Chapter 28 Chapter Six

Cyrus.Smith stood still without saying a word.His companions groped for the stone wall in the dark. Maybe the ladder was blown aside by the wind, maybe it fell to the ground but disappeared everywhere.Had a gust of wind blown it half way up the platform?This cannot be confirmed in the dark. If it is a jest, cried Pencroft, it is going too far, and to return to one's own door and not find a ladder to get in is no fun to a man who is terribly tired! Neb couldn't do anything, so he yelled and shouted. I just now feel that there are endless strange things happening on Lincoln Island!said Pencroft.

Is it strange?Ji Ding.Spilett interjected, not at all strange, Pencroft, nothing more natural.Someone took over our house while we were out and pulled the ladder up. Someone, cried the sailor, who do you say? Who else but the hunter who fired the gun.The correspondent went on to say, if nothing else, unlucky us! If there were any one above, began Pencroft impatiently, he would surely oblige if I called him. The sailor yelled the word in a thunderclap-like voice, and there was a constant echo from the cliffs and rocks. They listened intently, and there seemed to be a giggle, the origin of which no one could guess.But no one answered Pencroft, and he shouted again and again to no avail.

Indeed, even the most insensitive people would shudder in such a situation, and they are not yet that kind of people.Everything counted in their circumstances, but indeed, during the seven months they had been on the desert island, nothing quite like this had happened to them. Although they forgot to be tired because of their astonishment, they still could only stay under the Granite Palace. They didn't know how to think and how to act. Knowing that none of them would give themselves a satisfactory answer, everyone still asked each other. , everyone guessed randomly, and the more they thought about it, the more bizarre it became.Neb regretted not being able to go into the kitchen, for their provisions had been exhausted and could not be replenished.

Friends, Cyrus.Smith finally said that there is only one way now, and that is: wait until dawn, and then play it by ear.Let's go back to the grotto first, settle down, even if there is no food, at least we can sleep. But who is making such a big joke with us?Pencroft asked again, hesitatingly, not wanting to leave the place. No matter who it is, the most feasible way is still the engineer's suggestion, to go to the grotto and wait for dawn.During this time, they ordered Top to watch under the window of Granite Palace, and Top did not say a word when he received the order.So the brave dog remained at the foot of the cliff, while his master and his mates sought shelter among the rocks.

These people were very tired, but it would be a mistake to think that they could sleep peacefully on the sands of the grotto.This is not only because they are eager to know what is going on. Is it a coincidence that the truth will be revealed in the daytime?Or is someone deliberately playing tricks on them?And it was extremely uncomfortable to sleep there.But, no matter what, their residence was occupied at that time, and they couldn't get in for a while. Granite Palace was not only their residence, but also their warehouse.All their weapons, instruments, implements, powder, provisions, etc., are there.If all this is looted and they have to start from scratch, making new weapons and new tools, the problem is indeed quite serious.They were anxious, and every few minutes one of them went to see if Top was still there.Only Cyrus.Smith waited as calmly as ever, but his strong reason failed in the face of this inconceivable fact.At the same time, he could not help feeling annoyed at the thought of an indescribable authority at his side, perhaps above him.Ji Ding.Spilett felt the same in this respect, and the two of them murmured about the inexplicable situation, which baffled both their intelligence and their past experience.There must be some secret on this island, but how to debunk it?Herbert could only fantasize, and only liked to ask Smith about his problems.Neb thought it was his master's business, and if he hadn't been afraid of the anger of his companions, the good negro could have slept as peacefully as he had in Granite Palace.Pencroft was most anxious, and he was almost mad with rage.

It is a joke, said Pencroft, that we are being tricked.I don't like this kind of joke, and the joker had better watch out, and if it ever falls into my hands, I'll make him look good! As soon as a ray of dawn appeared from the east, everyone immediately armed themselves and returned to the coast beside the cliff.The rising sun, which beat down directly upon the Granite Palace, would soon illuminate it brightly.At five o'clock in the morning, the closed windows can be seen through the shadowed branches. All seemed normal; but the door, which had been closed when they set out, was now open, and they cried out aloud when they saw it.

There can be no doubt that someone has been to Granite Palace. The first half of the ladder was always hung from the door to the platform, and it is still hanging there, but the second half has been pulled to the threshold.Apparently, these invaders want to use this method to prevent accidental invasion. To find out what kind of people they are, how many are there?This is impossible, because no one has shown up yet. Pencroft cried a little longer. No one answered. Damn it, cried the sailor, and they were as quiet as if they were sleeping in their own homes.Hey, you brigands, brigands, pirates, John Bulls. 】!

