In Search of Goliathus Hercules (25 page)

Quickly they set up the cameras, and Maestro Antonio and Henri pulled out their journals and began to feverishly sketch and record the details. Mat and the porter, Abdul, kept watch. Slowly, Henri noticed the light was dimming. He looked up and saw that the fireflies were leaving. He called to them, “Where are you going?”

“The hour has come, Henri Bell. Danger lurks. We must not tarry here! Good-bye, good luck!” they called out.

In twenty minutes, they had completed their documentation. The fireflies’ warning had set the party on edge. What danger was associated with the hour? Would the adult
Goliathus hercules
return at dusk
?
Hastily they exited the cave, not wishing to find out.

T
hey began the march back to their camp. Everyone was excited that on their first day in the jungle they had come remarkably close to their quest and lived to tell about it! Arriving to camp exhausted but exhilarated the cave explorers sat down to eat.

“We’re on the right track! We found the pupae, and where there are babies, there must be parents, right? Why don’t we set up camp near the cave tomorrow?” suggested Billy.

“Yes, I suppose it is a good place,” Henri agreed reluctantly, but he didn’t like the idea of being near the bat cave at all.

“What does
Goliathus hercules
eat?” asked Robin. “From the stories the other night, I think he might be a carnivorous beetle. I think we should put out some bait.”

“Good idea,” said Maestro Antonio. “The old man got bitten climbing a tree, so perhaps we should put the bait in a tree and keep watch. It may be that they’re nocturnal so we should keep watch at night.”

Henri had to agree it was a good plan, and what he particularly liked was the fact that they would lure
Goliathus hercules
. They would be in control. Henri instructed Mat to hang the bait—the remains of a chicken carcass left over from dinner—on a teak tree just beyond the camp. He assigned the men in shifts to watch it all night long. Henri himself took the first watch. Unfortunately, nothing seemed to find the bait attractive that evening.

They broke camp in the morning and moved up by the cave. During the day, they roamed the area, recording even more new species of insects. Much to their disappointment, as night approached, it started to rain. They reset the bait and settled in for a long, miserable watch. Maestro Antonio and Henri took the first shift. But once again, their shift ended with no sign of
Goliathus hercules
.

Henri returned to his tent and had just fallen into a deep slumber when he was awakened by a bloodcurdling scream.

The scream was followed by the sounds of yelling and people running. Henri leaped out of the tent and hurtled toward the hubbub. The rain was still pouring down, and there was much confusion. Mat was there with Abdul cradled in his arms, blood streaming from Abdul’s face.

“What happened?” yelled Henri. In a few moments, Billy and Maestro Antonio were standing beside Henri, looking down at the unfortunate man.

“He says he was sitting, watching. He heard a noise, so he got up with the net and slowly walked toward the tree. He doesn’t know what happened next, but something bit him!”

Robin brought the first-aid kit and convinced Abdul to move his hands away from his face. They all saw the something, whatever it was, had bitten his nose full-on, leaving a deep gash that would cause a scar.

In the morning, four porters accompanied Abdul back to the village. Two of them informed Henri they would not be returning.

It rained again that night, and with the rain, the mosquitoes and leeches returned. Along with wet clothes and damp tents, patience was running thin and so was the goodwill of their party.

“Let’s give it another two days,” Henri told his companions as they gathered in his tent. “If it continues to rain, then we’ll go back to the village and wait until it stops. Then we’ll head out again.” Everyone agreed this was a reasonable plan.

Just then, Mat came bursting in. “Henri! Everyone! You must see!” He opened his hands and laid before them the elytra of nearly a dozen beetles. They were black, edged with flecks of gold!

“It’s from
Goliathus hercules
! They’re just like the things the men had around their necks as charms,” shouted Robin.

“Where did you get them?” asked Billy.

Mat explained that as two of the porters who had accompanied Abdul returned to the camp, they had come across a goat carcass. “The goat must have strayed from the village. The
Goliathus hercules
ripped it apart! Savages,” he muttered. “The men, they found these littered about the remains.”

“I don’t understand,” said Robin.

“Remember the story the old man told about the boy who died?” replied Maestro Antonio. “It’s as if the creature goes mad with bloodlust! In the thrill of the kill, they tear apart their own comrades! I’ve read of piranhas—a kind of fish in South America—with a similar bloodthirsty nature.”

Henri, looking thoughtful, announced: “I have a new plan. I’ll be the bait!”

“No!” was the resounding response from his companions.

“Henri, that’s crazy. Even in the insect world they’re called demons!” said Robin.

“I’ve made up my mind.” Henri took off his shirt, and his third set of limbs was exposed.

Mat gasped and then said, “Don’t worry, Serangga-orang has never been defeated! He will outwit them.”

When night fell, Henri moved away from the camp and closer to the mouth of the cave. Hidden behind trees and makeshift palm screens, the entire expedition party nervously waited, ready to spring if, and only if, he gave the signal.

Henri had decided he would reveal his true self to
Goliathus hercules
. He wore no shirt and no hat, thus exposing his most obvious insect traits. It was still raining. With his nervous energy, Henri didn’t feel like sitting or standing in one place. He strolled about, walking in circles and carefully listening for any approaching sounds. At last the rain slowed and finally stopped. A wind picked up, moving the clouds away to expose a full moon.

