Aepyornis Island by H.G. Wells
Section [1 | 2]
shell to make_the place . however, I got there . it_was just a common atoll about four miles round, with a few trees growing and a spring in one place, and_the lagoon full of parrot- fish . i_took the egg ashore and put it in a good place, well above the tide lines and in_the sun, to_give it all the chance I_could, and pulled the canoe up safe, and loafed about prospecting . it's rum how dull an atoll is . as_soon_as I had found a spring all the interest seemed to vanish . when i_was a kid i_thought nothing could_be finer or more adventurous than_the Robinson Crusoe business, but that place was as monotonous as a book of sermons .I went round finding eatable things and generally thinking; but I tell you i_was bored to death before_the first day was out . it shows my luck-- the very day I landed the weather changed .athunderstorm went by to_the north and flicked its wing over the island, and in_the night there came adrencher and ahowling wind slap over us . it wouldn't have taken much, you_know, to upset that canoe .

" i_was sleeping under the canoe, and_the egg was luckily among_the sand higher up the beach, and_the first thing I remember was a sound like a hundred pebbles hitting the boat at once, and a rush of water over my body .I'd been dreaming of Antananarivo, and I sat up and holloaed to Intoshi to ask her what the devil was up, and clawed out at_the chair where the matches used to_be . then I remembered where i_was . there were phosphorescent waves rolling up as if_they meant to eat me, and all the rest of_the night as black as pitch . the air was simply yelling . the clouds seemed down on_your head almost, and_the rain fell as_if heaven was sinking and_they were baling out the waters above the firmament . one great roller came writhing at me, like a fiery serpent, and I bolted . then i_thought of_the canoe, and ran down to_it as_the water went hissing back again; but the thing had gone .I wondered about_the egg then, and felt my way to_it . it_was all right and well out of reach of_the maddest waves, so I sat down beside it and cuddled it for company . lord ! what a night that was !

" the storm was over before_the morning . there wasn't a rag of cloud left in_the sky when_the dawn came, and all along the beach there were bits of plank scattered-- which_was the disarticulated skeleton, so to_speak, of_my canoe . however, that gave_me something to_do, for, taking advantage of two of_the trees being together, I rigged up a kind of storm- shelter with_these vestiges . and_that day the egg hatched .

" hatched, sir, when my head was pillowed on_it and i_was asleep .I heard a whack and felt a jar and sat up, and there_was the end of_the egg pecked out and a rum little brown head looking out at me .' lord ! ' I_said, ' you're welcome'; and with a little difficulty he_came out .

" he_was a nice friendly little chap at first, about_the size of a small hen-- very_much like most other young birds, only bigger . his plumage was a dirty brown to_begin with, with a sort of grey scab that fell off it very_soon, and scarcely feathers--a kind of downy hair . I_can hardly express how pleased i_was to_see him .I tell you, Robinson Crusoe don't make near enough of_his loneliness . but here was interesting company . he looked at me and winked his eye from_the front backwards, like ahen, and gave a chirp and began to peck about at once, as_though being hatched three hundred years too late was just nothing .' glad_to_see you, man Friday ! ' says I, for I had naturally settled he_was to_be called man Friday if ever he_was hatched, as_soon_as ever I_found the egg in_the canoe had developed . i_was a bit anxious about his feed, so I_gave him a lump of raw parrot- fish at once . he_took it, and opened his beak for more . i_was glad of_that for, under the circumstances, if he'd been at all fanciful, i_should_have had to eat him after all .

" you'd be surprised what an interesting bird that AEpyornis chick was . he followed me about from_the very beginning . he used to stand by me and watch while I fished in_the lagoon, and go shares in anything I caught . and he_was sensible, too . there were nasty green warty things, like pickled gherkins, used to lie about on_the beach, and he tried one_of_these and it upset him . he never even looked at any of_them again .

" and he grew . you_could almost see him grow . and as i_was never much of a society man, his quiet, friendly ways suited me to aT . for nearly two years we were as happy as we_could_be on_that island .I had no business worries, for I_knew my salary was mounting up at Dawsons' . we_would see a sail now_and_then, but nothing ever came near us .I amused myself, too, by decorating the island with designs worked in sea-urchins and fancy shells of various kinds .I put AEPYORNIS island all round the place very nearly, in big letters, like what you_see done with coloured stones at railway stations in_the old country, and mathematical calculations and drawings of various sorts . and I used to lie watching the blessed bird stalking round and growing, growing; and think how I_could make aliving out of him by showing him about if I ever got taken off . after his first moult he began to_get handsome, with a crest and a blue wattle, and alot of green feathers at_the behind of him . and then I used to puzzle whether Dawsons' had any right to claim him or not . stormy weather and in_the rainy season we lay snug under the shelter I had made out_of_the old canoe, and I used to_tell him lies about_my friends at home . and after a storm we_would go round the island together to_see if there_was any drift . it_was a kind of idyll, you_might say . if only I had had some tobacco it would_have_been simply just like heaven .

" it_was about_the end of_the second year our little paradise went wrong . Friday was then about fourteen feet high to_the bill of him, with a big, broad head like the end of apickaxe, and two huge brown eyes with yellow rims, set together like a man's-- not out of sight of each_other like ahen's . his plumage was fine-- none_of_the half-mourning style of your ostrich-- more like acassowary as far as colour and texture go . and then it_was he began to cock his comb at me and give himself airs, and show signs of a nasty temper .. .

