L'île mystérieuse. English

by Jules Verne

  Chapter 12

  In the evening the hunters returned, having enjoyed good sport, andbeing literally loaded with game; indeed, they had as much as four mencould possibly carry. Top wore a necklace of teal and Jup wreaths ofsnipe round his body.

  "Here, master," cried Neb; "here's something to employ our time!Preserved and made into pies we shall have a welcome store! But I musthave some one to help me. I count on you, Pencroft."

  "No, Neb," replied the sailor; "I have the rigging of the vessel tofinish and to look after, and you will have to do without me."

  "And you, Mr. Herbert?"

  "I must go to the corral to-morrow, Neb," replied the lad.

  "It will be you then, Mr. Spilett, who will help me?"

  "To oblige you, Neb, I will," replied the reporter; "but I warn you thatif you disclose your recipes to me, I shall publish them."

  "Whenever you like, Mr. Spilett," replied Neb; "whenever you like."

  And so the next day Gideon Spilett became Neb's assistant and wasinstalled in his culinary laboratory. The engineer had previously madeknown to him the result of the exploration which he had made the daybefore, and on this point the reporter shared Harding's opinion, thatalthough he had found nothing, a secret still remained to be discovered!

  The frost continued for another week, and the settlers did not leaveGranite House unless to look after the poultry-yard. The dwellingwas filled with appetizing odors, which were emitted from the learnedmanipulation of Neb and the reporter. But all the results of the chasewere not made into preserved provisions; and as the game kept perfectlyin the intense cold, wild duck and other fowl were eaten fresh, anddeclared superior to all other aquatic birds in the known world.

  During this week, Pencroft, aided by Herbert, who handled thesailmaker's needle with much skill, worked with such energy that thesails of the vessel were finished. There was no want of cordage. Thanksto the rigging which had been discovered with the case of the balloon,the ropes and cables from the net were all of good quality, and thesailor turned them all to account. To the sails were attached strongbolt ropes, and there still remained enough from which to make thehalyards, shrouds, and sheets, etc. The blocks were manufactured byCyrus Harding under Pencroft's directions by means of the turning lathe.It therefore happened that the rigging was entirely prepared before thevessel was finished. Pencroft also manufactured a flag, that flag sodear to every true American, containing the stars and stripes of theirglorious Union. The colors for it were supplied from certain plantsused in dyeing, and which were very abundant in the island; only to thethirty-seven stars, representing the thirty-seven States of the Union,which shine on the American flag, the sailor added a thirty-eighth, thestar of "the State of Lincoln," for he considered his island as alreadyunited to the great republic. "And," said he, "it is so already inheart, if not in deed!"

  In the meantime, the flag was hoisted at the central window of GraniteHouse, and the settlers saluted it with three cheers.

  The cold season was now almost at an end, and it appeared as if thissecond winter was to pass without any unusual occurrence, when on thenight of the 11th of August, the plateau of Prospect Heights was menacedwith complete destruction.

  After a busy day the colonists were sleeping soundly, when towards fouro'clock in the morning they were suddenly awakened by Top's barking.

  The dog was not this time barking near the mouth of the well, but atthe threshold of the door, at which he was scratching as if he wished toburst it open. Jup was also uttering piercing cries.

  "Hello, Top!" cried Neb, who was the first awake. But the dog continuedto bark more furiously than ever.

  "What's the matter now?" asked Harding.

  And all dressing in haste rushed to the windows, which they opened.

  Beneath their eyes was spread a sheet of snow which looked gray in thedim light. The settlers could see nothing, but they heard a singularyelping noise away in the darkness. It was evident that the beach hadbeen invaded by a number of animals which could not be seen.

  "What are they?" cried Pencroft.

  "Wolves, jaguars, or apes?" replied Neb.

  "They have nearly reached the plateau," said the reporter.

  "And our poultry-yard," exclaimed Herbert, "and our garden!"

  "Where can they have crossed?" asked Pencroft.

  "They must have crossed the bridge on the shore," replied the engineer,"which one of us must have forgotten to close."

  "True," said Spilett, "I remember having left it open."

