“As king of the apes I have been able to do the colony some good,” Philip replied. “These roads were laid out by my subjects, and as far as possible I have endeavored to repair the buildings which they destroyed during the first battle; but of this I shall tell you later.”
Then Captain Seaworth and his officers, eager to hear Philip’s story, proposed that all go on board the Reynard, where the unfortunate man could procure suitable garments; and while the colonists were engaged in ascertaining the amount of damage done the dwellings the little party went to the coast, the chimpanzees following Philip very closely, as if only in his presence could they hope for protection from the vengeful Goliah.
The remainder of that day was spent as far as Captain Seaworth and his officers were concerned, in listening to Philip’s adventures, and when night came one can well fancy the happy sense of relief and security which the animal-trainer experienced on being able to lie down once more in a bed with no fear of an attack from the apes.
It was decided that the chimpanzees should be allowed to go whithersoever they pleased; but after the first visit to the ship no amount of persuasion could induce them to go on shore again. They appeared to realize that only there were they safe, and having been given quarters in a shanty which the carpenter built on deck, they were apparently the most contented of all the ship’s company.
Not until the following day, while the workmen were engaged in restoring the buildings and otherwise putting the settlement into the same shape as it had been at the time of their departure, did Philip tell Captain Seaworth of the discovery he had made in the subterranean chamber. Had he related this portion of his adventures in public the work of establishing the plantation would have been speedily abandoned, for once the fever for gold attacks man all industries languish, and the idea of gaining wealth from the bed of the under-ground stream would have been more disastrous to the colony than many visits from the pirates.
Even Captain Seaworth was undecided as to what should be done. He fully realized the danger attending his enterprise should this discovery be made known, and after much thought he said to Philip:
“We will let this remain a secret between you and me for the present. You can at different times convey the gold which has been gathered to my house, or to the ship, without letting any of the colonists know what you are doing. Only in the event of our failing to make of this island a fruitful plantation will we acquaint even my most trusty officers with this new source of wealth.”