THE CASTAWAYS FROM THE SKY 107 ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ It was, in fact, this terrible product whose explosive power is perhaps tenfold that of ordinary powder and which has already caused so many accidents. Nevertheless, the means has since been found to transform it into dynamite, that is to say to mix it with a rather porous solid substance, clay or sugar, to retain it, so that the dangerous liquid can be used with more security. But dynamite was not yet known at the time the colonists were working on Lincoln Island. "And it is this liquid which will blow up our rock?" asked Pencroff, rather incredulously. "Yes, my friend," replied the engineer, "and this nitroglycerin will produce such an effect that this extremely hard granite will be opposed by a larger explosive force." "And when will we see this, Mister Cyrus?" "Tomorrow, after we have dug a hole for a mine," replied the engineer. The next day, the 21st of May, at daybreak, the miners returned to the point which was formed by the banks of Lake Grant and only five hundred feet from the coast. At this spot, the plateau was lower than the water which was held in place only by the granite frame. It was therefore evident that if they broke this frame, the water would escape by this opening and form a stream which, after flowing on the inclined surface of the plateau, would fall on the beach. This would then lower the general level of the lake which would uncover the opening of the passageway which was their final goal. It was therefore the frame that they must break. Under the engineer's direction, Pencroff, armed with a pick which he handled skillfully and vigorously, attacked the granite on its exterior face. The hole that he made took shape on a horizontal edge of the bank, excavated obliquely to produce a level appreciably lower than the water of the lake. In this way the explosive force would break the rock, permitting the water to escape freely to the outside and consequently lower its level sufficiently. The work took a long time because the engineer, wanting to produce a formidable effect, did not count on using less than ten liters of nitroglycerin for the operation. But Pencroff, relieved by Neb, did so well that by about four o'clock in the afternoon, the hole for the mine was finished. There still remained the problem of igniting the explosive substance. Ordinarily nitroglycerin is ignited by means of a fulminate primer which, on bursting, sets off the explosion. In fact, a shock is needed to provoke the explosion, and if it is simply set aflame, this substance will burn without exploding. Cyrus Smith would certainly have been able to make a primer. In default of fulminate, he could easily obtain a substance analogous to cottonpowder, since he had nitric acid available. This substance, pressed into a cartridge and introduced into the nitroglycerin, would ignite by means of a fuze and set off the explosion. 108 THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ But Cyrus Smith knew that nitroglycerin has the property of detonating under shock. He therefore resolved to utilize this property, but he would use another means if this one did not succeed. In fact, the shock from a hammer on a few drops of nitroglycerin sprinkled on the surface of a hard stone suffices to induce the explosion. But the operator cannot be there to give the blow of the hammer without becoming victim to the operation. Cyrus Smith then thought of suspending a mass of iron weighing several pounds onto a post above the hole of the mine by means of a vegetable fiber. Another long fiber, previously dipped in sulphur, was attached by one of its extremities to the middle of the first fiber while the other extremity trailed along the ground to a distance of several feet from the hole of the mine. The fire being kindled to this second fiber, it would burn until it reached the first. This one, then catching fire in its turn, would break and the mass of iron would fall on the nitroglycerin. This apparatus was so installed; then the engineer, after having dismissed his companions, filled the hole of the mine so that the nitroglycerin came up to the top and he threw a few drops on the surface of the rock below the suspended mass of iron. That done, Cyrus Smith took the end of the sulphurized fiber, lit it, and leaving the place, he returned to his companions in the Chimneys. The fiber was set to burn for twenty five minutes and, in fact, twenty five minutes later an explosion resounded, impossible to describe. It seemed that the entire island trembled on its base. Rocks flew up as if vomited from a volcano. The vibration produced by the displaced air was such that the rocks at the Chimneys oscillated. The colonists, even though they were more than two miles from the mine, were thrown to the ground. They got up, climbed to the plateau and ran to the spot where the edge of the lake had been ripped open by the explosion... Three hurrahs escaped from their chests. The granite frame split over a large area. A rapid stream of water was escaping through it, flowing and foaming across the plateau, and upon reaching the crest it fell from a height of three hundred feet on to the beach. THE CASTAWAYS FROM THE