future were strict vegetarians, and while I was with them, in spite

of some carnal cravings, I had to be frugivorous also. Indeed, I

found afterwards that horses, cattle, sheep, dogs, had followed the

Ichthyosaurus into extinction. But the fruits were very delightful;

one, in particular, that seemed to be in season all the time I was

there--a floury thing in a three-sided husk--was especially good,

and I made it my staple. At first I was puzzled by all these strange

fruits, and by the strange flowers I saw, but later I began to

perceive their import.

'However, I am telling you of my fruit dinner in the distant future

now. So soon as my appetite was a little checked, I determined to

make a resolute attempt to learn the speech of these new men of

mine. Clearly that was the next thing to do. The fruits seemed a

convenient thing to begin upon, and holding one of these up I began

a series of interrogative sounds and gestures. I had some

considerable difficulty in conveying my meaning. At first my efforts

met with a stare of surprise or inextinguishable laughter, but

presently a fair-haired little creature seemed to grasp my intention

and repeated a name. They had to chatter and explain the business

at great length to each other, and my first attempts to make the

exquisite little sounds of their language caused an immense amount

of amusement. However, I felt like a schoolmaster amidst children,

and persisted, and presently I had a score of noun substantives at

least at my command; and then I got to demonstrative pronouns, and

even the verb "to eat." But it was slow work, and the little people

The Time Machine