In fact, the apes, seized with a sudden panic, from some unknown cause, were trying to escape. Two or three ran and clambered from one window to another with the agility of acrobats. They were not even trying to replace the ladder, by which it would have been easy to descend; perhaps in their terror they had forgotten this way of escape. The colonists, now being able to take aim without difficulty, fired. Some, wounded or killed, fell back into the rooms, uttering piercing cries. The rest, throwing themselves out, were dashed to pieces in their fall, and in a few minutes, so far as they knew, there was not a living quadrumana in Granite House. At this moment the ladder was seen to slip over the threshold, then unroll and fall to the ground. “Hullo!” cried the sailor, “this is queer!” “Very strange!” murmured the engineer, leaping first up the ladder. “Take care, captain!” cried Pencroft, “perhaps there are still some of these rascals. “We shall soon see,” replied the engineer, without stopping however. All his companions followed him, and in a minute they had arrived at the threshold. They searched everywhere. There was no one in the rooms nor in the storehouse, which had been respected by the band of quadrumana. “Well now, and the ladder,” cried the sailor; “who can the gentleman have been who sent us that down?” But at that moment a cry was heard, and a great orang, who had hidden himself in the passage, rushed into the room, pursued by Neb. “Ah, the robber!” cried Pencroft. And hatchet in hand, he was about to cleave the head of the animal, when Cyrus Harding seized his arm, saying,-- “Spare him, Pencroft.” “Pardon this rascal?” “Yes! it was he who threw us the ladder!” And the engineer said this in such a peculiar voice that it was difficult to know whether he spoke seriously or not. Nevertheless, they threw themselves on the orang, who defended himself gallantly, but was soon overpowered and bound. “There!” said Pencroft. “And what shall we make of him, now we’ve got him?” “A servant!” replied Herbert. The lad was not joking in saying this, for he knew how this intelligent race could be turned to account. The settlers then approached the ape and gazed at it attentively. He belonged to the family of anthropoid apes, of which the facial angle is not much inferior to that of the Australians and Hottentots. It was an orangoutang, and as such, had neither the ferocity of the gorilla, nor the stupidity of the baboon. It is to this family of the anthropoid apes that so many characteristics belong which prove them to be possessed of an almost human intelligence. Employed in houses, they can wait at table, sweep rooms, brush clothes, clean boots, handle a knife, fork, and spoon properly, and even drink wine... doing everything as well as the best servant that ever walked upon two legs. Buffon possessed one of these apes, who served him for a long time as a faithful and zealous servant.