Aepyornis Island by H.G. Wells
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Aepyornis island

by H .G .Wells

the man with_the scarred face leant over the table and looked at my bundle .

"Orchids ? " he asked .

"A few," I_said .

"Cypripediums," he_said .

" chiefly," said I .

" anything new ? i_thought not . I_did these islands twenty-five-- twenty-seven years_ago . if_you find anything new here-- well, it's brand new .I didn't leave much ."

"I'm not a collector," said I .

" i_was young then," he went on ." lord ! how I used to fly round ." he_seemed to_take my measure ." i_was in_the east Indies two years, and in Brazil seven . then I went to Madagascar ."

" I_know a few explorers by name," I_said, anticipating a yarn ." whom did you collect for ? "

" Dawson's .I wonder if_you've heard the name of butcher ever ? "

" butcher-- butcher ? " the name seemed vaguely present in my memory; then I recalled butcher v . Dawson ." why ! " said I, " you_are the man who sued them for four years' salary-- got cast away on a desert island .. ."

" your servant," said the man with_the scar, bowing ." funny case, wasn't it ? here was me, making a little fortune on_that island, doing nothing for_it neither, and them quite unable to_give_me notice . it often used to amuse me thinking over it while i_was there . I_did calculations of it-- big-- all over the blessed atoll in ornamental figuring ."

" how did it happen ? " said I ."I don't rightly remember the case ."

" well .. . you've heard of_the AEpyornis ? "

" rather .Andrews was telling me of a new species he_was working on only a month or so ago . just before I sailed . they've got a thigh bone, it seems, nearly a yard long . monster the thing must_have been ! "

"I believe you," said the man with_the scar ." it_was a monster .Sindbad's roc was just a legend of 'em . but when did they find these bones ? "

" three or four years_ago--'91, I fancy . why ? "

" why ? because I_found them-- lord ! -- it's nearly twenty years_ago . if Dawson's hadn't been silly about_that salary they_might have_made a perfect ring in 'em .. .I couldn't help the infernal boat going adrift ."

he paused ."I suppose it's the same place .a kind of swamp about ninety miles north of Antananarivo . do_you happen to_know ? you_have to_go to_it along the coast by boats . you don't happen to remember, perhaps ? "

"I don't .I fancy Andrews said something about a swamp ."

" it must_be the same . it's on_the east coast . and somehow there's something in_the water that keeps things from decaying . like creosote it smells . it reminded me of Trinidad . did they get any more eggs ? some_of_the eggs I_found were a foot- and-a- half long . the swamp goes circling round, you_know, and cuts off this bit . it's mostly salt, too . well .. . what a time I had of it ! I_found the things quite by accident . we went for eggs, me and two native chaps, in one of_those rum canoes all tied together, and found the bones at_the same time . we had a tent and provisions for four days, and we pitched on one_of_the firmer places . to_think of it brings that odd tarry smell back even now . it's funny work . you go probing into_the mud with iron rods, you_know . usually the egg gets smashed .I wonder how long it_is since these AEpyornises really lived . the missionaries say the natives have legends about when_they were alive, but I never heard any such stories myself .[*] but certainly those eggs we got were as fresh as if_they had_been new laid . fresh ! Carrying them down to_the boat one of_my nigger chaps dropped one on a rock and it smashed . how I lammed into_the beggar ! but sweet it_was, as if_it_was new laid, not even smelly, and its mother dead these four hundred years, perhaps . said a centipede had bit him . however, I'm getting off the straight with_the story . it had taken us all day to dig into_the slush and get these eggs out unbroken, and we were all covered with beastly black mud, and naturally i_was cross . so_far as I_knew they were the only eggs that_have ever been got out not even cracked .I went afterwards to_see the ones they_have at_the natural history museum in London; all of_them were cracked and just stuck together like a mosaic, and bits missing . mine were perfect, and I meant to blow them when I got back . naturally i_was annoyed at_the silly duffer dropping three hours' work just on account of a centipede .I hit him about rather ."

