Затерянный мир
A Sight which I shall Never Forget
ItwasasightwhichIshallneverforgetuntilmydyingday—soweird,soimpossible,thatIdonotknowhowIamtomakeyourealizeit,orhowinafewyearsIshallbringmyselftobelieveinitifIlivetositoncemoreonaloungeintheSavageClubandlookoutonthedrabsolidityoftheEmbankment.Iknowthatitwillseemthentobesomewildnightmare,somedeliriumoffever.YetIwillsetitdownnow,whileitisstillfreshinmymemory,andoneatleast,themanwholayinthedampgrassesbymyside,willknowifIhavelied.
Awide,openspacelaybeforeus—somehundredsofyardsacross—allgreenturfandlowbrackengrowingtotheveryedgeofthecliff.Roundthisclearingtherewasasemi-circleoftreeswithcurioushutsbuiltoffoliagepiledoneabovetheotheramongthebranches.Arookery,witheverynestalittlehouse,wouldbestconveytheidea.Theopeningsofthesehutsandthebranchesofthetreeswerethrongedwithadensemobofape-people,whomfromtheirsizeItooktobethefemalesandinfantsofthetribe.Theyformedthebackgroundofthepicture,andwerealllookingoutwitheagerinterestatthesamescenewhichfascinatedandbewilderedus.
Intheopen,andneartheedgeofthecliff,therehadassembledacrowdofsomehundredoftheseshaggy,red-hairedcreatures,manyofthemofimmensesize,andallofthemhorribletolookupon.Therewasacertaindisciplineamongthem,fornoneofthemattemptedtobreakthelinewhichhadbeenformed.
