"Iamverythirsty,"saidBastinpresently。"Thosesmellsseemtohavedriedmeup。Iamgoingtogetsometea——Imeanwater,asunfortunatelythereisnotea,"andhesetofftowardsthemouthofthecave。
Wefollowedhim,Idon’tquiteknowwhy,exceptthatwewishedtobreathefreelyoutside,alsoweknewthatthesepulchreanditscontentswouldbeassafeastheyhadbeenfor——well,howlong?
Itprovedtobeabeautifulmorningoutside。Wewalkedupanddownenjoyingitsub—consciously,forreallyour——thatisBickley’sandmyown——intelligenceswereconcentratedonthatsepulchreanditscontents。WhereBastin’smayhavebeenIdonotknow,perhapsinavisionaryteapot,sinceIwassurethatitwouldtakehimadayortwotoappreciatethesignificanceofourdiscoveries。Atanyrate,hewanderedoff,makingnoremarksaboutthem,todrinkwater,Isuppose。
Presentlyhebegantoshouttousfromtheendofthetable—rockandwewenttoseethereasonofhisnoise。Itprovedtobeverysatisfactory,forwhilewewereinthecavetheOrofenanshadbroughtabsolutelyeverythingbelongingtous,togetherwithalargesupplyoffoodfromthemainisland。Notasinglearticlewasmissing;evenourbooks,acanwiththebottomout,andthebrokenpiecesofalittlepocketmirrorhadbeenreligiouslytransported,andwiththeseafewarticlesthathadbeenstolenfromus,notablymypocket—knife。Evidentlyagreattaboohadbeenlaiduponallourpossessions。TheywerenowcarefullyarrangedinoneofthegroovesoftherockthatBickleysupposedhadbeenmadebythewheelsofaeroplanes,whichwaswhywehadnotseenthematonce。
Eachofusrushedforwhatwedesiredmost——Bastinforoneofthecanistersoftea,Iformydiaries,andBickleyforhischestofinstrumentsandmedicines。Thesewereremovedtothemouthofthecave,andafterthemtheotherthingsandthefood;alsoabelltentandsomecampfurniturethatwehadbroughtfromtheship。ThenBastinmadesometeaofwhichhedrankfourlargepannikins,havingfirstsaidgraceoveritwithunwontedfervour。
Nordidwedisdainourshareofthebeverage,althoughBickleypreferredcocoaandIcoffee。Cocoaandcoffeewehadnotimetomakethen,andinviewofthatsepulchreinthecave,whathadwetodowithcocoaandcoffee?
SoBickleyandIsaidtoeachother,andyetpresentlyhechangedhismindandinaspecialmetalmachinecarefullymadesomeextremelystrongblackcoffeewhichhepouredintoathermosflask,previouslywarmedwithhotwater,addingtheretoaboutaclaretglassofbrandy。Alsoheextractedcertaindrugsfromhismedicine—chest,andwiththem,asInoted,ahypodermicsyringe,whichhefirstboiledinakettleandthenshutupinalittletubewithaglassstopper。
Thesepreparationsfinished,hecalledtoTommytogivehimthescrapsofourmeal。ButtherewasnoTommy。Thedogwasmissing,andthoughwehuntedeverywherewecouldnotfindhim。Finallyweconcludedthathehadwanderedoffdownthebeachonbusinessofhisownandwouldreturninduecourse。WecouldnotbotheraboutTommyjustthen。
Aftermakingsomefurtherpreparationsandfidgetingaboutalittle,Bickleyannouncedthataswehadnowsomeproperparaffinlampsofthepowerfulsortwhichareknownas"hurricane,"heproposedbytheiraidtocarryoutfurtherexaminationsinthecave。
"IthinkIshallstopwhereIam,"saidBastin,helpinghimselffromthekettletoafifthpannikinoftea。"Thosecorpsesareveryinteresting,butIdon’tseeanyuseinstaringatthemagainatpresent。Onecanalwaysdothatatanytime。IhavemissedMaramaoncealreadybybeingawayinthatcave,andIhavealottosaytohimaboutmypeople;Idon’twanttobeabsentincaseheshouldreturn。"
"Towashupthethings,Isuppose,"saidBickleywithasniff;
"orperhapstoeatthetea—leaves。"
"Well,asamatteroffact,Ihavenoticedthatthesenativeshaveapeculiartastefortea—leaves。Ithinktheybelievethemtobeamedicine,butIdon’tsupposetheywouldcomesofarforthem,thoughperhapstheymightinthehopeofgettingtheheadofOro。Anyhow,Iamgoingtostophere。"
"Praydo,"saidBickley。"Areyouready,Humphrey?"
