To find this spot in the night, and during the violent tempest, seemed an impossible task; but yet it must be attempted despite every danger, because such an opportunity might not present itself again for many days.
He made his way out through the ruined building, while his followers2 scampered3 in every direction to shelter their bodies from the rain (for a monkey is proverbially afraid of water), and crossed the road into the thicket4 without being perceived by any of the startled crowd.
There was not the slightest danger of meeting with one of his subjects during the journey unless the tempest should cease suddenly and Goliah send messengers in search of him; therefore he walked fearlessly forward after stopping behind the breastworks thrown up during the battle to arm himself[204] with a stout5 stick, which would serve as a shovel6 in the task of grave-digging.
The rain descended7 in torrents8. The wind howled and shrieked9 among the trees, bending them almost to the earth, or here and there uprooting10 some sturdy fellow who refused to bow his crest11 before the storm, while fragments of branches, falling in every direction, threatened destruction to the reckless traveler. The lightning-flashes which darted12 across the entire horizon, illuminating13 during a few seconds the thicket as with the glare of the noonday sun, served oftentimes to disclose danger in his path, and it was only from the frequency of these bolts of light that he was enabled to make his way with any knowledge of direction.
His own skin was dry, although that of his assumed character was heavy with water, and, save for the fatigue14 of rapid walking, he was even more comfortable than he would have been in a close room surrounded by his animal followers. The knowledge that he had left the apes behind served to arouse a feeling of exultation15, and he bounded forward like a prisoner who suddenly sees the road to liberty open before him when he had fancied his term of confinement16 not yet half ended.
Each time the electric flash came he looked around eagerly in search of the mimosas, and more than once did he mistakenly believe he had arrived at the end of his journey.
The storm was still raging furiously when he finally found that for which he sought.
[205]
Fully17 two minutes had passed without lightning, and then, as a terrific peal18 of thunder was followed by a violent blaze, he saw directly before him, swaying to and fro in the wind, the bones of himself—or of his predecessor19, whichever may be the correct term.
As a certain well-known author has said: “Man has three distinct characters. Himself as God knows him, himself as his fellows know him, and himself as he knows himself.” It was this second character which Philip wished to hide, and, under the above proposition, could rightfully be said to be burying his own skeleton.
To dig a grave with a sharpened stick as his only tool was by no means an easy task, since, owing to the enormous size of the mandrill Captain Seaworth had killed, it was necessary to make the excavation20 fully seven feet long.
He worked, however, as men will when they know their lives depend upon the effort. He threw aside the dark loam21 with feverish22 haste, regardless alike of the pitiless rain and the hurtling branches, until, just as the storm ceased and the moon peeped out from among the flying clouds as if for no other purpose than to tint23 the rattling24 bones with a most unearthly radiance, the grave was made, and the time had come when the skeleton must be cut down from the branches.
As a matter of course the former king of the island had no trousers pockets, therefore Philip was without a knife; but so strong is instinct that he[206] attempted several times to insert his hand into the outer skin of his leg before realizing that his new clothes contained no convenient receptacle for tools. The rope by which the skeleton had been suspended was strong and resisted all his efforts to break it. It was necessary to ascend25 the tree and untie26 the halter, after which the well-dried anatomy27 fell to the ground with a clatter28 such as the end-man in a minstrel-show makes when he wishes to excite the greatest possible applause.
It was necessary to work now with the utmost haste, for, the tempest having ceased, it was more than probable his followers would soon come in pursuit, and Philip interred29 his skeleton with all possible speed, trampling30 the earth down until convinced that only the most careful scrutiny31 could reveal his secret.
Then he retraced32 his steps as best he could; but more than once did he deviate33 from the proper course, and the result of these involuntary detours34 was that day had already begun to break when he arrived within sight of the village.
Here was the loyalty35 of his subjects made manifest once more. Every individual ape had been looking for his king, occupying the piles of stones or roofs of houses as points of vantage, and when Philip appeared from the thicket a howl of joy went up which seemed to shake the very island.
During five hours the animal-trainer had been a man, but now he was an ape again, so to remain until rescuers should arrive or he be tempted1 to[207] steal out once more under the friendly cover of a tempest.
Of course the first step which either king or peasant would naturally take after morning dawned was to procure36 breakfast, and Philip realized how necessary such a course was from the faintness which seized upon him after his arduous37 labors38.
