Загублений світ
The most Wonderful Things have Happened
Birdswerecallingamongthefoliage—especiallyonewithapeculiarwhoopingcrywhichwasnewtous—butbeyondthesesoundstherewerenosignsoflife.
Ourfirstcarewastomakesomesortoflistofourownstores,sothatwemightknowwhatwehadtorelyupon.WhatwiththethingswehadourselvesbroughtupandthosewhichZambohadsentacrossontherope,wewerefairlywellsupplied.Mostimportantofall,inviewofthedangerswhichmightsurroundus,wehadourfourriflesandonethousandthreehundredrounds,alsoashot-gun,butnotmorethanahundredandfiftymediumpelletcartridges.Inthematterofprovisionswehadenoughtolastforseveralweeks,withasufficiencyoftobaccoandafewscientificimplements,includingalargetelescopeandagoodfield-glass.Allthesethingswecollectedtogetherintheclearing,andasafirstprecaution,wecutdownwithourhatchetandknivesanumberofthornybushes,whichwepiledroundinacirclesomefifteenyardsindiameter.Thiswastobeourheadquartersforthetime—ourplaceofrefugeagainstsuddendangerandtheguard-houseforourstores.FortChallenger,wecalledit.
Itwasmiddaybeforewehadmadeourselvessecure,buttheheatwasnotoppressive,andthegeneralcharacteroftheplateau,bothinitstemperatureandinitsvegetation,wasalmosttemperate.Thebeech,theoak,andeventhebirchweretobefoundamongthetangleoftreeswhichgirtusin.
