Some time later on the pair found themselves in that part of the big island so well remembered by Dick as the scene of his panic of the former day. They caught the sound of voices near by, and understood from this that Eddie Grant and the other pickers had concluded to visit that rich harvest field, now that all danger had been removed.
“No need of their knowing we’re around as yet,” whispered Dick. “So come along over this way, for that’s where I struck the well-worn trail.”
He had made no mistake, Leslie soon learned. Even though so soon afterwards compelled to fly for his life, Dick had noted the ground, and a few minutes later he was pointing down at his feet.
Both boys examined the earth with interest, but their curiosity was so great that they did not care to linger long. Following that plain trail was the easiest kind of work, for the gorilla had not attempted to “blind” it in the least.
At the end the boys reached a sort of strange shelter undoubtedly made by the Borneo man-monkey. It was fashioned from branches, and matted in such a clever way that the boys declared it would shed water as well as any thatched roof they had ever seen.
“I never dreamed a gorilla could do such work as this,” Leslie said, as they stood and examined the shelter.
“Oh!” explained Dick, quickly, “from what I’ve read about them, over in Borneo, where they mostly come from, they have their homes in trees and make many such shelters so the baby gorillas can be kept dry when the tropical rains come on.”
“Well,” continued the wondering Leslie, “it seems that this old fellow hadn’t forgotten the lessons of his younger years, even if he was shut up in a cage for goodness knows how long.”
“That can be set down as the instinct,” said Dick, “which animals and birds have in place of the reasoning powers of the human mind. A wild bird can be taken from the nest when it’s just hatched, reared in a cage, and if set free will be able to construct a nest exactly like those its species has been building ever since the world began.”
“It’s just wonderful, that’s what, Dick! But let’s creep underneath and see if we can find anything of the lost articles.”