to warn you.” His voice was thick and uneven.
Virgil stood up then. “How long will it take them to get here?”
The scout shook his head. He didn’t know, couldn’t even guess.
Aldo spoke up. “Soon! They’ll be here soon! So we must prepare now! ”
He turned, toward a group of uniformed gorillas, waiting at the door. He gestured at the human representatives on the council “Take all humans out. Lock them up. Now!”
The gorillas moved quickly to grab the humans. Several of the men fought back, but the gorillas were stronger. Chairs were overturned in the scuffling, and blows were exchanged. The orangutans screamed at the outrage; the chimpanzees howled for order.
MacDonald, fighting the grasp of one of the bigger gorillas, shouted, “Aldo, you can’t do this! You’re acting against Caesar’s orders.”
Aldo considered this for a moment. Then he moved over to Caesar’s desk, pulled out the chair and sat down. “Caesar is not here,” he announced.
The gorillas hustled the humans from the room. They were brutal in their handling of men and women alike, shoving them roughly out the door.
The other apes sat by, helpless, unsure of what to do without Caesar there to lead them. Virgil rose and slipped out the back door.
The orangutan moved furtively through the settlement. Everywhere there were gorillas seizing control, roughly grabbing humans and rushing them off in the direction of the livestock compounds. A woman screamed as she was accosted by a uniformed gorilla. She dropped the basket of fruit she was carrying as he grabbed her and picked her up. Apples and oranges scattered in the street, rolling across the hard-packed dirt in all directions. The gorilla half-pulled and half-carried her along. Virgil stepped back into the shadows, so as not to be seen. Then he hurried on toward Caesar’s house.
On the other side of the city, Aldo and another group of gorillas began pounding on a door. A wizened old orangutan opened a tiny grille and peeked out. “Who are you?” asked Mandemus.
“I am Aldo,” declared the gorilla.
“What do you want?”
“We want guns!”
“And what will you do with them?”
“Whatever we want!” growled the gorilla. Behind him, his apes cheered. They began battering the door with a log.
“No!” shouted Mandemus through the grille. “This is wrong! Wrong! I am the conscience of the guns! You cannot . . .”
The door gave way. The gorillas came smashing through, barking and shouting, and pushed Mandemus aside. They filled the room with their massive bodies.
“Guns!” cried Aldo. “Guns! Now we have guns! ”
The gorillas cheered and shouted and slapped each other heavily. They began to run through the room, ripping down racks and overturning crates of ammunition. They pulled open the boxes happily, splintering the wood with sharp, cracking sounds, and passed the guns and bullets from hand to hand to hand.
“No! No!” cried Mandemus. “No! You must listen to me! This is all wrong!” He moved from gorilla to gorilla, trying to make himself heard. They ignored him; they shoved him roughly aside and kicked him into a corner, then went on with their looting.
The gorillas came streaming out of the armory, their arms filled with weapons, yelling and looking as if they were celebrating some kind of holiday. It was a holiday. It was Gorilla Independence Day. “Guns!” they shouted, running wild through the city. “Guns! Guns! We have guns! We are the masters of Ape City!”
A band of gorillas came driving a small group of human workers down the street. The workers were bound together by ropes. One gorilla was leading, jerking the rope to keep the humans moving. Other gorillas kept striking at the humans from behind with their swagger sticks. The group was moving at a rapid trot.
After they passed, Virgil peeked out from behind a bush, looking both ways. Almost immediately, he ducked back. Ape City was now completely under the control of the gorillas.
Virgil stood up then. “How long will it take them to get here?”
The scout shook his head. He didn’t know, couldn’t even guess.
Aldo spoke up. “Soon! They’ll be here soon! So we must prepare now! ”
He turned, toward a group of uniformed gorillas, waiting at the door. He gestured at the human representatives on the council “Take all humans out. Lock them up. Now!”
The gorillas moved quickly to grab the humans. Several of the men fought back, but the gorillas were stronger. Chairs were overturned in the scuffling, and blows were exchanged. The orangutans screamed at the outrage; the chimpanzees howled for order.
MacDonald, fighting the grasp of one of the bigger gorillas, shouted, “Aldo, you can’t do this! You’re acting against Caesar’s orders.”
Aldo considered this for a moment. Then he moved over to Caesar’s desk, pulled out the chair and sat down. “Caesar is not here,” he announced.
The gorillas hustled the humans from the room. They were brutal in their handling of men and women alike, shoving them roughly out the door.
The other apes sat by, helpless, unsure of what to do without Caesar there to lead them. Virgil rose and slipped out the back door.
The orangutan moved furtively through the settlement. Everywhere there were gorillas seizing control, roughly grabbing humans and rushing them off in the direction of the livestock compounds. A woman screamed as she was accosted by a uniformed gorilla. She dropped the basket of fruit she was carrying as he grabbed her and picked her up. Apples and oranges scattered in the street, rolling across the hard-packed dirt in all directions. The gorilla half-pulled and half-carried her along. Virgil stepped back into the shadows, so as not to be seen. Then he hurried on toward Caesar’s house.
On the other side of the city, Aldo and another group of gorillas began pounding on a door. A wizened old orangutan opened a tiny grille and peeked out. “Who are you?” asked Mandemus.
“I am Aldo,” declared the gorilla.
“What do you want?”
“We want guns!”
“And what will you do with them?”
“Whatever we want!” growled the gorilla. Behind him, his apes cheered. They began battering the door with a log.
“No!” shouted Mandemus through the grille. “This is wrong! Wrong! I am the conscience of the guns! You cannot . . .”
The door gave way. The gorillas came smashing through, barking and shouting, and pushed Mandemus aside. They filled the room with their massive bodies.
“Guns!” cried Aldo. “Guns! Now we have guns! ”
The gorillas cheered and shouted and slapped each other heavily. They began to run through the room, ripping down racks and overturning crates of ammunition. They pulled open the boxes happily, splintering the wood with sharp, cracking sounds, and passed the guns and bullets from hand to hand to hand.
“No! No!” cried Mandemus. “No! You must listen to me! This is all wrong!” He moved from gorilla to gorilla, trying to make himself heard. They ignored him; they shoved him roughly aside and kicked him into a corner, then went on with their looting.
The gorillas came streaming out of the armory, their arms filled with weapons, yelling and looking as if they were celebrating some kind of holiday. It was a holiday. It was Gorilla Independence Day. “Guns!” they shouted, running wild through the city. “Guns! Guns! We have guns! We are the masters of Ape City!”
A band of gorillas came driving a small group of human workers down the street. The workers were bound together by ropes. One gorilla was leading, jerking the rope to keep the humans moving. Other gorillas kept striking at the humans from behind with their swagger sticks. The group was moving at a rapid trot.
After they passed, Virgil peeked out from behind a bush, looking both ways. Almost immediately, he ducked back. Ape City was now completely under the control of the gorillas.
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