The Floating Island (36 page)

There was no doubt that during
the night Floating Island had been invaded by a band of ferocious animals, and
so would Milliard City if precautions were not immediately taken.

It was Athanase Dorémus who
brought our artistes the news. The professor of dancing and deportment had gone
out earlier than usual, and had not dared to return to his house. He had taken
refuge in the casino, from which no human power could remove him.

“Come, now!” said Pinchinat. “Your
lions and tigers and alligators are imaginary.”

But he had to yield to the
evidence. The municipality had given orders to shut the town gates and bar the
entrance to the ports and the custom-house stations along the coast. At the
same time the service of trams was suspended, and people were prohibited from
venturing into the park or the country until the dangers of this inexplicable
invasion had been removed.

Then at the moment the gates were
being closed at the extremity of the First Avenue near the square of the
observatory, a couple of tigers had bounded from fifty yards beyond with eyes
aflame and mouths open. A few seconds more and these ferocious animals would
have been through the gate.

At the side of the town hall the
same precaution had been taken, and Milliard City had nothing to fear from an
attack.

What an incident, what a subject
for copy, what varied reports in the
Starboard Chronicle
, the
New
Herald
and other journals of Floating Island!

Terror was at its height.
Mansions and houses were barricaded. The shops closed their shutters. Not a
door remained open. At the windows of the upper storeys affrighted faces appeared.
The only people in the streets were the detachments of militia under the orders
of Colonel Stewart and the police under the command of their officers.

Cyrus Bikerstaff and his
assistants, Barthélemy Ruge and Hubley Harcourt, who had met at the earliest
moment, remained on duty at the town hall. By the telegraph from the two ports,
the batteries and the posts along the shore, the municipality received the most
disquieting news. There were wild beasts almost every where, hundreds at least,
said the telegrams, to which perhaps fear had added a cipher too many. It was
undoubtedly the case that a number of lions, tigers, panthers, and caymans were
at large in the island.

What, then, had happened? Had a
menagerie broken out of its cages and taken refuge on Floating Island? But
whence had this menagerie come? What ship had brought it? Was it the steamer
that had been seen the evening before? If so, where had this steamer come from?
Had she communicated with the shore during the night? Had the animals swum
ashore and landed on the low part of the coast near the mouth of Serpentine
River? Had the ship sunk immediately afterwards? And yet, as far as the
look-outs could see, as far as Commodore Simcoe’s glasses could carry, there
was not a fragment of wreckage on the surface of the sea, and Floating Island
had hardly moved during the night! Besides, if this ship had foundered, why had
not the crew taken refuge on the island as the carnivores had done?

The telephone from the town hall
questioned the different posts on this subject, and the posts replied that
there had been neither collision nor shipwreck. There could be no mistake in
this matter, although the darkness had been profound. Evidently, of all the
hypotheses this was the least likely.

“Mystery! mystery!” Yvernès
continued to repeat.

He and his comrades were gathered
at the casino, where Athanase Dorémus was sharing their early breakfast, which
would be followed by their luncheon and their dinner at six o’clock.

“My word!” said Pinchinat,
munching his chocolate journal, which he had soaked in the smoking basin. “I
give up these dogs or wild beasts. Anyhow, let us eat Mormein, Dorémus, until
we are eaten.”

“Who knows?” replied Zorn. “Perhaps
by lions, or tigers, or cannibals.”

“I would rather have cannibals!”  replied
his Highness “Every one to his taste, eh?”

He laughed, this indefatigable
joker, but the professor of dancing and deportment did not laugh, and Milliard
City, a prey to terror, had no cause for laughter.

At eight o’clock in the morning,
the council of notables, convoked at the town hall, had all attended the
Governor’s summons. There was nobody in the avenues nor in the streets except
the squads of militia and police going to the positions assigned to them.

The council, at which Cyrus
Bikerstaff presided, immediately began its deliberations.

