THE SIGHT OF HUMAN BEINGS
The sight of human beings, thus unexpectedly found, filled us with
strange feelings--feelings which I cannot explain. The country was
still iron-bound and dark and forbidding, and the stream ran on in a
strong current, deep, black as ink, and resistless as fate; the sky
behind was lighted up by the volcanic glare which still shone from
afar; and in front the view was bounded by the icy heights of a
mountain chain. Here was, indeed, a strange country for a human
habitation; and strange, indeed, were the human beings whom we saw.
"Shall we land?" said Agnew.
"Oh no," said I. "Don't be hasty. The elements are sometimes kinder
than men, and I feel safer here, even in this river of death, than
ashore with such creatures as those."
Agnew made no reply. We watched the figures on the shore. We saw them
coming down, staring and gesticulating. We drew on nearer to them till
we were able to see them better. A nearer view did not improve them.
They were human beings, certainly, but of such an appalling aspect
that they could only be likened to animated mummies. They were small,
thin, shrivelled, black, with long matted hair and hideous faces. They
all had long spears, and wore about the waist short skirts that seemed
to be made of the skin of some sea-fowl.
We could not imagine how these creatures lived, or where. There were
no signs of vegetation of any kind--not a tree or a shrub. There were
no animals; but there were great flocks of birds, some of which seemed
different from anything that we had ever seen before. The long spears
which the natives carried might possibly be used for catching these,
or for fishing purposes. This thought made them seem less formidable,
since they would thus be instruments of food rather than weapons of
war. Meanwhile we drifted on as before, and the natives watched us,
running along the shore abreast of us, so as to keep up with the boat.
There seemed over a hundred of them. We could see no signs of any
habitations--no huts, however humble; but we concluded that their
abodes were farther inland. As for the natives themselves, the longer
we looked at them the more abhorrent they grew. Even the wretched
aborigines of Van Dieman's Land, who have been classed lowest in the
scale of humanity, were pleasing and congenial when compared with
these, and the land looked worse than Tierra del Fuego. It looked like
a land of iron, and its inhabitants like fiends.
Agnew again proposed to land, but I refused.
"No," I said; "I'd rather starve for a week, and live on hope. Let us
drift on. If we go on we may have hope if we choose, but if we land
here we shall lose even that. Can we hope for anything from such
things as these? Even if they prove friendly, can we live among them?
To stay here is worse than death; our only hope is to go on."
Agnew made no reply, and we drifted on for two hours, still followed
by the natives. They made no hostile demonstrations. They merely
watched us, apparently from motives of curiosity. All this time we
were drawing steadily nearer to the line of lofty mountains, which
with their icy crests rose before us like an inaccessible and
impassable barrier, apparently closing up all farther progress; nor
was there any indication of any pass or any opening, however narrow,
through which the great stream might run. Nothing was there but one
unbroken wall of iron cliffs and icy summits. At last we saw that the
sloping shores grew steeper, until, about a mile or two before us,
they changed to towering cliffs that rose up on each side for about a
thousand feet above the water; here the stream ran, and became lost to
view as completely as though swallowed up by the earth.
"We can go no farther," said Agnew. "See--this stream seems to make a
plunge there into the mountains. There must be some deep canyon there
with cataracts. To go on is certain death. We must stop here, if only
to deliberate. Say, shall we risk it among these natives? After all,
there is not, perhaps, any danger among them. They are little
creatures and seem harmless. They are certainly not very good-looking;
but then, you know, appearances often deceive, and the devil's not so
black as he's painted. What do you say?"
"I suppose we can do nothing else," said I.
In fact, I could see that we had reached a crisis in our fate. To go
on seemed certain death. To stop was our only alternative; and as we
were armed we should not be altogether at the mercy of these
creatures. Having made this decision we acted upon it at once, for in
such a current there was no time for delay; and so, seizing the oars,
we soon brought the boat ashore.
As we approached, the crowd of natives stood awaiting us, and looked
more repulsive than ever. We could see the emaciation of their bony
frames; their toes and fingers were like birds' claws; their eyes were
small and dull and weak, and sunken in cavernous hollows, from which
they looked at us like corpses--a horrible sight. They stood quietly,
however, and without any hostile demonstration, holding their spears
carelessly resting upon the ground.
"I don't like the looks of them," said I. "I think I had better fire a
gun."
