But Godfrey suddenly uttered an exclamation3 which made the professor jump. There could be no doubt that the savages4 knew the island was inhabited, for the flag hitherto hoisted6 at the extremity7 of the cape8 had been carried away by them and no longer floated on the mast at Flag Point. The moment had then come to put the project into execution, to reconnoitre if the savages were still in the island, and to see what they were doing.
"Let us go," said he to his companion.
"Go! But—" answered Tartlet.
"Would you rather stay here?"
"With you, Godfrey—yes!"
"No—alone!"
"Alone! Never!"
"Come along then!"
Tartlet, thoroughly9 understanding that Godfrey would[Pg 191] not alter his decision, resolved to accompany him. He had not courage enough to stay behind at Will Tree.
Before starting, Godfrey assured himself that the fire-arms were ready for action. The two guns were loaded, and one passed into the hands of the professor, who seemed as much embarrassed with it as might have been a savage5 of Pomotou. He also hung one of the hunting-knives to his belt, to which he had already attached his cartridge-pouch. The thought had occurred to him to also take his fiddle10, imagining perhaps that they would be sensible to the charm of its squeaking11, of which all the talent of a virtuoso12 could not conceal13 the harshness.
Godfrey had some trouble in getting him to abandon this idea, which was as ridiculous as it was impracticable.
It was now six o'clock in the morning. The summits of the sequoias were glowing in the first rays of the sun.
Godfrey opened the door; he stepped outside; he scanned the group of trees.
The animals had returned to the prairie. There they were, tranquilly16 browsing17, about a quarter of a mile away. Nothing about them denoted the least uneasiness.
Godfrey made a sign to Tartlet to join him. The professor, as clumsy as could be in his fighting harness, followed—not without some hesitation18.
[Pg 192]
Then Godfrey shut the door, and saw that it was well hidden in the bark of the sequoia14. Then, having thrown at the foot of the tree a bundle of twigs19, which he weighted with a few large stones, he set out towards the river, whose banks he intended to descend20, if necessary, to its mouth. Tartlet followed him not without giving before each of his steps an uneasy stare completely round him up to the very limits of the horizon; but the fear of being left alone impelled21 him to advance.
Arrived at the edge of the group of trees, Godfrey stopped.
Taking his glasses from their case, he scanned with extreme attention all that part of the coast between the Flag Point promontory22 and the north-east angle of the island.
Not a living being showed itself, not a single smoke wreath was rising in the air.
The end of the cape was equally deserted23, but they would there doubtless find numberless footprints freshly made. As for the mast, Godfrey had not been deceived. If the staff still rose above the last rock on the cape, it was bereft24 of its flag. Evidently the savages after coming to the place had gone off with the red cloth which had excited their covetousness25, and had regained26 their boat at the mouth of the river.
Godfrey then turned off so as to examine the western shore.
[Pg 193]
It was nothing but a vast desert from Flag Point right away beyond the curve of Dream Bay.
No boat of any kind appeared on the surface of the sea. If the savages had taken to their proa, it only could be concluded that they were hugging the coast sheltered by the rocks, and so closely that they could not be seen.
However, Godfrey could not and would not remain in doubt. He was determined27 to ascertain28, yes or no, if the proa had definitely left the island.
To do this it was necessary to visit the spot where the savages had landed the night before, that is to say, the narrow creek29 at the mouth of the river.
This he immediately attempted.
The borders of the small watercourse were shaded by occasional clumps30 of trees encircled by shrubs31, for a distance of about two miles. Beyond that for some five or six hundred yards down to the sea the river ran between naked banks. This state of affairs enabled him to approach close to the landing-place without being perceived. It might be, however, that the savages had ascended32 the stream, and to be prepared for this eventuality the advance had to be made with extreme caution.
Godfrey, however thought, not without reason, that, at this early hour the savages, fatigued33 by their long voyage, would not have quitted their anchorage. Perhaps they were[Pg 194] still sleeping either in their canoe or on land; in which case it would be seen if they could not be surprised.
This idea was acted upon at once. It was important that they should get on quickly. In such circumstances the advantage is generally gained at the outset. The fire-arms were again examined, the revolvers were carefully looked at, and then Godfrey and Tartlet commenced the descent of the left bank of the river in Indian file. All around was quiet. Flocks of birds flew from one bank to the other, pursuing each other among the higher branches without showing any uneasiness.
