"A Procession! A Procession!"
I should wish to place upon record here our gratitude1 to all our friends upon the Amazon for the very great kindness and hospitality which was shown to us upon our return journey. Very particularly would I thank Senhor Penalosa and other officials of the Brazilian Government for the special arrangements by which we were helped upon our way, and Senhor Pereira of Para, to whose forethought we owe the complete outfit2 for a decent appearance in the civilized3 world which we found ready for us at that town. It seemed a poor return for all the courtesy which we encountered that we should deceive our hosts and benefactors4, but under the circumstances we had really no alternative, and I hereby tell them that they will only waste their time and their money if they attempt to follow upon our traces. Even the names have been altered in our accounts, and I am very sure that no one, from the most careful study of them, could come within a thousand miles of our unknown land.
The excitement which had been caused through those parts of South America which we had to traverse was imagined by us to be purely6 local, and I can assure our friends in England that we had no notion of the uproar7 which the mere8 rumor9 of our experiences had caused through Europe. It was not until the Ivernia was within five hundred miles of Southampton that the wireless10 messages from paper after paper and agency after agency, offering huge prices for a short return message as to our actual results, showed us how strained was the attention not only of the scientific world but of the general public. It was agreed among us, however, that no definite statement should be given to the Press until we had met the members of the Zoological Institute, since as delegates it was our clear duty to give our first report to the body from which we had received our commission of investigation11. Thus, although we found Southampton full of Pressmen, we absolutely refused to give any information, which had the natural effect of focussing public attention upon the meeting which was advertised for the evening of November 7th. For this gathering12, the Zoological Hall which had been the scene of the inception13 of our task was found to be far too small, and it was only in the Queen's Hall in Regent Street that accommodation could be found. It is now common knowledge the promoters might have ventured upon the Albert Hall and still found their space too scanty15.
It was for the second evening after our arrival that the great meeting had been fixed16. For the first, we had each, no doubt, our own pressing personal affairs to absorb us. Of mine I cannot yet speak. It may be that as it stands further from me I may think of it, and even speak of it, with less emotion. I have shown the reader in the beginning of this narrative17 where lay the springs of my action. It is but right, perhaps, that I should carry on the tale and show also the results. And yet the day may come when I would not have it otherwise. At least I have been driven forth18 to take part in a wondrous19 adventure, and I cannot but be thankful to the force that drove me.
And now I turn to the last supreme20 eventful moment of our adventure. As I was racking my brain as to how I should best describe it, my eyes fell upon the issue of my own Journal for the morning of the 8th of November with the full and excellent account of my friend and fellow-reporter Macdona. What can I do better than transcribe21 his narrative--head-lines and all? I admit that the paper was exuberant22 in the matter, out of compliment to its own enterprise in sending a correspondent, but the other great dailies were hardly less full in their account. Thus, then, friend Mac in his report:
THE NEW WORLD GREAT MEETING AT THE QUEEN'S HALL SCENES OF UPROAR EXTRAORDINARY INCIDENT WHAT WAS IT?
NOCTURNAL RIOT IN REGENT STREET (Special)
"The much-discussed meeting of the Zoological Institute, convened23 to hear the report of the Committee of Investigation sent out last year to South America to test the assertions made by Professor Challenger as to the continued existence of prehistoric24 life upon that Continent, was held last night in the greater Queen's Hall, and it is safe to say that it is likely to be a red letter date in the history of Science, for the proceedings25 were of so remarkable26 and sensational27 a character that no one present is ever likely to forget them." (Oh, brother scribe Macdona, what a monstrous28 opening sentence!) "The tickets were theoretically confined to members and their friends, but the latter is an elastic29 term, and long before eight o'clock, the hour fixed for the commencement of the proceedings, all parts of the Great Hall were tightly packed. The general public, however, which most unreasonably30 entertained a grievance31 at having been excluded, stormed the doors at a quarter to eight, after a prolonged melee32 in which several people were injured, including Inspector33 Scoble of H. Division, whose leg was unfortunately broken. After this unwarrantable invasion, which not only filled every passage, but even intruded34 upon the space set apart for the Press, it is estimated that nearly five thousand people awaited the arrival of the travelers. When they eventually appeared, they took their places in the front of a platform which already contained all the leading scientific men, not only of this country, but of France and of Germany. Sweden was also represented, in the person of Professor Sergius, the famous Zoologist35 of the University of Upsala. The entrance of the four heroes of the occasion was the signal for a remarkable demonstration36 of welcome, the whole audience rising and cheering for some minutes. An acute observer might, however, have detected some signs of dissent37 amid the applause, and gathered that the proceedings were likely to become more lively than harmonious38. It may safely be prophesied39, however, that no
one could have foreseen the extraordinary turn which they were actually to take.
"Of the appearance of the four wanderers little need be said, since their photographs have for some time been appearing in all the papers. They bear few traces of the hardships which they are said to have undergone. Professor Challenger's beard may be more shaggy, Professor Summerlee's features more ascetic40, Lord John Poxton's figure more gaunt, and all three may be burned to a darker tint41 than when they left our shores, but each appeared to be in most excellent health. As to our own representative, the well-known athlete and international Rugby football player, E. D. Malone, he looks trained to a hair, and as he surveyed the crowd a smile of good-humored contentment pervaded42 his honest but homely43 face." (All right, Mac, wait till I get you alone!)