Inodded,andhehandedtomeafelt—coveredflaskofthenon—
conductingkind,filledwithboilingwater,atinofpreservedmilk,andalittlebottleofmeatextractofamostconcentratedsort。Then,havinglittwoofthehurricanelampsandseenthattheywerefullofoil,westartedbackupthecave。
ChapterXI
ResurrectionWereachedthesepulchrewithoutstoppingtolookattheparkedmachinesoreventhemarvelousstatuethatstoodaboveit,forwhatdidwecareaboutmachinesorstatuesnow?Asweapproachedwewereastonishedtohearlowandcavernousgrowlings。
"Thereissomewildbeastinthere,"saidBickley,halting。
"No,byGeorge!it’sTommy。Whatcanthedogbeafter?"
Wepeepedin,andtheresureenoughwasTommylyingonthetopoftheGlitteringLady’scoffinandgrowlinghisverybestwiththehairstandingupuponhisback。Whenhesawwhoitwas,however,hejumpedoffandfriskedround,lickingmyhand。
"That’sverystrange,"Iexclaimed。
"Notstrangerthaneverythingelse,"saidBickley。
"Whatareyougoingtodo?"Iasked。
"Openthesecoffins,"heanswered,"beginningwiththatoftheoldgod,sinceIwouldratherexperimentonhim。Iexpecthewillcrumbleintodust。Butifbychancehedoesn’tI’lljamalittlestrychnine,mixedwithsomeotherdrugs,ofwhichyoudon’tknowthenames,intooneofhisveinsandseeifanythinghappens。Ifitdoesn’t,itwon’thurthim,andifitdoes——well,whoknows?
Nowgivemeahand。"
Wewenttotheleft—handcoffinandbyinsertingthehookonthebackofmyknife,ofwhichtherealuseistopickstonesoutofhorses’hoofs,intooneofthelittleair—holesIhavedescribed,managedtoraisetheheavycrystallidsufficientlytoenableustoforceapieceofwoodbetweenitandthetop。Therestwaseasy,forthehingesbeingofcrystalhadnotcorroded。
Intwominutesitwasopen。
Fromthechestcameanoverpoweringspicyodour,andwithitaveritablebreathofwarmairbeforewhichwerecoiledalittle。
Bickleytookapocketthermometerwhichhehadathandandglancedatit。Itmarkedatemperatureof82degreesinthesepulchre。Havingnotedthis,hethrustitintothecoffinbetweenthecrystalwallanditsoccupant。Thenwewentoutandwaitedalittlewhiletogivetheodourstimetodissipate,fortheymadetheheadreel。
Afterfiveminutesorsowereturnedandexaminedthethermometer。Ithadrisento98degrees,thenaturaltemperatureofthehumanbody。
"Whatdoyoumakeofthatifthemanisdead?"hewhispered。
Ishookmyhead,andaswehadagreed,settohelpinghimtoliftthebodyfromthecoffin。Itwasagoodweight,quiteelevenstoneIshouldsay;moreover,itwasnotstill,forthehipjointsbent。Wegotitoutandlaiditonablanketwehadspreadonthefloorofthesepulchre。WhilstIwasthusengagedIsawsomethingthatnearlycausedmetoloosemyholdfromastonishment。Beneaththehead,thecentreofthebackandthefeetwerecrystalboxesabouteightinchessquare,orrathercrystalblocks,forinthemIcouldseenoopening,andtheseboxesemittedafaintphosphorescentlight。Itouchedoneofthemandfoundthatitwasquitewarm。
"Greatheavens!"Iexclaimed,"here’smagic。"
"There’snosuchthing,"answeredBickleyinhisusualformula。
Thenanexplanationseemedtostrikehimandheadded,"Notmagicbutradiumorsomethingofthesort。That’showthetemperaturewaskeptup。Insufficientquantityitispracticallyindestructible,yousee。Myword!thisoldgentlemanknewathingortwo。"
