THE CASTAWAYS FROM THE SKY 71 ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ Since the sulphuric spring was of no actual benefit, the colonists went toward the thick border of the forest which grew a few hundred feet away. There, as they had guessed, the brisk clear waters of the stream ran between the high banks of red ground whose color revealed the presence of iron oxide. This color immediately gave to this watercourse the name of Red Creek. It was only a large brook, deep and clear, formed by the waters of the mountain which half stream, half torrent, flowed peacefully here on a sand bed, rumbling over the tops of the rocks on which they fell in a cascade. It flowed toward the lake a mile and a half away, over a width varying from thirty to forty feet. Its waters were sweet which led them to believe that so also were the waters of the lake. This would be a happy circumstance in the event they should find a dwelling on its border more agreeable than the Chimneys. As to the trees which shaded the banks of the creek a hundred feet downstream, they appeared for the most part to be of a species which are abundant in the temperate zone of Australia and of Tasmania and not those of the conifers which grew on that part of the island already explored a few miles from Grand View Plateau. At this time of the year, at the beginning of the month of April, which corresponds to the month of October in the northern hemisphere, that is to say at the start of autumn, the foliage is not yet missing. This was especially so with the casuarinas and the eucalyptus some of which would furnish next spring a sweet manna perfectly analogous to the manna of the orient. Some clusters of Australian cedars also grew in the clearings which were covered with a tall grass called "tussock" in Australia. However, the coconut which is so abundant in the archipelagos of the Pacific seemed to be missing on the island whose latitude was doubtless too low. "What a pity" said Herbert, "a tree which is so useful and which has such beautiful nuts." As to the birds, they swarmed among the somewhat lean branches of the eucalyptus and the casuarinas which did not hide their wing displays. Black, white or grey cockatoos, parrots and parakeets with a plumage tinged with all colors, "kings" with a bright green crowned with red, blue loris and "blue mountains" gave a sight like looking through a prism. They flew amid a deafening clatter. All at once a strange concert of discordant voices resounded from the midst of a thicket. The colonists heard successively the singing of birds, the cries of quadrupeds and a sort of clapping which they would have believed escaped from the lips of a native. Neb and Herbert ran toward this bush forgetting the most elementary principles of prudence. Very fortunately there was no formidable beast there nor a dangerous native but very simply a half dozen of these mocking and singing birds which they recognized as "mountain pheasants." A few strokes of the stick, skillfully applied, terminated this scene of mimicking and also procured excellent game for the evening meal. 72 THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ Herbert also pointed out some magnificent pigeons with bronze colored wings, some topped by a superb crest, others draped in green like their congeners from Port Macquarie; but it was impossible to catch them any more than the crows and magpies which flew away in flocks. A firing of small shot would have produced a great slaughter among these birds, but the hunters were still limited to stones for missiles and to sticks for hand held weapons and these primitive devices could not be anything but very inadequate. Their inadequacy was demonstrated more clearly again when a troop of hopping and bounding quadrupedes, making leaps of thirty feet, real flying mammals, ran away over the thicket so nimbly and at such a height that they seemed to pass from one tree to another like squirrels. "Kangaroos!" shouted Herbert. "And are they edible?" replied Pencroff. "Stewed," responded the reporter, "they compare to a better venison!..." Gideon Spilett had not finished this exciting statement when the sailor, followed by Neb and Herbert, went after the kangaroos. Cyrus Smith called them back but in vain. But it was also in vain that the hunters ran after this springy game which bounced like a ball. After five minutes of running they were out of breath and the band disappeared in the brushwood. Top had had no more success than his masters. "Mister Cyrus," said Pencroff when they rejoined the engineer and the reporter, "Mister Cyrus, you can well see that it is indispensable to make some guns. Will that be possible?" "Perhaps," replied the engineer, "but we will first begin by making some bows and arrows and I do not doubt that you will become just as skilled in their use as the Australian hunters." "Arrows, bows!" said Pencroff with a condescending pout. "That's very well for children!" "Don't be proud, friend Pencroff," responded the reporter. "Bows and arrows sufficed for centuries to stain the earth with blood. Powder is only a thing of yesterday but war is as old as the human race unfortunately." "You must excuse me, Mister Spilett," replied the sailor, "I always speak too quickly." Herbert however, engrossed in his favorite science of natural history, returned to the subject of the kangaroos by saying: "Besides, we had an encounter there with a species that is most difficult to capture. They were giants with a long grey fur but if I am not mistaken there exist black and red kangaroos, rock kangaroos and rat kangaroos which are much easier to lay hands on. One can count a dozen species..." "Herbert" replied the sailor dogmatically, "for me there is only one species of kangaroo, the 'kangaroo-on-the-spit', and that is precisely the one that we will not have this evening." THE CASTAWAYS FROM THE SKY 73 ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ They could not help laughing on hearing this new classification by Master Pencroff. The good sailor could not at all hide his regret at being reduced to a dinner of singing pheasants, but fortune would show itself once more to accommodate him. Top in fact, took a strong interest in the hunt, nosing about everywhere with an instinct increased by a ferocious appetite. It was even likely that if some game came under his control nothing would be left to the hunters and that Top was then hunting for himself, but Neb did well to watch him. About three o'clock the dog disappeared into the brushwood and some muffled growlings soon indicated that he was at grips with some animal. Neb dashed forward and sure enough he found Top greedily devouring a quadrupede which, ten seconds later, would have been impossible to recognize in Top's stomach. But very fortunately the dog fell upon a brood; he had killed three. Two other rodents - the animals in question appeared to be of this order - were lying strangled on the ground. Neb reappeared triumphant holding one of these rodents in each hand whose size exceeded that of a hare. Their yellow fur was mixed with greenish spots and their tail existed only in a rudimentary state. The citizens of the Union did not hesitate to give these rodents the name which befitted them. They were "maras," a sort of agouti, a little larger than their congeners from the tropical countries, really American rabbits, with long ears and with five molars on each side of the jaws, which is the distinguishing characteristic of agoutis. "Hurrah!" cried Pencroff. "The roast has arrived and now we can go home." The march, momentarily interrupted, was resumed. The clear water of Red Creek rambled on under a canopy of casuarinas, banksias and gigantic gum trees. Superb liliaceous plants grew to a height of twenty feet. Other species of trees, which were unknown to the young naturalist, inclined over the brook which they heard murmuring under these arches of foliage. However the watercourse was becoming noticeably wider and Cyrus Smith was led to believe that it would soon reach its mouth. In fact, upon leaving a thick mass of beautiful trees it suddenly appeared. The explorers had arrived on the western shore of Lake Grant. This area was worth looking at. This expanse of water with a circumference of about seven miles and with an area of two hundred fifty acres (1) was set within a border of various trees. Toward the east, across a screen of foliage picturesquely enhanced in some places, appeared the sparkling horizon of the sea. In the north, the lake traced a slightly concave curve which contrasted with the sharp outline of is lower point. Numerous aquatic birds frequented the banks of ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ (1) About 100 hectares. 74 THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ this small Ontario. The "Thousand Islands" of its American namesake were represented by a rock which emerged above the surface at several hundred feet from the southern bank. There, several couples of kingfishers lived together, perched on some stone, solemn, immobile, on the lookout for passing fish. Then rushing and plunging with a sharp cry, they reappeared with prey in their beak. Elsewhere on the banks and on the islet there strutted wild ducks, pelicans, waterfowl, redbeaks, philedons provided with a tongue in the form of a paintbrush, and one or two specimens of those splendid lyrebirds whose tail unfolds like the gracious motion of a harp. As to the waters of the lake, they were sweet and clear. From certain bubblings in concentric circles which intersected at their surface they could not doubt but that it abounded in fish. "This lake is truly beautiful," said Gideon Spilett. "We could live on its shore." "We will live there!" replied Cyrus Smith. The colonists, then wanting to return to the Chimneys by the shortest way, went toward the angle formed in the south by the junction of the banks of the lake. With some difficulty they cut a path through the thickets and brushwood on which the hand of man had never made its mark and so they went toward the shore, arriving at the north of Grand View Plateau. Two miles were crossed in this direction when, after a last screen of trees, the plateau appeared, covered with a thick turf, and beyond that, the infinite sea. In order to return to the Chimneys it would have been sufficient to cross the plateau obliquely for a distance of a mile and to descend to the bend formed by the first detour of the Mercy. But the engineer wanted to find out how and where the overflow of water escaped from the lake and the exploration was prolonged under the trees for a mile and a half toward the north. In fact it was probable that an outlet existed which doubtless went through a cut in the granite. In sum, the lake was only an immense basin which was gradually replenished by the flow from the creek and it could well be that the overflow escaped to the sea by some falls. If such was the case, the engineer thought that it would perhaps be possible to utilize this fall and to make use of its force, actually lost without profit to anyone. They continued thus to follow the banks of Lake Grant along the plateau; but after going another mile in this direction Cyrus Smith had not been able to discover the outlet which must exist however. It was then half past four. The preparations for dinner required that the colonists go back to their dwelling. The small troop then retraced its steps along the left bank of the Mercy and Cyrus Smith and his companions arrived at the Chimneys. There the fire was lit and Neb and Pencroff, on whom naturally devolved the duties of chefs, the one by virtue of being a Negro, the other by virtue of being a sailor, skillfully prepared grilled agoutis to which they did justice. THE CASTAWAYS FROM THE SKY 75 ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ The meal completed, the time came for everyone to get ready for bed. Cyrus Smith took some small samples of different minerals from his pocket and contented himself with saying: "My friends, here is iron ore, here is pyrites, here is clay, here is lime, and here is coal. This is what nature gives us as its contributions to our efforts. Tomorrow we will do our share." CHAPTER XIII What is found on Top - Making bows and arrows - A brickyard - The kiln for pottery - Various kitchen utensils - The first broth - Wormwood - The southern cross - An important astronomical observation. "Well, Mister Cyrus, where shall we begin?" Pencroff asked the engineer the next morning. "At the beginning," replied Cyrus Smith. In fact the colonists had to really begin at the beginning. They did not even possess the tools needed to make tools and they did not even find themselves in the position of Nature which "having time, economizes on effort." They had no time since they had to provide immediately for the needs of their existence, and if profiting from acquired experience they had nothing to invent, none the less they had everything to make. Their iron, their steel was still only in the mineral state, their pottery was in the clay state, their linen and clothes were in the state of textile materials. It must be said however that these colonists were "men" in the true sense of the word. The engineer Smith could not have been seconded by more intelligent companions nor with more devotion and zeal. He had tried them. He knew their strengths. Gideon Spilett, a reporter of great talent, having learned everything, could speak about everything and could contribute with his mind and body to the colonization of the island. He would not recoil before any task and, being a passionate hunter, he would make a business out of what had been until then a sport for him. Herbert, a courageous lad, already remarkably instructed in the natural sciences, would make a substantial contribution to the common cause. Neb was devotion personified. Skillful, intelligent, tireless, robust, with a constitution of iron, he understood a little about the work of the forge and would be very useful to the colony. 