In Search of Goliathus Hercules

by Jennifer Angus

  As Goliathus hercules moved forward, they suddenly found the ground beneath their feet alive and slithering. Like ropes bursting from the ground, millions of millipedes entwined their bodies around the legs of Goliathus hercules, causing them at first to stumble and then crash to the ground as they found their legs tied up in elaborate knots. The warrior insects bellowed in frustration, tossing and turning to no avail. Goliathus hercules was adapted to fight other creatures head on, but they did not have the flexibility to reach under their own feet.

  “Trickery! Cowardice!” yelled the Old One as he lay on the ground bound by millipede bodies.

  Henri chanced a quick glance toward the felled creature. “Well done, Robin! We’re not fighting them, merely detaining them!”

  “Piece of cake!” she called back. Though of course it hadn’t been easy to learn millipede language and then corral them to one place so that thousands were at the ready.

  Henri returned his gaze to the sky, for at that moment he heard the high-pitched squeals of bats. Thousands of bats approaching! “Bees! Begin evasive maneuvers!” he shouted in insect.

  From the trees surrounding the clearing rose three swarms of tropical honey bees. The dull roar of their buzz was enough to give Henri goose bumps, despite the fact that he knew they were on his side. For a moment a cloud of bees obscured the moon and then the swarms began flying in formation, back and forth, swooping high and low, and effectively blocking entrance into the clearing. Henri heard the whoosh of fluttering wings as the bats were forced to land upon the surrounding trees. They dared not enter the clearing, for every creature of the forest knows not to challenge the wrath of a swarm of angry bees.

  Yet, no sooner had the bats landed in the trees than they were forced into the air again. The clearing echoed with their wounded screeches. Henri glanced at Robin and said, “I think your centipede army has attacked.”

  “Yes, I expect the bats won’t know what has hit them since these centipedes are usually only found in caves.”

  So far they had the advantage. In the bright moonlight it was easy to see that the bats were in disarray, flying aimlessly above the clearing.

  But then a flash of silver caught his eye, and emerging from the bush into the clearing stood a tall figure, draped in black, holding a machete in one hand, a gilt cage in the other, and a coil of rope over one shoulder.

  Agatha Black! Like a bear to honey, she had come. Though she wore a veil of black mosquito netting over her head, Henri still saw the corners of her mouth break into the smile that haunted his dreams.

  “Stop! Don’t you come any farther, you old hag! We’ve got you surrounded!” yelled Henri.

  “Well, well, well! How very frightening!” said Mrs. Black, but her voice betrayed not the slightest quiver. She continued to walk slowly toward them, protected from the whiny pitch and bloodthirsty bites of his mosquito force by her veil. “Come now. Did you really think a few bees and some pesky mosquitoes would put me off?”

  Then she uttered a high-pitched screech that broke the monotonous heavy drone of the bees. Above, the bats circled three times, returning to formation and swooping into the clearing. They took aim at both Henri and Robin, forcing them to shield themselves with their hands. The force of the bat’s bodies caused little pain, but their sharp claws left scratches and cuts. Robin was particularly bloodied, but she did not cry out in pain. The knot in Henri’s stomach tightened. He felt like vomiting. Why now? When he had faced his nemesis before, his rage was so great that he had forgotten his fear. Again he took deep breaths trying to master his nerves.

  Through his fingers, Henri kept his eyes on the approaching Mrs. Black. She was within twenty feet of them. It was time to call in the reinforcements! He barked out his next command.

  “Billy, begin firing! Wasps! Attack now. Sting at will!”

  Smaller than the bees, the wasps were fast fliers. They quickly landed upon the flying bats, stung, and left before the bat even felt the first twinge of pain. But pain they did feel, a sharp burning throb that a few seconds later turned to painful stiffness. Some of the stung bats swooped to land upon the nearest trees but quickly discovered their mistake when they felt the grasp of the giant centipedes’ jaws.

  Billy was delighted to enter the fray with his peashooter. In rapid succession, he launched the colorful but potent Rosary Peas into the air. The bats, thinking the peas were small insects caught in the crossfire, opened their mouths and gulped them whole. In less than a minute, the unfortunate bats were seized with spasms and dropped, stricken, to the forest floor. Henri knew it took all of Billy’s self-control not to cheer each time he heard a bat thud to the ground.