" at last came a time when my fishing had_been rather unlucky, and he began to hang about me in a queer, meditative way . i_thought he_might_have_been eating sea-cucumbers or something, but it_was really just discontent on_his part . i_was hungry too, and when at last I landed a fish i_wanted it for_myself .Tempers were short that morning on both sides . he pecked at it and grabbed it, and I_gave him a whack on_the head to_make him leave go . and at_that he went for_me . lord ! .. .

" he_gave me this in_the face ." the man indicated his scar ." then he kicked me . it_was like acarthorse .I got up, and seeing he hadn't finished, I started off full tilt with my arms doubled up over my face . but he ran on those gawky legs of_his faster than aracehorse, and kept landing out at me with sledgehammer kicks, and bringing his pickaxe down on_the back of_my head . I_made for_the lagoon, and went in up_to my neck . he stopped at_the water, for he hated getting his feet wet, and began to_make ashindy, something like a peacock's, only hoarser . he started strutting up and down the beach .I'll admit I_felt small to_see this blessed fossil lording it there . and my head and face were all bleeding, and-- well, my body just one jelly of bruises .

"I decided to swim across the lagoon and leave him alone for a bit, until the affair blew over .I shinned up the tallest palm- tree, and sat there thinking of it all .I don't suppose I ever felt so hurt by anything before or since . it was_the brutal ingratitude of_the creature .I'd been more than a brother to him .I'd hatched him, educated him .a great gawky, out- of- date bird ! and me a human being-- heir of_the ages and all that .

" i_thought after a time he'd begin to_see things in_that light himself, and feel a little sorry for_his behaviour . i_thought if i_was to catch some nice little bits of fish, perhaps, and go to him presently in a casual kind of way, and offer them to him, he might do_the sensible thing . it took me some_time to learn how unforgiving and cantankerous an extinct bird can_be . malice !

"I won't tell you all the little devices I tried to_get that bird round again, I simply can't . it makes my cheek burn with shame even now to_think of_the snubs and buffets I had from_this infernal curiosity .I tried violence .I chucked lumps of coral at him from a safe distance, but he only swallowed them .I shied my open knife at him and almost lost it, though it_was too big for him to swallow .I tried starving him out and struck fishing, but he_took to picking along the beach at low water after worms, and rubbed along on_that . half my_time I spent up_to my neck in_the lagoon, and_the rest up the palm-trees . one_of_them was scarcely high enough, and when he caught me up it he had a regular bank holiday with_the calves of_my legs . it got unbearable .I don't know if_you_have ever tried sleeping up a palm- tree . it gave_me the most horrible nightmares . think of_the shame of it, too ! here was_this extinct animal mooning about_my island like a sulky duke, and me not allowed to rest the sole of_my foot on_the place .I used to cry with weariness and vexation . i_told him straight that I didn't mean to_be chased about a desert island by any damned anachronisms . i_told him to_go and peck a navigator of_his own age . but he only snapped his beak at me . great ugly bird, all legs and neck !

"I shouldn't like to_say how long that went on altogether .I'd have killed him sooner if I'd known how . however, I hit on a way of settling him at last . it_is a south American dodge .I joined all my fishing-lines together with stems of seaweed and things, and made astoutish string, perhaps twelve yards in length or more, and I fastened two lumps of coral rock to_the ends of_this . it took me some_time to_do, because every now_and_then I had to_go into_the lagoon or up a tree as_the fancy took me . this I whirled rapidly round my head, and then let it go at him . the first time I missed, but the next_time the string caught his legs beautifully, and wrapped round them again and again . over he went .I threw it standing waist- deep in_the lagoon, and as_soon_as he went down i_was out_of_the water and sawing at his neck with my knife .. .

"I don't like to_think of_that even now . I_felt like a murderer while I_did it, though my anger was hot against him . when I stood over him and saw him bleeding on_the white sand, and_his beautiful great legs and neck writhing in_his last agony .. .Pah !

" with_that tragedy loneliness came upon me like a curse . good lord ! you_can't imagine how I missed that bird .I sat by his corpse and sorrowed over him, and shivered as I looked round the desolate, silent reef . i_thought of what a jolly little bird he had_been when he_was hatched, and of a thousand pleasant tricks he had played before he went wrong . i_thought if I'd only wounded him I_might_have nursed him round into a better understanding . if I'd had any means of digging into_the coral rock I'd have buried him . I_felt exactly as_if he_was human . as it_was, I couldn't think of eating him, so I put him in_the lagoon, and_the little fishes picked him clean .I didn't even save the feathers . then one day achap cruising about in a yacht had a fancy to_see if_my atoll still existed .

" he didn't come a moment too soon, for i_was about sick enough of_the desolation of it, and only hesitating whether i_should walk out into_the sea and finish up the business that way, or fall back on_the green things .. .

"I sold the bones to a man named Winslow--a dealer near the British museum, and he_says he sold them to old Havers . it seems Havers didn't understand they were extra large, and it_was only after his death they attracted attention . they called 'em AEpyornis-- what_was it ? "

"_AEpyornis vastus_," said I ." it's funny, the very thing was mentioned to_me by a friend of_mine . when_they found an AEpyornis, with a thigh a yard long, they thought they had reached the top of_the scale, and called him AEpyornis maximus . then some one turned up another thigh- bone four feet six or more, and that_they called AEpyornis Titan . then your vastus was found after old Havers died, in_his collection, and then avastissimus turned up ."

" Winslow was telling me as_much," said the man with_the scar ." if_they get any more AEpyornises, he reckons some scientific swell will go and burst a blood- vessel . but it_was a queer thing to happen to a man; wasn't it-- altogether ? "

Section [1 | 2]