The Mystery of Munroe Island

by Satyajit Ray

  One thought was crossing my mind time and again—Suma’s instrument had suggested only one animal; could there be more than one? Perhaps not, since the total area of the island is in length as well as breadth certainly not more than ten kilometres. A week should be enough to examine the entire island.

  After walking for about a mile along the seashore, the scenario began to change. Now we would be walking away from the sea and going into the interior of the island. Here on our left—that is, facing the sea—was a line of squat palm trees and the forest eventually grew thicker with banana, papaya, coconut and other large trees. There were no rocks visible any more and the ground below our feet was strewn with grass and weeds rather than sand.

  We entered the forest. What really surprised me was the complete absence of any bird calls. I’ve never seen such an absolutely silent forest and especially in this part of the world you can see at least eight to ten specimens of the cockatoo alone. That apart, in this kind of forest you often hear the sound of reptiles moving through the grass; that sound was also absent here. It seemed like a haunted forest. Perhaps whatever trees that exist now may not survive in the near future, too.

  After walking for ten minutes, the forest grew thinner and soon we arrived at an open space when suddenly all four of us were so shocked at what we saw that we came to a halt. David was ahead of us and stopped with a shout. What we saw when we caught up with David was this:

  The clearing in the middle of the forest was scattered with animal bones, skulls and parts of rib-bones. Among these, with much difficulty, we could identify the remains of two deer, about four large-sized reptiles belonging to the chameleon family—probably iguana—and a few types of monkeys. On examination it was found that the bones were rather old.

  This proves that the forest had at some point indeed been inhabited by animals. But we have absolutely no knowledge of how they became extinct.

  David finally found his voice.

  ‘It’s the monster! The same monster ate up this entire lot of animals.’

  The heartbeat which was heard on Suma’s instrument a while ago has, in David’s mind, turned into a monster! But it was too soon to infer that someone had eaten them; it could well be a case of natural death. But then why should animals of such diverse breed all come and die in one particular spot?

  We began to proceed further.

  Ahead of us was a forest consisting of mahogany and cedar trees. Bushes of jasmine, hibiscus and bougainvillea were also scattered all over. I’ve seen many mahogany trees previously, but here the trunk of each tree was marked by a luminous blue colour, a shade I’d never seen before.

  After going closer I gathered the reason for this colouration. The colour came not directly from the tree but on its trunk were clusters, somewhat like a beehive, of tiny blue berries. I must also tell you about its scent. An indescribable fragrance had enveloped this part of the forest. The presence of this plant’s amazing colour along with its aroma made all three of us stand transfixed for a few moments. When we came out of this spell, the childlike David jubilantly ran forward and was about to touch the fruits when both Saunders and I simultaneously shouted at him not to do so. And then when Saunders, after putting on rubber gloves, brushed his hands on the bunch, the berries easily came off the stem. We put about a hundred of these berries into a plastic bag and headed back to camp. Without any delay we must let Suma chemically analyse this fruit as none of us have seen such a thing before. I can intuit that the amazing plant mentioned in Munroe’s letter has to be this one. It’s obvious that this is a parasitical plant; it survives by drawing in enzymes from the mahogany tree.

  Suma’s miniature laboratory is ready; he has already begun his work on analysing the chemical process of these rare berries. We have come to know that the fruits won’t harm our hands if we touch them directly. I’ve been to Callenbach’s tent and shown him one of the fruits. He took one in his hand, felt it carefully and heaving a sigh put it back on his side table. It was easy to see his deep regret for not being able to capture this special moment of discovery on his camera. I have given him a Miracurol pill. We need to restore him to health. Callenbach has till now refused to have any medicine other than the ones from his own country. But left with not much choice he gave in this time.

  13 March, 9 p.m.

  Our conviction is getting stronger each day that our mission won’t go to waste. It’s very difficult to forecast its outcome but the way events are taking a turn, one feels we’ll return home with some amazing experiences.

