Part 5 (2/2)

”We shall soon see,” replied the engineer, without stopping however

All his companions followed him, and in a minute they had arrived at the threshold They searched everywhere There was no one in the rooms nor in the storehouse, which had been respected by the band of quadrumana

”Well now, and the ladder,” cried the sailor; ”who can the gentleman have been who sent us that down?”

But at that , who had hidden hie, rushed into the room, pursued by Neb

”Ah the robber!” cried Pencroft

And hatchet in hand, he was about to cleave the head of the ani,-- ”Spare him, Pencroft”

”Pardon this rascal?”

”Yes! it was he who threw us the ladder!”

And the engineer said this in such a peculiar voice that it was difficult to knohether he spoke seriously or not

Nevertheless, they threw theallantly, but was soon overpowered and bound

”There!” said Pencroft ”And what shall we ot him?”

”A servant!” replied Herbert

The lad was not joking in saying this, for he kne this intelligent race could be turned to account

The settlers then approached the ape and gazed at it attentively He belonged to the fale is not much inferior to that of the Australians and Hottentots It was an orang-outang, 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 sowhich prove theence 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 hi time as a faithful and zealous servant

[Illustration: CAPTURING THE ORANG]

The one which had been seized in the hall of Granite House was a great fellow, six feet high, with an admirably proportioned frale 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 sence, his white teeth glittered under his moustache, and he wore a little curly brown beard

”A handsoe, we could talk to hioing to take hiineer, s ”But you must not be jealous”

”And I hope he will , and will be easy to educate, and we shall not be obliged to use force to subdue hirow fond of his masters if they are kind to hiotten all his rancour 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 affirhtly 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, es at first, but ill double them afterwards if we are pleased with you”

Thus the colony was increased by a new ed that in ht be called Jupiter, and Jup for short

And so, without more ceremony, Master Jup was installed in Granite House

[Illustration: ENGAGING THE NEW SERVANT]

CHAPTER VII

Plans -- A Bridge over the Mercy -- Mode adopted for e -- Harvest -- The Streaas -- The Cart -- Excursion to Port Balloon

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 the the disorder caused by the intruders, disorder but not da in the roohted his stove, and the stores in the larder furnished a substantial repast, to which all did aotten, and he ate with relish some stone-pine almonds and rhizome roots, hich he was abundantly supplied Pencroft had unfastened his ars tied until they wereto rest, Harding and his companions seated round their table, discussed those plans, the execution of which was ent was the establishe over the Mercy, so as to form a communication with the southern part of the island and Granite House; then theof 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 hich would supply them inter 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 h thereso 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 favourable 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 Noveun 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

There Pencroft observed,-- ”Suppose, that during our absence, Master Jup takes it into his head to draw up the ladder which he so politely returned to us yesterday?”

”Let us tie its lower end down fir

This was done by means of two stakes securely fixed in the sand Then the settlers, ascending the left bank of the Mercy, soon arrived at the angle formed by the river

There they halted, in order to ascertain if the bridge could be thrown across The place appeared suitable

In fact, from this spot, to Port Balloon, discovered the day before on the southern coast, there was only a distance of three e to the Port, it would be easy to ood cart-road which would render the communication between Granite House and the south of the island extremely easy