SIR ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE The Lost World

Adapted by H. Q. Mitchell - Marileni Malkogianni

The Lost World
Student’s Book
by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle adapted by H. Q. Mitchell & Marileni Malkogianni

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ISBN: 978-618-05-1202-1

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Introduction

Though he is better known for his Sherlock Holmes stories, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle also wrote a number of science fiction novels, including The Lost World, The Poison Belt and The Land of Mist. The Lost World was first published in Strand Magazine in 1912, and it featured Professor George Edward Challenger as its main character. Professor Challenger has appeared in several of Conan Doyle’s works.

The Lost World was inspired by a number of real-life events. In the early nineteenth century in England, geologists discovered the fossilised remains of a megalosaurus, an ichthyosaurus and an iguanodon. In 1909, fossilised iguanodon footptrints were found in a quarry near Conan Doyle’s house in Sussex. Lastly, Colonel Percy Fawcett, a friend of the author's, vanished while exploring in the Amazon.

The Victorian era (1837-1901) was a time of significant exploration and discovery: John Hanning Speke, for example, found the source of the Nile and Heinrich Schliemann discovered the city of Troy in Turkey. Alfred Russel Wallace, a renowned British naturalist and explorer, had made numerous trips to the Amazon basin, which he wrote about in A Narrative of Travels on the Amazon and Rio Negro. This book, together with Naturalist on the River Amazon by Henry Walter Bates, helped Conan Doyle create the vivid descriptions of the Amazon that appear in The Lost World.

The first film adaptation of The Lost World was released in 1925. The book also inspired Michael Crichton’s novel The Lost World (1995), which was later made into a film, The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997). A television series, loosely based on the book, aired from 1999 to 2002.

Contents

1. Chapter 1............................................................. 4
2. Chapter 2............................................................. 8
3. Chapter 3........................................................... 15
4. Chapter 4........................................................... 20
5. Chapter 5........................................................... 25
6. Chapter 6........................................................... 31
7. Chapter 7........................................................... 36
8. Chapter 8........................................................... 41
9. Chapter 9........................................................... 46
10. Chapter 10.......................................................... 50
11. Activity Section
12. Chapter 1........................................................... 58
13. Chapter 2........................................................... 60
14. Chapter 3........................................................... 62
15. Chapter 4........................................................... 64
16. Chapter 5........................................................... 66
17. Chapter 6........................................................... 68
18. Chapter 7........................................................... 70
19. Chapter 8........................................................... 72
20. Chapter 9........................................................... 74
21. Chapter 10.......................................................... 76

chapter 1

When I was a young man, in my early twenties, I fell in love with a girl named Gladys Hungerton. Gladys was the most beautiful girl I had ever seen – she had dark hair, large brown eyes, and delicate ivory skin. Unfortunately, Gladys was not in love with me; though we spent many hours together talking and laughing, she regarded me as a friend and nothing more. Despite this, I made the decision to propose to Gladys. I knew there was a chance she would reject my proposal, but I had to try. And so, one cold October evening, I visited Gladys at her house and asked her to marry me. ‘Oh, Edward,’ said Gladys after a long pause, ‘we have such a beautiful friendship, why can’t we simply remain friends?’ ‘Because I love you, Gladys!’ I exclaimed. ‘I want to spend the rest of my life with you!’ Gladys gave me a look of pity. ‘But I don’t love you, Edward, and I have never loved you.’ ‘Why can’t you love me, Gladys?’ I cried. ‘Is it my appearance?’ Gladys squeezed my hand gently. ‘No, of course not,’ she said. ‘Is it my character?’ I asked. ‘Tell me what you want me to change!’ Gladys sighed. ‘Edward, let me explain to you what kind of man I want: I want a man who has no fear of death; a man who has travelled the world and who has had many exciting adventures. I want to marry a man who’s brave, heroic and famous!’ ‘All right,’ I said. ‘If you want a brave and heroic man, I will do something that will make you proud.’ Gladys laughed at my enthusiasm. ‘What are you going to do?’ she asked. ‘I don’t know,’ I replied. ‘But if I do something great, will you marry me then?’ ‘We’ll see,’ said Gladys with a smile. ‘Now, you’re working the night shift at the paper and you’re running late.’ I said goodnight to Gladys and walked briskly to the offices of the Daily Gazette, where I worked as a journalist. When I arrived, I immediately made my way to the News Editor’s office.

‘Good evening, Mr McArdle,’ I said, knocking on the door. ‘Hello, Mr Malone,’ replied McArdle. ‘I must say, I really enjoyed your latest article; you’ve done some excellent work for us.’ ‘Why, thank you,’ I said. ‘What did you want to see me about?’ ‘I’d like you to send me on a mission for the paper.’ ‘What sort of mission did you have in mind, Mr Malone?’ ‘An adventure,’ I replied. ‘A dangerous adventure!’ McArdle raised an eyebrow. ‘You seem very eager to lose your life,’ he said. ‘I need to do something heroic,’ I explained, ‘My future depends on it.’ McArdle looked at me curiously. ‘I’m afraid we only send very experienced journalists on important missions,’ he said. ‘Wait a minute, I have an idea – would you be interested in interviewing Professor George Challenger?’ ‘Professor Challenger?’ I repeated. ‘The famous zoologist? Didn’t he punch a journalist from The Telegraph the other day?’ McArdle nodded. ‘Two years ago, Professor Challenger went on an expedition to South America. When he came back last year, he told everyone that he’d seen dinosaurs and other strange beasts. Most people think he’s lying about what he saw. The journalist from The Telegraph called him a liar too – that’s why he punched him. After that encounter, Challenger stopped doing interviews. Perhaps you can convince him to do one last interview; I’m sure our readers would be interested to find out more about his adventures.’ McArdle handed me a thick file. ‘Here’s some information on the professor; you might need it.’ I took the file and looked through the notes. ‘Do you think he’s telling the truth?’ I asked. McArdle shook his head. ‘I doubt it very much,’ he said. ‘All right,’ I said. ‘I’ll pay professor Challenger a visit.’ I returned to my office and wrote a letter to the Professor asking him to meet me the following Wednesday. Then, I spent the rest of my shift reading through McArdle’s notes. I had no idea then that my interview with Professor Challenger was about to change my life forever.

