The Mystery of Munroe Island

by Satyajit Ray

  Looking at him, I was again awestruck by my host’s youthful looks. I am determined to get down to the bottom of this mystery. Maybe after I am slightly more familiar with him.

  When we finished tea, Eckhart got up from the sofa and said, ‘You should take it easy for the rest of the day. Erika will show you your room. Tomorrow morning at breakfast you’ll meet one of my friends. He is an animal-lover. I know you’ll like him.’

  One of Eckhart’s lackeys had already taken my two suitcases to my room. And now I went to the first floor along with Erika, up the regal carpeted staircase. The arrangements were indeed excellent. I was allotted two adjacent rooms—one for me and one to be used by EA. When asked what EA’s diet was, I told Erika that he would eat whatever we ate. ‘There’s no need worry over him.’

  Erika appeared very relieved to hear this but within minutes her looks turned into despair. It seemed as if she was trying to tell me something but was hesitating in doing so.

  ‘Would you like to ask me something more?’ I said reassuringly. She bit her lip. ‘Hmm . . . I was wondering . . . are you carrying any weapon with you?’

  ‘Why? Do you have any trouble with thieves or swindlers in this area?’

  ‘No. Not that, but I just thought . . . your animal might need some protection. It’s such an amazing animal . . .’

  ‘Not to worry. I’m carrying a pistol.’

  ‘Pistol?’

  Erika wasn’t reassured. Perhaps she would have felt more secure if I’d mentioned a rifle or a Sten gun.

  But I did not disclose the truth about my Annihilin gun to her. All I said was, ‘Not to fear. The pistol is good enough.’

  The lady whispered a faint goodbye and left. Her behaviour, however, left me a bit rattled, even though I am confident of my weapon.

  Meanwhile, EA had gone to his room on his own. I saw him looking out of the window. I hope he is not worried. I cannot always follow the thinking of mute animals. If any harm is done to him I’ll be in deep misery. Within the past few months I’ve developed a deep affection for him.

  6 November

  A few significant events have troubled me considerably. And coupled with these are a few startling incidents that are related to EA.

  Eckhart’s friend was called Kasper Maximilian Heilbroner. But I’ll refer to him as Kasper, since Eckhart too calls him by that name. He is lean and lanky and his jutting-out cheekbones and chin give his face a hard look. He has bushy eyebrows and a crew cut. Such an appearance evokes fear rather than respect. You are never sure what action he is capable of.

  After introducing Kasper to me, Eckhart said, ‘Kasper is a longtime friend of mine. He is very enthusiastic about animals as well as an expert on them.’

  All along EA was with me. Looking at EA for quite some time he came up with just one comment: ‘What exquisite fur!’

  Everyone will admit that EA’s fur is rather smooth and attractive. I don’t think I’ve ever seen any animal fur like this—a mix of yellow with a pink glow.

  But I immediately distrusted Kasper. He seemed to cast lustful looks on EA’s fur. There’s no estimate of how many harmless animals have been violently killed for their fur. Particularly in the West. There’s an animal called the chinchilla, which belongs to the rodent family, and some royal ladies are so passionately fond of its fur that for the coat of one such animal they are ready to shell out Rs 20,000 to 30,000. I thought to myself—Oh lord, let no one from the fur industry notice EA.

  We continued to talk while having breakfast. Watching EA have his meal with us at the table, Kasper remarked, ‘You’ve trained him very well, I see. He beats a chimpanzee hollow.’

  I was forced to comment that EA’s grooming was not my doing. He has a tremendous capacity to observe and emulate.

  ‘You were talking about his ability to transform himself to match his surroundings. Can’t you show us such examples?’

  With a wry smile I said, ‘I haven’t brought him here for demonstrations. You can see these changes only if they happen on their own. In fact, nature has created all animals with an ability to protect themselves. The stripes and dots on the tiger’s body helps it to merge easily amidst trees and leaves in jungles. Also, nature has made sure that one animal can save itself from another. A porcupine can also put a ferocious animal into a tight corner thanks to the quills on its back. Sometimes the pungent smell on an animal’s body can save its from its enemies. Those who are comparatively meek—like a deer or rabbit—have been endowed with the ability to run fast. But there are also exceptions to such rules. Not all animals are equally safe from their enemies.’