"Why?" cried Agnew. "For Heaven's sake, man, don't hurt any of them!"
"Oh no," said I; "I only mean to inspire a little wholesome respect."
Saying this I fired in the air. The report rang out with long echoes,
and as the smoke swept away it showed us all the natives on the
ground. They had seated themselves with their hands crossed on their
laps, and there they sat looking at us as before, but with no
manifestation of fear or even surprise. I had expected to see them
run, but there was nothing of the kind. This puzzled us. Still, there
was no time now for any further hesitation. The current was sweeping
us toward the chasm between the cliffs, and we had to land without
delay. This we did, and as I had another barrel still loaded and a
pistol, I felt that with these arms and those of Agnew we should be
able to defend ourselves. It was in this state of mind that we landed,
and secured the boat by means of the grappling-iron.
The natives now all crowded around us, making many strange gestures,
which we did not understand. Some of them bowed low, others prostrated
themselves; on the whole these seemed like marks of respect, and it
occurred to me that they regarded us as superior beings of some sort.
It was evident that there was nothing like hostility in their minds.
At the same time, the closer survey which I now made of them filled me
with renewed horror; their meagre frames, small, watery, lack-lustre
eyes, hollow, cavernous sockets, sunken cheeks, protruding teeth,
claw-like fingers, and withered skins, all made them look more than
ever like animated mummies, and I shrank from them involuntarily, as
one shrinks from contact with a corpse.
Agnew, however, was very different, and it was evident that he felt no
repugnance whatever. He bowed and smiled at them, and shook hands with
half a dozen of them in succession. The hand-shaking was a new thing
to them, but they accepted it in a proper spirit, and renewed their
bows and prostrations. After this they all offered us their lances.
This certainly seemed like an act of peace and good-will. I shook my
head and declined to touch them; but Agnew accepted one of them, and
offered his rifle in return. The one to whom he offered it refused to
take it. He seemed immensely gratified because Agnew had taken his
lance, and the others seemed disappointed at his refusal to take
theirs. But I felt my heart quake as I saw him offer his rifle, and
still more when he offered it to one or two others, and only regained
my composure as I perceived that his offer was refused by all.
They now made motions to us to follow, and we all set forth together.
"My dear More," said Agnew, cheerily, "they're not a bad lot. They
mean well. They can't help their looks. You're too suspicious and
reserved. Let's make friends with them, and get them to help us. Do as
I do."
I tried to, but found it impossible, for my repugnance was immovable.
It was like the horror which one feels toward rats, cockroaches,
earwigs, or serpents. It was something that defied reason. These
creatures seemed like human vermin.
We marched inland for about half a mile, crossed a ridge, and came to
a valley, or rather a kind of hollow, at the other side of which we
found a cave with a smouldering fire in front. The fire was made of
coal, which must exist here somewhere. It was highly bituminous, and
burned with a great blaze.
The day was now drawing to a close; far away I could see the lurid
glow of the volcanoes, which grew brighter as the day declined: above,
the skies twinkled with innumerable stars, and the air was filled with
the moan of rushing waters.
We entered the cave. As we did so the natives heaped coal upon the
fire, and the flames arose, lighting up the interior. We found here a
number of women and children, who looked at us without either fear or
curiosity. The children looked like little dwarfs; the women were
hags, hideous beyond description. One old woman in particular, who
seemed to be in authority, was actually terrible in her awful and
repulsive ugliness. A nightmare dream never furnished forth a more
frightful object. This nightmare hag prostrated herself before each of
us with such an air of self-immolation that she looked as though she
wished us to kill her at once. The rough cave, the red light of the
fire, all made the scene more awful; and a wild thought came to me
that we had actually reached, while yet living, the infernal world,
and that this was the abode of devils. Yet their actions, it must be
confessed, were far from devilish. Everyone seemed eager to serve us.
Some spread out couches formed of the skins of birds for us to sit on;
others attended to the fire; others offered us gifts of large and
beautiful feathers, together with numerous trinkets of rare and
curious workmanship. This kind attention on their part was a great
puzzle to me, and I could not help suspecting that beneath all this
there must be some sinister design. Resolving to be prepared for the
worst, I quietly reloaded the empty barrel of my rifle and watched
with the utmost vigilance. As for Agnew, he took it all in the most
unsuspicious manner. He made signs to them, shook hands with them,
accepted their gifts, and even tried to do the agreeable to the
formidable hags and the child-fiends around him. He soon attracted the
chief attention, and while all looked admiringly upon him, I was left
to languish in comparative neglect.