"When quiet had been restored and the audience resumed their seats after the ovation44 which they had given to the travelers, the chairman, the Duke of Durham, addressed the meeting. `He would not,' he said, `stand for more than a moment between that vast assembly and the treat which lay before them. It was not for him to anticipate what Professor Summerlee, who was the spokesman of the committee, had to say to them, but it was common rumor that their expedition had been crowned by extraordinary success.' (Applause.) `Apparently the age of romance was not dead, and there was common ground upon which the wildest imaginings of the novelist could meet the actual scientific investigations45 of the searcher for truth. He would only add, before he sat down, that he rejoiced--and all of them would rejoice--that these gentlemen had returned safe and sound from their difficult and dangerous task, for it cannot be denied that any disaster to such an expedition would have inflicted46 a well-nigh irreparable losc to the cause of Zoological science.' (Great applause, in which Professor Challenger was observed to join.)
"Professor Summerlee's rising was the signal for another extraordinary outbreak of enthusiasm, which broke out again at intervals47 throughout his address. That address will not be given in extenso in these columns, for the reason that a full account of the whole adventures of the expedition is being published as a supplement from the pen of our own special correspondent. Some general indications will therefore suffice. Having described the genesis of their journey, and paid a handsome tribute to his friend Professor Challenger, coupled with an apology for the incredulity with which his assertions, now fully48 vindicated49, had been received, he gave the actual course of their journey, carefully withholding50 such information as would aid the public in any attempt to locate this remarkable plateau. Having described, in general terms, their course from the main river up to the time that they actually reached the base of the cliffs, he enthralled51 his hearers by his account of the difficulties encountered by the expedition in their repeated attempts to mount them, and finally described how they succeeded in their desperate endeavors, which cost the lives of their two devoted52 half-breed servants." (This amazing reading of the affair was the result of Summerlee's endeavors to avoid raising any questionable53 matter at the meeting.)
"Having conducted his audience in fancy to the summit, and marooned54 them there by reason of the fall of their bridge, the Professor proceeded to describe both the horrors and the attractions of that remarkable land. Of personal adventures he said little, but laid stress upon the rich harvest reaped by Science in the observations of the wonderful beast, bird, insect, and plant life of the plateau. Peculiarly rich in the coleoptera and in the lepidoptera, forty-six new species of the one and ninety-four of the other had been secured in the course of a few weeks. It was, however, in the larger animals, and especially in the larger animals supposed to have been long extinct, that the interest of the public was naturally centered. Of these he was able to give a goodly list, but had little doubt that it would be largely extended when the place had been more thoroughly56 investigated. He and his companions had seen at least a dozen creatures, most of them at a distance, which corresponded with nothing at present known to Science. These would in time be duly classified and examined. He instanced a snake, the cast skin of which, deep purple in color, was fifty-one feet in length, and mentioned a white creature, supposed to be mammalian, which gave forth well-marked phosphorescence in the darkness; also a large black moth57, the bite of which was supposed by the Indians to be highly poisonous. Setting aside these entirely58 new forms of life, the plateau was very rich in known prehistoric forms, dating back in some cases to early Jurassic times. Among these he mentioned the gigantic and grotesque59 stegosaurus, seen once by Mr. Malone at a drinking-place by the lake, and drawn60 in the sketch-book of that adventurous61 American who had first penetrated62 this unknown world. He described also the iguanodon and the pterodactyl--two of the first of the wonders which they had encountered. He then thrilled the assembly by some account of the terrible carnivorous dinosaurs63, which had on more than one occasion pursued members of th
e party, and which were the most formidable of all the creatures which they had encountered. Thence he passed to the huge and ferocious64 bird, the phororachus, and to the great elk65 which still roams upon this upland. It was not, however, until he sketched66 the mysteries of the central lake that the full interest and enthusiasm of the audience were aroused. One had to pinch oneself to be sure that one was awake as one heard this sane67 and practical Professor in cold measured tones describing the monstrous three-eyed fish-lizards and the huge water-snakes which inhabit this enchanted68 sheet of water. Next he touched upon the Indians, and upon the extraordinary colony of anthropoid69 apes, which might be looked upon as an advance upon the pithecanthropus of Java, and as coming therefore nearer than any known form to that hypothetical creation, the missing link. Finally he described, amongst some merriment, the ingenious but highly dangerous aeronautic70 invention of Professor Challenger, and wound up a most memorable71 address by an account of the methods by which the committee did at last find their way back to civilization.
"It had been hoped that the proceedings would end there, and that a vote of thanks and congratulation, moved by Professor Sergius, of Upsala University, would be duly seconded and carried; but it was soon evident that the course of events was not destined72 to flow so smoothly73. Symptoms of opposition74 had been evident from time to time during the evening, and now Dr. James Illingworth, of Edinburgh, rose in the center of the hall. Dr. Illingworth asked whether an amendment75 should not be taken before a resolution.
"THE CHAIRMAN: `Yes, sir, if there must be an amendment.'
"DR. ILLINGWORTH: `Your Grace, there must be an amendment.'
"THE CHAIRMAN: `Then let us take it at once.'
"PROFESSOR SUMMERLEE (springing to his feet): `Might I explain, your Grace, that this man is my personal enemy ever since our controversy76 in the Quarterly Journal of Science as to the true nature of Bathybius?'
"THE CHAIRMAN: `I fear I cannot go into personal matters. Proceed.'