76 THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ As to Pencroff, he had sailed on all the oceans, a carpenter in the Brooklyn dockyards, a tailor's aide in the Navy, gardener, farmer during his furloughs, etc., and like a man of the sea, prepared for everything and knowing how to do everything. It would truly be difficult to unite five men more suitable to battle fate and more assured of triumphing against it. "At the beginning," Cyrus Smith had said. Now this beginning that the engineer referred to was the construction of an apparatus which would serve to transform natural substances. It is known that heat plays a role in these transformations. Now the fuel, wood or coal, was available for immediate use. They must proceed to make a furnace for using it. "What is the purpose of the furnace?" asked Pencroff. "To make the pottery that we need," replied Cyrus Smith. "And with what will we make the furnace ?" "With bricks." "And the bricks?" "With clay. Let's go, my friends. In order to avoid transportation problems we will establish our workshop at the very place of production. Neb will bring the provisions and there will be no lack of fire for cooking food." "No," replied the reporter, "but if there is to be no lack of food then we will have to make some hunting weapons." "Ah! If we only had a knife," cried the sailor. "What then?" asked Cyrus Smith. "Then I would quickly make a bow and arrows and there would be plenty of game in the pantry." "Yes, a knife, a sharp blade...," the engineer said as if speaking to himself. At this moment he turned his attention toward Top who was prowling around the beach. Suddenly Cyrus Smith became excited. "Here, Top," he said. The dog ran up at his master's call. He took Top's head between his hands, detached the collar that the animal carried on his neck and broke it in two parts, saying: "Here are two knives, Pencroff." The sailor responded with two hurrahs. Top's collar was made of a thin blade of tempered steel. It was sufficient to first grind it on a sandstone so as to give it a keen sharp edge and then to remove the burr on a finer sandstone. Now this type of sandy rock was met with in abundance on the beach and two hours later the colony's stock of tools was composed of two sharp blades which had been easy to fit into sturdy handles. The conquest of this first tool was saluted like a triumph, a precious conquest indeed which would come in handy. THE CASTAWAYS FROM THE SKY 77 ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ They left. It was Cyrus Smith's intention to return to the eastern shore of the lake. There he had noticed on the previous day this clay soil, a sample of which he had. They took to the bank of the Mercy, crossed Grand View Plateau and after a walk of five miles at most they arrived at a clearing situated two hundred feet from Lake Grant. On the way Herbert discovered a tree whose branches are used by the Indians of South America to make their bows. It was the "crejimba" of the palm tree family which does not bear edible fruit. Some long straight branches were cut, stripped of leaves, pruned, made thicker in the center and thinner at the extremities, and they had only to find a suitable plant for the cord of the bow. This was a species belonging to the mallow family, the "hibiscus heterophyllus" which furnishes fibers of remarkable tenacity that can be compared to the tendons of animals. Pencroff thus obtained some rather strong bows for which he only needed arrows. These were easy to make with some straight and rigid branches without knots but the point would have to be armed, that is to say with a substance suitable for replacing the iron which would not be easy to meet with. But Pencroff said that having done his share of the work, chance would do the rest. The colonists arrived on terrain that they recognized from the previous day. It was composed of this figuline clay which serves in making bricks and tiles, clay which consequently would be very useful in carrying out the operation in question. The manual labor required would not present any difficulty. It sufficed to thin this fuguline with some sand, to mold the bricks and to bake them in the heat of a wood fire. Ordinarily bricks are pressed into molds but the engineer was content to form them by hand. All that day and the following were employed with this work. The clay, mixed with water, was then puddled with the hands and feet of the manipulators and divided into blocks of equal size. A skilled workman could make, without a machine, up to ten thousand bricks in twelve hours but in their two days of work the five brickmakers of Lincoln Island made not more than three thousand which were arranged alongside each other until the time, three or four days later, when their complete drying would permit them to perform the baking. On April 2nd Cyrus Smith determined the position of the island. On the previous evening he had noted exactly the time when the sun had disappeared below the horizon, taking account of refraction. This morning he noted no less exactly the time when it reappeared. Between this setting and this rising twelve hours less twenty four minutes elapsed. Thus six hours and twelve minutes after today's sunrise the sun would exactly pass the meridian and the point in the sky that it would occupy at that moment would be north. (1) ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ (1) In fact at this time of the year and at this latitude, the sun rises at 5:48 a.m. and sets at 6:12 p.m. 78 THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ At the indicated hour Cyrus noted this point by lining up two trees with the sun which would serve as a reference mark. He thus obtained a fixed meridian for subsequent operations. The two days preceding the baking of the bricks were occupied with providing fuel. They cut off branches around the clearing and gathered all the wood that had fallen under the trees. This was not done without a little hunting in the vicinity now done better since Pencroff possessed several dozen arrows armed with very sharp points. It was Top who had furnished these points. He brought in a porcupine, rather mediocre as food, but of incontestable value thanks to the quills with which it was studded. These quills were securely attached to the ends of the arrows whose stability was assured by a tail made with the feathers of cockatoos. The reporter and Herbert promptly became skillful archers. Then hairy and feathery game were abundant at the Chimneys, capybaras, pigeons, agoutis, heather cocks, etc. For the most part these animals were killed in the part of the forest situated on the left bank of the Mercy to which they gave the name Jacamar Woods in remembrance of the bird that Pencroff and Herbert had pursued during their first exploration. This game was eaten fresh but they saved the legs of the capybara which they smoked over a fire of green wood after having aromatized it with fragrant leaves. This nourishment was fortifying but nevertheless it was always roast upon roast and the diners would have been happy to hear on the hearth the sound of beef boiling, but they would have to wait until the pot was made and consequently until the oven was built. During these excursions, which were only made within a restricted radius around the brickyard, the hunters were able to verify the recent passage of large animals with powerful claws of a species they did not recognize. Cyrus Smith urged them to be extremely prudent because it was likely that the forest concealed several dangerous animals. And it was well that they did. In fact one day Gideon Spilett and Herbert saw an animal that resembled a jaguar. This animal fortunately did not attack them because they perhaps would not have gotten away without some serious wound. But as soon as they could have a real weapon, that is to say one of the guns that Pencroff clamored for, Gideon Spilett vowed an intense war against the ferocious beasts to purge them from the island. During these days the Chimneys were not made more comfortable because the engineer counted on discovering or building, if necessary, a more convenient dwelling. They were content to spread a fresh litter of moss and dry leaves on the sand of the passageways and on these somewhat primitive beds the weary workers slept a perfect sleep. They also noted the days which passed on Lincoln Island from the time that the colonists first set foot there, and kept a regular count. The fifth of April, which was a Wednesday, was twelve days from the time that the storm had thrown the castaways on this shore. On the sixth of April, at daybreak, the engineer and his companions gathered at the clearing in the vicinity of where the brick baking operation would take place. Naturally this THE CASTAWAYS FROM THE SKY 79 ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ kind of operation had to be done in the open air instead of in a furnace or rather in this conglomeration of bricks which would only be an enormous furnace which would bake itself. The fuel, made of well prepared faggots, was placed on the ground surrounded by several rows of dry bricks, soon forming a large cube, with air vents leading to the outside. This work lasted the entire day and only by evening did they set fire to the faggots. That night no one went to bed and they watched carefully that the fire did not slacken. The operation lasted forty eight hours and was a perfect success. It was then necessary to let the smoking mass cool. During this time Neb and Pencroff, guided by Cyrus Smith, used a hurdle of interlacing branches to transport several loads of limestone, very ordinary stones, which they found abundant north of the lake. These stones, decomposed by the heat, gave a very slimy quicklime with a yield increased by slaking, as pure in the end as if it had been produced by the calcination of chalk or of marble. Mixed with sand, which has the effect of reducing the contraction of the paste when it solidifies, this limestone furnished an excellent mortar. The result of these various works was that on April 9th the engineer had at his disposal a certain quantity of fully prepared lime and several thousand bricks. Without losing an instant they then began the construction of a kiln which would serve to bake the various potteries indispensable for domestic use. They succeeded without too much difficulty. Five days later the kiln was charged with coal discovered by the engineer in an open bed near the mouth of Red Creek. The first smoke escaped from a chimney about twenty feet high. The clearing was transformed into a factory and Pencroff was not far from believing that from this kiln would issue all the products of modern industry. While waiting, the first thing that the colonists made was an ordinary pot but one very useful for cooking food. The main material was clay soil to which Cyrus Smith added a little lime and quartz. In reality this paste constitutes the real "pipe clay" from which they made pots, cups which had been molded on pottery wheels of the appropriate form, plates, large jars and vats for holding water, etc. The form of these objects was awkward and defective; but after they had been fired at a high temperature, the kitchen of the Chimneys found itself provided with a certain number of utensils as precious as if the most beautiful kaolin had been used in its composition. It should be mentioned here that Pencroff, desiring to know if this clay, so prepared, justified its name of "pipe clay," made some rather grotesque pipes which he found charming but since tobacco was missing, alas! And, it should be said, this was a large deprivation for Pencroff. "But the tobacco will come like everything else," he repeated during his outbursts of absolute confidence. 