rstores.FortChallenger,wecalledit.
Itwasmiddaybeforewehadmadeourselvessecure,buttheheatwasnotoppressive,andthegeneralcharacteroftheplateau,bothinitstemperatureandinitsvegetation,wasalmosttemperate.Thebeech,theoak,andeventhebirchweretobefoundamongthetangleoftreeswhichgirtusin.Onehugegingkotree,toppingalltheothers,shotitsgreatlimbsandmaidenhairfoliageoverthefortwhichwehadconstructed.Initsshadewecontinuedourdiscussion,whileLordJohn,whohadquicklytakencommandinthehourofaction,gaveushisviews.
"Solongasneithermannorbeasthasseenorheardus,wearesafe,"saidhe."Fromthetimetheyknowwearehereourtroublesbegin.Therearenosignsthattheyhavefoundusoutasyet.Soourgamesurelyistolielowforatimeandspyouttheland.Wewanttohaveagoodlookatourneighborsbeforewegetonvisitin'terms."
"Butwemustadvance,"Iventuredtoremark.
"Byallmeans,sonnymyboy!Wewilladvance.Butwithcommonsense.Wemustnevergosofarthatwecan'tgetbacktoourbase.Aboveall,wemustnever,unlessitislifeordeath,fireoffourguns."
"ButYOUfiredyesterday,"saidSummerlee.
"Well,itcouldn'tbehelped.However,thewindwasstrongandblewoutwards.Itisnotlikelythatthesoundcouldhavetraveledfarintotheplateau.Bytheway,whatshallwecallthisplace?Isupposeitisuptoustogiveitaname?"
Therewereseveralsuggestions,moreorlesshappy,butChallenger'swasfinal.
"Itcanonlyhaveonename,"saidhe."Itiscalledafterthepioneerwhodiscoveredit.ItisMapleWhiteLand."
MapleWhiteLanditbecame,andsoitisnamedinthatchartwhichhasbecomemyspecialtask.Soitwill,Itrust,appearintheatlasofthefuture.
ThepeacefulpenetrationofMapleWhiteLandwasthepressingsubjectbeforeus.Wehadtheevidenceofourowneyesthattheplacewasinhabitedbysomeunknowncreatures,andtherewasthatofMapleWhite'ssketch-booktoshowthatmoredreadfulandmoredangerousmonstersmightstillappear.Thattheremightalsoprovetobehumanoccupantsandthattheywereofamalevolentcharacterwassuggestedbytheskeletonimpaleduponthebamboos,whichcouldnothavegottherehaditnotbeendroppedfromabove.Oursituation,strandedwithoutpossibilityofescapeinsuchaland,wasclearlyfullofdanger,andourreasonsendorsedeverymeasureofcautionwhichLordJohn'sexperiencecouldsuggest.Yetitwassurelyimpossiblethatweshouldhaltontheedgeofthisworldofmysterywhenourverysoulsweretinglingwithimpatiencetopushforwardandtoplucktheheartfromit.
Wethereforeblockedtheentrancetoourz