Part 10 (1/2)

Poor Jup still held in his hand the stuel, but deprived of his weapon he had been overpowered by numbers, and his chest was covered with severe wounds

”He is living,” cried Neb, as bending over him

”And ill save him,” replied the sailor ”We will nurse him as if he was one of ourselves”

It appeared as if Jup understood, for he leant his head on Pencroft's shoulder as if to thank hinificant, as were those of his companions; for thanks to their firearms they had been almost always able to keep their assailants at a distance It was therefore only the orang whose condition was serious

Jup, carried by Neb and Pencroft, was placed in the lift, and only a slight ently drawn up to Granite House There he was laid on a mattress taken froreatest care It did not appear that any vital part had been reached, but Jup was very weak froh fever soon set in after his wounds had been dressed He was laid down, strict diet was imposed, ”just like a real person,” as Neb said, and theydrink, for which the ingredients were supplied froetable medicine chest of Granite House Jup was at first restless, but his breathing gradually beca quietly Froht say, came to visit his friend, and seemed to approve of all the care that had been taken of hi over the side of his bed, and Top licked it with a sy the dead, ere dragged to the forest of the Far West, and there buried deep

This attack, which ht have had such serious consequences, was a lesson to the settlers, who from this time never went to bed until one of their nues were raised, and that no invasion was possible

However Jup, after having given thean to recover His constitution brought hiradually subsided, and Gideon Spilett, as a bit of a doctor, pronounced hian to eat Neb made hireat relish, for if he had a pet failing it was that of being so to cure him of this fault

”What would you have?” said he to Gideon Spilett, who so the ape ”Poor Jup has no other pleasure than that of the palate, and I alad to be able to reward his services in this way!”

[Illustration: TOP VISITING THE INVALID]

Ten days after having taken to his bed, on the 21st of August, Master Jup arose His wounds were healed, and it was evident that he would not be long in regaining his usual strength and agility Like all convalescents, he was trery, and the reporter allowed him to eat as much as he liked, for he trusted to that instinct, which is too often wanting in reasoning beings, to keep the orang frohted to see his pupil's appetite returning

”Eat away, ; you have shed your blood for us, and it is the least I can do to ust Neb's voice was heard calling to his companions

”Captain, Mr Spilett, Mr Herbert, Pencroft, coether in the dining-room, rose at Neb's call, as then in Jup's room

”What's the matter?” asked the reporter

”Look,” replied Neb, with a shout of laughter And what did they see? Master Jup sed like a Turk at the entrance to Granite House!

”My pipe,” cried Pencroft ”He has taken my pipe! Hallo, my honest Jup, I make you a present of it! Sravely puffed out clouds of s did not appear to be much astonished at this incident, and he cited several examples of tame apes, to whom the use of tobacco had become quite familiar

But from this day Master Jup had a pipe of his own, the sailor's ex-pipe, which was hung in his roohted it with a glowing coal, and appeared to be the happiest of quadrumana It may readily be understood that this sihten the bonds of friendshi+p which already existed between the honest ape and the worthy sailor

”Perhaps he is really a man,” said Pencroft so to speak to us some day?”

”My word, no,” replied Neb ”What astonishes me is that he hasn't spoken to us before, for noants nothing but speech!”

”It would amuse me all the same,” resumed the sailor, ”if soe pipes, Pencroft'”

”Yes,” replied Neb, ”what a pity he was born dumb!”

With the ain eagerly co of the vessel advanced rapidly, she was already completely decked over, and all the inside parts of the hull were firmly united with ribs bent by means of steam, which answered all the purposes of a mould

As there was no want of wood, Pencroft proposed to the engineer to give a double lining to the hull, so as to co, not knohat the future ht have in store for the as possible The interior and deck of the vessel was entirely finished towards the 15th of Septe the seams they made oakum of dry seaweed, which was hammered in between the planks; then these seareat abundance froement of the vessel was very simple She had froranite walled up, in a bed of lime, twelve thousand pounds of which they stoay

A deck was placed over this ballast, and the interior was divided into two cabins; two benches extended along them and served also as lockers The foot of the mast supported the partition which separated the two cabins, which were reached by two hatchways let into the deck

Pencroft had no trouble in finding a tree suitable for thefir, with no knots, and which he had only to square at the step, and round off at the top The ironwork of the ly forged at the Chimneys Lastly, yards, masts, boom, spars, oars, etc, were all finished by the first week in October, and it was agreed that a trial trip should be taken round the island, so as to ascertain how the vessel would behave at sea, and how far theyall this tilected The corral was enlarged, for the flock ofones, who had to be housed and fed The colonists had paid visits also to the oyster bed, the warren, the coal and iron mines, and to the till then unexplored districts of the Far West forest, which abounded in gaenous plants were discovered, and those fit for ietable stores of Granite House

They were a species of ficoide, some similar to those of the Cape, with eatable fleshy leaves, others bearing seeds containing a sort of flour

On the 10th of October the vessel was launched Pencroft was radiant with joy, the operation was perfectly successful; the boat co been pushed on rollers to the water's edge, was floated by the rising tide, amidst the cheers of the colonists, particularly of Pencroft, who showed no modesty on this occasion Besides his i of the vessel, since, after having built her, he was to corade of captain was bestowed upon him with the approbation of all To satisfy Captain Pencroft, it was now necessary to give a name to the vessel, and, after many propositions had been discussed, the votes were all in favour of the Bonadventure As soon as the Bonadventure had been lifted by the rising tide, it was seen that she lay evenly in the water, and would be easily navigated However the trial trip was to be made that very day, by an excursion off the coast The weather was fine, the breeze fresh, and the sea smooth, especially towards the south coast, for the as blowing from the north-west

”All hands on board,” shouted Pencroft, but breakfast was first necessary, and it was thought best to take provisions on board, in the event of their excursion being prolonged until the evening

[Illustration: THE TRIAL TRIP]

Cyrus Harding was equally anxious to try the vessel, the h on the sailor's advice he had altered some parts of it, but he did not share Pencroft's confidence in her, and as the latter had not again spoken of the voyage to Tabor Island, Harding hoped he had given it up He would have indeed great reluctance in letting two or three of his companions venture so far in so small a boat, which was not of more than fifteen tons' burden

At half-past ten everybody was on board, even Top and Jup, and Herbert weighed the anchor, which was fast in the sand near thefloated from the mast-head, and the Bonadventure, steered by Pencroft, stood out to sea

The wind blowing out of Union Bay she ran before it, and thus showed her owners, much to their satisfaction, that she possessed a re to Pencroft'sdoubled Flotsam Point and Claw Cape, the captain kept her close hauled, so as to sail along the southern coast of the island, when it was found she sailed admirably within five points of the wind All hands were enchanted, they had a good vessel, which, in case of need, would be of great service to thee pro

Pencroft now stood off the shore, three or four miles across from Port Balloon The island then appeared in all its extent and under a new aspect, with the varied panorama of its shore from Claw Cape to Reptile End, the forests in which dark firs contrasted with the young foliage of other trees and overlooked the whole, and Mount Franklin whose lofty head was still whitened with snow

”How beautiful it is!” cried Herbert

”Yes, our island is beautiful and good,” replied Pencroft ”I love it as I loved my poor mother It received us poor and destitute, and nohat is wanting to us five felloho fell on it fro, captain”

And the two brave ave three tre all this tiainst the mast, sketched the panoraazed on it in silence

”Well, Captain Harding,” asked Pencroft, ”what do you think of our vessel?”

”She appears to behave well,” replied the engineer

”Good! And do you think now that she could undertake a voyage of soe, Pencroft?”