Although Philip was in a situation where gold was of far less value than food, or even raiment, that thirst for wealth which has come upon so many even under similar circumstances became so great as to create a most intense desire to pile up the largest possible quantity of the precious but—to him—useless metal.

Until a late hour in the night he gathered nuggets from the bed of the stream, being able to work as well in the under-ground chamber during the time of darkness as any other, owing to the phosphorescent light from the fish, until he had hidden behind the natural statue a weight sufficient to burden half a dozen men in the carrying. Upon the rough calculation that twenty-five thousand dollars in gold weighs a hundred pounds, he had good reason to believe that the value of his treasure was considerably more than a hundred thousand dollars.

It was only his desire for sleep which caused him to desist; and returning once more to the grotto, after a meal of boiled fish he laid himself down to sleep, not awakening until daybreak, when, from the mouth of the hill-side cave, he saw what aroused[100] again in his mind the belief that other human beings beside himself were upon the island.

The reflection of flames could be seen through the forest, evidently caused by an enormous bonfire, and the only reasonable supposition was that shipwrecked mariners were sending out this beacon-light in the hope of attracting attention from those on some passing ship. Perhaps more than he had been saved from the Swallow, and with this thought he darted forward at full speed, heeding not possible discovery by the apes in his eagerness to be again with human companions.

If such a thing were possible, he was more anxious now than ever before to meet with men, for unless assistance could be obtained his wealth was useless; and regardless of the thorns which pierced his flesh, or of the pitfalls that might be in his path, he ran swiftly on toward the more than welcome light.

The nearer he approached to the flames the stronger his hopes grew, for he could see beyond a peradventure that it was a bonfire on the highest point of the island, where people signaling for assistance would naturally build a beacon.

That an enormous quantity of fuel was being consumed could be told from the fact that it required nearly an hour of rapid walking before he arrived at the base of the elevation; and in the highest state of excitement he ran up the rocky slope, the soil rattling and crumbling under his feet with such a peculiar sound that it was reasonable to suppose he was traveling over the lava of an extinct volcano.

[101]

Here he came upon a kind of vegetation through which it was absolutely impossible to pass. Occupying a space of a hundred feet square, as nearly as he could judge, was a veritable jungle of thorns across which fifty men with the best of tools would have been many hours in making a road.

The bushes, the creepers, and even the bamboos were covered with these long, needle-like points, which tore his flesh cruelly. Everything grew zig-zag and jagged, and in an inextricable tangle. To get through without lacerating his body to such an extent as to be in danger of death was out of the question, and in order to reach the desired spot a long detour was necessary.

When within two-thirds of the distance to the summit a most extraordinary spectacle greeted him. Instead of human beings it was apes who had kindled the fire, and were most industriously engaged in feeding it.

Two files, composed of over a hundred of these animals, stretched from the top of the hill down the side as far as he could see, a distance of about six feet separating one from the other. This party was passing fragments of wood, branches of trees, and such combustible materials, up the incline to those at the top, who threw the fuel into the flames.

Industrious laborers were they, indeed. Not a sound could be heard, and with the utmost gravity they continued the task as if it was something upon which their lives depended.

Philip now saw that he was upon the crest of a[102] small volcano which had evidently not been in a state of eruption for some time, and the fire was built within the blackened crater, with so much fuel that it more than filled the space, the glowing coals rising several feet above the summit.

Unquestionably it was the reflection of a fire similar to this which he had previously seen; but why these animals, who are supposed to fear anything of the kind, worked so hard to keep the blaze alive was something he could not even imagine. The wood literally flew through the air, so eager were the laborers to see the flames leap and dance in the gray light of the morning; and it was with a certain fascination, similar to that experienced while viewing the proceedings of the court a few days before, that Philip gazed upon the scene.

It could not have been more than five minutes that he remained motionless watching these strange proceedings, and just when he began to realize how necessary it was to leave the place before being discovered the apes caught sight of him.

In an instant, as if by magic, the silence was broken. A dozen of the animals clustered around him, shouting and screaming as if to others in the distance, until the din was almost deafening, and he could hear it echoed and re-echoed far away in the distance. His first thought was to make his escape, by force if necessary; but before he could even so much as raise his hands two gigantic baboons leaped toward him and seized, firmly but not roughly, both his arms.

[103]

Either one of the animals could have held him prisoner despite his most violent resistance, and Philip realized full well the uselessness of a struggle in which he would inevitably receive many severe blows, even if he should be so fortunate as to escape death.

During fifteen minutes the screaming and yelling co............