  As for Agatha Black, Henri had not anticipated the heavy veil that protected her head and face. As always she wore her stiff black dress and gloves, despite the tropical heat. The fabric was impenetrable to the wasps’ stings. Now they congregated en masse on the veil, buzzing, looking for a way in. With an evil chuckle, Mrs. Black lit something within the gilt cage she held that gave off a noxious-smelling, thick black smoke. She waved the cage about like an incense bearer, filling the air with choking, eye-stinging smoke. In short order, the wasps were forced to retreat, and again a high, piercing shriek broke the night.

  Suddenly the bats seemed to become more and more numerous, and it was clear that this time, Mrs. Black would not make the same mistakes.

  “Robin!” screamed Henri. “Look out!”

  There was a new contingent of bats now—huge fruit bats!—and Henri pointed as one of the largest bats hurtled toward them. As they braced themselves for impact, the bat tilted its wings at the last moment, craftily gliding to their left low over the ground. In a horrified instant, Henri realized what would happen.

  Seeing the struggling leader of Goliathus hercules bound by the millipedes, the enormous fruit bat did not hesitate. It plucked the frantic creature from the ground and quickly flew high up and away!

  “Robin, they can’t defend themselves! Call off the millipedes. We have to let Goliathus hercules fight.”

  As Robin commanded the millipedes to loosen their grip, Henri called out to his friend Art and his family of moths. Instantly they appeared, looking entirely out of place on the battlefield. There is something about fragile, winged creatures that suggests serenity and perhaps a summer day’s picnic.

  “Art, follow the fruit bat! Try to distract him. We must rescue the leader of Goliathus hercules. Hurry!” Henri directed.

  “Aye, aye, sir.” And with that, the moths flitted away as quickly as they had appeared.

  Henri had momentarily forgotten Mrs. Black, and now, as he turned back toward her, he was horrified to see that she was gone.

  What? Quickly turning right and left, he could see nothing! The bats were no longer attacking and had disappeared too.

  “Mrs. Black! Where did she go?”

  Startled, Robin turned to where Mrs. Black had stood a moment ago. Dumbfounded, she stuttered, “It’s…it’s impossible. C-careful, Henri. Maybe you should get everyone to hold their positions?”

  “Cease fire! Remain alert!” Henri commanded, and suddenly the forest was still in a way it had never been before. Henri realized they had all been distracted by the huge bats, the newest recruits in Mrs. Black’s army. In that moment of inattention, she had vanished.

  Robin and Henri moved so that they stood back to back. Henri’s piercing eyes searched. His antennae felt the air. There was a slight scent of sulfur upon the breeze. He tried to pinpoint the location.

  “She’s here,” said Henri. “It wouldn’t be her style to just leave. She’ll want to prolong and enjoy the moment. She’ll want to make me suffer!”

  “Sir!”

  Henri jumped. Art and the squadron of moths had returned. “Sorry, sir!” said Art. “Tried to distract the bat, but we just couldn’t fool him! The leader…he’s dead. Drowned, sir. The bat dropped him in low over the river. Didn’t have a chance to get his wings open before he hit the water…current carried him a
way.” In the silence of the clearing, Art’s words carried to all the insects hidden in the trees and brush. A short distance from Henri and Robin, a wail mixed with anger and sorrow arose from the assembled swarm of Goliathus hercules. In a moment, though, there was a frightening clicking sound as if a thousand pairs of scissors snipped at the air. It was the warrior insects gnashing their sharp pincers. Defiant whoops and war cries filled the air.

  “He shall be avenged! We fight in his name! Forward!”

  But above all the noise, one voice arose louder and clearer than the others.

  “Brothers! Brothers! Stop! Just for one moment!”

  Goliathus hercules became quieter, although there was still some muttering. Henri spotted the speaker, a large and shiny specimen.

  “We will avenge our leader and show our might, but it is clear we are dealing with a new enemy. I know that I am new to your ranks, but consider for a moment. This creature, the tall black two-leg, is in league with the bats. We cannot win against such deviousness.”

