Page:The Island of Doctor Moreau.djvu/147

Doctor Moreau explains. him the inhumanity of such a proceeding, aroused his sense of shame, and came home resolved to do better before I took my work back to England. I have been doing better. But somehow the things drift back again: the stubborn beast-flesh grows day by day back again. But I mean to do better things still. I mean to conquer that. This puma—

“But that‘s the story. All the Kanaka boys are dead now; one fell overboard of the launch, and one died of a wounded heel that he poisoned in some way with plant-juice. Three went away in the yacht, and I suppose and hope were drowned. The other one—was killed. Well, I have replaced them. Montgomery went on much as you are disposed to do at first, and then—”

“What became of the other one?” said I, sharply,—“the other Kanaka who was killed?”

“The fact is, after I had made a number of human creatures I made a Thing.” He hesitated.

“Yes,” said I.

“It was killed.” 141