Off on a Comet (18 page)

Thus it fell out that one morning Ben Zoof, from his lookout on Gourbi
Island, saw a ship, not the
Dobryna
, appear upon the horizon, and
make quietly down towards what had formerly been the right bank of the
Shelif.

Such was Ben Zoof's version of what had occurred, as he had gathered it
from the new-comers. He wound up his recital by remarking that the cargo
of the
Hansa
would be of immense service to them; he expected, indeed,
that Isaac Hakkabut would be difficult to manage, but considered there
could be no harm in appropriating the goods for the common welfare,
since there could be no opportunity now for selling them.

Ben Zoof added, "And as to the difficulties between the Jew and his
passengers, I told him that the governor general was absent on a tour of
inspection, and that he would see everything equitably settled."

Smiling at his orderly's tactics, Servadac turned to Hakkabut, and told
him that he would take care that his claims should be duly investigated
and all proper demands should be paid. The man appeared satisfied, and,
for the time at least, desisted from his complaints and importunities.

When the Jew had retired, Count Timascheff asked, "But how in the world
can you ever make those fellows pay anything?"

"They have lots of money," said Ben Zoof.

"Not likely," replied the count; "when did you ever know Spaniards like
them to have lots of money?"

"But I have seen it myself," said Ben Zoof; "and it is English money."

"English money!" echoed Servadac; and his mind again reverted to the
excursion made by the colonel and the major from Gibraltar, about which
they had been so reticent. "We must inquire more about this," he said.

Then, addressing Count Timascheff, he added, "Altogether, I think the
countries of Europe are fairly represented by the population of Gallia."

"True, captain," answered the count; "we have only a fragment of a
world, but it contains natives of France, Russia, Italy, Spain, and
England. Even Germany may be said to have a representative in the person
of this miserable Jew."

"And even in him," said Servadac, "perhaps we shall not find so
indifferent a representative as we at present imagine."

The Spaniards who had arrived on board the
Hansa
consisted of nine men
and a lad of twelve years of age, named Pablo. They all received Captain
Servadac, whom Ben Zoof introduced as the governor general, with due
respect, and returned quickly to their separate tasks. The captain and
his friends, followed at some distance by the eager Jew, soon left the
glade and directed their steps towards the coast where the
Hansa
was
moored.

As they went they discussed their situation. As far as they had
ascertained, except Gourbi Island, the sole surviving fragments of the
Old World were four small islands: the bit of Gibraltar occupied by the
Englishmen; Ceuta, which had just been left by the Spaniards; Madalena,
where they had picked up the little Italian girl; and the site of
the tomb of Saint Louis on the coast of Tunis. Around these there was
stretched out the full extent of the Gallian Sea, which apparently
comprised about one-half of the Mediterranean, the whole being
encompassed by a barrier like a framework of precipitous cliffs, of an
origin and a substance alike unknown.

Of all these spots only two were known to be inhabited: Gibraltar, where
the thirteen Englishmen were amply provisioned for some years to come,
and their own Gourbi Island. Here there was a population of twenty-two,
who would all have to subsist upon the natural products of the soil.
It was indeed not to be forgotten that, perchance, upon some remote and
undiscovered isle there might be the solitary writer of the mysterious
papers which they had found, and if so, that would raise the census of
their new asteroid to an aggregate of thirty-six.

Even upon the supposition that at some future date the whole population
should be compelled to unite and find a residence upon Gourbi Island,
there did not appear any reason to question but that eight hundred
acres of rich soil, under good management, would yield them all an ample
sustenance. The only critical matter was how long the cold season would
last; every hope depended upon the land again becoming productive; at
present, it seemed impossible to determine, even if Gallia's orbit
were really elliptic, when she would reach her aphelion, and it was
consequently necessary that the Gallians for the time being should
reckon on nothing beyond their actual and present resources.

