Chapter 10

The Most Wonderful Things Have Happened

The most wonderful things have happened and are happening to us. All the paper that I possess consists of five old note-books, and I have only the one pencil. But so long as I can move my hand I will continue to write down our experiences and impressions, since we are the only men to see such things.

On the morning after our being trapped upon the plateau by Gomez we began a new stage in our experiences. First we shifted our position to a small clearing thickly surrounded by trees. There we sat in comfort while we made our first plans for the invasion of this new country. There were no signs of life except some birds.

Our first care was to make a list of our own stores, so that we might know what we had to rely on. With the things that Zambo had sent across on the rope, we were very well supplied. We had our four rifles and a shot-gun. In the matter of provisions we had enough to last for several weeks, with tobacco and a few scientific implements, including a large telescope and binoculars. We cut down with our knives thorny bushes, which we piled round in a circle some fifteen yards in diameter. This was to be our refuge against sudden danger and the house for our stores. Fort Challenger, we called it.

“So long as neither man nor beast has seen or heard us, we are safe,” said he. “From the time they know we are here our troubles begin. There are no signs that they have found us out as yet. We want to have a good look at our neighbours before we get on visiting terms.”

“But we must go further,” I said.

“By all means, my boy! We will go further. But with common sense. Above all, we must never, unless it is life or death, fire off our guns.”

“But YOU fired yesterday,” said Summerlee.

“Well, I had to. However, the wind was strong. It is not likely that the sound could have travelled far into the plateau. By the way, what shall we call this land?”

“It can only have one name,” said he. “It is called after the man who discovered it. It is Maple White Land.”

So we knew that the place was inhabited by some unknown creatures, and there was that of Maple White’s sketch-book to show that more dreadful and more dangerous monsters might still appear. Our situation was clearly full of danger.

We therefore blocked the entrance to our refuge with several thorny bushes, and left our camp following a small river. Hardly had we started our journey when we came across signs that there were indeed wonders awaiting us. We entered a region where the stream widened out. Suddenly Lord John, who was walking first, stopped.

“Look at this!” said he. “By George, this must be the trail of the father of all birds!”

An enormous three-toed track was imprinted in the soft mud before us. If it were indeed a bird… its foot must be enormous. Lord John looked eagerly round him.

“The track is a fresh one,” said he, “The creature has not passed ten minutes. My God! See, here is the mark of a little one!”

Sure enough, smaller tracks of the same general form were running parallel to the large ones.

“But what do you make of this?” cried Professor Summerlee, pointing to what looked like the huge print of a five-fingered hand among the three-toed marks.

“I guess I know!” cried Challenger, in an ecstasy. “It is a creature walking erect upon three-toed feet, and occasionally putting one of its five-fingered forepaws on the ground. Not a bird, my dear Roxton… not a bird.”

“A beast?”

“No, a reptile – a dinosaur. Nothing else could have left such a track. Who in the world could have hoped to have seen a sight like that?”

Following the tracks, we passed through brushwood and trees. Beyond was an open area, and there were five of the most extraordinary creatures that I have ever seen. Two being adults and three young ones. In size they were enormous. Even the babies were as big as elephants! All five were sitting up, balancing themselves upon their broad, powerful tails and their huge three-toed hind-feet, while with their small five-fingered front-feet they pulled down the branches. I do not know that I can describe their appearance to you better than by saying that they looked like monstrous kangaroos, with skins like black crocodiles.

I do not know how long we stayed motionless gazing at this marvelous spectacle. A strong wind blew towards us and we were well concealed, so there was no chance of discovery. The strength of the parents seemed to be limitless, for one of them, having some difficulty in reaching leaves, put his fore-legs round the trunk and tore it down. The action seemed, as I thought, to show not only the great development of its muscles, but also the small one of its brain. The tree came crashing on the head of it. The incident made it think, apparently, that the neighbourhood was dangerous, and it slowly went through the wood, followed by its mate and its three enormous babies. Then they vanished from our sight.

I looked at my companions. Lord John was standing next to me, his eager hunter’s soul shining from his eyes. The two professors were in silent ecstasy. In their excitement they stood like two little children in the presence of a wonder.

“Oh my!” Sammerlee cried at last. “What will they say in England of this?”

“My dear Summerlee, I will tell you with great confidence exactly what they will say in England,” said Challenger. “They will say that you are an infernal liar and a scientific charlatan, exactly as you and others said of me.”

“But photographs?”

“Faked, Summerlee! Only faked!”

“Specimens?”

“Things look a bit different from London.” said Lord John. “Who’s to blame them? WHAT did you say they were?”

“Iguanodons,” said Summerlee. “You’ll find their footmarks all over the Hastings sands, in Kent, and in Sussex. The South of England was alive with them when there was plenty of leaves there. Conditions have changed, and the beasts died. Here it seems that the conditions have not changed, and the beasts have lived.”

“If ever we get out of this alive, I must have a head with me…” said Lord John.

I had the feeling of mystery and danger around us. In the gloom of the trees there seemed a constant menace. It is true that these monstrous creatures which we had seen were peaceful, which were unlikely to hurt anyone, but in this world of wonders what other survivals might there be? I knew little of prehistoric life, but I remembered clearly one book where it was told that the dinosaurs would live on our lions and tigers as a cat lives on mice. What if these also were to be found in the woods of Maple White Land!