80 THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ These tasks lasted until April 15th and one can be sure that this time was conscientiously employed. The colonists, having become potters, did no other thing except pottery. When it would be convenient for Cyrus Smith to change them to forgers, they would be forgers. But the next day was Sunday, Easter Sunday no less, and all agreed to sanctify this day by rest. These Americans were religious men, scrupulous observers of the precepts of the bible and the situation that they found themselves in could only develop their confidence in the Author of all things. On the evening of the 15th of April they definitely returned to the Chimneys. The rest of the pottery was carried away and the kiln was extinguished to await a new use. The return was marked by a happy incident, the discovery made by the engineer of a substance suited to replace tinder. It is known that this spongy and velvety pulp comes from a certain mushroom of the polypore genus. Properly prepared it is extremely inflammable especially when it has been previously saturated with cannon powder or boiled in a solution of nitrate or potassium chlorate. But up to that time they had not found any of these polypores nor even morels which can replace them. On this day the engineer, having recognized a certain plant that belongs to the artemisia genus, which counts among its principle species wormwood, citronella, tarragon, etc., tore off several clumps and presented them to the sailor. "Keep these, Pencroff," he said. "Here is something that will please you." Pencroff looked at the plant attentively, lined with a lengthy and silky down, whose leaves were covered with a fluffy cotton. "Well, what is this Mister Cyrus?" asked Pencroff. "Good heavens, is it tobacco?" "No," replied Cyrus Smith, "it is artemisia, Chinese artemisia for the scientists but for us it will be tinder." And in fact this artemisia, properly dried, furnishes a very inflammable substance especially when later the engineer would impregnate it with potassium nitrate of which the island possessed several beds and which is nothing more than saltpeter. This evening all the colonists were gathered in the main room and ate in style. Neb had prepared a broth of agouti, a fragrant capybara ham to which was added boiled tubercules of the "caladium macrophizum," a sort of herbaceous plant of the family of aroids which, in the tropical zone, take on an arborescent form. These rhizomes had an excellent taste, very nutritious, and nearly like the substance that is sold in England under the name of "Portland Sago." This could, to a certain degree, replace bread which was still lacking to the colonists of Lincoln Island. The supper was finished but before surrendering themselves to slumber, Cyrus Smith and his companions went to get some fresh air on the beach. It was eight o'clock. The night promised to be magnificent. The moon, which had been full five THE CASTAWAYS FROM THE SKY 81 ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ days earlier, had not yet risen but already the horizon was silvered with the soft gentle hues that could be called the lunar dawn. At the southern zenith the polar constellations glistened and among them was the Southern Cross which the engineer had greeted several days earlier on the top of Mount Franklin. Cyrus Smith observed this splendid constellation for some time, which was composed on its upper portion and on its lower portion of two stars of the first magnitude, on its left arm a star of the second and on its right arm a star of the third magnitude. Then after thinking: "Herbert," he asked the lad, "Isn't this the 15th of April?" "Yes, Mister Cyrus," replied Herbert. "Well then, if I am not mistaken, tomorrow will be one of the four days in the year when the true time will coincide with the average time, that is to say, my child, that tomorrow, within a few seconds, the sun will cross the meridian at noon, by the clock. If the weather is nice I think that I will be able to obtain the longitude of the island to an approximation of several degrees." "Without instruments or a sextant?" asked Gideon Spilett. "Yes," replied the engineer. "Also, since the night is clear I am going to try this very night to obtain our latitude by calculating the height of the Southern Cross, that is to say of the southern pole above the horizon. You can well appreciate, my friends, that before undertaking serious work on getting settled, it not only suffices to know that this land is an island but it is also necessary to know, if possible, at what distance it is situated either from the American continent, or the Australian continent or the principal archipelagos of the Pacific. "In fact," said the reporter, "instead of constructing a house we could be more interested in constructing a boat if by chance we are only about a hundred miles from some inhabited coast." "That is why," replied Cyrus Smith, "I am going to try this evening to obtain the latitude of Lincoln Island and tomorrow at noon I will try to calculate its longitude." If the engineer had possessed a sextant, an apparatus which permits, by reflection, the high precision measurement of the angular distance between objects, the operation would have offered no difficulty. This night by the height of the pole, the next day by the sun's crossing of the meridian, he would have obtained the coordinates of the island. But with the apparatus missing, he had to supply it. Cyrus Smith therefore returned to the Chimneys. By the light from the hearth he carved two small flat rulers that he attached together at their extremities so as to form a sort of compass whose branches could open or close. The point of attachment was secured by means of a strong thorn from an acacia which was part of the dead wood in the woodpile. 82 THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ This instrument completed, the engineer returned to the beach, but he had to take the height of the pole above a clearly defined horizon, that is to say the horizon of the sea. However, Cape Claw hid the southern horizon so he would have to find a more convenient station. The best would evidently have been the shore exposed directly to the south but for this it would be necessary to cross the Mercy, then in darkness, which would be a difficulty. Consequently, Cyrus Smith resolved to make his observations from Grand View Plateau and to take into account its height above sea level, a height which he would calculate the next day by a simple procedure of elementary geometry. The colonists therefore went to the plateau by ascending the left bank of the Mercy and placed themselves on the edge that was oriented northwest to southeast, that is to say on this line of capriciously cut rocks which bordered the river. This part of the plateau was fifty feet higher than the right bank which sloped down to the extremity of Cape Claw and to the southern coast of the island. No obstacle interfered with their view which embraced the horizon from the Cape to Reptile Promontory. In the south this horizon was illuminated from below by the first rays of the moon vividly delineated on the sky, enabling them to sight it with a certain precision. At this moment the Southern Cross presented itself to the observer in an upside down position, the star Alpha marking its base, being the closest to the southern pole. This constellation is not situated as close to the antarctic pole as the pole star is to the arctic pole. The star Alpha is about 27 degrees from it, but Cyrus Smith knew this and would take account of this angle in his calculation. He was also careful to observe the moment when it passed its lowest meridian which would render his observation easier. Cyrus Smith therefore lined up one branch of his wooden compass with the horizon of the sea, the other on Alpha, as he would have done with circular eyepieces, and the opening between the two branches gave him the angular distance that separated Alpha from the horizon. In order to fix the angle obtained in an immutable way, he fastened the two slats of his apparatus by means of thorns using a third slat placed transversely such that their separation was firmly maintained. That done, it remained only to calculate the angle obtained by correcting the observation to the level of the sea in a manner to take account of the depression of the horizon which necessitated the measurement of the height of the plateau. The value of this angle would thus give the height of Alpha and consequently that of the pole above the horizon, that is to say the latitude of the island, since the latitude of a point on the globe is always equal to the height of the pole above the horizon at this point. These calculations were left for the next day and at ten o'clock everyone was in a deep sleep. THE CASTAWAYS FROM THE SKY 83 ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ CHAPTER XIV The measurement of the granite wall - An application of the theorem of similar triangles - The latitude of the island - An excursion to the north - An oyster bed - Future projects - The sun's passage on the meridian - The coordinates of Lincoln Island. The next day, the 16th of April, Easter Sunday, the colonists left the Chimneys at daybreak and proceeded to wash their linen and to clean their clothes. The engineer counted on making soap as soon as he could procure the basic materials necessary for the saponificaiton, soda or potash, fat or oil. The important question of the renewal of the wardrobe would also be treated in its proper time and place. In any case, their clothes would easily last six more months because they were well made and could resist the stress of manual labors. But all would depend on the position of the island with respect to inhabited lands. This they would determine on this very day if the weather permitted it. Now the sun rose on a clear horizon announcing a magnificent day, one of those beautiful days of autumn which are the final farewells to the warm season. They therefore proceeded to complete the observations of the previous day by measuring the height of Grand View Plateau above sea level. "Will you need an instrument like the one that you used yesterday?" Herbert asked the engineer. "No, my child," he answered, "we will proceed differently but in a manner almost as precise." Herbert, loving instruction in all things, followed the engineer, who turned away from the foot of the granite wall and went down to the edge of the beach. During this time Pencroff, Neb and the reporter were occupied with various activities. Cyrus Smith had provided himself with a sort of straight pole, twelve feet long, which he had measured as accurately as possible by comparing it with his own height which he knew to the nearest inch. Herbert carried a plumb line that Cyrus Smith had given him, that is to say a simple stone fixed to the end of a flexible fiber. Arriving about twenty feet from the edge of the shore and about five hundred from the granite wall which rose perpendicularly, Cyrus Smith drove the pole two feet into the sand and, wedging it in with care, he succeeded, by means of the plumb line, in placing it perpendicular to the plane of the horizon. That done he backed up a distance such that when he lay down on the sand, the visual ray from his eye simultaneously skimmed the top of the pole and the top of the wall. Then he carefully marked this point with a thorn. Then, addressing Herbert: "Do you know the elementary principles of geometry?" he asked him. 84 THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ "A little, Mister Cyrus," replied Herbert, who did not wish to stick his neck out. "Do you recall what are the properties of two similar triangles?" "Yes," replied Herbert. "Their homologous sides are proportional." "Well, my child, I have constructed two similar right triangles. The first, the smaller one, has for its sides the perpendicular pole, the distance which separates the thorn from the base of the pole, and my visual ray for a hypotenuse; the second has for sides the perpendicular wall, whose height we are measuring, the distance that separates the thorn from the base of this wall, and my visual ray also forming its hypotenuse which is the prolongation of the hypotenuse of the first triangle." "Ah, Mister Cyrus, I understand" cried Herbert. "The distance from the thorn to the pole divided by the distance from the thorn to the base of the wall is equal to the height of the pole divided by the height of this wall." "They are equal, Herbert," replied the engineer, "and when we have measured the first two distances, and since we know the height of the pole, we will only have a calculation to make of the ratio, which will give us