As he gazed up to look at the moon, he heard them! They approached from the opposite direction of the cave.

It was hard to know how many. They weren’t close enough yet to see, but the moonlight would make it much easier. These beetles talked among themselves in voices perceptible only to his keen ears. There was nothing sinister in their conversation. They spoke of the things insects always talk about—food! Henri was so excited he would at last see this creature of myth and legend that he could have laughed in delight if only he weren’t so scared that he might be tonight’s meal! They must have picked up his scent, for they seemed to move without hesitation or detours.

Actual Size

Goliathus hercules
had no idea he could hear them, Henri realized, so he would have the element of surprise! It seemed an eternity until he saw the first fleck of gold twinkle in the moonlight. It was like a sparkling wave coming toward him, the beetles’ numbers indistinguishable as they moved as one. When they were about twenty feet away he spoke: “Greetings,
Goliathus hercules,
king of all insects.” The wave stopped abruptly. There was some muttering. Then an authoritative voice responded, “Greetings, stranger. Now prepare to die!” The wave moved forward again. Robin was right. There would be no small talk. These were insects of action and very few words. Instinctively Henri took a quick step back, but before he could say anything else, there was a terrible high-pitched shriek.

Startled, Henri turned toward the cry. The advancing mob paused too. The sound had come from the cave. To his amazement, hundreds and hundreds of bats were hurtling out of its opening. Among them, a tall figure emerged from the mouth of the cave. In the moonlight, Henri could see the long black dress and the smile, the smile like someone showing their teeth to the dentist. Agatha Black!

No! thought Henri. It wasn’t as if he hadn’t suspected she’d appear. But now that he faced both a rampaging horde of carnivorous beetles and his archenemy at the same time, Henri wasn’t sure who he should defend himself against first! Either way, things didn’t look good.

Another shriek pierced his ears. The bats soared high in the air and then dove down to scoop up the large beetles. Henri could hear the shouts of the
Goliathus hercules
: “It’s a trap, it’s a trap!”

The bats attempted to fly off with the beetles, but their prey was heavy and fought back with deadly ferocity using their powerful mandibles. A few bats managed to get off the ground, but they were quickly forced to drop their snapping prey in midair. Henri watched as one of the monstrous creatures fell toward earth, spreading open its wings, for all beetles are able to fly. Catching the air, it flew remarkably well for such a large species.

Now, in the moonlight, Henri witnessed
Goliathus hercules
’s true bloodlust. The species could not only defend themselves; it could inflict great pain. They were not able to follow the swift bats, but this did not prevent them from continuing the fight. When they saw one of their comrades battling on the ground, they flew with precision, dive-bombing to skewer the bat with their gold-tipped horns. Mortally wounded, the bat flailed about. A quick snip with their powerful mandibles brought an end to its suffering.

Henri realized that
Goliathus hercules
was not cowardly. The beetles were not satisfied to escape. They reveled in the battle and fought to win! Suddenly Henri thought of mercenaries—skilled, hardened soldiers who would fight anywhere for a price. Clearly there was no insect more vicious than
Goliathus hercules
.

Is this why Mrs. Black was interested in them, creatures that mimicked her own true nature? Did she just want the fame and glory that would come with the capture of one of them? Or did she have a much grander plan, perhaps a job for the ultimate insect warrior?

In that moment Henri realized that if he must choose whom to fight, it would be Agatha Black.
Goliathus hercules
was a terrible creature, but only in the way a tiger might seem horrifying to an innocent rubber-tapper about to become its lunch. Mrs. Black was the more dangerous of the two because she was a conniving, power-hungry bully whose cruelty knew no bounds.

As Henri’s thoughts raced, it was as if he stood still in the eye of a hurricane. Caught in the fierceness of the fight,
Goliathus hercules
had completely forgotten about him. The bats took no notice of him either as they swooped, attacked, and retreated again and again. Surely someone—Agatha Black, no doubt—was interfering with Mother Nature.
Goliathus hercules
could not possibly be a normal meal for bats. With wings extended, the beetles were the same size or larger, and far better equipped to do battle. For the bats, this was a suicide mission. They stood no chance of winning.

Out of the corner of his eye, Henri saw Agatha Black enter the fray. She walked calmly toward the center of the skirmish, an ornate metal cage in one hand. Her other hand was covered in a thick glove, like the kind a falconer might wear. She bent down, and with a quickness he had observed long ago when she was collecting insects by night, her hand darted out and picked up the leader of the beetles.

“No!” cried Henri, and he launched himself at Agatha Black.

He knocked her to the ground with a thud. She gave a surprised cry. Perhaps she thought he wouldn’t dare touch her, but he had made his decision—he would fight her. For months now, she had tormented him. His anger and hatred of the detestable woman gave him a strength he had not even realized he had. She struggled hard and screamed at him to let her go. It was difficult for Henri to hold her down because, after all, she was a grown woman and he was still a boy; however, he was determined not to let her get away.

It turned out Billy was right—an extra pair of hands
is
very useful. Using the hands he was born with to restrain her, he used his new limbs to pry open her gloved hand. Mrs. Black gave a cry of horror as she saw his new sharp claws.

Henri turned to the beetle leader he had just freed from her hand. “Get out of here!” he shouted.