These resources were, first, the provisions of the
Dobryna
, consisting
of preserved meat, sugar, wine, brandy, and other stores sufficient for
about two months; secondly, the valuable cargo of the
Hansa
, which,
sooner or later, the owner, whether he would or not, must be compelled
to surrender for the common benefit; and lastly, the produce of the
island, animal and vegetable, which with proper economy might be made to
last for a considerable period.

In the course of the conversation, Count Timascheff took an opportunity
of saying that, as Captain Servadac had already been presented to the
Spaniards as governor of the island, he thought it advisable that he
should really assume that position.

"Every body of men," he observed, "must have a head, and you, as a
Frenchman, should, I think, take the command of this fragment of a
French colony. My men, I can answer for it, are quite prepared to
recognize you as their superior officer."

"Most unhesitatingly," replied Servadac, "I accept the post with all its
responsibilities. We understand each other so well that I feel sure we
shall try and work together for the common good; and even if it be our
fate never again to behold our fellow creatures, I have no misgivings
but that we shall be able to cope with whatever difficulties may be
before us."

As he spoke, he held out his hand. The count took it, at the same time
making a slight bow. It was the first time since their meeting that the
two men had shaken hands; on the other hand, not a single word about
their former rivalry had ever escaped their lips; perhaps that was all
forgotten now.

The silence of a few moments was broken by Servadac saying, "Do you not
think we ought to explain our situation to the Spaniards?"

"No, no, your Excellency," burst in Ben Zoof, emphatically; "the fellows
are chicken-hearted enough already; only tell them what has happened,
and in sheer despondency they will not do another stroke of work."

"Besides," said Lieutenant Procope, who took very much the same view
as the orderly, "they are so miserably ignorant they would be sure to
misunderstand you."

"Understand or misunderstand," replied Servadac, "I do not think it
matters. They would not care. They are all fatalists. Only give them
a guitar and their castanets, and they will soon forget all care and
anxiety. For my own part, I must adhere to my belief that it will
be advisable to tell them everything. Have you any opinion to offer,
count?"

"My own opinion, captain, coincides entirely with yours. I have followed
the plan of explaining all I could to my men on board the
Dobryna
, and
no inconvenience has arisen."

"Well, then, so let it be," said the captain; adding, "It is not likely
that these Spaniards are so ignorant as not to have noticed the change
in the length of the days; neither can they be unaware of the physical
changes that have transpired. They shall certainly be told that we are
being carried away into unknown regions of space, and that this island
is nearly all that remains of the Old World."

"Ha! ha!" laughed Ben Zoof, aloud; "it will be fine sport to watch the
old Jew's face, when he is made to comprehend that he is flying away
millions and millions of leagues from all his debtors."

Isaac Hakkabut was about fifty yards behind, and was consequently unable
to overhear the conversation. He went shambling along, half whimpering
and not unfrequently invoking the God of Israel; but every now and then
a cunning light gleamed from his eyes, and his lips became compressed
with a grim significance.

None of the recent phenomena had escaped his notice, and more than once
he had attempted to entice Ben Zoof into conversation upon the subject;
but the orderly made no secret of his antipathy to him, and generally
replied to his advances either by satire or by banter. He told him that
he had everything to gain under the new system of nights and days, for,
instead of living the Jew's ordinary life of a century, he would
reach to the age of two centuries; and he congratulated him upon the
circumstance of things having become so light, because it would prevent
him feeling the burden of his years. At another time he would declare
that, to an old usurer like him, it could not matter in the least what
had become of the moon, as he could not possibly have advanced any
money upon her. And when Isaac, undaunted by his jeers, persevered in
besetting him with questions, he tried to silence him by saying, "Only
wait till the governor general comes; he is a shrewd fellow, and will
tell you all about it."

"But will he protect my property?" poor Isaac would ask tremulously.

"To be sure he will! He would confiscate it all rather than that you
should be robbed of it."

With this Job's comfort the Jew had been obliged to content himself as
best he could, and to await the promised arrival of the governor.