“Gentlemen,” said the Governor, “you
are acquainted with the cause of this well-justified panic which has seized on
the people of Floating Island. During the night our island has been invaded by
a band of carnivores and saurians. It is urgent that we proceed to the
destruction of these animals, and we shall certainly do so. But the people must
conform to the measures we decide upon. If traffic is still authorized in
Milliard City, the gates of which are shut, it cannot be permitted in the park
and in the country. Hence, until fresh orders, communications are forbidden
between the town, the two ports and the batteries.”

These measures being approved,
the council passed to the discussion of the means which would permit of the
destruction of the formidable animals which infested Floating Island.

“Our militia and our sailors,”
continued the Governor, “are organizing expeditions to the different points of
the island. Those of you who are sportsmen we would like to join us, to direct
their movements so as to prevent any possible catastrophe.”

“Years ago,” said Jem Tankerdon, “I
had some shooting in India and in America, and it will not be my first attempt.
I am ready, and my eldest son will accompany me.”

“We thank the honourable Jem
Tankerdon,” replied Cyrus Bikerstaff, “and for my part I will follow his
example. At the same time as Colonel Stewart’s militia, a squad of sailors will
be in the field, under Commodore Simcoe’s orders, and their ranks are open to
you, gentlemen.”

Nat Coverley made a similar
proposition to that of Jem Tankerdon, and finally all the notables whose age
allowed, offered their services. Magazine rifles of long range were not wanting
at Milliard City. There was little doubt that, thanks to everyone’s devotion
and courage, Floating Island would soon be cleared of this formidable band.
But, as Cyrus Bikerstaff repeated, the main point was not to have to regret
anyone’s death.

“These wild beasts, of which we
cannot estimate the number,” he added, “must be destroyed as quickly as
possible. To leave them time to acclimatize themselves, to multiply, would be
to endanger the safety of our island.”

“It is not likely,” said one of
the notables, “that there are many of these animals.”

“Quite so. It could only come
from some ship which was carrying a menagerie,” replied the Governor, “some
ship from India, from the Philippines, or the Sunda Islands, on account of some
Hamburg house, which is noted for its trade in these animals. The animals may
have escaped or been thrown overboard owing to their becoming unmanageable.”

The principal market for wild
beasts is at Hamburg, the current prices being two thousand francs for
elephants, twenty-seven thousand for giraffes, twenty-five thousand for
hippopotamuses, five thousand for lions, four thousand for tigers, two thousand
for jaguars
—
good
prices, as will be seen, which have a tendency to rise, while those for snakes
are going down.

A member of the council having
observed that the menagerie in question might have some representatives of the
ophidians, the Governor replied that no ophidians had as yet been reported.
Besides if lions, tigers, and alligators had been able to swim ashore, that
would not have been possible with snakes.

Cyrus Bikerstaff remarked,
—

“I think we have nothing to fear
from the presence of boas, coral-snakes, rattle-snakes, najas, vipers, and
other examples of that kind. Nevertheless, we will do all that is necessary to
reassure the people on this subject. But we must not lose time, gentlemen, and
before inquiring into the cause of this invasion of wild beasts, let us destroy
them. They are here, and they must not remain here.”

Nothing could be more sensible,
and it could not have been better put.

The
total destruction of the animals which had invaded Floating Island must be
proceeded with. Not a single pair of these formidable beasts must escape, as
the future safety of the island was in danger. This pair would multiply, and
the people might just as well live in the forests of India or Africa.

And at the outset, contrary to
what had been asked by certain families under their influence of terror, there
was no reason why the population should take refuge on the steamers at the two
ports, and escape from Floating Island. Besides, the ships were not large
enough.

The Milliardites set to work
without losing a moment. A few had not hesitated to propose extreme methods;
amongst others that of introducing the sea on to the island, of burning down
the trees in the parks so as to drown or burn all this vermin. But in any case
the means would not be efficacious as regards the amphibians, and it would be
better to proceed by means of well-organized shooting parties.

