Chapter 15

Our Eyes Have Seen Great Wonders

We are held here with no clear means of making our escape, and we were very angry. Yet, I can well imagine that the day may come when we may be glad that we were kept, against our will, to see something more of the wonders of this singular place, and of the creatures who inhabit it.

The victory of the Indians and the destruction of the ape-men, marked the turning point of our fortunes. From now on, we were the masters of the plateau and the natives looked at us with a mixture of fear and gratitude. For their own sakes they would, perhaps, be glad to see such all-powerful people leaving, but even they could not suggest any way by which we may reach the plains below. So far as we could follow their signs, there was a tunnel by which the place could be approached. By this, no doubt, both ape-men and Indians had at different epochs reached the top, and Maple White with his companion had taken the same way. Only the year before, however, there had been a terrific earthquake, and the upper end of the tunnel had fallen in and completely disappeared. The Indians now could only shake their heads and shrug their shoulders when we expressed by signs our desire to descend.

We made our camp at the foot of the cliffs. The Indians would have had us share their caves with them, but Lord John would by no means refuse their suggestion. He thought that to do so would put us in their power. We kept our independence and had our weapons ready for any emergency, while preserving the most friendly relations. We also continually visited their caves.

The openings were about eighty feet above the ground, so no large animal could mount them. Inside they were warm and dry, running in straight passages of varying length into the side of the hill, with smooth gray walls decorated with many excellent pictures representing the various animals of the plateau.

Since we had learned that the huge iguanodons were kept as herds by their owners, and were simply walking meat-stores, we had understood that man, even with his primitive weapons, had established his power on the plateau. We were soon to discover that it was not so.

On the third day near the Indian caves that the tragedy occurred. Challenger and Summerlee had gone together to the lake where some of the natives were asked to catch them specimens of the great lizards. Lord John and I had remained in our camp. Suddenly there was a shrill cry of alarm. From every side men, women and children were rushing wildly for shelter, shouting the word “Stoa”.

Looking up, we could see them waving their arms from the rocks above and inviting us to join them in their refuge. We had both seized our magazine rifles and ran out to see what the danger could be. Suddenly from the near belt of trees there came a group of twelve or fifteen Indians, running for their lives. At their very heels there were two of those frightful monsters, which looked like horrible gigantic toads and which had disturbed our camp and chased me on my journey. We had never before seen them except at night. We stood amazed at the sight but had little time to watch them, however, as in a second they had overtaken the natives and were murdering them. The poor Indians screamed with terror, but were helpless. One after another they went down, and there were about five-six men surviving by the time my companion and I could come to their help. We emptied our magazines, firing bullet after bullet into the beasts, but with no more effect than if we were throwing paper balls into them. We could not hurt them, only distract their attention with the flash and roar of our guns. So we gave both the natives and ourselves time to reach the steps which led to safety. But where the bullets were of no use, the poisoned arrows of the natives could succeed. In a minute they were covered with them, and yet with no sign of pain they tried to get to the steps which would lead them to their victims. But at last the poison worked. One of them gave a deep groan and dropped his huge head on to the earth. The other ran round in a circle with cries, and then lying down writhed in agony for some minutes before it also lay still. With yells of triumph the Indians came down from their caves and danced a dance of victory round the dead bodies, in mad joy that two more of the most dangerous of all their enemies had been beaten. That night they cut up the bodies, but not to eat as the poison was still active. They also removed them in order not to poison the air. The great reptilian hearts, each as large as a pillow, still lay there, beating slowly and steadily, in horrible independent life. Only on the third day the dreadful things stopped beating.

Some day, when I have a better desk and more helpful written tools, I will write some fuller account of the Accala Indians, of our life amongst them in the wondrous Maple White Land. Memory, at least, will never fail me, for so long as the breath of life is in me, I will remember every hour and every action of that period. When the time comes I will describe that wondrous moonlit night on the great lake when a young ichthyosaurus – a strange creature, half seal, half fish, with three eyes fixed on the top of his head – was entangled in an Indian net, and nearly upset our canoe; the same night a green water-snake shot out from the rushes and carried off one Indian of Challenger’s canoe. I will tell, too, of the great white thing – we do not know whether it was beast or reptile – which lived in a swamp to the east of the lake. The Indians were so terrified at it that they would not go near the place, and, though we twice made expeditions and saw it each time. I can only say that it seemed to be larger than a cow and had the strangest odour. I will tell also of the huge bird which chased Challenger to the shelter of the rocks one day – a great bird, taller than an ostrich, with a cruel head which made it a walking death. This time at least modern weapons prevailed and the great creature, twelve feet from head to foot – phororachus its name, according to our Professor – went down before Lord Roxton’s rifle. Finally, I will assuredly give some account of the toxodon, the giant ten-foot guinea pig, with projecting sharp teeth, which we killed as it drank by the side of the lake.

All this I shall some day write at fuller length. I would tenderly sketch in these lovely summer evenings, when with the deep blue sky above us we all lay among the long grasses by the wood, while above us the bushes were heavy with fruit, and below us strange and lovely flowers. Or those long moonlit nights when we lay and watched with wonder and awe the huge circles on the lake from the sudden splash of some fantastic monster.

