and Neb drew back, so as to
see if anything appeared at the windows. The reporter lifted his gun
to his shoulder and covered the door.

The bow was bent, the arrow flew, taking the cord with it, and passed
between the two last rounds.

The operation had succeeded.

Herbert immediately seized the end of the cord, but, at that moment
when he gave it a pull to bring down the ladder, an arm, thrust
suddenly out between the wall and the door, grasped it and dragged it
inside Granite House.

"The rascals!" shouted the sailor. "If a ball can do anything for you,
you shall not have long to wait for it."

"But who was it?" asked Neb.

"Who was it? Didn't you see?"

"No."

"It was a monkey, a sapago, an orang-outang, a baboon, a gorilla, a
sagoin. Our dwelling has been invaded by monkeys, who climbed up the
ladder during our absence."

And, at this moment, as if to bear witness to the truth of the sailors
words, two or three quadrumana showed themselves at the windows, from
which they had pushed back the shutters, and saluted the real
proprietors of the place with a thousand hideous grimaces.

"I knew that it was only a joke," cried Pencroft, "but one of the
jokers shall pay the penalty for the rest."

So saying, the sailor, raising his piece, took a rapid aim at one of
the monkeys and fired. All disappeared, except one who fell mortally
wounded on the beach. This monkey, which was of a large size,
evidently belonged to the first order of the quadrumana. Whether this
was a chimpanzee, an orang-outang, or a gorilla, he took rank among
the anthropoid apes, who are so called from their resemblance to the
human race. However, Herbert declared it to be an orang-outang.

"What a magnificent beast!" cried Neb.

"Magnificent, if you like," replied Pencroft; "but still I do not see
how we are to get into our house."

"Herbert is a good marksman," said the reporter, "and his bow is here.
He can try again."

"Why, these apes are so cunning," returned Pencroft, "they won't show
themselves again at the windows and so we can't kill them, and when I
think of the mischief they may do in the rooms and storehouse--"

"Have patience," replied Harding; "these creatures cannot keep us long
at bay."

"I shall not be sure of that till I see them down here," replied the
sailor "And now, captain, do you know how many dozens of these fellows
are up there?"

It was difficult to reply to Pencroft, and as for the young boy making
an