  I offered only some chicken soup to Callenbach. His pulse was still very weak. It was quite worrying to see his emaciated appearance after such a brief spell of illness. Even under these trying circumstances he asked about that animal. Have we found him? Has he come nearer us or is his position still static?

  For the moment the Telecardioscope machine is switched off. Suma is now single-mindedly analysing the chemical composition of the strange fruit. That his work is progressing in the right direction is proved by his occasional cheery shouts. Saunders and I are both intently watching his research. One can follow this procedure easily. The presence of each vitamin in it is now being processed. The term ‘vitamin’ had not yet been coined during Munroe’s era. Science was still in its infancy and research on food products was to commence two and a half centuries later.

  Around 3:30 p.m., while getting up from his chair, Suma uttered only two words. First he said, ‘amazing’ and then while tucking in a quarter inch of his handkerchief further into his coat pocket he added, ‘and mysterious’.

  Meanwhile, we couldn’t figure out when Callenbach had got up from his bed and come to stand behind us. When our eyes met, he extended his hand and with force shook my hand and said, ‘Great! Your medicine is matchless. I’m completely fit now.’

  ‘What? Only within these couple of hours?’

  With a smile, Bill Callenbach said, ‘You can see that for yourself!’

  That my medicine can cure anyone at such a rapid speed was unknown even to me.

  ‘And please take this back. It was lying on my table.’

  ‘What? But this is my pill!’

  It took no time to solve this mystery. Under the delirium of fever, instead of my pill he’d consumed that blue fruit kept on the table and this had resulted in such a dramatic recovery. Moreover, the fruit had not just helped Callenbach to regain health but also brought radiance to his face.

  Saunders told Suma, ‘There’s no need to do any more research; now let’s return home after collecting as much of this fruit as possible. We’ll cultivate this fruit and dismiss all pharmaceutical companies!’

  Though Saunders said this teasingly, the tone of Suma’s reply was rather serious. He said he needs to continue with his research. At least for one more day. Other than the presence of vitamins, the fruit also has many other elements which he is yet to identify.

  At Callenbach’s repeated requests, Suma stopped his work and switched on his Telecardioscope. We saw that the animal has remained on the same spot. ‘But his heartbeat is slower,’ said Suma.

  This can be observed just by the sound of it. Yesterday it was fifty, and today it’s below forty.

  ‘Good lord!’ exclaimed Callenbach. ‘Is he going to die? With the presence of such a special creature on this island, why are you still wasting your time with that fruit?’

  ‘We’ve anyway got the fruit with us, Bill,’ said Saunders. ‘Tomorrow we’ll go and inspect the central part of the island. Please don’t be so impatient.’

  Grumbling, Callenbach returned to his tent.

  14 March

  Today we could not venture out. Thunderstorm, rain and lightning continued throughout the day. Callenbach, left with not much of a choice, took our pictures and interviewed each of us with the help of his tape recorder.

  In the afternoon, after lunch, David regaled all of us with stories of pirates. Really, this fellow has such a rich stock of these accounts.

  There’s one piece
of unfortunate news. According to Suma, other than the presence of vitamins in the berries, his little lab is not capable of identifying the other contents in it. He can do this only in a bigger laboratory back home. Of course, our initial mission of coming here has been accomplished well. So we can now plan to return home. At this point, Suma has expressly forbidden us from consuming this fruit. If just a single fruit can cure Callenbach within an hour, it’s easy to decipher its full potential. To Suma it won’t be a surprise if eating this fruit might prove to be harmful despite its benefits. I don’t know if an extraordinary increase in one’s appetite is a harmful sign because during lunch Callenbach alone emptied three tins of ham.

  15 March, 7 a.m.

  Bad news.

  Callenbach, without informing anyone in the group, has ventured out alone.