  Cries of “coward” and “go home” greeted this pronouncement.

  Again the New One spoke out.

  “I am no coward and I am no fool! I fight for victory! The only way we will win here tonight is to ally ourselves with Serangga-orang and the rest of the insect kingdom. It is the only way, brothers!”

  There was much muttering as Goliathus hercules considered the notion. Henri took the opportunity to say, “He is right. Join us and we will double our strength to defeat our mutual enemy. We will win!”

  At that moment Henri knew that the one thing that mattered to him more than anything else was defeating and capturing Agatha Black.

  He could not succeed in finding his father because he must be dead—after all, he had not returned to the village to reclaim his photographs. As to Goliathus hercules, if he could actually convince one of them to return to England with him, that would be a consolation at least. But right now, Henri was consumed with a hatred so great it coursed through his entire being. His stomach was on fire. The nausea had disappeared, replaced by burning, fiery anger. His body tingled with nerves, excitement, and a kind of abandon that was a combination of courage, rage, and wildness.

  Henri’s thoughts were interrupted by shrill cries from above. He and Robin looked up. Bats! They filled the sky again and circled like vultures high over the clearing.

  And then—whack! In that moment, as they looked to the sky, Henri felt the air forced out of him. Something tightened around his waist. With a jerk, Henri and Robin fell to the ground, bound by a rope. They were captured, and towering over them stood Mrs. Black!

  A Victory of Sorts

  Dazed for a moment, Henri felt a bit giddy. He had not expected that a woman dressed so ridiculously for the jungle in a long gown and veil could throw a lasso. It struck him as exceptionally funny. But before he could let out more than a guffaw, Mrs. Black stuffed something, perhaps a lace handkerchief, into his mouth.

  “Find this funny, do you, Mr. Bell? I think it is I that should be laughing.” And Henri saw her stiff, toothy smile behind the veil.

  Mrs. Black turned to Robin. “Well, Mr. Bell won’t be able to share his little joke with us. Perhaps you have the sense to see the seriousness of the situation. I know you speak insect. Call off your forces!” And she held her machete under Robin’s throat in a threatening gesture. “Don’t try any tricks!”

  Robin looked helplessly at Henri. He nodded his assent. With a gulp she said, “My insect language isn’t very good. I’m not sure I can.”

  “Don’t try my patience! I’m not a fool. I wouldn’t hesitate to slit your throat,” Mrs. Black chortled. “I’m sure that the Geographical Society will be saddened when I announce your death, due of course to a savage attack by the natives, but they’ll forget all about it when I show them Goliathus hercules captured and alive!”

  “Commence Phase Two!” called Robin in insect. It was a short utterance that did not draw Mrs. Black’s suspicion. The forest seemed to fall quiet. Luckily when Robin had fallen to the ground, the hearing-aid machine had turned off so that the device no longer picked up insect chatter.

  Mrs. Black called out, “Antonio! And boy—lion tamer’s boy, whatever your name is—do not contemplate a daring rescue! Any heroics and the girl is dead! Show yourselves!”

  Still holding the knife to Robin’s throat, Mrs. Black scanned the edges of the clearing. Nothing happened.

  “I said to show yourselves or the girl is dead!”

  There was a rustling of leaves, and Maestro Antonio and Billy came out into the clearing.

  “Move toward the center where I can keep my eyes on you!” commanded Mrs. Black. Above the clearing, the bats continued to circle.

  Billy and Maestro Antonio moved slowly. They stepped with caution, for, unbeknownst to Mrs. Black, millions of insects were moving into position. The time was approaching for the army ants to attack. They would have little difficulty moving from the ground, under her skirts, over her laced boots, and upward to more delicate areas!

  “Hurry up! Whatever is the matter with you?”

  Maestro Antonio and Billy stopped in the center of the clearing.

  “Fine,” said Mrs. Black. “Now, boy, come…”

  “It’s Billy.”

  “Oh! Please pardon my manners,” said Mrs. Black sarcastically. “Billy, would you mind taking this cage and choosing two nice specimens of Goliathus hercules? How about a male and a female? That’s a good boy.”

  “No, I won’t,” responded Billy. “Get them yourself, you old hag!”

