Part 12 (1/2)

”What makes you think I shall torture you?” asked Moreau.

”What I saw,” I said. ”And those--yonder.”

”Hus.h.!.+” 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 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 b.e.s.t.i.a.l 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 G.o.d's sake,” cried Montgomery, ”stop that, Prend.i.c.k!”

”Prend.i.c.k!” 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, Prend.i.c.k! 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 ash.o.r.e.”

I laughed. ”A pretty story,” said I. ”They talk, build houses.

They were men. It's likely I'll come ash.o.r.e.”

”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, Prend.i.c.k. 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?”