the height of the wall and will save us the trouble of measuring it directly." The two horizontal distances were determined by means of the pole, whose length above the sand was exactly ten feet. The first distance was fifteen feet between the thorn and the point where the pole had been driven into the sand. The second distance, between the thorn and the base of the wall, was five hundred feet. These measurements completed, Cyrus Smith and the lad returned to the Chimneys. There the engineer took a stone plate which he had brought back from his previous excursions, a sort of shale slate, on which it was easy to trace some numbers by means of a sharp quill. He therefore established the following proportion: 15 : 500 : : 10 : X 500 x 10 = 5000 5000 ÄÄÄÄ = 333.33 15 From this it was established that the height of the granite wall measured three hundred thirty three feet. (1) Cyrus Smith then took the instrument which he had made the previous evening and whose two slats, by their separation, gave him the angular distance of the star Alpha above the horizon. He very accurately measured this angle against a ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ (1) In units of the English foot which equals 30 centimeters. THE CASTAWAYS FROM THE SKY 85 ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ circumference that he had divided into three hundred sixty equal parts. Now this angle was 10ø. Consequently the total angular distance between the pole and the horizon, adding the 27ø between Alpha and the antarctic pole and reducing it by the height above sea level of the plateau on which the observation was made, gave 37ø. Cyrus Smith therefore concluded that Lincoln Island was situated on the 37th degree south latitude, or, taking an error of 5ø into account in view of the imperfection of these operations, that it was situated between the 35th and the 40th parallel. It remained to obtain the longitude in order to completely determine the coordinates of the island. This the engineer would attempt to determine this very day at noon, that is to say at the moment when the sun passed the meridian. It was decided that they would take a walk this Sunday or rather an exploration of that part of the island situated between the north of the lake and Shark's Gulf, and if the weather permitted, they would continue this reconnaissance up to the northern side of South Mandible Cape. They would eat on the dunes and only return by evening. At eight thirty in the morning the small troop followed the border of the channel. On the opposite shore, on Safety Island, numerous birds promenaded gravely. They were the diving birds of the penguin species, very recognizable by their disagreeable cry which brings to mind the braying of the donkey. Pencroff could only consider them from the eating point of view and learned with a certain satisfaction that their flesh, though blackish, was very edible. They could also see large amphibians crawling on the sand, seals no doubt, who seemed to have chosen the islet for refuge. It was hardly possible to consider these animals from the alimentary point of view because their oily flesh is detestable; however, Cyrus Smith observed them carefully and, without making his plans known, announced to his companions that they would soon pay a visit to the islet. The shoreline followed by the colonists was scattered with innumerable shellfish some of which would have given joy to an amateur of malacology. There were among others phasianella, terebratula, trigonia, etc. But what would be very useful was this vast oyster bed discovered by Neb among the rocks at low tide, located about four miles from the Chimneys. "Neb will not have wasted his day," shouted Pencroff, observing the bank of ostracodes which spread out to the open sea. "In fact it is a fortunate discovery," said the reporter, "and if, as is claimed, each oyster produces fifty to sixty thousand eggs per annum, we will have an inexhaustible reserve." "Only I believe the oyster is not very nourishing," said Herbert. "No," replied Cyrus Smith. "The oyster contains very little protein and if a man ate them exclusively he would need no less than fifteen to sixteen dozen each day." 86 THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ "Good," said Pencroff. "We could devour dozens upon dozens before exhausting the bank. Shall we take some for our lunch?" And without waiting for a reply to his proposition, knowing full well that it would be approved in advance, the sailor and Neb detached a certain quantity of these mollusks. They placed them in a sort of hibiscus fiber net that Neb had made and which already contained the meal's menu; then they continued to ascend the shore between the dunes and the sea. From time to time Cyrus Smith consulted his watch in order to prepare for the moment when the solar observation would take place, which had to be at noon precisely. All of this portion of the island was very arid up to the point which closed Union Bay and which had received the name of South Mandible Cape. They saw there only sand and shells mixed with the debris of lava. Several sea birds frequented this desolated coast, sea gulls, large albatrosses as well as wild duck who with good reason excited Pencroff's covetousness. He tried to attack them with arrows but without result because they hardly remained still and he could not reach them in flight. This led the sailor to repeat to the engineer: "You can see, Mister Cyrus, that unless we have one or two fowling pieces, our equipment will leave much to be desired." "Doubtless, Pencroff," replied the reporter, "but it depends only on you. Get us iron for the barrel, steel for the firing pins, saltpeter, carbon and sulphur for the powder, mercury and nitric acid for the detonater, and finally lead for the balls and Cyrus will make us guns of the highest quality." "Oh!" replied the engineer, "without doubt we could find all these substances on the island, but a gun is a delicate instrument which requires tools of high precision. However we will see later on." "Why," cried Pencroff, "did we throw overboard all the weapons that the basket carried, and our utensils, even our pocket knives?" "But if we hadn't thrown them out, Pencroff, it would be us that the balloon would have thrown to the bottom of the sea," said Herbert. "What you say is true, my boy," replied the sailor. Then passing to another thought: "But think," he added, "what must have been the bewilderment of Jonathan Forster and his companions when the next morning they found the square empty and the machine flown away." "My last care is to know what they thought," said the reporter. "Nevertheless, it was I who thought of the idea," said Pencroff, with a pleased look. THE CASTAWAYS FROM THE SKY 87 ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ "A good idea, Pencroff," replied Gideon Spilett laughing, "and one which has placed us where we are." "I would rather be here than in the hands of the Southerners," cried the sailor, "especially since Mister Smith has been kind enough to come and join us." "And I also, truly." replied the reporter. "Besides, what do we lack? Nothing!" "If that is not... everything." answered Pencroff, who roared with laughter, shaking his large shoulders, "but one day or another we will find the means to leave." "And perhaps sooner than you imagine, my friends," the engineer then said, "if Lincoln Island is only a moderate distance from an inhabited archipelago or a continent. In an hour we will know. I do not have a map of the Pacific but I have a very clear memory of its southern portion. The latitude which I obtained yesterday placed Lincoln Island between New Zealand on the west and the coast of Chile on the east. But between these two lands the distance is at least six thousand miles. It thus remains to determine which point the island occupies on this large space of ocean and it is that which the longitude will give us within the hour with a sufficient approximation, I hope." "Isn't the archipelago of Tuamotu the nearest to us in latitude?" asked Herbert. "Yes," replied the engineer, "but the distance which separates us from it is more than twelve hundred miles." "And that way?" said Neb, who followed the conversation with extreme interest, his hand pointing south. "There, nothing," replied Pencroff. "Nothing, in fact," added the engineer. "Well, Cyrus," asked the reporter, "if Lincoln Island is only two or three hundred miles from New Zealand or from Chile?..." "Well," replied the engineer, "instead of making a house we will make a boat and Master Pencroff will be in charge of maneuvering it..." "To be sure, Mister Cyrus," cried the sailor, "I am all ready to be captain... as soon as you will find the means to construct a vessel large enough to take to sea." "We will make it, if that is necessary," replied Cyrus Smith. But while these men, who truly doubted nothing, were chatting, the hour approached during which the observation would take place. How would Cyrus Smith verify the passage of the sun on the meridian of the island without any instrument? Herbert could not guess. The observers then found themselves at a distance of six miles from the Chimneys, not far from that part of the dunes in which the engineer had been found after his puzzling rescue. They halted in this locality and everyone got ready to eat since it was eleven thirty. Herbert went to get some sweet water from a stream which flowed nearby and he carried it in a jug provided by Neb. During these preparations Cyrus Smith arranged everything 88 THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ for his astronomical observation. He chose a very flat place on the beach that the receding sea had perfectly leveled. This very fine bed of sand was made as smooth as glass without any grain of sand higher than another. However it was of little importance whether this bed was horizontal or not and of no importance that the six foot rod be placed perpendicularly. To the contrary, the engineer even inclined it to the south that is to say to the side opposite the sun, because it should not be forgotten that since Lincoln Island was situated in the southern hemisphere, the colonists saw the radiant orb describe its diurnal arc above the northern horizon and not the southern horizon. Herbert then understood how the engineer was going to proceed to determine the sun's highest point, that is to say its passage on the meridian of the island or in other terms, the local noontime. It was by means of the shadow projected on the sand by the rod, the means which, in the absence of an instrument, would give him an approximation sufficient for the result he wished to obtain. In fact the moment when this shadow would attain its minimum length would be precisely noon and it would suffice to follow the end of this shadow in order to recognize the instant when, after having successively diminished it would begin to lengthen. By inclining the rod to the side opposite to the sun, Cyrus Smith produced a longer shadow and consequently his modification would make his determination easier. In fact, the larger the pointer of a dial is, the easier it is to follow the displacement of its point. The shadow of the rod was nothing more than the pointer of a dial. When he thought that the moment had arrived, Cyrus Smith knelt on the sand and by means of small wooden pegs that he stuck into the sand, he began to check off the successive decreases in the shadow of the rod. His companions, leaning over him, followed the operation with extreme interest. The reporter held his chronometer in his hand ready to note the time when the shadow would be its shortest. Inasmuch as Cyrus Smith was operating on the 16th of April, a day in which the true time and the average time coincide, the time given by Gideon Spilett would be the true time then at Washington, which would simplify the calculation. The sun advanced slowly; the shadow of the rod diminished little by little and when it seemed to Cyrus Smith that it began to lengthen: "What time is it?" he said. "Five o'clock and one minute," Gideon Spilett replied at once. It remained only to make the calculation. Nothing was easier. There was, as they saw, in round figures, a difference of five hours between the meridian of Washington and that of Lincoln Island, that is to say, it was noontime on Lincoln Island when it was already five o'clock in the evening in Washington. Now the sun, in its apparent movement around the earth, covers one degree in four minutes making 15ø per hour. 15ø multiplied by five hours gives 75ø. THE CASTAWAYS FROM THE SKY 89 ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ Therefore since Washington is at 77ø 3' 11" say 77ø counting from the meridian of Greenwich - which the Americans take as the longitude reference concurrently with the English - it follows