Toward noon, when the intense heat rendered it almost impossible for the crew to continue the work of converting the ship into a temporary hospital, Captain Seaworth held another consultation, and this time it had no reference to how the apes might be exterminated, but was simply a question of when it would be possible to set sail.
There were yet a sufficient number of men to work the ships as far as Batavia, unless they were attacked by the pirates; and after deciding that it would be better to run the chances of a fight at sea than be caught at anchor by the Malays, Captain Seaworth reported the fact of Philip’s having found a vast amount of treasure in the subterranean chambers.
Never yet did blood outweigh gold, and every member of the council was eager to become possessed of the precious metal, even at the risk of another encounter with the animals. There was but little discussion necessary in order to arrive at the opinion of the majority, which was that they should defer sailing until at least one journey could be made to the grotto, and a certain amount of the wealth be brought away.
CHAPTER XXXVI.
A DISAPPOINTMENT.
Each hour increased the anxiety of Captain Seaworth and his officers. There was every reason to believe the pirates would return, and perhaps very soon. It was not the custom of Malays to acknowledge themselves vanquished so quickly, and doubtless they had the fullest information concerning the movements of the colonists from the numberless small proas or sampans which can be met in any direction under the guise of honest traders.
Now that the colonists had returned, it was to be expected the pirates would avenge themselves for the injuries inflicted by the Reynard, and it was more than probable these reprisals would be made at the earliest possible moment. As Mr. Clark suggested:
“This time there will be no warning given. The weapon we found serves to notify any of their friends we may have with us to be on the alert, and when the scoundrels come again it will be with the utmost secrecy.”
The ship which brought the natives from Batavia must also be taken back, and there were hardly more than sufficient able-bodied men left after the battle to work both crafts into port. If, therefore, the pirates should attack while the vessels were at anchor, it would be possible to make only the slightest show of defense. The Malays could easily finish that which Goliah had begun, and the massacre would be complete.