Againwewaitedalittlewhiletoseeifthebodybeguntocrumbleonexposuretotheair,Itakingtheopportunitytomakearoughsketchofitinmypocket—bookinanticipationofthatevent。Butitdidnot;itremainedquitesound。
"Heregoes,"saidBickley。"Ifheshouldbealive,hewillcatchcoldinhislungsafterlyingforagesinthatbabyincubator,asIsupposehehasdone。Soitisnowornever。"
Thenbiddingmeholdtheman’srightarm,hetookthesterilizedsyringewhichhehadprepared,andthrustingtheneedleintoaveinheselectedjustabovethewrist,injectedthecontents。
"Itwouldhavebeenbetterovertheheart,"hewhispered,"butIthoughtIwouldtrythearmfirst。Idon’tlikeriskingchillsbyuncoveringhim。"
Imadenoanswerandagainwewaitedandwatched。
"Greatheavens,he’sstirring!"Igaspedpresently。
Stirringhewas,forhisfingersbegantomove。
Bickleybentdownandplacedhiseartotheheart——Iforgottosaythathehadtestedthisbeforewithastethoscope,buthadbeenunabletodetectanymovement。
"Ibelieveitisbeginningtobeat,"hesaidinanawedvoice。
Thenheappliedthestethoscope,andadded,"Itis,itis!"
Nexthetookafilamentofcottonwoolandlaiditontheman’slips。Presentlyitmoved;hewasbreathing,thoughveryfaintly。
Bickleytookmorecottonwoolandhavingpouredsomethingfromhismedicine—chestontoit,placeditoverthemouthbeneaththeman’snostrils——Ibelieveitwassalvolatile。
Nothingfurtherhappenedforalittlewhile,andtorelievethestrainonmymindIstaredabsentlyintotheemptycoffin。HereI
sawwhathadescapedournotice,twosmallplatesofwhitemetalandcutuponthemwhatItooktobestarmaps。BeyondtheseandtheglowingboxeswhichIhavementioned,therewasnothingelseinthecoffin。Ihadnotimetoexaminethem,foratthatmomenttheoldmanopenedhismouthandbegantobreathe,evidentlywithsomediscomfortandeffort,ashisemptylungsfilledthemselveswithair。Thenhiseyelidslifted,revealingawonderfulpairofdarkglowingeyesbeneath。Nexthetriedtositupbutwouldhavefallen,hadnotBickleysupportedhimwithhisarm。
IdonotthinkhesawBickley,indeedheshuthiseyesagainasthoughthelighthurtthem,andwentintoakindoffaint。ThenitwasthatTommy,whoallthiswhilehadbeenwatchingtheproceedingswithgraveinterest,cameforward,wagginghistail,andlickedtheman’sface。Atthetouchofthedog’sredtongue,heopenedhiseyesforthesecondtime。Nowhesaw——notusbutTommy,foraftercontemplatinghimforafewseconds,somethinglikeasmileappeareduponhisfiercebutnobleface。More,heliftedhishandandlaiditonthedog’shead,asthoughtopatitkindly。Halfaminuteorsolaterhisawakeningsensesappreciatedourpresence。Theincipientsmilevanishedandwasreplacedbyasomewhatterriblefrown。
MeanwhileBickleyhadpouredoutsomeofthehotcoffeelacedwithbrandyintothecupthatwasscrewedonthetopofthethermosflask。AdvancingtothemanwhomIsupported,heputittohislips。Hetastedandmadeawryface,butpresentlyhebegantosip,andultimatelyswalloweditall。Theeffectofthestimulantwaswonderful,forinafewminuteshecametolifecompletelyandwasevenabletositupwithoutsupport。
Forquitealongwhilehegazedatusgravely,talkingusinandeverythingconnectedwithus。Forinstance,Bickley’smedicine—
