Chapter 12
The next day, the 18th of February, was devoted to the explorationof all that wooded region forming the shore from Reptile End to FallsRiver. The colonists were able to search this forest thoroughly, for, asit was comprised between the two shores of the Serpentine Peninsula, itwas only from three to four miles in breadth. The trees, both by theirheight and their thick foliage, bore witness to the vegetative power ofthe soil, more astonishing here than in any other part of the island.One might have said that a corner from the virgin forests of America orAfrica had been transported into this temperate zone. This led them toconclude that the superb vegetation found a heat in this soil, damp inits upper layer, but warmed in the interior by volcanic fires, whichcould not belong to a temperate climate. The most frequently occurringtrees were knaries and eucalypti of gigantic dimensions.
But the colonists' object was not simply to admire the magnificentvegetation. They knew already that in this respect Lincoln Island wouldhave been worthy to take the first rank in the Canary group, to whichthe first name given was that of the Happy Isles. Now, alas! theirisland no longer belonged to them entirely; others had taken possessionof it, miscreants polluted its shores, and they must be destroyed to thelast man.
No traces were found on the western coast, although they were carefullysought for. No more footprints, no more broken branches, no moredeserted camps.
"This does not surprise me," said Cyrus Harding to his companions."The convicts first landed on the island in the neighborhood of FlotsamPoint, and they immediately plunged into the Far West forests, aftercrossing Tadorn Marsh. They then followed almost the same route that wetook on leaving Granite House. This explains the traces we found in thewood. But, arriving on the shore, the convicts saw at once that theywould discover no suitable retreat there, and it was then that, goingnorthwards again, they came upon the corral."
"Where they have perhaps returned," said Pencroft.
"I do not think so," answered the engineer, "for they would naturallysuppose that our researches would be in that direction. The corral isonly a storehouse to them, and not a definitive encampment."
"I am of Cyrus' opinion," said the reporter, "and I think that it isamong the spurs of Mount Franklin that the convicts will have made theirlair."
"Then, captain, straight to the corral!" cried Pencroft. "We must finishthem off, and till now we have only lost time!"
"No, my friend," replied the engineer; "you forget that we have a reasonfor wishing to know if the forests of the Far West do not contain somehabitation. Our exploration has a double object, Pencroft. If, on theone hand, we have to chastise crime, we have, on the other, an act ofgratitude to perform."
"That was well said, captain," replied the sailor, "but, all the same,it is my opinion that we shall not find the gentleman until he pleases."
And truly Pencroft only expressed the opinion of all. It was probablethat the stranger's retreat was not less mysterious than was he himself.
That evening the cart halted at the mouth of Falls River. The camp wasorganized as usual, and the customary precautions were taken for thenight. Herbert, become again the healthy and vigorous lad he was beforehis illness, derived great benefit from this life in the open air,between the sea breezes and the vivifying air from the forests. Hisplace was no longer in the cart, but at the head of the troop.
The next day, the 19th of February, the colonists, leaving the shore,where, beyond the mouth, basalts of every shape were so picturesquelypiled up, ascended the river by its left bank. The road had been alreadypartly cleared in their former excursions made from the corral to thewest coast. The settlers were now about six miles from Mount Franklin.
The engineer's plan was this:--To minutely survey the valley formingthe bed of the river, and to cautiously approach the neighborhood of thecorral; if the corral was occupied, to seize it by force; if it was not,to entrench themselves there and make it the center of the operationswhich had for their object the exploration of Mount Franklin.
This plan was unanimously approved by the colonists, for they wereimpatient to regain entire possession of their island.
They made their way then along the narrow valley separating two of thelargest spurs of Mount Franklin. The trees, crowded on the river's bank,became rare on the upper slopes of the mountain. The ground was hillyand rough, very suitable for ambushes, and over which they did notventure without extreme precaution. Top and Jup skirmished on theflanks, springing right and left through the thick brushwood, andemulating each other in intelligence and activity. But nothing showedthat the banks of the stream had been recently frequented--nothingannounced either the presence or the proximity of the convicts. Towardsfive in the evening the cart stopped nearly 600 feet from the palisade.A semicircular screen of trees still hid it.
It was necessary to reconnoiter the corral, in order to ascertain if itwas occupied. To go there openly, in broad daylight, when the convictswere probably in ambush, would be to expose themselves, as poor Herberthad done, to the firearms of the ruffians. It was better, then, to waituntil night came on.
However, Gideon Spilett wished without further delay to reconnoiter theapproaches to the corral, and Pencroft, who was quite out of patience,volunteered to accompany him.
"No, my friends," said the engineer, "wait till night. I will not allowone of you to expose himself in open day."
"But, captain--" answered the sailor, little disposed to obey.
"I beg of you, Pencroft," said the engineer.
