I was weary and spent, so my progress was not so fast as I wished; butat last I came into regions which I knew. There was the swamp of thepterodactyls upon my left; there in front of me was the glade of theiguanodons. Now I was in the last belt of trees which separated mefrom Fort Challenger. I raised my voice in a cheery shout to allaytheir fears. No answering greeting came back to me. My heart sank atthat ominous stillness. I quickened my pace into a run. The zarebarose before me, even as I had left it, but the gate was open. I rushedin. In the cold, morning light it was a fearful sight which met myeyes. Our effects were scattered in wild confusion over the ground; mycomrades had disappeared, and close to the smouldering ashes of ourfire the grass was stained crimson with a hideous pool of blood.
I was so stunned by this sudden shock that for a time I must havenearly lost my reason. I have a vague recollection, as one remembers abad dream, of rushing about through the woods all round the empty camp,calling wildly for my companions. No answer came back from the silentshadows. The horrible thought that I might never see them again, thatI might find myself abandoned all alone in that dreadful place, with nopossible way of descending into the world below, that I might live anddie in that nightmare country, drove me to desperation. I could havetorn my hair and beaten my head in my despair. Only now did I realizehow I had learned to lean upon my companions, upon the sereneself-confidence of Challenger, and upon the masterful, humorouscoolness of Lord John Roxton. Without them I was like a child in thedark, helpless and powerless. I did not know which way to turn or whatI should do first.
After a period, during which I sat in bewilderment, I set myself to tryand discover what sudden misfortune could have befallen my companions.The whole disordered appearance of the camp showed that there had beensome sort of attack, and the rifle-shot no doubt marked the time whenit had occurred. That there should have been only one shot showed thatit had been all over in an instant. The rifles still lay upon theground, and one of them--Lord John's--had the empty cartridge in thebreech. The blankets of Challenger and of Summerlee beside the firesuggested that they had been asleep at the time. The cases ofammunition and of food were scattered about in a
wild litter, togetherwith our unfortunate cameras and plate-carriers, but none of them weremissing. On the other hand, all the exposed provisions--and Iremembered that there were a considerable quantity of them--were gone.They were animals, then, and not natives, who had made the inroad, forsurely the latter would have left nothing behind.
But if animals, or some single terrible animal, then what had become ofmy comrades? A ferocious beast would surely have destroyed them andleft their remains. It is true that there was that one hideous pool ofblood, which told of violence. Such a monster as had pursued me duringthe night could have carried away a victim as easily as a cat would amouse. In that case the others would have followed in pursuit. Butthen they would assuredly have taken their rifles with them. The moreI tried to think it out with my confused and weary brain the less couldI find any plausible explanation. I searched round in the forest, butcould see no tracks which could help me to a conclusion. Once I lostmyself, and it was only by good luck, and after an hour of wandering,that I found the camp once more.
Suddenly a thought came to me and brought some little comfort to myheart. I was not absolutely alone in the world. Down at the bottom ofthe cliff, and within call of me, was waiting the faithful Zambo. Iwent to the edge of the plateau and looked over. Sure enough, he wassquatting among his blankets beside his fire in his little camp. But,to my amazement, a second man was seated in front of him. For aninstant my heart leaped for joy, as I thought that one of my comradeshad made his way safely down. But a second glance dispelled the hope.The rising sun shone red upon the man's skin. He was an Indian. Ishouted loudly and waved my handkerchief. Presently Zambo looked up,waved his hand, and turned to ascend the pinnacle. In a short time hewas standing close to me and listening with deep distress to the storywhich I told him.
"Devil got them for sure, Massa Malone," said he. "You got into thedevil's country, sah, and he take you all to himself. You take advice,Massa Malone, and come down quick, else he get you as well."
"How can I come down, Zambo?"
"You get creepers from trees, Massa Malone. Throw them over here. Imake fast to this stump, and so you have bridge."
"We have thought of that. There are no creepers here which could bearus."
"Send for ropes, Massa Malone."
"Who can I send, and where?"
"Send to Indian villages, sah. Plenty hide rope in Indian village.Indian down below; send him."
"Who is he?
"One of our Indians. Other ones beat him and take away his pay. Hecome back to us. Ready now to take letter, bring rope,--anything."
