Chapter 17 Chapter Seventeen

But at that moment, Godfrey let out an exclamation, which made the professor jump up.There can no longer be any doubt that the savages must have known that this island was inhabited, for the signal-flag, which had hitherto been hoisted on the head of the headland, had been taken by them, and was no longer on the mast of the headland. Flyed at half-mast. So it's time to put the planned decision into action: go find out if those natives are still on the island and what they're doing here. "Go!" he said to his companion. "Go! But..." Tatley replied. "Would you prefer to stay here?"

"With you, Godfrey... yes!" "No...alone!" "Alone! . . . Never! . . . " "Then come on!" Tatley knew very well that nothing could change his mind about making a decision about Godfrey, and he decided to stay with him.He didn't have the courage to be alone in Will Tree. Before going out, Godfrey checked that his weapon was in proper condition.Both rifles were loaded, and one of them passed into the hands of the professor, who seemed as embarrassed about this weapon as a native of Pumutu was.In addition, he had to hang a hunting knife on the belt that already had a bullet box.Of course he thought of taking his pocket violin with him--perhaps he imagined that the savages would be very impressed by the charm of this harsh "cring-cring" that not all the talent of a master player could remedy.

Godfrey had a hard time getting him to abandon this ridiculous and impractical idea. It was about 6 o'clock in the morning.The tops of the giant sequoias had caught the first rays of the sun. Godfrey opened the door halfway and took a step outside, looking at the trees. There was silence. Those animals have gone back to the grassland.They were seen grazing peacefully a quarter of a mile away, and there was not the slightest sign of restlessness among them. Godfrey beckoned Tatley to follow him.The professor looked very clumsy under the full armor, and followed him without hesitation.

After confirming that the door could be confused with the bark of the giant sequoia, Godfrey closed the door again.Then, throwing a bush of brambles at the foot of the tree, and propping them up with some large stones, he made his way to the river, which he intended to follow down, if need be, to where it emptied into the sea. Tartley followed him, and every time he took a step, he glanced around uneasily until he saw the edge of the horizon, but he never dared to go ahead because he was afraid of being alone. At the border of the group of trees, Godfrey stopped.He took his small binoculars from the holster and scanned the entire coastal stretch from the headland of Flag Point to the northeast corner.

Not a single life arose there; not a single wisp of bivouac smoke rose in the air. The head of the headland was likewise deserted, but no doubt many fresh tracks were to be found there.As for the mast, Godfrey was right.Although the flagpole still stands on the last rock of the headland, the signal flag is missing.Evidently the natives, having come to this spot, seized the red cloth which they might have coveted; Godfrey turned now to cast his gaze over the whole of the coast to the west. There was no one in the large area from the Cape to the perimeter of the Bay of Dreams. At least, not a single ship appeared at sea level.If the natives had re-boarded their Malayan ship, it must now be running close to the shore, sheltered by rocks, and so close that the ship could not be seen.

But Godfrey could not, would not want to be in the dark about it.It was important for him to find out whether the Malayan boat had finally left the island. To find out, however, it was necessary to go to the place where the natives disembarked the next day, that is, where the river emptied into the sea, forming a narrow cove. This is something to be explored immediately. The west bank of this little stream, shaded by several clumps of trees, is fringed with small shrubs about two miles long.Thence beyond, the banks are bare for five or six hundred yards from the sea.This arrangement allowed him to be undetected close to the disembarkation point.However, to avoid this possibility, proceed only with extreme caution.

Godfrey, however, had reason to believe that at this time of the morning the natives, weary from the long voyage, were unlikely to leave the anchorage.Maybe even sleeping there, or in a canoe, or on land.In this case, it is best not to alarm them. Therefore, this plan is carried out without delay and, importantly, without preemption.In such situations, the advantage often depends on the first few moves.The rifles were loaded, the detonators checked, and the revolvers checked, and then Godfrey and Tardelay began tandem down the left bank of the river. Everything around is silent.Some birds flew from one bank of the river to the other, chasing each other among the tall branches without showing any anxiety.