Godfrey went first, but it can easily be believed that his companion found the attempt to cover step rather tiring. Moving from one tree to another they advanced towards the shore without risk of discovery. Here the clumps of bushes hid them from the opposite bank, there even their heads disappeared amid the luxurious34 vegetation. But no matter where they were, an arrow from a bow or a stone from a sling35 might at any moment reach them. And so they had to be constantly on their guard.
However, in spite of the recommendations which were addressed to him, Tartlet, tripping against an occasional stump36, had two or three falls which might have complicated matters. Godfrey was beginning to regret having brought such a clumsy assistant. Indeed, the poor man[Pg 195] could not be much help to him. Doubtless he would have been worth more left behind at Will Tree; or, if he would not consent to that, hidden away in some nook in the forest. But it was too late. An hour after he had left the sequoia group, Godfrey and his companion had come a mile—only a mile—for the path was not easy beneath the high vegetation and between the luxuriant shrubs. Neither one nor the other of our friends had seen anything suspicious.
Hereabouts the trees thinned out for about a hundred yards or less, the river ran between naked banks, the country round was barer.
Godfrey stopped. He carefully observed the prairie to the right and left of the stream.
Still there was nothing to disquiet37 him, nothing to indicate the approach of savages. It is true that as they could not but believe the island inhabited, they would not advance without precaution, in fact they would be as careful in ascending38 the little river as Godfrey was in descending39 it. It was to be supposed therefore that if they were prowling about the neighbourhood, they would also profit by the shelter of the trees or the high bushes of mastics and myrtles which formed such an excellent screen.
It was a curious though very natural circumstance that, the farther they advanced, Tartlet, perceiving no enemy, little by little lost his terror, and began to speak with[Pg 196] scorn of "those cannibal laughing-stocks." Godfrey, on the contrary, became more anxious, and it was with greater precaution than ever that he crossed the open space and regained the shadow of the trees. Another hour led them to the place where the banks, beginning to feel the effects of the sea's vicinity, were only bordered with stunted40 shrubs, or sparse41 grasses.
Under these circumstances it was difficult to keep hidden or rather impossible to proceed without crawling along the ground.
This is what Godfrey did, and also what he advised Tartlet to do.
"There are not any savages! There are not any cannibals! They have all gone!" said the professor.
"There are!" answered Godfrey quickly, in a low voice, "They ought to be here! Down Tartlet, get down! Be ready to fire, but don't do so till I tell you."
Godfrey had said these words in such a tone of authority that the professor, feeling his limbs give way under him, had no difficulty in at once assuming the required position.
And he did well!
In fact, it was not without reason that Godfrey had spoken as he had.
From the spot which they then occupied, they could see neither the shore, nor the place where the river entered[Pg 197] the sea. A small spur of hills shut out the view about a hundred yards ahead, but above this near horizon a dense42 smoke was rising straight in the air.
Godfrey, stretched at full length in the grass, with his finger on the trigger of his musket43, kept looking towards the coast.
"This smoke," he said, "is it not of the same kind that I have already seen twice before? Should I conclude that savages have previously44 landed on the north and south of the island, and that the smoke came from fires lighted by them? But no! That is not possible, for I found no cinders45, nor traces of a fireplace, nor embers! Ah! this time I'll know the reason of it."
And by a clever reptilian46 movement, which Tartlet imitated as well as he could, he managed, without showing his head above the grass, to reach the bend of the river.
Thence he could command, at his ease, every part of the bank through which the river ran.
An exclamation could not but escape him! His hand touched the professor's shoulder to prevent any movement of his! Useless to go further! Godfrey saw what he had come to see!
A large fire of wood was lighted on the beach, among the lower rocks, and from it a canopy47 of smoke rose slowly to the sky. Around the fire, feeding it with fresh[Pg 198] armfuls of wood, of which they had made a heap, went and came the savages who had landed the evening before. Their canoe was moored48 to a large stone, and, lifted by the rising tide, oscillated on the ripples49 of the shore.
Godfrey could distinguish all that was passing on the sands without using his glasses. He was not more than two hundred yards from the fire, and he could even hear it crackling. He immediately perceived that he need fear no surprise from the rear, for all the blacks he had counted in the proa were in the group.
