dians,whileinfrontandaboveustoweredthosehuge,ruddyribsofrockswhichkeptusfromourgoal.
"Ineednotsay,"saidourleader,"thatontheoccasionofmylastvisitIexhaustedeverymeansofclimbingthecliff,andwhereIfailedIdonotthinkthatanyoneelseislikelytosucceed,forIamsomethingofamountaineer.Ihadnoneoftheappliancesofarock-climberwithme,butIhavetakentheprecautiontobringthemnow.WiththeiraidIampositiveIcouldclimbthatdetachedpinnacletothesummitbutsolongasthemaincliffoverhangs,itisvaintoattemptascendingthat.Iwashurrieduponmylastvisitbytheapproachoftherainyseasonandbytheexhaustionofmysupplies.Theseconsiderationslimitedmytime,andIcanonlyclaimthatIhavesurveyedaboutsixmilesoftheclifftotheeastofus,findingnopossiblewayup.What,then,shallwenowdo?"
"Thereseemstobeonlyonereasonablecourse,"saidProfessorSummerlee."Ifyouhaveexploredtheeast,weshouldtravelalongthebaseoftheclifftothewest,andseekforapracticablepointforourascent."
"That'sit,"saidLordJohn."Theoddsarethatthisplateauisofnogreatsize,andweshalltravelroundituntilweeitherfindaneasywayupit,orcomebacktothepointfromwhichwestarted."
"Ihavealreadyexplainedtoouryoungfriendhere,"saidChallenger(hehasawayofalludingtomeasifIwereaschoolchildtenyearsold),"thatitisquiteimpossiblethatthereshouldbeaneasywayupanywhere,forthesimplereasonthatiftherewerethesummitwouldnotbeisolated,andthoseconditionswouldnotobtainwhichhaveeffectedsosingularaninterferencewiththegenerallawsofsurvival.YetIadmitthattheremayverywellbeplaceswhereanexperthumanclimbermayreachthesummit,andyetacumbrousandheavyanimalbeunabletodescend.Itiscertainthatthereisapointwhereanascentispossible."
"Howdoyouknowthat,sir?"askedSummerlee,sharply.
"Becausemypredecessor,theAmericanMapleWhite,actuallymadesuchanascent.Howotherwisecouldhehaveseenthemonsterwhichhesketchedinhisnotebook?"
"Thereyoureasonsomewhataheadoftheprovedfacts,"saidthestubbornSummerlee."Iadmityourplateau,becauseIhaveseenitbutIhavenotasyetsatisfiedmyselfthatitcontainsanyformoflifewhatever."
"Whatyouadmit,sir,orwhatyoudonotadmit,isreallyofinconceivablysmallimportance.Iamgladtoperceivethattheplateauitselfhasactuallyobtrudeditselfuponyourintelligence."Heglancedupatit,andthen,toouramazement,hesprangfromhisrock,and,seizingSummerleebytheneck,hetiltedhisfaceintotheair."Nowsir!"heshouted,hoarsewithexcitement."DoIhelpyoutorealizethattheplateaucontainssomeanimallife?"
Ihavesaidthatathickfringeofgreenoverhungtheedgeofthecliff.Outofthistherehademergedablack,glisteningobject.Asitcameslowlyforthandoverhungthechasm,wesawthatitwasaverylargesnakewithapeculiarflat,spade-likehead.Itwaveredandquiveredaboveusforaminute,themorningsungleaminguponitssleek,sinuouscoils.Thenitslowlydrewinwardsanddisappeared.
SummerleehadbeensointerestedthathehadstoodunresistingwhileChallengertiltedhisheadintotheair.Nowheshookhiscolleagueoffandcamebacktohisdignity.
"Ishouldbeglad,ProfessorChallenger,"saidhe,"ifyoucouldseeyourwaytomakeanyremarkswhichmayoccurtoyouwithoutseizingmebythechin.Eventheappearanceofaveryordinaryrockpythondoesnotappeartojustifysuchaliberty."
"Butthereislifeupontheplateauallthesame,"hiscolleaguerepliedintriumph."Andnow,havingdemonstratedthisimportantconclusionsothatitiscleartoanyone,howeverprejudicedorobtuse,Iamofopinionthatwecannotdobetterthanbreakupourcampandtraveltowestwarduntilwefindsomemeansofascent."
Thegroundatthefootofthecliffwasrockyandbrokensothatthegoingwasslowanddifficult.Suddenlywecame,however,uponsomethingwhichcheeredourhearts.Itwasthesiteofanoldencampment,withseveralemptyChicagomeattins,abottlelabeled"Brandy,"abrokentin-opener,andaquantityofothertravelers'debris.Acrumpled,disintegratednewspaperrevealeditselfastheChicagoDemocrat,thoughthedatehadbeenobliterated.
"Notmine,"saidC