  "A fine job you have made of it, Mr. Spilett," cried the sailor.

  "What is done cannot be undone," replied Cyrus Harding. "We must consultwhat it will now be best to do."

  Such were the questions and answers which were rapidly exchanged betweenHarding and his companions. It was certain that the bridge had beencrossed, that the shore had been invaded by animals, and that whateverthey might be they could by ascending the left bank of the Mercy reachProspect Heights. They must therefore be advanced against quickly andfought with if necessary.

  "But what are these beasts?" was asked a second time, as the yelpingswere again heard more loudly than before. These yelps made Herbertstart, and he remembered having heard them before during his first visitto the sources of the Red Creek.

  "They are colpeo foxes!" he exclaimed.

  "Forward!" shouted the sailor.

  And all arming themselves with hatchets, carbines, and revolvers, threwthemselves into the lift and soon set foot on the shore.

  Colpeos are dangerous animals when in great numbers and irritated byhunger, nevertheless the colonists did not hesitate to throw themselvesinto the midst of the troop, and their first shots vividly lighting upthe darkness made their assailants draw back.

  The chief thing was to hinder these plunderers from reaching theplateau, for the garden and the poultry-yard would then have been attheir mercy, and immense, perhaps irreparable mischief, would inevitablybe the result, especially with regard to the corn-field. But as theinvasion of the plateau could only be made by the left bank of theMercy, it was sufficient to oppose the colpeos on the narrow bankbetween the river and the cliff of granite.

  This was plain to all, and, by Cyrus Harding's orders, they reached thespot indicated by him, while the colpeos rushed fiercely throughthe gloom. Harding, Gideon Spilett, Herbert, Pencroft and Neb postedthemselves in impregnable line. Top, his formidable jaws open, precededthe colonists, and he was followed by Jup, armed with a knotty cudgel,which he brandished like a club.

  The night was extremely dark, it was only by the flashes from therevolvers as each person fired that they could see their assailants, whowere at least a hundred in number, and whose eyes were glowing like hotcoals.

  "They must not pass!" shouted Pencroft.

  "They shall not pass!" returned the engineer.

  But if they did not pass it was not for want of having attempted it.Those in the rear pushed on the foremost assailants, and it was anincessant struggle with revolvers and hatchets. Several colpeos alreadylay dead on the ground, but their number did not appear to diminish,and it might have been supposed that reinforcements were continuallyarriving over the bridge.

  The colonists were soon obliged to fight at close quarters, not withoutreceiving some wounds, though happily very slight ones. Herbert had,with a shot from his revolver, rescued Neb, on whose back a colpeo hadsprung like a tiger cat. Top fought with actual fury, flying at thethroats of the foxes and strangling them instantaneously. Jup wieldedhis weapon valiantly, and it was in vain that they endeavored to keephim in the rear. Endowed doubtless with sight which enabled him topierce the obscurity, he was always in the thick of the fight utteringfrom time to time--a sharp hissing sound, which was with him the sign ofgreat rejoicing.

  At one moment he advanced so far, that by the light from a revolverhe was seen surrounded by five or six large colpeos, with whom he wascoping with great coolness.

  However, the struggle was ended at last, and victory was on the sideof t
he settlers, but not until they had fought for two long hours! Thefirst signs of the approach of day doubtless determined the retreat oftheir assailants, who scampered away towards the North, passing over thebridge, which Neb ran immediately to raise. When day had sufficientlylighted up the field of battle, the settlers counted as many as fiftydead bodies scattered about on the shore.

  "And Jup!" cried Pencroft; "where is Jup?" Jup had disappeared. Hisfriend Neb called him, and for the first time Jup did not reply to hisfriend's call.

  Everyone set out in search of Jup, trembling lest he should be foundamong the slain; they cleared the place of the bodies which stained thesnow with their blood. Jup was found in the midst of a heap of colpeoswhose broken jaws and crushed bodies showed that they had to do with theterrible club of the intrepid animal.

  Poor Jup still held in his hand the stump of his broken cudgel, butdeprived of his weapon he had been overpowered by numbers, and his chestwas covered with severe wounds.

  "He is living," cried Neb, who was bending over him.

