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TEN
“The Lost World”
It Is thus (hat the went crisis of a
man's life springs out at him. Coulil
I hare imagined when I entered that
hall that I was about to pledge myself
to a wilder adventure than had ever
come to ine in my dreams? But
Gladys—was It not the very opportu
nity of which she spoke? Gladys
would have told me to go. I had
sprung to my feet. I was speaking,
and yet I had prepared no words. Tarp
Henry, my companion, was plucking
at my skirts, and I heard him whls
poring: "Sit down, Malone: Don't
make a public ass of yourself." At the
same time I was aware that a tall,
thin man with dark, gingery hair a
few seats in front of me was also
upon his feet. lie glared back at me
with hard, angry eyes, but I refused
to give way.
"I will go, Mr. Chairman,” I kept re
peatlng over and over again.
“Name: Name!" cried the audience.
"My name Is Edward Dunn Malone.
I am the reporter of the Dally Gazette.
I claim to be an absolutely unpreju
diced witness.”
“What is your name, sir?" the chair
man asked of my tall rival.
"I am Lord John Roxton. I have
already been up the Amazon. I know
all the ground and have special quali
fications for this Investigation."
"Lord John Roxton's reputation as
a sportsman and a traveler Is, of
course, world famous," said the chair
man. "At the same time it would
certainly be as well to havo a member
of the press upon such an expedition."
“Then I move.” said Professor dial
longer, "that both these gentlemen .be
elected as representative# of this meet
ing to accompany Professor Hummer
lee upon his Journey to Investigate and
to report upon the truth of my stuto
ments.”
And so, amid shouting and cheering,
our fate was decided, and I found my
self homo away In the human current
which swirled toward the door, with
my mind half stunned by the vast new
project which had risen so suddenly
before it. As 1 emerged from the hall
1 was conscious for a moment of a
rush of laughing students down the
pavement and of an arm wielding a
heavy umbrella, which rose and fell In
the midst of them. Then, amid a mix
ture of groans and cheers, Professor
Challenger's electric brougham slid
from the curb, and I found myself
walking under the silvery lights of
Regent street, full of thoughts of
Gladys and of wonder as to my fu
ture.
Suddenly there was a touch at my
elbow. I turned and found myself
looking Into the humorous, mnsterful
eyes of the tall, thin man who hud
volunteered to be my companion on
this strange quest.
"Mr. Malone, 1 understand," said ho.
“IVe are to be companions—what? My
rooms are Just over the road In the
Albany. Perhaps you would have thy
kindness to spare me half an hour, for
there are one or two things that I bad
ly want to soy to you."
Lord John Roxton and I turned down
Vigo street together and through the
dingy portals of the famous aristocrat
ic rooliery. At the cud of a long ilrnh
passage my new acquaintance puahed
open a door and turned on au electric
switch. A numlier of lamps shlnlug
through tinted shades bathed the whole
grcnl room before us In a ruddy radi
ance. Standing In the doorway and
glancing round me. 1 hnd a general Im
pression of extraordinary comfort and
elegance combined with au atmos
phere of masculine virility. Every
where there were mingled the luxury
of the wealthy man of taste and the
careless untidiness of the bachelor.
One by one he took out a succession
of lienutlfut rifles, opening and shut
ting them with a snap and n clang
ami then pnttlng them as he put them
hack Into the rack ns tenderly as a
mother would fondle her children.
"This Is a Ilium!’# .577 axlte express,"
snld he. "1 got that hlg fellow with
It." lie glanced up ut a stuffed white
rhinoceros "Ten more yards and he
would have added me to his collection
"On that runlml bullet his on» chance
hangs.
'Tin the uaak on* 1 a advantna* fair.
"Ho|s< you know your Gordon, for
he's the |>oet of the horse and the gun
and the man that handles both. Now,
here's a useful tool- 470, telescopic
sight, double ejector, point tdnnk up
to three fifty. That's the rifle 1 used
against Peruvian slave drivers three
years ago. I was the flail of the laird
up In those |»rt». I may tell you,
though you won't find It In any blue
book. There nre times, young fellah,
when every one of us must make a
stand for human right and Justice or
you never fool dean again That's why
1 made a little war on my own. D*
dared It myself, waged It myself, end
ed It myself. Each of those nleks Is
for a slave murderer-—a good row of
them—what? That hlg one Is for Pe
dro Lopex. the king of them all that 1
killed in a hack water of the Putomayo
river. Now, here's something that
would do for you.'" He took out a
beautiful brown and silver rifle. "Well
rubbered at the stock, sharply sighted,
flve cartridges to the clip You can
trust your life to that." lie handed It
to me aud closed the door of hta oak
cabinet.
