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