that the island was situated at 77ø plus 75ø to the west of the meridian of Greenwich, that is to say at the 152nd degree west longitude. Cyrus Smith announced this result to his companions and taking account of the errors of observation, as he had done for the latitude, he could affirm that the coordinates of Lincoln Island were between the 35th and 40th parallel and between the 150th and the 155th meridians to the west of the meridian of Greenwich. The possible variations that he attributed to observational errors were, as we saw, 5ø both ways which, at sixty miles per degree, gave an error of three hundred miles in latitude or in longitude for the exact location. But this error would have no influence on the decision they would have to make. It was very evident that Lincoln Island was at such a distance from all land or archipelagos that they could not hazard to cross this distance in a simple and fragile boat. In fact this determination placed it at least twelve hundred miles from Tahiti and the islands of the archipelago of Tuamotu, more than eighteen hundred miles from New Zealand and more than four thousand five hundred miles from the American coast. And when Cyrus Smith consulted his memory he could not recall in any fashion that an island occupied that part of the Pacific assigned to Lincoln Island. CHAPTER XV Wintering is definitely decided - The metallurgical question - Exploration of Safety Island - Seal Hunt - Capture of an echidna - The koala - The so-called Catalan Method - Making iron - How to obtain steel. The next day, April 17th, the sailor's first words were directed to Gideon Spilett. "Well sir," he asked him, "what shall we do today?" "Whatever pleases Cyrus," replied the reporter. Until then they had been brickmakers and potters. Now the engineer's companions would become metallurgists. The previous day, after lunch, the exploration had been carried to the point of Cape Mandible, nearly seven miles distant from the Chimneys. There the long series of dunes was ended and the soil took on a volcanic appearance. There were no longer any high walls such as Grand View Plateau but an outlandish and capricious border which surrounded the narrow 90 THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ gulf between the two capes, formed by mineral material vomited from the volcano. Arriving at this point the colonists retraced their steps and as night was falling they again entered the Chimneys. They did not go to sleep before definitely resolving the question of whether they should quit Lincoln Island or not. The twelve hundred miles which separated the island from the Tuamotu archipelago was a considerable distance. A boat would not be sufficient to cross it especially with the bad season coming on. Pencroff had expressly said so. Now to construct a simple boat, even having the necessary tools, was a difficult task and, the colonists not having any tools, they would have to begin by making hammers, axes, adzes, saws, augers, planes, etc. which would take time. It was therefore decided that they would winter on Lincoln Island and that they would find a dwelling more comfortable than the Chimneys to pass the winter months. First they would proceed to utilize the iron ore, of which the engineer had noted several beds in the northwest part of the island, and to change this mineral into iron or into steel. Soil does not generally contain metals in the pure state. For the most part they are found combined with oxygen or with sulphur. In particular, of the two specimens brought back by Cyrus Smith, one was magnetic iron, not carbonated, the other pyrites, otherwise known as ferric sulphide. It was thus the first, the iron oxide, that he would have to reduce with carbon, that is to say to remove the oxygen in order to obtain a pure state. This reduction is done by subjecting the mineral to a high temperature in the presence of carbon, either by the rapid and easy "Catalan Method" which has the advantage of directly transforming the mineral into iron in a single operation, or by the blast furnace method, which first changes the mineral into cast iron, then the cast iron into iron by raising the amount of carbon combined with it to three or four percent. Now what was it that Cyrus Smith needed? It was iron and not cast iron and he had to look for the most rapid method of reduction. Besides, the mineral that he had collected was by itself very pure and very rich. It was the ferrous oxide which is encountered in jumbled aggregates of a deep grey, giving a black dust crystallized in regular octahedrons. It makes natural lodestones and is used in Europe to make ferrous products of the highest quality. Sweden and Norway are abundantly provided with it. Not far from this bed were found the coal seams already exploited by the colonists. There the treatment of the mineral would be facilitated since the fabrication elements would be near each other. This is the same situation that makes for the lavish wealth of the United Kingdom where the coal and the metal are extracted from the same soil and at the same time. "Then, Mister Cyrus," Pencroff said to him, "we will work the iron ore." THE CASTAWAYS FROM THE SKY 91 ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ "Yes, my friend," replied the engineer, "and for that - this will not displease you - we will begin with a seal hunt on the islet." "A seal hunt!" cried the sailor, turning toward Gideon Spilett, "Is a seal needed to make iron?" "Since Cyrus has said so," replied the reporter. But the engineer had already left the Chimneys and Pencroff prepared for the seal hunt without having obtained any other explanation. Soon Cyrus Smith, Herbert, Gideon Spilett, Neb and the sailor had gathered on the shore at the point where the channel permitted a sort of fordable passage at low tide. The sea was then at low tide and the hunters could cross the channel without wetting themselves above the knees. Cyrus Smith then set foot on the islet for the first time and his companions for the second time since it was there that the balloon had thrown them at the beginning. At their arrival, a few hundred auks looked at them guilelessly. The colonists, armed with clubs, could have easily killed them but they would not dream of committing such a doubly useless massacre, because it was important not to frighten the amphibians who were lying on the sand several cable lengths away. They also respected certain innocent penguins whose wings, reduced to the state of stumps, were flattened in the form of fins and trimmed with feathers of a scaly appearance. The colonists therefore advanced prudently toward the north point, walking on soil riddled with small holes which formed the nests of aquatic birds. Near the extremity of the islet appeared large black specks floating on the level of the water. One could say they were the tops of rocks in motion. They were the amphibians to be captured. It was necessary to let them land because with their narrow pelvis, their close- cropped hair, and their slender shape, these seals, who were excellent swimmers, would be difficult to capture in the sea whereas on land their short webbed feet allowed them only a not very rapid crawling movement. Pencroff knew the habits of these amphibians and he advised waiting until they had stretched out on the sand under the rays of the sun which would not be long in putting them to sleep. They would then maneuver to cut off their retreat and to knock them on the nostrils. The hunters thus concealed themselves behind the rocks on the shore and they waited silently. An hour passed before the seals came to frolic on the sand. They could count half a dozen. Pencroff and Herbert then broke off in order to turn the point of the islet, to take them from the rear and to cut off their retreat. During this time Cyrus Smith, Gideon Spilett and Neb, crawling along the rocks, glided toward the future theater of combat. Suddenly the tall stature of the sailor emerged. Pencroff uttered a cry. The engineer and his two companions quickly threw themselves between the sea and the seals. Two of these animals, vigorously struck, remained dead on the sand, but the others were able to regain and take to the open sea. 92 THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ "Here are the seals asked for, Mister Cyrus," said the sailor, advancing toward the engineer. "Good," replied Cyrus Smith. "We will make forge bellows of them." "Forge bellows!" cried Pencroff. "Well, these are lucky seals." It was in fact a blowing machine, necessary for the treatment of the mineral, that the engineer counted on making with the skin of these amphibians. They were of an average size because their length was not more than six feet. Their heads resembled that of dogs. Since it was pointless to burden themselves with the rather considerable weight of these two animals, Neb and Pencroff resolved to skin them on the spot while Cyrus Smith and the reporter ended by exploring the islet. The sailor and the negro did their work skillfully and three hours later Cyrus Smith had at his disposal two seal skins which he counted on using in this state without subjecting them to any tanning. The colonists had to wait for low tide. Crossing the channel, they returned to the Chimneys. It was no small job to soften these skins on the wooden frames designed to spread them out, and to sew them up by means of fibers so as to be able to store air there without letting too much escape. It was necessary to rework it several times. Cyrus Smith only had the two steel blades from Top's collar at his disposal. Nevertheless, he was so skillful and his companions helped him with such intelligence that three days later the tool inventory of the small colony was increased by a blowing machine designed to inject air into a mineral subjected to heat - a condition indispensable for the success of the operation. It was the morning of the 20th of April that "the metallurgical period" began, so-called by the reporter in his notes. The engineer had decided, as we know, to work both the coal and mineral beds. Now, from his observations, these beds were situated at the foot of the northeast buttresses of Mount Franklin, that is to say at a distance of six miles. They could not therefore think of returning each day to the Chimneys. It was agreed that the small colony would camp under a hut of branches so that the important operation could be followed night and day. This decided, they left in the morning. Neb and Pencroff dragged the bellows on a hurdle together with a certain quantity of vegetables and animal provisions which, besides, they would renew on the way. The path followed was through Jacamar Woods which they crossed obliquely from the southeast to the northwest and in its thickest part. It was necessary to blaze a trail which would later form the most direct artery between Grand View Plateau and Mount Franklin. The trees, belonging to species already recognized, were magnificent. Herbert again noted, among others, some dragon trees which Pencroff called "pretentious warts" - because in spite of their size they were THE CASTAWAYS FROM THE SKY 93 ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ of the same family of liliaceous plants as the onion, the chive, the shallot or asparagus. These dragon trees could provide ligneous roots which are excellent when cooked and which give a very agreeable liqueur when subjected to a certain fermentation. They gathered some of it. The path across the woods was long. It lasted the entire day but this permitted them to observe the fauna and the flora. Top, more especially in charge of the fauna, followed a path through the grass and brushwood, indiscriminately flushing out every kind of game. Herbert and Gideon Spilett killed two kangaroos with arrows and also an animal that bore a strong resemblance to a hedgehog and to an anteater; to the first because it rolled itself into a ball and bristled with quills; to the second because it had burrowing claws and a long slim snout with a bird's beak at the end and an extendable tongue furnished with small quills which served to retain insects. "And when it will be in a boiling pot," Pencroff artlessly asked, "what will it resemble?" "An excellent piece of beef," replied Herbert. "We will not ask more of it," replied the sailor. During this excursion they saw some wild boars who did not seek to attack the small troop. It did not appear wise to collide with these formidable beasts when, in a thick hedge, the reporter thought he saw, several feet away among the main branches of a tree, an animal which he took for a bear. He quietly took to sketching it. Very happily for Gideon Spilett the animal in question did not appear to be of this formidable family of plantigrades. This was only a koala, better known under the name of sloth, which was the size