ldn'tfacethefire,"saidLordJohn,laughing,ashecamebackandthrewhisbranchamongthefaggots.
"Youshouldnothavetakensucharisk!"weallcried.
"Therewasnothin'elsetobedone.Ifhehadgotamongusweshouldhaveshoteachotherintryin'todownhim.Ontheotherhand,ifwehadfiredthroughthehedgeandwoundedhimhewouldsoonhavebeenonthetopofus—tosaynothin'ofgivingourselvesaway.Onthewhole,Ithinkthatwearejollywelloutofit.Whatwashe,then?"
Ourlearnedmenlookedateachotherwithsomehesitation.
"Personally,Iamunabletoclassifythecreaturewithanycertainty,"saidSummerlee,lightinghispipefromthefire.
"Inrefusingtocommityourselfyouarebutshowingaproperscientificreserve,"saidChallenger,withmassivecondescension."Iamnotmyselfpreparedtogofartherthantosayingeneraltermsthatwehavealmostcertainlybeenincontactto-nightwithsomeformofcarnivorousdinosaur.Ihavealreadyexpressedmyanticipationthatsomethingofthesortmightexistuponthisplateau."
"Wehavetobearinmind,"remarkedSummerlee,"thattherearemanyprehistoricformswhichhavenevercomedowntous.Itwouldberashtosupposethatwecangiveanametoallthatwearelikelytomeet."
"Exactly.Aroughclassificationmaybethebestthatwecanattempt.To-morrowsomefurtherevidencemayhelpustoanidentification.Meantimewecanonlyrenewourinterruptedslumbers."
"Butnotwithoutasentinel,"saidLordJohn,withdecision."Wecan'taffordtotakechancesinacountrylikethis.Two-hourspellsinthefuture,foreachofus."
"ThenI'lljustfinishmypipeinstartingthefirstone,"saidProfessorSummerleeandfromthattimeonwardswenevertrustedourselvesagainwithoutawatchman.
Inthemorningitwasnotlongbeforewediscoveredthesourceofthehideousuproarwhichhadarousedusinthenight.Theiguanodongladewasthesceneofahorriblebutchery.Fromthepoolsofbloodandtheenormouslumpsoffleshscatteredineverydirectionoverthegreenswardweimaginedatfirstthatanumberofanimalshadbeenkilled,butonexaminingtheremainsmorecloselywediscoveredthatallthiscarnagecamefromoneoftheseunwieldymonsters,whichhadbeenliterallytorntopiecesbysomecreaturenotlarger,perhaps,butfarmoreferocious,thanitself.
Ourtwoprofessorssatinabsorbedargument,examiningpieceafterpiece,whichshowedthemarksofsavageteethandofenormousclaws.
"Ourjudgmentmuststillbeinabeyance,"saidProfessorChallenger,withahugeslabofwhitish-coloredfleshacrosshisknee."Theindicationswouldbeconsistentwiththepresenceofasaber-toothedtiger,suchasarestillfoundamongthebrecciaofourcavernsbutthecreatureactuallyseenwasundoubtedlyofalargerandmorereptiliancharacter.Personally,Ishouldpronounceforallosaurus."
"Ormegalosaurus,"saidSummerlee.
"Exactly.Anyoneofthelargercarnivorousdinosaurswouldmeetthecase.Amon