chapter 2

On Wednesday morning, I arrived at my office and found a letter from Professor Challenger on my desk. He had agreed to be interviewed at his house at ten o’clock. I quickly gathered my notes and took a cab to the professor’s house in Enmore Park. When I arrived, I knocked on the door and the professor’s butler answered it. ‘Do you have an appointment?’ he asked. ‘I have a letter,’ I said, as I handed it to him. The butler nodded and showed me in. I followed him to the end of a passage; he tapped lightly on a door and I heard the professor shout from inside. The butler pushed open the door and there was Professor Challenger, sitting behind a large table covered with books, maps and diagrams. His appearance made me gasp: he had a red face and a black beard, and his blue-grey eyes were framed by thick black eyebrows. He was a large man with broad shoulders and a wide chest, and his enormous hands were covered in long black hairs. ‘Well?’ he said. ‘What is it?’ I cleared my throat nervously. ‘Good morning, Professor Challenger, I’m Edward Malone from the Daily Gazette.’ Challenger nodded. ‘Yes, yes… Sit down.’ I did as I was told. ‘Thank you for agreeing to see me today,’ I said. Challenger put on his spectacles. ‘I presume you want to talk about my trip to South America?’ I nodded. ‘First, let me say this: the only reason I agreed to do this interview is because I like your newspaper. If you dare call me a liar, I’ll punch you like I did the other fellow – am I making myself clear?’ I nodded. ‘Yes, sir.’ I removed a notepad and a pencil from my pocket, and began my interview with Professor Challenger. ‘Why did you travel to South America?’ I asked. ‘I went to South America to study the animals of the Amazon. After many months of research, I made my way back down the river, and spent a night at a small Indian village inhabited by Cucama

Indians. I had visited that village before, and had given the Indians some medicine, so they knew me well. The following morning, the chief woke me up and took me to a hut to help a man who was very ill. Unfortunately, by the time I arrived, the man was already dead. I was surprised to see that the man was white, not Indian. He was dressed in rags and, according to the Indians, had arrived at the village in a terrible state of exhaustion. ‘The man’s knapsack was lying on the bed and I opened it and looked inside. There was a name written on the tab: Maple White, Lake Avenue, Detroit, Michigan. The knapsack contained pictures of a river, chalk, paint, paintbrushes, a bone, a gun and a few cartridges. The bag also contained this…’ Professor Challenger removed a sketchbook from his desk drawer and placed it on the table. ‘Open it,’ he said. I opened the sketchbook: on the first page was a picture of a fat man in a green jacket – the name ‘Jimmy Colver’ was written underneath it. The book contained drawings of Indians, turtles and

other animals, as well as a drawing of a series of red cliffs. On the last page of the book was a sketch of the most extraordinary animal I had ever seen: it had the head of a bird, the body of a lizard and a spiked tail. ‘Well, what do you think of that?’ asked Challenger. ‘I’m not quite sure,’ I said. ‘It looks like a dinosaur…’ The Professor leaned back in his chair. ‘It is a dinosaur.’ ‘But what makes you think this Maple White fellow actually saw a dinosaur?’ I asked. ‘Perhaps he imagined it?’ Challenger sighed. ‘Then what do you make of this?’ He took a bone out of a leather bag and handed it to me. ‘This bone was in Maple White’s knapsack. Can you identify it?’ I examined the bone carefully. ‘Is it a human collarbone?’ I asked. ‘The human collarbone is curved; this is straight,’ said Challenger impatiently. ‘Perhaps it belongs to an elephant?’ I said. Challenger shook his head. ‘This bone belongs to a dinosaur.’

‘I’m afraid I’m going to need more proof, Professor,’ I said. ‘All right,’ said Challenger, ‘then I’ll continue with my story. Once I’d seen Maple White’s dinosaur sketch, I decided to explore the area further. I asked two of the Indians to guide me to the red cliffs that Maple White had drawn in his book. They were reluctant at first; the Indians believe that evil spirits called Curupuri haunt the cliffs, but I persuaded them to help me. After a long and difficult journey up the river and through the forest, we finally arrived at the red cliffs.’ Challenger removed a photograph from his desk drawer and placed it on the desk. The photograph was badly damaged, but I could still see the outline of the red cliffs. ‘Unfortunately, our boat overturned on the return journey, and my camera and film were ruined so I don’t have much proof of what I saw,’ he explained. ‘I only have a couple of damaged photos, but everyone thinks they’re fake.’ Challenger showed me another photo, this one of a strange bird in an enormous tree. ‘What is that?’ I asked. ‘A bird?’ The professor shook his head. ‘No, it isn’t a bird. I shot it so that I would have proof of my experiences.’ ‘You have it here then?’ I asked. ‘I had it,’ said Challenger. ‘Unfortunately it was lost in the same boat accident that ruined my photos… All I have left is part of its wing...’ Challenger reached into a leather bag and pulled out the upper part of what looked like the wing of a large bat. ‘That’s a bat wing!’ I exclaimed. The professor looked at me squarely. ‘This wing belongs to a pterodactyl, a flying reptile of the Jurassic period.’ Challenger opened a book and showed me an illustration of a pterodactyl. The wing looked exactly like the wing that was on the desk. Suddenly, there was no doubt in my mind that the professor was telling the truth about what he’d seen. I told him that I believed him and he leaned back in his chair and smiled warmly. ‘But where did Maple White see the dinosaur?’ I asked. ‘I think he managed to climb to the top of the cliffs… I didn’t

have time to do that,’ said Challenger. ‘But Professor, this wing is proof of your encounter – why won’t anyone believe you?’ I asked. Challenger shrugged. ‘I don’t know,’ he said. ‘People are either stupid or jealous. Tonight, I’m going to the Zoological Institute to give a talk about my experiences in the Amazon. The talk starts at eight o’clock – you’re very welcome to come.’ ‘Thank you, Professor,’ I said. ‘I will.’ With that, the interview ended and I quickly made my way back to the office.

