d have Fo

emned to spend our whole lives in this strange, inaccessible place. I am still so confused that I can hardly think clearly of the fac

r exact geographical situation and asking our friends for a relief party. Even if they could send o

anions three remarkable men, men of great brain-power and of unshaken courage. There lies our one and only hope. It is only when I look upon the untroubled fac

as I can, the sequence of events wh

em, seemed to me in some places to be greater than he had stated-running up in parts to at least a thousand feet-and they were curiously striated, in a manner which is, I believe, characteristic of basaltic upheavals. Something

s out of the question. Close to us was the high thin pinnacle of rock which I believe I mentioned earlier in this narrative. It is like a broad red church spire, the top of it being level w

imbed half-way up the rock before I shot him. I am inclined to think that a good mountaineer like myself co

some signs of a dawning credulity and repentance. There was no sneer upon his thin lips, but, on the contrary, a

peak of a pterodactyl I mean a stork-only it is the kind of stork which has no feathers, a leathery skin, membr

-we had to be economical of our stores-we held a council of w

rock, his absurd boyish straw hat tilted on the back of his head, his supercilious eyes dominating us from under h

nal pipe; Lord John, as keen as a razor-edge, with his supple, alert figure leaning upon his rifle, and his eager eyes fixed eagerly upon the speaker. Behind us were

a rock-climber with me, but I have taken the precaution to bring them now. With their aid I am positive I could climb that detached pinnacle to the summit; but so long as the main cliff overhangs, it is vain to attempt ascending that. I was hurried upon my last v

e. "If you have explored the east, we should travel along the base of t

no great size, and we shall travel round it until we either find

ywhere, for the simple reason that if there were the summit would not be isolated, and those conditions would not obtain which have effected so singular an interference with the general laws of survival. Yet I ad

hat, sir?" asked S

tually made such an ascent. How otherwise could he ha

n Summerlee. "I admit your plateau, because I have seen it; but I have

obtruded itself upon your intelligence." He glanced up at it, and then, to our amazement, he sprang from his rock, and, seizing Summerlee by the neck,

it came slowly forth and overhung the chasm, we saw that it was a very large snake with a peculiar flat, spade-like head. It wavered a

isting while Challenger tilted his head into the air. No

ake any remarks which may occur to you without seizing me by the chin. Even the ap

trated this important conclusion so that it is clear to anyone, however prejudiced or obtuse, I am of opinio

eered our hearts. It was the site of an old encampment, with several empty Chicago meat tins, a bottle labeled "Brandy," a broken tin-opener, and a q

hallenger. "It mus

rn which overshadowed the encampment. "I say, look at

ailed to the tree in such a wa

rous errand, our pioneer has left this sign so that any party which follows him may kno

these stems were twenty feet high, with sharp, strong tops, so that even as they stood they made formidable spears. We were passing along the edge of this cover when my eye was caught by the gleam of someth

ere were the remains of boots upon the bony feet, and it was very clear that the dead man was a European. A gold watch by Hudson, of New York, and a chain which held a stylographic pen, lay a

hn. "Poor devil! every bone in

s a fast-growing plant, but it is surely inconceivable that this body

k which showed him taking lunch with a certain ecclesiastic at Rosario. This priest I was able to find, and though he proved a very argumentative fellow, who took it absurdly amiss that I should point out to him the corrosive effect which modern science must have upon his beliefs, he none the less gave me some positive information. Map

chucked from the top, and so been impaled. How else could he come by his broken bones, and h

The beetling head of the cliff projected over the cane-brake. Undoubtedly he had fallen from above. But had he fal

nd unbroken as some of those monstrous Antarctic ice-fields which I have seen depicted as stre

ing which filled us with new hope. In a hollow of the rock, protected from r

nger. "He had some presentiment that worth

chalk,

fects I found in his knapsack. I remember

d Summerlee. "We can only accept his g

ace of the cliff was for the first time split into a narrow cleft. Inside the cleft was a second guidance mark, whi

light penetrated to the bottom. We had had no food for many hours, and were very weary with the stony and irregular journey, but our nerves were too strung to all

this which our pioneer had attempted to indicate. We made our way back-the whole gorge was not more than a quarter of a mile deep-and then suddenly the quick eyes of Lor

all doubt was removed. Not only was it an opening into the rock, but on the side of it there was marked once again the sig

had an electric torch in his knapsack, and this had to serve us as light. He advanced, throwing hi

it through by stooping. For fifty yards it ran almost straight into the rock, and then it ascended at an angle of forty-five. Presently this incline became ev

ocked!"

