The cliffs upon the farther side had lost their ruddy tint, beingchocolate-brown in color; the vegetation was more scattered along thetop of them, and 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. Ifanything, they were more impossible than at the first point where wehad met them. Their absolute steepness is indicated in the photographwhich I took over the stony desert.
"Surely," said I, as we discussed the situation, "the rain must findits way down somehow. There are bound to be water-channels in therocks."
"Our young friend has glimpses of lucidity," said Professor Challenger,patting me upon the shoulder.
"The rain must go somewhere," I repeated.
"He keeps a firm grip upon actuality. The only drawback is that wehave conclusively proved by ocular demonstration that there are nowater channels down the rocks."
"Where, then, does it go?" I persisted.
"I think it may be fairly assumed that if it does not come outwards itmust run inwards."
"Then there is a lake in the center."
"So I should suppose."
"It is more than likely that the lake may be an old crater," saidSummerlee. "The whole formation is, of course, highly volcanic. But,however that may be, I should expect to find the surface of the plateauslope inwards with a considerable sheet of water in the center, whichmay drain off, by some subterranean channel, into the marshes of theJaracaca Swamp."
"Or evaporation might preserve an equilibrium," remarked Challenger,and the two learned men wandered off into one of their usual scientificarguments, which were as comprehensible as Chinese to the layman.
On the sixth day we completed our first circuit of the cliffs, andfound ourselves back at the first camp, beside the isolated pinnacle ofrock. We were a disconsolate party, for nothing could have been moreminute than our investigation, and it was absolutely certain that therewas no single point where the most active human being could possiblyhope to scale the cliff. The place which Maple White's chalk-marks hadindicated as
his own means of access was now entirely impassable.
What were we to do now? Our stores of provisions, supplemented by ourguns, were holding out well, but the day must come when they would needreplenishment. In a couple of months the rains might be expected, andwe should be washed out of our camp. The rock was harder than marble,and any attempt at cutting a path for so great a height was more thanour time or resources would admit. No wonder that we looked gloomilyat each other that night, and sought our blankets with hardly a wordexchanged. I remember that as I dropped off to sleep my lastrecollection was that Challenger was squatting, like a monstrousbull-frog, by the fire, his huge head in his hands, sunk apparently inthe deepest thought, and entirely oblivious to the good-night which Iwished him.
But it was a very different Challenger who greeted us in the morning--aChallenger with contentment and self-congratulation shining from hiswhole person. He faced us as we assembled for breakfast with adeprecating false modesty in his eyes, as who should say, "I know thatI deserve all that you can say, but I pray you to spare my blushes bynot saying it." His beard bristled exultantly, his chest was thrownout, and his hand was thrust into the front of his jacket. So, in hisfancy, may he see himself sometimes, gracing the vacant pedestal inTrafalgar Square, and adding one more to the horrors of the Londonstreets.
"Eureka!" he cried, his teeth shining through his beard. "Gentlemen,you may congratulate me and we may congratulate each other. Theproblem is solved."
"You have found a way up?"
"I venture to think so."
"And where?"
For answer he pointed to the spire-like pinnacle upon our right.
Our faces--or mine, at least--fell as we surveyed it. That it could beclimbed we had our companion's assurance. But a horrible abyss laybetween it and the plateau.
"We can never get across," I gasped.
"We can at least all reach the summit," said he. "When we are up I maybe able to show you that the resources of an inventive mind are not yetexhausted."
After breakfast we unpacked the bundle in which our leader had broughthis climbing accessories. From it he took a coil of the strongest andlightest rope, a 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 climbing at various times, so that Iwas really the novice at rock-work of the party; but my strength andactivity may have made up for my want of experience.
It was not in reality a very stiff task, though there were momentswhich made my hair bristle upon my head. The first half was perfectlyeasy, but from there upwards it became continually steeper until, forthe last fifty feet, we were literally clinging with our fingers andtoes to tiny ledges and crevices in the rock. I could not haveaccomplished it, nor could Summerlee, if Challenger had not gained thesummit (it was extraordinary to see such activity in so unwieldy acreature) and there fixed the rope round the trunk of the considerabletree which grew there. With this as our support, we were soon able toscramble up the jagged wall until we found ourselves upon the smallgrassy platform, some twenty-five feet each way, which formed thesummit.
The first impression which I received when I had recovered my breathwas of the extraordinary view over the country which we had traversed.The whole Brazilian plain seemed to lie beneath us, extending away andaway until it ended in dim blue mists upon the farthest sky-line. Inthe foreground was the long slope, strewn with rocks and dotted withtree-ferns; farther off in the middle distance, looking over thesaddle-back hill, I could just see the yellow and green mass of bamboosthrough which we had passed; and then, gradually, the vegetationincreased until it formed the huge forest which extended as far as theeyes could reach, and for a good two thousand miles beyond.
I was still drinking in this wonderful panorama when the heavy hand ofthe Professor fell upon my shoulder.
"This way, my young friend," said he; "vestigia nulla retrorsum. Neverlook rearwards, but always to our glorious goal."
The level of the plateau, when I turned, was exactly that on which westood, and the green bank of bushes, with occasional trees, was so nearthat it was difficult to realize how inaccessible it remained. At arough 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 thetrunk of the tree and leaned over the abyss. Far down were the smalldark figures of our servants, looking up at us. The wall wasabsolutely precipitous, as was that which faced me.
"This is indeed curious," said the creaking voice of ProfessorSummerlee.