"Very well!" replied the sailor, who vented his anger in another way, bybestowing on the convicts the worst names in his maritime vocabulary.
The colonists remained, therefore, near the cart, and carefully watchedthe neighboring parts of the forest.
Three hours passed thus. The wind had fallen, and absolute silencereigned under the great trees. The snapping of the smallest twig, afootstep on the dry leaves, the gliding of a body among the grass, wouldhave been heard without difficulty. All was quiet. Besides, Top, lyingon the grass, his head stretched out on his paws, gave no sign ofuneasiness. At eight o'clock the day appeared far enough advanced forthe reconnaissance to be made under favorable conditions. Gideon Spilettdeclared himself ready to set out accompanied by Pencroft. Cyrus Hardingconsented. Top and Jup were to remain with the engineer, Herbert, andNeb, for a bark or a cry at a wrong moment would give the alarm.
"Do not be imprudent," said Harding to the reporter and Pencroft, "youhave not to gain possession of the corral, but only to find out whetherit is occupied or not."
"All right," answered Pencroft.
And the two departed.
Under the trees, thanks to the thickness of their foliage, the obscurityrendered any object invisible beyond a radius of from thirty to fortyfeet. The reporter and Pencroft, halting at any suspicious sound,advanced with great caution.
They walked a little distance apart from each other so as to offer aless mark for a shot. And, to tell the truth, they expected every momentto hear a report. Five minutes after leaving the cart, Gideon Spilettand Pencroft arrived at the edge of the wood before the clearing beyondwhich rose the palisade.
They stopped. A few straggling beams still fell on the field clear oftrees. Thirty feet distant was the gate of the corral, which appearedto be closed. This thirty feet, which it was necessary to cross fromthe wood to the palisade, constituted the dangerous zone, to borrowa ballistic term: in fact, one or more bullets fired from behind thepalisade might knock over any one who ventured on to this zone. GideonSpilett and the sailor were not men to draw back, but they knew thatany imprudence on their part, of which they would be the first victims,would fall afterwards on their companions. If they themselves werekilled, what would become of Harding, Neb, and Herbert?
But Pencroft, excited at feeling himself so near the corral where hesupposed the convicts had taken refuge, was about to press forward, whenthe reporter held him back with a grasp of iron.
"In a few minutes it will be quite dark," whispered Sp
ilett in thesailor's ear, "then will be the time to act."
Pencroft, convulsively clasping the butt-end of his gun, restrained hisenergies, and waited, swearing to himself.
Soon the last of the twilight faded away. Darkness, which seemed as ifit issued from the dense forest, covered the clearing. Mount Franklinrose like an enormous screen before the western horizon, and nightspread rapidly over all, as it does in regions of low latitudes. Now wasthe time.
The reporter and Pencroft, since posting themselves on the edge of thewood, had not once lost sight of the palisade. The corral appeared tobe absolutely deserted. The top of the palisade formed a line, alittle darker than the surrounding shadow, and nothing disturbed itsdistinctness. Nevertheless, if the convicts were there, they must haveposted one of their number to guard against any surprise.
Spilett grasped his companion's hand, and both crept towards the corral,their guns ready to fire.
They reached the gate without the darkness being illuminated by a singleray of light.
Pencroft tried to push open the gate, which, as the reporter and he hadsupposed, was closed. However, the sailor was able to ascertain that theouter bars had not been put up. It might, then, be concluded that theconvicts were there in the corral, and that very probably they hadfastened the gate in such a way that it could not be forced open.
Gideon Spilett and Pencroft listened.
Not a sound could be heard inside the palisade. The musmons and thegoats, sleeping no doubt in their huts, in no way disturbed the calm ofnight.
The reporter and the sailor hearing nothing, asked themselves whetherthey had not better scale the palisades and penetrate into the corral.This would have been contrary to Cyrus Harding's instructions.
It is true that the enterprise might succeed, but it might also fail.Now, if the convicts were suspecting nothing, if they knew nothing ofthe expedition against them, if, lastly, there now existed a chanceof surprising them, ought this chance to be lost by inconsideratelyattempting to cross the palisades?
This was not the reporter's opinion. He thought it better to wait untilall the settlers were collected together before attempting to penetrateinto the corral. One thing was certain, that it was possible to reachthe palisade without being seen, and also that it did not appear to beguarded. This point settled, there was nothing to be done but to returnto the cart, where they would consult.
Pencroft probably agreed with this decision, for he followed thereporter without making any objection when the latter turned back to thewood.
In a few minutes the engineer was made acquainted with the state ofaffairs.
"Well," said he, after a little thought, "I now have reason to believethat the convicts are not in the corral."
"We shall soon know," said Pencroft, "when we have scaled the palisade."
"To the corral, my friends!" said Cyrus Harding.
"Shall we leave the cart in the wood?" asked Neb.