[ footnote *: no European is known to_have seen a live AEpyornis, with_the doubtful exception of MacAndrew, who visited Madagascar in 1745 .--H .G .W .]

the man with_the scar took out a clay pipe .I placed my pouch before him . he filled up absent-mindedly .

" how about_the others ? did you get those home ? I don't remember--"

" that's the queer part of_the story .I had three others . perfectly fresh eggs . well, we put 'em in_the boat, and then I went up_to_the tent to_make some coffee, leaving my two heathens down by_the beach-- the one fooling about with_his sting and_the other helping him . it never occurred to_me that_the beggars would take advantage of_the peculiar position i_was in to pick a quarrel . but I suppose the centipede poison and_the kicking I had given him had upset the one-- he_was always a cantankerous sort-- and he persuaded the other .

"I remember i_was sitting and smoking and boiling up the water over a spirit- lamp business I used to_take on_these expeditions . incidentally i_was admiring the swamp under the sunset . all black and blood- red it_was, in streaks--a beautiful sight . and up beyond the land rose grey and hazy to_the hills, and_the sky behind them red, like a furnace mouth . and fifty yards behind the back of me was these blessed heathen-- quite regardless of_the tranquil air of things--plotting to cut off with_the boat and leave me all alone with three days' provisions and a canvas tent, and nothing to drink whatsoever beyond a little keg of water .I heard a kind of yelp behind me, and there they were in_this canoe affair-- it wasn't properly a boat-- and, perhaps, twenty yards from land .I realised what_was up in a moment . my gun was in_the tent, and, besides, I had no bullets-- only duck shot . they knew that . but I had a little revolver in my pocket, and I pulled that out as I ran down to_the beach .

"' come back ! ' says I, flourishing it .

" they jabbered something at me, and_the man that broke the egg jeered .I aimed at_the other-- because he_was unwounded and had the paddle, and I missed . they laughed . however, I wasn't beat . I_knew I had to_keep cool, and I tried him again and made him jump with_the whang of it . he didn't laugh that_time . the third time I got his head, and over he went, and_the paddle with_him . it_was a precious lucky shot for a revolver .I reckon it_was fifty yards . he went right under .I don't know if he_was shot, or simply stunned and drowned . then I began to shout to_the other chap to_come back, but he huddled up in_the canoe and refused to answer . so I fired out my revolver at him and never got near him .

" I_felt a precious fool, I_can tell you . there i_was on_this rotten, black beach, flat swamp all behind me, and_the flat sea, cold after_the sun set, and just this black canoe drifting steadily out to sea .I tell you I damned Dawson's and Jamrach's and Museums and all the rest of it just to rights .I bawled to_this nigger to_come back, until my voice went up into a scream .

" there_was nothing for_it but to swim after him and take my luck with_the sharks . so I opened my clasp- knife and put it in my mouth, and took off my clothes and waded in . as_soon_as i_was in_the water I lost sight of_the canoe, but I aimed, as I judged, to head it off .I hoped the man in it_was too bad to navigate it, and_that it would keep on drifting in_the same direction . presently it came up over the horizon again to_the south- westward about . the afterglow of sunset was well over now and_the dim of night creeping up . the stars were coming through_the blue .I swum like a champion, though my legs and arms were soon aching .

" however, I_came up_to him by_the_time the stars were fairly out . as it got darker I began to_see all manner of glowing things in_the water-- phosphorescence, you_know . at times it made me giddy .I hardly knew which_was stars and which_was phosphorescence, and whether i_was swimming on my head or my heels . the canoe was as black as sin, and_the ripple under the bows like liquid fire . i_was naturally chary of clambering up into_it . i_was anxious to_see what he_was up_to first . he_seemed to_be lying cuddled up in a lump in_the bows, and_the stern was all out of water . the thing kept turning round slowly as it drifted--- kind of waltzing, don't you_know .I went to_the stern and pulled it down, expecting him to wake up . then I began to clamber in with my knife in my hand, and ready for a rush . but he never stirred . so there I sat in_the stern of_the little canoe, drifting away over the calm phosphorescent sea, and with all the host of_the stars above me, waiting for something to happen .

