t as possible, and so to reassure them.

I was weary and spent, so my progress was not so fast as I wished; but
at last I came into regions which I knew. There was the swamp of the
pterodactyls upon my left; there in front of me was the glade of the
iguanodons. Now I was in the last belt of trees which separated me
from Fort Challenger. I raised my voice in a cheery shout to allay
their fears. No answering greeting came back to me. My heart sank at
that ominous stillness. I quickened my pace into a run. The zareba
rose before me, even as I had left it, but the gate was open. I rushed
in. In the cold, morning light it was a fearful sight which met my
eyes. Our effects were scattered in wild confusion over the ground; my
comrades had disappeared, and close to the smouldering ashes of our
fire the grass was stained crimson with a hideous pool of blood.

I was so stunned by this sudden shock that for a time I must have
nearly lost my reason. I have a vague recollection, as one remembers a
bad dream, of rushing about through the woods all round the empty camp,
calling wildly for my companions. No answer came back from the silent
shadows. The horrible thought that I might never see them again, that
I might find myself abandoned all alone in that dreadful place, with no
possible way of descending into the world below, that I might live and
die in that nightmare country, drove me to desperation. I could have
torn my hair and beaten my head in my despair. Only now did I realize
how I had learned to lean upon my companions, upon the serene
self-confidence of Challenger, and upon the masterful, humorous
coolness of Lord John Roxton. Without them I was like a child in the
dark, helpless and powerless. I did not know which way to turn or what
I should do first.

After a period, during which I sat in bewilderment, I set myself to try
and discover what sudden misfortune could have befallen my companions.
The whole disordered appearance of the camp showed that there had been
some sort of attack, and the rifle-shot no doubt marked the time when
it had occurred. That there should have been only one shot showed that
it had been all over in an instant. The rifles still lay upon the
ground, and one of them--Lord John's--had the empty cartridge in the
breech. The blankets of Challenger and of Summerlee beside the fire
suggested that they had been asleep at the time. The cases of
ammunition and of food were scattered ab