SKY 109 ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ CHAPTER XVIII Pencroff no longer doubts anything - The old overflow of the lake - A subterranean descent - The passage through the granite - Top disappears - The central cavern - The lower well - Mystery - A blow from the pick - The return. Cyrus Smith's project had succeeded; but following his custom he remained immobile, without showing any satisfaction, his lips tight, his gaze steady. Herbert was enthusiastic; Neb jumped for joy; Pencroff swayed his large head and murmured these words: "Our engineer does well." In fact, the nitroglycerin had acted powerfully. The drain from the lake was so large that the volume of water which now escaped by this new passage was at least triple that which had formerly passed through the old way. The result was that in a short period of time after the operation, the level of the lake was lowered by at least two feet. The colonists returned to the Chimneys in order to take picks, iron tipped spears, fiber cords, flint and tinder; they then returned to the plateau. Top accompanied them. On the way, the sailor could not refrain from saying to the engineer: "Do you know, Mister Cyrus, that by means of this charming liquid that you have made, we could blow up our entire island?" "Without a doubt, the island, continents and the Earth itself," replied Cyrus Smith. "It is only a question of quantity." "Can't you then use this nitroglycerin to load any weapons?" asked the sailor. "No, Pencroff, because it is too quick. But it will be easy to make cotton powder or even ordinary powder since we have nitric acid, saltpeter, sulphur and coal. Unhappily it is the weapons we do not have." "Oh, Mister Cyrus," replied the sailor, "with a little determination..." Decidedly, Pencroff had erased the word "impossible" from the Lincoln Island dictionary. The colonists, on arriving at Grand View Plateau, immediately went to the point on the lake near the opening of the old overflow which was now uncovered. The passageway had become practical since the water no longer ran there and it would doubtless be easy to determine its interior arrangement. In a few moments the colonists reached the lower corner of the lake and a quick glance sufficed to ascertain that the result had been achieved. In fact, within the granite wall of the lake, and now above the level of the water, the long sought opening appeared. A narrow shoulder, left bare by the retreating water, allowed an entrance. This opening measured about twenty feet in length but only two feet in height. It was like the mouth of a sewer at the end of a pavement. This opening would not allow the colonists an easy passage; but Neb and Pencroff took the pick and in less than an hour they had given it a sufficient height. 110 THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ The engineer then went near it and discovered that the walls of the passageway, in its upper part, did not show a slope of more than 30 to 35ø. It was therefore practical and, provided the decline did not increase, it would be easy to descend to the level of the sea. If, as was very likely, some vast cavern existed inside this granite mass, they would perhaps find some way to use it. "Well, Mister Cyrus, why are we stopping?" asked the sailor, impatient to venture into the narrow corridor. "You see that Top is already ahead of us." "Well," replied the engineer, "we must see clearly. Neb, go and cut off some resinous branches." Neb and Herbert ran toward the banks of the lake, shaded by pines and other green trees, and they soon returned with branches that they formed into torches. These torches were kindled by sparks from the flint and, Cyrus Smith at the head, the colonists entered the dark passageway which had been filled with water not too long ago. Contrary to what one would expect, the diameter of the passageway increased so that soon the explorers could stand up while descending. The granite walls, in contact with water for an immeasurable time, were slippery, so they had to guard against falls. The colonists were tied to one another by a cord as is done by mountain climbers. Happily, a few granite ledges, forming real steps, rendered the descent less perilous. Some drops, still suspended from the rocks, were iridescent under the flames of the torches, and it seemed that the walls were covered with innumerable stalactites. The engineer observed this black granite. He saw not a stratum, not a geological fault. The mass was compact and of an extremely close grain. This passageway dated from the very origin of the island. It was not the water which little by little had hollowed it. Pluto and not Neptune had bored it and on the wall they could distinguish traces of eruptive activity which the flow of water had not been able to erase completely. The colonists descended only very slowly. They were not without a certain emotion in venturing thus into the depths of this mass which human beings were evidently visiting for the first time. They did not speak but reflected and the thought came to more than one of them that some octopus or other gigantic cephalopod could occupy these interior cavities which found communication with the sea. It was hence necessary