Затерянный мир
The Outlying Pickets of the New World
Advancinginsinglefilealongthebankofthestream,wesoonfoundthatitnarroweddowntoamerebrook,andfinallythatitlostitselfinagreatgreenmorassofsponge-likemosses,intowhichwesankuptoourknees.Theplacewashorriblyhauntedbycloudsofmosquitoesandeveryformofflyingpest,soweweregladtofindsolidgroundagainandtomakeacircuitamongthetrees,whichenabledustooutflankthispestilentmorass,whichdronedlikeanorganinthedistance,soloudwasitwithinsectlife.
Ontheseconddayafterleavingourcanoeswefoundthatthewholecharacterofthecountrychanged.Ourroadwaspersistentlyupwards,andasweascendedthewoodsbecamethinnerandlosttheirtropicalluxuriance.ThehugetreesofthealluvialAmazonianplaingaveplacetothePhoenixandcocopalms,growinginscatteredclumps,withthickbrushwoodbetween.InthedamperhollowstheMauritiapalmsthrewouttheirgracefuldroopingfronds.Wetraveledentirelybycompass,andonceortwicethereweredifferencesofopinionbetweenChallengerandthetwoIndians,when,toquotetheProfessor’sindignantwords,thewholepartyagreedto"trustthefallaciousinstinctsofundevelopedsavagesratherthanthehighestproductofmodernEuropeanculture."Thatwewerejustifiedindoingsowasshownuponthethirdday,whenChallengeradmittedthatherecognizedseverallandmarksofhisformerjourney,andinonespotweactuallycameuponfourfire-blackenedstones,whichmusthavemarkedacamping-place.
Theroadstillascended,andwecrossedarock-studdedslopewhichtooktwodaystotraverse.Thevegetationhadagainchanged,andonlythevegetableivorytreeremained,withagreatprofusionofwonderfulorchids,amongwhichIlearnedtorecognizetherareNuttoniaVexillariaandthegloriouspinkandscarletblossomsofCattleyaandodontoglossum.