"Dr. Illingworth was imperfectly heard in part of his remarks on account of the strenuous77 opposition of the friends of the explorers. Some attempts were also made to pull him down. Being a man of enormous physique, however, and possessed78 of a very powerful voice, he dominated the tumult79 and succeeded in finishing his speech. It was clear, from the moment of his rising, that he had a number of friends and sympathizers in the hall, though they formed a minority in the audience. The attitude of the greater part of the public might be described as one of attentive80 neutrality.
"Dr. Illingworth began his remarks by expressing his high appreciation81 of the scientific work both of Professor Challenger and of Professor Summerlee. He much regretted that any personal bias82 should have been read into his remarks, which were entirely dictated83 by his desire for scientific truth. His position, in fact, was substantially the same as that taken up by Professor Summerlee at the last meeting. At that last meeting Professor Challenger had made certain assertions which had been queried84 by his colleague. Now this colleague came forward himself with the same assertions and expected them to remain unquestioned. Was this reasonable? (`Yes,' `No,' and prolonged interruption, during which Professor Challenger was heard from the Press box to ask leave from the chairman to put Dr. Illingworth into the street.) A year ago one man said certain things. Now four men said other and more startling ones. Was this to constitute a final proof where the matters in question were of the most revolutionary and incredible character? There had been recent examples of travelers arriving from the unknown with certain tales which had been too readily accepted. Was the London Zoological Institute to place itself in this position? He admitted that the members of the committee were men of character. But human nature was very complex. Even Professors might be misled by the desire for notoriety. Like moths85, we all love best to flutter in the light. Heavy-game shots liked to be in a position to cap the tales of their rivals, and journalists were not averse5 from sensational coups86, even when imagination had to aid fact in the process. Each member of the committee had his own motive87 for making the most of his results. (`Shame! shame!') He had no desire to be offensive. (`You are!' and interruption.) The corroboration88 of these wondrous tales was really of the most slender description. What did it amount to? Some photographs. {Was it possible that in this age of ingenious manipulation photographs could be accepted as evi
dence?} What more? We have a story of a flight and a descent by ropes which precluded89 the production of larger specimens90. It was ingenious, but not convincing. It was understood that Lord John Roxton claimed to have the skull91 of a phororachus. He could only say that he would like to see that skull.
"LORD JOHN ROXTON: `Is this fellow calling me a liar55?' (Uproar.)
"THE CHAIRMAN: `Order! order! Dr. Illingworth, I must direct you to bring your remarks to a conclusion and to move your amendment.'
"DR. ILLINGWORTH: `Your Grace, I have more to say, but I bow to your ruling. I move, then, that, while Professor Summerlee be thanked for his interesting address, the whole matter shall be regarded as `non-proven,' and shall be referred back to a larger, and possibly more reliable Committee of Investigation.'
"It is difficult to describe the confusion caused by this amendment. A large section of the audience expressed their indignation at such a slur92 upon the travelers by noisy shouts of dissent and cries of, `Don't put it!' `Withdraw!' `Turn him out!' On the other hand, the malcontents--and it cannot be denied that they were fairly numerous--cheered for the amendment, with cries of `Order!' `Chair!' and `Fair play!' A scuffle broke out in the back benches, and blows were freely exchanged among the medical students who crowded that part of the hall. It was only the moderating influence of the presence of large numbers of ladies which prevented an absolute riot. Suddenly, however, there was a pause, a hush93, and then complete silence. Professor Challenger was on his feet. His appearance and manner are peculiarly arresting, and as he raised his hand for order the whole audience settled down expectantly to give him a hearing.
"`It will be within the recollection of many present,' said Professor Challenger, `that similar foolish and unmannerly scenes marked the last meeting at which I have been able to address them. On that occasion Professor Summerlee was the chief offender94, and though he is now chastened and contrite95, the matter could not be entirely forgotten. I have heard to-night similar, but even more offensive, sentiments from the person who has just sat down, and though it is a conscious effort of self-effacement to come down to that person's mental level, I will endeavor to do so, in order to allay96 any reasonable doubt which could possibly exist in the minds of anyone.' (Laughter and interruption.) `I need not remind this audience that, though Professor Summerlee, as the head of the Committee of Investigation, has been put up to speak to-night, still it is I who am the real prime mover in this business, and that it is mainly to me that any successful result must be ascribed. I have safely conducted these three gentlemen to the spot mentioned, and I have, as you have heard, convinced them of the accuracy of my previous account. We had hoped that we should find upon our return that no one was so dense97 as to dispute our joint98 conclusions. Warned, however, by my previous experience, I have not come without such proofs as may convince a reasonable man. As explained by Professor Summerlee, our cameras have been tampered99 with by the apemen when they ransacked100 our camp, and most of our negatives ruined.' (Jeers, laughter, and `Tell us another!' from the back.) `I have mentioned the ape-men, and I cannot forbear from saying that some of the sounds which now meet my ears bring back most vividly101 to my recollection my experiences with those interesting creatures.' (Laughter.) `In spite of the destruction of so many invaluable102 negatives, there still remains103 in our collection a certain number of corroborative104 photographs showing the conditions of life upon the plateau. Did they accuse them of having forged these photographs?' (A v
oice, `Yes,' and considerable interruption which ended in several men being put out of the hall.) `The negatives were open to the inspection105 of experts. But what other evidence had they? Under the conditions of their escape it was naturally impossible to bring a large amount of baggage, but they had rescued Professor Summerlee's collections of butterflies and beetles106, containing many new species. Was this not evidence?' (Several voices, `No.') `Who said no?'
