The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-05-12

l was still drinking in this wonderful panorama when the heavy hand of the professor fell upon my shoulder.
 "This way, my young friend" said he. ''Vestigia nulla retrorsum. Never look Pearward, but always to our glo- rious goal.''
 The level of the plateau when turn ed was exactly that on which we stood, and the green bank of bushes, with oc- casiona1 trees, was so near that 1t was difficult to realize how inaccessible it remained At rough guess the gulf was forty feet across; but, so far as could see, it might as well have been forty miles. I placed one arm round the trunk of the tree and leaned over the abyss Far down were the small dark figures of our servants looking up at us. The wall was absolutely pre- cipitous, as was that which faced me
 ''This is indeed curious," said the creaking voice of Professor Summerlee.
 I turned and found that he was ex amining with great interest the tree to which clung. That smooth bark and those small, ribbed leaves seemed ia miliar to my eyes. Why" I cried, tits a beechp'
 Exactly" said Summerlee-"a fel- low countryman in a far land.'
 Mot only fellow countryman, my good sir,'' said Challenger, "but also, if I may be allowed to enlarge your simile, an allyIo the first value. This beech tree will be our savior"
 By George" cried Lord John, "a bridger'
 Exactly, my friends, bridge! It is not for nothing that I expended an hour last night in focusing my mind upon the situation. I have some recol- lection 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 admit that all our backs were to the wall. But where will pow CT and intellect go together there is al ways a way out. A drawbridge had to be found which could be dropped across the abyss. Behold it!''
 It was certainly brilliant idea. The tree was a good sixty feet in height, and if it fell only the right way it would easily cross the chasm. Chal- 1enger had slung the camp ax over his shoulder when he ascended. Now he handed it to me.
 "Our young friend has the thews and s1news, said he. s'I think he will be the most useful at this task. I must beg, however, that you sll kindly re- frain from thinking for yourself and that you will do exactly what you are toId''
 Under his direction cut such gashes in the sides of the tree a would insure that it should fall as we desired. It. had already a strong, natural tilt in the direction of the plateau, so that the matter was not difficult Finally set to work in earnest upon the trunk, taking turn and turn with Lord John. In little over an hour there was loud crack. The tree swayed forward and then crashed over, burying its branches among the bushes on the far ther side. The severed trunk rolled to the very edge of our platform, and for one terrible second we all thought it was overA It balanced itself, however, a few inches from the edge, and there was our bridge to the unknown:
 All of us without word shook hands with Professor Challenger, who raised his straw hat and bowed deeply to each in turn.
 CT claim the honor," said he, ito be the first to cross to the unknown land, a fitting subject no doubt for some flu ture historical painting"