The Delta independent., 1916-06-30


fierce red. greedy eye and a great
swapping beak. filed. to my amaze
ment. with little. cleaning teeth. The
next instant 4; was gone-and so was
our dinner A huge black shadow.
twenty feet across. skinned up into
the air For an instant the monster
wings blotted out the stars. and then
1t vanished over the brow OF the cliff
above us. We all sat In amazed silence
round the fire. like the heroes of Virgil
when the Harpies came down upon
them. 1t was Summerlee who was the
first to speak.
Professor Challenger" said he. in a
solemn voice. which quavered with
emotion. Il owe you an apology. Sir.
am very much in the wrong, and
beg that you will forget what is past"
1t was handsomely said, and the two
men for the first time shook hands So
much we have gained by this clear vi
sion of our first pterodactyl. 1t was
worth a stolen supper to bring two
such men together.
On the sixth day we completed our
first circuit of the cliffs and found our
selves back at the first camp beside the
isolated pinnacle of rock We We're a
! disconsolate party, for nothing could
have been more minute than our in
vestigation. and it was absolutely GER
tain that there was no single point
where the most active human being
could possibly hope to scale the cliff.
The place which Maple Whites chalk
marks had indicated as his own means
of access was now entirely impassa-
BILE.
What were we to do now? Our
stores of provisions, supplemented by
our guns. were holding out well. but
the day must come when they would
need replenishment In a couple of
months the rains might be expected,
and we should be washed out of our
camp. The rock was harder than mar
ble. and any attempt at cutting a path
for so great a height was more than
our time or resources would admit.
No wonder that we looked gloomily at
each other that night aud sought our
blankets with hardly n word eNchang-
| ed. | remember that as | dropped OFF
to sleep my last recollection was that
! Challenger was squatting like n mon
strous bullfrog. by the fire. his huge
head in his hands. sunk apparently in
the deepest thought and entirely OBJ
Iivious to the good night which wish
ed him.
But it was very different Chalien-
ger who greeted us in the morning-a
| Challenger with contentment and self
congratulation shining from his whole
| person. He faced us as we assembled
for breakfast with a deprecating false
modesty in his eyes. as who should
say. IT know that I deserve all that
you can say. but l pray You TO spare
my bushes by not saying 1t His
beard bristIed exultantly. his chest
was thrown out and his hand was
thrust into the front of his Jacket So.
in his fancy, may he see himself some
times gracing the vacant pedestal In.
Trafalgar square and adding one more
| to the horrors of the London streets.
"Eurekar' he cried. his teeth shining
through his beard Gentlemen. you
may congratulate me and we may
congratulate each other The problem
Is solved"
you have found a way upF
II venture to think So"
"And where?'
For answer he pointed TO the spire-
like pinnacle upon our right.
Our faces. or mine Mt least. fell as
we surveyed II. That 1t could be
climbed we had our companions as
surance. but IL horrible abyss lay be
tween it and the plateau.
I'VE can never get across" | gnsped.
I'VE can at least all reach the sum
nit" said he When we are up ]
may be able to show you that the re
sources OF an inventive mind are not
yet exhausted
After breakfast we unpacked the
bundle In which our leader had brought
his climbing accessories. From ii he
took a coil of the strongest and
lightest rope. which was 100 feet D.
length. with climbing irons. clamps
and other devices. Lord John was an
experienced mountalneer, and Summer
lee had done some rough climbing at
various times. so that ! was really the
novice ut rock work Of the party. But
my strength and activity may have
made up for my want Of experience.
II was not In reality n very stiff
task. though there were moments
which made my hair bristd upon my
head. The, nfst half was perfectly
easy. but from there upward 1t became
continually sleeper until for the last
fifty feet we were literally clinglng
with our fingers and toes to tiny
lodges and crevices In the rock.
could not have accomplished It nor
could Summerlee II Challenger had
not gained the summit Ut was extraor-
dinary to see such activity In ~ un-
wieldy n creature, and there fixed tho