"DR. ILLINGWORTH (rising): `Our point is that such a collection might have been made in other places than a prehistoric plateau.' (Applause.)
"PROFESSOR CHALLENGER: `No doubt, sir, we have to bow to your scientific authority, although I must admit that the name is unfamiliar107. Passing, then, both the photographs and the entomological collection, I come to the varied108 and accurate information which we bring with us upon points which have never before been elucidated109. For example, upon the domestic habits of the pterodactyl--`(A voice: `Bosh,' and uproar)--`I say, that upon the domestic habits of the pterodactyl we can throw a flood of light. I can exhibit to you from my portfolio110 a picture of that creature taken from life which would convince you----'
"DR. ILLINGWORTH: `No picture could convince us of anything.'
"PROFESSOR CHALLENGER: `You would require to see the thing itself?'
"DR. ILLINGWORTH: `Undoubtedly.'
"PROFESSOR CHALLENGER: `And you would accept that?'
"DR. ILLINGWORTH (laughing): `Beyond a doubt.'
"It was at this point that the sensation of the evening arose--a sensation so dramatic that it can never have been paralleled in the history of scientific gatherings111. Professor Challenger raised his hand in the air as a signal, and at once our colleague, Mr. E. D. Malone, was observed to rise and to make his way to the back of the platform. An instant later he re-appeared in company of a gigantic negro, the two of them bearing between them a large square packing-case. It was evidently of great weight, and was slowly carried forward and placed in front of the Professor's chair. All sound had hushed in the audience and everyone was absorbed in the spectacle before them. Professor Challenger drew off the top of the case, which formed a sliding lid. Peering down into the box he snapped his fingers several times and was heard from the Press seat to say, `Come, then, pretty, pretty!' in a coaxing113 voice. An instant later, with a scratching, rattling114 sound, a most horrible and loathsome115 creature appeared from below and perched itself upon the side of the case. Even the unexpected fall of the Duke of Durham into the orchestra, which occurred at this moment, could not distract the petrified117 attention of the vast audience. The face of the creature was like the wildest gargoyle118 that the imagination of a mad medieval builder could have conceived. It was malicious119, horrible, with two small red eyes as bright as points of burning coal. Its long, savage120 mouth, which was held half-open, was full of a double row of shark-like teeth. Its shoulders were humped, and round them were draped what appeared to be a faded gray shawl. It was the devil of our childhood in person. There was a turmoil121 in the audience--someone screamed, two ladies in the front row fell senseless from their chairs, and there was a general movement upon the platform to follow their chairman into the orchestra. For a moment there was danger of a general panic. Professor Challenger threw up his hands to still the commotion122, but the movement alarmed t
he creature beside him. Its strange shawl suddenly unfurled, spread, and fluttered as a pair of leathery wings. Its owner grabbed at its legs, but too late to hold it. It had sprung from the perch116 and was circling slowly round the Queen's Hall with a dry, leathery flapping of its ten-foot wings, while a putrid123 and insidious124 odor pervaded the room. The cries of the people in the galleries, who were alarmed at the near approach of those glowing eyes and that murderous beak125, excited the creature to a frenzy126. Faster and faster it flew, beating against walls and chandeliers in a blind frenzy of alarm. `The window! For heaven's sake shut that window!' roared the Professor from the platform, dancing and wringing127 his hands in an agony of apprehension128. Alas129, his warning was too late! In a moment the creature, beating and bumping along the wall like a huge moth within a gas-shade, came upon the opening, squeezed its hideous130 bulk through it, and was gone. Professor Challenger fell back into his chair with his face buried in his hands, while the audience gave one long, deep sigh of relief as they realized that the incident was over.
"Then--oh! how shall one describe what took place then--when the dull exuberance131 of the majority and the full reaction of the minority united to make one great wave of enthusiasm, which rolled from the back of the hall, gathering volume as it came, swept over the orchestra, submerged the platform, and carried the four heroes away upon its crest132?" (Good for you, Mac!) "If the audience had done less than justice, surely it made ample amends133. Every one was on his feet. Every one was moving, shouting, gesticulating. A dense crowd of cheering men were round the four travelers. `Up with them! up with them!' cried a hundred voices. In a moment four figures shot up above the crowd. In vain they strove to break loose. They were held in their lofty places of honor. It would have been hard to let them down if it had been wished, so dense was the crowd around them. `Regent Street! Regent Street!' sounded the voices. There was a swirl134 in the packed multitude, and a slow current, bearing the four upon their shoulders, made for the door. Out in the street the scene was extraordinary. An assemblage of not less than a hundred thousand people was waiting. The close-packed throng135 extended from the other side of the Langham Hotel to Oxford136 Circus. A roar of acclamation greeted the four adventurers as they appeared, high above the heads of the people, under the vivid electric lamps outside the hall. `A procession! A procession!' was the cry. In a dense phalanx, blocking the streets from side to side, the crowd set forth, taking the route of Regent Street, Pall137 Mall, St. James's Street, and Piccadilly. The whole central traffic of London was held up, and many collisions were reported between the demonstrators upon the one side and the police and taxi-cabmen upon the other. Finally, it was not until after midnight that the four travelers were released at the entrance to Lord John Roxton's chambers138 in the Albany, and that the exuberant crowd, having sung `They are Jolly Good Fellows' in chorus, concluded their progr
am with `God Save the King.' So ended one of the most remarkable evenings that London has seen for a considerable time."