  "And we will save him," replied the sailor. "We will nurse him as if hewas one of ourselves."

  It appeared as if Jup understood, for he leaned his head on Pencroft'sshoulder as if to thank him. The sailor was wounded himself, but hiswound was insignificant, as were those of his companions; for thanks totheir firearms they had been almost always able to keep their assailantsat a distance. It was therefore only the orang whose condition wasserious.

  Jup, carried by Neb and Pencroft, was placed in the lift, and only aslight moan now and then escaped his lips. He was gently drawn up toGranite House. There he was laid on a mattress taken from one of thebeds, and his wounds were bathed with the greatest care. It did notappear that any vital part had been reached, but Jup was very weak fromloss of blood, and a high fever soon set in after his wounds had beendressed. He was laid down, strict diet was imposed, "just like a realperson," as Neb said, and they made him swallow several cups ofa cooling drink, for which the ingredients were supplied from thevegetable medicine chest of Granite House. Jup was at first restless,but his breathing gradually became more regular, and he was leftsleeping quietly. From time to time Top, walking on tip-toe, as onemight say, came to visit his friend, and seemed to approve of all thecare that had been taken of him. One of Jup's hands hung over the sideof his bed, and Top licked it with a sympathizing air.

  They employed the day in interring the dead, who were dragged to theforest of the Far West, and there buried deep.

  This attack, which might have had such serious consequences, was alesson to the settlers, who from this time never went to bed until oneof their number had made sure that all the bridges were raised, and thatno invasion was possible.

  However, Jup, after having given them serious anxiety for severaldays, began to recover. His constitution brought him through, the fevergradually subsided, and Gideon Spilett, who was a bit of a doctor,pronounced him quite out of danger. On the 16th of August, Jup began toeat. Neb made him nice little sweet dishes, which the invalid devouredwith great relish, for if he had a pet failing it was that of beingsomewhat of a gourmand, and Neb had never done anything to cure him ofthis fault.

  "What would you have?" said he to Gideon Spilett, who sometimesexpostulated with him for spoiling the ape. "Poor Jup has no otherpleasure than that of the palate, and I am only too glad to be able toreward his services in this way!"

  Ten days after taking to his bed, on the 21st of August, Master Juparose. His wounds were healed, and it was evident that he would notbe long in regaining his usual strength and agility. Like allconvalescents, he was tremendously hungry, and the reporter allowed himto eat as much as he liked, for he trusted to that instinct, whichis too often wanting in reasoning beings, to keep the orang from anyexcess. Neb was delighted to see his pupil's appetite returning.

  "Eat away, my Jup," said he, "and don't spare anything; you have shedyour blood for us, and it is the least I can do to make you strongagain!"

  On the 25th of August Neb's voice was heard calling to his companions.

  "Captain, Mr. Spilett, Mr. Herbert, Pencroft, come! come!"

  The colonists, who were together in the dining-room, rose at Neb's call,who was then in Jup's room.

  "What's the matter?" asked the reporter.

  "Look," replied Neb, with a shout of laughter. And what did they see?Master Jup smoking calmly and seriously, sitting crosslegged like a Turkat the entrance to Granite House!

  "My pipe," cried Pencroft. "He has taken my pipe! Hello, my honest Jup,I make you a present of it! Smoke away, old boy, smoke away!"

  And Jup gravely puffed out clouds of smoke which seemed to give himgreat satisfaction. Harding did not appear to be much astonished at thisincident, and he cited several examples of tame apes, to whom the use oftobacco had become quite familiar.

  But from this day Master Jup had a pipe of his own, the sailor'sex-pipe, which was hung in his room near his store of tobacco. He filledit himself, lighted it with a glowing coal, and appeared to bethe happiest of quadrumana. It may readily be understood that thissimilarity of tastes of Jup and Pencroft served to tighten the bonds offriendship which already existed between the honest ape and the worthysailor.

  "Perhaps he is really a man," said Pencroft sometimes to Neb. "Shouldyou be surprised to hear him beginning to speak to us some day?"

  "My word, no," replied Neb. "What astonishes me is that he hasn't spokento us before, for now he wants nothing but speech!"

