The Lost World Audiobook - Chapter 3 - By Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - Read by Dr James Gill

hello everybody hope you've all having a good week at the moment you'll have to excuse me of just coming from work I've got changed abdill hello appears we have a visitor as ever you know coming let's head back to the lost world we're finally going to get the opportunity to meet you professor challenger so if you're sitting comfortably we'll begin with chapter 3 of the lost world [Music] he's a perfectly impossible person my friends fear or hope was not destined to be realized when I called on Wednesday there was a letter with the West Kensington postmark on it and my name scrawled across the envelope in a handwriting which looked like barbed wire railing the contents were as follows and moorpark w sir i have duly received your note would you claim to endorse my views although i am not aware that they are dependent on endorsement either from you or anyone else you have ventured to use the word speculation with regard to my statement on the subject of Darwinism and I will call to your attention the fact that such a word in such a context is offensive to a degree the context convinces me however that you've sinned rather through ignorance in tactlessness than through malice so I am content to pass the mat and buy you'll quote an isolated sentence from my lecture and appear to have some difficulty in understanding it you should have thought that only a subhuman intelligence could have failed to grasp the point but if it really needs amplification I shall consent to see you at the hour named although visits and visitors of every sort are exceedingly distasteful to me as to your suggestion that I may modify my opinion I would have you know it is not my habit to do so after a deliberate expression of my mature views he will kindly show this envelope to my man Austin when you call as he has to take every precaution to shield me from intrusive Rascals who call themselves journalists yours faithfully George Edward Challenger this was the letter I read aloud to tarp Henry who'd come down early to hear the result of my venture his only remark was there's some new stuff a couturier or something it's much better than arnica some people have extraordinary notions of humor it was nearly half-past ten before I received my message but a taxi cab took me around in good time for my appointment it was an imposing porticoed house at which we stopped and the heavily curtain windows give every indication of wealth upon the part of this formidable professor the door was opened by an odd swarthy dried-up person of undetermined age with a dark pilot jacket and brown leather gaiters I found afterwards that he was the chauffeur who filled in gaps left by a succession of fugitive Butler's he looked me up and down with a searching light blue I expected he asked gone appointment got your letter so I produce the envelope right he seemed to be a person of few words following down the passage I was suddenly interrupted by a small woman who stepped out from what proved to be the dining-room door she was bright vivacious a dark eyed lady who appeared more French than English to her type one moment she said you could wait often step in here sir may I ask have you met my husband before that no I I haven't had the honor then I apologize to you in advance I must tell you that he is perfectly impossible absolutely impossible if you are forewarned you will be more ready to make allowances that that's most considerate of you Madame get quickly out of the room if he seems inclined to be violent don't wait to argue with him several people have been injured doing that afterwards there was a public scandal and it reflects on me and all of us I suppose it wasn't about South America you wanted to see him I couldn't not lie to a lady dear me this isn't his most dangerous subject you wouldn't believe a word he says I'm sure I don't wonder but don't tell him so for it makes him very violent pretend to believe him and you may get through all right remember he believes it himself of that you can be assured a more honest man there has never lived don't wait any longer or he may suspect now if you find him dangerous really dangerous ring the bell and hold him off until I come even at its worst I can usually control him with these encouraging words the lady hand me over to the test urn Austin who had been waiting like a bronze statue of discretion during our short interview I was conducted to the end of the passage there was a tap at the door a bull's bellow from within and then I was face-to-face with the professor he sat in a rotating chair behind a broad table which was covered with books maps and diagrams as I entered his seat spun round to face me his appearance made me gasp I was prepared for something strange but not so overpowering a personality as this it was his size that took one's breath away his size and imposing presence his head was enormous the largest I've ever seen on a human being I'm sure that should I have had ever ventured to Don his top hat it would slipped over me entirely and rested on my shoulders he had a face and beard which I would associate with an Assyrian bull the former florid and the latter so black as to almost have a suspicion of blue spade-shaped and rippling down over his chest the hair was peculiar Placid down in front and a long curving wisp over his massive forehead his eyes were blue gray under great black Tufts very clear very critical and a very masterful a huge spread of shoulders and a chest like a barrel other parts of him which appeared above the table savor his two enormous hands covered by long black hair this a bellowing roaring rumbling voice made up my first impression of the notorious Professor challenger well he said in a most insolent manner what now I must keep up the deception for at least a little longer otherwise he was evidently the end to the interview you were good enough to give me an appointment sir I said humbly producing his envelope he took my letter from his desk and laid it out before him oh you were the young person who cannot understand plain English are you my general conclusions you are good enough to approve as I understand entirely certain entirely i was very empathetic dear me that strengthens my position very much does it not your age and appearance make your support doubly valuable though well at least you're better than that herd of swine in Vienna whose gregarious grunt is however not more offensive than isolated effort of the British hog he glared at me as the present representative of the Beast they seem to have behaved abominably said I I assure you I can fight my own battles and I have no possible need of your sympathy put me sir alone with my back against the wall gec is happiest then well sir let us do what we can to curtail this visit which be hardly agreeable to you and is