Ten out of the twelve were occupied in looking after the fire and sticking stakes in the ground with the evident intention of rigging up a spit in the Polynesian manner. An eleventh, who appeared to be the chief, was walking along the beach, and constantly turning his glances towards the interior of the island, as if he were afraid of an attack.
Godfrey recognized as a piece of finery on his shoulders the red stuff of his flag.
The twelfth savage was stretched on the ground, tied tightly to a post.
Godfrey recognized at once the fate in store for the wretched man. The spit was for him! The fire was to roast him at! Tartlet had not been mistaken, when, the previous evening, he had spoken of these folks as cannibals!
[Pg 199]
It must be admitted that neither was he mistaken in saying that the adventures of Crusoes, real or imaginary, were all copied one from the other!
Most certainly Godfrey and he did then find themselves in the same position as the hero of Daniel Defoe when the savages landed on his island. They were to assist, without doubt, at the same scene of cannibalism50.
Godfrey decided51 to act as this hero did! He would not permit the massacre52 of the prisoner for which the stomachs of the cannibals were waiting! He was well armed. His two muskets—four shots—his two revolvers—a dozen shots—could easily settle these eleven rascals53, whom the mere54 report of one of the fire-arms might perhaps be sufficient to scatter55. Having taken his decision he coolly waited for the moment to interfere56 like a thunder-clap.
He had not long to wait!
Twenty minutes had barely elapsed, when the chief approached the fire. Then by a gesture he pointed57 out the prisoner to the savages who were expecting his orders.
Godfrey rose. Tartlet, without knowing why, followed the example. He did not even comprehend where his companion was going, for he had said nothing to him of his plans.
[Pg 200]
Godfrey imagined, evidently, that at sight of him the savages would make some movement, perhaps to rush to their boat, perhaps to rush at him.
They did nothing. It did not even seem as though they saw him; but at this moment the chief made a significant gesture. Three of his companions went towards the prisoner, unloosed him, and forced him near the fire.
He was still a young man, who, feeling that his last hour had come, resisted with all his might.
Assuredly, if he could, he would sell his life dearly. He began by throwing off the savages who held him, but he was soon knocked down, and the thief, seizing a sort of stone axe58, jumped forward to beat in his head.
Godfrey uttered a cry, followed by a report. A bullet whistled through the air, and it seemed as though the chief were mortally wounded, for he fell on the ground.
At the report, the savages, surprised as though they had never heard the sound of fire-arms, stopped. At the sight of Godfrey those who held the prisoner instantly released him.
Immediately the poor fellow arose, and ran towards the place where he perceived his unexpected liberator59.
At this moment a second report was heard.
It was Tartlet, who, without looking—for the excellent man kept his eyes shut—had just fired, and the stock[Pg 201] of the musket on his right shoulder delivered the hardest knock which had ever been received by the professor of dancing and deportment.
But—what a chance it was!—a second savage fell close to his chief.
The rout60 at once began. Perhaps the savages thought they had to do with a numerous troop of natives whom they could not resist. Perhaps they were simply terrified at the sight of the two white men who seemed to keep the lightning in their pockets. There they were, seizing the two who were wounded, carrying them off, rushing to the proa, driving it by their paddles out of the little creek, hoisting61 their sail, steering62 before the wind, making for the Flag Point promontory, and doubling it in hot haste.
Godfrey had no thought of pursuing them. What was the good of killing63 them? They had saved the victim. They had put them to flight, that was the important point. This had been done in such a way that the cannibals would never dare to return to Phina Island.
All was then for the best. They had only to rejoice in their victory, in which Tartlet did not hesitate to claim the greatest share.
Meanwhile the prisoner had come to his rescuer. For an instant he stopped, with the fear inspired in him by superior beings, but almost immediately he resumed his course.[Pg 202] When he arrived before the two whites, he bowed to the ground; then catching64 hold of Godfrey's foot, he placed it on his head in sign of servitude.
One would almost have thought that this Polynesian savage had also read Robinson Crusoe!
