TREASURE-GATHERING.
Although Philip was in a situation where gold was of far less value than
food, or even raiment, that thirst for wealth which has come upon so many
even under similar circumstances became so great as to create a most
intense desire to pile up the largest possible quantity of the precious
but—to him—useless metal.
Until a late hour in the night he gathered nuggets from the bed of the
stream, being able to work as well in the under-ground chamber during the
time of darkness as any other, owing to the phosphorescent light from the
fish, until he had hidden behind the natural statue a weight sufficient
to burden half a dozen men in the carrying. Upon the rough calculation
that twenty-five thousand dollars in gold weighs a hundred pounds, he had
good reason to believe that the value of his treasure was considerably
more than a hundred thousand dollars.
It was only his desire for sleep which caused him to desist; and
returning once more to the grotto, after a meal of boiled fish he laid
himself down to sleep, not awakening until daybreak, when, from the mouth
of the hill-side cave, he saw what aroused again in his mind the belief
that other human beings beside himself were upon the island.
The reflection of flames could be seen through the forest, evidently
caused by an enormous bonfire, and the only reasonable supposition was
that shipwrecked mariners were sending out this beacon-light in the hope
of attracting attention from those on some passing ship. Perhaps more
than he had been saved from the Swallow, and with this thought he darted
forward at full speed, heeding not possible discovery by the apes in his
eagerness to be again with human companions.
If such a thing were possible, he was more anxious now than ever before
to meet with men, for unless assistance could be obtained his wealth was
useless; and regardless of the thorns which pierced his flesh, or of the
pitfalls that might be in his path, he ran swiftly on toward the more
than welcome light.
The nearer he approached to the flames the stronger his hopes grew,
for he could see beyond a peradventure that it was a bonfire on the
highest point of the island, where people signaling for assistance would
naturally build a beacon.
That an enormous quantity of fuel was being consumed could be told
from the fact that it required nearly an hour of rapid walking before
he arrived at the base of the elevation; and in the highest state of
excitement he ran up the rocky slope, the soil rattling and crumbling
under his feet with such a peculiar sound that it was reasonable to
suppose he was traveling over the lava of an extinct volcano.
Here he came upon a kind of vegetation through which it was absolutely
impossible to pass. Occupying a space of a hundred feet square, as nearly
as he could judge, was a veritable jungle of thorns across which fifty
men with the best of tools would have been many hours in making a road.
The bushes, the creepers, and even the bamboos were covered with these
long, needle-like points, which tore his flesh cruelly. Everything grew
zig-zag and jagged, and in an inextricable tangle. To get through without
lacerating his body to such an extent as to be in danger of death was out
of the question, and in order to reach the desired spot a long detour was
necessary.
When within two-thirds of the distance to the summit a most extraordinary
spectacle greeted him. Instead of human beings it was apes who had
kindled the fire, and were most industriously engaged in feeding it.
Two files, composed of over a hundred of these animals, stretched from
the top of the hill down the side as far as he could see, a distance of
about six feet separating one from the other. This party was passing
fragments of wood, branches of trees, and such combustible materials, up
the incline to those at the top, who threw the fuel into the flames.
Industrious laborers were they, indeed. Not a sound could be heard, and
with the utmost gravity they continued the task as if it was something
upon which their lives depended.
Philip now saw that he was upon the crest of a small volcano which had
evidently not been in a state of eruption for some time, and the fire was
built within the blackened crater, with so much fuel that it more than
filled the space, the glowing coals rising several feet above the summit.
Unquestionably it was the reflection of a fire similar to this which
he had previously seen; but why these animals, who are supposed to
fear anything of the kind, worked so hard to keep the blaze alive was
something he could not even imagine. The wood literally flew through the
air, so eager were the laborers to see the flames leap and dance in the
gray light of the morning; and it was with a certain fascination, similar
to that experienced while viewing the proceedings of the court a few days
before, that Philip gazed upon the scene.
It could not have been more than five minutes that he remained motionless
watching these strange proceedings, and just when he began to realize
how necessary it was to leave the place before being discovered the apes
caught sight of him.
In an instant, as if by magic, the silence was broken. A dozen of the
animals clustered around him, shouting and screaming as if to others in
the distance, until the din was almost deafening, and he could hear it
echoed and re-echoed far away in the distance. His first thought was to
make his escape, by force if necessary; but before he could even so much
as raise his hands two gigantic baboons leaped toward him and seized,
firmly but not roughly, both his arms.
Either one of the animals could have held him prisoner despite his most
violent resistance, and Philip realized full well the uselessness of a
struggle in which he would inevitably receive many severe blows, even if
he should be so fortunate as to escape death.