“By the way." he continued, coming
back to bis chair, “what do you know
of this Professor Challenger T'
“1 never snw him till today."
"Well, neither did I. It's funny we
should both sail under sealed orders
from a man we don't know. He seem
ed an uppish old bird. HU brothers of
Science don t seem too fond of him,
either How came you to take an lu
terest in the affair?"
I told hiui shortly m.v experiences of
the iV ruing. and he lUtwued Intently.
£hen he drew out a nuu> of South
By A. CONAN DOYLE
America and laid It on the table.
"I believe every single word he said
to you was the truth," said he earnest
ly. "und, mind you. I have something
to go on wher 1 speak like that. South
America Is a place I love, and I think,
If you take It right through from Da
rien to Kilego, It's the grandest, richest,
most wonderful bit of earth upon this
planet.’"
That night, wearied as I was after
the wonderful happenings of the day.
I sai !ste with McArdle, the news edi
tor, explaining to him the whole situa
tion, which he tbouglfc Important
enough to bring next morning before
the notice of Sir George Beaumont, the
chief. It was agreed that I should
write home full accounts of my ad
ventures In the shape of successive
letters to McArdle and that these
should either he edited for the Gazette
as they arrived or held back to be pub
lished Inter, according to the wishes
of Professor Challenger, since we
could not yet know whnt conditions lie
might, attach to those directions which
should guide us to the unknown land.
In response to a telephone Inquiry we
received nothing more definite than a
fulmlnntion against the press, ending
up with the remark that If we would
notify our boat he would hand us any
directions which he might think It
proper to give us at the momcat of
starting. A second question from us
failed to elicit any answer at all save
a plaintive bleat from hla wife to the
effect that her husband wag In a very
violent temper already and that she
hoped we would do nothing to mnke It
worse. A third attempt later In the
day provoked a terrific crash and a
subsequent messnge from the Central
Exchange that Professor Challenger’s
receiver had been shattered. After
that we abandoned all attempt at com
munication.
And now, my patient readers, I can
address you directly no longer. From
now onward Of. Indeed, any continua
tion of this narrative should ever reach
you) It can only he through the paper
which I represent. In the hands of
the editor I leave this account of the
events which have led up to one of
the most remarkable expeditions of nil
time, so that if 1 never return to Eng
land there shall be some record as to
how the affair canto about. 1 am writ
ing these last lines In the saloon of the
Booth liner Francises, and they will
go hack by the pilot to the keeping of
Mr. McArdle. I/et me draw one last
picture before I close the notebook—
r picture which la the last memory of
the old country which I hear away
with me. It Is a wet, foggy morning
In (he late spring A thin cold rain Is
falling. Three shining inacklntosbeil
figures are walking down the quay,
making for the gangplank of the great
liner front which the blue peter is fly
ing. In front of them a porter pushes
a trolley piled high with trunks, wraps
and gun cases. Professor Hummorlee.
a long, melancholy figure, walks with
drnggthg steps and drooping head, ns
one who Is already profoundly sorry
for himself. I/ird John Roxton steps
briskly, und his thin eager face beams
JJ ' ' ■
"That big on* la for Padro Lopoz, tho
king of thsm all."
forth between hi* hunting cap and hla
muffler. A* for myself. I am glad to
have got the hustling day* of prepare
tlon and the pangs of leave taking I*
hind me. and 1 have no doubt that I
show It In m.v bearing Suddenly. Just
ua we reach the vessel, there Is a shout
behind us. It Is Professor Challenger,
who had promled to see ua off. lie
runs after us. a puffing, red faced,
lraadble figure
"No. thank you," says he. “I should
much prefer not to go aboard. 1 have
only a few words to say to you. and
they i'in very well be said where we
are. 1 beg you not to Imagine that 1
am In any way Indebted to you for
making this Journey. 1 would have
you to understand that It la a matter
of perfect Indifference to me. and I re
fuse to entertain the most remote sense
of personal obligation. Truth la truth,
and nothing which you can report can
affect It In any way, though It may ex
cite the emotions and allay the curiosi
ty of a number of very Ineffectual peo
ple My directions stir your instruc
tion and guidance are In this sealed
envelope. Vou will open It when yon
reach a town upon the Amazon which
la called Manaoa. but Sot nnMl the date
and hour which are .narked upon the
outside. Have l made myaeif clear? I
leave the strict observance of qy con-
dltlons entirely to your honor. 'No, Mr.
