The Mystery of Munroe Island

by Satyajit Ray

  ‘Has Jagannath said anything about what he eats?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘What has he said?’

  ‘He said he eats everything—vegetables, fruits, rice, lentils—almost anything.’

  ‘Good. Then there’s no need to worry.’

  How easily I stated that there was nothing to worry about but how could I escape from worry regarding this extraordinary arrival? A completely new breed, of whom I know nothing—whose name, nature, description or any kind of reference I have never come across in any book on animals. Such a being has now landed up in my hands—how could I not worry about it? What kind of an animal is he? Passive or mischievous? Where will I keep him? Inside a cage? Within a box? In a confined state or in the open? How will my cat, Newton, react when he meets him? What will others say when they see such an animal? The questions are endless.

  Before deciding on how to deal with him, I observed the creature for a long time. I lifted him up from my lap and put him on a table. Happily he settled himself there, his eyes constantly focused on me. His looks were so amazing. I doubt if I have ever seen such an expression in any other animal. His expressions are completely devoid of any signs of fear or inhibition; there are no hints of violence or wildness in them either. His attitude clearly indicates that he fully trusts me; he seems to understand that I will in no way harm him. In addition to this, what his expression suggests is pure wisdom. Even if one still hasn’t seen much to believe if the animal is intelligent in reality, the glow in the pupils of his eyes clearly indicates that his mind is constantly alert. Having observed this, I feel the animal is not young. Perhaps we’ll never be able to find out his age. If I notice that he is growing by the day then of course I’ll realize that he is not too old.

  The animal came to me at seven in the morning, and now it is 10.45 p.m. In the meantime, I’ve gone through all the bird and animal books and the encyclopaedias which I have in my collection. None of the available animal descriptions match him wholly.

  Newton met him this morning. Newton comes to nibble biscuits with me, while I have my coffee in the mornings. Today was no different. The animal was still sitting on the table. The instant Newton spotted him he stood near the door, startled. I observed his hair standing, a sign of a cat’s fear or anger. But there were no signs of excitement in the animal. The only change was that his focus shifted from me to the cat. But there was a difference in that look. For a brief moment he seemed cautious. Immediately Newton’s hair returned to its normal position. He now shifted his gaze from our new inmate and, jumping into my lap, began to eat biscuits as usual.

  I’ve measured the animal. From the tip of the nose till the tail end it extends to nine-and-a-half inches. I’ve also photographed him with my camera from different angles. These are in colour; so that if he eventually changes his complexion I will have evidence of this change. As for food, he eats whatever I eat and consumes everything with relish. This evening I took him with me to my garden for a stroll. I’d thought of putting a collar around his neck but in the end I picked him up and having carried him out left him loose on the grass. He walked alongside me. It seems he has already grown tame. I’ve noticed it always takes me very little time to strike up a friendship with animals. This case was no exception either.

  Now I’m writing my diary sitting in my bedroom. I’ve arranged bedding for him inside a packing case. It’s been five minutes since he has settled down inside that box.

  The unexpected arrival of this new companion has cheered me up considerably.

  23 August

  I’ve received a few important letters. Before I go into details, let me inform that in the last sixteen days the animal has crossed Newton in height. He is now sixteen inches tall. A few interesting changes have occurred in his personality as well. I will discuss this in detail later.

  A couple of days after acquiring this animal, along with his photographs, I’d written to three of the most renowned zoologists of the world. These three individuals are—John Davenport of the University of California, Sir Richard Maxwell of England and Dr Friedrich Eckhart of Germany. I’d written about how I’d acquired this animal and whatever else I’d discovered about his nature. I received all three replies together. Davenport wrote: ‘It’s clear that this whole thing is a hoax.’ He added that in the future I shouldn’t trouble him with any further correspondence. According to Maxwell, there no doubt that this animal is a hybrid creature. Hybrid is a result of two different animals which breed together and produce a new breed. For instance a mix of a horse and a donkey produces a mule. He finished his letter saying, ‘There’s almost no chance of discovering a new animal in this world any more. We may not know all about the living beings inhabiting the seas, but we are well informed about all beings living on land. One needs to study your animal for a long period of time. If you notice something unusual in his behaviour you must let me know.’

  Amongst all three, Dr Eckhart is the most distinguished. As his letter is somewhat different I’m producing it here in its entirety:

  Dear Prof. Shonku

  I couldn’t sleep the whole night after receiving your letter. If this was written by anyone other than you, I’d have treated it as a hoax. But such a question can never arise in your case. I realize what an extraordinary animal has come under your care. This knowledge has come to me after doing research on animals for the last fifty-five years. Your photographs suggest this animal’s unique qualities. I’m now getting on in years. I cannot possibly visit your country to inspect him personally. But please reply to me soon about your view on an alternative arrangement. If you agree to come here I’m ready to sponsor you. You’ll be my guest. I’ll also ensure suitable arrangements for your animal as well. Right now I’m indisposed; the doctor has advised me to rest for two months. It’ll suit me fine if you can visit me in November. I’ll contact you in due course–of course, only if I get to know if your trip is a possibility.