of a large dog with dull bristling hair. Its paws are armed with strong claws, permitting it to climb trees and eat the leaves. Verification of the identity of the said animal having been made, there was no need to disturb it. Gideon Spilett erased "bear" from the title of his sketch, put "koala" in its place and the journey was resumed. At five o'clock in the evening Cyrus Smith gave the signal to halt. They found themselves outside the forest at the base of those powerful buttresses which supported Mount Franklin on its eastern side. Red Creek flowed several hundred feet away and consequently potable water was not far off. Camp was immediately organized. In less than an hour at the edge of the forest among the trees, a hut of branches intermingled with creepers and cemented with clay offered a sufficient retreat. They postponed the geological searches for the next day. Supper was prepared, a good fire burned in front of the hut, the spit turned, and at eight o'clock, while one of the colonists watched to keep up the fire in the event some dangerous beast might prowl about, the others slept well. The next day, the 21st of April, Cyrus Smith, accompanied by Herbert, went to look for those terrains of ancient formation where he had already found a mineral specimen. He again discovered the bed at ground level, near the sources of 94 THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ the creek at the foot of the lateral base of one of the buttresses on the northeast side. The very rich iron mineral, enclosed in a fusible gangue, was perfectly suitable for the reduction method that the engineer counted on using, that is to say the Catalan Method, but simplified as used in Corsica. In fact the Catalan Method, properly called, requires the construction of kilns and crucibles in which the mineral and the coal are placed in alternate layers to be transformed and reduced. But Cyrus Smith intended to economize on these constructions and wanted to simplify everything by forming a cubic mass of the mineral and coal into which he would direct the air from his bellows. This was the procedure doubtless employed by Tubal Cain and the first metallurgists of the inhabited world. Now, that which succeeded with the grandsons of Adam, that which still gave good results in the countries rich in mineral and in fuel, could not but succeed under the circumstances that the colonists of Lincoln Island found themselves. The mineral was collected without difficulty at the same time as the coal and not far from the surface. First they broke the mineral into small pieces and they removed by hand the impurities which contaminated its surface. Then coal and mineral were placed in successive layers - as the charcoal burner does with wood that he wishes to carbonize. In this fashion, under the influence of the air forced in by the bellows, the coal would be transformed into carbonic acid, then into carbon monoxide which in turn reduces the iron oxide, that is to say it frees the oxygen. The engineer proceeded in this way. A tube of refractory clay, which had been previously made in the kiln, was used as an opening for the sealskin bellows. The latter was placed near the mineral heap. Actuated by a mechanism whose parts consisted of a chassis, fiber cords and counterweights, it injected air into the mass, elevating the temperature concurrent with the chemical transformation which would yield pure iron. The operation was difficult. It required all the patience and ingenuity of the colonists to conduct it well, but finally it succeeded and the definite result was a blob of iron reduced to a spongy state which would have to be hammered and worked, that is to say forged to drive out the liquified gangue. It was evident that these improvised blacksmiths lacked the first hammer; but in the end they found themselves in the same situation as the first metallurgist and they did what he must have done. The first blob, attached to a club, served as a hammer to forge the second on an anvil of granite and they finally obtained a coarse but usable metal. On the 25th of April, after much effort and fatigue, several bars of iron were forged and transformed into tools, pliers, tongs, picks, pickaxes, etc. which Pencroff and Neb declared to be true gems. THE CASTAWAYS FROM THE SKY 95 ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ This metal was not in the state of pure iron, especially that state of steel which would give the best service. Now steel is a combination of iron and carbon that is derived either from cast iron by removing the excess carbon, or from iron by adding to it the carbon that it lacks. The first, obtained by decarbonization of cast iron yields natural or puddled steel; the second, produced by the carbonization of iron, yields case hardened steel. It was this last method that Cyrus Smith preferred since he possessed iron in a pure state. He succeeded in heating the metal with carbon powder in a crucible made of refractory clay. This steel, which is malleable hot and cold, was worked with a hammer. Neb and Pencroff, skillfully guided, made some axes which when heated red hot and suddenly plunged into cold water acquired an excellent temper. Other devices, crudely fashioned it goes without saying, were made in the same way, plane blades, axes, hatchets, sheets of steel which would be transformed into saws, carpenter's shears, then pickaxes, shovels, picks, hammers, nails, etc. Finally, on May 5th, the first metallurgical period was ended, the blacksmiths returned to the Chimneys and new work would soon authorize them to take on a new title. CHAPTER XVI The question of a dwelling is treated anew - Pencroff's fantasies - An exploration to the north of the lake - The northern border of the plateau - Serpents - The extremity of the lake - Top's uneasiness - Top swimming - A combat under the waters - The dugong. It was the 6th of May, a day which corresponds to the 6th of November in the countries of the northern hemisphere. The sky had been overcast for several days and it was important to make certain arrangements with a view to wintering. Nevertheless the temperature was not yet sensibly lower and a centigrade thermometer transported to Lincoln Island would still have marked an average of ten to twelve degrees above zero. This average is not surprising since Lincoln Island, very definitely situated between the 35th and 40th parallel, must find itself subject, in the southern hemisphere, to the same climatic conditions as Sicily or Greece in the northern hemisphere. But, like Greece or Sicily which suffer intensive frosts that produce snow and ice, Lincoln Island too would be subject doubtless, in the more pronounced periods of winter, to certain low temperatures against which it would be best to protect themselves. In any case, if the frost did not yet menace them, the rainy season was approaching and on this isolated island, exposed to all the inclemencies of the vast Pacific Ocean, the bad weather would be frequent and probably terrible. 96 THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ The question of a dwelling more comfortable than the Chimneys therefore had to be seriously considered and promptly resolved. Pencroff naturally had some partiality for this retreat which he had discovered, but he well understood that it was necessary to look for another. Already the Chimneys had been visited by the sea under circumstances that we recall, and they could not expose themselves to a similar accident. "Besides," added Cyrus Smith, who on this day spoke of these things with his companions, "we have several precautions to take." "Why? The island is not inhabited," said the reporter. "That is probable," replied the engineer, "although we have not yet explored it in its entirety, but if no human being is found, I fear that dangerous animals abound. It would thus be best to shelter ourselves against a possible aggression, and don't forget that one of us must stay awake each night to keep up the fire. And thus, my friends, we must anticipate everything. We are here in a part of the Pacific that is often frequented by Malay pirates..." "What," said Herbert, "at this distance from all land?" "Yes, my child," replied the engineer. "These pirates are hardy sailors as well as formidable scoundrels and we will have to take measures in consequence." "Oh well," replied Pencroff, "we will fortify ourselves against savages with two feet as well as four feet. But, Mister Cyrus, shouldn't we explore all parts of the island before undertaking anything?" "That would be best," added Gideon Spilett. "Who knows if we will not find on the opposite shore one of those caverns that we are vainly looking for here." "That is true," replied the engineer, "but you forget, my friends, that it would be best to establish ourselves in the neighborhood of a watercourse, and that from the summit of Mount Franklin we saw neither brook nor river toward the west. Here, on the contrary, we are situated between the Mercy and Lake Grant, a considerable advantage that we should not neglect. And moreover, this coast, oriented to the east, is not exposed as the other one is to the trade winds which blow from the northwest in this hemisphere." "Then, Mister Cyrus," replied the sailor, "we will build a house on the borders of the lake. Neither bricks nor tools are lacking to us now. After having been brickmakers, potters, founders and blacksmiths, we will well know how to be masons, the devil!" "Yes, my friend, but before making a decision we should go looking. A dwelling made at nature's expense would save us a lot of work and would doubtless offer us a surer retreat because it could be better defended against enemies from inside as well as those from outside." THE CASTAWAYS FROM THE SKY 97 ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ "Quite so, Cyrus," replied the reporter, "but we have already examined all of this massive granite on the coast and there is not a hole, not even a crack." "No, not one" added Pencroff. "Ah! If we could excavate a dwelling in this wall at a certain height in a way that puts us out of reach, how convenient that would be. I see it now, a facade that overlooks the sea, five or six rooms..." "With windows to light them," said Herbert laughing. "And a staircase to climb to it," added Neb. "You laugh," cried the sailor, "and why? Is what I propose impossible? Don't we have the picks and pickaxes? Doesn't Mister Cyrus know how to make the powder to explode a mine. Isn't it true, Mister Cyrus, that you could make the powder for the day when we would need it?" Cyrus Smith listened as the enthusiastic Pencroff developed his somewhat fantastic projects. To attack this mass of granite, even with a mine, was a herculean task, and it was unfortunately true that nature had not made a harder task. But the engineer only replied to the sailor by proposing to examine more carefully the wall from the mouth of the river up to the corner which terminated it in the north. They then left and the exploration was made with extreme care over an extent of about two miles. But in no place could they see any cavity whatsoever in this wall which was smooth and straight. The nests of the rock pigeons which flew at its peak were in reality only holes bored in the crest itself and on the irregular edge cut from the granite. It was an unfortunate circumstance and as to attacking this mass be it with a pick or with powder in order to make a sufficient excavation, they could not think of it. It was quite by chance that on this entire coast, Pencroff had discovered the only provisionally habitable shelter, that is to say the Chimneys, which they were nevertheless proceeding to abandon. The exploration ended, the colonists then found themselves at the northern corner of the wall, where it terminated with elongated slopes that died out on the beach. From this neighborhood up to its extreme limit in the west, it formed only a sort of bank, a thick conglomeration of stones, soil and sand, bound together with plants, shrubs and grass inclined to an angle of forty five degrees. Here and there the granite still pierced through and stood out by sharp points from this sort of cliff. Clusters of trees spread out on its slopes and a rather thick grass carpeted it. But the vegetative effort did not go further and a long plain of sand, which began at the foot of the slope, extended up to the shore. Cyrus Smith thought, not without reason, that there had to be an overflow of the lake on this side that would pour over in the form of a cascade. In fact it was necessary that the excess of water furnished by Red Creek should lose itself at some point. Now this point the engineer had not yet found at any portion of the shore already explored, that is to say from the mouth of the stream in the west up to Grand View Plateau. 