This is what was done.

Captain Sarol, the Malays, and
the New Hebrideans had offered their services, which had been eagerly accepted
by the Governor. These gallant fellows were desirous of showing their gratitude
to the Governor. In reality Captain Sarol was afraid that this incident would
interrupt his plans, that the Milliardites and their families would abandon
Floating Island. That would oblige the management to go back direct to
Madeleine Bay, and thus foil his intentions.

The quartette showed themselves
equal to the circumstances and worthy of their nationality. It would not be
said that four Frenchmen had not risked their lives when danger was to be
incurred. They put themselves under the direction of Calistus Munbar, who,
according to his account, had been in a worse plight before, and shrugged his
shoulders in sign of contempt for lions, tigers, panthers, and other inoffensive
beasts! Perhaps he had been a tamer, this grandson of Barnum, or at least a
manager of a travelling menagerie?

The hunt began that morning, and
opened well.

During the first hour two
crocodiles had the imprudence to venture out of Serpentine River, and as we
know saurians, though formidable in their liquid element, are much less so on
land owing to the difficulty they have in turning, Captain Sarol and his Malays
attacked them with courage, and not without one receiving a wound, cleared the
park.

Meanwhile twelve more were
observed, which doubtless constituted the band. These were animals of large
size, measuring from four to five metres, and consequently very dangerous. As
they had taken refuge under the water, the sailors stood ready to send them a
few of their explosive bullets, which would shatter the hardest carapaces.

On the other hand the detachments
of hunters went out over the country. One of the lions was killed by Jem
Tankerdon, who had reason to say that this was not his first attempt, and who
recovered his coolness and skill as an old hunter in the Far West. The beast
was superb
—
one of those worth from five to six thousand francs. A steel slug had passed
through its heart at the moment it bounded on the quartette, and Pinchinat
affirmed that he felt the wind of its tail as it went by!

In the afternoon, during an
attack in which one of the militia was bitten in the shoulder, the Governor
brought down a lioness of remarkable beauty.

The day did not end before a
couple of tigers had fallen under the bullets of Commodore Simcoe, at the head
of a detachment of sailors, one of whom, seriously wounded by a claw, had to be
taken to Starboard Harbour. According to report, these terrible felines
appeared to be the most numerous of the carnivores landed on Floating Island.

At the fall of night, the wild
beasts on being resolutely pursued had retired under the trees at Prow Battery,
whence it was proposed to dislodge them at break of day.

From the evening to the morning
frightful growls spread terror among the female and infant population of
Milliard City.

At daybreak the hunt commenced as
on the day before. At the Governor’s orders, conformably to the advice of Commodore
Simcoe, Colonel Stewart brought up his artillery against the carnivores so as
to sweep their hiding-places. Two cannons from Starboard Harbour, working on
the Hotchkiss system in firing charges of bullets, were brought into the
vicinity of Prow Battery.

At this place the clumps of
nettle-trees were traversed by the tramway which branched towards the
observatory. It was under the shelter of these trees that a certain number of
the wild beasts had passed the night. A few heads of lions and tigers with
gleaming eyes appeared among the lower branches. The sailors, the militia, the
hunters, led by Jem and Walter Tankerdon, Nat Coverley, and Hubley Harcourt,
took up their position on the left of this clump, waiting for the rush of wild
beasts which the discharge from the cannon did not kill on the spot.

At Commodore Simcoe’s signal the
two pieces of cannon were fired simultaneously. Formidable growls were heard in
reply. There was no doubt many of the carnivores had been hit. The others
(about twenty) rushed out, and passing near the quartette, were saluted with a
fusillade, which struck two mortally. At this moment an enormous tiger jumped
on to the group, and Frascolin was struck by so terrible a leap that he rolled
for ten paces.

His comrades rushed to his help.
They raised him, almost unconscious. But he almost immediately recovered. He
had only received a shock. Ah! what a shock!