I was then able to proceed to the top, and was soon within a great nest,
such as my father had described. In the bottom thereof was a very black
object, which, upon closer examination, had somewhat the appearance of a
flattened egg—flattened longitudinally. Upon still closer examination,
the resemblance to a human head of gigantic size became so striking as
to lead me to believe the body of a man was beneath, the top of his head
merely projecting, and what I had supposed was a nest was in reality a
sort of head gear.
However, by placing my hand beside it, I found I could lift it quite
readily, and there was no man under it or attached to it. Then I saw the
similarity in appearance to a human brain with greater clearness. By
shaking it I discovered no indication of any contents. It was also very
hard to the touch, so much so I failed to make an indentation in it with
anything I had at hand.
It was so large I could barely encompass it with both arms as I prepared
to remove it to the ground. How I was to get down with it I could not
for a moment imagine. As I stood upon the edge of the nest trying to
decide the manner of my descent it slipped from my hands and fell with
great force upon a rock.
When my audience beheld me with that thing in my arms they stood up with
such precision of movement it seemed they were all fastened together and
worked by one electrical button, and when it dropped those nearest ran
backward with such force they were piled ten or fifteen deep before they
could get very far.
I at once descended and grasped my prize which I examined minutely and
discovered there were open seams in it just as there are in the skull of
a man, and with very little difficulty I soon had the skull removed—for
such it now proved to be, and I had laying in my lap what was in reality
a mammoth brain.
Some peculiarity about it tempted me to examine it critically, which I
did with the eye-piece of my telescope.
Judge of my surprise if you can when I beheld upon each prominence of
this brain a picture of good size (thanks to my microscope) and I was
deeply absorbed in studying them.
As I moved the glass about I seemed conscious of hearing something which
I soon found to be but the undulations of light on the part of the brain
I was then scrutinizing. I finally concluded that what I really heard
were messages from that brain to somebody; but, if so, were in a tongue
unknown to me, though I confess to being somewhat of a linguist. It
certainly was a very dead tongue as it was a very dead brain.
On looking up I beheld before me one who was, as I afterward learned,
the shiek of this tribe which surrounded me. I motioned to him to sit
beside me, and, holding the glass where I had had it, indicated to him
my desire that he should look through it.
He gazed so long and was so excited I began to fear he would absorb the
whole thing, and, impelled by that fear, I exclaimed: “When!”
This startled him somewhat, for he jumped back in surprise.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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