Chapter 20 Chapter Twenty

When Tatley learned that there were not only bears but tigers on the island, his laments resumed with greater force.He dare not go out now!These beasts will find their way to Will Tree eventually!No longer feel safe anywhere!So, in fear, the professor, in order to preserve himself, demanded at least fortifications, yes!The stone walls of the inner moat and the outer parapet of the moat, the parapets and fortifications between the two bunkers of the castle, some ramparts, in short, will form a reliable shelter for this group of giant sequoias.Without that, he wants, or at least insists on leaving.

"Me too," was all Godfrey replied. In fact, the living conditions of these guests on Fina Island were different from those before.The struggle to be free from want, the struggle to obtain the necessities of life.By a lucky coincidence of various chances, they all succeeded.Against the bad seasons, against winter and its threats, they are just as good at defending; but against the beasts that might come at you at any moment, that is another matter, and, indeed, they lack the means. Such a complicated situation has thus become extremely serious and will become unbearable in the future.

"But," Godfrey couldn't stop thinking, "during those four months we never saw a beast on the island, what's the matter? Why have we had to fight a bear and a tiger for two weeks? Wrestling? ... What does that mean?" This situation may be difficult to explain, but it is a stark reality that we must admit. However, in the face of these trials, Godfrey was extraordinarily calm and courageous, not letting himself be defeated.Since dangerous animals are now threatening this small colony, it's important to start defending against their attacks without delay. But what measures should be taken?

Decide first to reduce your trips to the forest or the coast, go out fully armed, and only when absolutely necessary to gather material necessities. "We were lucky in those two encounters..." Godfrey often said, "but next time, we may not have the same advantage! Therefore, do not go out unless absolutely necessary! " However, it is not enough to stop at the reduction of excursions, but to the Weir trees, residences and ancillary establishments, chicken coops, animal corrals, etc., those places can easily cause irreparable disasters to these places, and must be absolutely protected.

It occurred to Godfrey, if not to strengthen the Weir tree according to Tartley's great plan, at least to connect these four or five giant sequoias around it.If a strong and tall fence could be built from tree to tree, it would be relatively safe there, or at least from sudden attack. It was doable,--so Godfrey thought, after examining the places carefully--but it was a veritable project.To the extent possible, it still involves building such a fence on a perimeter of at least 300 feet.From this, estimate the number of trees that must be picked, felled, moved, and erected to complete the fence.

Godfrey did not flinch from the task.He informed Tatley of his plan, which he agreed to, and promised to assist; but the more important statement was to make his plan known to Carrefinotou, who was always ready to help him. They set about the project immediately. At a bend in the creek less than a mile up Will Tree there is a grove of medium-sized maritime pines whose trunks need not be squared beforehand, in the absence of planks or boards, Put them together to form a solid fence. Godfrey and his two companions set out for the woods at first light next day, November 12th.They were fully armed and moved forward cautiously.

"I'm not used to this kind of expedition!" Tatley, who was made more and more surly by these new tests, muttered, "I'm determined to leave!" But Godfrey did not bother to answer him, and on such occasions his interest was never sought, nor even his intelligence demanded.What the common good requires of him is the assistance of his two arms, and he must submit to such work as the pack animal. Besides, the distance of the mile between the Weir Tree and the grove contained no noteworthy sinister encounters.In vain to scout the trees of those undergrowths, to scout the prairies from one horizon to the other.The livestock that had to be left to graze showed no signs of panic.The birds that played there were no more restless than usual.

The work began immediately, and Godfrey hoped, not without reason, to cut down all the trees he needed before moving them, and it was safest to process them in situ. In this arduous labour, Carefinodu was of great help.He became very dexterous at handling axes and saws.When Godfrey had to rest for a while, and Tartley's hands were broken, his limbs were too weary, and he didn't even have the strength to pick up his pocket violin, yet he had the energy to continue working. Godfrey, meanwhile, left the least tiring part of the task to the hapless dance and instrument teacher turned lumberjack, namely, the pruning of twigs, and even then, even if Tutley was paid half a dollar a day, he Four or five cents of that salary was not his due.

During the six days from November 12th to 17th, these works were not interrupted.Go at first light in the morning, bring something for lunch, and return to Will Tree at mealtime.The sky is not very clear, with thick clouds at times, it is a weather with brief rainstorms, rain and sun.Therefore, when the rain fell, the loggers hid under the trees as much as possible, and when the rain stopped, they started working again. On the 18th all the trees were topped off, the branches cut off, and laid on the ground for shipment to Will Tree. During this time, not a single beast of prey appeared near the creek.This led one to wonder whether there were beasts of prey on the island; whether the two bears and tigers that had been fatally shot were--it is too hard to believe--the last two of their kind.