Chapter 3

When I returned to the office, McArdle was at his desk. ‘Well,’ he asked, ‘how did it go?’ ‘Better than I expected,’ I said. McArdle leaned back in his chair. ‘So, do you believe the professor’s nonsense about discovering dinosaurs?’ ‘Actually,’ I said, ‘I think Challenger might be telling the truth about what he saw in South America.’ McArdle’s jaw dropped open. ‘You can’t be serious?’ he said. ‘Does he have any proof?’ I shook my head. ‘His camera and most of his films were destroyed, so he doesn’t have much proof. He did, however, show me a wing which he says belonged to a pterodactyl.’ McArdle twisted his moustache thoughtfully. ‘Malone, people don’t make enormous discoveries and then lose the evidence. I’m convinced he’s lying.’ ‘Well, the professor is going to discuss his findings at the Zoological Institute tonight,’ I said. ‘He’s invited me to go. Perhaps you should come too?’ ‘All right,’ said McArdle, ‘I will.’

When we arrived at the Zoological Institute Hall, we found it full of professors, medical students and members of the public who were eager to hear Professor Challenger speak. Shortly before eight o’clock, the chairman of the Zoological Institute, the Duke of Durham, introduced Professor Challenger and invited him to the stage. ‘Ladies and gentlemen,’ said Challenger, ‘I know you have come here today to hear about my journey to South America, so I will get right to the point: during my travels through the Amazon, I discovered a forgotten world where dinosaurs still exist.’ ‘Liar!’ shouted someone from the audience. ‘Prove it!’ shouted another. Challenger’s face turned red. ‘Liar?’ he repeated. ‘You dare call me that?’ Some members of the audience began to boo. ‘All right then,’ said the Professor, ‘there’s only one way I can prove to you that I am telling the truth: someone in this room must travel to South America with me to confirm my story. The audience was silent. Mr Summerlee, a professor of anatomy, stood up. ‘I will volunteer for this mission,’ he said. The audience gasped. ‘Any other volunteers?’ asked Professor Challenger. I immediately thought of Gladys – this was exactly the kind of adventure she would want me to go on. Without any hesitation, I jumped to my feet. ‘My name is Edward Malone and I am a journalist at the Daily Gazette – I, too, will volunteer to go on this trip.’ Then another man stood up. ‘My name is Lord John Roxton,’ he said. ‘I have already travelled to the Amazon and I know the area well – I also want to go on this trip.’ The chairman rose to his feet. ‘Thank you, gentlemen,’ he said. He turned to Professor Challenger: ‘Professor, these three men will go with you to South America to investigate your claims.’ Professor Challenger nodded, the audience cheered and the meeting ended. ‘It was very brave of you to volunteer for the mission,’ said McArdle, as we stepped out into the cool night air. ‘I look forward to reading your article when you return.’

Suddenly, I was filled with a feeling of dread. ‘I hope I haven’t made a terrible mistake,’ I muttered to myself. *** On a wet and foggy morning, a few weeks later, Professor Summerlee, Lord Roxton and I boarded a ship to South America. We had made arrangements to meet Professor Challenger at a town on the Amazon river called Manaus. I won’t bore you with details of our journey, except to say that we arrived safely in Manaus, and met with Professor Challenger at a small hotel in town. This is probably a good time to tell you a bit more about my travelling companions: Professor Summerlee was tall and thin, in his mid-sixties with the energy of a man half his age. Lord John Roxton was in his forties; he too was a thin man with blue eyes and a gentle voice. Lord John was a famous hunter and explorer, and had travelled to South America many times. He was also fluent in the local languages. Professor Challenger had employed some men to help us travel through the Amazon: the party included a large African man named Zambo; two local guides named Gomez and Manuel, and three Mojo Indians from Bolivia who were expert fishermen. Their names were Mojo, José and Fernando. Lord John hired a steamship, the Esmeralda, to take us down the river. We travelled for six days, and when the river began to narrow, we filled two canoes with all our possessions and continued our journey into the unknown.

Chapter 4

We spent several days rowing down the river; on two occasions we had to carry our canoes through the woods to avoid the dangerous rapids. One afternoon, we heard the sound of drums beating in the distance. ‘What is that?’ I asked. ‘War drums,’ replied Lord John. ‘I’ve heard them before.’ ‘Yes,’ said Gomez. ‘They’re war drums… The Indians are watching us; they’ll kill us if they can.’ I turned to look at the dark green trees that surrounded us, imagining the eyes of the Indians upon us. The river was as still as glass and emerald in colour, and as we moved slowly along it, our paddles sent a thousand ripples across its shiny surface. Eventually, the sound of the drums faded away. ‘No Indians here,’ said Gomez. ‘They’re afraid of Curupuri.’ ‘That’s the evil spirit of the cliffs,’ explained Lord John. I nodded, remembering my first conversation with Professor Challenger. In time, the river became too shallow to navigate, so we hid our canoes in the bushes and continued the rest of our journey on foot. We filled our backpacks with guns, ammunition, blankets, food and other provisions, and made our way north. Two days later, we arrived at an open plain – the red cliffs were clearly visible in the distance. ‘There are the cliffs!’ I said. Professor Challenger smiled and said nothing. As we approached the cliffs, we saw trees and bushes on the summit, but no other signs of life. Exhausted from our journey, we set up camp at the foot of the cliffs, and went to sleep. The next morning, we discussed how we were going to climb to the plateau at the top of the cliffs. ‘This side is too steep to climb,’ said Challenger, peering up at the cliffs. ‘We need to walk around the cliffs and look for a way up.’ The ground at the foot of the cliffs was rocky and broken, and the going was slow and difficult. At around midday, we made a surprising discovery: an old, abandoned campsite. We found empty meat tins and bottles and a newspaper, the Chicago Democr