To enter the kitchen and there satisfy his hunger would be to squander40 all the provisions stored in the cupboards, for his subjects would make short work of Captain Seaworth’s dainties. Therefore, with a view of saving the stock for an emergency, Philip led the way, followed by hundreds of grinning, chattering41, frolicsome42 monkeys, to the banana plantation43, where all were soon busily engaged hunting for the yellow fruit.
It was Goliah himself who assumed the task of providing the king with food, and when the party had eaten their fill Philip led them back to the village, where for some moments he stood undecided as to how he should further comport44 himself.
To roam about the forest with such a band might be to excite the gravest suspicions in the minds of his subjects because of his inability to climb a tree or to swing himself from the branches by the aid of his tail; therefore it was necessary he should, so far as possible, remain in the settlement.
The sight of the ruined buildings, in front of which were the enormous piles of stones thrown up as breastworks, gave him a desire to see these habitations restored to their former appearance, and[208] the thought came that it would not be a long task to raise houses on the same plan, with walls formed of the ammunition45 gathered by the apes.
It hardly seemed probable the long-tailed subjects could be made to act the part of builders, but they would serve to carry the materials from one point to another, and he resolved to set about the work of reconstructing the settlement as a pleasant and profitable way of spending his time.
To this end he began to drag away the splintered timbers, and instantly a thousand pairs of hands were at work following his example, until all the debris46 had been removed from the proposed site of the building. That which would have required a week of his time was done in an hour, and the amateur architect understood that his labors might yet be crowned with success.
Then he placed some of the larger stones on such a line as he intended the walls should be erected47 upon. Instantly every ape on the island was seized with a mania49 for building, laboring50 with such a will that it required all his efforts to restrain what was misdirected zeal51, otherwise a wall like that of China might have been put up, provided there had been sufficient materials at hand.
It was necessary he should find something which would serve as mortar52; and to that end, as soon as he could control his too willing subjects he searched the store-houses until to his great joy he found at least twenty barrels of plaster, which Captain Seaworth had brought in case it might be needed for just such a purpose.
[209]
To have these heavy barrels conveyed to the scene of operations it was only necessary for Philip to roll one, when the whole twenty came out like horses on a race-track; and as he began to open the plaster and mix it with water, so did they.
Seized with a rage for building, they made mortar, broke stone, ran here and there, and assisted Philip until the entire party were whitened with plaster from the ends of their flattened53 noses to their toes, causing them to look like veritable workmen with white over-garments; but, unlike other workmen, they neither insisted that eight hours made up a full day’s work, nor did they idle away valuable time in frivolous54 conversation.
Before the day was half spent Philip began to experience the disagreeable consequences of his midnight journey in the rain. His predecessor’s hide had been thoroughly55 soaked during the labor39 of grave-digging, and now that the sun sent down his hottest rays the skin began to shrink, aided by the heat of his body and the warmth of the atmosphere, until it inclosed him as if in a case of iron. Struggle as he might, it was impossible to stretch the stout hide by any motion of his body, and the cold perspiration56 gathered on his forehead as he realized what the position of affairs would be in case the tightly-fitting garment should burst asunder57.
He no longer dared to make any movement, but stood erect48 with an expression of anxiety on his face; and, true to their habits of mimicry58, his subjects did the same until Philip could not resist[210] the inclination59 to laugh aloud as the thought presented itself that it would be ridiculous, indeed, if every member of the party were also waiting with the same anxiety to ascertain60 whether or no his own skin was about to split.
When he burst forth61 in uncontrollable laughter the entire army of laborers62 did the same until the air resounded63 with their cries, and once more was Philip forced to exercise the greatest caution lest even his own mirth should hasten the catastrophe64 he so greatly feared.
Fortunately, however, his predecessor’s hide was now fully shrunken, and although it fitted him quite as tightly as did his own skin, he had every reason to believe it would remain intact unless he should be so careless as to make some violent exertion65.
