And the engineer said this in such a peculiar voice that it was difficult to know whether he spoke seriously or not.
Nevertheless, they threw themselves on the orang, who defended himself gallantly, but was soon overpowered and bound.
“There!” said Pencroft. “And what shall we make of him, now we’ve got him?”
“A servant!” replied Herbert.
The lad was not joking in saying this, for he knew how this intelligent race could be turned to account.
The settlers then approached the ape and gazed at it attentively. He belonged to the family of anthropoid apes, of which the facial angle is not much inferior to that of the Australians and Hottentots.
It was an orangoutang, and as such, had neither the ferocity of the gorilla, nor the stupidity of the baboon.
It is to this family of the anthropoid apes that so many characteristics belong which prove them to be possessed of an almost human intelligence.
Employed in houses, they can wait at table, sweep rooms, brush clothes, clean boots, handle a knife, fork, and spoon properly, and even drink wine... doing everything as well as the best servant that ever walked upon two legs.
Buffon possessed one of these apes, who served him for a long time as a faithful and zealous servant.
The one which had been seized in the hall of Granite House was a great fellow, six feet high, with an admirably poportioned frame, a broad chest, head of a moderate size, the facial angle reaching sixty-five degrees, round skull, projecting nose, skin covered with soft glossy hair, in short, a fine specimen of the anthropoids.
His eyes, rather smaller than human eyes, sparkled with intelligence; his white teeth glittered under his mustache, and he wore a little curly brown beard.
“A handsome fellow!” said Pencroft; “if we only knew his language, we could talk to him.”
“But, master,” said Neb, “are you serious? Are we going to take him as a servant?”
“Yes, Neb,” replied the engineer, smiling. “But you must not be jealous.”
“And I hope he will make an excellent servant,” added Herbert. “He appears young, and will be easy to educate, and we shall not be obliged to use force to subdue him, nor draw his teeth, as is sometimes done.
He will soon grow fond of his masters if they are kind to him.”
“And they will be,” replied Pencroft, who had forgotten all his rancor against “the jokers.” Then, approaching the orang,— “Well, old boy!” he asked, “how are you?”
The orang replied by a little grunt which did not show any anger.
“You wish to join the colony?” again asked the sailor. “You are going to enter the service of Captain Cyrus Harding?”
Another respondent grunt was uttered by the ape.
“And you will be satisfied with no other wages than your food?”
Third affirmative grunt.
“This conversation is slightly monotonous,” observed Gideon Spilett.
“So much the better,” replied Pencroft; “the best servants are those who talk the least.
And then, no wages, do you hear, my boy?
We will give you no wages at first, but we will double them afterwards if we are pleased with you.”
Thus the colony was increased by a new member.
As to his name the sailor begged that in memory of another ape which he had known, he might be called Jupiter, and Jup for short.
And so, without more ceremony, Master Jup was installed in Granite House.
Chapter 7
The settlers in Lincoln Island had now regained their dwelling, without having been obliged to reach it by the old opening, and were therefore spared the trouble of mason’s work.
It was certainly lucky, that at the moment they were about to set out to do so, the apes had been seized with that terror, no less sudden than inexplicable, which had driven them out of Granite House.
Had the animals discovered that they were about to be attacked from another direction?
This was the only explanation of their sudden retreat.
During the day the bodies of the apes were carried into the wood, where they were buried; then the settlers busied themselves in repairing the disorder caused by the intruders, disorder but not damage, for although they had turned everything in the rooms topsy-turvy, yet they had broken nothing.
Neb relighted his stove, and the stores in the larder furnished a substantial repast, to which all did ample justice.
Jup was not forgotten, and he ate with relish some stonepine almonds and rhizome roots, with which he was abundantly supplied.
Pencroft had unfastened his arms, but judged it best to have his legs tied until they were more sure of his submission.
Then, before retiring to rest, Harding and his companions seated round their table, discussed those plans, the execution of which was most pressing.
The most important and most urgent was the establishment of a bridge over the Mercy, so as to form a communication with the southern part of the island and Granite House; then the making of an enclosure for the musmons or other woolly animals which they wished to capture.
These two projects would help to solve the difficulty as to their clothing, which was now serious.
The bridge would render easy the transport of the balloon case, which would furnish them with linen, and the inhabitants of the enclosure would yield wool which would supply them with winter clothes.
As to the enclosure, it was Cyrus Harding’s intention to establish it at the sources of the Red Creek, where the ruminants would find fresh and abundant pasture.
The road between Prospect Heights and the sources of the stream was already partly beaten, and with a better cart than the first, the material could be easily conveyed to the spot, especially if they could manage to capture some animals to draw it.
But though there might be no inconvenience in the enclosure being so far from Granite House, it would not be the same with the poultry-yard, to which Neb called the attention of the colonists.
It was indeed necessary that the birds should be close within reach of the cook, and no place appeared more favorable for the establishment of the said poultry-yard than that portion of the banks of the lake which was close to the old opening.
Water-birds would prosper there as well as others, and the couple of tinamous taken in their last excursion would be the first to be domesticated.
The next day, the 3rd of November, the new works were begun by the construction of the bridge, and all hands were required for this important task.
Saws, hatchets, and hammers were shouldered by the settlers, who, now transformed into carpenters, descended to the shore.