casewhichlayopenshowingthelittlevulcanitetubes,afewinstrumentsandotheroutfit,engagedhisparticularattention,andIsawatoncethatheunderstoodwhatitwas。Thushisarmstillsmartedwheretheneedlehadbeendriveninandontheblanketlaythesyringe。Helookedathisarm,thenlookedatthesyringe,andnodded。Theparaffinhurricanelampsalsoseemedtointerestandwinhisapproval。Wetwomen,asIthought,attractedhimleastofall;hejustsummedusupandourgarments,moreespeciallythegarments,withafewshrewdglances,andthenseemedtoturnhisthoughtstoTommy,whohadseatedhimselfquitecontentedlyathisside,evidentlyacceptinghimasanewadditiontoourparty。
IconfessthatthisbehaviouronTommy’spartreassuredmenotalittle。Iamagreatbelieverintheinstinctsofanimals,especiallyofdogs,andIfeltcertainthatifthismanhadnotbeeninallessentialshumanlikeourselves,Tommywouldnothavetoleratedhim。Inthesamewaythesleeper’sclearlikingforTommy,atwhomhelookedmuchoftenerandwithgreaterkindnessthanhedidatus,suggestedthattherewasgoodnessinhimsomewhere,sincealthoughadoginitswonderfultolerancemayloveabadpersoninwhomitsmellsouthiddenvirtue,noreallybadpersoneverlovedadog,or,Imayadd,achildoraflower。
Asamatteroffact,the"oldgod,"aswehadchristenedhimwhilehewasinhiscoffin,duringallourassociationwithhim,caredinfinitelymoreforTommythanhedidforanyofus,acircumstancethatultimatelywasnotwithoutitsinfluenceuponourfortunes。Butforthistherewasareasonaswelearnedafterwards,alsohewasnotreallysoamiableasIhoped。
Whenwehadlookedateachotherforalongwhilethesleeperbegantoarrangehisbeard,ofwhichthelengthseemedtosurprisehim,especiallyasTommywasseatedononeendofit。
FindingthisoutandapparentlynotwishingtodisturbTommy,hegaveuptheoccupation,andafteroneortwoattempts,forhistongueandlipsstillseemedtobestiff,addressedusinsomesonorousandmusicallanguage,unlikeanythatwehadeverheard。
Weshookourheads。ThenbyanafterthoughtIsaid"Goodday"tohiminthelanguageoftheOrofenans。Hepuzzledoverthewordasthoughitweremoreorlessfamiliartohim,andwhenIrepeatedit,gaveitbacktomewithadifferenceindeed,butinawaywhichconvincedusthathequiteunderstoodwhatImeant。Theconversationwentnofurtheratthemomentbecausejustthensomememoryseemedtostrikehim。
HewassittingwithhisbackagainstthecoffinoftheGlitteringLady,whomthereforehehadnotseen。Nowhebegantoturnround,andbeingtooweaktodoso,motionedmetohelphim。
Iobeyed,whileBickley,guessinghispurpose,helduponeofthehurricanelampsthathemightseebetter。Withakindoffierceeagernesshesurveyedherwholaywithinthecoffin,andafterhehaddoneso,utteredasighasofintenserelief。
Nexthepointedtothemetalcupoutofwhichhehaddrunk。
Bickleyfilleditagainfromthethermosflask,whichIobservedexcitedhiskeeninterest,for,havingtouchedtheflaskwithhishandandfoundthatitwascool,heappearedtomarvelthatthefluidcomingfromitshouldbehotandsteaming。Presentlyhesmiledasthoughhehadgotthecluetothemystery,andswallowedhisseconddrinkofcoffeeandspirit。Thisdone,hemotionedtoustoliftthelidofthelady’scoffin,pointingoutacertaincatchintheboltswhichatfirstwecouldnotmaster,foritwillberememberedthatonthiscoffinthesewereshot。