to venture forth with a certain prudence. Besides, Top was at the head of this small troop and they could depend on the dog's sagacity. He would not fail to give the alarm should it be required. After having descended about a hundred feet, following a rather winding path, Cyrus Smith, who was ahead, stopped and his companions joined him. The spot where they had stopped was hollowed out, forming a cavern of moderate dimension. Drops of water fell from its arch but this did not prove any leak through the mass. It was simply the last traces left by the torrent which had roared so long through this cavity. The somewhat humid air did not emit any noxious emanation. THE CASTAWAYS FROM THE SKY 111 ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ "Well, my dear Cyrus," Gideon Spilett then said. "Here is an unknown retreat well hidden in these depths but, in sum, it is uninhabitable." "Why uninhabitable?" asked the sailor. "Because it is too small and too dark." "Can we not enlarge it, hollow it out and make openings to let in daylight and air," replied Pencroff, who no longer doubted anything. "Let us continue, " replied Cyrus Smith. "Let us continue our exploration. Perhaps lower down nature will have saved us this work." "We are still only a third of the way down," Herbert noted. "About a third," replied Cyrus Smith, "because we have descended about a hundred feet from the opening and it is not impossible that a hundred feet lower down..." "Where is Top?..." asked Neb, interrupting his master. They searched the cavern. The dog was not there. "He probably continued along the path," said Pencroff. "Let us join him," replied Cyrus Smith. The descent was resumed. The engineer carefully observed the deviations of the passageway and, in spite of the detours, he could rather easily render an account of its general direction, which went toward the sea. The colonists had gone down about another fifty feet, measured perpendicularly, when their attention was drawn to some remote sounds which came from the depths of the mass. They stopped and listened. These sounds, carried along the corridor like a voice across an acoustical tube, reached the ear clearly. "It is Top's barks!" cried Herbert. "Yes," replied Pencroff, "and our worthy dog barks furiously." "We have our iron tipped spears," said Cyrus Smith. "Let us be on guard and advance." "This is getting to be more and more interesting," murmured Gideon Spilett into the ear of the sailor, who made an affirmative sign. Cyrus Smith and his companions ran to the dog's assistance. Top's barking became more and more perceptible. They sensed in his staccato voice a strange rage. Was he at grips with some animal whose retreat he had disturbed? One could say that the colonists were now possessed by an irresistible curiosity and not thinking of the danger to which they were exposed. They were not merely descending the corridor, they could say that they were gliding along its sides and in a few minutes, sixty feet lower down, they rejoined Top. There the corridor materialized into a vast and magnificent cavern. There Top, coming and going, barked furiously. Pencroff and Neb, shaking their torches, threw light into every crevice of the granite while Cyrus Smith, Gideon Spilett, Herbert, spears in position, were ready for any eventuality. 112 THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ The enormous cavern was empty. The colonists went through all of it. There was nothing there, not an animal, not a living being. Nevertheless, Top continued to bark. Neither caresses nor threats could silence him. "There must be some outlet through which the lake's water reaches the sea," said the engineer. "In fact," replied Pencroff, "we should take care not to fall into a hole." "Go, Top, go!" shouted Cyrus Smith. The dog, excited by his master's words, ran toward the extremity of the cavern and there his barking redoubled. They followed him and, by the light of the torches, the orifice of a real well appeared opening into the granite. It was here that the water left after having entered the granite mass but this time there was no longer an oblique and practical corridor but a perpendicular well into which it was impossible to venture. The torches were inclined over the orifice. They saw nothing. Cyrus Smith detached a flaming branch and threw it into the abyss. The resinous fragment, burning brighter because of the rapidity of its fall, illuminated the inside of the well, but still nothing appeared. Then the flame extinguished with a slight simmer, indicating that it had reached the layer of water, that is to say, sea level. The engineer, calculating the time of fall, was able to estimate the depth of the well, which he found to be about ninety feet. The floor of the cavern was therefore situated at ninety feet above sea level. "Here is our dwelling," said Cyrus Smith. "But it was occupied by some creature," replied Gideon Spilett, who did not find his curiosity satisfied. "Well, whatever this creature, amphibian or otherwise, it has fled by this opening," replied the engineer, "and he has surrendered this place to us." "Never mind," added the sailor. "I would like to be Top for a quarter of an hour because he does not bark without