  ‘You mean to say this animal knows how to protect itself?’ asked Kasper.

  I said, ‘I have found evidence of this twice. He not only saved himself when he was attacked by a cobra but also killed it. Moreover, you can see for yourself how he has protected himself from the cold. You obviously know that many creatures have evolved over time because of environmental changes and needs. In the beginning, life was entirely based in the water; then as water receded and land appeared, amphibians emerged. Later animals that evolved were fully based on land. The lizards grew wings and took to the skies but again this was due to environmental changes and needs. But all these changes took millions of years. Evolution does not happen in a flash.’

  ‘But that’s exactly what has happened in the case of your animal?’ commented Kasper.

  ‘That’s what I have observed with my own eyes.’

  I don’t think Kasper was convinced. I thought Eckhart would support me. So I was surprised when I noticed a frown on his face.

  After breakfast, Eckhart suggested that I take a look at his extensive garden. The garden was carpeted in snow. I had seen it this morning through the window in my room.

  I didn’t reject his offer.

  I’d no idea about the expanse of this garden. Bu it would be wrong to describe the entire area as a garden. The undergrowth of bushes and flowers were now replaced by long and large trees, the majority of which were pines. It’ll be more apt to call this as “woods”.

  I was about to ask a zoology-related question to Eckhart but was interrupted by a sudden animal sound.

  It was the barking of a hound. An Alsatian.

  ‘I see Hansel and Gretel too have come out for a walk,’ said Eckhart.

  Initially, I had been walking holding EA’s hand. But at some point we had started walking on our own. Now when I looked at him I saw him frowning.

  About a hundred yards away I spotted the two dogs. They both had collars on; Eckhart’s’ servant was holding on to their leather leashes.

  We were now getting close to the dogs. When the distance between us was less than thirty yards, I noticed that the eyes of the Alsatians were transfixed on EA. We stopped walking. I went closer to EA and held his hand. I realized Kasper and Eckhart were both waiting to see the turn of events.

  The dogs were now fiercely straining at their leashes and growling. And suddenly, with a forceful pull they threw Eckhart’s servant on the snow. Both Hansel and Gretel now came charging towards us. And at that precise moment I felt EA let go of my hand and I turned to see him run like lightning behind a snow-covered busch.

  I realized he was scared. Nature hadn’t given him the ability to protect himself from this pair of enemies.

  I too ran after EA, with Eckhart and Kasper behind me.

  I’d already noticed the aggressive looks in the dogs’ eyes; now I saw them run helter-skelter, hunting for their prey. They were desperately looking for my animal.

  I was alarmed. I was forced to shout and tell them, ‘For god’s sake, Dr Eckhart, please stop your dogs.’

  ‘Impossible,’ Eckhart spoke in a choked voice, ‘even God can’t stop them in this state.’

  The dogs went in the same direction EA had gone but there was no sign of my devoted pet animal.

  After five minutes of uncontrollable romping both Hansel and Gretel gave up the hunt. They were panting with their tongues sticki
ng out. Their trainer came forward and took up the leashes in his hands.

  ‘Take them back to the house,’ Eckhart ordered.

  ‘But where did your animal disappear?’ Kasper asked.

  My thoughts also ran along the same lines. But I couldn’t spot any hole on the ground or a crevice on a tree where he could have hidden himself. It was only when the dogs were about to reach the house that my amazing animal resurfaced.

  But what had he done to himself? Had he been rolling in the snow?

  No, not really. The colour of his body from head to toe had now turned white. He looked like a snowball. It would be impossible to locate him now in a snow-covered garden.

  ‘Gott in Himmel!’ Kasper screamed. Yes, it’s normal to pronounce God’s name under such scenarios. I’m sure the two Germans had never witnessed such an astonishing incident.