But, you will ask, why all these experiences, when you and your comrades should have been occupied day and night finding some means by which you could return to the outer world? My answer is, that our work had been in vain. One fact we had discovered: The Indians would do nothing to help us. In every other way they were our friends, but when it was suggested that they should help us to make and carry a plank which could be the bridge over the chasm, or when we wished to get from them liana to weave ropes which might help us, we were met by a good-humoured refusal. They would smile, shake their heads, and there was the end of it. Even the old chief met us with the same obstinate denial, and it was only Maretas, the youngster whom we had saved, who told us by his gestures that he was very sorry. They believed that so long as we remained with them good fortune would be theirs. A little red-skinned wife and a cave were freely offered to each of us if we would forget our own people and stay forever on the plateau. That is why we felt that our actual plans of a descent must be kept secret, otherwise they might try to hold us by force.

In spite of the danger from dinosaurs I have been twice in the last three weeks over to our old camp in order to see our negro who still kept watch below the cliff. My eyes strained eagerly across the great plain in the hope of seeing the help for which we had prayed.

“They will soon come now, Massa Malone. Come back and bring rope and fetch you down.” Such was a cry of our excellent Zambo.

As I came from this second visit I had one strange experience. I was returning along the well-remembered route, and had reached a spot within a mile or so of the swamp of the pterodactyls, when I saw an extraordinary object approaching me. It was a man who walked inside a cage made of bent canes. I was more amazed to see that it was Lord John Roxton. When he saw me he took off his curious protection and came towards me laughing, and yet, as I thought, with some confusion.

“Well, my friend,” said he, “who would have thought of meeting you up here?”

“What in the world are you doing?” I asked.

“Visiting my friends, the pterodactyls,” said he.

“But why?”

“Interesting beasts, don’t you think? But unsociable! Rude ways with strangers, as you remember. So I built this cage.”

“But what do you want in the swamp?”

He looked at me, and I read hesitation in his face.

“Don’t you think other people besides Professors can want to know things?” he said at last. “I’m studying them. That’s enough for you.”

But then his good-humour returned and he laughed.

“No offense, my friend. I’m going to get a young devil chick for Challenger. That’s one of my jobs. No, I don’t want your company. I’m safe in this cage, and you are not. So long, and I’ll be back in camp by night-fall.”

He turned away and I left him wandering on through the wood with his cage around him.

If Lord John’s behaviour at this time was strange, Challenger was even stranger. He seemed to be very attractive for the Indian women, and so he always carried a large palm branch with which he beat them off as if they were flies, when their attentions became too pressing. To see him walking like a Sultan and a train of wide-eyed Indian girls behind him, is one of the most grotesque of all the pictures which I will carry back with me. As to Summerlee, he was absorbed in the insect and bird life of the plateau, and spent his whole time (except that considerable portion which was devoted to abusing Challenger for not getting us out of our difficulties) in cleaning his specimens.

Challenger went off every morning and returned from time to time with a look of great solemnity. One day, palm branch in hand, and his crowd of admirers behind him, he led us down to his hidden place and took us into the secret of his plans.

The place was a small clearing where there was one of those boiling mud geysers which I have already described. Around its edge we saw a number of leathern belts cut from iguanodon hide, and a large membrane which turned out to be the dried and scraped stomach of one of the great fish lizards from the lake. This huge sack had only one small hole, into which several bamboo canes had been inserted. The other ends of these canes were in contact with clay funnels which collected the gas in the geyser. Soon the organ began to slowly expand and Challenger fastened the belts which held it to the trunks of the surrounding trees. In half an hour a good-sized gas-bag had been formed. Challenger, like a glad father in the presence of his first-born, stood smiling and stroking his beard. It was Summerlee who first broke the silence.

“You don’t mean us to go up in that thing, Challenger?” said he, in an acid voice.

“I mean, my dear Summerlee, to give you such a demonstration of its powers that after seeing it you will, I am sure, you will trust me.”

“I’d like to see how it works,” said Lord John.

“So you will,” said Challenger. “We have understood that we cannot climb down and that there is no tunnel. We are also unable to construct any kind of bridge. How then shall I find a means to save us? Some little time ago I had remarked to our young friend here that free hydrogen was evolved from the geyser. The idea of a balloon naturally followed. I admit, I was worried by the difficulty of finding something to contain the gas, but the examination of the entrails of these reptiles supplied me with a solution to the problem. Here is the result!”

“Madness!” snorted Summerlee.

Lord John was delighted with the whole idea. “Clever old man, isn’t he?” he whispered to me, and then louder to Challenger. “What about a car?”

“The car will be my next care. I have already planned how it is to be made and attached. Meanwhile I will simply show you how capable my apparatus is of supporting the weight of each of us.”

“All of us, surely?”

“No, it is part of my plan that each in turn will descend as in a parachute. If it will support the weight of one and let him gently down, it will have done all that is required of it. I will demonstrate you the power of my balloon.” As he said so he cut with a knife the various ropes that held it.

