Part 18 (2/2)
Bickley waved these remarks aside and addressed himself to me
”I don't knohat to think of it,” he said; ”but as the experience is not natural and everything in the Universe, so far as we know it, has a natural explanation, I a from hallucinations, which in their way are also quite natural It does not seem possible that two people can really have been asleep for an unknown length of tilass or crystal, kept ware fro and well It is contrary to natural law”
”How about microbes?” I asked ”They are said to last practically for ever, and they are living things So in their case your natural law breaks down”
”That is true,” he answered ”Some microbes in a sealed tube and under certain conditions do appear to possess indefinite powers of life Also radium has an indefinite life, but that is a mineral Only these people are not microbes nor are they minerals Also, experience tells us that they could not have lived for more than a few months at the outside in such circumstances as we seeest?”
”I suggest that we did not really find the You know that there are certain gases which produce illusions, laughing gas is one of theases are sometimes met with in caves Now there were very peculiar odours in that place under the statue, which inations in soainst a miracle, and, as you know, I do not believe in miracles”
”I do,” said Bastin calmly ”You'll find all about it in the Bible if you will only take the trouble to read Why do you talk such rubbish about gases?”
”Because only gas, or soine theht enough Didn't they eat our fruit and drink the water I brought the thank you? Only, they are not human They are evil spirits, and for h I have no doubt Arbuthnot does, as that Glittering Lady threw her ar her by her Christian name, if the word Christian can be used in connection with her The old fellow had the impudence to tell us that he was a God, and it is re that the devil they worshi+p on the island is also called Oro and the place itself is naone,” continued Bickley, taking no notice of Bastin, ”I really don't know My expectation is, however, that e go to look toest that we should not do so before then in order that we ive our minds time to clear--we shall find that sepulchre place quite eined to stand there”
”Perhaps we shall find that there isn't a cave at all and that we are not sitting on a flat rock outside of it,” suggested Bastin with heavy sarcas, ”You are clever in your way, Bickley, but you can talk more rubbish than any man I ever knew”
”They told us they would coht or tomorrow,” I said ”If they do, ill you say then, Bickley?”
”I ait till they coo for a walk and try to change our thoughts We are all over-strained and scarcely knoe are saying”
”One more question,” I said as we rose to start ”Did Tommy suffer from hallucinations as well as ourselves?”
”Why not?” answered Bickley ”He is an anihtTos he did”
”When you found that basket of fruit, Bastin, which the natives brought over in the canoe, was there a bough covered with red flowers lying on the top of it?”
”Yes, Arbuthnot, one bough only; I threw it down on the rock as it got in the hen I was carrying the basket”
”Which flowering bough we all thoughtthe Sleeper Oro carry away after Toht it to hiive it to him,” said Bastin
”Well, if we did not see this it should still be lying on the rock, as there has been no wind and there are no animals here to carry it away
You will adone you will adht we did see?”
”I do not kno that conclusion can be avoided, at any rate so far as the incident of the bough is concerned,” replied Bickley with caution