[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
came running forward to cut me off from the undergrowth, inland. Montgomery came, running also, but
straight towards me. Moreau followed slower with the dog.
At last I roused myself from my inaction, and turning seaward walked straight into the water. The water was
very shallow at first. I was thirty yards out before the waves reached to my waist. Dimly I could see the
intertidal creatures darting away from my feet.
"What are you doing, man?" cried Montgomery.
I turned, standing waist deep, and stared at them. Montgomery stood panting at the margin of the water. His
face was bright-red with exertion, his long flaxen hair blown about his head, and his dropping nether lip
showed his irregular teeth. Moreau was just coming up, his face pale and firm, and the dog at his hand barked
at me. Both men had heavy whips. Farther up the beach stared the Beast Men.
"What am I doing? I am going to drown myself," said I.
Montgomery and Moreau looked at each other. "Why?" asked Moreau.
"Because that is better than being tortured by you."
"I told you so," said Montgomery, and Moreau said something in a low tone.
"What makes you think I shall torture you?" asked Moreau.
"What I saw," I said. "And those--yonder."
"Hush!" said Moreau, and held up his hand.
"I will not," said I. "They were men: what are they now? I at least will not be like them."
I looked past my interlocutors. Up the beach were M'ling, Montgomery's attendant, and one of the
Information prepared by the Project Gutenberg legal advisor 36
white-swathed brutes from the boat. Farther up, in the shadow of the trees, I saw my little Ape-man, and
behind him some other dim figures.
"Who are these creatures?" said I, pointing to them and raising my voice more and more that it might reach
them. "They were men, men like yourselves, whom you have infected with some bestial taint,-- men whom
you have enslaved, and whom you still fear. "You who listen," I cried, pointing now to Moreau and shouting
past him to the Beast Men,--" You who listen! Do you not see these men still 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 bringing you out of danger. Afterwards we drew away from the scent, for
Information prepared by the Project Gutenberg legal advisor 37
your good."
I mused. It seemed just possible. Then I remembered something again. "But I saw," said I, "in the enclosure--"
"That was the puma." [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl chiara76.opx.pl
came running forward to cut me off from the undergrowth, inland. Montgomery came, running also, but
straight towards me. Moreau followed slower with the dog.
At last I roused myself from my inaction, and turning seaward walked straight into the water. The water was
very shallow at first. I was thirty yards out before the waves reached to my waist. Dimly I could see the
intertidal creatures darting away from my feet.
"What are you doing, man?" cried Montgomery.
I turned, standing waist deep, and stared at them. Montgomery stood panting at the margin of the water. His
face was bright-red with exertion, his long flaxen hair blown about his head, and his dropping nether lip
showed his irregular teeth. Moreau was just coming up, his face pale and firm, and the dog at his hand barked
at me. Both men had heavy whips. Farther up the beach stared the Beast Men.
"What am I doing? I am going to drown myself," said I.
Montgomery and Moreau looked at each other. "Why?" asked Moreau.
"Because that is better than being tortured by you."
"I told you so," said Montgomery, and Moreau said something in a low tone.
"What makes you think I shall torture you?" asked Moreau.
"What I saw," I said. "And those--yonder."
"Hush!" said Moreau, and held up his hand.
"I will not," said I. "They were men: what are they now? I at least will not be like them."
I looked past my interlocutors. Up the beach were M'ling, Montgomery's attendant, and one of the
Information prepared by the Project Gutenberg legal advisor 36
white-swathed brutes from the boat. Farther up, in the shadow of the trees, I saw my little Ape-man, and
behind him some other dim figures.
"Who are these creatures?" said I, pointing to them and raising my voice more and more that it might reach
them. "They were men, men like yourselves, whom you have infected with some bestial taint,-- men whom
you have enslaved, and whom you still fear. "You who listen," I cried, pointing now to Moreau and shouting
past him to the Beast Men,--" You who listen! Do you not see these men still 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 bringing you out of danger. Afterwards we drew away from the scent, for
Information prepared by the Project Gutenberg legal advisor 37
your good."
I mused. It seemed just possible. Then I remembered something again. "But I saw," said I, "in the enclosure--"
"That was the puma." [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]