Hunters Invade the Island to Hunt Orangutans and Gibbons

The hunters’ invasion is the moment Kensuke’s long-standing fear of human violence becomes present danger again. When a junk appears offshore, he recognizes it as the same boat associated with an earlier hunt and acts to shelter the orangutans. Michael and Kensuke manage to bring them into the cave, but the hunters’ shots carry into the forest, two gibbon mothers are killed, and Kikanbo is briefly missing. The animals’ survival and reunion with Kikanbo offer relief, not a reversal of the raid’s losses: the dead gibbons are buried, and Kensuke responds by strengthening the cave refuge.

Warning and Recognition

The threat first appears as a small junk at sea. Stella’s barking draws Michael outside, where he sees it and rushes to tell Kensuke. Michael immediately thinks of lighting the beacon, treating the boat as a possible chance of rescue. Kensuke instead insists on looking through his binoculars before deciding what to do. His caution is not hesitation for its own sake: he identifies the junk as the same boat that came before, when hunters shot gibbons and took their babies. He remembers the danger and is certain the men have returned.

The difference between Michael’s and Kensuke’s responses sets the stakes. For Michael, a ship suggests a way off the island; for Kensuke, this particular ship signals a threat to the animals and to the hidden life he has made there. He tells Michael that they must find the orangutans and bring them into the cave. The potential rescue signal gives way to urgent protection.

Gathering the Orangutans

Kensuke gathers the animals by singing as he and Michael move into the forest. The orangutans appear gradually, in twos and threes. They find fifteen, then locate three more, including Tomodachi; Kikanbo remains missing. Kensuke continues to sing for him, but the search is interrupted by the sound of an outboard motor starting at sea. With the hunters approaching, the pair cannot wait indefinitely.

Kensuke leads the way toward the cave, still singing, while Michael follows with the remaining orangutans. Some of the younger animals are distracted by play and do not keep pace, so Michael carries two of them, one in each arm. The hurried retreat is difficult, but it is also an act of coordination: Kensuke’s established bond with the orangutans draws them toward shelter, while Michael helps get the younger animals there. He continues looking and calling for Kikanbo, who has not appeared.

The Raid and Its Immediate Cost

The outboard motor stops, and Michael hears men’s voices and laughter. As he runs toward the cave with the orangutans clinging around his neck, the forest erupts in alarm. The first shots sound as he reaches the shelter. The group gathers at the back of the cave, where Kensuke comforts the frightened animals by singing. Tomodachi is especially agitated, and the orangutans need continued reassurance. Stella stays close to Michael, growling, while the younger animals press against him.

The shots come nearer, followed by distant yells that indicate the hunters have succeeded in killing something. The shooting then moves away. Kensuke keeps the group inside for hours, even after the voices fade; they wait until they hear the outboard motor start before leaving the cave, and by then the junk is already far out to sea. Their survival in the cave is only partial protection. The hunters have departed, but the forest has been entered and the animals have suffered losses.

Loss, Return, and Aftermath

After emerging, Michael and Kensuke search the island for Kikanbo, calling and singing, but at first there is no sign of him. Kensuke is inconsolable when he finds two dead gibbon mothers. The two bury them in soft earth at the forest’s edge. Their grief is conveyed not through a speech but through the absence of speech and song: Michael has no words, and Kensuke has no songs left to sing.

As they walk home along the beach, Kikanbo suddenly charges out of the trees, scatters sand, climbs Kensuke’s leg, and wraps himself around his neck. His return brings a moment of joy after the fear of his disappearance, but it does not undo the gibbons’ deaths. That night, Michael and Kensuke sing “Ten Green Bottles” over fish soup, making their shared song both a kind of wake for the dead gibbons and a celebration that Kikanbo is safe.

In the following weeks, Kensuke remains troubled by what happened. He builds a strong bamboo cage at the back of the cave to house the orangutans more securely if the hunters return. He repeatedly considers that he should have made it earlier and that he could not have forgiven himself if Kikanbo had been taken. He also wishes the gibbons would come when he sang, so that he might save them too. The raid thus changes the refuge from an improvised hiding place into a more deliberate defense, while exposing the limits of Kensuke’s protection: his bond with the orangutans can gather them, but it cannot guarantee the gibbons’ safety.