Godfrey was ahead, however, and it was conceivable how his companion wearily followed his steps.So the two went from tree to tree, toward the coast, without much danger of being glimpsed.Here the undergrowth blocked the view of them from the opposite bank; there their heads disappeared in the midst of tall grass whose swaying gave the impression that an animal was passing rather than a person.Either way, however, an arrow from a bow or a stone from a sling could strike at any moment, and it's best to be on your guard. However, Tatley ignored his instructions, and for no reason his feet would always bump into tree stumps protruding from the ground, and he fell two or three times, which almost made the situation worse.Godfrey couldn't help but regret following such a clumsy man.Indeed, the poor fellow would not be of much help to him.Doubtless it might have been better for him to remain in the Will Tree, or, if he would not agree, to hide him in some safe place in the forest, but it was too late.

An hour after leaving the sequoias, Godfrey and his companion walked a mile--just a mile--because it was difficult to walk under these tall grasses or among the hedges of these small shrubs, and neither of them could See anything suspicious. At this site, there were at least 100 yards of space free of trees, and the river ran between bare banks, making the area easier to spot. Godfrey stopped, and he carefully observed the grasslands on the left and right banks of the river. Nothing yet disturbed him, nothing suggested that the savages were near.Indeed, the latter, who could not doubt that the island was uninhabited, would never proceed without precautions; and they would venture quite cautiously up the current of the creek into which Godfrey was descending.It must therefore be surmised whether they were wandering in the surrounding area, they would have taken cover of these trees as well, or of these tall mastic and myrtle bushes, which are best used for an ambush here.

In short, the situation is peculiar, but natural.During the advance, seeing no enemy, Tatley gradually forgot his uneasiness, and began to speak contemptuously of these "ridiculous cannibals."In contrast, Godfrey showed a more anxious expression.With heightened vigilance, he crossed the open space and reappeared on the left bank of the river, sheltered by trees. After walking for an hour, I came to a point where the banks of the river were only small stunted shrubs, and the grass had thinned out, and I began to feel that I was near the sea. Under such conditions, it is difficult to hide except by crawling forward.

