by the time the wounded had been removed from the building at least half a dozen more men were in need of the surgeon’s skill, for since the flames had illuminated the scene so brilliantly the apes were able to aim with more accuracy, and captain seaworth soon began to realize that his entire force might be killed or disabled if any further attempt at fighting fire was made.
philip was so deeply engaged in directing the movements of those at the cannon that he paid no attention to what was taking place outside his own sphere of action. knowing perfectly well the manners of the apes, he understood that if the volleys of grape should cease even for a few moments goliah’s forces would charge in overwhelming numbers, believing the colonists were growing weaker. therefore, as rapidly as four men could clean and load each piece, it was discharged point-blank at that portion of the thicket in which the enemy appeared to be concealed in greatest force.
the range was too short to permit of the grape-shot doing as much execution as it would have done at five or six times the distance, and after seven or[274] eight rounds had been fired philip discarded the iron balls entirely, loading the cannon heavily with pebbles and fragments of rock, which, flying in every direction, would spread over a much larger space than round shot.
it was while he was most active in this work, and when the two cottages immediately adjoining the central dwelling had caught fire, that captain seaworth approached the chief of artillery looking troubled and pale.
“that a body of men should be routed by apes seems ridiculous,” he said; “but at this moment i confess i see no chance of success in this unequal battle. what is your opinion?”
philip delayed answering only long enough to discharge one cannon at the thicket of mimosas south of the burning village, and then, after directing the gunners to clean and reload the piece in the shortest possible time, he replied, gravely:
“i am ready to obey your orders, captain, whatever they may be, and however much they vary from my own ideas; but i am convinced that a continuation of this fight will result in the disablement of all your forces. already the natives are growing alarmed in the presence of an unseen enemy who, without fire-arms, can do so much execution, and if they should become panic-stricken the white members of the party will be left to the mercy of the apes.”
“then you propose——”
“i propose nothing, captain. i have simply given[275] my opinion because you asked it, and not with any desire to influence your movement.”
then philip rushed forward to another cannon which had been loaded, and after discharging it returned to captain seaworth, who said:
“i am convinced you are correct. with the limited amount of water at our command it will be impossible to stay the progress of the flames, and we must leave the village to its destruction. withdraw your guns one by one after i have sent the wounded to the ship. it will be necessary for you to cover the retreat with the cannon, because we have so many in the hospital that nearly the entire working-force are required to transport them.”
“then it is to be a retreat?”
“if we were fighting against men i should feel warranted in a complete surrender to prevent further slaughter; but since that is impossible it must be as you say—a retreat. i will send those who are fighting the flames to assist you in the more rapid discharge of the cannon while we are carrying the wounded to the ship. messengers must be dispatched to mr. clark, with instructions for him to forward all aboard the reynard to aid us on the way.”
philip wasted no time in reply. he realized fully how important it was that a more vigorous defense should be made just at this moment, and he urged the men to renewed exertions, if indeed that was possible when every one battled for life itself.
[276]
then began what has probably never had an equal in warfare—the retreat of a large body of armed men before a party of apes.
as captain seaworth had said, it required the greater portion of his force to convey the wounded, and so few remained to work the heavy guns, drawing them back a few paces toward the sea-coast after each discharge, that the commander himself was forced to assist philip.
it was fully a quarter of an hour before the last wounded man left the building which had been converted into a temporary hospital, and then, foot by foot, the little party of artillerists literally fought their way backward, while the rapid discharge of fire-arms from those in advance told that the apes had already circled around the retreating army. as a cannon was discharged it would be drawn twenty or thirty paces to the rear, the men reloading even while it was moving, and the showers of stones came thicker and more frequent.
before half the necessary distance was traversed philip’s left shoulder had been so severely cut with a fragment of rock as to render the arm useless, while blood streamed down the captain’s face from many minor wounds. hardly a man among those who were protecting the rear was uninjured, and just when philip began to fear that what had commenced as an orderly march would end in a complete rout, reinforcements from the ships arrived.
this party of thirty fresh men, each with a plentiful supply of ammunition, checked the closely-pursuing[277] apes, and it became possible to move the cannon forty or fifty yards after each discharge.
finally, to the intense relief of all, the beach was gained, and here it was necessary to form in regular line of battle while the wounded were being conveyed to the ships in small boats.
it seemed as if the apes understood that this was their last opportunity, for they immediately redoubled their efforts. but now, however, being so near a place of safety, the men fought even more courageously than before, and huge sheets of flame burst from the weapons as the missiles went hurtling through the branches, causing great slaughter, as could be told by the shrieks of the wounded and dying animals.
then the cannon were abandoned on the sea-shore when the boats from both vessels were drawn up ready to receive the defenders at the same moment, and, still discharging their muskets rapidly, the men were at last conveyed to a place of comparative safety.
the deck of the reynard looked not unlike that of a line-of-battle ship after a terrific naval engagement. hammocks were slung in every direction; improvised cots were placed fore and aft; and the surgeon, with all the women, was fully occupied in dressing the wounds until the sun once more sent down his pitiless glare over the island and the sea.
looking shoreward, along the road philip had caused to be made while he was king of the apes, nothing could be seen of the picturesque little village[278] save a heap of blackened, smoking ruins. the flames had done their work thoroughly, and not a single building remained standing. that the scheme of colonizing the island must be abandoned for the time being, at least, philip understood, since even if goliah and his forces could have been exterminated immediately a return to the united states was necessary in order to replenish the stores, as well as to provide new buildings for the laborers.
when the wounded had been made as comfortable as was possible under the circumstances, philip thought for the first time of the two chimpanzees, and not seeing them anywhere around, he feared, through some mischance, they had gone ashore in one of the boats, in which case their doom was certainly sealed.
in this, however, he was mistaken. half an hour later, while assisting the crew to rig up temporary berths in the hold, he found the two animals cowering in the forward portion of the ship, behind some spare cables, and it was many moments before he could induce either to come on deck.
toward noon, when the intense heat rendered it almost impossible for the crew to continue the work of converting the ship into a temporary hospital, captain seaworth held another consultation, and this time it had no reference to how the apes might be exterminated, but was simply a question of when it would be possible to set sail.
there were yet a sufficient number of men to work the ships as far as batavia, unless they were[279] attacked by the pirates; and after deciding that it would be better to run the chances of a fight at sea than be caught at anchor by the malays, captain seaworth reported the fact of philip’s having found a vast amount of treasure in the subterranean chambers.
never yet did blood outweigh gold, and every member of the council was eager to become possessed of the precious metal, even at the risk of another encounter with the animals. there was but little discussion necessary in order to arrive at the opinion of the majority, which was that they should defer sailing until at least one journey could be made to the grotto, and a certain amount of the wealth be brought away.