The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-05-12

wings DlOtCed out the stars, and then iE vanished over the brow of the cliff above us. We all sat in amazed silence round the fire, like the heroes of Virgil whea the Harpies came down upon them It was Summerlee who was the first to speak.
 "Professor Challenger said he, in a solemn voice, which quavered with emotion, q owe you an apology. Sir. I am very much in the wrong, and I beg that you will forget what is past
 It 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. It 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 were disconsolate party, for nothing could have been more minute than our in vestigation, and it was absolutely cer- 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- bIe.
 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, andsany attempt at cutting a path = for so great a height was more than our time or resources would admit. No wonder that we looked gloomiIy at each other that night and sought our blankets with hardly a word exchang ed. I remem Der that as dropped off to sleep my last recollection was that, Challenger was squa tting. like a. mon strous bu11frog, by the fire, his huge head in his hands, sunk apparently in the deepest thought and entirely ob- livious to the good night which I wish ed him.
 But it was a very different Challen- ger who greeted us in the morning-a Challenger with contentment and self reorganization 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, q know that I deserve all that you can say, but I pray you to spare my blushes by not saying it-'' His beard bEistled 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 6ne more to the horrors of the London streets.
 ssEureka.'' 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 up?"
 ssI venture to think so.'
 ssAnd wl1ere?"
 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 be climbed we had our companion's as- surance, but a horrible abyss lay be tween it and the plateau
 We can never get acrossr' gasped-
 '.We can at least all reach the sum- mit,'' said he When we are up I may be able to show you that the re- yet exhausted
 
 bundle in which our leader had brought kis climbing accessories. From it he took coil of the strongest and lightest rope, which was 150 feet in length, with climbing irons, clamps and other devices Lord John was an experienced mountaineer, and Summer lee had done some rough climbing at various times, so that I was really the novice at rock work of the party. But my strength and activity may have made. up for my want of experience
 It was not in reality a very stiff task, though. there were moments which made my hair brfstle upon my head. The first half was perfectly easy, but from there upward it became continually sleeper until for the last fifty feet we were literally clinginS with our fingers and toes to tiny lodges and crevices in the rock. could not have accomplished it nor could Summerlee if Challenger had not gained the summit Git was extraor- dinary to see such activity in so un- wieldy creature) and there fixed the rope round the trunk of the consider able tree which grew there. With this as our support we were soon, able to scramble up the Jagged wall until we found ourse1ves upon the small grassy platform, some twenty-five feet each way, which formed the summit.
 The first impression which I received when I had recoyeredamy breath was of the extraordinary view over the country which we had traversed. The whole Brazilian plain seemed to lie be meath us, extending away and away until it ended in dim blue mists upon the farthest sky line. In the fore ground was the long slope, strewn with rocks and dotted with tree ferns. Far ther off in the middle distance, looking over the saddleback hill. could just see the yellow and green mass of bam- boos through which we had passed, and then gradually the vegetation in