  “Children these days! It’s Mrs. Black to you.” She moved the machete’s blade closer to Robin’s throat, nicking the skin. A drop of blood—visible even in the dark—rolled down her neck.

  “There’s no need for violence, Mrs. Black,” said Maestro Antonio calmly. “That won’t be necessary.”

  “Shut up! No one is talking to you! Now, Billy, come slowly toward me and take the cage.”

  Billy walked toward Mrs. Black. In the darkness she could not see him step over a stream of army ants. They were not the only ones mobilizing. Only Henri with his keen hearing could hear the considerable preparations being made. He knew what his own troops were planning, but Goliathus hercules? Well, who knew how they would react?

  Billy looked down at his two friends tied up on the ground. Robin lay still, but Henri continued to struggle, coughing violently as he attempted to spit out the lace hankie protruding from his mouth. Billy studied their faces hoping for a signal, something that would tell him what to do. Mrs. Black glanced down and laughed.

  “The more he struggles, the tighter the rope gets,” she said. She stretched out the hand holding the cage. Billy snatched the cage from her as quickly as he could.

  “All right. Off you go!”

  With a look as if he were walking to his own execution, Billy approached the beetle just a few yards away. As he got closer, the snapping of razor-sharp pinchers filled the air. Mrs. Black cackled. Despite the noise, Henri was now so attuned to Goliathus hercules that he heard the New One say:

  “It is just as Serranga-orang said. The evil black two-leg has ordered that two of us be captured.”

  “No! We will not allow it!” came a chorus of voices and the threatening, slashing motion of pinchers.

  “Serranga-orang has spoken truthfully. She is our enemy and we must help him. I have an idea,” said the New One. “I will allow myself to be captured.”

  Cries of protest came from the other beetles.

  “No!”

  “We owe this Serranga-orang nothing!”

  “You must trust me. I have a little experience with the two-leg kind,” said the New One, who moved closer as Billy approached.

  Billy was just a few feet away from the ranks of the Goliathus hercules when he stumbled and fell to the ground. He whispered quickly in insect, “I’m sorry. I mean you no harm.”

  “Don’t just lie there, you clumsy oaf!” screamed Mrs. Black. “Grab on
e!”

  Billy reached out to the nearest beetle, but the insect used its strong pinchers to attack, snipping at his hand and face. “Aahh! No!” he screamed. The giant insects scrambled forward as Billy quickly raised himself from the ground, trying desperately to get away.

  Only Henri could hear the New One say, “Just enough to frighten him! That’s all! Let him get away!”

  Henri was relieved that Goliathus hercules wasn’t going to kill Billy. What were the beetles up to, though? Billy, bleeding ,but on his feet now, hurled the cage away and ran back toward Maestro Antonio.

  “You stupid fool! Idiot boy! Retrieve that cage and get back over there now!” Agatha Black shrieked.

  “No!” said Billy, wiping blood from his face.

  “Are you a coward? Why, I used my own hands on my first encounter with them. If not for Mr. Bell’s interference, I would have my specimens already and be the toast of the nation.”

  Just then, Maestro Antonio spoke up. “I would say that the beetles of Goliathus hercules are agitated right now, and I think that Billy has just proved that capturing them by hand is not a wise course of action.”

  Mrs. Black stomped her foot in exasperation. “Just how were you planning to capture them?”

  “We were planning to use diplomacy, of course. Henri was going to speak with them and invite a few to make the journey to England.”

  “Oh, really! Freak that Mr. Bell is, I don’t for a moment believe that he has real conversation with insects, particularly these ones! I’ll admit that he has some kind of intriguing, hypnotic power over them. But, really, insects are stupid, dirty, mindless creatures! They are incapable of thinking beyond their stomachs!”

  As she ranted, Maestro Antonio glanced furtively around the clearing. The army ants continued to move forward, while up above, Art and his family of moths daringly fluttered among the bats to distract them.

  “I beg to disagree with you,” the maestro said. He would try to keep Mrs. Black talking until everyone was in place. “My own experience suggests that they have complex thoughts, the same as you and me. Henri told me that he encountered a fly that could read, and I found my own fleas to be quite skilled negotiators when it came to compensation for their services. Why, I—”