So far my friend Macdona; and it may be taken as a fairly accurate, if florid, account of the proceedings. As to the main incident, it was a bewildering surprise to the audience, but not, I need hardly say, to us. The reader will remember how I met Lord John Roxton upon the very occasion when, in his protective crinoline, he had gone to bring the "Devil's chick" as he called it, for Professor Challenger. I have hinted also at the trouble which the Professor's baggage gave us when we left the plateau, and had I described our voyage I might have said a good deal of the worry we had to coax112 with putrid fish the appetite of our filthy139 companion. If I have not said much about it before, it was, of course, that the Professor's earnest desire was that no possible rumor of the unanswerable argument which we carried should be allowed to leak out until the moment came when his enemies were to be confuted.
One word as to the fate of the London pterodactyl. Nothing can be said to be certain upon this point. There is the evidence of two frightened women that it perched upon the roof of the Queen's Hall and remained there like a diabolical140 statue for some hours. The next day it came out in the evening papers that Private Miles, of the Coldstream Guards, on duty outside Marlborough House, had deserted141 his post without leave, and was therefore courtmartialed. Private Miles' account, that he dropped his rifle and took to his heels down the Mall because on looking up he had suddenly seen the devil between him and the moon, was not accepted by the Court, and yet it may have a direct bearing upon the point at issue. The only other evidence which I can adduce is from the log of the SS. Friesland, a Dutch-American liner, which asserts that at nine next morning, Start Point being at the time ten miles upon their starboard quarter, they were passed by something between a flying goat and a monstrous bat, which was heading at a prodigious142 pace south and west. If its homing instinct led it upon the right line, there can be no doubt that somewhere out in the wastes of the Atlantic the last European pterodactyl found its end.
And Gladys--oh, my Gladys!--Gladys of the mystic lake, now to be re-named the Central, for never shall she have immortality143 through me. Did I not always see some hard fiber144 in her nature? Did I not, even at the time when I was proud to obey her behest, feel that it was surely a poor love which could drive a lover to his death or the danger of it? Did I not, in my truest thoughts, always recurring145 and always dismissed, see past the beauty of the face, and, peering into the soul, discern the twin shadows of selfishness and of fickleness146 glooming at the back of it? Did she love the heroic and the spectacular for its own noble sake, or was it for the glory which might, without effort or sacrifice, be reflected upon herself? Or are these thoughts the vain wisdom which comes after the event? It was the shock of my life. For a moment it had turned me to a cynic. But already, as I write, a week has passed, and we have had our momentous147 interview with Lord John Roxton and--well, perhaps things might be worse.
Let me tell it in a few words. No letter or telegram had come to me at Southampton, and I reached the little villa148 at Streatham about ten o'clock that night in a fever of alarm. Was she dead or alive? Where were all my nightly dreams of the open arms, the smiling face, the words of praise for her man who had risked his life to humor her whim149? Already I was down from the high peaks and standing150 flat-footed upon earth. Yet some good reasons given might still lift me to the clouds once more. I rushed down the garden path, hammered at the door, heard the voice of Gladys within, pushed past the staring maid, and strode into the sitting-room151. She was seated in a low settee under the shaded standard lamp by the piano. In three steps I was across the room and had both her hands in mine.
"Gladys!" I cried, "Gladys!"
She looked up with amazement152 in her face. She was altered in some subtle way. The expression of her eyes, the hard upward stare, the set of the lips, was new to me. She drew back her hands.
"What do you mean?" she said.
"Gladys!" I cried. "What is the matter? You are my Gladys, are you not--little Gladys Hungerton?"
"No," said she, "I am Gladys Potts. Let me introduce you to my husband."
How absurd life is! I found myself mechanically bowing and shaking hands with a little ginger-haired man who was coiled up in the deep arm-chair which had once been sacred to my own use. We bobbed and grinned in front of each other.
"Father lets us stay here. We are getting our house ready," said Gladys.
"Oh, yes," said I.
"You didn't get my letter at Para, then?"
"No, I got no letter."
"Oh, what a pity! It would have made all clear."
"It is quite clear," said I.
"I've told William all about you," said she. "We have no secrets. I am so sorry about it. But it couldn't have been so very deep, could it, if you could go off to the other end of the world and leave me here alone. You're not crabby, are you?"
"No, no, not at all. I think I'll go."
"Have some refreshment," said the little man, and he added, in a confidential153 way, "It's always like this, ain't it? And must be unless you had polygamy, only the other way round; you understand." He laughed like an idiot, while I made for the door.
I was through it, when a sudden fantastic impulse came upon me, and I went back to my successful rival, who looked nervously154 at the electric push.
"Will you answer a question?" I asked.
"Well, within reason," said he.
"How did you do it? Have you searched for hidden treasure, or discovered a pole, or done time on a pirate, or flown the Channel, or what? Where is the glamour155 of romance? How did you get it?"
He stared at me with a hopeless expression upon his vacuous156, good-natured, scrubby little face.
"Don't you think all this is a little too personal?" he said.
"Well, just one question," I cried. "What are you? What is your profession?"
"I am a solicitor's clerk," said he. "Second man at Johnson and Merivale's, 41 Chancery Lane."
"Good-night!" said I, and vanished, like all disconsolate157 and broken-hearted heroes, into the darkness, with grief and rage and laughter all simmering within me like a boiling pot.
