The Lost World: Poison, Predators, and the Quest for Fame

Survival After the Pterodactyl Attack

The next morning, we discovered that the pterodactyls’ bites were poisonous. My neck was red and inflamed, and Summerlee’s face was too. We both had very high temperatures. Luckily, Lord Roxton had some medicine with him, so we took it and rested. We stayed near our camp all day and put big branches around it for protection.

A Prehistoric Tragedy: Screams in the Darkness

That night, another frightening thing happened. We were sleeping around the fire. Suddenly, we heard a terrible scream. It was loud and full of agony. It hurt our ears and tormented us. Then we heard another sound—a ferocious cry. The screams and cries continued for a few minutes. Then they stopped, and there was a terrible silence.

“What was that?” I whispered. “A prehistoric tragedy,” said Challenger. “A big dinosaur was killing a smaller one.” Then he whispered no more.

The Lake Expedition: A Bid for Heroism

That night I couldn’t sleep. “Maybe I can explore the lake before we leave,” I thought. “Then I’ll be the only person to visit the lake. I’ll be famous.”

I remembered Gladys’s words: “I want to marry a man of adventure, a famous man, a great hero.” I wanted to be a hero for her. So I started to walk towards the lake.

Fear in the Thick Forest

At first, I wasn’t afraid. But then I heard the sound of animals in the darkness around me, and I didn’t feel brave at all. The forest was thick, and I couldn’t see in front of me. Suddenly, I heard the sound of wings moving up and down, and I saw a pterodactyl in the sky. I quickly hid between the bushes and stayed there until it disappeared.

“Maybe this wasn’t a good idea after all,” I thought to myself. But it was too late to return. Real heroes didn’t do that, so I continued walking.

Ensuring Our Discoveries Reach the World

I sat near the fire and thought: If my friends and I die here, it mustn’t be for nothing. The world must know about our incredible discoveries. Then at least we’ll die as famous heroes.

I started to write a letter to my boss, Peep. The letter explained everything, from our arrival until that terrible morning. In the letter, I asked him to publish my story in the newspaper.

I finished it, and it was dark outside. I attached the letter to a rope and threw the other end of the rope to Lalala. I gave him instructions to take it to the nearest village and send it with a messenger to one of the ships bound for England. Then I went to sleep.