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CHAPTER SIX

I Was the Hero

The next day we stayed in the camp. We were very tired from our adventures. That night we heard horrible cries from the forest.

‘What was that?’ I said quietly.

‘We’ve just heard,’ replied Challenger, ‘the sounds of a prehistoric tragedy. Some carnivorous dragon has killed an iguanodon.’

Then Summerlee raised his hand.

‘Quiet’ he cried. ‘I hear something.’

Some giant creature was coming towards our camp.

‘I think it’s going to jump into our camp!’ I said, preparing my rifle.

‘Don’t shoot’ said Lord John quietly.

‘If it jumps into our camp it’ll kill us all,’ said Summerlee.

‘I have an idea,’ cried Lord John.

Then he did something incredibly courageous. He picked up a burning torch from the fire. Then he went quickly out of the area of our camp. He ran towards the creature. In that moment we could see it in the light. It was all covered with blood. A moment later, the horrible creature ran away.

‘I knew it’ said Lord John laughing. ‘That monster is afraid of fire.’

The next day, we found pieces of iguanodon on the ground. The two professors examined them carefully.

‘In my opinion,’ said Professor Challenger, ‘that horrible creature was an Allosaurus.’

That evening we returned to the camp and began to discuss our future plans.

‘Tomorrow,’ said Professor Summerlee, ‘we should try to leave this land.’

‘What’ said Professor Challenger. ‘We must explore it. I am surprised at you, Professor Summerlee.’

‘Professor Challenger,’ responded Professor Summerlee, ‘If we are killed, nobody in London will ever know about our discoveries. We can return to London and then prepare a larger expedition. Now we must leave this plateau.’

‘Perhaps you’re right,’ answered Challenger, ‘but first we must at least make a map of Maple White Land.’

‘That will take too much time,’ said Summerlee. ‘There are no high mountains. How can we see all of the plateau?’

Then I had an idea. There was a very large tree near us.

‘I can go up to the top of this tree,’ I said. ‘There I can see all of the plateau and make a map.’

I began to climb the tree. After a minute or two, I saw something incredible: a face. The face of a horrible red apeman was looking at me. It made angry noises at me, but then it disappeared quickly. I was shocked, but I decided to continue to climb.

When I arrived at the top, I looked around. In the distance I saw a lake. Then I drew a map of Maple White Land.

When I came down again, I described the apeman to my friends.

‘Perhaps,’ said Challenger, ‘It was a kind of primitive man between ape and man: the missing link! We must discover more about it.’

‘No,’ said Summerlee, ‘we must leave this land. Now we have the map, we can try to return to civilisation.’

That night I was too excited to sleep after my adventure. I thought about Gladys. She wanted me to be a hero. I could go to explore the central lake alone. I could go during the night and be back before morning.

I left the camp quietly and walked towards the lake.

There was a bright moon and I could see well. I arrived at the edge of the lake at one o’clock. I climbed up on a large rock and looked around. I could see some cliffs on the other side of the plateau. There were a series of caves in these cliffs. Now I could see lights in them! So, there were humans on the plateau!

I could see many creatures in the lake. One had a long neck and swam in the water. Then I heard the sound of a large animal walking very near me. I saw it. It was very familiar to me. But why? Then I remembered, it was the creature in Maple White’s drawing - a stegosaurus.

When I looked at my watch again, it was two o’clock. It was time to return to the camp. I walked and thought about my great discoveries. Then, after a few minutes, I heard something behind me. The sound came closer. I turned and saw that horrible monster, the Allosaurus. I decided to run, but the creature began to run too. He came closer. I was terrified. I screamed. And then I heard a crash. I was falling down into a deep hole, and then everything became dark.

I was unconscious for a few minutes. When I woke up, I smelled something horrible. Around me there were large pieces of old meat. I was in a trap for dinosaurs, a trap made by humans!

I slowly climbed out of the hole, and continued my walk to the camp. Suddenly, I heard the sound of a rifle. I ran towards the camp, and shouted. Nobody answered.

When I arrived I saw blood on the ground. All my friends were gone. I was alone in that world.

But then I remembered Zambo. I went to the edge of the cliff. Zambo was still there at his camp waiting for us. There was an Indian with him.

Zambo climbed up to the top of the tower of rock. When he was opposite me I threw a letter to him for the Indian to take to the nearest village. Maybe he could bring ropes to help us climb down.