Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-09-02
Copyrights, 1912, by a. cosan Doyle.
CHAPTER x.
s.rnerlee No Longer SkeptlcsI.

surr1criee no Longer oHePS'cai.
~HAT night am still speaking
Of the first day OF our circum-
navigation Of the plateau-a
- great experience awaited us
"a one which forever set at rest any
.o-ht which we could have had as TO
As wonders SO near US.
Wnat occurred was this: Lord John
,.s shot an atouti, which IS a small,
.Irnke animal, and, half of it having
-, given TO the Indians, we were
.,oEtng the other half upon our fire.
mere is q chill IN the air after dark,
"a we had all drawn close to the
Nsze. The night was moonless, but
here were some stars, and one could
- for n little distance across the
lain. Well. suddenly out Of the dark
,ess out Of the night, there swooped
,onething with q swish like an aero
,lape The whole group OF us We're
covered for an instant by a canopy of
,ssthery wings. and l had a momen-
nrv vision OF a long. snakelike neck.
fierce. red, greedy eye and great
Swapping beak. filed, TO my amaze
rsnt. with little, cleaning teeth. The
next instant it was gone-and so was
mr. dinner 4 huge black shadow.
twenty feet across, skinned up into
The air. For an instant the monster
wings blotted out the stars, and then
Il vanished over the brow Of the cliff
sbove US. We all sat in amazed silence
round the fire. Ike the heroes of Virgil
when the Harpies came down upon
them. 1t was Summerlee who was the
first 10 speak.
Professor Challenger" said he. In
solemn voice, which quavered with
emotion. Il owe you an apology. Sir.
I am very much in the wrong, and l
beg that you will forget what is past"
Il 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 pteTOdactyl. 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 a
dlscousolate party. for nothing could
have been more minute than our in
vestigation, and ii was absolutely GER
tain that there was no single point
where the most active human being
could possibly hope 70 scale the cliff.
The place which Maple Whites chalk
marks had indicated as his own means
Of access was now entirely impassa-
bic
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 couple OF
months the rains might be expected.
and we should lie washed out Of Our
camp. The rock was harder than mar
BE, 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 and sought our
Blankets with hardly a word eXchang
ed I remember that as I dropped off
10 sleep my last recollection was that
Challenger was sQuatting like a mon
strous bullfrog. by the fire. his huge
head in his hands, sunk apparently in
the deepest thought and entirely OBJ
hvious TO the good night which I wish
ed him.
But it was a very different Challen-
ger who greeted Us in the morning.
Challenger with contentnent and self
generalization shining from his whole
person. He faced us as we assembled
Tor breakfast with q deprecating false
modesty IN his eyes. as who should
say, Il know that I deserve all that
you can say, but I pray you TO spare
my bushes by not saying IL" His
beard br1stled exultantlv. 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 grazing the vacant pedestal In
trafalgar square and adding one more
10 the horrors Of the London streets.
Eureka he cried. his teeth shining
through his beard. Gentlemen. you