At any rate, Godfrey was not willing to give up his plan of building a fence strong enough to keep out both the blows of the hands of the savages and the claws of the bears and tigers.Besides, the hardest work has already been done, for it is only necessary to transport the trees to the site where they are to be used. We say, "The hardest work has been done," though it may seem that such transportation is extremely difficult.If that was nothing, it was because Godfrey had a very practical idea that would greatly ease the work: to transport the wood by the current of the creek, which had been made quite turbulent.Small rafts will be woven, and these rafts will flow smoothly to the high ground where the group of giant sequoias that the creek crosses diagonally.There, the barrier formed by the little bridge naturally intercepted them.From that point to the Weir Tree, there were barely 25 steps to jump.

If anyone was particularly satisfied with this method of improving the qualities of a man so unfortunately injured, it was Professor Tutley. On the 18th, the first batch of floating wooden rafts were tied up.They drifted safely to the obstacle.In less than 3 days, on the evening of the 20th, the whole pile of trees arrived at their destination. The next day, the first trunks, plunged 2 feet into the ground, began to rise to connect the main giant sequoias that surround Weir.The heads of these trunks were sharpened with an axe, and strong and flexible branches were bound to each other to form a framework that made the whole extremely strong. Godfrey watched the progress of the work with the utmost satisfaction, and he was anxious to finish it. "Once this fence is done," he told Tatley, "we'll really be in our own home." "We won't really be in our own homes," replied the professor dryly, "unless we're in Montgomery Street, in our room at Coedrup Hall." There is nothing to discuss about this view. On November 26, the fence was installed in three quarters.It includes the giant sequoia that has a chicken coop built into its trunk in the middle of the interlocking sequoias, where Godfrey intends to build a livestock barn. In three or four more days the fence will be finished.Consideration must therefore be given to fitting there a strong gate which would eventually strengthen the fence of the Will tree. The next day, however, the 27th of November, this work was interrupted by a circumstance, the history of which is best told, as it belongs to those unexplained events, especially on the Isle of Fina. Around eight o'clock in the morning, Carrefinodu climbed through the narrow passage inside to the branch of the giant sequoia, trying to close the opening that might seep in the cold and rain.Then he let out a strange cry. Godfrey, who was working the fence at this moment, looked up and saw the Negro gesturing to him to hurry to him. Godfrey thought that if there was no serious reason for this matter, Carrefinotou would not want to disturb him. He took down the telescope, climbed up the narrow passage inside, passed through the opening, and soon straddled the on a main branch. Carrefinodu now extended his arm towards the fillet formed by Fina Island to the northeast, pointing out a stream of steam rising in the air like a long plume of smoke. "Again!" exclaimed Godfrey. So he aimed his telescope at the point indicated, and he had to ascertain, this time that there was no chance of mistake, that it was indeed a plume of smoke, possibly from a large furnace, for it was nearly five miles apart. distance can still be seen clearly. Godfrey turned to the Negro. The latter expresses astonishment with his eyes, with his exclamation, and in short with all his gestures.He must have been no less astonished at the appearance of this plume of smoke than Godfrey. Besides, there was not a single ship, not a native boat or other, out on the open sea, and there was no sign of any boats lately dropping off along the coast. "Ah! This time, I can discover the fire that produced the smoke!" exclaimed Godfrey. So he pointed to the northeast corner of the island, and then to the inside of the sequoia, gesturing to Karefinodu with the gesture of one who is eager to get to the spot. Carefinodu understood.He even did more than understand, and he nodded in agreement. "Yes," thought Godfrey, "if there is a man there, it must be known who he is and where he comes from! It is necessary to know why he is hiding! It is for the safety of all of us!" After a while, Carrefinodu and he went down to the foot of the Will tree.Godfrey then told Tutley what he had seen and what he would do, and suggested that he accompany them both to the north of the coast. A man who walks twelve miles in a day offers little temptation to a man who regards his legs as the most precious part of his being, to be used only for noble exercises.He therefore replied that he preferred to stay at Will Tree. "Well, we'll go alone," replied Godfrey, "but don't wait for us until tonight!" Having said this, Carrefinodu and he brought some food for lunch on the way, and after saying goodbye to the professor, they set off.The professor thinks they will find nothing, will be exhausted and will find nothing. Godfrey took his rifle and revolver; the negro took the ax and the hunting knife which became his favorite