The Delta independent., 1916-07-14

that / did. 1t was a human face-or
at least 1t was far more human than
any monkeys that l have ever seen.
1t was long, whitish and blotched with
ptmples, the nose hattened and the
lower jaw projecting, with bristle of
coarse whiskers round the chin. The
eyes, which were under thick and
heavy brOws, were bestial and fero-
cious, and as it opened its mouth to
snarl what sounded like a curse at
me observed that it had curved.
sharp canine teeth. For an instant l
read hatred and menace in the evil
eyes. Then, as quick as nash, came
an expression of overpowering fear
There was a crash of broken boughs
rs 1t dived wildly down into the tan
gle of green. caught glimpse of q
hairy body like that of a reddish pig
and then 1t was gone amid a swirl OF
leaves and branches
whats the matterT' shouted Rcx.
ton from below. Anything wrong
with your
did you see itT' I cried. with my
arms around the branch and all my
nerves dngling.
slipped. What was it?"
was SO shocked at the sudden and
strange appearance Of this ape man
mat I hesitated whether / should not
climb down again and tell my expe-
rience to my companions. But l was
already SO far up the great tree that
It seemed a humiliatio to return with.
out having carried out my mission. l
did not mean to quit.
After a long pause. therefore, to re-
cover my breath and my courage / con-
dnued my ascent until i had topped
all the trees of the forest
The sun was just above the western
sky line, and the evening was a par
ticularly bright and clear one, so that
the whole extent of the plateau was
visible beneath me. 1t was, as seen
from this height. of an oval contour.
with a breadth of about thirty miles
and width of twenty. Its general
shape was that OF shallow funnel.
all the sides sloping down to a consid.
erable lake in the center. This lake
may have been ten miles In circumfer.
ence and lay very green and beautiful
In the evening light. with a thick fringe
of reeds at its edges and with its sur.
face broken by several yellow sand.
banks. which cleaned golden In the
mellow sunshine. A number OF long
dark objects. which were too large for
alligators and too long for canoes. lay
upon the edges of these patches OF
sand. With my glass ] could clearly
see that they were alive.
From the side of the plateau Oh
which we were slopes OF woodland
with occasional glades. stretched down
for five or six miles to the central lake
] could see at my very feet the glade
OF the iguanodons, and farther of was
round opening In the trees which
marked the swamp of the pterodac
tyls. On the side facing me. however
the plateau presented very differen
aspect. There the basalt cliffs OF tn,
outside were reproduced upon the In
side. forming an escarpment about 20'
feet high. with a woody slope be
meath 1t.
Along the base OF these red cliffs
some distance above the ground.
could see a number OF dark holei
through the glass. which conjecturet
to be the mouths of caves. At th,
opening Of one OF these something
white was shimmering, but ! was un
able to make out what II wns. ss
charting the country until the sun hat
bet and II was SO dark that couIt
20 longer distinguish details. Then
climbed down to my companions wait
ing for me 20 eagerly at the bottom ol
TIA. great trse. For once ] was th<
hero Of the expedition. Alone ] had