Chapter 14 14. Those are the real conquerors

We had imagined that the apes had no idea of ​​our hiding place in the bushes, but we soon discovered our mistake.There was no sound in the woods, not even the leaves on the trees moved, and all was so peaceful around us that we forgot how patiently the animals watched us, waiting, until their time came.I am quite sure that I will never be nearer to death than that morning.Let me tell you how it happened! After yesterday's horrible experience, we all wake up exhausted.Sommerli was still so weak that it was difficult for him to stand up, but the old man was full of courage.A meeting was held, and everyone agreed that we would wait quietly here for another hour or two to have breakfast.Then I looked for a way to cross the plateau and bypass the central lake to the cave. My observation showed that the Indians lived in the cave.We trust the words of those whose lives we saved, and whose people we will be warmly welcomed.Then we should turn all our thoughts to the question of our return.Even Challenger is ready to concede that we should only take on this very difficult task in the future.

We can now take a closer look at the Indians whose lives we saved.They were small, nimble, well-built men with black hair tied back on their heads.They were dressed in furs, and their faces were bare and cheerful.They were fluent in their own language, and when they pointed to each other and said the word "Akara" several times, we understood that it was the name of the race.Occasionally, fear and hatred appeared on their faces, shaking their fists at Lin Yu around them.Shouting "Dudat! Dodd!" We thought that was the name of their enemy. "What do you think of them, Challenger?" asked Lord John. "One thing I know very well, the little fellow with the shaved front of his head, is their leader."

The evidence is indeed evident that this man does not stand with others, but they always speak to him with deep respect.He is the youngest of them all, yet very proud.He walked away from the professor as Challenger placed his large hands on his head.So the professor grabbed the nearest Indian by the shoulder and gave him a talk as if we were in class. "This type of people is not low-evolved," he said, "and I don't think we can account for the evolution of such a species in this place." "Where did they come from, then?" asked Lord John. "There is no doubt that this question will be vigorously discussed in every scientific society in Europe and America," replied the professor. "My view is that the evolution process in this place is under special conditions. We see here that the old types continue and survive at the same time as the newer types, so we see things like tapirs, deer, carnivores, etc. Ant-monsters these contemporary animals are associated with various reptiles of the Ragian type. Now talk about ape-men and Indians. I can only think of it as an invasion from outside. South America has anthropoids which may be possible, in a bygone era , he found his way here, and he evolved into the animals we saw. Some of them (he looked at me here) were remarkably beautiful. As for the Indians, I have no doubt that they were Migrants who came up from below, more recent in time. Driven by war and hunger, they came up here. And found there were beasts they had never seen, and they hid in the caves that our young friends described to us. There is no doubt that they had a hard fight with wild beasts, especially with the ape-men, whom they considered their enemies."

Professor Somerley was too weak to argue, though he shook his head in disapproval. At this time I found that an Indian was missing. "He fetched water," said Lord Ruxton. "We gave him an empty tin and he went." "Go to the original camp?" I asked. "No, up to the creek. It's in the woods, not more than two hundred yards. But he's been a long walk." "I'll go look for him," I said.I took my rifle and walked towards the creek, leaving my friends to prepare breakfast.We're miles from Ape City, and we're sure the animals haven't found our hiding place, and with a rifle in hand, I'm not afraid of them.

I heard the babbling of the creek but couldn't see it because I was separated by a few trees and bushes.Under a tree, I saw something red in the bushes.As I got closer, I saw that it was the body of the missing Indian.He was lying on his side with his head twisted away.I yelled, told my friends what had happened, and ran forward, stooping over the body.A voice in the leaves made me look up.From the middle of the green branches hanging over my head, two long red-haired arms slowly stretched down.I jumped backwards, and although I was fast, those two hands were faster than me.One hand grabs my neck, the other grabs my face.I was pulled from the ground, and my head was pushed back, and pushed, until the pain was unbearable.In the distance I heard a gunshot, and then I fell to the ground, and I lay there unable to move.

When I awoke, I was lying on my back on the grass in our hiding place.Someone brought water from the creek, and Lord John put cold water on my head.Half an hour later, although my head and neck still hurt, I sat up and could do anything. "When I heard your cry," said Lord Ruxton, "I ran forward and saw your head in the hands of the Ape, and I thought one of us was lost. In my haste I missed the brute, but he left you and ran. " Now it was obvious that the apes had spotted our hiding place and were watching us from every direction.We don't have much to fear from them during the day, but no doubt they will attack us at night, so we have to move.We are surrounded on three sides by dense forests, where we may meet ape-men.But on the fourth side - which is a slope towards the lake - there are only some low shrubs and an occasional tree.This route will take us straight to the Cave of the Indians.