It was destined that on this very morning we were to find out what dangers lay around us. Surely the swamp of the pterodactyls will forever be our nightmare. Let me tell exactly what happened.

We passed very slowly through the woods. Our professors would fall, with a cry of wonder, before some flower or insect which presented him with a new type. Finally we came on a considerable opening in the trees. A belt of brushwood led up to a tangle of rocks – the whole plateau was strewn with boulders. We were walking slowly towards these rocks, when we heard a strange whistling sound. Lord John held up his hand as a signal for us to stop, and made his way to the line of rocks. We saw him look over them and give a gesture of amazement. Finally he waved us to come on, holding up his hand as a signal for caution. It made me feel that something wonderful but dangerous lay before us.

Creeping to his side, we looked over the rocks. The place into which we gazed was a pit, and may, in the early days, have been one of the smaller volcanic blow-holes of the plateau. It was bowl-shaped and at the bottom, some hundreds of yards from where we lay, were pools of green water. The place was a swamp of pterodactyls. There were hundreds and hundreds of them. We saw their young ones and monstrous mothers sitting on their leathery, yellowish eggs. From this reptilian life came the shocking clamor which filled the air and the horrible smell turned us sick. Large and small, not less than a thousand of these filthy creatures lay in the hollow before us.

Our professors would have stayed there all day, so carried away were they with this opportunity of studying the life of a prehistoric age. They pointed out the fish and dead birds lying about among the rocks as proving the nature of the food of these creatures. I heard them congratulating each other on having cleared up the point why the bones of this flying dragon are found in such great numbers in certain well-defined areas, since it was now seen that, like penguins, they lived in great companies.

Finally, however, Challenger showed his head over the rock and nearly brought trouble upon us all. The nearest male gave a shrill, whistling cry, and flapped its twenty-foot span of leathery wings as it soared up into the air. The females and young ones huddled together beside the water, while the whole circle of sentinels rose one after the other and sailed off into the sky. It was a wonderful sight to see at least a hundred creatures of such enormous size, but soon we realized the danger. Then, their flight grew lower and the circle narrower, until they were whizzing round and round us.

The moment we attempted to retreat the circle closed in upon us, until the wings of those nearest to us nearly touched our faces. We beat at them with the stocks of our guns, but there was nothing solid or vulnerable to strike – they started attacking us. Summerlee gave a cry and put his hand to his face, from which the blood was streaming. Suddenly I felt pain at the back of my neck. At the same moment I heard the crash of Lord John’s gun, and saw one of the creatures with a broken wing struggling upon the ground, spitting and gurgling at us with a wide-opened beak and blood-shot, goggled eyes, like some devil in a medieval picture. Its comrades had flown higher at the sudden sound, and were circling above our heads.

“Now,” cried Lord John, “now for our lives!”

We rushed to the brushwood, and even as we reached the trees the harpies were on us again. Once there we were safe, because their huge wings had no space for their sweep beneath the branches. We saw them for a long time flying at a great height against the deep blue sky above our heads, soaring round and round. At last, however, as we reached the thicker woods they gave up the chase, and we saw them no more.

“A most interesting experience,” said Challenger, as we halted beside the brook and he bathed a swollen knee. “We are exceptionally well informed, Summerlee, as to the habits of the enraged pterodactyl.”

Summerlee was wiping the blood from a cut in his forehead, while I was tying up a nasty stab in the back of my neck. Lord John had the shoulder of his coat torn away, but the creature’s teeth had only grazed the flesh.

“It is worth noting,” Challenger continued, “that our young friend has received a stab, while Lord John’s coat could only have been torn by a bite. In my own case, I was beaten about the head by their wings, so we have observed their various methods of their attack.”

“It has been touch and go for our lives,” said Lord John, gravely, “I was sorry to fire my rifle, but there was no great choice. Now, I think… we have had thrills enough for one day, and had better get back to the camp for some carbolic. Who knows what poison these beasts may have in their jaws?”

When we at last reached our refuge, we thought that our adventures were at an end. The gate of Fort Challenger had been untouched, the walls were unbroken, and yet it had been visited by some strange and powerful creature in our absence. No foot-mark showed a trace of its nature but our stores were thrown at random all over the ground, and one tin of meat had been crushed into pieces. Again the feeling of vague horror came upon our souls, and we gazed round with frightened eyes at the dark shadows which lay around us. How good it was when we heard the voice of Zambo, and, going to the edge of the plateau, saw him sitting grinning at us on the top of the opposite rock.

“All well, Massa Challenger, all well!” he cried. “Me stay here. No fear. You always find me when you want.”

His honest black face helped us to remember that we really were on this earth in the twentieth century, and had not by some magic been placed to some planet in its earliest and wildest state.

One other memory remains with me of this day, and with it I will close this letter. The two professors started their scientific discussions. And I moved some little way apart in order to avoid their disputes. I was seated smoking on the trunk of a fallen tree, when Lord John came up to me.

“Look, Malone,” said he, “do you remember that place where those beasts were?”

“Very clearly.”

“A sort of volcanic pit?”

“Exactly,” said I.

“Did you notice the soil?”

“Rocks.”

“But round the water… where the reeds were?”

“It looked like clay.”

“Exactly. A volcanic tube full of blue clay.”

“What of that?” I asked.

“Oh, nothing, nothing,” said he. Once again that night I heard him mutter to himself: “Blue clay… clay in a volcanic tube!” They were the last words I heard before I fell into an exhausted sleep.