At length a savory odor came through the cave, and a repast was spread
before us. It consisted of some large fowl that looked like a goose,
but was twice as large as the largest turkey that I had ever seen. The
taste was like that of a wild-goose, but rather fishy. Still to us it
seemed delicious, for our prolonged diet of raw seal had made us ready
to welcome any other food whatever; and this fowl, whatever it was,
would not have been unwelcome to any hungry man. It was evident that
these people lived on the flesh of birds of various sorts. All around
us we saw the skins of birds dried with the feathers on, and used for
clothing, for mats, and for ornaments.
The repast being finished, we both felt greatly strengthened and
refreshed. Agnew continued to cultivate his new acquaintances, and
seeing me holding back, he said,
"More, old fellow, these good people give me to understand that there
is another place better than this, and want me to go with them. Will
you go?"
At this a great fear seized me.
"Don't go!" I cried--"don't go! We are close by the boat here, and if
anything happens we can easily get to it."
Agnew laughed in my face.
"Why, you don't mean to tell me," said he, "that you are still
suspicious, and after that dinner? Why, man, if they wanted to harm
us, would they feast us in this style? Nonsense, man! Drop your
suspicions and come along."
I shook my head obstinately.
"Well," said he, "if I thought there was anything in your suspicions I
would stay by you; but I'm confident they mean nothing but kindness,
so I'm going off to see the place."
"You'll be back again?" said I.
"Oh yes," said he, "of course I'll come back, and sleep here."
With these words he left, and nearly all the people accompanied him. I
was left behind with the women and children and about a dozen men.
These men busied themselves with some work over bird-skins; the women
were occupied with some other work over feathers. No one took any
notice of me. There did not seem to be any restraint upon me, nor was
I watched in any way. Once the nightmare hag came and offered me a
small roasted fowl, about the size of a woodcock. I declined it, but
at the same time this delicate attention certainly surprised me.
I was now beginning to struggle with some success against my feelings
of abhorrence, when suddenly I caught sight of something which chased
away every other thought, and made my blood turn cold in my veins. It
was something outside. At the mouth of the cave--by the fire which was
still blazing bright, and lighting up the scene--I saw four men who
had just come to the cave: they were carrying something which I at
first supposed to be a sick or wounded companion. On reaching the fire
they put it down, and I saw, with a thrill of dismay, that their
burden was neither sick nor wounded, but dead, for the corpse lay
rigid as they had placed it. Then I saw the nightmare hag approach it
with a knife. An awful thought came to me--the crowning horror! The
thought soon proved to be but too well founded. The nightmare hag
began to cut, and in an instant had detached the arm of the corpse,
which she thrust among the coals in the very place where lately she
had cooked the fowl. Then she went back for more.
For a moment my brain reeled, and I gasped for breath. Then I rose and
staggered out, I know not how. No one tried to stop me, nor did anyone
follow me; and, for my part, I was ready to blow out the brains of the
first who dared to approach me. In this way I reached the open air,
and passed by the hag and the four men as they were busy at their
awful work. But at this point I was observed and followed. A number of
men and women came after me, jabbering their uncouth language and
gesticulating. I warned them off, angrily. They persisted, and though
none of them were armed, yet I saw that they were unwilling to have me
leave the cave, and I supposed that they would try to prevent me by
force.
The absence of Agnew made my position a difficult one. Had it not been
for this I would have burst through them and fled to the boat; but as
long as he was away I felt bound to wait; and though I longed to fly,
I could not for his sake. The boat seemed to be a haven of rest. I
longed to be in her once more, and drift away, even if it should be to
my death. Nature was here less terrible than man; and it seemed better
to drown in the waters, to perish amid rocks and whirlpools, than to
linger here amid such horrors as these. These people were not like
human beings. The vilest and lowest savages that I had ever seen were
not so odious as these. A herd of monkeys would be far more congenial,
a flock of wolves less abhorrent. They had the caricature of the human
form; they were the lowest of humanity; their speech was a mockery of
language; their faces devilish, their kindness a cunning pretence; and
most hideous of all was the nightmare hag that prepared the cannibal
repast.