  Please accept my sincere greetings.

  Yours

  Friedrich Eckhart

  I’ll let him know that I’m keen on this trip—only if my animal remains fit and fine.

  Now let me talk about my animal.

  For a few days now I have noticed that he no longer sits quietly in front of me. Of course, he hasn’t renounced me totally but he has certainly acquired an independent spirit. When I read or write he silently moves around the room. It seems as if he is interested in all the stuff present in the room. The books inside the almirah, the flowers in the vase, paper, pens, inkpot, the telephone—he is curious about everything. Till now he was content examining all the things in my room, but today I saw him leave the chair, climb on to my table, pick up the pen in his hand and begin to study it. I also noticed something special about the way he was handling it. His thumb worked just like a monkey’s. The simians had acquired this thumb in order to grip the branches while climbing trees in search of food. I realized that he too had had the experience of climbing trees in a jungle.

  Other than this I found another thing—he was looking at the pen while standing on his two feet. In the family of monkeys, one has seen orangutans and occasionally chimpanzees standing upright and walking for a brief spell. A gorilla stands up to beat his chest—but it’s limited only to this. Yet my animal stood upright for quite some time.

  While standing he picked up a piece of paper with his hand and began to scribble on it with the pen. It was my favourite Waterman pen. I got up quickly in case the nib was spoilt by his handling, and the animal, having guessed my reasons for getting up, handed over the pen to me.

  From this incident I could infer three new things about him:

  His thumb works just like a monkey and a human being’s.

  He can stand up on two feet longer than a monkey.

  His intelligence is far superior to any member of the simian family.

  I wonder how much more I will get to learn by studying this strange animal.

  2 September

  In these past
few days the animal has gained another three inches in height. Now his size is more or less that of a medium-sized dog. Or like a four-year-old child. I mentioned this because this animal often walks on his two feet, uses one of his hands to put food in his mouth and uses both hands to hold his glass to drink milk. Not just that, he no longer needs to be taken to the fields. He uses my bathroom. Last week, I purchased a few colourful pantaloons for him. He didn’t object in wearing them. Today I saw him trying to wear them on his own.

  I’ve noticed another thing. If there’s any conversation taking place in the room he listens to it intently. His eyebrows knit while listening—a clear sign of concentration. I know for a fact that such a quality has never been observed in any other animal. I noted this in particular when I was talking to Avinash Babu last evening.

  Avinash Babu is my neighbour and is very sociable. Among all the people I know, only this gentleman has never given me any importance. Neither has he shown any curiosity about my work. After spotting the animal, he raised his eyebrows and inquired, ‘What’s this creature?’

  I said, ‘He is a totally new breed of an animal. His name is EA.’

  Avinash Babu looked at me patiently. Then he said, ‘You can’t remember his name?’

  ‘But I just told you—EA.’

  ‘Oh yeah?’

  ‘Yeah. EA. This can be treated as an English name. EA stands for Extraordinary Animal.’

  I had decided on this name yesterday. I called him by the name ‘EA’ a couple of times as well. The instant turning of his head suggested that he responded to it.

  ‘Well, that’s an interesting name,’ said Avinash Babu, ‘but will he be troublesome?’

  The animal proceeded towards Avinash Babu and took his left hand to look at his wristwatch. I said, ‘If you don’t provoke him, he will not do anything to you.’

  ‘Hmm . . . so will you keep him here or donate him to the zoo?’

  ‘For the time being he’ll stay with me. And I’ve a request for you.’

  ‘What’s it?’

  ‘Please don’t tell anyone about him.’

  ‘Why?’ He looked curious then and asked me, ‘Suppose I say you’ve acquired an EA, where’s the harm? I need not mention what an EA is. That’s all.’

  ‘Then that’s fine.’

  Prahlad brought coffee. EA was reclining on the sofa, holding the handle of the mug just like us, using the thumb of his right hand and thereby bringing the mug close to his mouth and sipping from it.

  Even after watching this amazing scene all Avinash Babu had to say was, ‘Just imagine!’

  It’s amazing to see someone so completely devoid of any sense of wonder.

  4 September

  An extraordinary incident that happened today has dismissed all the understanding I’d hitherto had of EA.

  In the afternoon, while sitting in my study I was leafing through the pages of Nature, which had just been delivered by the post. EA was sitting on the sofa beside me, playing with a glass paperweight in his hands. I didn’t notice when he had slipped out of the room. All of a sudden I heard the sound of a box falling down in my laboratory, and when I rushed there I was momentarily transfixed. It was a horrifying scene.

  During the monsoon snakes sometimes appear in my garden. One of them must have slid into the laboratory through the verandah. It was no ordinary snake; it was a cobra and it was now in EA’s grasp. EA had dug into the snake’s neck with a deathly bite while his forelegs were preventing the swishing of the reptile’s tail.

  The struggle was over in not more than a minute. There was no question: the snake couldn’t have survived such an attack. EA dropped the smashed body of the snake and stepped aside.

  He was breathing rapidly. I could hear him from the opposite side of the room.