Intheend,bypursuingthesamemethodsthatwehadusedintheinstanceofhisown,weraisedthecoffinlidandoncemoreweredriventoretreatfromthesepulchreforawhilebytheoverpoweringodourliketothatofawholegreenhousefulloftuberoses,thatflowedoutofit,inducingakindofstupefactionfromwhichevenTommyfled。
Whenwereturneditwastofindthemankneelingbythesideofthecoffin,forasyethecouldnotstand,withhisglowingeyesfixeduponthefaceofherwhosleptthereinandwavinghislongarmsaboveher。
"Hypnoticbusiness!Wonderifitwillwork,"whisperedBickley。
Thenheliftedthesyringeandlookedinquiringlyattheman,whoshookhishead,andwentonwithhismesmericpasses。
Icreptroundhimandtookmystandbythesleeper’shead,thatImightwatchherface,whichwaswellworthwatching,whileBickley,withhismedicineathand,remainednearherfeet,I
thinkengagedindisinfectingthesyringeinsomespiritoracid。
Ibelievehewasabouttomakeanattempttouseitwhensuddenly,asthoughbeneaththeinfluenceofthehypnoticpasses,achangeappearedontheGlitteringLady’sface。Hitherto,beautifulasitwas,ithadbeenadeadfacethoughoneofapersonwhohadsuddenlybeencutoffwhileinfullhealthandvigourafewhours,oratthemostadayorsobefore。Nowitbegantoliveagain;itwasasthoughthespiritwerereturningfromafar,andnotwithouttoilandtribulation。
Expressionafterexpressionflittedacrossthefeatures;indeedtheseseemedtochangesomuchfrommomenttomomentthattheymighthavebelongedtoseveraldifferentindividuals,thougheachwasbeautiful。ThefactoftheseremarkablechangeswiththesuggestionofmultiformpersonalitieswhichtheyconveyedimpressedbothBickleyandmyselfverymuchindeed。Thenthebreastheavedtumultuously;itevenappearedtostruggle。Nexttheeyesopened。Theywerefullofwonder,evenoffear,butoh!
whatmarvelouseyes。Idonotknowhowtodescribethem,I
cannotevenstatetheirexactcolour,exceptthatitwasdark,somethingliketheblueofsapphiresofthedeepesttint,andyetnotblack;large,too,andsoftasadeer’s。Theyshutagainasthoughthelighthurtthem,thenoncemoreopenedandwanderedabout,apparentlywithoutseeing。
Atlengththeyfoundmyface,forIwasstillbendingoverher,and,restingthere,appearedtotakeitinbydegrees。More,itseemedtotouchandstirsomehumanspringinthestill—sleepingheart。Atleastthefearpassedfromherfeaturesandwasreplacedbyafaintsmile,suchasapatientsometimesgivestooneknownandwellloved,astheeffectsofchloroformpassaway。
Forawhileshelookedatmewithanearnest,searchinggaze,thensuddenly,forthefirsttimemovingherarms,liftedthemandthrewthemroundmyneck。
Theoldmanstared,bendinghisimperialbrowsintoalittlefrown,butdidnothing。Bickleystaredalsothroughhisglassesandsniffedasthoughindisapproval,whileIremainedquitestill,fightingwithawildimpulsetokissheronthelipsasonewouldanawakeningandbelovedchild。IdoubtifIcouldhavedoneso,however,forreallyIwasimmovable;myheartseemedtostopandallmymusclestobeparalysed。
Idonotknowforhowlongthisendured,butIdoknowhowitended。PresentlyintheintensesilenceIheardBastin’sheavyvoiceandlookinground,sawhisbigheadprojectingintothesepulchre。
"Well,Inever!"hesaid,"youseemtohavewokethemupwithavengeance。Ifyoubeginlikethatwiththelady,therewillbecomplicationsbeforeyouhavedone,Arbuthnot。"
