"
And he jerked his thumb toward the cliffs. "It would take weeks,
possibly months, to construct a ladder to the top. I had no
conception of their formidable height. Our mortar would not carry
a line halfway to the crest of the lowest point. There is no use
discussing any plan other than the hydro-aeroplane. We'll find
the beach and get busy."
Late the following morning the lookout announced that he could
discern surf about a mile ahead; and as we approached, we all saw
the line of breakers broken by a long sweep of rolling surf upon
a narrow beach. The launch was lowered, and five of us made a
landing, getting a good ducking in the ice-cold waters in the doing
of it; but we were rewarded by the finding of the clean-picked
bones of what might have been the skeleton of a high order of ape
or a very low order of man, lying close to the base of the cliff.
Billings was satisfied, as were the rest of us, that this was the
beach mentioned by Bowen, and we further found that there was ample
room to assemble the sea-plane.
Billings, having arrived at a decision, lost no time in acting,
with the result that before mid-afternoon we had landed all the
large boxes marked "H" upon the beach, and were busily engaged in
opening them. Two days later the plane was assembled and tuned.
We loaded tackles and ropes, water, food and ammunition in it, and
then we each implored Billings to let us be the one to accompany
him.
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