Herland

e books full of notes, carefully copied records, firsthand descriptions, and the pictures-that's the worst loss. We had some bird's-eyes of the cities and p

it comes to women, and I never was good at descriptions anyhow. But it's got

r land-greedy expansionists, will take it upon themselves to push in. They will not

riends-Terry O. Nicholson (we used to call him the Old Nick

n spite of our differences we had a good deal

ere was nothing left to explore now, only patchwork and filling in, he said. He filled in well enough-he had a lot of t

e done the thing a

rsuaded him to be a doctor instead. He was a good one, for his age, but

to back that up with a lot of other scienc

him any time on biology, and I didn't care what it was they talked about, so

hat gave Jeff an excuse for dropping his just opening practice; they needed Terry's ex

nterland of a great river, up where the maps had to be made, savage

hat expedition. That was only

good many, and pick them up readily. What with that and a really good interpreter we

ts, with here and there an unexpected long spur running out from the big mountains beyond, I noticed tha

offer, but their legends all agreed on the main point-that there was

ny man to go there. But there were tales of long ago, when some brave inv

-but they never came back. It was no

laughed at them. Naturally I did myself. I k

re we all had to turn around and start for home again, as the

ain stream, or what we thought was the main stream. It had the s

to our last guide, a rather superi

er river-"over there, short riv

if I had understood, so I showed him a red

nd then to the southwestward. "

and interested in t

es he sa

old

azed up

how far

t journey; I judged abou

three. Maybe we can really find

Jeff suggested, w

efore night, we got away quietly, not wishing to be thought too gullible if we

esperate tangle of wood and water and a swampy patch we never should have found our way across alone. But ther

e circling forest looked quite low and dim across it. Our guide told

rted it for another half hour or so, the ground growing firmer as we advanced, and presently we turned the

said appraisingly. "May be hundreds of mil

d the cliffs. We heard running water before we reac

ertical cataract from an opening in the face of the cliff.

y announced. "Must come f

t at all surprised. He hunted about a little and showed us a quiet margin

ifying glass and squat

spot. Look to me like dyestuffs. Let's get

boiled beneath the falling water. Here we searched the border and found trace

l-woven fabric, with a pattern, and of a clear scarlet that the water

y on the bank, well ple

n," he told us, and pulled from his po

inting to the cataract.

urther information. He could tell us only what the others had-a land of women-no men-ba

up the waterfall on the spot. But the guide would not hear of going up, even if there had been a

y if we told th

our find. Let's not tell those cocky old professors. Let's go on home w

ttractive to a bunch of unattached young men in finding

dn't believe th

I announced, examining those rags with great care. "Somewh

vilization, Van. There couldn't be

ople know anything about that, and it's been minding its own business for a thousand years. Then there'

h care and privacy on the voyage home. We discussed it after that,

to beg and advertise for years to start the thing, and then it wou

pecially-made big motorboat aboard, and tuck in a "dissembled" b

supplies. His previous experience stood him in goo

motorboat, just the three of us and a pilot; then drop the pilot when we got to that l

t wide shallow lake. It had a special covering of fit

t," Terry explained proudly. "We'll start our flier fro

ck," I suggest

ies will eat yo

w," drawled Jeff. "There may be a contingent o

if you don't want to,"

junction to stop me!" Both Je

ferences of opinion

s, we could loll and loaf in our deck chairs and talk and talk-there was nothin

t stays," Terry planned. "If we don't come back in

urged. "If the ladies do ea

easy enough, and I've made a sort of cha

will they get

st up there, they will follow somehow-to say nothing of the glittering

nd the airships rise like a swarm of mosquitoes." I laughed as I thought of it. "We've

. "This is our party. We're g

th it when you do find it-if

-if there was one-was just blossoming with roses and ba

l, Terry was popular among women even when there were other men around, and it's not to be wondered at that he had pleasant dreams of what might

form a far clearer idea of what

hat's all. The men have a separate cult of their own, less socially developed than the women, and make them an annual visit-a sort of wedding call. This is a condition known t

the boys?"

away as soon as they ar

nger theory all our gu

. Women of that stage of culture are quite able to defend

ed and

iological superiority I was

t a country of women would be like. It was no use to tell ourselves and one another that all this wa

ty," we'd begin solemnly,

insisted. "Women always do. We mustn't look

t will be like a nunnery under an abbe

derision a

and under vows of obedience. These are just women, and mothers,

"Also we mustn't look for inventions an

t cloth mill?"

ays been spinsters. But th

mpression that he would be warmly

d play one bunch against another. I'll get myself elected k

at deal?" I demanded. "Are

revolution-probably would. No, you'll have to be beheaded,

Jeff. "No husky black slaves and mamelukes! And

the peace between them. Jeff idealized women in the best Southern style. He was full o

ery much so, generous and brave and clever; but I don't think any of us in college days was quite pleased to have him with our sisters. We we

ther, or, of course, the fair relatives of his friends, Terry's idea seemed to b

sant sometimes to se

on his womenfolks. I held a middle ground, highly scientific, of course,

"advanced" on the woman q

d, and after an interminable journey,

oking along that side till we came to it,

with that high gray promontory running out toward us, and the str

l and seeking a possible footway up, but the marshy jung

ssed the pl

No, sir-we've got to take our chances. If we get back safe-all right. If we don't, why, we

the camera, of course; the glasses; a supply of concentrated food. Our pockets were magazines

up at first, to get "the lay o

rose steeply. It ran back on either side, apparently, to the far-off

ack here for more gasoline. With your tremendous speed we can reach that range and b

agreed. "I'll put off being kin

ose by, ran up one side of the triangle at our best speed, crossed over the

tell the size fairly by our speed. And from what we could see of the sides-and that icy ridge

too fast to see much. It appeared to be well forested about the edges, but in the

d. It looked-well, it looked like any

early enough next day, and again we rose softly up the height till we c

t's wonderful what a little height will do for te

ed. Our instruments measured it clearly. We had not

ll it," Terry pursued. "Now for t

nd how much was supplemented by our later knowledge, but we could not help seeing this much, even on that excited day-a land in a state of perfect cultivat

ggested, but Terry was silent.

ive architecture, to the ordered beauty of the little town. We had our glasses out; e

ift-running light figures, crowds of them. We stared and stared until it was almost too late t

d Terry, af

and children," Jef

a CIVILIZED country!" I pr

men," said Terry. "Co

ion that we examine the country furthe

e insisted, and it was an excellent one-a wide, flat-topped rock

ambled with the utmost difficulty down to safer footing.

it was unw

t our swooping airship and trusted ourselves to mere foot service. But we were three young men. We had been ta

upturned, crowding faces, though some were terrified

shing forward. "Oh, come o