Part 2 - Abandoned: Chapter 12

by Jules Verne

　　In the evening the hunters returned, having enjoyed good sport, and beingliterally loaded with game; indeed, they had as much as four men couldpossibly carry. Top wore a necklace of teal and Jup wreaths of snipe roundhis 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 must havesome 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 receipts 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 dwelling wasfilled with appetizing odors, which were emitted from the learnedmanipulation of Neb and the reporter. But all the results of the chase werenot made into preserved provisions; and as the game kept perfectly in theintense cold, wild duck and other fowl were eaten fresh, and declaredsuperior to all other aquatic birds in the known world.

　　During this week, Pencroft, aided by Herbert, who handled the sailmaker'sneedle with much skill, worked with such energy that the sails of thevessel were finished. There was no want of cordage. Thanks to the riggingwhich had been discovered with the case of the balloon, the ropes andcables from the net were all of good quality, and the sailor turned themall to account. To the sails were attached strong bolt ropes, and therestill remained enough from which to make the halyards, shrouds, and sheets,etc. The blocks were manufactured by Cyrus Harding under Pencroft'sdirections by means of the turning lathe. It therefore happened that therigging was entirely prepared before the vessel was finished. Pencroft alsomanufactured a flag, that flag so dear to every true American, containingthe stars and stripes of their glorious Union. The colors for it weresupplied from certain plants used in dyeing, and which were very abundantin the island; only to the thirty-seven stars, representing the thirty-seven States of the Union, which shine on the American flag, the sailoradded a thirty-eighth, the star of "the State of Lincoln," for heconsidered his island as already united to the great republic. "And," saidhe, "it is so already in heart, 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 the nightof the 11th of August, the plateau of Prospect Heights was menaced withcomplete 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 at thethreshold of the door, at which he was scratching as if he wished to burstit 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 had beeninvaded 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 whatever theymight be they could by ascending the left bank of the Mercy reach ProspectHeights. They must therefore be advanced against quickly and fought with ifnecessary.

　　"But what are these beasts?" was asked a second time, as the yelpingswere again heard more loudly than before. These yelps made Herbert start,and he remembered having heard them before during his first visit to thesources 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 up thedarkness made their assailants draw back.

　　The chief thing was to hinder these plunderers from reaching the plateau,for the garden and the poultry-yard would then have been at their mercy,and immense, perhaps irreparable mischief, would inevitably be the result,especially with regard to the corn-field. But as the invasion of theplateau could only be made by the left bank of the Mercy, it was sufficientto oppose the colpeos on the narrow bank between the river and the cliff ofgranite.

　　This was plain to all, and, by Cyrus Harding's orders, they reached thespot indicated by him, while the colpeos rushed fiercely through the gloom.Harding, Gideon Spilett, Herbert, Pencroft and Neb posted themselves inimpregnable line. Top, his formidable jaws open, preceded the colonists,and he was followed by Jup, armed with knotty cudgel, which he brandishedlike 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 already laydead on the ground, but their number did not appear to diminish, and itmight have been supposed that reinforcements were continually arriving overthe bridge.

　　The colonists were soon obliged to fight at close quarters, not withoutreceiving some wounds, though happily very slight ones. Herbert had, with ashot from his revolver, rescued Neb, on whose back a colpeo had sprung likea tiger cat. Top fought with actual fury, flying at the throats of thefoxes and strangling them instantaneously. Jup wielded his weaponvaliantly, and it was in vain that they endeavored to keep him in the rear.Endowed doubtless with sight which enabled him to pierce the obscurity, hewas always in the thick of the fight uttering from time to time--a sharphissing sound, which was with him the sign of great rejoicing.

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

　　However, the struggle was ended at last, and victory was on the side ofthe settlers, but not until they had fought for two long hours! The firstsigns of the approach of day doubtless determined the retreat of theirassailants, who scampered away towards the North, passing over the bridge,which Neb ran immediately to raise. When day had sufficiently lighted upthe field of battle, the settlers counted as many as fifty dead bodiesscattered 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 his woundwas insignificant, as were those of his companions; for thanks to theirfirearms they had been almost always able to keep their assailants at adistance. it was therefore only the orang whose condition was serious.

　　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 the beds,and his wounds were bathed with the greatest care. It did not appear thatany vital part had been reached, but Jup was very weak from loss of blood,and a high fever soon set in after his wounds had been dressed. He was laiddown, strict diet was imposed, "just like a real person," as Neb said, andthey made him swallow several cups of a cooling drink, for which theingredients were supplied from the vegetable medicine chest of GraniteHouse. Jup was at first restless, but his breathing gradually became moreregular, and he was left sleeping quietly. From time to time Top, walkingon tip-toe, as one might say, came to visit his friend, and seemed toapprove of all the care that had been taken of him. One of Jup's hands hungover the side of 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 a lessonto the settlers, who from this time never went to bed until one of theirnumber had made sure that all the bridges were raised, and that no invasionwas possible.

　　However, Jup, after having given them serious anxiety for several days,began to recover. His constitution brought him through, the fever graduallysubsided, and Gideon Spilett, who was a bit of a doctor, pronounced himquite out of danger. On the 16th of August, Jup began to eat. Neb made himnice little sweet dishes, which the invalid devoured with great relish, forif he had a pet failing it was that of being somewhat of a gourmend, andNeb had never done anything to cure him of this fault.