  It was David Munroe who gave us this news. He and Callenbach were sharing the same tent; out of the other two Saunders and I are using one, and Suma along with his machineries is occupying the other. When David got up at six in the morning he found Callenbach’s bed empty and the camera related equipment kept on the table also missing. Immediately David stepped out of the tent and called out Callenbach’s name a couple of times. But he received no response. Finally deciding to take his dog’s help, he picked up the handkerchief lying next to Callenbach’s pillow and made Rocket smell it. When he observed that Rocket was dashing off towards the small hills he called him back.

  Having worked the entire night Suma had dozed off this morning. He was woken up to be given this news. He instantly switched on his Telecardioscope. A pulsing yellow light showed that Callenbach was three kilometres away from the camp and was proceeding towards the hillocks.

  We will set off within five minutes. It’s a lovely day today. All four of us will go out to explore. There’s no end to Saunders’s regret; he is constantly bemoaning, ‘Why on earth did I bring this irresponsible man with us.’

  15 March, 5:30 p.m.

  The numerous extraordinary events, all taking place at once, have rendered my mind topsy-turvy.

  We have travelled two kilometres to the east away from the rocky hillock in the central island and are now sitting on the sand by the seashore. Saunders is jotting down notes in his notebook. He has signed contracts with three dailies in London for his contribution on this expedition. This is the first time that he opened his notebook.

  We haven’t come across Callenbach yet; what we found were the case of his camera and the tape recorder. They are both in a dishevelled state. The movie camera is always strapped to his waist; if he has been captured by that unknown animal he would have been taken along with his camera.

  David has taken Suma’s Japanese Mikiki revolver and is doing target practice after having placed pebbles on a slab of stone fifty yards away. Judging by his performance, with only three day’s practice, he is bound to become a skilled marksman.

  Suma is taking a walk by the seashore. He is walking precisely forty steps at a time on each of his sides. Even after eight hours of travel, not a crease has appeared on his shirt, not a single hair is out of place.

  The leather bag that is hanging from Suma’s shoulder contains a remarkable weapon created by him, the Sumagun. It’s about six inches in length; in place of a trigger there’s a button which when pressed, produces, instead of a bullet, a needle-attached capsule which contains a deadly poison created by Suma himself. Death strikes within three seconds.

  Now let me tell you all about our other remarkable discoveries. The fact that this island had once housed more people other than Brandon and Munroe has been proved by the presence of scattered skulls and bones inside a cave as well as some pieces of glasses, bottles, knives and earrings made of glass and metals. It seems that people belonging to Brandon’s ship took refuge in this cave. We found about twenty-two cutlasses, the kind of curved sword used by the pirates. Unfortunately we could not locate any chest. But there are many such caves to be found in this area. I wonder what they may contain!

  After coming out of the cave and wandering for about ten minutes, we heard Rocket bark. Following the sound we went forward and found Callenbach’s camera box and the tape recorder lying there. Probably he tried to free himself of these objects and run away. But we have no idea if he had managed to escape. I made Suma switch on his Telecardioscope right then. The outcome of it did not look very bright. Other than the presence of this known figure we were unable hear any heartbeat despite moving the receiver in various directions. It’s a different matter if Callenbach is present within the range of one kilometre. But what’s he doing there? Is he lying injured? He has got a pistol; he can always fire a blank shot from it to give us a signal. The creature’s heartbeat has gone back to fifty. The colour of the light in the Telecardioscope is between yellow and green; that is, this animal is within the range of three kilometres or beyond.

  After picking up Callenbach’s articles, we returned to the beach to rest and drink some coffee. The moment we came here, what Suma did instantly was to place Callenbach’s damaged tape recorder on the sand and turn it on. It played perfectly. Suma’s face produced a self-complacent smile as this was a Japanese product! In the light of the setting sun we surrounded the machine and listened to Callenbach’s voice.