  We returned to Eckhart Castle. After settling down on the sofa, it was Kasper who spoke first.

  ‘Have you decided on the future of this invaluable property?’

  The answer was simple. I said, ‘Till I’m alive he’ll stay with me. He is my companion. Over the last few months I’ve nurtured him.’

  ‘But as a scientist don’t you have any responsibility towards the zoologists of the world? You want to conceal this animal from them?’

  ‘If I wanted to hide him why would I bring him here? In future if anyone wants to see him they’re most welcome to visit my home in my country. My door will remain open to all. The animal will stay safe in my custody. You saw what happened to him after bringing him here. There’s no guarantee that such a thing won’t happen again.’

  ‘Do you have any objection to keeping him in a zoo?’

  ‘If I decide to do that I’ll keep him in a zoo in my own country. The reputation of the Calcutta Zoo is not that bad.’

  ‘Hmm . . .’

  Kasper got up.

  ‘Well. I had a proposal, which I don’t know if you will accept or not. Both Eckhart and I are ready to pay you 20,000 marks together for this animal. If you give it to us the whole world will get to know about his existence. Along with it, your name will become immortal. We will not conceal the fact that we got the animal from you.’

  ‘You guessed right. I cannot accept this offer.’

  Along with Kasper, Eckhart too left the room, perhaps to see him off in the car. As soon as they stepped out a third personality appeared.

  Madam Erika Weiss! She looked very disturbed.

  ‘Since you’re alone,’ said Mrs Weiss, ‘I must tell you one thing. The zoologist Eckhart died a month ago. It was he who wrote you the first letter. This man is his son. His name too is Friedrich. He is a hunter. He has no compassion for animals. If possible you must leave tomorrow. I’ll arrange for your tickets. It’s not safe for you to stay here.’

  ‘Then whose secretary are you?’

  ‘Not his. I was his father’s secretary. I’ll leave within a week after winding up a few jobs.’

  ‘And who’s this Kasper fellow?’

  ‘He is the owner of the Odeon Circus. Along with the circus he also has a zoo which keeps all sorts of weird animals . . .’

  Then we heard the sound of footsteps. Erika immediately left the room through the side door.

  ‘I won’t disturb you today,’ Eckhart stated after entering my room. ‘Do think of our proposal carefully. We’ll discuss this again tomorrow morning.’

  Eckhart left. I hadn’t looked at EA all this time. When I looked at him now, I realized he had gone back to his normal self.

  It’s about 11 p.m. now. EA is sleeping in his room. Was today’s confrontation a horrible experience for him or does he enjoy such episodes? Any living being generally goes through life with two missions in mind—one is self-defence and the other is to consume food in order to provide nutrition for the body. The latter is of no concern for EA—certainly as long as he is with me. And as for the former, he can handle it with competence which has been proved already. But the question is—what kind of danger has Erika warned me about? Against other animals EA is capable of self-defence but we don’t know how skilled he is at protecting himself against human conspiracy.

  I will ponder over this tomorrow.

  Let’s see how events unfold eventually.

  7 November

  I shall never be able to forget the spine-chilling event of last night and its bizarre conclusion.

  Even after hitting the bed at 11 p.m. I couldn’t fall sleep. Eckhart’s deceitful act was weighing heavily on my mind. It’s clear that taking advantage of his father’s death he had called me over only to grab my animal. He had promised to pay for my travel, which he still hasn’t. Perhaps he thought the 20,000 marks for the animal would compensate for my expenses. Could he imagine that I would not accept this money?

  Almost magically I fell asleep. The grandfather clock on the landing of the staircase was just chiming midnight. I heard the beginning of the chime but didn’t hear the end. That is, I had already gone to sleep by then.

  I woke up soon after. Initially I thought an earthquake had woken me up. Then I realized my body was being handled by someone and I was soon rendered immobile, confined. I have been tied up. My Annihilin gun was under my pillow but there was no way I could reach it. When I looked up by chance, the wall clock said 3.30 a.m. The light of the full moon lit up the room almost as if it were dawn.

