THE RETREAT.
Philip did not attempt to speculate upon the intelligence displayed by
the chimpanzees as he half-followed and was half-dragged along the narrow
tunnel by Alice.
That these two had recognized in the king of the apes their old master
whose life they had previously tried to save there could be no question,
for on entering the narrow hiding-place in the house Ben Bolt had shown
no surprise at finding confined there a man instead of an ape; and on her
part, Alice acted as if recognizing the object of their search.
Both these animals must have been aware of the deception practiced upon
the other apes and received some inkling of the true state of affairs,
otherwise they would not have been so prompt in making this excavation
for the purpose of rescuing him.
The labor they had performed was prodigious, as Philip understood while
creeping along the tunnel; for, although they moved at a reasonably rapid
pace, it was fully twenty minutes before the three emerged into a thicket
of mimosas directly back of Ben Bolt’s former prison, and to the fugitive
it seemed certain these animals must have commenced their labors on the
very night when the first mishap occurred to the skin of royalty.
Perhaps Goliah had made his suspicions public; or perhaps, again, Ben
Bolt or Alice witnessed the first accident, and understanding who had
been masquerading under the guise of the king, immediately formed a
plan for his liberation. In either case the result of their labors
was certainly brought about by reason rather than instinct, and the
animal-trainer thought with a certain chagrin of the time when he
believed apes could only be taught by example emphasized with severe
punishment.
On emerging from the tunnel Philip could hear the shouts and cries of the
apes who were searching the ruins; but the thicket of mimosas hid him
from their view, and after beating down the ground as well as possible to
hide any evidence of the existence of the tunnel, Ben Bolt motioned for
Philip to follow him.
With Alice bringing up the rear, all three pushed forward at the utmost
speed until they arrived at the mouth of the grotto in which Philip had
previously taken refuge.
Since Goliah was in command of the apes the two chimpanzees were exposed
to as much danger as their human comrade, for the huge baboon would
undoubtedly make Ben Bolt a prisoner once more in order to separate him
from his mate; and, therefore, Philip understood that he was to have the
companionship of these beasts during such time as it might be necessary
to remain in hiding.
The grotto was far from being a secure place of retreat, since at any
moment a squad of apes might pass that way, and Philip now took upon
himself the part of conductor, leading the animals directly into the
subterranean chambers which he had discovered.
Here they could have light to a certain degree, water from the numberless
streams, and plenty of food in the shape of fish; therefore their
voluntary imprisonment might be monotonous but not painful, however long
a time it should continue.
It was probable Goliah’s forces would discover these under-ground
chambers, and to guard as far as possible against what might prove a dire
calamity, Philip set about filling the passage leading from the grotto
with fragments of limestone, taken from the chamber of statutes.
In this work he was aided by the chimpanzees very materially, and before
three hours had passed they were in what appeared to be an impregnable
position.
So far as Philip had discovered there was no means of entrance to the
subterranean chamber save through the grotto, and with the tunnel
half-filled by rocks, there was every reason to believe a siege could
be sustained indefinitely. The animals appeared to understand quite as
well as did their human companion that they were comparatively safe
from Goliah and his forces, and hand in hand they wandered through the
caverns, uttering exclamations of surprise or chattering with each other
in a low tone, but returning to Philip every moment to make sure he
would not again disappear from their view.
A dinner and supper of boiled fish, then a long time of unbroken repose,
and another day dawned.
During the hours devoted to slumber Philip had resolved that, in order to
occupy his mind and provide the needful exercise for all, he would again
take up his work of gathering gold, although it might not be possible to
carry it away. When breakfast had been cooked in the boiling spring, and
eaten, he motioned for the chimpanzees to follow him down the course of
the stream.
In order to make them understand what he wished to do, it was only
necessary to take from the water a few of the yellow nuggets, compare
them with bits of limestone to show the difference in color, and then
carry them to the hiding-place behind the statue. One example was
sufficient, and without delay the animals set about gathering the
treasure, so useless while Philip remained on the island, but of such
great value if he could succeed in conveying it to any civilized portion
of the world.
It was not his intention to make of this treasure-gathering absolute
labor, but only to perform so much of it as would give the needed
exercise in confinement; and after the chimpanzees had worked
industriously three hours he motioned for them to desist.
Stretched out on the cool white sand in the cavern nearest the grotto,
all three of the fugitives enjoyed a most pleasant siesta. They
could contrast the heat outside with the refreshing coolness of the
under-ground residence, and Philip admitted to himself that to remain
shut up here several weeks might not be as unpleasant as would seem at
first thought.
Thus alternately working and resting, the time passed at a reasonably
rapid rate until Philip judged that one week of this voluntary
imprisonment had elapsed.
During all this time nothing had been heard from the apes, and the
chimpanzees no longer acted as if fearing each moment their enemies
would find them out. Even Philip felt reassured on this point, and was
beginning to make preparations for sending Ben Bolt on a reconnoitering
expedition, or of going himself, when loud shouts from the outside
proclaimed the fact that Goliah’s army had at last discovered their
hiding-place.
Even now Philip felt but little alarm, for by barricading the tunnel it
would be possible to hold the entire force at bay.
Goliah, however, did not propose to let his army expend their energy and
time in shrieking. About noon on the eighth day of Philip’s voluntary
imprisonment the sounds from the grotto proclaimed the fact that the
enemy were making preparations for entering the passage.
At the first alarm the chimpanzees were nearly beside themselves with
fright; but after observing Philip’s calm demeanor they appeared to gain
confidence, and in less than an hour both were sufficiently composed to
render such aid as their human companion required.
The work of maintaining a defense was not arduous. It consisted simply
in breaking the naturally-formed statues into fragments—which was easily
done owing to the porous nature of the stone—and packing the pieces into
the passage as fast as the wall gave evidence of being weakened by the
besiegers.
“They may go on with that sort of work for a month without being able to
get at us,” Philip said, much as if the chimpanzees needed encouragement
and could understand what he said. “We have only to keep on hand a
plentiful supply of material, and the advantage will all be on our side.”
Before the day came to an end the animals had learned so well what was
necessary that their companion had no hesitation about trusting them to
continue the defense while he caught and prepared fish for supper.
During the night the enemy remained silent, but at the first break of day
the attack was continued—this time so methodically that the forenoon was
but half spent when the barricade was so far destroyed that Philip could
see the besiegers at the further end of the tunnel.
They labored in couples, dragging out the rocks and passing them to those
in the rear, who formed a long chain to the outer end of the grotto,
where the fragments were thrown down the incline at such a point that the
movement of the army would not be impeded.
In this order of working it was possible for them to gain very materially
upon the defenders of the cavern, and for the first time since having
taken refuge in this place Philip began to fear they might eventually be
dragged from what he had believed was a secure retreat, unless it should
be possible to change their own plan.
It was while he stood at the mouth of the tunnel trying to devise some
means of accelerating the work of defense that he was startled by hearing
the report of a cannon in the distance.
His companions immediately rushed to his side, as if understanding that
this booming noise meant deliverance for him whom they had labored so
hard; and while the three were listening intently a second report was
heard.
Now the besiegers began to understand that something unusual was
occurring on the island, and when the third report rang out on the still
air Philip shouted, in a loud voice:
“A vessel has come! Captain Seaworth has returned, and we shall be able
to leave this terrible place!”
The besiegers, confounded and uneasy because of the detonations, which
were several times repeated by the echoes, came to a decided stand-still,
while Goliah, who was stationed just inside the grotto, leaned forward,
sniffing the air and showing every symptom of uneasiness.