expressible perks and to me you had as I've been led to believe some comments to make upon the proposition with a giant vanston my thesis there was a brutal directness about his methods which made evasion difficult I must still make play and wait for a better opening it seemed simple enough at a distance oh my Irish wits could they not help me now when I so need them so sorely it transfixed me with two sharp steely eyes come come in rumbled I am of course a mere student I said with a facetious smile hardly more than a might says an earnest Enquirer at the same time it would seem to me that you were a little severe upon Weissman in the matter has not lived general evidence since that date tended to well strengthen his position what evidence he spoke with the menacing grin well of course I'm aware that there is not what you might call definitive evidence although like merely allude to the trend of modern thought in the general scientific point of view if I might so express it he leaned forward with great earnestness I suppose you're aware he said checking off points on his fingers that the cranial index is a constant factor naturally said I and the telogen II as a sub justice undoubtedly and that the germ plasm is different from the pathogenic egg white watch surely absolutely I cried and gloried in my own audacity but what does that prove he asked with a gently persuasive voice I indeed does it prove shall I tell you he could pray do it proves he said with a sudden blast of fury that you're the damnest impostor in London a vile crawling journalist who's no more science than he has decency in his composition he'd sprung to his feet in a mad rage in his eyes even at the moment of tension I found time for amazement at the discovery he was quite a short man his head was not higher than my shoulder a stunted Hercules whose tremendous vitality it all run to depth breath and brain gibberish he cried leaning forward with his fingers on the table and his face projecting that is what I've been talking to you sir scientific gibberish did you think you could match cunning with me you with your walnut of a brain you think you're omnipotent you infernal scribblers don't you that your praise can make a man or your blame can break him we must all bow to you and try to get a favored word must we this man shall have a leg up and this man shall have a dressing-down creeping vermin I know you you've got out of your station time was when your ears were clipped you've lost your sense of proportion swollen gas bags I'll keep you in your proper place sir yes sir you've not got it over GEC here's one man who's still your master he warned you off but you will still come by Jove you do it at your own risk forfeit my good Malone I call him forfeit you played a rather dangerous game and it strikes me that you have lost it look here I said backing back to the door and opening it you can pierce abusiveness you like but there's a limit you shall not assault me shall I not he was slowly advancing in a peculiarly menacing way but he stopped now and put his big hands on the side pockets of a rather boyish short jacket which he wore I've thrown several of you out of the house you will be the fourth or the fifth 315 pounds each that is how it a ver egde expensive but very necessary now sir would you not follow your brethren I brother think you must he resumed his unpleasant and steady advance pointing his toes as he walked like a dancing master I would have bolted for the hall door but it would have been to economists besides a little claw of righteous anger was springing up within me I'd been hopelessly wrong before but this man's menaces were putting me in the right I'll trouble you have to keep your hands off me sir I'll not stand it dear me it's black mustache and White Fang twinkling sneer you won't stand it eh don't be such full professor I cried what can you hope for I'm I'm 15 stone and hard as nails I play centre three-quarter every Saturday for the London Irish I I'm not the man it was at that moment he rushed me I was lucky there's an open the door all good both come through we did a cartwheel together down the passage somehow we gathered up a chair upon our way and bounded on with it towards the street my mouth was full of his beard our arms were locked and our bodies intertwined and the infernal chair radiated its legs all around us the watchful Austin had thrown open the door we went through it with a back somersault down the front steps I've seen the two Macs attempt something of the kind in the halls but it a bit takes practice to do it without hurting himself the chair went to matchwood at the bottom and we rolled a part into the gutter he sprang to his feet waving his fists and wheezing like an asthmatic had enough he panted you infernal bully I cried as I gathered myself together then and there we should have tried to the thing out for he was effervescing was fight but fortunately I was rescued from an odious situation as a policeman was beside us his notebook in his hand was all this you oughta be ashamed said the policeman it was the most rational remark I'd heard in em more part well he insisted turning to me was he then that this man attacked me I said did you attack him asked the policeman the professor breathed hard and said nothing it's not the first time either said the policeman severely shaking his head you in trouble last month for the same thing if blacken this young man's I do give him charge sir I relented no I said I did not water that said the policeman I was to blame myself I ain't rude upon him he did give fair warning the policeman snapped up his notebook now let us have no more such going on he said now then move on move on he said this to a butcher's boy I made and one or two loafers who had collected to observe the scene he clumped heavily down the street driving this little flock before him the professor looked at me then there's something humorous at the back of his eyes come in he said I've not done with you yet the speech had a sinister sound but I followed him nevertheless into the house the manservant Austin like a wooden image closed the door behind us end of chapter 3 well I hope you've enjoyed that um can I ask a favor of yourselves um obviously I'm reading this more for my nephew Harrison and I'm sort of messing around with the voices of Professor challenger encode in my head I've always imagined professor challenger's essentially Brian blessed and yeah I I'm messing around with these voices but how do you guys feel this is would you prefer me just to read this straight or you know how would carry on as it is I'm also gonna ask Harrison and his mum see what they think but I'm always interested in opinions from a wide range of people so I'll say good evening and hope you guys have a pleasant evening please also make sure you subscribe and like this video and we'll see you on the next chapter take care [Music] you