Talkofbeingbroughtbacktoearthwitharush!IcouldhavekilledBastin,andBickley,turningonhimlikeatiger,toldhimtobeoff,findwoodandlightalargefireinfrontofthestatue。IthinkhewasabouttoarguewhentheAncientgavehimaglanceofhisfierceeyes,whichalarmedhim,andhedeparted,bewildered,toreturnpresentlywiththewood。
Butthesoundofhisvoicehadbrokenthespell。TheLadyletherarmsfallwithastart,andshuthereyesagain,seemingtofaint。Bickleysprangforwardwithhissalvolatileandappliedittohernostrils,theAncientnotinterfering,forheseemedtorecognisethathehadtodealwithamanofskillandonewhomeantwellbythem。
Intheendwebroughtherroundagainand,toomitdetails,Bickleygaveher,notcoffeeandbrandy,butamixturehecompoundedofhotwater,preservedmilkandmeatessence。Theeffectofitonherwaswonderful,sinceafewminutesafterswallowingitshesatupinthecoffin。Thenweliftedherfromthatnarrowbedinwhichshehadsleptfor——ah!howlong?andperceivedthatbeneathheralsowerecrystalboxesoftheradiant,heat—givingsubstance。Wesatheronthefloorofthesepulchre,wrappingheralsoinablanket。
NowitwasthatTommy,afterfriskingroundherasthoughinwelcomeofanoldfriend,calmlyestablishedhimselfbesideherandlaidhisblackheaduponherknee。Shenoteditandsmiledforthefirsttime,amarvelouslysweetandgentlesmile。More,sheplacedherslenderhanduponthedogandstrokedhimfeebly。
Bickleytriedtomakeherdrinksomemoreofhismixture,butsherefused,motioninghimtogiveittoTommy。This,however,hewouldnotdobecausetherewasbutonecup。Presentlybothofthesleepersbegantoshiver,whichcausedBickleyanxiety。AbusingBastinbeneathhisbreathforbeingsolongwiththefire,hedrewtheblanketscloseraboutthem。
Thenanideacametohimandheexaminedtheglowingboxesinthecoffin。Theywereloose,beingmerelysetinpreparedcavitiesinthecrystal。Wrappingourhandkerchiefsabouthishand,hetookthemoutandplacedthemaroundthewakenedpatients,aproceedingofwhichtheAncientnoddedapproval。Justthen,too,Bastinreturnedwithhisfirstloadoffirewood,andsoonwehadamerryblazegoingjustoutsidethesepulchre。Isawthattheyobservedthelightingofthisfirebymeansofamatchwithmuchinterest。
Nowtheygrewwarmagain,asindeedwedidalso——toowarm。TheninmyturnIhadanidea。Iknewthatbynowthesunwouldbebeatinghotlyagainsttherockofthemount,andsuggestedtoBickley,that,ifpossible,thebestthingwecoulddowouldbetogetthemintoitslife—givingrays。Heagreed,ifwecouldmakethemunderstandandtheywereabletowalk。SoItried。
FirstIdirectedtheAncient’sattentiontothemouthofthecavewhichatthisdistanceshowedasawhitecircleoflight。Helookedatitandthenatmewithgraveinquiry。Imademotionstosuggestthatheshouldproceedthere,repeatingtheword"Sun"intheOrofenantongue。Heunderstoodatonce,thoughwhetherhereadmymindratherthanwhatIsaidIamnotsure。ApparentlytheGlitteringLadyunderstoodalsoandseemedtobemostanxioustogo。Onlyshelookedratherpitifullyatherfeetandshookherhead。Thisdecidedme。