  "It would amuse me all the same," resumed the sailor, "if some fine dayhe said to me, 'Suppose we change pipes, Pencroft.'"

  "Yes," replied Neb, "what a pity he was born dumb!"

  With the month of September the winter ended, and the works were againeagerly commenced. The building of the vessel advanced rapidly, she wasalready completely decked over, and all the inside parts of the hullwere firmly united with ribs bent by means of steam, which answered allthe purposes of a mold.

  As there was no want of wood, Pencroft proposed to the engineer to givea double lining to the hull, to insure the strength of the vessel.

  Harding, not knowing what the future might have in store for them,approved the sailor's idea of making the craft as strong as possible.The interior and deck of the vessel was entirely finished towards the15th of September. For calking the seams they made oakum of dry seaweed,which was hammered in between the planks; then these seams were coveredwith boiling tar, which was obtained in great abundance from the pinesin the forest.

  The management of the vessel was very simple. She had from the firstbeen ballasted with heavy blocks of granite walled up, in a bed of lime,twelve thousand pounds of which they stowed away.

  A deck was placed over this ballast, and the interior was divided intotwo cabins; two benches extended along them and served also as lockers.The foot of the mast supported the partition which separated the twocabins, which were reached by two hatchways let into the deck.

  Pencroft had no trouble in finding a tree suitable for the mast. Hechose a straight young fir, with no knots, and which he had only tosquare at the step, and round off at the top. The ironwork of the mast,the rudder and the hull had been roughly but strongly forged at theChimneys. Lastly, yards, masts, boom, spars, oars, etc., were allfurnished by the first week in October, and it was agreed that a trialtrip should be taken round the island, so as to ascertain how the vesselwould behave at sea, and how far they might depend upon her.

  During all this time the necessary works had not been neglected.The corral was enlarged, for the flock of musmons and goats had beenincreased by a number of young ones, who had to be housed and fed. Thecolonists had paid visits also to the oyster bed, the warren, the coaland iron mines, and to the till then unexplored districts of the FarWest forest, which abounded in game. Certain indigenous plants werediscovered, and those fit for immediate use contributed to vary thevegetable stores of Granite House.

  They were a species of ficoide, some similar to those of the Cape, witheatable fleshy leaves, other
s bearing seeds containing a sort of flour.

  On the 10th of October the vessel was launched. Pencroft was radiantwith joy, the operation was perfectly successful; the boat completelyrigged, having been pushed on rollers to the water's edge, was floatedby the rising tide, amid the cheers of the colonists, particularly ofPencroft, who showed no modesty on this occasion. Besides his importancewas to last beyond the finishing of the vessel, since, after havingbuilt her, he was to command her. The grade of captain was bestowed uponhim with the approbation of all. To satisfy Captain Pencroft, it was nownecessary to give a name to the vessel, and, after many propositions hadbeen discussed, the votes were all in favor of the "Bonadventure." Assoon as the "Bonadventure" had been lifted by the rising tide, it wasseen that she lay evenly in the water, and would be easily navigated.However, the trial trip was to be made that very day, by an excursionoff the coast. The weather was fine, the breeze fresh, and the seasmooth, especially towards the south coast, for the wind was blowingfrom the northwest.

  "All hands on board," shouted Pencroft; but breakfast was firstnecessary, and it was thought best to take provisions on board, in theevent of their excursion being prolonged until the evening.

  Cyrus Harding was equally anxious to try the vessel, the model of whichhad originated with him, although on the sailor's advice he had alteredsome parts of it, but he did not share Pencroft's confidence in her,and as the latter had not again spoken of the voyage to Tabor Island,Harding hoped he had given it up. He would have indeed great reluctancein letting two or three of his companions venture so far in so small aboat, which was not of more than fifteen tons' burden.

  At half-past ten everybody was on board, even Top and Jup, and Herbertweighed the anchor, which was fast in the sand near the mouth of theMercy. The sail was hoisted, the Lincolnian flag floated from themasthead, and the "Bonadventure," steered by Pencroft, stood out to sea.

