I turned, and found that he was examining with great interest the treeto which I clung. That smooth bark and those small, ribbed leavesseemed familiar to my eyes. "Why," I cried, "it's a beech!"
"Exactly," said Summerlee. "A fellow-countryman in a far land."
"Not only a fellow-countryman, my good sir," said Challenger, "butalso, if I may be allowed to enlarge your simile, an ally of the firstvalue. This beech tree will be our saviour."
"By George!" cried Lord John, "a bridge!"
"Exactly, my friends, a bridge! It is not for nothing that I expendedan hour last night in focusing my mind upon the situation. I have somerecollection of once 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 admitthat all our backs were to the wall. But where will-power andintellect go together, there is always a way out. A drawbridge had tobe found which could be dropped across the abyss. Behold it!"
It was certainly a brilliant idea. The tree was a good sixty feet inheight, and if it only fell the right way it would easily cross thechasm. Challenger had slung the camp axe over his shoulder when heascended. Now he handed it to me.
"Our young friend has the thews and sinews," said he. "I think he willbe the most useful at this task. I must beg, however, that you willkindly refrain from thinking for yourself, and that you will do exactlywhat you are told."
Under his direction I cut such gashes in the sides of the trees aswould ensure that it should fall as we desired. It had already astrong, natural tilt in the direction of the plateau, so that thematter was not difficult. Finally I set to work in earnest upon thetrunk, taking turn and turn with Lord John. In a little over an hourthere was a loud crack, the tree swayed forward, and then crashed over,burying its branches among the bushes on the farther side. The severedtrunk rolled to the very edge of our platform, and for one terriblesecond we all thought it was over. It balanced itself, however, a fewinches from the edge, and there was our bridge to the unknown.
All of us, without a word, shook hands with Professor Challenger, whoraised his straw hat and bowed deeply to each in turn.
"I claim the honor," said he, "to be the first to cross to the unknownland--a fitting subject, no doubt, for some future historical painting."
He had approached the bridge when Lord John laid his hand upon his coat.
"My dear chap," said he, "I really cannot allow it."
"Cannot allow it, sir!" The head went back and the beard forward.
"When it is a matter of science, don't you know, I follow your leadbecause you are by way of bein' a man of science. But it's up to youto follow me when you come into my department."
"Your department, sir?"
"We all have our professions, and soldierin' is mine. We are,accordin' to my ideas, invadin' a new country, which may or may not bechock-full of enemies of sorts. To barge blindly into it for want of alittle common sense and patience isn't my notion of management."
The remonstrance was too reasonable to be disregarded. Challengertossed his head and shrugged his heavy shoulders.
"Well, sir, what do you propose?"
"For all I know there may be a tribe of cannibals waitin' forlunch-time among those very bushes," said Lord John, looking across thebridge. "It's better to learn wisdom before you get into acookin'-pot; so we will content ourselves with hopin' that there is notrouble waitin' for us, and at the same time we will act as i
f therewere. Malone and I will go down again, therefore, and we will fetch upthe four rifles, together with Gomez and the other. One man can thengo across and the rest will cover him with guns, until he sees that itis safe for the whole crowd to come along."
Challenger sat down upon the cut stump and groaned his impatience; butSummerlee and I were of one mind that Lord John was our leader whensuch practical details were in question. The climb was a more simplething now that the rope dangled down the face of the worst part of theascent. Within an hour we had brought up the rifles and a shot-gun.The half-breeds had ascended also, and under Lord John's orders theyhad carried up a bale of provisions in case our first explorationshould be a long one. We had each bandoliers of cartridges.
"Now, Challenger, if you really insist upon being the first man in,"said Lord John, when every preparation was complete.
"I am much indebted to you for your gracious permission," said theangry Professor; for never was a man so intolerant of every form ofauthority. "Since you are good enough to allow it, I shall mostcertainly take it upon myself to act as pioneer upon this occasion."
Seating himself with a leg overhanging the abyss on each side, and hishatchet slung upon his back, Challenger hopped his way across the trunkand was soon at the other side. He clambered up and waved his arms inthe air.
"At last!" he cried; "at last!"
I gazed anxiously at him, with a vague expectation that some terriblefate would dart at him from the curtain of green behind him. But allwas quiet, save that a strange, many-colored bird flew up from underhis feet and vanished among the trees.
Summerlee was the second. His wiry energy is wonderful in so frail aframe. He insisted upon having two rifles slung upon his back, so thatboth Professors were armed when he had made his transit. I came next,and tried hard not to look down into the horrible gulf over which I waspassing. Summerlee held out the butt-end of his rifle, and an instantlater I was able to grasp his hand. As to Lord John, he walkedacross--actually walked without support! He must have nerves of iron.
And there we were, the four of us, upon the dreamland, the lost world,of Maple White. To all of us it seemed the moment of our supremetriumph. Who could have guessed that it was the prelude to our supremedisaster? Let me say in a few words how the crushing blow fell upon us.
We had turned away from the edge, and had penetrated about fifty yardsof close brushwood, when there came a frightful rending crash frombehind us. With one impulse we rushed back the way that we had come.The bridge was gone!
Far down at the base of the cliff I saw, as I looked over, a tangledmass of branches and splintered trunk. It was our beech tree. Had theedge of the platform crumbled and let it through? For a moment thisexplanation was in all our minds. The next, from the farther side ofthe rocky pinnacle before us a swarthy face, the face of Gomez thehalf-breed, was slowly protruded. Yes, it was Gomez, but no longer theGomez of the demure smile and the mask-like expression. Here was aface with flashing eyes and distorted features, a face convulsed withhatred and with the mad joy of gratified revenge.