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1
tartlet
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| n.小形的果子馅饼 | |
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marvels
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| n.奇迹( marvel的名词复数 )；令人惊奇的事物（或事例）；不平凡的成果；成就v.惊奇，对…感到惊奇( marvel的第三人称单数 ) | |
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3
exclamation
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| n.感叹号，惊呼，惊叹词 | |
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4
savages
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| 未开化的人，野蛮人( savage的名词复数 ) | |
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5
savage
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| adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人 | |
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6
hoisted
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| 把…吊起，升起( hoist的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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7
extremity
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| n.末端，尽头；尽力；终极；极度 | |
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8
cape
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| n.海角，岬；披肩，短披风 | |
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9
thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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10
fiddle
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| n.小提琴；vi.拉提琴；不停拨弄，乱动 | |
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11
squeaking
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| v.短促地尖叫( squeak的现在分词 )；吱吱叫；告密；充当告密者 | |
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12
virtuoso
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| n.精于某种艺术或乐器的专家，行家里手 | |
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13
conceal
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| v.隐藏，隐瞒，隐蔽 | |
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14
sequoia
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| n.红杉 | |
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15
solitude
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| n. 孤独; 独居,荒僻之地,幽静的地方 | |
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16
tranquilly
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| adv. 宁静地 | |
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17
browsing
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| v.吃草( browse的现在分词 )；随意翻阅；（在商店里）随便看看；（在计算机上）浏览信息 | |
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18
hesitation
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| n.犹豫，踌躇 | |
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19
twigs
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| 细枝，嫩枝( twig的名词复数 ) | |
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20
descend
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| vt./vi.传下来，下来，下降 | |
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21
impelled
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| v.推动、推进或敦促某人做某事( impel的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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22
promontory
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| n.海角；岬 | |
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23
deserted
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| adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的 | |
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bereft
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| adj.被剥夺的 | |
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covetousness
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26
regained
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| 复得( regain的过去式和过去分词 )； 赢回； 重回； 复至某地 | |
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determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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ascertain
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| vt.发现，确定，查明，弄清 | |
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29
creek
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| n.小溪，小河，小湾 | |
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30
clumps
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| n.（树、灌木、植物等的）丛、簇( clump的名词复数 )；（土、泥等）团；块；笨重的脚步声v.（树、灌木、植物等的）丛、簇( clump的第三人称单数 )；（土、泥等）团；块；笨重的脚步声 | |
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31
shrubs
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| 灌木( shrub的名词复数 ) | |
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32
ascended
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| v.上升，攀登( ascend的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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33
fatigued
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| adj. 疲乏的 | |
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luxurious
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| adj.精美而昂贵的；豪华的 | |
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35
sling
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| vt.扔；悬挂；n.挂带；吊索，吊兜；弹弓 | |
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36
stump
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| n.残株，烟蒂，讲演台；v.砍断，蹒跚而走 | |
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37
disquiet
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| n.担心，焦虑 | |
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38
ascending
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| adj.上升的，向上的 | |
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39
descending
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| n. 下行 adj. 下降的 | |
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40
stunted
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| adj.矮小的；发育迟缓的 | |
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41
sparse
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| adj.稀疏的，稀稀落落的，薄的 | |
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42
dense
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| a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的 | |
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43
musket
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| n.滑膛枪 | |
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44
previously
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| adv.以前，先前（地） | |
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45
cinders
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| n.煤渣( cinder的名词复数 )；炭渣；煤渣路；煤渣跑道 | |
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46
reptilian
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| adj.（像）爬行动物的；（像）爬虫的；卑躬屈节的；卑鄙的n.两栖动物；卑劣的人 | |
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47
canopy
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| n.天篷，遮篷 | |
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48
moored
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| adj. 系泊的 动词moor的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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49
ripples
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| 逐渐扩散的感觉( ripple的名词复数 ) | |
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50
cannibalism
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| n.同类相食；吃人肉 | |
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51
decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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52
massacre
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| n.残杀，大屠杀；v.残杀，集体屠杀 | |
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53
rascals
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| 流氓( rascal的名词复数 )； 无赖； （开玩笑说法）淘气的人（尤指小孩）； 恶作剧的人 | |
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54
mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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55
scatter
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| vt.撒，驱散，散开；散布/播；vi.分散，消散 | |
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56
interfere
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| v.(in)干涉，干预；(with)妨碍，打扰 | |
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57
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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58
axe
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| n.斧子；v.用斧头砍，削减 | |
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59
liberator
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| 解放者 | |
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60
rout
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| n.溃退，溃败；v.击溃，打垮 | |
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61
hoisting
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| 起重，提升 | |
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62
steering
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| n.操舵装置 | |
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63
killing
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| n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财 | |
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catching
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| adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住 | |
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