One more little scene, and I have done. Last night we all supped at Lord John Roxton's rooms, and sitting together afterwards we smoked in good comradeship and talked our adventures over. It was strange under these altered surroundings to see the old, well-known faces and figures. There was Challenger, with his smile of condescension158, his drooping159 eyelids160, his intolerant eyes, his aggressive beard, his huge chest, swelling161 and puffing162 as he laid down the law to Summerlee. And Summerlee, too, there he was with his short briar between his thin moustache and his gray goat'sbeard, his worn face protruded163 in eager debate as he queried all Challenger's propositions. Finally, there was our host, with his rugged164, eagle face, and his cold, blue, glacier165 eyes with always a shimmer166 of devilment and of humor down in the depths of them. Such is the last picture of them that I have carried away.
It was after supper, in his own sanctum--the room of the pink radiance and the innumerable trophies--that Lord John Roxton had something to say to us. From a cupboard he had brought an old aigar-box, and this he laid before him on the table.
"There's one thing," said he, "that maybe I should have spoken about before this, but I wanted to know a little more clearly where I was. No use to raise hopes and let them down again. But it's facts, not hopes, with us now. You may remember that day we found the pterodactyl rookery in the swamp--what? Well, somethin' in the lie of the land took my notice. Perhaps it has escaped you, so I will tell you. It was a volcanic167 vent14 full of blue clay." The Professors nodded.
"Well, now, in the whole world I've only had to do with one place that was a volcanic vent of blue clay. That was the great De Beers Diamond Mine of Kimberley--what? So you see I got diamonds into my head. I rigged up a contraption to hold off those stinking168 beasts, and I spent a happy day there with a spud. This is what I got."
He opened his cigar-box, and tilting169 it over he poured about twenty or thirty rough stones, varying from the size of beans to that of chestnuts170, on the table.
""erhaps you think I should have told you then. Well, so I should, only I know there are a lot of traps for the unwary, and that stones may be of any size and yet of little value where color and consistency171 are clean off. Therefore, I brought them back, and on the first day at home I took one round to Spink's, and asked him to have it roughly cut and valued."
He took a pill-box from his pocket, and spilled out of it a beautiful glittering diamond, one of the finest stones that I have ever seen.
"There's the result," said he. "He prices the lot at a minimum of two hundred thousand pounds. Of course it is fair shares between us. I won't hear of anythin' else. Well, Challenger, what will you do with your fifty thousand?"
"If you really persist in your generous view," said the Professor, "I should found a private museum, which has long been one of my dreams."
"And you, Summerlee?"
"I would retire from teaching, and so find time for my final classification of the chalk fossils."
"I'll use my own," said Lord John Roxton, "in fitting a well-formed expedition and having another look at the dear old plateau. As to you, young fellah, you, of course, will spend yours in gettin' married."
"Not just yet," said I, with a rueful smile. "I think, if you will have me, that I would rather go with you."
Lord Roxton said nothing, but a brown hand was stretched out to me across the table.
The End
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1
gratitude
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| adj.感激，感谢 | |
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outfit
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| n.（为特殊用途的）全套装备，全套服装 | |
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civilized
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| a.有教养的，文雅的 | |
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benefactors
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| n.捐助者，施主( benefactor的名词复数 )；恩人 | |
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averse
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| adj.厌恶的；反对的，不乐意的 | |
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purely
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| adv.纯粹地，完全地 | |
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uproar
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| n.骚动，喧嚣，鼎沸 | |
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mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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rumor
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| n.谣言，谣传，传说 | |
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wireless
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| adj.无线的；n.无线电 | |
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investigation
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| n.调查，调查研究 | |
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gathering
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| n.集会，聚会，聚集 | |
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inception
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| n.开端，开始，取得学位 | |
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vent
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| n.通风口，排放口；开衩；vt.表达，发泄 | |
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scanty
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| adj.缺乏的，仅有的，节省的，狭小的，不够的 | |
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fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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narrative
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| n.叙述，故事；adj.叙事的，故事体的 | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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19
wondrous
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| adj.令人惊奇的，奇妙的；adv.惊人地；异乎寻常地；令人惊叹地 | |
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20
supreme
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| adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的 | |
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21
transcribe
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| v.抄写，誉写；改编(乐曲)；复制，转录 | |
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22
exuberant
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| adj.充满活力的；（植物）繁茂的 | |
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convened
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| 召开( convene的过去式 )； 召集； （为正式会议而）聚集； 集合 | |
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24
prehistoric
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| adj.（有记载的）历史以前的，史前的，古老的 | |
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25
proceedings
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| n.进程，过程，议程；诉讼(程序)；公报 | |
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26
remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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27
sensational
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| adj.使人感动的，非常好的，轰动的，耸人听闻的 | |
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28
monstrous
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| adj.巨大的；恐怖的；可耻的，丢脸的 | |
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elastic
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| n.橡皮圈，松紧带；adj.有弹性的；灵活的 | |
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30
unreasonably
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| adv. 不合理地 | |
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31
grievance
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| n.怨愤，气恼，委屈 | |
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32
melee
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| n.混战；混战的人群 | |
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33
inspector
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| n.检查员，监察员，视察员 | |
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34
intruded
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| n.侵入的，推进的v.侵入，侵扰，打扰( intrude的过去式和过去分词 )；把…强加于 | |
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35
zoologist
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| n.动物学家 | |
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36
demonstration
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| n.表明，示范，论证，示威 | |
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37
dissent
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| n./v.不同意，持异议 | |
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38
harmonious
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| adj.和睦的，调和的，和谐的，协调的 | |
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39
prophesied
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| v.预告，预言( prophesy的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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40
ascetic
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| adj.禁欲的；严肃的 | |
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41
tint
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| n.淡色，浅色；染发剂；vt.着以淡淡的颜色 | |
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42
pervaded
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| v.遍及，弥漫( pervade的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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43