Professor Challenger’s eyes lit up when he saw the newspaper. ‘This must be Maple White’s campsite! This proves we’re on the right track!’ Lord John glanced at a nearby tree and noticed that a piece of wood had been nailed to it. ‘That looks like a signpost,’ he said. Challenger examined the signpost. ‘Maple White knew someone would come looking for this place, so he left a clue.’ Further down from the campsite, we came across a thick patch of bamboo. The stems were twenty feet high and extremely sharp, and looked very much like spears. As we passed along the edge of the bamboo, I noticed a white object inside it. I poked my head between the stems and, to my horror, saw a human skull. The skeleton was also there, lying a short distance away. I gasped and my companions crowded around me curiously. ‘Let’s clear away the bamboo and get a closer look,’ said Summerlee. The skeleton’s clothes were torn, but its boots were still on its bony feet. A pen and a gold watch lay near the bones. The initials ‘JC’ were engraved on the watch. ‘Who can he be?’ asked Lord John. ‘Poor man, every bone in his body seems to be broken.’ ‘I think I know who he is,’ said Challenger. ‘Maple White was travelling with an American named James Colver – ‘JC’.’ ‘He either fell into this bamboo patch or someone threw him off the edge of the cliff,’ said Lord John. ‘How else could all his bones have been broken?’ There was no doubt the man had fallen from above. But was it an accident or not? We continued our journey in silence. An hour later, we found a chalk-drawn arrow on a rock, pointing westward. ‘Another clue from Maple White,’ said Challenger. Five miles later, there was another chalk-drawn arrow which led to a cave. We entered the cave and found a very long and steep tunnel. ‘Maple White must have used this tunnel to climb to the top of the cliffs!’ said Professor Challenger. We made our way through the tunnel, but, to our dismay, discovered that part of it had been blocked by a rock fall. We returned

to our camp at the base of the cliff, and decided to continue searching for a way up in the morning.

chapter 5

I t took us six days to walk around the cliffs. finally, we had to admit that there was no way to climb to the top. That night, we gathered around the campfire gloomily and ate our dinner in silence. Challenger spent most of the evening with his head in his hands; he seemed to be in deep thought. The following morning, the professor was in much better spirits. ‘Gentlemen!’ he cried, once we’d all woken up, ‘I have found a way up!’ ‘You have?’ said Lord John. ‘I think so,’ said the professor. He pointed to a large column of rock to the right of where we stood – the rock was separated from the cliffs by a huge chasm. ‘All we have to do is climb to the top of this rock, then we’ll cross the chasm and get to the plateau.’ ‘How will we cross the chasm?’ I asked. ‘I’ll tell you how when we’ve reached the top,’ said Challenger. With our ropes, clamps and other devices, we began the difficult climb to the top of the rock. An hour later, we’d reached the summit. The view from the top was spectacular; we could see the entire plain as well as a line of green forest stretching into the distance. I was still admiring the view when Professor Challenger’s heavy hand fell upon my shoulder. ‘This way,’ he said. I followed him to an enormous beech tree. ‘By George!’ cried Lord John. ‘We’re going to make a bridge!’ ‘Exactly,’ said Challenger. ‘The tree is at least sixty feet high; if it falls the right way, we can easily cross the chasm.’ Challenger handed me an axe. ‘Now my young friend, please cut down the tree,’ he said. After an hour of chopping, we heard a loud crack – the tree swayed to one side, then crashed to the ground. The trunk rolled to the edge of the platform, and there was our bridge to the unknown. ‘Now I will cross the bridge first,’ said Challenger. Lord John looked alarmed. ‘Wait,’ he said, ‘I can’t allow that; there could be cannibals waiting for us on the other side. Malone and I will go down, collect the rifles and some provisions and bring

the two guides back up with us.’ Challenger agreed reluctantly. Two hours later, we had climbed down to the camp and returned with guns, food and the two guides. Wasting no time, Challenger carefully made his way across the bridge. Once he’d reached the other side, he jumped off and waved his arms in the air. ‘At last! At last!’ he cried. Summerlee, Lord John and I followed. Before long, the four of us were in Maple White’s lost world. But our moment of triumph was followed by something quite unexpected. As we were making our way through the thick trees and shrubs, we heard a loud crash. We rushed back to the edge of the cliff and found that our bridge was gone! We saw Gomez standing on the column of rock, his face full of hatred. ‘Lord John!’ he cried. ‘I have waited for this moment for a long time; I finally have my revenge! You killed my brother Lopez on the Putomayo River five years ago, and now you will die! All of you fools will die!’ We stared at Gomez in horror and amazement. He laughed, then quickly began climbing down the rock. Lord John raced along the cliff edge – he picked up his rifle and fired. We heard a scream, and then the sound of a falling body. Lord John hurried back to where we were standing. ‘I’m terribly sorry this has happened,’ he said. ‘I remember Gomez’s brother, he was a thief who tried to attack me one night. I had no choice but to kill him.’ Our traitor was gone, but we were trapped. There was no way we could cross the chasm. A little while later, Zambo climbed up the rock. ‘Manuel has run away,’ he said. ‘He helped Gomez destroy your bridge. I tried to catch him, but it was too late. The Indians want to leave too; they are afraid of Curupuri.’ ‘Tell them to go and get help!’ said Lord John. Zambo nodded. He threw us some more provisions and ammunition, then returned to the camp. We set up our own camp at the edge of the cliff, and surrounded it with thorny bushes. I looked into the dark chasm that separated us from civilisation – our situation was hopeless.