　　"What would you have?" said he to Gideon Spilett, who sometimesexpostulated with him for spoiling the ape. "Poor Jup has no other pleasurethan that of the palate, and I am only too glad to be able to reward hisservices 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 not be longin regaining his usual strength and agility. Like all convalescents, he wastremendously hungry, and the reporter allowed him to eat as much as heliked, for he trusted to that instinct, which is too often wanting inreasoning beings, to keep the orang from any excess. Neb was delighted tosee 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 strong again!"

　　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 Turk atthe entrance to Granite House!

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

　　And Jup gravely puffed out clouds of smoke which seemed to give him greatsatisfaction. 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's ex-pipe,which was hung in his room near his store of tobacco. He filled it himself,lighted it with a glowing coal, and appeared to be the happiest ofquadrumana. It may readily be understood that this similarity of tastes ofJup and Pencroft served to tighten the bonds of friendship which alreadyexisted between the honest ape and the worthy sailor.

　　"Perhaps he is really a man," said Pencroft sometimes to Neb. "Should yoube 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 hull werefirmly united with ribs bent by means of steam, which answered all thepurposes of a mold.

　　As there was no want of wood, Pencroft proposed to the engineer to give adouble 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. Theinterior and deck of the vessel was entirely finished towards the 15th ofSeptember. For calking the seams they made oakum of dry seaweed, which washammered in between the planks; then these seams were covered with boilingtar, which was obtained in great abundance from the pines in the forest.

　　The management of the vessel was very simple. She had from the first beenballasted with heavy blocks of granite walled up, in a bed of lime, twelvethousand 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. Thefoot of the mast supported the partition which separated the two cabins,which were reached by two hatchways let into the deck.

　　Pencroft had no trouble in finding a tree suitable for the mast. He chosea straight young fir, with no knots, and which he had only to square at thestep, and round off at the top. The ironwork of the mast, the rudder andthe hull had been roughly but strongly forged at the Chimneys. Lastly,yards, masts, boom, spars, oars, etc., were all furnished by the first weekin October, and it was agreed that a trial trip should be taken round theisland, so as to ascertain how the vessel would behave at sea, and how farthey might depend upon her.

　　During all this time the necessary works had not been neglected. Thecorral was enlarged, for the flock of musmons and goats had been increasedby a number of young ones, who had to be housed and fed. The colonists hadpaid visits also to the oyster bed, the warren, the coal and iron mines,and to the till then unexplored districts of the Far West forest, whichabounded in game. Certain indigenous plants were discovered, and those fitfor immediate use contributed to vary the vegetable stores of GraniteHouse.

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

　　On the 10th of October the vessel was launched. Pencroft was radiant withjoy, the operation was perfectly successful; the boat completely rigged,having been pushed on rollers to the water's edge, was floated by therising tide, amid the cheers of the colonists, particularly of Pencroft,who showed no modesty on this occasion. Besides his importance was to lastbeyond the finishing of the vessel, since, after having built her, he wasto command her. The grade of captain was bestowed upon him with theapprobation of all. To satisfy Captain Pencroft, it was now necessary togive a name to the vessel, and, after many propositions had been discussed,the votes were all in favor of the "Bonadventure." As soon as the"Bonadventure" had been lifted by the rising tide, it was seen that she layevenly in the water, and would be easily navigated. However, the trial tripwas to be made that very day, by an excursion off the coast. The weatherwas fine, the breeze fresh, and the sea smooth, especially towards thesouth coast, for the wind was blowing from 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 asthe latter had not again spoken of the voyage to Tabor Island, Hardinghoped he had given it up. He would have indeed great reluctance in lettingtwo or three of his companions venture so far in so small a boat, which wasnot of more than fifteen tons' burden.

　　At half-past ten everybody was on hoard, even Top and Jup, and Herbertweighed the anchor, which was fast in the sand near the mouth of the Mercy.The sail was hoisted, the Lincolnian flag floated from the masthead, andthe "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, soas to sail along the southern coast of the island, when it was found shesailed admirably within five points of the wind. All hands were enchanted,they had a good vessel, which, in case of need, would be of great serviceto them, and with fine weather and a fresh breeze the voyage promised to becharming.

　　Pencroft now stood off the shore, three or four miles across from PortBalloon. The island then appeared in all its extent and under a new aspect,with the varied panorama of its shore from Claw Cape to Reptile End, theforests in which dark firs contrasted with the young foliage of othertrees and overlooked the whole, and Mount Franklin whose lofty head wasstill 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 what iswanting 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 emergency weneed not hesitate to trust ourselves to the 'Bonadventure' even for alonger voyage; but you know I should see you set off to Tabor Island withgreat 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, who wasrather vexed by the engineer's opposition, but who did not wish to causehim 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 was atfirst only a doubtful whim.

　　After standing off the shore the "Bonadventure" again approached it inthe direction of Port Balloon. It was important to ascertain the channelsbetween the sandbanks and reefs, that buoys might be laid down since thislittle 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 only ripplednow 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 drew thecork, and took from it a damp paper, on which were written these words:--

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