To take a letter! Why not? Perhaps he might bring help; but in anycase he would ensure that our lives were not spent for nothing, andthat news of all that we had won for Science should reach our friendsat home. I had two completed letters already waiting. I would spendthe day in writing a third, which would bring my experiences absolutelyup to date. The Indian could bear this back to the world. I orderedZambo, therefore, to come again in the evening, and I spent mymiserable and lonely day in recording my own adventures of the nightbefore. I also drew up a note, to be given to any white merchant orcaptain of a steam-boat whom the Indian could find, imploring them tosee that ropes were sent to us, since our lives must depend upon it.These documents I threw to Zambo in the evening, and also my purse,which contained three English sovereigns. These were to be given tothe Indian, and he was promised twice as much if he returned with theropes.
So now you will understand, my dear Mr. McArdle, how this communicationreaches you, and you will also know the truth, in case you never hearagain from your unfortunate correspondent. To-night I am too weary andtoo depressed to make my plans. To-morrow I must think out some way bywhich I shall keep in touch with this camp, and yet search round forany traces of my unhappy friends.
CHAPTER XIII
"A Sight which I shall Never Forget"
Just as the sun was setting upon that melancholy night I saw the lonelyfigure of the Indian upon the vast plain beneath me, and I watched him,our one faint hope of salvation, until he disappeared in the risingmists of evening which lay, rose-tinted from the setting sun, betweenthe far-off river and me.
It was quite dark when I at last turned back to our stricken camp, andmy last vision as I went was the red gleam of Zambo's fire, the onepoint of light in the wide world below, as was his faithful presence inmy own shadowed soul. And yet I felt happier than I had done sincethis crushing blow had fallen upon me, for it was good to think thatthe world should know what we had done, so that at the worst our namesshould not perish with our bodies, but should go down to posterityassociated with the result of our labors.
It was an awesome thing to sleep in that ill-fated camp; and yet it waseven more unnerving to do so in the jungle. One or the other it mustbe. Prudence, on the one hand, warned me that I should remain onguard, but exhausted Nature, on the other, declared that I should donothing of the kind. I climbed up on to a limb of the great gingkotree, but there was no secure perch on its rounded surface, and Ishould certainly have fallen off and broken my neck the moment I beganto doze. I got down, therefore, and pondered over what I should do.Finally, I closed the door of the zareba, lit three separate fires in atriangle, and having eaten a hearty supper dropped off into a profoundsleep, from which I had a strange and most welcome awakening. In theearly morning, just as day was breaking, a hand was laid upon my arm,and starting up, with all my nerves in a tingle and my hand feeling fora rifle, I gave a cry of joy as in the cold gray light I saw Lord JohnRoxton kneeling beside me.
It was he--and yet it was not he. I had left him calm in his bearing,correct in his person, prim in his dress. Now he was pale andwild-eyed, gasping as he breathed like one who has run far and fast.His gaunt face was scratched and bloody, his clothes were hanging inrags, and his hat was gone. I stared in amazement, but he gave me nochance for questions. He was grabbing at our stores all the time hespoke.
"Quick, young fellah! Quick!" he cried. "Every moment counts. Getthe rifles, both of them. I have the other two. Now, all thecartridges you can gather. Fill up your pockets. Now, some food.Half a dozen tins will do. That's all right! Don't wait to talk orthink. Get a move on, or we are done!"
Still half-awake, and unable to imagine what it all might mean, I foundmyself hurrying madly after him through the wood, a rifle under eacharm and a pile of various stores in my hands. He dodged in and outthrough the thickest of the scrub until he came to a dense clump ofbrush-wood. Into this he rushed, regardless of thorns, and threwhimself into the heart of it, pulling me down by his side.
"There!" he panted. "I think we are safe here. They'll make for thecamp as sure as fate. It will be their first idea. But this shouldpuzzle 'em."
"What is it all?" I asked, when I had got my breath. "Where are theprofessors? And who is it that is after us?"
"The ape-men," he cried. "My God, what brutes! Don't raise yourvoice, for they have long ears--sharp eyes, too, but no power of scent,so far as I could judge, so I don't think they can sniff us out. Wherehave you been, young fellah? You were well out of it."
In a few sentences I whispered what I had done.
"Pretty bad," said he, when he had heard of the dinosaur and the pit."It isn't quite the place for a rest cure. What? But I had no ideawhat its possibilities were until those devils got hold of us. Theman-eatin' Papuans had me once, but they are Chesterfields compared tothis crowd."