The following morning, we decided to explore the lost world. ‘We don’t know who or what lives here, so we must be careful,’ warned Professor Challenger. We made our way through the forest and arrived at a stream where we saw an enormous three-toed footprint in the mud. Lord John examined the footprint. ‘It’s fresh,’ he said. ‘And look, there are small ones too.’ ‘What could have made it?’ I asked. ‘Was it a reptile?’ Challenger shook his head. ‘It could only have been made by a dinosaur.’ We stared at the footprint for a moment, then continued our journey through the bushes to an open glade, where we came upon five of the most extraordinary creatures I have ever seen. ‘Iguanodons!’ whispered Challenger. We crouched behind the bushes and watched the creatures in disbelief. There were two adults and three young ones; their skin was grey and covered in scales, and they were enormous. Even the little ones were as large as elephants. We watched in silent wonder as the little ones played and the adults ate leaves from a nearby tree. A short while later, the creatures disappeared into the forest. ‘I can’t believe this!’ said Summerlee. ‘Challenger, I’m so sorry I doubted you!’ ‘No one at home will ever believe this,’ said Lord John. ‘Then we need proof,’ said Summerlee. We continued our journey through the woods and came to an opening in the trees. Suddenly a loud whistling noise filled the air. We carried on until we reached a line of rocks – beneath us was a large pit filled with pterodactyls. Lord John motioned to us to be quiet and we observed the horrible creatures in quiet amazement. They had huge, leathery wings, sharp beaks and red eyes, and there were at least a thousand of them. The smell that came from the pit was unbearable. We watched the creatures for some time, then made our way back to our camp. But there was another surprise in store for us: when we got to the camp, we found our belongings had been scattered everywhere. ‘What could have done this?’ I asked.

Challenger shook his head. ‘I don’t know.’ We gazed with frightened eyes at the dark shadows that surrounded us – who or what was watching us?

chapter 6

When I woke up the following morning, I had a strong feeling that something evil was watching us. My companions and I spent the whole day at the camp, too afraid to leave. We fell asleep before nightfall, but were awakened in the early hours of the morning by high-pitched screams. I jumped to my feet and listened as the cries echoed all around us. Moments later, there was silence. ‘What was that?’ I whispered. ‘I think it was a dinosaur attacking another dinosaur,’ said Challenger. ‘They hunt at night.’ In the morning, we made a horrible discovery: the family of iguanodons had been killed and the glade was covered in blood. Professor Challenger examined the scene. ‘A large, carnivorous dinosaur must have done this,’ he said. Lord John glanced around nervously. ‘Let’s not make too much noise,’ he said. ‘The dinosaur might come back.’ We decided to make a map of the surrounding area, and began by exploring the nearby forests. I have spoken a great deal about the

horrors of the lost world, but there was also tremendous beauty. The forests were filled with white and yellow flowers that smelled as sweet as honey. Large, colourful fruit hung from the trees and beautiful birds we’d never seen before flew above or heads. We saw many animals including porcupines, wild cats and deer. After two days of exploration, we realised that the best way to make a map of the forest was from above. ‘Perhaps I could climb to the top of that large tree?’ I said, pointing to a nearby gingko tree. ‘I’m sure it will give me a good view of the surroundings.’ ‘That’s an excellent idea!’ said Challenger. My companions helped me climb up the tree; within minutes I was halfway to the top. As I reached out to grab a branch, I saw a face hidden between the leaves. I was so shocked, I almost fell out of the tree. The face was about two feet away from me; it looked human but was, in fact, a monkey’s face. The creature’s face was long and white, its nose was flat and there were thick whiskers on its chin. It opened its mouth to growl at me and I saw its sharp, pointy teeth. There was hatred in its evil eyes. Then, the creature dived down into the tree and disappeared. I took a moment to catch my breath before continuing my climb. When I reached the top, I could see the entire plateau beneath me. There was a lake in the distance; the iguanodon glade was near it and I could also see the pterodactyl pit. Beyond the lake was a series of cliffs which seemed to contain numerous caves. I climbed back down the tree and told my companions what I’d seen; I also described the apeman to them in great detail. ‘It looked evil,’ I said. ‘I’ve never seen anything like it.’ ‘Come now,’ said Professor Challenger, ‘the creature was simply an ape.’ We returned to the camp and drew a map of the lost world. After dinner, my companions went to sleep, but I decided to explore the area surrounding the lake on my own. I made my way through the dark forest and arrived at the iguanodon glade. I crossed the glade and entered the woods on the other side of it. Finally, I arrived at the lake. I took a sip of water, then climbed up on to a rock and gazed at my surroundings. I could see the cliffs that I had observed when

I climbed the tree; but something was different now: the caves were glowing with firelight… Humans! We were not alone on this plateau. I could hardly wait to share my news with the others. I looked at my watch and saw that it was half-past four, and I quickly made my way back to the camp. Just then, I heard a strange noise behind me; it sounded like a low, deep growl. As I hurried along, I heard the creature growl a second time. My heart stood still when I realised that the beast, whatever it was, was chasing me! Something moved in the bushes – then, to my horror, a large creature hopped out into the open. It was enormous; twice the size of an elephant! In the moonlight, I could see its huge teeth, and the sharp claws on its short forearms. There was no doubt it was a flesheating dinosaur. I threw my gun away, and ran and ran and ran. My limbs ached, my chest burned, and my throat felt like it was going to burst. Finally, the sound of the creature’s heavy steps faded away. I returned to the camp just before sunrise, but my heart sank when I opened the thorny gate. All our belongings had been scattered over the ground, my companions were gone, and the grass was stained with blood.