98 THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ The engineer then proposed to his companions that they climb the slope now in view and return to the Chimneys by the heights thereby exploring the northern and western banks of the lake. The proposition was accepted and in several minutes Herbert and Neb had arrived at the upper plateau. Cyrus Smith, Gideon Spilett and Pencroff followed them more sedately. Two hundred feet away, past the foliage, the beautiful sheet of water shone under the rays of the sun. The landscape in this neighborhood was charming. The trees, turning yellow, were wonderfully grouped as a feast for the eyes. Several large old trunks, battered by age, stood out by their blackish bark on the green carpet which covered the soil. A whole world of noisy cockatoos chattered away, veritable mobile prisms, who jumped from one branch to the next. One could say that light arrived only decomposed across this singular foliage. The colonists, instead of going directly to the north shore of the lake, went around the edge of the plateau so as to reach the mouth of the creek on its left bank. It was a detour of a mile and a half at most. It was an easy walk because the widely spaced trees allowed an easy passage. They sensed that this was the limit of the fertile zone and the vegetation showed itself less vigorous here than in the entire area between the creek and the Mercy. Cyrus Smith and his companions did not walk on this unknown soil without a certain caution. Bows, arrows, and sticks fitted with an iron point were their only weapons. However, no wild animals showed themselves and it was probable that these animals frequented more the thick forest of the south; but the colonists had the disagreeable surprise of seeing Top stop in front of a large serpent that measured fourteen to fifteen feet in length. Neb stunned it with his club. Cyrus Smith examined this reptile and declared that it was not venomous because it belonged to a species of diamond serpents native to New South Wales. But it was possible that others existed whose bite was mortal, such as the deaf viper with a forked tail that straightens out when stepped upon, or those winged serpents, provided with two ear flaps that permit them to move very rapidly. After the first moment of surprise passed, Top gave chase to these reptiles so obstinately that they feared for him. His master continually called him back. The mouth of Red Creek, in the neighborhood of its entrance into the lake, was soon reached. The explorers recognized the opposite bank which they had visited on the descent from Mount Franklin. Cyrus Smith established that the flow of water from the creek was rather considerable; it was therefore necessary that somewhere nature had provided an outlet for the overflow of the lake. It was this outlet that he was trying to discover because doubtless it formed a falls which it would be possible to utilize for mechanical power. THE CASTAWAYS FROM THE SKY 99 ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ The colonists were moving with a purpose but without separating much from each other. They began to go around the bank of the lake which was very steep. The waters seemed full of fish and Pencroff promised himself that he would make some fishing tackle in order to exploit this. It was first necessary to double the sharp northeast point. One could suppose that the discharge of the waters was in this locality because the extremity of the lake was at the level of the edge of the plateau. But there was nothing there and the colonists continued to explore the bank which, after a slight curvature, became parallel to the shore. On this side the bank was less wooded but some clusters of trees, scattered here and there, added to the picturesqueness of the landscape. Lake Grant appeared then in all its expanse with no wind rippling over the surface of its waters. Top, beating through the brushwood, drove out various flocks of birds which Gideon Spilett and Herbert greeted with their arrows. One of the birds was skillfully hit by the young lad and fell among the marshy grass. Top ran toward it and brought back a beautiful slate colored water fowl with a short beak, a very developed frontal area, toes broadened by a scalloped edge, and wings with a white border. It was a coot, the size of a large partridge, belonging to the group of macrodactyls which form the transition between the order of waders and that of palmipeds. In short, it was a sorry game and one with a taste leaving much to desire. But Top doubtless would show less difficulty than his masters and it was decided that the coot would serve as his supper. The colonists then followed the east shore of the lake and they were not long in reaching the portion already familiar to them. The engineer was very surprised because he saw no indication of the discharge of the overflow of the water. The reporter and the sailor spoke with him and he could not conceal his astonishment from them. At this moment Top, who had been very calm until then, gave signs of agitation. The intelligent animal went back and forth along the bank, stopped suddenly and looked at the water with a raised paw as if he had been on the alert for some invisible game; then he barked furiously, in a hunting mood so to speak, and was suddenly silent. Neither Cyrus Smith nor his companions at first paid any attention to Top's antics; but the dog's barking soon became so frequent that the engineer became concerned. "What's there, Top?" he asked. The dog, showing a real uneasiness, made several bounds toward his master and ran again toward the shore. Then he suddenly threw himself into the lake. "Here Top," cried Cyrus Smith, who did not want his dog to venture into the suspicious waters. "What's going on underneath there?" asked Pencroff, while examining the surface of the lake. "Top has sensed some amphibian," replied Herbert. 100 THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ "An alligator, doubtless," said the reporter. "I do not think so," replied Cyrus Smith. "Alligators are only met with in regions of lower latitude." Top however came back at his master's call and regained the shore; but he was unable to remain still. He leaped around in the high grass and, with his instinct guiding him, he seemed to follow some invisible being which was gliding under the waters of the lake, following the shoreline. Nevertheless, the water was calm and no ripple disturbed the surface. Several times the colonists stopped on the shore and looked carefully. Nothing appeared. There was some mystery there. The engineer was very intrigued. "Let us pursue this exploration to its end," he said. A half hour later they all arrived at the southeast corner of the lake on Grand View Plateau. At this point their examination of the banks of the lake had to be considered as completed and yet the engineer had not been able to discover where and how the water was discharged. "Nevertheless this opening exists," he repeated, "and since it is not on the outside it must be hollowed out inside this mass of granite on the coast." "But what importance do you attach to knowing this, my dear Cyrus?" asked Gideon Spilett. "A rather large one," replied the engineer, "because if the opening is through this granite block, it is possible that we will find some cavity there which it will be easy to render habitable after having detoured the water." "But isn't it possible, Mister Cyrus, that the water escapes through the bottom of this very lake," said Herbert, "and that it goes to the sea by a subterranean passage?" "That is, in fact, possible," replied the engineer, "and if that is so we will be obliged to build our house by ourselves since nature has not done the preliminary construction work." The colonists were then getting ready to cross the plateau to get back to the Chimneys because it was five o'clock in the evening when Top gave new signs of agitation. He barked with rage and before his master could restrain him he threw himself a second time into the lake. Everyone ran toward the shore. The dog was already more than twenty feet away and Cyrus Smith was sharply calling him when an enormous head emerged from the surface of the water which did not appear to be deep at this point. Herbert recognized at once this species of amphibian which has a tapered head with large eyes and whose mustache is decorated with long silky hair. "A manatee!" he cried. It was not a manatee, but a specimen of this species of the order of cetaceans which carries the name of "dugong" because its nostrils are open at the upper part of its snout. The enormous animal threw itself on the dog who vainly tried to escape him and return to the shore. His master could do nothing to save him, and even before it occurred to Gideon Spilett or to Herbert to arm their bows, Top, seized by the dugong, disappeared under the water. THE CASTAWAYS FROM THE SKY 101 ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ Neb, his iron tipped spear in hand, wanted to help the dog by attacking the formidable animal in its own element. "No, Neb," said the engineer, restraining his courageous servant. However an inexplicable battle was going on under the water. Under these conditions Top evidently could not resist. Judging from the bubbles on the surface, this was a terrible battle which could only end finally in the death of the dog. But suddenly in the middle of a circle of foam, Top reappeared. Thrown into the air by some unknown force, he rose ten feet above the surface of the lake, falling in the midst of the profoundly troubled water. He soon regained the shore without any deep wound, miraculously saved. Cyrus Smith and his companions looked on without understanding. There was yet another inexplicable circumstance. The battle was still continuing under the water. Doubtless the dugong, attacked by some powerful animal after having released the dog, was fighting on its own account. But this did not last long. The water became red with blood and the body of the dugong emerged within a wide scarlet area, soon becoming stranded on a small beach on the southern corner of the lake. The colonists ran toward this spot. The dugong was dead. It was an enormous animal, fifteen feet long, weighing three to four thousand pounds. There was a wound on its neck which seemed to have been made with a sharp blade. What was this amphibian which had been able to destroy the formidable dugong with this terrible blow? No one could say and rather preoccupied with this incident, Cyrus Smith and his companions returned to the Chimneys. CHAPTER XVII A visit to the lake - An indication of the current - Cyrus Smith's plans - The fat from the dugong - Using pyritic schist - Iron sulfate - How glycerin is made - Soap - Saltpeter - Sulphuric acid - Nitric acid - The new falls. The next day, the 7th of May, Cyrus Smith and Gideon Spilett, leaving Neb to prepare breakfast, climbed to Grand View Plateau, while Herbert and Pencroff went up the river in order to renew the provision of wood. The engineer and the reporter soon arrived at this small beach situated at the southern point of the lake where the amphibian was stranded. Already flocks of birds were attacking the mass of flesh and it was necessary to drive them away with stones because Cyrus Smith wanted to save the fat from the dugong and use it for the needs of the colony. As to the flesh 102 THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ of the animal, it would not fail to furnish excellent nourishment. In certain Malay regions, it is especially reserved for the tables of the native princes. But that was Neb's affair. At the moment Cyrus Smith had other thoughts in mind. He had not forgotten the previous day's incident nor had he stopped thinking about it. He wished to pierce the mystery of this underwater combat and to know what kind of mastodon or other marine monster had given the dugong so strange a wound. He was there at the edge of the lake, looking and observing, but nothing appeared under the tranquil waters which were glistening under the first rays of the sun. Near this small beach which held the dugong's body, the water was not very deep; but on leaving this point the bottom of the lake fell little by little and it was probable that at the center the depth was considerable. The lake could be considered as a large basin which was replenished by the water from Red Creek. "Well then, Cyrus," said the reporter, "it seems to me that these waters do not offer anything suspicious." "No, my dear Spilett," replied the engineer, "and I really do not know how to explain yesterday's incident." "I acknowledge," replied Gideon Spilett, "that the wound given to this amphibian is strange, to say the least, and neither can I explain how Top was so vigorously thrown out of the water. One could really believe that it was a powerful