ellow field of light a wall of broken

f has fa

hreatened to roll down the gradient and crush us. It was evident that the obstacle was far beyond any eff

stumbled down the dark tunnel an

e we left the gorge, which is of impo

f us. We could not ourselves see whence the rock had come, but our half-breed servants, who were still at the opening of the cave, said that it had flown past them, and must therefore have fallen from the summit. Looking upwards, we cou

tructions of Nature were increased by the deliberate opposition of man, then our case was indeed a hopeless one. And yet, as we looked up at that beautiful fringe of

ing the top. The line of cliffs, which had decreased considerably in height, had already begun to trend from west to north, and if we could take this as re

l. Hence there is a considerable change both in the temperature and in the vegetation. We have shaken off some of that horrible insect life which is the bane of tropical travel. A few palms still survive, and many tree-ferns, but the Amazonian trees have been all left behind. It was pleasa

of the plateau-a great experience awaited us, and one which for ever set

shall not dare to publish these articles unless I can bring back my proofs to England, or I shall be hailed as the journalistic Munchausen of all time. I have no doubt that you feel the same way yourself, and that you would not care to stake the whole credit of

ash, and there was no sequel to

. Well, suddenly out of the darkness, out of the night, there swooped something with a swish like an aeroplane. The whole group of us were covered for an instant by a canopy of leathery wings, and I had a momentary vision of a long, snake-like neck, a fierce, red, greedy eye, and a great snapping beak, filled, to my amazement, with little, gleaming teeth. The next inst

vered with emotion, "I owe you an apology. Sir, I am very muc

nds. So much we have gained by this clear vision of our first ptero

and blubber of an old, semi-tropical swamp. To make matters worse, the place seemed to be a favorite breeding-place of the Jaracaca snake, the most venomous and aggressive in South America. Again and again these horrible creatures came writhing and springing towards us across the surface of this putrid bog, and it was only by keeping our shot-guns for ever ready that we could feel safe from them. One funnel-shaped depression in the morass, of a livid green in color from some lichen which festered in it, will always remain as a nightmare

d they had sunk to three or four hundred feet in height, but in no place did we find any point where they could be ascended. If anything, they were mor

, "the rain must find its way down somehow. The

lucidity," said Professor Challe

t go somewher

is that we have conclusively proved by ocular demonstr

does it go?"

umed that if it does not come

is a lake in

hould s

volcanic. But, however that may be, I should expect to find the surface of the plateau slope inwards with a considerable

and the two learned men wandered off into one of their usual scient

solate party, for nothing could have been more minute than our investigation, and it was absolutely certain that there was no single point where the most active

k was harder than marble, and any attempt at cutting a path for so great a height was more than our time or resources would admit. No wonder that we looked gloomily at each other that night, and sought our blankets with hardly a word exchanged. I remember

cating false modesty in his eyes, as who should say, "I know that I deserve all that you can say, but I pray you to spare my blushes by not saying it." His beard bristled exultantly, his chest was thrown out,

beard. "Gentlemen, you may congratulate me and we

e found

re to th

whe

to the spire-like pi

at it could be climbed we had our companion's assuranc

r get across

hen we are up I may be able to show you that the re

hundred and fifty feet in length, with climbing irons, clamps, and other devices. Lord John was an experienced mountaineer, and Summerlee had done some rough

g with our fingers and toes to tiny ledges and crevices in the rock. I could not have accomplished it, nor could Summerlee, if Challenger had not gained the summit (it was extraordinary to see such activity in so unwieldy a creature) and there fixed the

ded in dim blue mists upon the farthest sky-line. In the foreground was the long slope, strewn with rocks and dotted with tree-ferns; farther off in the middle distance, looking over the saddle-back hill, I could just see the y

ful panorama when the heavy hand of

estigia nulla retrorsum. Never look rear

ow inaccessible it remained. At a rough guess the gulf was forty feet across, but, so far as I could see, it might as well have been forty miles. I placed one arm round the tru