chapter 7

I searched the woods surrounding our camp and called out for my companions, but no one answered. What had become of my friends? Had they been attacked by wild animals? None of our possessions were missing and even the rifles had been left behind. I searched the forest again, but found no animal tracks. An hour later, I returned to the camp. Was I going to die alone in this terrible place? Then I remembered Zambo, down at the bottom of the cliff. I peered over the edge of the cliff and saw our faithful servant cooking a meal over a fire. Mojo sat nearby him. I waved my hands and shouted. Zambo looked up, waved back and then climbed to the top of the rock. He listened to my story with great concern. ‘The evil spirits got them, master,’ he said. ‘You must come down or they will get you too.’ ‘How will I get down?’ I asked. ‘We need more rope,’ said Zambo. ‘I will tell Mojo to go to his village and get more rope. The other two have already gone to get help.’ ‘All right,’ I said. Zambo returned to his camp, and I returned to mine. I spent the rest of the day writing about my adventures of the night before. When night came, I closed the thorny gate of the camp and lit three fires in a triangle. I ate dinner, and then fell into a deep sleep. In the early morning, just as the sun was rising, I felt a hand touch my arm. I opened my eyes with a start and saw Lord John kneeling beside me! He was pale and wide-eyed; his face was scratched and bloody, and his clothes were torn. I stared at him in amazement, but he gave me no chance to ask questions. ‘Quick, young fellow,’ he cried, as he raced around the camp filling bags with provisions. ‘Get the rifles, get the cartridges, fill up your pockets! Get some food! Don’t stop to think, every moment counts!’ Still half asleep, I ran into the woods after Lord John, with a rifle under each arm and bags of food in my hands. He stopped at a thick clump of bushes and quickly took cover. I did the same.

‘We should be safe here,’ he panted. ‘They’ll probably go straight to the camp; they won’t find us here.’ ‘Who?’ I asked, breathlessly. ‘Where are the professors? Who’s chasing us?’ ‘The apemen!’ cried Lord John. ‘Keep your voice down; they have long ears and sharp eyes. Where were you when they attacked?’ In a few short sentences, I told Lord John about my trip to the lake. He listened with interest. ‘So what happened?’ I asked. ‘It was early in the morning,’ said Lord John. ‘The professors hadn’t even woken up yet when the apes began falling out of the trees like apples! They looked like apes, but they behaved like humans; they were carrying sticks and stones and talking to each other. They were big fellows; as big as men, and much stronger, with curious, glassy eyes. I managed to shoot one of them, but the others attacked. We tried to get away, but they captured us and tied our hands with creepers.’ ‘What happened next?’ I asked. ‘One of them, the old ape king, stood beside Challenger. You won’t believe it, but they looked like twins! They both have thick bodies, big shoulders, round chests, and long beards. The ape king looked at Challenger for some time before putting his paw on his shoulder. Then, the apemen dragged me and Summerlee through the forest, while Challenger was carried like a Roman emperor by four apemen!’ Just then, we heard a strange clicking noise in the distance. ‘It’s them,’ whispered Lord John. ‘Load your rifle, they might come this way.’ I did as I was told and Lord John continued with his story. ‘They took us to their town, which is made up of about a thousand huts – it’s further north than our camp and close to the edge of the cliff. You say you saw signs of men, but we saw the natives themselves. It seems that the humans occupy one side of the plateau and the apemen occupy the other side. They are at war with each other, as far as I can tell. The apemen captured about a dozen human prisoners yesterday, and put two of them to death right there in front of us.’ I gasped in horror.

‘Do you remember the bamboo patch where we found the skeleton?’ continued Lord John. I nodded. ‘That’s just under ape-town and it’s where they throw their prisoners to their deaths. Some are killed by the fall while others land on the bamboo. It’s a horrible thing to watch. Once they’d killed seven native Indians, they sent the remaining natives and the three of us back to their camp. I knew our turn was next, so I decided to make a run for it. The apemen can’t run as fast as we can, and they don’t know what guns are. So, when I got an opportunity, I kicked my guard in the stomach and ran to the camp as fast as I could to get the rifles.’ ‘But what about the professors?’ I asked. ‘We have to go back and get them,’ said Lord John, ‘before it’s too late.’ I was just about to stand up when I felt Lord John’s grip on my arm. ‘By George,’ he whispered, ‘here they come.’

chapter 8

A group of apemen walked past us in single file; they were about five feet tall, with long arms and enormous chests. Some of them were carrying sticks. We watched anxiously as they sniffed the air and searched the bushes. Finally, the apes disappeared into the forest. ‘We should stay here until they’ve given up their search,’ whispered Lord John. I nodded. After a quick breakfast, we filled our pockets with ammunition and, at around midday, we set off for ape-town to carry out our rescue mission. ‘Go slowly, keep your eyes open and your rifle ready,’ said Lord John as we crept through the forest. It took us two hours to reach the ape-town. When we arrived, we immediately took cover behind a thick clump of bushes, a short distance from the apes’ huts. From our hiding place we could see that a crowd of apemen and a small group of Indians had gathered at the edge of the cliff. ‘The bamboo patch is just beneath them,’ said Lord John. ‘I’m afraid those Indians are going to be put to death.’ Just then, the ape king arrived with the two professors following close behind. ‘There are the Professors!’ I whispered. Suddenly, two of the apemen seized one of the Indians and dragged him to the edge of the cliff. The apes turned to look at the king; he raised his hand and the apemen swung the Indian back and forth violently, before throwing him over the edge of the cliff. The apes were silent for a moment, then they began to howl with delight. Once their howling was over the apemen prepared themselves for their next victim: Professor Summerlee. Two of the apemen grabbed the professor by the wrists and pulled him to the front. Challenger turned to the ape king and waved his hands, begging him to spare his friend’s life. The ape king pushed him aside roughly and shook his head. Wasting no time, Lord John fired his rifle, and the king sank to the ground. ‘Shoot, Malone, shoot!’ cried Lord John.