" after a long_time I called him by name, but he never answered . i_was too tired to_take any risks by going along to him . so we sat there .I fancy I dozed once_or_twice . when_the dawn came I_saw he_was as dead as a doornail and all puffed up and purple . my three eggs and_the bones were lying in_the middle of_the canoe, and_the keg of water and some coffee and biscuits wrapped in a cape Argus by his feet, and a tin of methylated spirit underneath him . there_was no paddle, nor, in_fact, anything except the spirit- tin that I_could use as one, so I settled to drift until i_was picked up .I held an inquest on him, brought in a verdict against some snake, scorpion, or centipede unknown, and sent him overboard .

" after_that I had a drink of water and a few biscuits, and took a look round .I suppose a man low down as i_was don't see very far; leastways, Madagascar was clean out of sight, and any trace of land at all . I_saw a sail going south- westward-- looked like a schooner but her hull never came up . presently the sun got high in_the sky and began to beat down upon me . lord ! it pretty near made my brains boil .I tried dipping my head in_the sea, but after a while my eye fell on_the cape Argus_, and I lay down flat in_the canoe and spread this over me . wonderful things these newspapers ! I never read one through thoroughly before, but it's odd what you get up_to when_you're alone, as i_was .I suppose I_read that blessed old cape Argus twenty times . the pitch in_the canoe simply reeked with_the heat and rose up into big blisters .

"I drifted ten days," said the man with_the scar ." it's a little thing in_the telling, isn't it ? every day was like the last . except in_the morning and_the evening I never kept a look- out even-- the blaze was so infernal .I didn't see a sail after_the first three days, and those I_saw took no notice of me . about_the sixth night a ship went by scarcely half a mile away from me, with all its lights ablaze and its ports open, looking like a big firefly . there_was music aboard .I stood up and shouted and screamed at it . the second day I broached one_of_the AEpyornis eggs, scraped the shell away at_the end bit by bit, and tried it, and i_was glad to_find it_was good enough to eat .a bit flavoury-- not bad, I mean-- but with something of_the taste of a duck's egg . there_was a kind of circular patch, about six inches across, on one side of_the yoke, and with streaks of blood and a white mark like a ladder in_it that i_thought queer, but I_did_not understand what this meant at_the_time, and I wasn't inclined to_be particular . the egg lasted me three days, with biscuits and a drink of water .I chewed coffee berries too--invigorating stuff . the second egg I opened about_the eighth day, and it scared me ."

the man with_the scar paused ." yes," he_said, "developing ."

"I daresay you find it hard to_believe . I_did, with_the thing before me . there the egg had_been, sunk in_that cold black mud, perhaps three hundred years . but there_was no mistaking it . there_was the-- what_is it ? -- embryo, with its big head and curved back, and its heart beating under its throat, and_the yolk shrivelled up and great membranes spreading inside of_the shell and all over the yolk . here was I hatching out the eggs of_the biggest of all extinct birds, in a little canoe in_the midst of_the Indian ocean . if old Dawson had known that ! it_was worth four years' salary . what do_you_think ?

" however, I had to eat that precious thing up, every bit of it, before I sighted the reef, and some_of_the mouthfuls were beastly unpleasant .I left the third one alone .I held it up_to_the light, but the shell was too thick for_me to_get any notion of what might_be happening inside; and though I fancied I heard blood pulsing, it might_have_been the rustle in my own ears, like what you listen to in aseashell .

" then came the atoll . came out_of_the sunrise, as it were, suddenly, close up to_me .I drifted straight towards it until i_was about half a mile from shore, not more, and then the current took a turn, and I had to paddle as hard as I_could with my hands and bits of_the AEpyornis shell

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