Never was our expedition in more serious danger of complete destruction. The inflated membrane shot up with frightful speed into the air. In a moment Challenger was pulled off his feet and dragged after it. I managed to throw my arms round his waist and found myself up into the air. Lord John gripped me round the legs, but I felt that he also was coming off the ground. For a moment I had a vision of four adventurers floating like a string of sausages over the land that they had explored. But, happily, there were limits which the rope would stand. There was a sharp crack, and we were in a heap on the ground. When we were able to get up, we saw in the deep blue sky one dark spot where the balloon was speeding upon its way.

“Splendid!” cried Challenger, rubbing his injured arm. “A most thorough and satisfactory demonstration! I could not have imagined such a success. Within a week, gentlemen, I promise that a second balloon will be prepared!”

So it was on the very evening of our adventure with Challenger’s balloon that the change came in our fortunes. I have said that the one person from whom we had had some sign of sympathy in our attempts to get away was the young chief whom we had rescued. He alone had no desire to hold us against our will in a strange land. He had told us as much by his expressive language of signs. That evening he came down to our little camp, handed me a small roll of the bark of a tree, and then pointing solemnly up at the row of caves above him, he had put his finger to his lips as a sign of secrecy and gone away.

I took the slip of bark to the firelight and we examined it together. There was a singular arrangement of lines, which were neatly done on the white surface, and looked to me at first sight like some sort of rough musical score.

“Whatever it is, I can say that it is of importance to us,” said I. “I could read that on his face as he gave it.”

“It is clearly some sort of script,” said Challenger.

“Looks like a puzzle,” remarked Lord John, looking at it. Then suddenly he stretched out his hand and seized the puzzle.

“By George!” he cried, “I believe I’ve got it. The boy guessed right the very first time. See here! How many marks are on that paper? Eighteen. Well, there are eighteen cave openings on the hill-side above us. It’s a map, and here’s a cross on it. It is placed to mark one that is much deeper than the others.”

“One that goes through,” I cried.

“I believe our young friend has read the riddle,” said Challenger. “If it does go through and comes out at the corresponding point on the other side, we should not have more than a hundred feet to descend.”

“Well, our rope is still more than a hundred feet long,” I cried. “Surely we could get down.”

“How about the Indians in the cave?” Summerlee objected.

“There are no Indians in any of the caves above our heads,” said I. “They are all used as store-houses. Why should we not go up now at once and spy out the land?”

We made our way up steps to the particular cave which was marked in the drawing. It was, as I had said, empty, except for a great number of enormous bats, which flapped round our heads as we entered it. As we had no desire to draw the attention of the Indians to our proceedings, we started our expedition in the dark. Only when we were in the cave we lit our torches. We hurried eagerly along it until, with a deep groan of bitter disappointment, we were brought to a dead-end. There was no escape for us there.

“Never mind, my friends,” said Challenger. “You have still my firm promise of a balloon.”

“Can we be in the wrong cave?” I suggested.

“No,” said Lord John. “Seventeen from the right and second from the left. This is the cave we need.”

I looked at the mark and gave a sudden cry of joy.

“Well, it is marked as a forked cave, and in the darkness we passed the fork before the torches were lit. On the right side as we go out we should find the longer arm.”

It was as I had said. We had not gone thirty yards before a great black opening loomed in the wall. We turned into it to find that we were in a much larger passage than before. Along it we hurried in breathless impatience for many hundreds of yards. Then, suddenly, in the black darkness of the arch in front of us we saw a gleam of light. We stared in amazement.

“The moon, by George!” cried Lord John. “We are through, boys! We are through!”

It was indeed the full moon. It was a small rift, not larger than a window, but it was enough for our purposes. Through it we could see that the descent was not a very difficult one. With the help of our rope we could find our way down, and then we returned, rejoicing, to our camp to make our preparations for the next evening.

We had to do it quickly and secretly. We decided to leave behind us, except only our guns and cartridges. But Challenger had some stuff which he desired to take with him, and one particular package, of which I may not speak, which gave us more labour than any. Slowly the day passed, but when the darkness fell we were ready for our departure. We got our things up the steps, and then, looking back, took one last long survey of that strange land, the dream of hunters, a land where we had suffered much, and learned much… OUR land. Even as we looked a high cry, the call of some weird animal, rang clear out of the darkness. It was the very voice of Maple White Land telling us good-bye. We turned and plunged into the cave which led to home.

Two hours later, we and all we owned were at the foot of the cliff. In the early morning we approached Zambo’s camp and as we reached it, we stopped in amazement. There were lots of fires on the plain. The rescue party had arrived. We saw about twenty Indians from the river, with stakes, ropes, and all that could be useful for bridging the chasm. At least we have no difficulty now in carrying our packages. Tomorrow we shall begin to make our way back to the Amazon.

And so I stop writing. Our eyes have seen great wonders. Each is in his own way a better and deeper man. It may be that when we reach Para we shall stop to refit. If we do, this letter will be a mail ahead. If not, it will reach London on the very day that I do. In either case, my dear Mr. McArdle, I hope to shake you by the hand very soon.