When Servadac and his companions reached the shore, they found that the
Hansa
had anchored in an exposed bay, protected but barely by a few
projecting rocks, and in such a position that a gale rising from the
west would inevitably drive her on to the land, where she must be dashed
in pieces. It would be the height of folly to leave her in her present
moorings; without loss of time she must be brought round to the mouth of
the Shelif, in immediate proximity to the Russian yacht.

The consciousness that his tartan was the subject of discussion made
the Jew give way to such vehement ejaculations of anxiety, that Servadac
turned round and peremptorily ordered him to desist from his clamor.
Leaving the old man under the surveillance of the count and Ben Zoof,
the captain and the lieutenant stepped into a small boat and were soon
alongside the floating emporium.

A very short inspection sufficed to make them aware that both the tartan
and her cargo were in a perfect state of preservation. In the hold were
sugar-loaves by hundreds, chests of tea, bags of coffee, hogsheads of
tobacco, pipes of wine, casks of brandy, barrels of dried herrings,
bales of cotton, clothing of every kind, shoes of all sizes, caps of
various shape, tools, household utensils, china and earthenware, reams
of paper, bottles of ink, boxes of lucifer matches, blocks of salt, bags
of pepper and spices, a stock of huge Dutch cheeses, and a collection of
almanacs and miscellaneous literature. At a rough guess the value could
not be much under pounds 5,000 sterling. A new cargo had been taken in
only a few days before the catastrophe, and it had been Isaac Hakkabut's
intention to cruise from Ceuta to Tripoli, calling wherever he had
reason to believe there was likely to be a market for any of his
commodities.

"A fine haul, lieutenant," said the captain.

"Yes, indeed," said the lieutenant; "but what if the owner refuses to
part with it?"

"No fear; no fear," replied the captain. "As soon as ever the old rascal
finds that there are no more Arabs or Algerians for him to fleece, he
will be ready enough to transact a little business with us. We will pay
him by bills of acceptance on some of his old friends in the Old World."

"But why should he want any payment?" inquired the lieutenant. "Under
the circumstances, he must know that you have a right to make a
requisition of his goods."

"No, no," quickly rejoined Servadac; "we will not do that. Just because
the fellow is a German we shall not be justified in treating him in
German fashion. We will transact our business in a business way. Only
let him once realize that he is on a new globe, with no prospect of
getting back to the old one, and he will be ready enough to come to
terms with us."

"Perhaps you are right," replied the lieutenant; "I hope you are. But
anyhow, it will not do to leave the tartan here; not only would she be
in danger in the event of a storm, but it is very questionable whether
she could resist the pressure of the ice, if the water were to freeze."

"Quite true, Procope; and accordingly I give you the commission to see
that your crew bring her round to the Shelif as soon as may be."

"To-morrow morning it shall be done," answered the lieutenant, promptly.

Upon returning to the shore, it was arranged that the whole of the
little colony should forthwith assemble at the gourbi. The Spaniards
were summoned and Isaac, although he could only with reluctance take his
wistful gaze from his tartan, obeyed the governor's orders to follow.

An hour later and the entire population of twenty-two had met in the
chamber adjoining the gourbi. Young Pablo made his first acquaintance
with little Nina, and the child seemed highly delighted to find a
companion so nearly of her own age. Leaving the children to entertain
each other, Captain Servadac began his address.

Before entering upon further explanation, he said that he counted upon
the cordial co-operation of them all for the common welfare.

Negrete interrupted him by declaring that no promises or pledges could
be given until he and his countrymen knew how soon they could be sent
back to Spain.

"To Spain, do you say?" asked Servadac.

"To Spain!" echoed Isaac Hakkabut, with a hideous yell. "Do they expect
to go back to Spain till they have paid their debts? Your Excellency,
they owe me twenty reals apiece for their passage here; they owe me two
hundred reals. Are they to be allowed...?"