Gil Braltar

Gil Braltar is a short story by the French writer Jules Verne. She appeared on October 3, 1887 in French under the title Gil Braltar as an appendix of the novel The Road to France (Le Chemin de France) in the publisher Pierre -Jules Hetzel in Paris.

Action

A huge horde of Barbary apes is conducted near the fortress of Gibraltar by a strange leader. The alleged Leitaffe is however different from the other monkeys. At the same barracks life is portrayed on the English fortress. The fortress dominates with their guns the Strait of Gibraltar between Europe and Africa. The commander of the fortress of Gibraltar is the ugly British General MacKackmale.

The monkeys Horde overruns in one night, the fortress on the Iberian Peninsula. The Spaniard Gil Braltar has used a stratagem. He has made ​​himself disguised with a monkey fur the leader of the monkeys Horde. However Braltar can be overwhelmed. General MacKackmale its part, has also resorted to the same ruse, and was indistinguishable from a real monkey because of its ugly appearance. With the monkey fur cape of Braltar he leads the monkeys back out of the fortress.

Background

The short story is a satirical sideswipe by Jules Verne in the British colonialism. Conclusion of Verne from history is that the posting of the ugliest generals will secure the possession of the British in the future to Gibraltar.