Cyrus Harding stood still, without saying a word. His companions searched
in the darkness on the wall, in case the wind should have moved the ladder,
and on the ground, thinking that it might have fallen down.... But the
ladder had quite disappeared. As to ascertaining if a squall had blown it
on the landing-place, half way up, that was impossible in the dark.
"If it is a joke," cried Pencroft, "it is a very stupid one! To come home
and find no staircase to go up to your room by--that's nothing for weary
men to laugh at."
Neb could do nothing but cry out "Oh! oh! oh!"
"I begin to think that very curious things happen in Lincoln Island!"
said Pencroft.
"Curious?" replied Gideon Spilett, "not at all, Pencroft, nothing can be
more natural. Some one has come during our absence, taken possession of our
dwelling and drawn up the ladder."
"Some one," cried the sailor. "But who?"
"Who but the hunter who fired the bullet?" replied the reporter.
"Well, if there is any one up there," replied Pencroft, who began to lose
patience, "I will give them a hail, and they must answer."
And in a stentorian voice the sailor gave a prolonged "Halloo!" which was
echoed again and again from the cliff and rocks.
The settlers listened and they thought they heard a sort of chuckling
laugh, of which they could not guess the origin. But no voice replied to
Pencroft, who in vain repeated his vigorous shouts.
There was something indeed in this to astonish the most apathetic of men,
and the settlers were not men of that description. In their situation every
incident had its importance, and, certainly, during the seven months which
they had spent on the island, they had not before met with anything of so
surprising a character.
Be that as it may, forgetting their fatigue in the singularity of the
event, they remained below Granite House, not knowing what to think, not
knowing what to do, questioning each other without any hope of a
satisfactory reply, every one starting some supposition each more unlikely
than the last. Neb bewailed himself, much disappointed at not being able to
get into his kitchen, for the provisions which they had had on their
expedition were exhausted, and they had no means of renewing them.
"My friends," at last said Cyrus Harding, "there is only one thing to be
done at present; wait for day, and then act according to circumstances. But
let us go to the Chimneys. There we shall be under shelter, and if we
cannot eat, we can at least sleep."
"But who is it that has played us this cool trick?" again asked Pencroft,
unable to make up his mind to retire from the spot.
Whoever it was, the only thing practicable was to do as the engineer
proposed, to go to the Chimneys and there wait for day. In the meanwhile
Top was ordered to mount guard below the windows of Granite House, and when
Top received an order he obeyed it without any questioning. The brave dog
therefore remained at the foot of the cliff while his master with his
companions sought a refuge among the rocks.
To say that the settlers, notwithstanding their fatigue, slept well on
the sandy floor of the Chimneys would not be true. It was not only that
they were extremely anxious to find out the cause of what had happened,
whether it was the result of an accident which would be discovered at the
return of day, or whether on the contrary it was the work of a human being;
but they also had very uncomfortable beds. That could not be helped,
however, for in some way or other at that moment their dwelling was
occupied, and they could not possibly enter it.
Now Granite House was more than their dwelling, it was their warehouse.
There were all the stores belonging to the colony, weapons, instruments,
tools, ammunition, provisions, etc. To think that all that might be
pillaged and that the settlers would have all their work to do over again,
fresh weapons and tools to make, was a serious matter. Their uneasiness led
one or other of them also to go out every few minutes to see if Top was
keeping good watch. Cyrus Harding alone waited with his habitual patience,
although his strong mind was exasperated at being confronted with such an
inexplicable fact, and he was provoked at himself for allowing a feeling to
which he could not give a name, to gain an influence over him. Gideon
Spilett shared his feelings in this respect, and the two conversed together
in whispers of the inexplicable circumstance which baffled even their
intelligence and experience.
"It is a joke," said Pencroft; "it is a trick some one has played us.
Well, I don't like such jokes, and the joker had better look out for
himself, if he falls into my hands, I can tell him."
As soon as the first gleam of light appeared in the east, the colonists,
suitably armed, repaired to the beach under Granite House. The rising sun
now shone on the cliff and they could see the windows, the shutters of
which were closed, through the curtains of foliage.
All here was in order; but a cry escaped the colonists when they saw that
the door, which they had closed on their departure, was now wide open.
Some one had entered Granite House--there could be no more doubt about
that.
The upper ladder, which generally hung from the door to the landing, was
in its place, but the lower ladder was drawn up and raised to the
threshold. It was evident that the intruders had wished to guard themselves
against a surprise.
Pencroft hailed again.
No reply.
"The beggars," exclaimed the sailor. "There they are sleeping quietly as
if they were in their own house. Hallo there, you pirates, brigands,
robbers, sons of John Bull!"
When Pencroft, being a Yankee, treated any one to the epithet of "son of
John Bull," he considered he had reached the last limits of insult.
The sun had now completely risen, and the whole facade of Granite House
became illuminated by its rays; but in the interior as well as on the
exterior all was quiet and calm.
The settlers asked if Granite House was inhabited or not, and yet the
position of the ladder was sufficient to show that it was; it was also
certain that the inhabitants, whoever they might be, had not been able to
escape. But how were they to be got at?