We opened fire on the apemen, and the guards who were holding Summerlee were the first to fall. The apemen ran around in confusion; some climbed up into the trees, others disappeared into the forest. Challenger grabbed Summerlee and the two of them ran towards us. The remaining apemen started chasing us, but we were much too fast for them. We fired several more rounds at our pursuers until finally, they gave up. Once we reached our camp, the apes were nowhere to be seen. We had just closed the thorny gate to our camp, when we heard the sound of voices outside the entrance. Lord John rushed forward, rifle in hand, and threw the gate open. There in front of us were the four surviving Indians, trembling with fear and begging us to protect them. ‘By George,’ exclaimed Lord John. ‘What are we going to do with them?’ Summerlee looked at the men with pity. ‘We have to help them,’ he said. ‘Just like you two helped us. I can’t thank you enough for what you did.’ ‘We will always be grateful to you both,’ said Challenger. ‘We did what we had to do,’ said Lord John. ‘The question now, is what do we do with these Indians? I suppose we should take them home, but I don’t know where they live.’ ‘They live in the caves on the other side of the lake,’ I said. ‘It’s about twenty miles from here.’ In the distance, we heard the cries of the apemen, and the Indians began shivering with fear. ‘We must move quickly,’ said Lord John. ‘Let’s take some provisions with us and go back to our hiding place in the woods.’ Half an hour later, we arrived at the hiding place. For the rest of the day, we listened to the sounds of the apemen coming from the direction of our camp; luckily, none of the apemen came our way. We spent the night in the forest and began the journey to the Indian village early the following morning. The Indians were small, well-built and active men. They couldn’t speak English, but we managed to communicate using hand signals. They pointed to each other and said the word ‘Accala’ several times which we assumed was the name of their tribe. They used the word

‘Doda’ to describe the apemen. ‘I think that the younger man with the shaved head is their chief,’ said Lord John as he observed the Indians walking ahead of us. ‘The other men seem to treat him with great respect.’ By late afternoon, we had reached the banks of the lake. As we emerged from the forest, we saw several canoes filled with Indians moving slowly across the water. When the Indians saw us, they screamed with delight and began paddling at tremendous speed. They reached the banks of the lake, climbed out of their canoes and rushed towards us. Then, they dropped to their knees and bowed before the chief. An elderly man walked forward and hugged the young chief. He looked at us and asked the chief a few questions. Then the old man, who we assumed was the young chief’s father, instructed the Indians to bow before us. It was clear that they were grateful to us for saving their chief. The Indians had come ready for war; they were armed with spears, bows and arrows and kept glancing at the forest and muttering the word ‘Doda’. There was no doubt this was a rescue party. The Indians sat down in a circle, and the young chief began to address his people. Though we couldn’t understand his words, his facial expressions and hand gestures were very clear. ‘We are not safe. Those apes will come back and kill us all. We have come here ready for war, and we must now find the courage to defeat our enemies,’ he said. The tribesmen burst into applause and waved their weapons in the air. Then, the old man approached us and pointed at the woods. ‘I think he’s asking if we want to help them fight the apemen,’ said Lord John. ‘What do you say, men?’ ‘Of course,’ I responded. ‘You can count me in,’ said Challenger. ‘Me too,’ said Summerlee. ‘Then it’s settled,’ said Lord John. He turned to the old chief and nodded, and the men cheered loudly again. We set up camp at the lake, and prepared ourselves for the battle that lay ahead.

chapter 9

More Indians from the caves joined us during the night, and, by the following morning, our army consisted of about four or five hundred men. Some of the Indians carried spears, while others carried bows and arrows. Lord John, the two professors and I loaded our rifles with ammunition, and together with the Indians, made our way through the thick, dark forest. We did not have to wait long for our enemy to appear. We heard a loud roar from the edge of the woods, and, moments later, the apemen were rushing towards us with clubs and stones. But the slow apes were no match for the quick and agile Indians. The Indians shot their arrows at the group of apes, and the beasts fell to the ground, dead. We knew there were more apes waiting for us in the woods, so we proceeded cautiously. We heard another loud cry, and the apes leaped out of their hiding places among the trees, carrying huge clubs. We opened fire on the apes and the creatures began to scream and howl and run in all directions. The Indians raced after them, shooting their arrows and throwing their spears. Two hours later, the apemen had been defeated. ‘It’s over,’ said Lord John. ‘We have just seen one of the greatest battles in history,’ said Challenger. Summerlee sighed. ‘I think we’ve had enough adventures,’ he said. ‘It’s time to go home.’ We returned to the caves with the Indians, and set up camp at the foot of their cliffs. We spent a few days with the tribe, studying their habits and culture. They gave us food, water and gifts, but refused to help us leave the plateau – they believed that we brought them good luck. During that time, I went to our old camp twice to talk to Zambo and to see if the Indians had returned with rope – they hadn’t. When I returned from my second visit, I found Lord John crouching behind a bush near the pterodactyl pit. ‘What are you doing?’ I asked. ‘Watching the pterodactyls,’ he whispered. ‘But why?’

‘Challenger asked me to capture a young pterodactyl,’ he answered. ‘He wants to take one back to England.’ ‘That’s madness!’ I exclaimed. ‘You’re going to get yourself killed!’ Lord John smiled. ‘Don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine.’ I shook my head and continued on my journey. *** One evening, the young chief came to our camp to visit us. He had taken pity on us and had decided to help us leave. He walked up to me, gave me a small roll of bark, pointed at the row of caves above him, and put his finger to his lips as a sign of secrecy. Then, he returned to his people. I examined the bark in the firelight and saw that it was a map of the caves. One of the caves was marked with an ‘X’. I showed the map to my companions. ‘But what does the X mean?’ asked Summerlee. ‘It must be a cave that goes through the mountain – a tunnel!’ I cried. ‘You could be right,’ said Challenger. ‘And if that cave does go through the mountain, we’ll only be a hundred feet from the ground.’ ‘Our rope is longer than a hundred feet,’ I said, ‘we’ll definitely be able to get down.’ ‘What about the Indians in the caves?’ asked Summerlee. ‘There are no Indians in those caves,’ I said. ‘They use those caves to store food.’ ‘We’ll leave tonight,’ said Challenger. That night, we collected our belongings, lit our torches and made our way to the cave. The walls of the cave were smooth and grey and covered in Indian symbols. After what seemed like a very long walk, we reached the end of the tunnel. We climbed through a hole no larger than a window, and lowered the rope to the ground. Two hours later, we were at the foot of the cliff. We made our way to Zambo’s camp and found that a rescue party consisting of twenty Indians had arrived. We had seen great wonders in the lost world, but I couldn’t wait to go home.