weapon.They crossed the Banqiao to the right bank of the creek, and then, across the meadow, they walked towards the point by the sea where they saw smoke rising from among the rocks. The point to which Godfrey went in vain on his second excursion was further to the east. They walked quickly, not forgetting to see whether the road was safe, and whether there were any animals hiding behind the bushes and undergrowth that might make a terrible attack. They are not in any danger. At noon, after having lunch, the two arrived at the front row of rocks around the coast without stopping.The smoke, always visible, was still rising within a quarter of a mile.Just follow a straight direction to reach your destination. They therefore quickened their pace, but more cautiously, so as not to cause a stir and not allow themselves to be seen. After two minutes, the smoke disappeared, and it seemed that the stove that produced the smoke suddenly went out. But Godfrey carefully located the spot over which the smoke had appeared.It was easily recognizable on the top of a truncated pyramid on an oddly shaped cliff.He pointed it out to his companion, and walked straight away. A quarter of a mile was covered in no time; then, over the rocks behind, Godfrey and Carefinotou reached the beach, within fifty paces of the cliff. They ran there... and there was no one there! ... But this time, a freshly extinguished fire, some half-burnt charcoal, clearly proved that a fire had once burned in this place. "Who has been here!" cried Godfrey, "who, but for a moment, must be found out! . . . " He yelled...no answer! ...Carefinodu uttered a loud cry...no one appeared! The two of them searched the nearby rocks, looking for a cave, a cave, that might have been used as a shelter by a shipwreck, a native, a savage. . . . They searched in vain for the smallest potholes in the sea. There are no temporary settlements, old or new, or even a sign of whoever passed by. "However," Godfrey mused, "it is by no means the smoke of a hot spring, this time! It is the smoke of wood and grass fires, and this fire cannot possibly burn itself!" Search yielded no results.So, at nearly two o'clock, Godfrey and Carrefinoto, disturbed and perplexed at not seeing anything, went back to the Weir Tree. Understandably, Godfrey mused as he walked.He felt that his island was now under the domination of some mysterious power.Does the reappearance of such fires, the appearance of beasts of prey, point to some extraordinary complication? Was he forced to believe that thought when he heard a strange sound, a crisp crash, an hour after he was back in the prairie? …Karefinodu pushed him away, just as a snake curled up in the grass was about to pounce on him! "Snakes, now, there are snakes on the island, after bears and tigers!" he exclaimed. Yes, it was a reptile, instantly recognizable in the sound it made as it fled, a rattlesnake, the most venomous kind, a giant of the rattlesnake species. Carrefinodu rushed between Godfrey and the snake, which disappeared immediately under the thick undergrowth. But the negro came after it, and with one blow of the ax cut off its head, and when Godfrey joined him, the two halves danced on the blood-stained ground. Then other snakes, equally dangerous, abounded over the whole of the prairie across the river from the Will Tree. Was this a sudden snake invasion?Is the Isle of Phina to rival the Thanos of old, famous in olden days for its dreadful sub-snakes, from which the adder takes its name? "Let's go! let's go!" cried Godfrey, gesturing to Karefinotou to quicken his pace. He looked uneasy.Some sad foreboding haunted him, and he could not help thinking about it. Under the influence of these premonitions, he sensed that some misfortune was about to happen, and he was anxious to return to the Will Tree. When he approached the plank over the creek, it was another matter entirely. There was a horrified cry from under the group of giant cedars.Someone is calling for help, and one can hear the horror in that tone! "It's Tatley!" cried Godfrey. "The poor man is under attack! . . . Quick! Quick!  …" After crossing the bridge, with 20 steps left, he saw Tatley spreading his legs and running away quickly. A gigantic crocodile coming out of the creek was chasing after him, with his jaws open, poor fellow, dazed, frightened, not running to the left or right, but straight ahead, so that he would be overtaken danger! ...Suddenly, he tripped and fell...he was overwhelmed. Godfrey stopped, and in the face of this imminent danger, he did not lose his composure for a moment.He slung his rifle over his shoulder and took aim at the alligator under his nose. The well-placed bullet killed the giant beast, which fell sideways to the ground and did not move again. Carrefinodu rushed to Tatley at this moment and helped him to his feet... Tatley was only a little frightened!But what a fright it was! It was 6 o'clock in the evening. After a while, Godfrey and his two companions returned to Will Tree. What bitter thinking they were obliged to do at this supper!What a long insomnia awaits the guests of Fina Island, and the unfortunate fate is now chasing them fiercely! As for the professor, in his panic he could only repeat his words to sum up his whole thought: "I am determined to leave!"