derful Things

e the only men of the whole human race to see such things, it is of enormous importance that I should record them whilst they are fresh in my memory and before that fate which seems to be constantly impending does actually overtake us. Whether Zambo can at last take these letters to the river, or whether I shall m

dered. As I roused myself from a short nap after day had dawned, my eyes fell upon a most singular appearance upon my own leg. My trouser had slipped up, exposing a few inches of my skin above my sock. On this there rested a large

nding over my shin. "An enormous blood

e very small inconvenience of being bitten, my young friend, cannot, I am sure, weigh with you as against the glorious privilege of h

vermin!"

eat eyebrows in protest, and place

tick, with its lancet-like proboscis and its distending stomach, is as beautiful a work of Nature as the peacock or, for that matter, the aurora

Summerlee, grimly, "for one has just

ardly help him. At last we exposed that monstrous torso (fifty-four inches, by the tailor's tape). His body was all matted with black hair, out of which jun

he was ordered to retain as much as would keep him for two months. The Indians were to have the remainder as a reward for their services and as payment for taking our letters back to the Amazon. Some hours later we saw them in sing

on all sides. There were some flat slabs of rock in the center, with an excellent well close by, and there we sat in cleanly comfort while we made our first plans for the invas

and one thousand three hundred rounds, also a shot-gun, but not more than a hundred and fifty medium pellet cartridges. In the matter of provisions we had enough to last for several weeks, with a sufficiency of tobacco and a few scientific implements, including a large telescope and a good field-glass. All these things we collected to

emperate. The beech, the oak, and even the birch were to be found among the tangle of trees which girt us in. One huge gingko tree, topping all the others, shot its great limbs and maid

here our troubles begin. There are no signs that they have found us out as yet. So our game surely is to lie lo

dvance," I ven

. We must never go so far that we can't get back to our base. Above

yesterday," s

t is not likely that the sound could have traveled far into the plateau. By the

ions, more or less happy,

"It is called after the pioneer who

that chart which has become my special task. So it

That there might also prove to be human occupants and that they were of a malevolent character was suggested by the skeleton impaled upon the bamboos, which could not have got there had it not been dropped from above. Our situation, stranded without possibility of escape in such a land, was clea

stores entirely surrounded by this protecting hedge. We then slowly and cautiously set forth into the unknown, followi

t of the party, recognized as forms of conifera and of cycadaceous plants which have long passed away in the world below, we entered a region where the stream widened out and formed a considerable bog. High reeds of a peculiar ty

George, this must be the trai

rest. We all stopped to examine that monstrous spoor. If it were indeed a bird-and what animal could leave such a mark?-its foot was so much larger than

one. The creature has not passed ten minutes. Look how the water is still oo

the same general form were runn

iumphantly, pointing to what looked like the huge print of a

is a creature walking erect upon three-toed feet, and occasionally putting one of

bea

. They puzzled a worthy Sussex doctor some ninety years ago; but who

morass and passed through a screen of brushwood and trees. Beyond was an open glade, and in this were five of the

kin, which was scaled like a lizard's and shimmered where the sun shone upon it. 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-f

m, having some difficulty in reaching a bunch of foliage which grew upon a considerable-sized tree, put his fore-legs round the trunk and tore it down as if it had been a sapling. The action seemed, as I thought, to show not only the great development of its muscles, but also the small one of its brain, for the whole weight came crashing down upon the top of it, and it uttered a series of shrill yelps t

elpiece in his snuggery at the Albany! And yet his reason held him in, for all our exploration of the wonders of this unknown land depended upon our presence being concealed from its inhabitants. The two professors were in silent ecstasy. In their excitem

at last. "What will they

will say in England," said Challenger. "They will say that you are an infe

ace of ph

merlee! Clu

ace of sp

ur praises yet. August the twenty-eighth-the day we saw five live iguanodons in a glade o

latitude of London, young fellah my lad. There's many a man who never tells his adventures, for he can't hope to be belie

South of England was alive with them when there was plenty of good lush green-stuff to keep them going. Conditions

ome of that Somaliland-Uganda crowd would turn a beautiful pea-green if they saw it! I don't

seen were lumbering, inoffensive brutes which were unlikely to hurt anyone, but in this world of wonders what other survivals might there not be-what fierce, active horrors ready to pounce upon us from their lair among the rocks or brushwood? I knew l

t was a loathsome adventure, and one of which I hate to think. If, as Lord John said, the glade of the iguanodons will remain wi

derable 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, among bushes which reached over our waists, when we became aware of a strange low gabbling and whistling sound, which filled the air with a constant clamor and appeared to come from some spot immediately before us. Lord John held up his hand

There were hundreds of them congregated within view. All the bottom area round the water-edge was alive with their young ones, and with hideous mothers brooding upon their leathery, yellowish eggs. From this crawling flapping mass of obscene reptilian life came the shocking clamor which filled the air and the mephitic, horrible, musty odor which turned us sick. But above, perched each upon its own stone, tall, gray, and withered, more like dead and dried specimens than actual

lying about among the rocks as proving the nature of the food of these creatures, and I heard them congratulating each other on having cleared up the point why the bones of this fl

e 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 and hideous appearance all swooping like swallows with swift, shearing wing-strokes above us; but soon we realized that it was not one on which we could afford to linger. At fir

er," cried Lord John, clubbing his

e a thrust at us. Another and another followed. Summerlee gave a cry and put his hand to his face, from which the blood was streaming. I felt a prod at the back of my neck, and turned dizzy with the shock. Challenger fell, and as I stooped to pick him up I was again struck from behind and dropped on the top of him. At the same instant I

ord John, "now

huge wings had no space for their sweep beneath the branches. As we limped homewards, sadly mauled and discomfited, we saw them for a long time flying at a great height against the deep blue sky above our hea

alted beside the brook and he bathed a swollen knee. "We are exceptional

ing up a nasty stab in the muscle of the neck. Lord John had the shoulder

while Lord John's coat could only have been torn by a bite. In my own case, I was beaten about th

ld not think of a more rotten sort of death than to be outed by such filthy v

e if you hadn't," sai

be just like the sound of a gun. But now, if you are of my opinion, we have had thrills enough for one day, and had best g

trange and powerful creature in our absence. No foot-mark showed a trace of its nature, and only the overhanging branch of the enormous ginko tree suggested how it might have come and gone; but of its malevolent strength there was ample evidence in the condition of our stores. They were strewn at random all over the ground, and one tin of meat had been crushed into pieces so as to extract the contents. A case of cartridges had been shatt

l!" he cried. "Me stay here. No fear

, and had not by some magic been conveyed to some raw planet in its earliest and wildest state. How difficult it was to realize that the violet line upon the far horizon was well advanced to that gre

by their injuries, had fallen out as to whether our assailants were of the genus pterodactylus or dimorphodon, and high words had ensued. To avoid

"do you remember that plac

clea

olcanic pit,

ly," s

notice

oc

water-where t

sh soil. It lo

canic tube full

that?"

te of Summerlee rising and falling to the sonorous bass of Challenger. I should have thought no more of Lord John's remark were it not that once again