chapter 10

When we returned to England, we were asked to talk about our experiences at a meeting at the Zoological Institute. The meeting was scheduled for 7 November, the day after we got back from South America. When we arrived at the hall, we were surprised to find it packed with journalists, scientists and members of the public. At seven o’clock, the Duke of Durham stepped on to the stage and addressed the crowd. ‘Good evening everyone. I’m sure you are all very eager to hear about the expedition to South America. Professor Summerlee will now tell us about the group’s adventures in the Amazon.’ Professor Summerlee stood up and the audience applauded enthusiastically. ‘I would like to begin by apologising to Professor Challenger for doubting his word,’ began Summerlee. ‘Professor Challenger is a brave and gifted scientist, and we all owe him an apology for calling him a liar.’ The professor then went on to describe the horrors and attractions of the lost world: he talked about the journey to the cliffs; the loss of our bridge; and the new species of plants and animals we discovered. Of course, he also talked about the dinosaurs, the Indians and the battle with the apemen. The audience gasped, but not everyone believed the story. Dr James Illingworth, a well-known scientist, raised his hand. ‘Professor,’ he said, ‘we’ve heard your remarkable story, but do you have any proof?’ Summerlee shook his head. ‘Our cameras and film were destroyed by the apemen when they attacked our camp. But we do have some insect specimens that we found on the plateau.’ ‘You could have found those anywhere,’ said Dr Illingworth. Professor Challenger stood up. ‘We do have some pictures,’ he said. ‘One of them is of a pterodactyl.’ Dr Illingworth shook his head. ‘A picture isn’t enough to convince me,’ he said. ‘So you want to see the real thing?’ asked Challenger. ‘Yes, I do,’ said Dr Illingworth.

Challenger waved his hand and Zambo walked on to the stage carrying an enormous square box. He placed the box in front of the professor’s chair and then walked off. A hush fell over the audience. The professor removed the lid of the box and clicked his fingers. There was a loud scratching sound and, a moment later, a creature perched itself on the side of the box – it was a pterodactyl! The audience gasped; someone screamed, and two ladies fainted in their chairs. Challenger threw up his hands to calm the audience, but his movements alarmed the creature. The pterodactyl flew up into the air, flapping its dry, leathery wings. Challenger tried to grab its legs, but missed. The audience began to scream, and the creature flew around the room, beating its wings against the walls and the lights. ‘Close the window!’ shouted Challenger.

But it was too late; the creature saw the open window and flew out. Challenger fell back in his chair and buried his face in his hands. Suddenly, the crowd jumped up and began cheering and applauding. Professor Challenger had finally given the scientific community the proof they wanted, and we had become heroes. *** After that night, the pterodactyl was spotted in various London parks before it finally disappeared somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean. And Gladys! Oh my Gladys! I had sent Gladys many letters during the year that I was away, but she hadn’t responded to any of them. The night after the talk, I went to Gladys’ house to see her. I knocked on the door, pushed passed the staring maid, and ran into the sitting room where Gladys was reading on the couch. I crossed the room quickly and took her hands in mine. ‘Gladys!’ I cried. ‘I have returned!’

Gladys looked at me in surprise. ‘What do you mean?’ she said, drawing back her hands. ‘Gladys? What’s the matter? It’s me, Edward,’ I said. Gladys was quiet for moment. ‘Edward, I’m married now; this is my husband.’ A small red-haired man rose from a nearby chair and shook my hand. ‘Your husband?’ I repeated. Gladys nodded. ‘Yes, this is William Potts.’ I stared at Gladys in shock. ‘Didn’t you get my letters?’ ‘No,’ said Gladys. ‘Anyway, Edward, if you truly loved me, you wouldn’t have gone away for a whole year, would you? I’ve told William all about you… You’re not upset that I’m married are you?’ ‘No, no… not at all,’ I stammered. ‘I think I’m going to go now… But I do have a question for your husband…’ I turned to look at Mr Potts. ‘How did you persuade Gladys to marry you? Are you an adventurer? A hero?’ Mr Potts looked confused. ‘Uh, no…I’m a clerk, I work at a bank,’ he said. ‘I see,’ I said. ‘Goodnight, both of you.’ With that, I walked out into the moonless night. I was overwhelmed with sadness and anger; I felt as if my heart had been ripped from my chest. How strange life is! A week later, I had dinner with my travelling companions at Lord John’s house. Once we’d eaten, Lord John took an old box out of a cupboard and placed it on a table before us. ‘I have something to show you,’ he said. ‘I found these near the pterodactyl pit…’ Lord John turned over the box and poured out about twenty or thirty diamonds, the size of small chestnuts. We gasped in shock. ‘I took the stones to a jeweller,’ said Lord John. ‘He says they’re worth two hundred thousand pounds. I think it’s only fair that we divide the money equally between us.’ ‘I can’t believe my eyes!’ said Challenger. ‘We’re each going to get fifty thousand pounds – what will you do with your money, Challenger?’ asked Lord John. ‘I’m going to open a museum,’ replied Professor Challenger. ‘And you, Summerlee?’ ‘I’m going to retire from teaching and study fossils,’ said

Summerlee. ‘And I’m going to go on another expedition to the Amazon,’ said Lord John. ‘What about you, Edward? Will you use the money to get married?’ ‘Not just yet,’ I said. ‘I think I’d rather go back to the Amazon with you.’ Lord John smiled and shook my hand. ‘Well then, I look forward to our next adventure!’ he said.

chapter 1 Comprehension Vocabulary

Follow-up activities

chapter 2 Comprehension

Vocabulary Follow-up activities

chapter 3 Comprehension Vocabulary

Follow-up activities

chapter 4 Comprehension Vocabulary

Follow-up activities

chapter 5 Comprehension Vocabulary

Follow-up activities

chapter 6 Comprehension Vocabulary

Follow-up activities

chapter 7 Comprehension Vocabulary

Follow-up activities

chapter 8 Comprehension Vocabulary

Follow-up activities

chapter 9 Comprehension Vocabulary

Follow-up activities

chapter 10 Comprehension Vocabulary

Follow-up activities