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1
tempted
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| v.怂恿（某人）干不正当的事；冒…的险（tempt的过去分词） | |
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2
followers
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| 追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件 | |
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scampered
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| v.蹦蹦跳跳地跑，惊惶奔跑( scamper的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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thicket
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| n.灌木丛，树林 | |
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shovel
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| n.铁锨，铲子，一铲之量；v.铲，铲出 | |
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7
descended
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| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
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8
torrents
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| n.倾注；奔流( torrent的名词复数 )；急流；爆发；连续不断 | |
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9
shrieked
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| v.尖叫( shriek的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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10
uprooting
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| n.倒根，挖除伐根v.把（某物）连根拔起( uproot的现在分词 )；根除；赶走；把…赶出家园 | |
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11
crest
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| n.顶点；饰章；羽冠；vt.达到顶点；vi.形成浪尖 | |
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12
darted
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| v.投掷，投射( dart的过去式和过去分词 )；向前冲，飞奔 | |
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13
illuminating
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| a.富于启发性的，有助阐明的 | |
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14
fatigue
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| n.疲劳，劳累 | |
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15
exultation
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| n.狂喜，得意 | |
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16
confinement
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| n.幽禁，拘留，监禁；分娩；限制，局限 | |
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17
fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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18
peal
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| n.钟声；v.鸣响 | |
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19
predecessor
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| n.前辈，前任 | |
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20
excavation
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| n.挖掘，发掘；被挖掘之地 | |
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21
loam
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| n.沃土 | |
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22
feverish
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| adj.发烧的，狂热的，兴奋的 | |
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23
tint
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| n.淡色，浅色；染发剂；vt.着以淡淡的颜色 | |
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24
rattling
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| adj. 格格作响的, 活泼的, 很好的 adv. 极其, 很, 非常 动词rattle的现在分词 | |
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25
ascend
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| vi.渐渐上升，升高；vt.攀登，登上 | |
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26
untie
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| vt.解开，松开；解放 | |
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27
anatomy
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| n.解剖学，解剖；功能，结构，组织 | |
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28
clatter
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| v./n.(使)发出连续而清脆的撞击声 | |
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29
interred
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| v.埋，葬( inter的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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30
trampling
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| 踩( trample的现在分词 )； 践踏； 无视； 侵犯 | |
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31
scrutiny
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| n.详细检查，仔细观察 | |
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32
retraced
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| v.折回( retrace的过去式和过去分词 )；回忆；回顾；追溯 | |
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33
deviate
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| v.(from)背离，偏离 | |
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34
detours
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| 绕行的路( detour的名词复数 )； 绕道，兜圈子 | |
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35
loyalty
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| n.忠诚，忠心 | |
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36
procure
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| vt.获得，取得，促成；vi.拉皮条 | |
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37
arduous
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| adj.艰苦的，费力的，陡峭的 | |
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38
labors
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| v.努力争取(for)( labor的第三人称单数 )；苦干；详细分析；（指引擎）缓慢而困难地运转 | |
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39
labor
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| n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦 | |
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40
squander
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| v.浪费，挥霍 | |
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41
chattering
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| n. （机器振动发出的）咔嗒声，(鸟等)鸣，啁啾 adj. 喋喋不休的，啾啾声的 动词chatter的现在分词形式 | |
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42
frolicsome
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| adj.嬉戏的，闹着玩的 | |
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43
plantation
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| n.种植园，大农场 | |
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44
comport
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| vi.相称，适合 | |
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45
ammunition
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| n.军火，弹药 | |
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46
debris
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| n.瓦砾堆，废墟，碎片 | |
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47
ERECTED
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| adj. 直立的，竖立的，笔直的 vt. 使 ... 直立，建立 | |
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48
erect
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| n./v.树立，建立，使竖立；adj.直立的，垂直的 | |
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49
mania
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| n.疯狂；躁狂症，狂热，癖好 | |
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50
laboring
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| n.劳动，操劳v.努力争取(for)( labor的现在分词 )；苦干；详细分析；（指引擎）缓慢而困难地运转 | |
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51
zeal
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| n.热心，热情，热忱 | |
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52
mortar
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| n.灰浆，灰泥；迫击炮；v.把…用灰浆涂接合 | |
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53
flattened
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| [医]（水）平扁的，弄平的 | |
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54
frivolous
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| adj.轻薄的；轻率的 | |
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55
thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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56
perspiration
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| n.汗水；出汗 | |
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57
asunder
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| adj.分离的，化为碎片 | |
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58
mimicry
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| n.（生物）拟态，模仿 | |
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59
inclination
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| n.倾斜；点头；弯腰；斜坡；倾度；倾向；爱好 | |
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60
ascertain
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| vt.发现，确定，查明，弄清 | |
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61
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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62
laborers
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| n.体力劳动者，工人( laborer的名词复数 )；（熟练工人的）辅助工 | |
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63
resounded
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| v.（指声音等）回荡于某处( resound的过去式和过去分词 )；产生回响；（指某处）回荡着声音 | |
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64
catastrophe
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| n.大灾难，大祸 | |
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65
exertion
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| n.尽力，努力 | |
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