  The wind blowing out of Union Bay she ran before it, and thus showed herowners, much to their satisfaction, that she possessed a remarkably fastpair of heels, according to Pencroft's mode of speaking. After havingdoubled Flotsam Point and Claw Cape, the captain kept her close hauled,so as to sail along the southern coast of the island, when it was foundshe sailed admirably within five points of the wind. All hands wereenchanted, they had a good vessel, which, in case of need, would beof great service to them, and with fine weather and a fresh breeze thevoyage promised to be charming.

  Pencroft now stood off the shore, three or four miles across from PortBalloon. The island then appeared in all its extent and under a newaspect, with the varied panorama of its shore from Claw Cape to ReptileEnd, the forests in which dark firs contrasted with the young foliageof other trees and overlooked the whole, and Mount Franklin whose loftyhead was still whitened with snow.

  "How beautiful it is!" cried Herbert.

  "Yes, our island is beautiful and good," replied Pencroft. "I love it asI loved my poor mother. It received us poor and destitute, and now whatis wanting to us five fellows who fell on it from the sky?"

  "Nothing," replied Neb; "nothing, captain."

  And the two brave men gave three tremendous cheers in honor of theirisland!

  During all this time Gideon Spilett, leaning against the mast, sketchedthe panorama which was developed before his eyes.

  Cyrus Harding gazed on it in silence.

  "Well, Captain Harding," asked Pencroft, "what do you think of ourvessel?"

  "She appears to behave well," replied the engineer.

  "Good! And do you think now that she could undertake a voyage of someextent?"

  "What voyage, Pencroft?"

  "One to Tabor Island, for instance."

  "My friend," replied Harding, "I think that in any pressing emergencywe need not hesitate to trust ourselves to the 'Bonadventure' even fora longer voyage; but you know I should see you set off to Tabor Islandwith great uneasiness, since nothing obliges you to go there."

  "One likes to know one's neighbors," returned the sailor, who wasobstinate in his idea. "Tabor Island is our neighbor, and the only one!Politeness requires us to go at least to pay a visit."

  "By Jove," said Spilett, "our friend Pencroft has become very particularabout the proprieties all at once!"

  "I am not particular about anything at all," retorted the sailor, whowas rather vexed by the engineer's opposition, but who did not wish tocause him anxiety.

  "Consider, Pencroft," resumed Harding, "you cannot go alone to TaborIsland."

  "One companion will be enough for me."

  "Even so," replied the engineer, "you will risk depriving the colony ofLincoln Island of two settlers out of five."

  "Out of six," answered Pencroft; "you forget Jup."

  "Out of seven," added Neb; "Top is quite worth another."

  "There is no risk at all in it, captain," replied Pencroft.

  "That is possible, Pencroft; but I repeat it is to expose ourselvesuselessly."

  The obstinate sailor did not reply, and let the conversation drop, quitedetermined to resume it again. But he did not suspect that an incidentwould come to his aid and change into an act of humanity that which wasat first only a doubtful whim.

  After standing off the shore the "Bonadventure" again approached itin the direction of Port Balloon. It was important to ascertain thechannels between the sandbanks and reefs, that buoys might be laid downsince this little creek was to be the harbor.

  They were not more than half a mile from the coast, and it was necessaryto tack to beat against the wind. The "Bonadventure" was then going at avery moderate rate, as the breeze, partly intercepted by the high land,scarcely swelled her sails, and the sea, smooth as glass, was onlyrippled now and then by passing gusts.

  Herbert had stationed himself in the bows that he might indicate thecourse to be followed among the channels, when all at once he shouted,--

  "Luff, Pencroft, luff!"

  "What's the matter," replied the sailor; "a rock?"

  "No--wait," said Herbert; "I don't quite see. Luff again--right--now."

  So saying, Herbert, leaning over the side, plunged his arm into thewater, and pulled it out, exclaiming,--

  "A bottle!"

  He held in his hand a corked bottle which he had just seized a fewcables' length from the shore.

  Cyrus Harding took the bottle. Without uttering a single word he drewthe cork, and took from it a damp paper, on which were written thesewords:--

  "Castaway.... Tabor island: 153deg W. long., 37deg 11' S. lat."