CHAPTER XV "Our Eyes have seen Great Wonders"

Iwritethisfromdaytoday,butItrustthatbeforeIcometotheendofit,Imaybeabletosaythatthelightshines,atlast,throughourclouds.Weareheldherewithnoclearmeansofmakingourescape,andbitterlywechafeagainstit.Yet,Icanwellimaginethatthedaymaycomewhenwemaybegladthatwewerekept,againstourwill,toseesomethingmoreofthewondersofthissingularplace,andofthecreatureswhoinhabitit. ThevictoryoftheIndiansandtheannihilationoftheape-men,markedtheturningpointofourfortunes.Fromthenonwards,wewereintruthmastersoftheplateau,forthenativeslookeduponuswithamixtureoffearandgratitude,sincebyourstrangepowerswehadaidedthemtodestroytheirhereditaryfoe.Fortheirownsakestheywould,perhaps,begladtoseethedepartureofsuchformidableandincalculablepeople,buttheyhavenotthemselvessuggestedanywaybywhichwemayreachtheplainsbelow.Therehadbeen,sofaraswecouldfollowtheirsigns,atunnelbywhichtheplacecouldbeapproached,thelowerexitofwhichwehadseenfrombelow.Bythis,nodoubt,bothape-menandIndianshadatdifferentepochsreachedthetop,andMapleWhitewithhiscompanionhadtakenthesameway.Onlytheyearbefore,however,therehadbeenaterrificearthquake,andtheupperendofthetunnelhadfalleninandcompletelydisappeared.TheIndiansnowcouldonlyshaketheirheadsandshrugtheirshoulderswhenweexpressedbysignsourdesiretodescend.Itmaybethattheycannot,butitmayalsobethattheywillnot,helpustogetaway. Attheendofthevictoriouscampaignthesurvivingape-folkweredrivenacrosstheplateau(theirwailingswerehorrible)andestablishedintheneighborhoodoftheIndiancaves,wheretheywould,fromnowonwards,beaservileraceundertheeyesoftheirmasters.Itwasarude,raw,primevalversionoftheJewsinBabylonortheIsraelitesinEgypt.Atnightwecouldhearfromamidthetreesthelong-drawncry,assomeprimitiveEzekielmournedforfallengreatnessandrecalledthedepartedgloriesofApeTown.Hewersofwoodanddrawersofwater,suchweretheyfromnowonwards. Wehadreturnedacrosstheplateauwithouralliestwodaysafterthebattle,andmadeourcampatthefootoftheircliffs.Theywouldhavehadussharetheircaveswiththem,butLordJohnwouldbynomeansconsenttoitconsideringthattodosowouldputusintheirpoweriftheyweretreacherouslydisposed.Wekeptourindependence,therefore,andhadourweaponsreadyforanyemergency,whilepreservingthemostfriendlyrelations.Wealsocontinuallyvisitedtheircaves,whichweremostremarkableplaces,thoughwhethermadebymanorbyNaturewehaveneverbeenabletodetermine.Theywereallontheonestratum,hollowedoutofsomesoftrockwhichlaybetweenthevolcanicbasaltformingtheruddycliffsabovethem,andthehardgranitewhichformedtheirbase. Theopeningswereabouteightyfeetabovetheground,andwereleduptobylongstonestairs,sonarrowandsteepthatnolargeanimalcouldmountthem.Insidetheywerewarmanddry,runninginstraightpassagesofvaryinglengthintothesideofthehill,withsmoothgraywallsdecoratedwithmanyexcellentpicturesdonewithcharredsticksandrepresentingthevariousanimalsoftheplateau.Ifeverylivingthingweresweptfromthecountrythefutureexplorerwouldfinduponthewallsofthesecavesampleevidenceofthestrangefauna—thedinosaurs,iguanodons,andfishlizards—whichhadlivedsorecentlyuponearth. Sincewehadlearnedthatthehugeiguanodonswerekeptastameherdsbytheirowners,andweresimplywalkingmeat-stores,wehadconceivedthatman,evenwithhisprimitiveweapons,hadestablishedhisascendancyupontheplateau.Weweresoontodiscoverthatitwasnotso,andthathewasstillthereupontolerance. ItwasonthethirddayafterourformingourcampneartheIndiancavesthatthetragedyoccurred.ChallengerandSummerleehadgoneofftogetherthatdaytothelakewheresomeofthenatives,undertheirdirection,wereengagedinharpooningspecimensofthegreatlizards.LordJohnandIhadremainedinourcamp,whileanumberoftheIndianswerescatteredaboutuponthegrassyslopeinfrontofthecavesengagedindifferentways.Suddenlytherewasashrillcryofalarm,withtheword"Stoa"resoundingfromahundredtongues.Fromeverysidemen,women,andchildrenwererushingwildlyforshelter,swarmingupthestaircasesandintothecavesinamadstampede. Lookingup,wecouldseethemwavingtheirarmsfromtherocksaboveandbeckoningtoustojointhemintheirrefuge.Wehadbothseizedourmagazineriflesandranouttoseewhatthedangercouldbe.SuddenlyfromthenearbeltoftreestherebrokeforthagroupoftwelveorfifteenIndians,runningfortheirlives,andattheirveryheelstwoofthosefrightfulmonsterswhichhaddisturbedourcampandpursuedmeuponmysolitaryjourney.Inshapetheywerelikehorribletoads,andmovedinasuccessionofsprings,butinsizetheywereofanincrediblebulk,largerthanthelargestelephant.Wehadneverbeforeseenthemsaveatnight,andindeedtheyarenocturnalanimalssavewhendisturbedintheirlairs,asthesehadbeen.Wenowstoodamazedatthesight,fortheirblotchedandwartyskinswereofacuriousfish-likeiridescence,andthesunlightstruckthemwithanever-varyingrainbowbloomastheymoved. Wehadlittletimetowatchthem,however,forinaninstanttheyhadovertakenthefugitivesandweremakingadireslaughteramongthem.Theirmethodwastofallforwardwiththeirfullweightuponeachinturn,leavinghimcrushedandmangled,toboundonaftertheothers.ThewretchedIndiansscreamedwithterror,butwerehelpless,runastheywould,beforetherelentlesspurposeandhorribleactivityofthesemonstrouscreatures.Oneafteranothertheywentdown,andtherewerenothalf-a-dozensurvivingbythetimemycompanionandIcouldcometotheirhelp.Butouraidwasoflittleavailandonlyinvolvedusinthesameperil.Attherangeofacoupleofhundredyardsweemptiedourmagazines,firingbulletafterbulletintothebeasts,butwithnomoreeffectthanifwewerepeltingthemwithpelletsofpaper.Theirslowreptiliannaturescarednothingforwounds,andthespringsofthei