arm that had thrown him in this way and that this same arm had then killed the dugong with a dagger." "Yes," said the engineer, who became thoughtful. "There is something here that I cannot comprehend. But can you either understand, my dear Spilett, in what way I myself was saved, how I was able to pull myself from the waves and cross the dunes? No, isn't it true? I have a presentiment of some mystery here which we will doubtless discover one day. Let us therefore observe but not dwell on these singular incidents in front of our companions. Let us keep our remarks to ourselves and continue our work." As we know, the engineer still had not been able to discover where the overflow of the lake escaped, but although he had never seen any indication that it overflowed, still it was necessary that an opening exist somewhere. Cyrus Smith was now rather surprised to perceive a rather pronounced current which made itself felt at this point. He threw in some small pieces of wood and they rapidly went toward the southern corner. Walking along the bank, he followed this current and he arrived at the southern point of the lake. A sort of depression was produced in the water there, as if it was abruptly lost in some fissure in the ground. Cyrus Smith listened, placing his ear at the level of the lake, and he very distinctly heard the noise of a subterranean falls. "It is there," he said, getting up, "there that the water discharges, there doubtless by a conduit excavated in the THE CASTAWAYS FROM THE SKY 103 ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ granite mass that the water rejoins the sea, through some cavities which we will use to our benefit. Yes, I will uncover it." The engineer cut a long branch, removed its leaves, and plunging it in at the corner between the two banks, he found that there existed an open hole only a foot under the surface of the water. This hole was the opening to the passageway vainly sought until then. The force of the current was such that the branch was torn from the engineer's hands and disappeared. "There is no longer any doubt now," repeated Cyrus Smith. "There is the entrance to the passageway and I will open it." "How?" asked Gideon Spilett. "By lowering the level of the lake by three feet." "And how will you lower the level?" "By making a larger opening than this one." "Where, Cyrus?" "On the part of the bank that is closest to the coast." "But it is a bank of granite," noted the reporter. "Well," replied Cyrus Smith, "then I will blow up this granite, and the water, by escaping, will uncover this opening..." "And form a waterfall which will fall on the beach," added the reporter. "A fall which we will utilize," replied Cyrus. "Come, come!" The engineer inspired his companion, whose confidence in Cyrus Smith was such that he did not doubt that the enterprise would succeed. Nevertheless, how would he disintegrate this bank of granite rocks without powder and with imperfect instruments? Wasn't he attacking a problem beyond his resources? When Cyrus Smith and the reporter returned to the Chimneys, they found Herbert and Pencroff occupied with unloading their wood. "The woodsmen are finishing up, Mister Cyrus," said the sailor laughing, "and when you need masons..." "Masons, no, but chemists ," replied the engineer. "Yes," added the reporter, "we will blow up the island..." "Blow up the island!" cried Pencroff. "A part of it, at any rate," replied Gideon Spilett. "Listen to me, my friends," said the engineer. And he made known to them the results of his observations. According to him, a more or less considerable cavity existed inside the mass of granite that supported Grand View Plateau and he intended to penetrate it. To do this, it was first necessary to clear the opening through which the water ran, and consequently to lower its level by making a larger opening. To do that, it was necessary to manufacture an explosive substance which could make a large opening at another point of the bank. It was this that Cyrus Smith was going to attempt by means of the minerals which nature had placed at his disposal. 104 THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ It is needless to tell of the enthusiasm with which everyone, especially Pencroff, greeted this project. To use grand methods, rip open this granite, create a cascade, that appealed to the sailor. And he could just as easily be a chemist as a mason or a bootmaker since the engineer needed chemists. He would be anything that was wanted "even a professor of dance and deportment" he said to Neb, if that was ever necessary. Neb and Pencroff were first directed to extract the fat from the dugong and to save its flesh, which was intended for food. They soon left without even asking for an explanation. Their confidence in the engineer was absolute. A few minutes later, Cyrus Smith, Herbert and Gideon Spilett, dragging the hurdle and going up the river, went toward the bed of coal where schistous pyrites abounded. This was located among the more recent transition terrains where Cyrus Smith had already discovered a sample. The entire day was employed in carting a certain quantity of these pyrites to the Chimneys. By evening they had several tons. The next day, the 8th of May, the engineer began his manipulations. These schistous pyrites being principally composed of carbon, silicone, aluminum and iron sulphide, the latter in excess, he had to isolate the iron sulphide and transform it into sulphate as quickly as possible. The sulphate obtained, he could then extract sulphuric acid. This in fact was the goal to be attained. Sulphuric acid is one of the most used agents, and the industrial importance of a nation can be measured by the consumption which is made of it. Later this acid would be very useful to the colonists in making candles, in the tanning of pelts, etc., but at the moment the engineer was reserving it for another use. Cyrus Smith chose a location behind the Chimneys where the ground was carefully leveled. On this ground he placed a pile of branches and chopped wood on top of which were placed lumps of schistous pyrites supporting one another. Then he covered everything with a thin layer of pyrites previously reduced to walnut size. That done, they set fire to the wood and the schists began to burn since they contained carbon and sulphur. Then new layers of crushed pyrites were put on to form an enormous pile. The exterior was covered with earth and grass after they had arranged some air vents, as if they were carbonizing a stack of wood to make charcoal. Then they let the transformation proceed of its own accord and it needed not less than ten to twelve days for the iron sulphide to change into iron sulphate and the aluminum into aluminum sulphate, two substances equally soluble, the others, silicon, charcoal and cinders not being so. While this chemical activity was going on, Cyrus Smith proceeded with other operations which were tackled by more than zeal. It was determination. THE CASTAWAYS FROM THE SKY 105 ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ Neb and Pencroff had removed the fat from the dugong and collected it in large earthen jars. They now had to isolate one of its elements, glycerin, by saponifying it. Now to obtain this result, it suffices to treat it with soda or with lime. In fact, one or the other of these substances, after having attacked the grease, would form a soap thereby isolating the glycerin and it was precisely this glycerin that the engineer wished to obtain. As we know, lime was not lacking, but the treatment with lime would only give a lime soap, which was insoluble and consequently useless, whereas the treatment with soda would furnish, on the contrary, a soluble soap which would find use for domestic cleaning. Now, as a practical man, Cyrus Smith would rather try to obtain the soda. Was this difficult? No, because marine plants abounded on the shore, salicornia, ficoids and all those fucaceae which form the seaweed and the wrack. They therefore collected a large quantity of these plants, dried them first and burnt them in a pit in the open air. The combustion of these plants was kept up for several days so that the rising heat would fuze the cinders. The result of this incineration was a compact grayish mass, which for a long time has been known under the name of "natural soda." This result obtained, the engineer treated the grease with the soda, which gave on the one hand a soluble soap, and on the other hand this neutral substance, glycerin. But this was not all. In view of his future preparation, Cyrus Smith still needed another substance, nitrate of potash, which is better known under the name of potassium nitrate, or saltpeter. Cyrus Smith would have been able to make this substance by treating potassium carbonate, which is easily extracted from the cinders of plants, using nitric acid. But nitric acid was lacking and it was precisely this acid that he wished to obtain in the end. It was therefore a vicious circle that he would never leave. Very fortunately this time, nature furnished him with the saltpeter without which he would have been at quite a loss. Herbert discovered a bed in the north of the island at the foot of Mount Franklin, and they had nothing more to do but to purify this salt. These various activities lasted for about eight days. They were finished before the transformation of the sulphide into iron sulphate was completed. During the days which followed, the colonists had time to make refractory pottery from plastic clay and to construct a brick furnace for the specific purpose of distilling the iron sulphate when that would be obtained. All this was completed about the 18th of May, a little before the chemical transformations were ended. Gideon Spilett, Herbert, Neb and Pencroff, ably directed by the engineer, became the most skillful workmen in the world. Of all masters, necessity is moreover the one that we listen to the most, and the one that teaches best. 106 THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ When the pile of pyrites had been entirely reduced by the fire, the result of the operation consisted of iron sulphate, aluminum sulphate, silica, and a residue of charcoal and cinders which were placed in a basin full of water. They shook this mixture, let it settle, then on decanting it they obtained a clear liquid containing a solution of iron sulphate and aluminum sulphate, the other materials remaining as solids since they are insoluble. Finally, this liquid was vaporized in part, depositing the iron sulphate crystals. The original liquid, that is to say the nonvaporized portion which contained the aluminum sulphate, was abandoned. Cyrus Smith thus had at his disposal a rather large quantity of iron sulphate crystals from which he would obtain sulphuric acid. In industrial practice the manufacture of sulphuric acid requires a costly installation. In fact, it is necessary to have a large plant, special equipment, platinum apparatus, lead chambers which are not attacked by the acid in which to perform the operation, etc. The engineer did not have this equipment available but he knew that in Bohemia particularly they make sulphuric acid by a more simple means which also has the advantage of producing a high degree of concentration. It is known under the name of Nordhausen acid. To obtain sulphuric acid, Cyrus Smith had only one operation to perform, to burn the iron sulphate crystals in a closed vessel so that the sulphuric acid would distill in a vapor and the vapor would then produce the acid by condensation. For this manipulation they used the refractory pottery, in which they placed the crystals, and the forge, whose heat would distill the sulphuric acid. The operation was conducted perfectly and on the 20th of May, twelve days after having begun, the engineer possessed the agent that he counted on using later in various ways. Now why did he want to have this agent? Very simply to produce nitric acid which was easy since the saltpeter, attacked by the sulphuric acid, would give him precisely this acid by distillation. But finally what would he do with this nitric acid? His companions were still ignorant of this because he did not tell them about this last operation. However, the engineer was within sight of his goal and one last operation would give him the substance that had taken so much effort. After having taken the nitric acid and placed it in the presence of the glycerin, which had been previously concentrated by evaporation using a boiler, he obtained, even without using a cooler, several pints of an oily and yellowish liquid. This last operation Cyrus Smith performed alone in a remote place far from the Chimneys because it presented the dangers of explosion, and when he brought a container of this liquid to his friends, he was content to say to them: "This is nitroglycerin."