  I could see the forms of at least four or five people inside the room. One was holding a torch focused at me. I could hear the sound of footsteps from the next door too. Did that mean EA was also captured?

  ‘Professor Shonku, can’t your animal transform itself according to the demands of the environment? And can’t he adopt peculiar strategies of self defence in the wink of an eye? Now let’s see how far his capacity works.’

  It was Eckhart’s voice. He was standing in front of the door.

  ‘Schienner, Schultz—make him stand in front of that door.’

  Two fellows dragged me out of the bed and forced me to stand in front of EA’s room.

  The moon’s light was reflected in this room too. Here, at least six or seven people were present, shining their torches in different directions of the room. Three of them were carrying ropes, a sack and a net—that is, paraphernalia needed to trap an animal. Seeing the reflection of metals in the hands of the other two men I realized that they were all armed.

  But it’s obvious that the bed was empty.

  Two men were bending down to throw light under the bed when a commotion broke out.

  The whiff of a sharp pungent smell entered my nostrils, bringing tears to my eyes. As I’m used to experimenting with various chemicals in my laboratory no smell can upset me; but I could make out that this revolting stench would have the capacity to disable a man.

  Those present in the room could not bear the disgusting odour and, covering their noses with handkerchiefs, dashed out of the room. Needless to say, Eckhart belonged to this group.

  This was soon followed by Eckhart’s shout to the group of men waiting in the garden, ‘Stay ready with your weapons—the animal may try to escape from the window!’

  Even for the fraction of a second my eyes hadn’t moved from the room.

  From below the bed appeared my beloved amazing animal. In one leap he jumped to the window facing the garden and then with another leap he sprang out of it. Was he about to become the prey of those armed men outside?

  No. Not quite. In that prime moment of acute crisis, the animal had devised the only possible mode of escape. Breaking the infallible rule of evolution, in a nano second this four-legged land animal acquired a pair of wings.

  When he jumped out of the window, instead of falling down he spread out his wide wings and flew swiftly upwards. I managed to run towards the window and saw in the moonlit sky a swiftly moving birdlike object soon turning into a tiny dot. I heard two rounds of shots from the garden but it was impossible for anyone to aim correctly in situations like these.

  17 November
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br />   Courtesy Mrs Erika, my release and the arrests of Eckhart along with his friends by the police took place simultaneously.

  Seven days after returning to Giridih I read in the newspaper that in a deep forest in Nicaragua a group of animal collectors has discovered a completely new animal. Apparently this animal was standing at a distance, and touching the right side of his head again and again, as if saluting the men. But when they tried to capture him with a net he flew to the top of a hundred-foot tall tree and disappeared into the foliage. The group extended the stay of their expedition in the hope of capturing this new species.

  From the descriptions it was not difficult to identify the animal as my own EA. While staying within the human habitat he had adapted himself to our way of life but now he has become accustomed to forest life. It’s very easy to predict that after a few days of searching for him the group will finally have to give up on him.

  But does that mean EA will never come back to me?

  In a way perhaps it’s all for the good. Let him survive and enjoy life to the brim along with all his amazing qualities. One part of me—the scientist—regrets not being able to study him fully; so much could not be understood. And the other half tells me there should be a limit to a human’s greed to know everything. Some things should remain to arouse curiosity and sustain wonder in the human mind.

  Translator's Note

  In my ten-year-old mind, the word ‘science’ had always formed a daunting image but the thrilling exploits of Prof. Shonku opened up a completely new world of the imagination. I began to discover that science could also be full of fun, rich with anecdotes about travel, fascinating details of geography, enticing glimpses of world history—all rolled into one rollicking adventure. Satyajit Ray conjured up this world with all the chronicles of Prof. Shonku and of course in the process crumbled to dust all my fears of science! Years later, I can still experience the thrill of exploration and discovery as I revisit the tales of Professor Shonku. And when Puffin asked me to translate this collection of stories for them, it was like being reunited with an old friend.