Malone, 1 will place no restriction upon
your correspondence, since the ventila
tion of the facts Is the object of your
journey, but I demand that you shall
give no particulars as to your exact
destination and that nothing be ac
tually published until your return.
Goodby."
Ho he turned upon his heel, and a
minute later from the deck I could see
his short, squat figure bobbing about
In the distance as he made his way
lack to hla train. Well, we are well
down clianpcl now. Theee’a the last
bell for letters, and It's goodby to-the
pilot. Weil be “down, hull down, on
the old trail" from now on. God bless
all we leave behind us and send us
safely back.
CHAPTER VII.
'‘Tomorrow Ws Disappear Into th# Un
known.”
I WILL not bore those whom this
narrative may reach by an ac
count of our luxurious voyage
upon the ocean liner, nor will 1
tell of our week’a stay at Para (save
that I should wish to acknowledge the
great kindness of the company In help
ing us to get together our equipment).
I will also ullude very briefly to our
river Journey up a wide, slow moving,
clay tinted stream In a steamer which
was little smaller than that which had
carried us across the Atlantic. Eventu
ally we found ourselves through the
narrows of Obldos and reached the
town of Manaos. Here we were res
cued from the limited attractions of
the local Inn by Mr. Bhortman, the rep
resentative of the British and Brazil
ian Trading company. In hlg hospital
Fazenda we spent our time until the
day when we were empowered to open
the letter of Instructions given to us
by Professor Challenger. Before 1
reach the surprising events of that date
I should desire to give a clearer sketch
of my comrades In this enterprise and
of the associates whom we had already
gathered together In Houth America. I
speak freely, and I leave the use of my
material to your own discretion, Mr.
McArdle, since It Is through your hands
that this report must pass before It
reaches the world.
The scientific attainments of Profes
sor Summerlee are too well known for
me to trouble to recapitulate them. He
Is better equipped for a rough expedi
tion of this sort than one would im
agine at first sight. His tall, gaunt,
stringy figure Is Insensible to fatigue,
and his dry, half sarcastic and often
wholly unsympathetic manner Is unin
fluenced by any change In his sur
rouudlugs. Though in his sixty-sixth
year, I have never heard him express
any dissatisfaction at the occasional
hardships which we have had to en
counter. I hnd regarded his presence
as an encumbrance to the expedition;
but, as a mntter of fact, I am now well
convinced that his power of endurance
Is as great aa my own. In temper he
Is naturally acid and skeptical.
Lord John Itoxton has some points
tn common with Professor Summerlee
and others in which they are the very
antithesis to each other, ne Is twen
ty years younger, but has something
of the same spare, scraggy physique.
As to his apjiearance, I have, as I rec
ollect. described It In that portion of
my narrative which I have left behind
mo in London. He is exceedingly neat
and prim in his ways, dresses always
with great care In white drill suits
and high brown mosquito boots and
shaves at least once a day. IJke most
men of action, be Is laconic In speech
and sinks readily into his own
thoughts, but he is always quick to
answer a question or Join In a con
versation, talking In a queer, Jerky,
half humorous fashion. His knowl
edge of tho world, and very especially
of South America, Is surprising, and
he has a whole hearted belief In the
possibilities of our Journey which is
not be dashed by the sneers of Profes
sor Bummerl«e. He has a gentle voice
and a quiet manner, hut behind Ids
twinkling blue eyes there lurks n ca
pacity for furious wrath and Implaca
ble resolution, the more dangerous be
cause they are held In leash.
So much for the moment for my two
white companions, whose characters
and limitations will he further ex
posed. as surely as m.v own. as this
narrative proceeds. But already we
have enrolled certain retainers who
may play no small part tn what Is to
come. The first Is a gigantic negro
named Zambo. who Is a black Her
cules. as willing as any horse and
about as Intelligent. Him we enlisted
at Para on the recommendation of the
steamship company, on whose vessels
he had learned to speak a halting Eng
lish.