Pencroft was an American, and when he scolded John Bull, he thought he had slandered John Bull to the extreme. Now that the sun was fully up, it illuminated the whole front of Granite Palace, but there was no sound inside or out. They did not know if anyone was in Granite Palace, but it was evident from the position of the ladder that there were, and it was certain that whoever these people were, they had not escaped.But how to catch them? Herbert suggested tying a cord to the arrow, and shooting the arrow up the ladder hanging from the threshold, and into the first notch of the ladder.Thus they could pull the cords on the arrows, and bring the ladder from the threshold to the ground, and restore the communication between the ground and the Granite Palace.There was obviously no other way than this; and if the skill of the archer was good, the method might be successful.Fortunately, the bows and arrows were in the grotto, and they found some very light hibiscus ropes there.Pencroft fastened it to a fine feathered arrow.Then Herbert took aim at the lower part of the ladder with his bow and arrow.

Cyrus.Smith, Keating.Spilett, Pencroft, and Neb all drew back a few steps, so that if anything appeared at the window, they might see it at a glance.The correspondent raised his gun, put the butt of it against his shoulder, and aimed it at the portal of Granite Palace. Herbert drew his bow fully, and the arrow flew straight out with the rope, right between the last two stops of the ladder. They succeeded. Herbert seized the end of the rope at once, and was just about to pull the ladder down in one fell swoop, when a hand thrust out through the crack of the door, seized the rope, and dragged it into Granite Palace.

damn thing!If you had been given a bullet, cried the sailor, you would have died long ago. who is that?asked Neb. who?Didn't you see it? No. It's a monkey, a spider ape, an orangutan, a baboon, a gorilla, an ape.Our place has become a monkey's den, which they have climbed in by ladders in our absence. At this moment, as if to prove the sailor's words, two or three monkeys showed their faces at the window. They opened the window and made countless faces to the owner of the house. I knew it was a jest, cried Pencroft, but we must make an example of it. After speaking, the sailor raised his gun, aimed at a monkey and fired.One monkey fell on the beach with only one breath left, and the rest were gone.This large monkey clearly belonged to the first order of the macaques.Maybe it's a chimpanzee, maybe an orangutan, maybe a gorilla, in short, it belongs to the apes, which is named because they look like humans, but Herbert, who is proficient in zoology, firmly insists that it is an orangutan.