IdonotknowifIhavementionedanywherethatIamatallmanandverymuscular。Shewastall,also,butasIjudgednotsoveryheavyafterherlongfast。AtanyrateIfeltquitecertainthatIcouldcarryherforthatdistance。Stoopingdown,Iliftedherup,signingtohertoputherarmsroundmyneck,whichshedid。ThencallingtoBickleyandBastintobringalongtheAncientbetweenthem,withsomedifficultyIstruggledoutofthesepulchre,andstarteddownthecave。ShewasmoreheavythanI
thought,andyetIcouldhavewishedthejourneylonger。Tobeginwithsheseemedquitetrustfulandhappyinmyarms,whereshelaywithherheadagainstmyshoulder,smilingalittleasachildmightdo,especiallywhenIhadtostopandthrowherlonghairroundmynecklikeamuffler,topreventitfromtrailinginthedust。
Abundleoflavender,oratrussofnew—mownhay,couldnothavebeenmoresweettocarryandtherewassomethingelectricaboutthetouchofher,whichwentthroughandthroughme。Verysoonitwasover,andwewereoutofthecaveintothefullgloryofthetropicalsun。Atfirst,thathereyesmightbecomeaccustomedtoitslightandherawakenedbodytoitsheat,Isetherdownwhereshadowfellfromtheoverhangingrock,inacanvasdeckchairthathadbeenbroughtbyMaramawiththeotherthings,throwingtherugabouthertoprotectherfromsuchwindastherewas。Shenestledgratefullyintothesoftseatandshuthereyes,forthemotionhadtiredher。Inoted,however,thatshedrewinthesweetairwithlongbreaths。
ThenIturnedtoobservethearrivaloftheAncient,whowasbeingbornebetweenBickleyandBastininwhatchildrenknowasadandy—chair,whichisformedbytwopeoplecrossingtheirhandsinapeculiarfashion。Itsaysmuchforthetremendousdignityofhispresencethateventhus,withonearmroundtheneckofBickleyandtheotherroundthatofBastin,andhislongwhitebeardfallingalmosttotheground,hestilllookedmostimposing。
Unfortunately,however,justastheywereemergingfromthecave,Bastin,alwaysthemostawkwardofcreatures,managedtoleaveholdwithonehand,sothathispassengernearlycametotheground。NevershallIforgetthelookthathegavehim。
Indeed,IthinkthatfromthismomenthehatedBastin。Bickleyherespectedasamanofintelligenceandlearning,althoughincomparisonwithhisown,thelatterwasinfantileandcrude;mehetoleratedandevenliked;butBastinhedetested。TheonlyoneofourpartyforwhomhefeltanythingapproachingrealaffectionwasthespanielTommy。
Wesethimdown,fortunatelyuninjured,onsomerugs,andalsointheshadow。Then,afteralittlewhile,wemovedbothofthemintothesun。Itwasquitecurioustoseethemexpandthere。AsBickleysaid,whathappenedtothemmightwellbecomparedtothedevelopmentofabutterflywhichhasjustbrokenfromthelivinggraveofitschrysalisandcreptintothefull,hotradianceofthelight。Itscrinkledwingsunfold,theirbrillianttintsdevelop;inanhourortwoitisperfect,glorious,preparedforlifeandflight,anewcreature。
Soitwaswiththispair,frommomenttomomenttheygatheredstrengthandvigour。Near—bytothem,asithappened,stoodalargebasketofthelusciousnativefruitsbroughtthatmorningbytheOrofenans,andatthesetheLadylookedwithlonging。WithBickley’spermission,IofferedthemtoherandtotheAncient,firstpeelingthemwithmyfingers。Theyateofthemgreedily,afullmeal,andwouldhavegoneonhadnotthesternBickley,fearinguntowardconsequences,removedthebasket。Againtheresultswerewonderful,forhalfanhourafterwardstheyseemedtobequitestrong。WithmyassistancetheGlitteringLady,asI