" said the creaking voic

tree to which I clung. That smooth bark and those small, ribbed

rlee. "A fellow-count

, "but also, if I may be allowed to enlarge your simile, an

cried Lord Jo

nce remarking to our young friend here that G. E. C. is at his best when his back is to the wall. Last night you will admit that all our backs were to the wal

d if it only fell the right way it would easily cross the chasm. Challenger had

e most useful at this task. I must beg, however, that you will kindly refrai

nally I set to work in earnest upon the trunk, taking turn and turn with Lord John. In a little over an hour there was a loud crack, the tree swayed forward, and then crashed over, burying its branches among the bushes on the

th Professor Challenger, who raised his s

to cross to the unknown land-a fitting subject,

idge when Lord John laid

aid he, "I really

!" The head went back

r lead because you are by way of bein' a man of science. But

epartme

din' a new country, which may or may not be chock-full of enemies of sorts. To barge blin

be disregarded. Challenger tossed his

what do yo

okin'-pot; so we will content ourselves with hopin' that there is no trouble waitin' for us, and at the same time we will act as if there were. Malone and I will go down again, therefore, and we

The climb was a more simple thing now that the rope dangled down the face of the worst part of the ascent. Within an hour we had brought up the rifles and a shot-gun. The half-bree

pon being the first man in," said Lord J

ever was a man so intolerant of every form of authority. "Since you are good enough to al

tchet slung upon his back, Challenger hopped his way across the trunk and

he cried;

art at him from the curtain of green behind him. But all was quiet, save that a st

armed when he had made his transit. I came next, and tried hard not to look down into the horrible gulf over which I was passing. Summerlee held out the butt-end

l of us it seemed the moment of our supreme triumph. Who could have guessed that it was the

lose brushwood, when there came a frightful rending crash from behind us. W

t this explanation was in all our minds. The next, from the farther side of the rocky pinnacle before us a swarthy face, the face of Gomez the half-breed, was slowly protruded. Yes, it was Gomez, but

he shouted. "Lo

our companion

ughter came ac

and waited, and now has come my chance. You found it hard to get up; you will f

broken bough upon the grass showed whence he had gained his leverage to tilt over our

and none will know where you lie or come to cover them. As you lie dying, think of Lopez, whom you shot five years ago on the Putomayo River. I a

name of the Flail of the Lord through three countries, was not one who could be safely taunted. The half-breed was descending on the farther side of the pinnacle; but before he could reach the ground Lord John had run along the edge of the

s brought you all into this trouble. I should have remembered that these p

It took two of them to leve

no part in it. Perhaps it would have been better if I ha

now our plans, his arrest outside our tent when he was over-hearing them, the furtive looks of hatred which from time to time one or other of us had surpr

bony figure of Zambo, our devoted negro. Even as we looked, he sprang upon the back of the fugitive and flung his arms round his neck. They rolled on the ground together. An instant aft

of the plateau. The two things were separate and apart. There was the plain which led to the canoes. Yonder, beyond the violet, hazy horizon, was the stream which led back to civilization. But the li

thoughtful, but of an invincible serenity. For the moment we could only sit among the bushes in patience and wait the comi

he cried. "You te

wer. One thing only was clear. He was our one trusty lin

e. But no able to keep Indians. Already they say too much Curupuri live on

were weary of their journey and anxious to return. We realized that Zamb

w, Zambo," I shouted; "then I

wait till to-morrow," said the ne

f it, we might well find it invaluable if we had any climbing to do. He then fastened his end of the rope to the package of supplies which had been carried up, and we were able to drag it across. This gave us the means of life for at least a week, even if we found nothing else. Finally he desce

his our first night upon the plateau writing up our

f the cases. It is vital to us to find water, but I think even Lord John himself had had adventures enough for one day, and

shall be able to write again-or if I ever shall write again-I know not. Meanwhile, I can see that the Indians are still in the

edge of the plateau we might drop a return bridge across, but there is none within fifty yards. Our united strength could not carry a trun