  But what was puzzling was that I’d examined EA’s teeth previously; it’s almost impossible for him to perform this kind of savage act with his set of teeth. EA does not possess the sharp canine teeth of a carnivorous animal. Moreover, the snake’s body had been severely wounded. Claws are needed to create such damage. EA has no claws either.

  After calling Prahlad and asking him to throw away the snake, I went to EA.

  ‘EA will you please open your mouth for me?’

  Like an obedient child this wonder creature obeyed me.

  He had never ever had such a pair of teeth before. When did this happen? I also noted that all twenty fingers of his four paws were now tipped with sharp nails, which too had been absent before.

  Moreover, stranger occurences were to follow.

  Within ten minutes, his teeth and nails returned to their normal shape.

  Can any animal study solve this mystery? I doubt it.

  1 November

  I’m leaving for Germany tomorrow. I will be visiting the city of Koblenz, which is approximately seventy kilometres north-west of Frankfurt. I’d written to Eckhart describing the events of the last two months. He once again extended his invitation, his excitement now brimming twice over. All the arrangements for the trip have been finalized. I’ll be staying as Eckhart’s guest for a week.

  In the last one-and-a-half months, EA hasn’t increased in height though he is gaining in leaps and bounds in intelligence. Nowadays quite often he looks at books. One hesitates to call him four legged. Most of the time he walks on two legs.

  From my observations I’ve learnt a few more facts, which I’m jotting down now:

  He possesses an amazing capacity to quickly adapt himself to meet the demands of the current climate. Even if he has come from the jungles, now that he is living with humans his nature is becoming more human-like.

  After the cobra episode, it has been proved that nature has bestowed a unique quality on him to defeat an enemy. The mongoose has the natural ability to capture a snake. To do this a mongoose is aided by his teeth and claws. The frog possesses no such capacity and hence often turns into the snake’s prey. But suppose one day the frog develops sharp teeth and claws and can attack a snake? That would indeed be a bizarre event. My animal’s sudden growing of nails and teeth also amounts to a similar matrix. I now know, if he ever has to confront a snake ever again he’ll once more produce a new set of nails and teeth.

  This animal breed is perhaps mute, because over the last few months not once has he produced any kind of sound.

  4 November

  EA has once again taken me by surprise.

  I’d got a box made for EA which, after making special arrangements with the airways authorities, I had arranged to be kept at the tail end of the plane’s cabin. Ten minutes before reaching Frankfurt I went to EA to help him wear a warm coat and immediately noticed a marked change in him. He had grown a layer of fur three inches in length. Once again this is evidence of his ability to acclimatize himself to suit the present condition.

  After landing in Frankfurt, I saw that the eighty-year-old Dr Eckhart himself had come to receive me. I decided not to take EA out of the box at the airport as his unusual appearance would have created a stir amongst the passengers. But Eckhart had wisely organized police presence. Besides, he had not informed the press or photographers about our arrival.

  After meeting Eckhart I couldn’t help but tell him there was no way one can make out that he is eighty. To be frank, he doesn’t look beyond the age of fifty or fifty-five. He smiled and answered that the credit went to Germany’s weather.

  On our way I gave him the news of EA growing extra hair. Eckhart remarked, ‘The more I hear of him, the more amazed I am. I’ve deliberately withheld the news of your arrival here to other scientists and zoologists because I know that to many of them India is still a land of rope tricks and snake charmers.’

  Within an hour we reached Koblenz. Eckhart lives in a pleasant locality, a little away from the city. I knew that the Eckharts are one of Germany’s most noted noble families. On the main gate the plate ‘Schloss Eckhart’, i.e., Eckhart Castle bears that evidence. Surrounding the castle grounds is a huge garden full of various
kinds of trees and bushes. There is a profusion of roses all over the place. Before we entered the house, Eckhart mentioned that he had lost his wife about four years ago and that apart from himself and some family retainers, the only other person living here was his secretary, Madam Erika Weiss. I met her soon. She has a charming personality but I could sense an element of listlessness in her.

  After entering the house the first thing I did was to open the box. Instantly, EA jumped out and walked towards Eckhart with his right hand extended in the gesture of shaking hands. This act was so unpredictable that Eckhart didn’t reciprocate immediately. Then EA proceeded towards the secretary. I’ll never forget the look of wonder and surprise in her eyes. Her expression spoke of a natural love and affection for animals.

  Eckhart said, ‘I’ve kept my dogs locked up at present. It’s difficult to say how they’ll react when they meet this animal.’

  I said, ‘I feel if your dogs are well behaved then there’s nothing to fear because my cat accepted him very easily.’

  When I entered the main drawing room, the setting stunned me.

  Was this a zoologist’s house or a hunter’s? Why was there such a large number of stuffed animal heads on display?

  Guessing my thoughts, Eckhart said, ‘My father was a well-known hunter. This room is his creation. I’ve had many altercations with him on this.’

  EA was rambling around, looking at all the stuffed animals. When tea was served he too took a cup in his hand and sipped from it. I was aware that Eckhart’s attention was totally focused on EA; he couldn’t take his eyes off him! I hope he is now convinced that EA is no hoax or magic.