During fifteen minutes the screaming and yelling continued, his captors
holding him immovable all the while; and then, as if a summons had been
received from some one in authority, the two baboons led him down the
hill, followed by all those who had been working so energetically to feed
the flames.
Through the forest in the direction by which he had approached, past the
banana plantation to the single street of the tiny settlement, Philip
was led like a malefactor, with the long train of grinning, chattering
followers; and he had good reason to believe his fate might be the same
as that of the skeleton which he had seen hanging in the thicket of
mimosas. He knew beyond a peradventure that he was being conducted to the
presence of Goliah, and who could say what the vindictive baboon might
devise in the way of punishment for the one who had not, in his case at
least, been a gentle master.
Goliah would remember all that had occurred, as could be told from
the imprisonment of Ben Bolt and the behavior of Alice; therefore the
merchant who had come so far in search of living curiosities knew there
was good cause for alarm regarding this meeting.
Upon reaching the village the baboons led their prisoner to the most
pretentious of the little cottages, which had probably been occupied by
Captain Seaworth as the office or counting-house of the colony, and into
this he was thrust. His two captors were the only members of the party
who accompanied him. The others remained in the street, some sitting on
their haunches, as if speculating whether they were to be treated to the
spectacle of an execution, a few hanging on the broken fences like boys
who loiter in front of a residence at which distinguished personages are
visiting, and the majority of the crowd surrounding the building much as
though taking steps to prevent an escape.
The interior of the dwelling differed but little from the outside, so
far as the scene of wanton destruction was concerned. Books were thrown
from their cases, leaves torn, and the bindings ruthlessly pulled off.
Fragments of clothing were strewn on the floor, furniture scratched
and splintered, and pictures turned face to the wall or thrown among
the debris in one corner of the room. Everything gave token of the
mischievousness of these animals; and yet in the midst of all a certain
kind of order reigned, as if the long-tailed residents were bent on
preserving some semblance of what the interior had once presented.
All these things Philip took in at a glance. He had no time to study
details, for within a very few seconds a most singular and grotesque
figure made its appearance from an adjoining room.
One would have said it was a gigantic bird, but Philip immediately
recognized the face as Goliah’s; and the sight of this ape, covered
from head to foot with feathers, naturally filled the prisoner with the
greatest surprise.
The cause of this strange transformation, however, was soon revealed. The
feathers were simply quills, the majority of which had been made into
pens, and were stuck over his ears, through the hair on the top of his
head, under his arms, and in every place where one would remain, not even
excepting the extreme end of his tail.
Goliah was followed by two smaller and less ferocious-looking baboons,
who were decorated in the same fantastic manner, and from their attitude
one might readily fancy they occupied the position of servants, or
perhaps counselors to his apish majesty.
The sight of this animal, whom he had chastised so many times, caused
Philip no slight alarm, for there was good reason to believe that some
signal vengeance might be wreaked upon him, and he peered closely into
the hairy, feather-bedecked face to learn whether his identity was
discovered.
If Goliah recognized his old master he gave no sign of such fact,
probably because he had more important business on hand just at that
moment. He stopped only long enough to glance at the frightened youth,
and then, consulting for an instant with the two behind him, uttered
several sharp cries, which were evidently commands. Immediately Philip’s
captors led him into an adjoining room, where was such a scene as would
have convinced the most skeptical that the monkey-tribe can be trained
to become useful in many ways.
In this apartment were at least fifty apes seated at two long tables,
and all in a state of the most intense excitement. They had before them
large quantities of paper, huge bottles of ink, and a numerous collection
of quill-pens, which they were using with the same industry and energy
as shown by the feeders of the fire. They leaned over the table like
weary clerks, dipping their pens into the inkstands frequently, often
mistaking their paws for the quills in the general hurry and confusion,
and scribbling upon sheets of paper spread before them, as if trying
to imitate, with the greatest possible fidelity, a party of overworked
journalists.
With their quills, or fingers, they scratched incessantly, spattering ink
in every direction, and sheet after sheet was covered with what looked
not unlike a stenographer’s notes.
When the paper was sufficiently bespattered with ink it was passed to
a venerable old monkey, who occupied a single desk at the further end
of the room, and he, after examining it intently, affixed one of those
little, red-paper seals which are used on legal documents. Then it was
handed to a monkey stationed just outside the door, and by him passed
along a line, precisely as the wood at the volcano had been, save that,
so far as Philip could understand, the messengers were sent toward the
sea-coast.
After the lapse of ten or fifteen minutes the same paper was returned
to the house and handed to Goliah, who, with an air of greatest wisdom,
scanned it carefully. Then he in turn passed it to another old ape in
an adjoining room, who was probably a register of deeds, a recorder of
wills, or whatever title is bestowed upon the keeper of monkey documents.