homely
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| adj.家常的，简朴的；不漂亮的 | |
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44
ovation
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| n.欢呼，热烈欢迎，热烈鼓掌 | |
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45
investigations
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| （正式的）调查( investigation的名词复数 )； 侦查； 科学研究； 学术研究 | |
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46
inflicted
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| 把…强加给，使承受，遭受( inflict的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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47
intervals
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| n.[军事]间隔( interval的名词复数 )；间隔时间；[数学]区间；（戏剧、电影或音乐会的）幕间休息 | |
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48
fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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49
vindicated
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| v.澄清（某人/某事物）受到的责难或嫌疑( vindicate的过去式和过去分词 )；表明或证明（所争辩的事物）属实、正当、有效等；维护 | |
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50
withholding
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| 扣缴税款 | |
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51
enthralled
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| 迷住，吸引住( enthrall的过去式和过去分词 )； 使感到非常愉快 | |
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52
devoted
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| adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的 | |
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53
questionable
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| adj.可疑的，有问题的 | |
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54
marooned
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| adj.被围困的；孤立无援的；无法脱身的 | |
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55
liar
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| n.说谎的人 | |
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56
thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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57
moth
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| n.蛾，蛀虫 | |
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58
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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59
grotesque
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| adj.怪诞的，丑陋的；n.怪诞的图案，怪人（物） | |
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60
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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61
adventurous
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| adj.爱冒险的；惊心动魄的，惊险的，刺激的 | |
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62
penetrated
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| adj. 击穿的，鞭辟入里的 动词penetrate的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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63
dinosaurs
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| n.恐龙( dinosaur的名词复数 )；守旧落伍的人，过时落后的东西 | |
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64
ferocious
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| adj.凶猛的，残暴的，极度的，十分强烈的 | |
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65
elk
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| n.麋鹿 | |
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66
sketched
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| v.草拟（sketch的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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67
sane
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| adj.心智健全的，神志清醒的，明智的，稳健的 | |
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68
enchanted
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| adj. 被施魔法的，陶醉的，入迷的 动词enchant的过去式和过去分词 | |
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69
anthropoid
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| adj.像人类的，类人猿的；n.类人猿；像猿的人 | |
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70
aeronautic
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| adj.航空（学）的 | |
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71
memorable
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| adj.值得回忆的，难忘的，特别的，显著的 | |
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72
destined
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| adj.命中注定的；(for)以…为目的地的 | |
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73
smoothly
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| adv.平滑地，顺利地，流利地，流畅地 | |
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74
opposition
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| n.反对，敌对 | |
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75
amendment
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| n.改正，修正，改善，修正案 | |
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76
controversy
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| n.争论，辩论，争吵 | |
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77
strenuous
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| adj.奋发的，使劲的；紧张的；热烈的，狂热的 | |
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78
possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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79
tumult
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| n.喧哗；激动，混乱；吵闹 | |
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80
attentive
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| adj.注意的，专心的；关心(别人)的，殷勤的 | |
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81
appreciation
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| n.评价；欣赏；感谢；领会，理解；价格上涨 | |
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82
bias
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| n.偏见，偏心，偏袒；vt.使有偏见 | |
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83
dictated
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| v.大声讲或读( dictate的过去式和过去分词 )；口授；支配；摆布 | |
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84
queried
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| v.质疑，对…表示疑问( query的过去式和过去分词 )；询问 | |
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85
moths
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| n.蛾( moth的名词复数 ) | |
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86
coups
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| n.意外而成功的行动( coup的名词复数 )；政变；努力办到难办的事 | |
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87
motive
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| n.动机，目的；adv.发动的，运动的 | |
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88
corroboration
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| n.进一步的证实，进一步的证据 | |
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89
precluded
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| v.阻止( preclude的过去式和过去分词 )；排除；妨碍；使…行不通 | |
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90
specimens
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| n.样品( specimen的名词复数 )；范例；（化验的）抽样；某种类型的人 | |
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91
skull
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| n.头骨；颅骨 | |
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92
slur
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| v.含糊地说；诋毁；连唱；n.诋毁；含糊的发音 | |
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93
hush
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| int.嘘，别出声；n.沉默，静寂；v.使安静 | |
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94
offender
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| n.冒犯者，违反者，犯罪者 | |
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95
contrite
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| adj.悔悟了的，后悔的，痛悔的 | |
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96
allay
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| v.消除，减轻(恐惧、怀疑等) | |
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97
dense
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| a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的 | |
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98
joint
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| adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合 | |
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99
tampered
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| v.窜改( tamper的过去式 )；篡改；（用不正当手段）影响；瞎摆弄 | |
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100
ransacked
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| v.彻底搜查( ransack的过去式和过去分词 )；抢劫，掠夺 | |
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101
vividly
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| adv.清楚地，鲜明地，生动地 | |
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102
invaluable
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| adj.无价的，非常宝贵的，极为贵重的 | |
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103
remains
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| n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹 | |
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104
corroborative
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| adj.确证（性）的，确凿的 | |
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105
inspection
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| n.检查，审查，检阅 | |
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106
beetles
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| n.甲虫( beetle的名词复数 ) | |
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107