In the afternoon, we started boarding the trip early.The young Indian chief went ahead to be our guide, but refused to take anything.He was followed by two surviving Indians with our belongings on their backs, and behind us four white men with loaded rifles, ready, when we set off, from the quiet dense forest behind us .Suddenly there was the clamor of ape-men.Was it cheering victory because we left?Looking back, we saw only green trees, but those calls told us how many enemies there were in the green trees 1 We soon reached an area with fewer trees, and there was nothing they could do. In the late afternoon we reached the lake.Our local friends eagerly ran to the front pointing forward, shouting with joy.A mass of canoes was coming towards the shore where we stood.They were miles away when we first saw them, but the boat was coming along at such a speed that they were soon so close that they could see who was on shore.We heard a loud cry of delight, and saw them rising from their seats and swinging their spears wildly in the air.Then sat down and rowed again, and soon they were on the slope of the beach, and they were all rushing towards us.Say hello loudly.Finally, one of them, with a necklace, a bracelet, and a beautiful fur of some animal over his shoulders, ran up and hugged the young man we rescued very affectionately, and then he looked at us and asked After asking the question, he also hugged each of us in turn.At his command, the entire tribe fell prostrate before us.I personally find this very uncomfortable, I see the same expression in the faces of Ruxton and Somerley, but Challenger's face is like a flower in the sun.

It was evident that the natives were out to fight, for each carried his spear--a long bamboo pole--his bow and arrows, and some sort of tomahawk.As they looked at the woods from where we came, and kept repeating "duda", their black angry faces made their intentions very clear. There was a meeting of the whole clan, and we sat Watching them close by.Two or three Indians spoke, and finally our young friend spoke, using such gestures that we understood his speech as well as we understood his language. When he finished, the Indians cheered loudly and waved their spears in the air, and the old chief came up to us and asked us a few questions while pointing to the woods.Lord John motioned to him to wait for our reply before turning to us.

"Well, now it's up to you what you say you do," he said. "I'm going to be with our little red friend. What do you do, boy?" "Of course I will." "What about you, Challenger?" "Of course I'm going to help." "And you, Summerley?" "We seem to have strayed too far from the object of our expedition, Lord John. But if you all take part, I see how I can be left behind." "There, then," said Lord John, turning, nodding to the chief, and touching his gun. The old chap shook hands with each of us, and his people cheered louder than ever.It was too late to go forward in the night.The Indians lit fires all around.One of them disappeared into the jungle and soon drove a small iguanodon to the crowd.Like other Iguanodon, it has a block of pitch on its shoulder.It wasn't until then that I understood that these large animals were private property and that the symbols on the asphalt were the stamp of the owner of the property.A few minutes later, the big animal was dissected, and the pieces of meat, together with the big fish caught from the lake, were hung over a dozen campfires to roast.

Somerley lay down, sleeping on the sand, but the rest of us walked along the water, trying to learn more about this strange country.There are two pits where I found blue dirt, similar to the ones we saw in Wyvern Swamp.These were old volcanic throats, which for some reason interested Lord John so much that Challenger was attracted by a surface jet.There some parasitic gas formed crackling bubbles on the ground.He said: "A gas much lighter than the atmosphere, containing no doubt large quantities of free hydrogen. Challenger's energy is not exhausted, my young friend, and I can show you what a great mind can do." what."

It seemed to me that there was nothing more beautiful than the lake in front of me. Our voices scared away all living things. The surroundings of the camp were quiet and beautiful, only a few pterosaurs were standing high above us. circling overhead.But in the water of Central Lake.The situation is different again.Strange living creatures stirred the water to a boil.The big slate green back appears and disappears in the water.Giant turtles, strange lizard-like creatures, and a big flat thing on a sandbar a little farther away.There are snakes swimming all over the lake.At the sight of an animal that leaped out of the water and landed on the bank only a few hundred yards away, Challenger and Somerley (who later took part in our walk) burst into a duet of wonder and delight. "Plesiosaur! A freshwater plesiosaur!" cried Somerley. "We, my dear Challenger, are the luckiest zoologists since the beginning of the world." It was only because of nightfall that we were able to bring the two scientists back from the shores of the lake in ancient times. At dawn the whole bivouac woke up and an hour later we boarded our trek. We were joined by more locals the night before, so that there were about five hundred of us when we set off.Scouts were dispatched ahead.The Indians marched up the long slopes of the scrub country.Near the edge of the forest they spread out, lined up with spearmen and archers.Ruxton and Somerley were on the right, Challenger and I were on the left. Our enemies did not keep us waiting long.A wild cry rose from the edge of the forest, and suddenly a great crowd of ape-men with clubs and stones appeared, and rushed into the center of the Indian line.The apes moved slowly, but the Indians were as quick as cats, and they didn't even need our aid, and the fight was over quickly, and of all the apes who rushed into the clearing, I don't think any of them made it back into the forest. But when we came to the forest, the battle was more difficult.An hour or a little more into the woods there was a desperate struggle, where the ape-man, moving swiftly, sprang from behind the trees and charged at the Indians.Often three or four Indians were killed with huge stones before they themselves were attacked.One of the apes smashed Sommery's gun in one fell swoop, and another stone was thrown at Sommerly's head, but an Indian saved his life.For a moment our allies began to retreat, aided by our rifles, and soon they were charging at the apes again. The great animals scattered in a panic through the undergrowth, pursued by our allies, and at last man became master. Lord John and Somerley crossed the line to join us. "It's over," said Lord John. "I think we can let them pick up the pieces themselves." Victory brings us great convenience.Once again we were able to visit our camp and talk to the faithful Zambo.