The vast army of apes poured from the thicket attacking the party with great fury.—([See page 259.])
When Philip and his decimated party reached the main building of the settlement, the squad of men commanded by Mr. Clark, first officer of the Reynard, could be seen approaching, bearing ominous-looking burdens, which told that their portion of the conflict had also been attended with fatal results. As the remainder of the colonists returned, company by company, having seen no signs of the enemy, Captain Seaworth called a council of war, since it was evident that Goliah did not intend to give battle again during this day.
As nearly as could be judged about a hundred of the apes had been killed, or so severely wounded as to make their deaths certain; but, on the other hand, twelve men were dead, and fully twenty so badly disabled as to render it impossible for them to take any further part in the defense of the settlement for many weeks to come.
“To continue in this way will simply be to exterminate ourselves,” Captain Seaworth said when his officers were assembled. “The apes so far outnumber us that in less than a week we shall be at the mercy of the animals unless some safer plan of attack can be devised; therefore I call upon you, gentlemen, for an expression of opinion as to what course we shall pursue.”
Among the entire party there was no one who could make a suggestion which seemed at all feasible. Even Philip was at a loss to know what course could be pursued with any chance of ultimate success, and but for the fact that he was afraid of being called a coward he would then and there have advised an abandonment of the scheme of colonizing the island.
It was not until the unsatisfactory session had nearly ended that Mr. Clark proposed a plan whereby it might be possible to inflict injury upon the apes without suffering any loss of life themselves.
“Let us bring all the heavy cannon from the ship,” he said, “and place them in the dwellings where the openings in the forest can be commanded. Then for two or three days every person on the island shall remain concealed. By the end of that time the apes may fancy we have beat a retreat and gather around the buildings in such force that we can kill off a few hundred. It is not a very brilliant suggestion, I must admit; but since no one has anything better to offer, it will be only a waste of seventy-two hours at the most to try the experiment.”
No member of the party cared to say that he was really afraid of an army of apes, although many had greater or less doubt as to whether they would ever be able to carry out the original scheme of making there a plantation, and the first officer’s plan met with the approbation of all.
“Two parties, numbering fifty each, will proceed at once to the ship for the purpose of bringing on shore the heavy guns,” the captain said, as he adjourned the council, “and after they have been placed in position all the women and a portion of the natives must take refuge on the Reynard, while the remainder of our force conceal themselves in the houses.”