX "Who could have Foreseen it?"

couldconceivetheideaofreturningtoLondonuntilwehadexploredittoitsdepths. Ondiscussingthesituation,wedeterminedthatourbestcoursewastocontinuetocoastroundtheplateauinthehopeoffindingsomeothermeansofreachingthetop.Thelineofcliffs,whichhaddecreasedconsiderablyinheight,hadalreadybeguntotrendfromwesttonorth,andifwecouldtakethisasrepresentingthearcofacircle,thewholecircumferencecouldnotbeverygreat.Attheworst,then,weshouldbebackinafewdaysatourstarting-point. Wemadeamarchthatdaywhichtotaledsometwo-and-twentymiles,withoutanychangeinourprospects.Imaymentionthatouraneroidshowsusthatinthecontinualinclinewhichwehaveascendedsinceweabandonedourcanoeswehaverisentonolessthanthreethousandfeetabovesea-level.Hencethereisaconsiderablechangebothinthetemperatureandinthevegetation.Wehaveshakenoffsomeofthathorribleinsectlifewhichisthebaneoftropicaltravel.Afewpalmsstillsurvive,andmanytree-ferns,buttheAmazoniantreeshavebeenallleftbehind.Itwaspleasanttoseetheconvolvulus,thepassion-flower,andthebegonia,allremindingmeofhome,hereamongtheseinhospitablerocks.TherewasaredbegoniajustthesamecolorasonethatiskeptinapotinthewindowofacertainvillainStreatham—butIamdriftingintoprivatereminiscence. Thatnight—Iamstillspeakingofthefirstdayofourcircumnavigationoftheplateau—agreatexperienceawaitedus,andonewhichforeversetatrestanydoubtwhichwecouldhavehadastothewonderssonearus. Youwillrealizeasyoureadit,mydearMr.McArdle,andpossiblyforthefirsttimethatthepaperhasnotsentmeonawild-goosechase,andthatthereisinconceivablyfinecopywaitingfortheworldwheneverwehavetheProfessor'sleavetomakeuseofit.IshallnotdaretopublishthesearticlesunlessIcanbringbackmyproofstoEngland,orIshallbehailedasthejournalisticMunchausenofalltime.Ihavenodoubtthatyoufeelthesamewayyourself,andthatyouwouldnotcaretostakethewholecreditoftheGazetteuponthisadventureuntilwecanmeetthechorusofcriticismandscepticismwhichsucharticlesmustofnecessityelicit.Sothiswonderfulincident,whichwouldmakesuchaheadlinefortheoldpaper,muststillwaititsturnintheeditorialdrawer. Andyetitwasalloverinaflash,andtherewasnosequeltoit,saveinourownconvictions. Whatoccurredwasthis.LordJohnhadshotanajouti—whichisasmall,pig-likeanimal—and,halfofithavingbeengiventotheIndians,wewerecookingtheotherhalfuponourfire.Thereisachillintheairafterdark,andwehadalldrawnclosetotheblaze.Thenightwasmoonless,butthereweresomestars,andonecouldseeforalittledistanceacrosstheplain.Well,suddenlyoutofthedarkness,outofthenight,thereswoopedsomethingwithaswishlikeanaeroplane.Thewholegroupofuswerecoveredforaninstantbyacanopyofleatherywings,andIhadamomentaryvisionofalong,snake-likeneck,afierce,red,greedyeye,andagreatsnappingbeak,filled,tomyamazement,withlittle,gleamingteeth.Thenextinstantitwasgone—andsowasourdinner.Ahugeblackshadow,twentyfeetacross,skimmedupintotheairforaninstantthemonsterwingsblottedoutthestars,andthenitvanishedoverthebrowofthecliffaboveus.Weallsatinamazedsilenceroundthefire,liketheheroesofVirgilwhentheHarpiescamedownuponthem.ItwasSummerleewhowasthefirsttospeak. "ProfessorChallenger,"saidhe,inasolemnvoice,whichquaveredwithemotion,"Ioweyouanapology.Sir,Iamverymuchinthewrong,andIbegthatyouwillforgetwhatispast." Itwashandsomelysaid,andthetwomenforthefirsttimeshookhands.Somuchwehavegainedbythisclearvisionofourfirstpterodactyl.Itwasworthastolensuppertobringtwosuchmentogether. Butifprehistoriclifeexistedupontheplateauitwasnotsuperabundant,forwehadnofurtherglimpseofitduringthenextthreedays.Duringthistimewetraversedabarrenandforbiddingcountry,whichalternatedbetweenstonydesertanddesolatemarshesfullofmanywild-fowl,uponthenorthandeastofthecliffs.Fromthatdirectiontheplaceisreallyinaccessible,and,wereitnotforahardishledgewhichrunsattheverybaseoftheprecipice,weshouldhavehadtoturnback.Manytimeswewereuptoourwaistsintheslimeandblubberofanold,semi-tropicalswamp.Tomakemattersworse,theplaceseemedtobeafavoritebreeding-placeoftheJaracacasnake,themostvenomousandaggressiveinSouthAmerica.Againandagainthesehorriblecreaturescamewrithingandspringingtowardsusacrossthesurfaceofthisputridbog,anditwasonlybykeepingourshot-gunsforeverreadythatwecouldfeelsafefromthem.Onefunnel-shapeddepressioninthemorass,ofalividgreenincolorfromsomelichenwhichfesteredinit,willalwaysremainasanightmarememoryinmymind.Itseemstohavebeenaspecialnestofthesevermins,andtheslopeswerealivewiththem,allwrithinginourdirection,foritisapeculiarityoftheJaracacathathewillalwaysattackmanatfirstsight.Thereweretoomanyforustoshoot,sowefairlytooktoourheelsandranuntilwewereexhausted.Ishallalwaysrememberaswelookedbackhowfarbehindwecouldseetheheadsandnecksofourhorriblepursuersrisingandfallingamidthereeds.JaracacaSwampwenameditinthemapwhichweareconstructing. Thecliffsuponthefarthersidehadlosttheirruddytint,beingchocolate-brownincolorthevegetationwasmorescatteredalongthetopofthem,andtheyhadsunktothreeorfourhundredfeetinheight,butinnoplacedidwefindanypointwheretheycouldbeascended.Ifanything,theyweremoreimpossiblethanatthefirstpointwherewehadmetthem.TheirabsolutesteepnessisindicatedinthephotographwhichItookoverthestonydesert. "Surely,"saidI,aswediscussedthesituation,"therainmustfinditswaydownsomehow.Thereareboundtobewater-channelsintherocks." "Ouryoungfriendhasglimpsesoflucidity,"saidProfessorChallenger,pattingmeupontheshoulder. "Therainmustgosomewhere,"Irepeated. "Hekeepsafirmgripuponactuality.Theonlydrawbackisthatwehaveconclusivelyprovedbyoculardemonstrationthattherearenowaterchannelsdowntherocks." "Where,then,doesitgo?"Ipersisted. "Ithinkitmaybefairlyassumedthatifitdoesnotcomeoutwardsitmustruninwards." "Thenthereisalakeinthecenter." "SoIshouldsuppose." "Itismorethanlikelythatthelakemaybeanoldcrater,"saidSummerlee."Thewholeformationis,ofcourse,highlyvolcanic.But,howeverthatmaybe,Ishouldexpecttofindthesurfaceoftheplateauslopeinwardswithaconsiderablesheetofwaterinthecenter,whichmaydrainoff,bysomesubterraneanchannel,intothemarshesoftheJaracacaSwamp." "Orevaporationmightpreserveanequilibrium,"remarkedChallenger,andthetwolearnedmenwanderedoffintooneoftheirusualscientificarguments,whichwereascomprehensibleasChinesetothelayman. Onthesixthdaywecompletedourfirstcircuitofthecliffs,andfoundourselvesbackatthefirstcamp,besidetheisolatedpinnacleofrock.Wewereadisconsolateparty,fornothingcouldhavebeenmoreminutethanourinvestigation,anditwasabsolutelycertainthattherewasnosinglepointwherethemostactivehumanbeingcouldpossiblyhopetoscalethecliff.TheplacewhichMapleWhite'schalk-markshadindicatedashisownmeansofaccesswasnowentirelyimpassable. Whatwerewetodonow?Ourstoresofprovisions,supplementedbyourguns,wereholdingoutwell,butthedaymustcomewhentheywouldneedreplenishment.Inacoupleofmonthstherainsmightbeexpected,andweshouldbewashedoutofourcamp.Therockwasharderthanmarble,andanyattemptatcuttingapathforsogreataheightwasmorethanourtimeorresourceswouldadmit.Nowonderthatwelookedgloomilyateachotherthatnight,andsoughtourblanketswithhardlyawordexchanged.IrememberthatasIdroppedofftosleepmylastrecollectionwasthatChallengerwassquatting,likeamonstrousbull-frog,bythefire,hishugeheadinhishands,sunkapparentlyinthedeepestthought,andentirelyoblivioustothegood-nightwhichIwishedhim. ButitwasaverydifferentChallengerwhogreetedusinthemorning—aChallengerwithcontentmentandself-congratulationshiningfromhiswholeperson.Hefacedusasweassembledforbreakfastwithadeprecatingfalsemodestyinhiseyes,aswhoshouldsay,"IknowthatIdeserveallthatyoucansay,butIprayyoutospare