What a good-looking beast!cried Neb. Well, well, answered Pencroft, but I do not think it is possible to get into the house. Herbert was a good shot, said the correspondent, and his bow was still here.Might as well try again. Why, these monkey cubs are clever, said Pencroft, they won't come to the window again, we can't beat them, and when I think of them playing tricks in the rooms and storehouses, they will be ashamed. Take it easy, said Smith, we will never be left helpless by them. I can't believe they ain't down, said the sailor, and now, Mr. Smith, do you know how many dozen there are? Pencroft's question was difficult to answer, and it was not easy for the boy to try a second time, for the lower part of the ladder was drawn into the door again, and after they pulled twice below, the rope broke, but the ladder remained secure. stay in place.The situation is indeed embarrassing.Pencroft was furious with anxiety.In a way, the situation seemed comical, but he didn't find it funny at all.Naturally, in the end they will drive out the invaders and return to their homes, but when will that happen: and what will they do?Here lies the difficulty. Two hours passed, during which time the monkeys were careful not to show their faces, but they still did not come out. Three or four times a nose or a paw protruded from the door or window, and they immediately gave it a slap. gun. Let's hide, said the engineer at last, maybe they think we've gone far and will come out again.Spilett and Herbert lay in ambush behind the stones, and beat them when they came out. At once the order of the engineer was followed, and the correspondent and the lad, who were the most skillful at shooting among them, found a place to hide from the sight of the monkeys, while Neb, Pencroft, and Cyrus climbed up to the heights. , went hunting in the forest, for it was already breakfast time and they had no food left. Half an hour later the hunters came back with some wild pigeons, which they roasted as well as they could.Still none of the monkeys came out.Ji Ding.Spilett and Herbert left Top under the window, and went to breakfast.After eating, he came back and continued to lie in wait. Another two hours passed, and their condition was still not the slightest improvement.The monkeys disappeared, as if they had disappeared, but in fact they probably saw their companions being killed and became frightened, afraid of the gunshots, so they hid in the back half of the house and ran to the warehouse.It was not without reason that they jumped up anxiously at the thought of the precious things hidden in the warehouse, even disregarding the patience repeatedly enjoined by the engineer. It's too bad, said the correspondent, and the most troublesome thing is that they keep making trouble, and there's nothing we can do about it. But we must get these brutes out somehow, cried the sailor, and even if there were twenty of them we could get them down very quickly, but only by fighting them face to face.Come on, can't you catch them? Let's find a way to get to Granite Palace from the original hole by the lake.said the engineer. ah!How confused!cried the sailor, how could I not have thought of that. Indeed, that was the only way to get to Granite Palace, to fight and drive out these invaders.It is true that the opening of the hole has been closed with a wall of stone and earth, and there is only one sacrifice now, but this is easily mended.Fortunately, I haven't followed Cyrus.Smith's plan, to bring the lake water up to flood the hole, would have taken some time otherwise. Armed with picks and shovels they left the Grotto, and passed under the windows of Granite House, when it was past twelve o'clock; leaving Top where they were, they climbed the left bank of the Mercy to Prospect Heights. go. But they had not gone fifty paces in this direction when Top barked. So everyone rushed down from the embankment again. As soon as they turned the corner, they realized that the situation had changed. A large group of apes was suddenly frightened for some unknown reason, and were about to flee.Two or three crawled from one window to the other, nimbly like acrobats.It would have been easy to get down by putting the ladder back in place, but they didn't intend to do it at all, and they were probably so dazed with panic that they had forgotten that they could escape like this.Now the inhabitants had no difficulty in aiming, so they fired.Many apes, dead or wounded, screamed and fell into the room.Others who rushed out fell to the ground and were smashed to pieces. After a few minutes, the residents estimated that there was not a single live monkey in the Granite Palace. Ha ha!cried Pencroft. Don't shout so much good, okay!Spilett said. Why?They were all killed, the sailor said. I agree, said the correspondent, but Kong Yaoying is still not allowed into the house. So, let's go to the mouth of the water hole!said Pencroft. right!Cyrus.but it's better, smith said At this time, as if in answer to Smith's words, a ladder slipped from the threshold and hung on the ground. ah!How strange!" exclaimed the sailor, looking at Smith! really weird!The engineer murmured that he jumped on the ladder first. Watch out, Mr. Smith!exclaimed Pencroft, perhaps the damned beasts were not dead yet. We'll find out right away.Smith answered while continuing to climb. Everyone followed behind him, and in a moment they came to the door.They search everywhere.But there was no one, and there was no one in the warehouse where the monkeys had visited. So, the ladder, shouted Shuizi, who brought it down for us? At this moment there was only a cry, and then a very large orangutan who had been hiding in the corridor rushed into the house, followed by Neb in hot pursuit. Ah, you robber!cried Pencroft. With a sharp ax in his hand, he was about to strike at the orangutan's head, Cyrus.Smith grabbed his arm and said: Keep it, Pencroft. Spare this bastard? Yes!The ladder is what it threw at us! The engineer's tone was so strange that people could hardly tell whether he was telling the truth or lying. But everyone still jumped on the orangutan. It defended itself bravely, but soon couldn't resist and was tied up. have to!Now that we have caught it, said Pencroft, what shall we do with it? Be our servant!replied Herbert. The boy wasn't kidding, because he knew that this clever animal could be used. So everyone came to the ape and looked at it carefully.It is a kind of ape, and the face angle of the ape is not far from that of the natives in Australia and South Africa.This is an orangutan, neither as fierce and terrifying as a gorilla, nor as often rash as a baboon; Baboons are nasty like that.Among the apes there is a type which has many characteristics which prove that their intelligence is almost equal to that of man, and this orangutan belongs to this type.If they are kept at home, they can serve people, sweep the floor, wash clothes, shine shoes, use knives, forks, and spoons in a proper manner, and even drink and do everything like a well-trained servant. The orangutan captured in Granite Palace was a very large, six-foot-tall, well-proportioned, well-proportioned, broad-chested, moderately large head with a sixty-five-degree facial angle, rounded skull, and protruding nose. , with shiny and soft fur, in short, this is a good breed of ape.Its eyes were smaller than a man's, but they were intelligent, its teeth gleamed white under its moustache, and under its chin grew a tuft of brown tendrils. it's beautiful!If we understand it, said Pencroft, we can talk to it. But, master, said Neb, is it true?Are we really going to take it as a servant? Yes, Neb, laughed the engineer, don't be jealous. I'm sure he will serve well, added Herbert, he looks young, and is easy to teach, and we don't have to force him down, or pull out his teeth, as some people do.As long as it is treated well, it will soon love its master. Will do.Pencroft said that he had long since forgotten all his anger at the joker. So he walked up to the orangutan. dude!He asked, how are you? The gorilla snorted, but there was no anger. Would you like to join our squad?The sailor then asked, would you like to serve Cyrus?Does Mr. Smith serve? The orangutan snorted again in reply. The treatment is three meals a day, nothing else, are you satisfied? It snorted affirmatively for the third time. It would be too easy to talk like this.Ji Ding.Spilett said. Simple is better, said Pencroft. The best servants are those who are silent and unrewarded. Do you hear me, fellow?We won't give you treatment for now, but if we think you are not bad in the future, we will double it at that time. So a new member was added to the team.In giving it a name, the sailor made a request: in honor of an ape he had known in the past, he begged to call it Juppod, or Jup for short. In this way, without other ceremonies, little Japp settled down in Granite Palace.