unfamiliar
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| adj.陌生的，不熟悉的 | |
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108
varied
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| adj.多样的，多变化的 | |
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109
elucidated
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| v.阐明，解释( elucidate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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110
portfolio
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| n.公事包；文件夹；大臣及部长职位 | |
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111
gatherings
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| 聚集( gathering的名词复数 )； 收集； 采集； 搜集 | |
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112
coax
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| v.哄诱，劝诱，用诱哄得到，诱取 | |
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113
coaxing
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| v.哄，用好话劝说( coax的现在分词 )；巧言骗取；哄劝，劝诱；“锻炼”效应 | |
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114
rattling
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| adj. 格格作响的, 活泼的, 很好的 adv. 极其, 很, 非常 动词rattle的现在分词 | |
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115
loathsome
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| adj.讨厌的，令人厌恶的 | |
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116
perch
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| n.栖木，高位，杆；v.栖息，就位，位于 | |
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117
petrified
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| adj.惊呆的；目瞪口呆的v.使吓呆，使惊呆；变僵硬；使石化(petrify的过去式和过去分词) | |
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118
gargoyle
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| n.笕嘴 | |
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119
malicious
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| adj.有恶意的，心怀恶意的 | |
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120
savage
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| adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人 | |
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121
turmoil
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| n.骚乱，混乱，动乱 | |
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122
commotion
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| n.骚动，动乱 | |
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putrid
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| adj.腐臭的；有毒的；已腐烂的；卑劣的 | |
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insidious
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| adj.阴险的，隐匿的，暗中为害的，（疾病）不知不觉之间加剧 | |
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125
beak
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| n.鸟嘴，茶壶嘴，钩形鼻 | |
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126
frenzy
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| n.疯狂，狂热，极度的激动 | |
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127
wringing
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| 淋湿的，湿透的 | |
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128
apprehension
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| n.理解，领悟；逮捕，拘捕；忧虑 | |
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129
alas
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| int.唉(表示悲伤、忧愁、恐惧等) | |
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130
hideous
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| adj.丑陋的，可憎的，可怕的，恐怖的 | |
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131
exuberance
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| n.丰富；繁荣 | |
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132
crest
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| n.顶点；饰章；羽冠；vt.达到顶点；vi.形成浪尖 | |
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133
amends
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| n. 赔偿 | |
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134
swirl
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| v.(使)打漩，(使)涡卷；n.漩涡，螺旋形 | |
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135
throng
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| n.人群，群众；v.拥挤，群集 | |
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136
Oxford
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| n.牛津（英国城市） | |
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137
pall
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| v.覆盖，使平淡无味；n.柩衣，棺罩；棺材；帷幕 | |
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138
chambers
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| n.房间( chamber的名词复数 )；（议会的）议院；卧室；会议厅 | |
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139
filthy
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| adj.卑劣的；恶劣的，肮脏的 | |
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140
diabolical
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| adj.恶魔似的，凶暴的 | |
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141
deserted
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| adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的 | |
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prodigious
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| adj.惊人的，奇妙的；异常的；巨大的；庞大的 | |
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immortality
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| n.不死，不朽 | |
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144
fiber
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| n.纤维，纤维质 | |
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145
recurring
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| adj.往复的，再次发生的 | |
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146
fickleness
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| n.易变；无常；浮躁；变化无常 | |
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momentous
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| adj.重要的，重大的 | |
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148
villa
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| n.别墅，城郊小屋 | |
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149
whim
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| n.一时的兴致，突然的念头；奇想，幻想 | |
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standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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151
sitting-room
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| n.（BrE）客厅，起居室 | |
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152
amazement
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| n.惊奇，惊讶 | |
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153
confidential
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| adj.秘（机）密的，表示信任的，担任机密工作的 | |
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nervously
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| adv.神情激动地，不安地 | |
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155
glamour
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| n.魔力，魅力；vt.迷住 | |
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156
vacuous
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| adj.空的，漫散的，无聊的，愚蠢的 | |
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157
disconsolate
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| adj.忧郁的，不快的 | |
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158
condescension
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| n.自以为高人一等，贬低(别人) | |
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159
drooping
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| adj. 下垂的，无力的 动词droop的现在分词 | |
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160
eyelids
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| n.眼睑( eyelid的名词复数 )；眼睛也不眨一下；不露声色；面不改色 | |
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swelling
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| n.肿胀 | |
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162
puffing
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| v.使喷出( puff的现在分词 )；喷着汽（或烟）移动；吹嘘；吹捧 | |
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163
protruded
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| v.（使某物）伸出，（使某物）突出( protrude的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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rugged
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| adj.高低不平的，粗糙的，粗壮的，强健的 | |
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165
glacier
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| n.冰川，冰河 | |
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166
shimmer
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| v./n.发微光，发闪光；微光 | |
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167
volcanic
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| adj.火山的；象火山的；由火山引起的 | |
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168
stinking
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| adj.臭的，烂醉的，讨厌的v.散发出恶臭( stink的现在分词 )；发臭味；名声臭；糟透 | |
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169
tilting
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| 倾斜，倾卸 | |
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170
chestnuts
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| n.栗子( chestnut的名词复数 )；栗色；栗树；栗色马 | |
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171
consistency
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| n.一贯性，前后一致，稳定性；(液体的)浓度 | |
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