I could not begin hostilities, for I had to wait for Agnew; so I stood
and looked, and then walked away for a little distance. They followed
me closely, with eager words and gesticulations, though as yet no one
touched me or threatened me. Their tone seemed rather one of
persuasion. After a few paces I stood still, with all of them around
me. The horrible repast showed plainly all that was in store for us.
They received us kindly and fed us well only to devote us to the most
abhorrent of deaths. Agnew, in his mad confidence, was only insuring
his own doom. He was putting himself completely in the power of
devils, who were incapable of pity and strangers to humanity. To make
friends with such fiends was impossible, and I felt sure that our only
plan was to rule by terror--to seize, to slay, to conquer. But still I
had to wait for him, and did not dare to resort to violence while he
was absent; so I waited, while the savages gathered round me,
contenting themselves with guarding me, and neither touching me nor
threatening me. And all this time the hag went on, intent on her
preparation of the horrible repast.
While standing there looking, listening, waiting for Agnew, I noticed
many things. Far away the volcanoes blazed, and the northern sky was
red with a lurid light. There, too, higher up, the moon was shining
overhead, the sky was gleaming with stars; and all over the heavens
there shone the lustre of the aurora australis, brighter than any I
had ever seen--surpassing the moon and illuminating all. It lighted up
the haggard faces of the devils around me, and it again seemed to me
as though I had died and gone to the land of woe--an iron land, a land
of despair, with lurid fires all aglow and faces of fear.
Suddenly, there burst upon my ears the report of a gun, which sounded
like a thunder-peal, and echoed in long reverberations. At once I
understood it. My fears had proved true. These savages had enticed
Agnew away to destroy him. In an instant I burst through the crowd
around me, and ran wildly in the direction of that sound, calling his
name, as I ran, at the top of my voice.
I heard a loud cry; then another report. I hurried on, shouting his
name in a kind of frenzy. The strange courage of these savages had
already impressed me deeply. They did not fear our guns. They were all
attacking him, and he was alone, fighting for his life.
Then there was another report; it was his pistol. I still ran on, and
still shouted to him.
At last I received an answer. He had perhaps heard me, and was
answering, or, at any rate, he was warning me.
"More," he cried, "fly, fly, fly to the boat! Save yourself!"
"Where are you?" I cried, as I still rushed on.
"Fly, More, fly! Save yourself! You can't save me. I'm lost. Fly for
your life!"
Judging from his cries, he did not seem far away. I hurried on. I
could see nothing of him. All the time the savages followed me. None
were armed; but it seemed to me that they were preparing to fling
themselves upon me and overpower me with their numbers. They would
capture me alive, I thought, bind me, and carry me back, reserving me
for a future time!
I turned and waved them back. They took no notice of my gesture. Then
I ran on once more. They followed. They could not run so fast as I
did, and so I gained on them rapidly, still shouting to Agnew. But
there was no response. I ran backward and forward, crossing and
recrossing, doubling and turning, pursued all the time by the savages.
At last, in rage and despair, I fired upon them, and one of them fell.
But, to my dismay, the others did not seem to care one whit; they did
not stop for one moment, but pursued as before.
My situation was now plain in all its truth. They had enticed Agnew
away; they had attacked him. He had fought, and had been overpowered.
He had tried to give me warning. His last words had been for me to
fly--to fly: yes, for he well knew that it was better far for me to go
to death through the raging torrent than to meet the fate which had
fallen upon himself. For him there was now no more hope. That he was
lost was plain. If he were still alive he would call to me; but his
voice had been silenced for some time. All was over, and that noble
heart that had withstood so bravely and cheerily the rigors of the
storm, and the horrors of our desperate voyage, had been stilled in
death by the vilest of miscreants.
I paused for a moment. Even though Agnew was dead, I could not bear to
leave him, but felt as though I ought to share his fate. The savages
came nearer. At their approach I hesitated no longer. That fate was
too terrible: I must fly.
But before I fled I turned in fury to wreak vengeance upon them for
their crimes. Full of rage and despair, I discharged my remaining
rifle-barrel into the midst of the crowd. Then I fled toward the boat.
On the way I had a frightful thought that she might have been sent
adrift; but, on approaching the place, I found her there just as I had
left her. The savages, with their usual fearlessness, still pursued.
For a moment I stood on the shore, with the grapple in my hand and the
boat close by, and as they came near I discharged my pistol into the
midst of them. Then I sprang into the boat; the swift current bore me
away, and in a few minutes the crowd of pursuing demons disappeared
from view.