l fear you, go in dread of you? Why, then, do you fear them?
You are many--"

"For God's sake," cried Montgomery, "stop that, Prendick!"

"Prendick!" cried Moreau.

They both shouted together, as if to drown my voice; and behind
them lowered the staring faces of the Beast Men, wondering,
their deformed hands hanging down, their shoulders hunched up.
They seemed, as I fancied, to be trying to understand me, to remember,
I thought, something of their human past.

I went on shouting, I scarcely remember what,--that Moreau
and Montgomery could be killed, that they were not to be feared:
that was the burden of what I put into the heads of the Beast People.
I saw the green-eyed man in the dark rags, who had met me on
the evening of my arrival, come out from among the trees, and others
followed him, to hear me better. At last for want of breath
I paused.

"Listen to me for a moment," said the steady voice of Moreau;
"and then say what you will."

"Well?" said I.

He coughed, thought, then shouted: "Latin, Prendick! bad Latin,
schoolboy Latin; but try and understand. Hi non sunt homines;
sunt animalia qui nos habemus--vivisected. A humanising process.
I will explain. Come ashore."

I laughed. "A pretty story," said I. "They talk, build houses.
They were men. It's likely I'll come ashore."

"The water just beyond where you stand is deep--and full of sharks."

"That's my way," said I. "Short and sharp. Presently."

"Wait a minute." He took something out of his pocket that flashed back
the sun, and dropped the object at his feet. "That's a loaded revolver,"
said he. "Montgomery here will do the same. Now we are going
up the beach until you are satisfied the distance is safe.
Then come and take the revolvers."

"Not I! You have a third between you."

"I want you to think over things, Prendick. In the first place,
I never asked you to come upon this island. If we vivisected men,
we should import men, not beasts. In the next, we had you
drugged last night, had we wanted to work you any mischief;
and in the next, now your first panic is over and you can think
a little, is Montgomery here quite up to the character you give him?
We have chased you for your good. Because this island is full
of inimical phenomena. Besides, why should we want to shoot you
when you have just offered to drown yourself?"

"Why did you set--your people onto me when I was in the hut?"

"We felt sure of catching you, and b