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13 - The Island of Dr Moreau - H G Wells · Adventure Books Library

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  Thirteen a parley. I turned again and went on down towards the sea.
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  I found the hot stream broadened out to a shallow, weedy sand, in
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  which an abundance of crabs and long bodied, many legged creatures started From my
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  footfall. I walked to the very edge of the salt water, and then
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  I felt I was safe. I turned and stared arms akimbo at the thick
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  green behind me, into which the steamy ravine cut like a smoking gash.
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  But as I say, I was too full of excitement, and a true
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  saying, though those who have never known danger may doubt it, too desperate
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  to die. Then it came into my head that there was one chance before
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  me. Yet, while Moreau and Montgomery and their bestial rabble chased me through
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  the island, might I not go round the beach until I came to their
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  enclosure, make a flank, march upon them, in fact, and then,
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  with a rock lugged out of their loosely built wall, perhaps smash it
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  in the lock of a smaller door, and see what I could find knife,
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  pistol or what not to fight them with when they returned. It was,
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  at any rate something to try. So I turned to the westward and
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  walked along by the water's edge. The setting sun flashed his blinding heat into
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  my eyes. The slight pacific tide was running in with a gentle ripple.
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  Presently, the shore fell away southward, and the sun came round upon my
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  right hand. Then, suddenly, far in front of me, I saw
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  first one and then several figures emerging from the bushes, Moreau with his gray
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  staghound, then Montgomery and two others. At that I stopped. They saw
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  me and began gesticulating and advancing. I stood watching them approach. The two
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  beast men came running forward to cut me off from the undergrowth inland. Montgomery
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  came running also, but straight towards me. Moreau followed slower with the dog.
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  At last, I roused myself from my inaction, and, turning seaward,
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  walked straight into the water. The water was very shallow at first.
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  I was thirty yards out before the waves reached to my waist. Dimly,
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  I could see the intertidal creatures darting away from my feet. What are you
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  doing, man, cried Montgomery. I turned, standing ways steep and stared
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  at them. Montgomery stood panting at the margin of the water. His face
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  was bright red with exertion, his long flaxen hair blown about his head,
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  and his dropping nether lip showed his irregular teeth. Moreau was just coming up,
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  his face pale and firm, and the dog at his hand barked at
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  me. Both men had heavy whips. Farther up the beach, stared the
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  beast men. What am I doing? I'm going to drown myself, said
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  I. Montgomery and Moreau looked at each other. Why, asked Moreau.
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  Because that is better than being tortured by you. I told you, though,
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  said Montgomery, and Moreau said something in a low tone. What makes
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  you think I shall torture you? Asked Moreau. What I saw, I
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  said, And those yonder hush, said Moreau, and held up his hand.
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  I will not, said I. They were men, What are they
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  now? I, at least will not be like them. I looked past
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  my interlocutors. Up the beach were imling Montgomery's attendant and one of the white
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  swathed brutes from the boat. Farther up, in the shadow of the trees,
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  I saw my little ape man, and behind him some other dim figures.
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  Who are these creatures? Said I, pointing to them, and raising
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  my voice more and more that it might reach them. They were men,
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  men like yourselves, whom you have infected with some best you'll taint, Men
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  whom you have enslaved in, whom you still fear. You who listen,
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  I cried, pointing now to Moreau and shouting past him to the beastmen,
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  you who listen, Do you not see these men still fear you go and
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  dread of you? Why then do you fear them? You are many?
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  For god sake, cried Montgomery. Stop that prendick, prindick, cried Moreau.
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  They both shouted together as if to drown my voice, and behind them
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  lowered the staring faces of the beast men, wondering, the deformed hands hanging
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  down, their shoulders hunched up. They seemed, as I fancied, to
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  be trying to understand me, to remember I thought something of their human past.
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  I went on shouting. I scarcely remember what that Moreau and Montgomery could
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  be killed, that they were not to be feared. That was the burden
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  of what I put into the heads of the beast people. I saw the
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  green eyed man in the dark rags who had met me on the evening of
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  my arrival. Come out from among the trees, and others followed him to
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  hear me better. At last, for want of breath, I paused.
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  Listen to me for a moment, said the steady voice of Moreau. And
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  then say what you will, well, said I. He coughed, thought
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  and shouted Latin prindic bad Latin schoolboy Latin. But try and understand. Hi,
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  non sunt homonez sont anamelia quinos habimis vivisected a humanizing process. I will
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  explain. Come ashore, I laughed. A pretty story, said I.
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  They talk build houses, they were men. It's likely I'll come ashore.
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  The water just beyond you where you stand is deep and full of sharks.
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  That's my way, said I, short and sharp. Presently, wait a
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  minute. He took something out of his pocket that flashed back the sun and
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  dropped the object at his feet. That's a loaded revolver, said he.
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  Montgomery here will do the same. Now we are going up the beach.
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  Until you are satisfied the distance is safe, then come and take the revolvers.
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  Not I. You have a third one between you. I want you
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  to think over things pre dick. In the first place, I never asked
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  you to come upon this island. If we vivisected men, we should import
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  men, not beasts. In the next we had you drugged last night,
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  had we wanted to work you any mischief, And in the next. Now
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  your first panic is over, and you can think a little. Is Montgomery
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  here quite up to the character you give him. We have chased you for
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  your good because this island is full of inimical phenomena. Besides, why should
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  we want to shoot you when you have just offered to drown yourself? Why
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  did you set your people unto me when I was in the hut. We
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  felt sure of catching you and bringing you out of danger. Afterwards, we
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  drew away from the scint for your own good. I'm mused, it seemed
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  possible. Then I remembered something again. But I saw, said I in
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  the enclosure, that was the puma. Look here, Prindick, said Montgomery,
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  your thilly ath come out of the water and take thee through volverth and
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  talk. We can't do anything more than we could do now. I will
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  confess that then, and indeed, always a distrusted and dreaded Moreau. But
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  Montgomery was a man I felt I understood. Go up the beach, said
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  I, after thinking, and added holding up your hands. Can't do that,
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  said Montgomery, with an explanatory nod over his shoulder, undignified. Go
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  up the trees, then said I, as you please. It's a damn
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  thilly ceremony, said Montgomery. Both turned and faced the six or seven grotesque
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  creatures who stood there in the sunlight, solid casting shadows, moving and yet
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  so incredibly unreal. Montgomery cracked his whip at them and forthwith. They all
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  turned and fled helter skelter into the trees. And when Montgomery and Moreau were
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  at a distance, I judged sufficient, I waded ashore and picked up and
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  examined the revolvers. To satisfy myself against the subtlest trickery, I discharged one
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  at a round lump of lava and had the satisfaction of seeing the stone pulverized
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  and the beach splashed with lead. Still I hesitated for a moment. I'll
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  take the risk, said I at last, and with a revolver in each
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  hand, I walked up the beach towards them. That's better, said Moreau,
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  without affection, As it is, you have wasted the better part of
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  my day with your confounded imagination, and with a touch of contempt which humiliated
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  me. He and Montgomery turned and went on in silence. Before me,
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  the knot of the beast men, still wandering, stood back among the trees.
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  I passed them as serenely as possible. One started to follow me,
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  but retreated again when Montgomery cracked his whip. The rest stood silent, watching.
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  They may once have been animals, but I never before saw an animal
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  trying to think.