Thus speaking, Edmund boldly approached the groveling row, and pushed
with his foot the furry body of the one he had shot. The bullet had gone
through his head. At Edmund's approach the creatures sank lower on the
rocky floor, and those nearest him turned up their moon eyes with an
expression of submission and supplication that was grotesque. He motioned
us to join him and, imitating him, we began to pat and smooth the
shrinking bodies until, understanding that we would not hurt them, they
gradually acquired confidence.

In the meantime the crowd in the cavern increased, others coming in
through side passages, and exhibiting the utmost astonishment at the
spectacle which greeted them. It was clear that those who had taken part
in the opening scene imparted to the newcomers a knowledge of the
situation of affairs, and we could see that our prestige was thoroughly
established. It remained to utilize our advantage, and we looked to
Edmund to show how it should be done. He was equal to the undertaking,
but I shall not trouble you with the details of his diplomacy. Let it
suffice to say that by a combination of gentleness and firmness he
quickly reduced almost the entire population of the caverns (for, as we
afterwards discovered, there were a dozen or more of these underground
dwellings connected by horizontal passages through the rocks) into
subjection to his will. I say "almost," because, as you will see in a
little while, there were certain members of this extraordinary community
who possessed a spirit of independence too strong to be so easily
subdued.

As we became better acquainted with the cave dwellers we found that they
were by no means as savage as they looked. Their appearance was certainly
grotesque, and even unaccountable. Why, for instance, should their heads
have been covered with coarse black disordered hair while their bodies,