It was at Tarn also that we engaged
Gomez and Manuel, two half breeds
from up the river. Just come down
with a cargo of redwood. They were
awnrtby fellows, bearded and fierce, as
active and wiry as panthers. Both of
them had spent their lives tn those
upper waters of the Amazon which
we were about to explore, and It was
this recommendation which had caused
Lord John to engage them. One of
them. Gomez, had the further advan
tage that he could speak excellent
English. These men were willing to
act as our personal servants, to cook,
to row or to make themselves useful
In any way at a payment of sls a
month. Besides these, we had eugag
ed three Mojo Indians from Bolivia,
who are the most skillful at fishing
and boot work of all the river tribes.
The chief of these we celled Mojo,
after hl« tribe, and the others are
known as Jose and Fernando. Three
white men. then, two hats breed*, one
negro and three Indians mude up the
personnel of the little expedition which
lay waiting for it* instruction* at
THE AUGUSTA HERALD, AUGUSTA, GA.
Manaos before starting upon its slngu
lar quest.
At last, after a weary week, the day
had come and the hour. I ask you to
picture the shaded sitting room of the
Fazenda Bt. Ignatlo, two miles Inland
from the town of Manaos. Outside lay
the yellow, brassy glare of the sun
shine, with the shadows of the palm
trees as black and definite as the trees
themselves. The air was calm, full of
the eternal hum of insects, a tropical
chorus of many octaves, from the
deep drone of the bee to the high,
keen pipe of the mosquito. Beyond
the veranda was a small cleaned gar
den, bounded with cactus hedges and
adorned with clumps of flowering
shrubs, round which the great blue
butterflies and the tiny bumming
birds fluttered and darted In crescents
of sparkling light. Within we were
seated round the cane table, on which
lay a sealed envelope. Inscribed upon
It In the Jagged handwriting of Pro
fessor Challenger were the words:
Instructions to Lord John Roxton and
party. To be opened at Manaos upon July
15. at 12 o’clock precisely.
Lord John had placed his watch upon
the table beside him.
“We have seven more minutes,” said
he. "The old dear la very precise.”
Professor Summerlee gave an acid
smile as he picked up the envelope In
his gaunt hand.
“What can it possibly matter wheth
er we open It now or In seven min
utes?" snld he. “It Is all part and
parcel of the same system of quackery
and nonsense for which I regret to
say that the writer Is notorious.”
“Oh, come! We must play the game
accordin’ to rules,” said Lord John.
“It’s old man Challenger’s show, and
we nre here by his good will, so It
would be quite bad form If we didn't
follow his Instructions to the letter.”
"A pretty business It Is!" cried the
professor bitterly. "It struck me as
preposterous In London, but I’m bound
to say that It seems even more so upon
closer acquaintance. I don’t know
what is Inside this envelope; but, un
less It Is something pretty definite, I
shall be much tempted to take the
next down river boat and catch the
Bolivia at Para. After all, I have
some more responsible work In the
world than to run about disproving
the assertions of a lunatic. Now, Rox
ton, surely it is time."
"Time it is,” said Lord John. "You
can blow the whistle.” He took up
the envelope and cut It with his pen
knife. From It he drew a folded sheet
of paper. This he carefully opened
out and flattened on the table. It was
a blank sheet He turned It over.
Again It was blank. We looked at
each other Jn a bewildered silence,
which was broken by a discordant
burst of derisive laughter from Pro
fessor Summerlee.
“It is an open admission!" he cried.
“What more do you want? The fellow
is a self confessed humbug. We have
only to return home and report him as
the brazen Impostor that he Is."
"May I come in?” boomed a voice
from the veranda.
The shadow of a squat figure had
stolen across the patch of sunlight
That voice, that monstrous breadth
of shoulder! We sprang to our feet
with a gasp of astonishment as Chal
lenger, In a round, boyish straw hat
with a colored ribbon—Challenger, with
his hands In his Jacket pockets and his
canvas shoes daintily pointing as he
walked—appeared In the open space be
fore us. He threw back his head, and
there he stood in golden glow with all
jjjj^
"May I come In?" boomad a voice from
tho veranda.
hi* old Assyrian luxuriance of beard,
all his native Insolence of drooping eye
lids and Intolerant eyes.
(To be continued tomorrow)
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THURSDAY, MAY 18.