Godfrey did this, and told Tatley to do the same. "There will be no more savages! There will be no more cannibals! They are gone!" said the professor. "Yes!" replied Godfrey in a low voice angrily. "They should be there! . . . Belly to the floor, Tatley, belly to the floor! Ready to fire, but don't shoot without my order!" The authoritative tone with which Godfrey spoke these words was enough to make the professor feel his legs go limp, and he would not have the strength to get into the required position. And yet he did! In fact, what Godfrey just said and what he has done is not without reason. From where they were then they could see neither the coast nor the point where the river emptied into the sea.This was due to a corner of the steep bank a hundred paces away which suddenly blocked the view; however, above the short horizon bounded by the raised bank a plume of smoke was rising straight into the air. Godfrey stretched out under the grass, finger on the trigger of his rifle, surveying the coastal strip. "This smoke," he was thinking, "could not be the same smoke I have seen twice! Is it the same kind of smoke? Should it be concluded from this that some natives had already laid it on the north and south sides of the island?" Ships, the smoke from the fires they lit? Oh no! It can't be, for I have never found ashes, nor a trace of a furnace, nor an extinguished charcoal! Ah! This time, in my heart It's time to count!" So, with a skillful crawling movement, Tatley also tried his best to imitate him, without sticking his head out of the grass, and finally crawled to the bend of the river. From there his eye could easily follow the whole part of the coast where the stream passed. He almost cried out! ...His hand was on the professor's shoulder, not allowing him to move! ...no need to go any further! ...Godfrey finally saw what he had come to see! In the midst of those low rocks a fire was burning on the beach, and a wisp of smoke flickered up into the sky.The natives who disembarked the next day were going to and fro around the fire, stoking the fire with armfuls of new firewood piled up in piles.Their boat was fastened to a large rock, and, lifted up by the rising tide, was tossing and tossing in the little waves that lapped the shore. Godfrey could tell what was happening on that beach without a telescope.He was less than 200 paces from the fire, and he could even hear the crackling of the fire.He knew at once that he had no fear of being spotted from behind, for all the negroes he had counted on the Malayan boat were gathered in this one place. In fact, there were 10 of the 12 men, some busy tending the fire, others hammering in piles of earth, apparently trying to set up a Polynesian spit.The eleventh figure appears to be a leader, walking on the beach, and often turns his eyes to the hinterland of the island, as if worried about being attacked. Godfrey recognized from the native's shoulder the red cloth he had used for the pennant, now a decorative cloth. As for the twelfth savage, he was lying on the ground, fastened to a small stake. Godfrey knew perfectly well what was the fate of the poor man.That barbecue skewer was used to pierce his meat!That fire was used to roast his meat! ...Tatley was not mistaken the next day, when he had a hunch that these people were cannibals! I have to admit that he was not mistaken. When he talked about the adventures of the Robinsons, whether they were real or imaginary, they all imitated each other!Indeed, Godfrey and he are now in the same position as Defoe's heroes were when the savages disembarked and came to the island.There is no doubt that the two will witness the same spectacle of cannibalism. Well, Godfrey is determined to perform just like that hero!No!He couldn't let this prisoner be killed while the stomachs of those cannibals awaited!He is fully armed.His two rifles—four rounds—his two revolvers—twelve rounds,—could easily subdue those eleven rascals, and probably one shot would have been enough to drive them off.With this determination, he calmly waited for the opportunity to intervene with a thunderous gunshot. He won't have to wait long. Indeed, after about twenty minutes the chief approached the fire, and then, with a gesture, he pointed to the prisoner to the natives who were awaiting his order. Godfrey stood up, and Tartley rose, somehow, out of imitation.He didn't even know where his companion wanted to go, he didn't say a word about his plans to him. Godfrey was evidently imagining what the savages would do if they saw him, either flee to their boats, or rush at him... Nothing happened, it seemed that he was not even seen; at this moment, however, the chief made a more significant gesture... His three companions went up to the prisoner, untied him and forced He went to the fire. This is a very young man who feels his last moment and wants to resist.It was evident that he would resist desperately if he could, and he began to push the natives who seized him; but he was soon thrown to the ground, and the chief, taking a kind of stone for an axe, rushed to break it his head. Godfrey gave a cry, followed by a shot.A bullet whizzed through the air and must have struck the chief in the vitals, for he fell to the ground. With the shot, the savages, so terrified as if they had never heard a shot, saw Godfrey, and for a moment those who had held the prisoner let go of him. Immediately the poor wretch was on his feet again, and ran to the spot where he had seen the unexpected saviour. Just then a second shot rang out. It was Tatley, without aiming—his eyes were tightly shut, the good man! — just fired a shot, and the butt of his rifle gave the dance and instrumentation professor the hardest slap on the right cheek that the professor had ever received. However, - what is luck! —The second barbarian fell beside the chief. There was confusion.Could it be that those survivors thought they were dealing with a horde of natives in such numbers that they could not resist?They were probably, quite honestly, horrified at the sight of these two white men with little thunderbolts!They were seen to lift the two wounded, carry them off, and hasten to their Malayan boat, trying in all disorder to get out of the little bay, spread their sails, and watch the wind out to sea, Headed to the flag headland and quickly rounded the headland. Godfrey didn't want to chase them.Why cause more killing?They saved the man in distress, they let him escape, and that's what matters.All this was done in such a way that those cannibals would never dare to return to Fina Island, so everything was just right.Just enjoy the victory, and Tatley didn't hesitate to take most of it for himself. During this time the imprisoned man returned to his savior.For a moment he stopped, frightened by these gentlemen, but almost at once he came running again.As soon as he came before the two white men, he bowed to the ground; then, taking Godfrey's feet, he placed them on his head as a sign of slavery. It makes one think that the native Polynesian had read Robinson Crusoe too!