Herbert then thought of fastening a cord to an arrow, and shooting the
arrow so that it should pass between the first rounds of the ladder which
hung from the threshold. By means of the cord they would then be able to
draw down the ladder to the ground, and so re-establish the communication
between the beach and Granite House. There was evidently nothing else to be
done, and, with a little skill, this method might succeed. Very fortunately
bows and arrows had been left at the Chimneys, where they also found a
quantity of light hibiscus cord. Pencroft fastened this to a well-feathered
arrow. Then Herbert fixing it to his bow, took a careful aim for the lower
part of the ladder.
Cyrus Harding, Gideon Spilett, Pencroft, and Neb drew back, so as to see
if anything appeared at the windows. The reporter lifted his gun to his
shoulder and covered the door.
The bow was bent, the arrow flew, taking the cord with it, and passed
between the two last rounds.
The operation had succeeded.
Herbert immediately seized the end of the cord, but, at that moment when
he gave it a pull to bring down the ladder, an arm, thrust suddenly out
between the wall and the door, grasped it and dragged it inside Granite
House.
"The rascals!" shouted the sailor. "If a ball can do anything for you,
you shall not have long to wait for it.
"But who was it?" asked Neb.
"Who was it? Didn't you see?"
"No."
"It was a monkey, a sapajou, an orangoutang, a baboon, a gorilla, a
sagoin. Our dwelling has been invaded by monkeys, who climbed up the ladder
during our absence."
And, at this moment, as if to bear witness to the truth of the sailor's
words, two or three quadrumana showed themselves at the windows, from which
they had pushed back the shutters, and saluted the real proprietors of the
place with a thousand hideous grimaces.
"I knew that it was only a joke," cried Pencroft; "but one of the jokers
shall pay the penalty for the rest."
So saying, the sailor, raising his piece, took a rapid aim at one of the
monkeys and fired. All disappeared, except one who fell mortally wounded on
the beach. This monkey, which was of a large size, evidently belonged to
the first order of the quadrumana. Whether this was a chimpanzee, an
orangoutang, or a gorilla, he took rank among the anthropoid apes, who are
so called from their resemblance to the human race. However, Herbert
declared it to be an orangoutang.
"What a magnificent beast!" cried Neb.
"Magnificent, if you like," replied Pencroft; "but still I do not see how
we are to get into our house."
"Herbert is a good marksman," said the reporter, "and his bow is here. He
can try again."
"Why, these apes are so cunning," returned Pencroft; "they won't show
themselves again at the windows and so we can't kill them; and when I think
of the mischief they may do in the rooms and storehouse--"
"Have patience," replied Harding; "these creatures cannot keep us long at
bay."
"I shall not be sure of that till I see them down here," replied the
sailor. "And now, captain, do you know how many dozens of these fellows are
up there?"
It was difficult to reply to Pencroft, and as for the young boy making
another attempt, that was not easy; for the lower part of the ladder had
been drawn again into the door, and when another pull was given, the line
broke and the ladder remained firm. The case was really perplexing.
Pencroft stormed. There was a comic side to the situation, but he did not
think it funny at all. It was certain that the settlers would end by
reinstating themselves in their domicile and driving out the intruders, but
when and how? this is what they were not able to say.
Two hours passed, during which the apes took care not to show themselves,
but they were still there, and three or four times a nose or a paw was
poked out at the door or windows, and was immediately saluted by a gun-
shot.
"Let us hide ourselves," at last said the engineer. "Perhaps the apes
will think we have gone quite away and will show themselves again. Let
Spilett and Herbert conceal themselves behind those rocks and fire on all
that may appear."
The engineer's orders were obeyed, and while the reporter and the lad,
the best marksmen in the colony, posted themselves in a good position, but
out of the monkeys' sight, Neb, Pencroft, and Cyrus climbed the plateau and
entered the forest in order to kill some game, for it was now time for
breakfast and they had no provisions remaining.
In half an hour the hunters returned with a few rock pigeons, which they
roasted as well as they could. Not an ape had appeared. Gideon Spilett and
Herbert went to take their share of the breakfast, leaving Top to watch
under the windows. They then, having eaten, returned to their post.
Two hours later, their situation was in no degree improved. The
quadrumana gave no sign of existence, and it might have been supposed that
they had disappeared; but what seemed more probable was that, terrified by
the death of one of their companions, and frightened by the noise of the
firearms, they had retreated to the back part of the house or probably even
into the store-room. And when they thought of the valuables which this
storeroom contained, the patience so much recommended by the engineer, fast
changed into great irritation, and there certainly was room for it.
"Decidedly it is too bad," said the reporter; "and the worst of it is,
there is no way of putting an end to it."
"But we must drive these vagabonds out somehow," cried the sailor. "We
could soon get the better of them, even if there are twenty of the rascals;
but for that, we must meet them hand to hand. Come now, is there no way of
getting at them?"
"Let us try to enter Granite House by the old opening at the lake,"
replied the engineer.
"Oh!" shouted the sailor, "and I never thought of that."