  ‘This is Bill Callenbach. 14th March, 8:10 a.m. My lone expedition is a success. I’ve just now seen that creature. He has come out of the cave and is about fifty yards away from me. He is bigger than a human. Perhaps he is four footed, though he rested on two legs to look around. As I was hiding behind a tree he could not see me. Before I could fit a telephoto lens into my camera the animal retreated inside the cave. From a distance he didn’t look to be dangerous. When he walked he looked a bit unwell and old. With great caution I’m heading towards the cave.’

  The recording ends here.

  Now it’s time to return to the camp. We have no idea what the future holds for tomorrow!

  16 March, 6:30 a.m.

  A dreadful experience.

  Incessant barking by Rocket followed by David’s scream woke me up at 2:30 a.m. When I came out I saw Rocket, with his face pointed towards the north, barking loudly and at the same time desperately trying to release himself from the leash held in David’s hand. The new moon in the cloud laden sky gave almost no light. Hence it was impossible to find out the reason for Rocket’s restlessness. Saunders entered our tent to look for a torch and suddenly Rocket pulled at David, who tripped on to the sand, letting go of the leash. Rocket ran towards the northern hillock. Meanwhile, Suma had switched on his Telecardioscope, but it was not showing any result. If that animal has indeed come here it should be within a distance of one kilometre.

  It was all quiet and silent; even torchlight could not show us anything as Rocket had vanished behind the hillock. While we were thinking of whether it’s safe to go ahead to investigate further, a howl from Rocket chilled our blood. This scream was not that of excitement or wrath. It was an agonized cry.

  In the torchlight we saw Rocket return. David raced towards his beloved pet. We, too, ran behind him. When we reached the spot the reason behind his cry became clear; blood was oozing out from a deep wound inflicted on his back. But at the same time it was also evident that the animal hadn’t just injured the dog but had got himself injured too. Rocket’s mouth was marked by his attacker’s blood.

  The medicine that has been applied on Rocket’s wound will help him recover by tomorrow.

  After testing the blood found in Rocket’s mouth, Suma informed us that the blood group is ‘A.’ Just as ‘A’ group is related to humans, the same group can be identified with some species of monkeys, too. There’s no doubt left that this animal belongs to this category. Half an hour later we went and saw his footprints on the sand which was fifty yards away from our camp. Footprints were preceded by palm prints. His paw was marked by five fingers, its size slightly bigger than that of a human.

  Now we must be prepared to face this ferocious animal. The island which produces this divine
fruit also houses this monstrous monkey. This realization has created a feeling of wonder as well as terror in us.

  17 March, 9 p.m.

  We’re setting out on our return journey tomorrow morning. There’s no point in describing my state of mind because after going through this kind of experience, futile expressions like woe, wonder, etc. can’t do any justice to describe our escapades. In fact, I’ve noticed that all my adventures are neither a complete success nor an absolute failure. Just as I have achieved wonderful rewards I have also faced dismal losses. One thing can be vouched for after this expedition—my coffer of experiences has increased manifold with adventures, vast knowledge and wonderment.

  Today, we returned to the spot where we had found Callenbach’s case for the camera and the tape recorder. Suma turned on his Telecardioscope. Today, too, we could receive the heartbeat of only one being. The rate of the beat was just fifty per minute and the colour of the light on the machine was orange. The animal was away from us by 4.5 kilometres towards the western side. But the animal was not stationary. With the result that Suma had to constantly monitor the direction of the receiver. That the animal is not a fast moving one is what we had learnt from Callenbach’s description. Hence, even if he came in our direction, we still had half an hour to roam around. I still can’t believe that Callenbach is no more. Maybe he is lying injured somewhere or maybe he is within the range of one kilometre and the instrument can’t capture his heartbeat.

  Our hope came crashing down within ten minutes. Jeremy Saunders discovered Callenbach’s dead body behind a busch of poinsettia plants. By body I don’t, however, mean the whole body. A portion of the lower part was missing. It was now proven without doubt that the wretched Callenbach had turned into this savage monster’s food.