HOW PANTAGRUEL WITH HIS DARTS KILLS A MONSTER WHICH CANNON-BALLS COULD
NOT HURT.--THE POWER OF THE SIGN OF THE CROSS.
[Illustration: Initial A.]
About sundown of the day when the fleet left Ruach, as they were coming
near Wild Island, Pantagruel's keen eye spied, far off, a huge whale,
which, raised above the waters higher than the maintop, came straight
towards the fleet, blowing and spouting from its horrid nostrils so
high a stream of water that it seemed to be a swollen river rushing
down a mountain's side.
[Illustration: PANTAGRUEL SPIES A MONSTER.]
Pantagruel pointed out the whale to the pilot and to Xenomanes. James
Brayer was the first one to give advice, and his advice was always
worth listening to. What he advised was that the trumpets of the
Thalmege should be sounded so as to warn all the fleet to stand close,
and look to themselves. At this alarm, every ship, galleon, frigate,
and brigantine (according to naval discipline) placed itself in such
order as to form the Greek Y,--the flag-ship being in the centre. This
proved that James Brayer, while being a good sailor, had been landsman
enough sometimes to watch cranes fly in the air. For the letter Y is
just the figure that the cranes in their journeys--the leader always
being in front--choose in winging their long or short ways across the
sky.
Of course the first one to get on the forecastle, where he could have a
word with the grenadiers, was Friar John! Brave Friar John! He was the
right-hand where anything strong or good was to be done. As to Panurge,
he began to cry and howl at the top of his voice. "_Boo! boo! boo!_
This is a worse business than that of the other day," he blubbered,
shrugging up his shoulders and shivering in his fright. "That frightful
thing over there is the horrid Leviathan Job spoke of! I am sure he is
coming to swallow us all up, ships, sails, men and all, like so many
pills. Ah! friends, let's escape the monster. The land is near; let us
go on shore!"
"Panurge," said Pantagruel, turning round, "all thou hast to do is to
trust to me. Have no fear; I shall do its business presently."
"Oh, Your Highness knows well enough that I am never afraid except when
there is danger! _Boo! boo! boo!_"
While Panurge was whimpering, the monster had got fairly into the Greek
Y made by the fleet. It was the whale which began the fight. The moment
it found itself inside the angle, and saw the ships on each side of it,
it wheeled around and began to spout water by whole tons upon them.
Then it was that the ships took up the war. They all set to work as
though they were mad, to hurl against the whale on every side arrows,
spears, darts, javelins, and harpoons. Never had there been seen such a
storm of deadly weapons whistling through the air at one time.
You may be sure that Friar John did not spare himself.
Panurge nearly died from fright.
[Illustration: SHOOTING AT THE WHALE.]
The artillery belched out largest balls; but they didn't do the least
harm. All they did was to strike the monster's tough, black hide and
slant off. When he saw how so much good powder was being wasted,
Pantagruel thought it was high time for him to keep his promise to
Panurge. He had, when a boy, a great name for throwing darts, javelins,
and such missiles. There was not a man around the Royal Palace of
Utopia who had not seen, more than once, his wonderful skill in
dart-throwing; for, with his immense darts, which were so large that
they looked very much like the huge beams that support the bridges of
Nantes and Saumur and Bergerac, he used, standing a mile off, to open
an oyster without breaking its shell; snuff a candle without putting it
out; shoot a magpie in the eye; and he had even been known to turn over
leaf after leaf of Friar John's breviary, and not tear one of them.
Pantagruel had already found out that there was a fine store of darts
in the ship, and he ordered a good supply to be laid on the deck before
him. With the first dart, hurled with a mighty force, he struck the
whale so furiously in the head that he pierced both its jaws and its
tongue, making one piece of the three.
[Illustration: PANTAGRUEL TRIES HIS HAND.]
This was a great victory. The monster could not spurt any more.
With the second dart he put out its right eye.
With the third he put out its left.
Then everybody began to crowd around to look in safety at the whale,
which, if it had not been for the Giant's darts, might have ended in
drowning the whole fleet, but which was now rolling and staggering
about on the waves, stunned and blinded. The creature was still alive,
and might yet do some harm; and so Pantagruel, who was watching every
movement, threw out a fourth dart, which struck it under the tail. Then
the giant began to hurl his darts, one after another, on each side of
the black hide, not wildly, but with the same care and skill with which
he had once turned the leaves of Friar John's breviary. Fifty darts
struck it on one side. Fifty darts more struck it on the other side.
This was too much for the monster. It turned on its greasy back, as all
dead fishes do, and floated without motion, looking, with the beams and
darts upside down in the water, like a gigantic centipede crawling on
the sea, with the tips of its hundred feet just showing, every now and
then, above the surface of the waves.
[Illustration: THE DEATH OF THE MONSTER.]
Just as soon as the whale was seen to be floating, James Brayer
shouted, "A boat's crew, to bring yonder carcass to the island!"
In a trice a boat manned by strong men, and filled with harpoons, was
towing the whale towards Wild Island. The Giant himself took no notice
of all this; but, having seen from the deck a small deserted seaport
towards the south, he fixed on a fine, pleasant grove near it, as a
good place to pitch tent and have a gay time after their victory. Once
there, Friar John, who was near his side, at a word from the Giant,
rang the bell for supper. Pantagruel took to eating cheerfully with his
men. Of a sudden, fierce cries were heard from the forest, a half mile
or so back from the little grove.
[Illustration: LANDING THE MONSTER.]
"What is that?" asked Pantagruel of Xenomanes.
"Only the wild creatures, sir, who have given this Wild Island its
name. Some say they are demons. By raising your head you may see them
over the hill in yonder thicket."
[Illustration: ON WILD ISLAND.]
Pantagruel, without further word, rushed from the table to scour the
thicket. The whole company rose and followed him. It was not long
before he had, with great strides, reached the top of the ridge, whence
he could see a dark line, unbroken, save here and there by black
banners, of gigantic forms half lost in the shadows of the thicket. The
moment the dark shapes saw Pantagruel on the ridge, they began to utter
loud cries, and more than one mighty form stepped out from the line
to threaten. But when Friar John, Xenomanes, and the rest appeared on
the ridge, a howl of defiance broke from the thicket. The dark masses
seemed beside themselves with rage, and all at once the line was broken.
"By my faith," said Pantagruel, "they are demons, Xenomanes! Look, they
have wings, and their wings are as black as their banners!"
This was true. The dark masses had only broken so as to give themselves
space to raise their wings in triumph at seeing so many wretched
mortals ready for destruction. Often and often had crews, thrown by
shipwreck upon Wild Island, reached the shore and had never been heard
of more.
"These are demons; bless us, Friar John," whispered Pantagruel. "What
can sinful men do against them?"
And, even while saying this, and without knowing it, the prayerful
Giant was making the Sign of the Cross.
At the sacred sign there was, of a sudden, a lifting of black banners.
Then, with a flapping of heavy wings, a great stir of mighty bodies
leaving the thickets and rising into the air; the dark masses came
sweeping over the very ridge where Pantagruel was, on their way to the
sea, casting a blacker shadow than the coming night, shrieking and
wailing as they passed.
From that blessed day, shipwrecked sailors have wandered in safety
through the forest, and never met a demon.
For Wild Island is wild no more.