This was in reality the only way by which to penetrate into Granite House
so as to fight with and drive out the intruders. The opening was, it is
true, closed up with a wall of cemented stones, which it would be necessary
to sacrifice, but that could easily be rebuilt. Fortunately, Cyrus Harding
had not as yet effected his project of hiding this opening by raising the
waters of the lake, for the operation would then have taken some time.
It was already past twelve o'clock, when the colonists, well armed and
provided with picks and spades, left the Chimneys, passed beneath the
windows of Granite House, after telling Top to remain at his post, and
began to ascend the left bank of the Mercy, so as to reach Prospect
Heights.
But they had not made fifty steps in this direction, when they heard the
dog barking furiously.
And all rushed down the bank again.
Arrived at the turning, they saw that the situation had changed.
In fact, the apes, seized with a sudden panic, from some unknown cause,
were trying to escape. Two or three ran and clambered from one window to
another with the agility of acrobats. They were not even trying to replace
the ladder, by which it would have been easy to descend; perhaps in their
terror they had forgotten this way of escape. The colonists, now being able
to take aim without difficulty, fired. Some, wounded or killed, fell back
into the rooms, uttering piercing cries. The rest, throwing themselves out,
were dashed to pieces in their fall, and in a few minutes, so far as they
knew, there was not a living quadrumana in Granite House.
At this moment the ladder was seen to slip over the threshold, then
unroll and fall to the ground.
"Hullo!" cried the sailor, "this is queer!"
"Very strange!" murmured the engineer, leaping first up the ladder.
"Take care, captain!" cried Pencroft, "perhaps there are still some of
these rascals.
"We shall soon see," replied the engineer, without stopping however.
All his companions followed him, and in a minute they had arrived at the
threshold. They searched everywhere. There was no one in the rooms nor in
the storehouse, which had been respected by the band of quadrumana.
"Well now, and the ladder," cried the sailor; "who can the gentleman have
been who sent us that down?"
But at that moment a cry was heard, and a great orang, who had hidden
himself in the passage, rushed into the room, pursued by Neb.
"Ah, the robber!" cried Pencroft.
And hatchet in hand, he was about to cleave the head of the animal, when
Cyrus Harding seized his arm, saying,--
"Spare him, Pencroft."
"Pardon this rascal?"
"Yes! it was he who threw us the ladder!"
And the engineer said this in such a peculiar voice that it was difficult
to know whether he spoke seriously or not.
Nevertheless, they threw themselves on the orang, who defended himself
gallantly, but was soon overpowered and bound.
"There!" said Pencroft. "And what shall we make of him, now we've got
him?"
"A servant!" replied Herbert.
The lad was not joking in saying this, for he knew how this intelligent
race could be turned to account.
The settlers then approached the ape and gazed at it attentively. He
belonged to the family of anthropoid apes, of which the facial angle is not
much inferior to that of the Australians and Hottentots. It was an
orangoutang, and as such, had neither the ferocity of the gorilla, nor the
stupidity of the baboon. It is to this family of the anthropoid apes that
so many characteristics belong which prove them to be possessed of an
almost human intelligence. Employed in houses, they can wait at table,
sweep rooms, brush clothes, clean boots, handle a knife, fork, and spoon
properly, and even drink wine,... doing everything as well as the best
servant that ever walked upon two legs. Buffon possessed one of these apes,
who served him for a long time as a faithful and zealous servant.
The one which had been seized in the hall of Granite House was a great
fellow, six feet high, with an admirably poportioned frame, a broad chest,
head of a moderate size, the facial angle reaching sixty-five degrees,
round skull, projecting nose, skin covered with soft glossy hair, in short,
a fine specimen of the anthropoids. His eyes, rather smaller than human
eyes, sparkled with intelligence; his white teeth glittered under his
mustache, and he wore a little curly brown beard.
"A handsome fellow!" said Pencroft; "if we only knew his language, we
could talk to him."
"But, master," said Neb, "are you serious? Are we going to take him as a
servant?"
"Yes, Neb," replied the engineer, smiling. "But you must not be jealous."
"And I hope he will make an excellent servant," added Herbert. "He
appears young, and will be easy to educate, and we shall not be obliged to
use force to subdue him, nor draw his teeth, as is sometimes done. He will
soon grow fond of his masters if they are kind to him."
"And they will be," replied Pencroft, who had forgotten all his rancor
against "the jokers."
Then, approaching the orang,--
"Well, old boy!" he asked, "how are you?"
The orang replied by a little grunt which did not show any anger.
"You wish to join the colony?" again asked the sailor. "You are going to
enter the service of Captain Cyrus Harding?"
Another respondent grunt was uttered by the ape.
"And you will be satisfied with no other wages than your food?"
Third affirmative grunt.
"This conversation is slightly monotonous," observed Gideon Spilett.
"So much the better," replied Pencroft; "the best servants are those who
talk the least. And then, no wages, do you hear, my boy? We will give you
no wages at first, but we will double them afterwards if we are pleased
with you."
Thus the colony was increased by a new member. As to his name the sailor
begged that in memory of another ape which he had known, he might be called
Jupiter, and Jup for short.
And so, without more ceremony, Master Jup was installed in Granite House.