"No," replied the engineer, "it is our wagon of ammunition andprovisions, and, if necessary, it would serve as an entrenchment."
"Forward, then!" said Gideon Spilett.
The cart emerged from the wood and began to roll noiselessly towards thepalisade. The darkness was now profound, the silence as complete aswhen Pencroft and the reporter crept over the ground. The thick grasscompletely muffled their footsteps. The colonists held themselves readyto fire. Jup, at Pencroft's orders, kept behind. Neb led Top in a leash,to prevent him from bounding forward.
The clearing soon came in sight. It was deserted. Without hesitating,the little band moved towards the palisade. In a short space of time thedangerous zone was passed. Neb remained at the onagers' heads to holdthem. The engineer, the reporter, Herbert, and Pencroft, proceeded tothe door, in order to ascertain if it was barricaded inside. It wasopen!
"What do you say now?" asked the engineer, turning to the sailor andSpilett.
Both were stupefied.
"I can swear," said Pencroft, "that this gate was shut just now!"
The colonists now hesitated. Were the convicts in the corral whenPencroft and the reporter made their reconnaissance? It could not bedoubted, as the gate then closed could only have been opened by them.Were they still there, or had one of their number just gone out?
All these questions presented themselves simultaneously to the minds ofthe colonists, but how could they be answered?
At that moment, Herbert, who had advanced a few steps into theenclosure, drew back hurriedly, and seized Harding's hand.
"What's the matter?" asked the engineer.
"A light!"
"In the house?"
"Yes!"
All five advanced and indeed, through the window fronting them, they sawglimmering a feeble light. Cyrus Harding made up his mind rapidly. "Itis our only chance," said he to his companions, "of finding the convictscollected in this house, suspecting nothing! They are in our power!Forward!" The colonists crossed through the enclosure, holding theirguns ready in their hands. The cart had been left outside under thecharge of Jup and Top, who had been prudently tied to it.
Cyrus Harding, Pencroft, and Gideon Spilett on one side, Herbert and Nebon the other, going along by the palisade, surveyed the absolutely darkand deserted corral.
In a few moments they were near the closed door of the house.
Harding signed to his companions not to stir, and approached the window,then feebly lighted by the inner light.
He gazed into the apartment.
On the table burned a lantern. Near the table was the bed formerly usedby Ayrton.
On the bed lay the body of a man.
Suddenly Cyrus Harding drew back, and in a hoarse voice,--"Ayrton!" heexclaimed.
Immediately the door was forced rather than opened, and the colonistsrushed into the room.
Ayrton appeared to be asleep. His countenance showed that he had longand cruelly suffered. On his wrists and ankles could be seen greatbruises.
Harding bent over him.
"Ayrton!" cried the engineer, seizing the arm of the man whom he hadjust found again under such unexpected circumstances.
At this exclamation Ayrton opened his eyes, and, gazing at Harding, thenat the others,--
"You!" he cried, "you?"
"Ayrton! Ayrton!" repeated Harding.
"Where am I?"
"In the house in the corral!"
"Alone?"
"Yes!"
"But they will come back!" cried Ayrton. "Defend yourselves! defendyourselves!"
And he fell back exhausted.
"Spilett," exclaimed the engineer, "we may be attacked at any moment.Bring the cart into the corral. Then, barricade the door, and all comeback here."
Pencroft, Neb, and the reporter hastened to execute the engineer'sorders. There was not a moment to be lost. Perhaps even now the cart wasin the hands of the convicts!
In a moment the reporter and his two companions had crossed the corraland reached the gate of the palisade behind which Top was heard growlingsullenly.
The engineer, leaving Ayrton for an instant, came out ready to fire.Herbert was at his side. Both surveyed the crest of the spur overlookingthe corral. If the convicts were lying in ambush there, they might knockthe settlers over one after the other.
At that moment the moon appeared in the east, above the black curtain ofthe forest, and a white sheet of light spread over the interior of theenclosure. The corral, with its clumps of trees, the little stream whichwatered it, its wide carpet of grass, was suddenly illuminated. Fromthe side of the mountain, the house and a part of the palisade stoodout white in the moonlight. On the opposite side towards the door, theenclosure remained dark. A black mass soon appeared. This was the cartentering the circle of light, and Cyrus Harding could hear the noisemade by the door, as his companions shut it and fastened the interiorbars.
But, at that moment, Top, breaking loose, began to bark furiously andrush to the back of the corral, to the right of the house.
"Be ready to fire, my friends!" cried
Harding.
The colonists raised their pieces and waited the moment to fire.
Top still barked, and Jup, running towards the dog, uttered shrillcries.
The colonists followed him, and reached the borders of the littlestream, shaded by large trees. And there, in the bright moonlight, whatdid they see? Five corpses, stretched on the bank!
They were those of the convicts who, four months previously, had landedon Lincoln Island!