reason." Cyrus Smith looked at his dog and those of his companions who were near him would have heard him murmur these words: "Yes, I really believe that Top knows a lot more about these things than we do." However, the needs of the colonists were in large part realized. Chance, aided by the marvelous sagacity of their chief, had happily served them. They had here at their disposal a vast cavern whose size they still could not estimate from the light of the insufficient torches, but it would certainly be easy to divide it into rooms, by means of brick partitions, and to adapt it, if not like a house, at least into a spacious apartment. The water had abandoned it and could not return. The place was vacant. Two difficulties remained: first, the question of lighting this excavation hollowed out in a solid block; second the need THE CASTAWAYS FROM THE SKY 113 ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ for easier access. As to illumination, they could not dream of establishing it from above because of the enormous thickness of granite above them; but perhaps they could pierce the outer wall which faced the sea. Cyrus Smith who, during the descent, had measured the obliquity approximately, and consequently the length of the passageway, was led to believe that the outside wall could not be very thick. If illumination was obtained in this way, there would also be access, because it would be just as easy to make a door and an outside ladder as to make windows. Cyrus Smith shared his ideas with his companions. "To work then, Mister Cyrus," replied Pencroff. "I have my pick and I will know how to bring daylight through this wall. Where should I strike?" "Here," replied the engineer, indicating to the vigorous sailor a rather considerable recess in the wall which would diminish the thickness. Pencroff attacked the granite and for a half hour, by the light of the torches, he made the splinters fly around him. The rock sparkled under his pick. Neb relieved him, then Gideon Spilett after Neb. The work had already lasted for two hours and they began to believe that the wall at this spot exceeded the length of the pick when, with a last blow given by Gideon Spilett, the instrument passed through the wall and fell outside. "Hurrah! Forever and ever hurrah!" cried Pencroff. The wall there measured only three feet in thickness. Cyrus Smith placed his eye against the opening, which overlooked the ground from a height of eighty feet. The beach extended before him, the islet, and beyond that the immense sea. This opening was rather large because the rock had disintegrated significantly. Light flooded in and produced a magical effect, inundating this splendid cavern. If, on its left side, it did not measure more than thirty feet in height and in width and a hundred feet in length, on its right side, in contrast, it was enormous and its dome was rounded at a height of more than eighty feet. In some places irregularly disposed granite pillars supported springers like those of the nave of a cathedral. Resting on sort of lateral columns, here overlayed with arches, there rising on ogival ribs, lost in obscure bays whose capricious arches they could barely see in the shadows, ornamented by a profusion of ledges which were formed like so many pendants, this vault offered a picturesque mixture of all the Byzantine, Roman and Gothic architecture produced by the hand of man. But this nevertheless, was only the work of nature. It alone had hollowed out this fairylike Alhambra into this massif of granite. The colonists were stupefied with admiration. Where they had expected to find only a narrow cavity, they found a marvelous palace and Neb took off his hat as if he had been transported into a temple. 114 THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ Cries of admiration were heard from all lips. Hurrahs resounded as echo upon echo were repeated and lost in the depths of the somber naves. "Ah, my friends," cried Cyrus Smith. "When we light up the interior of this massif, when we have arranged our rooms and our stores on the left side, this splendid cavern will still remain, which will be our study hall and our museum." "And we will call it?..." asked Herbert. "Granite House," replied Cyrus Smith, a name which his companions greeted with more of their hurrahs. At this moment, the torches were nearly entirely consumed and since they must ascend the corridor in order to return to the summit of the plateau, it was decided to postpone for the next day the labors relating to the arrangements in the new dwelling. Before leaving, Cyrus Smith leaned once more over the somber pit which was hollowed out perpendicularly down to the level of the sea. He listened carefully. There was no noise, not even from the water whose surging vibrations sometimes agitate these depths. A burning resin was once more thrown in. The walls of the pit were lit up for a moment but, like the first time, it revealed nothing suspicious. If some marine monster had been unexpectedly surprised by the retreat of the water, he had by now regained the open sea by means of the subterranean passageway that went under the beach, a path followed by the overflow from the lake before a new outlet was offered to it. The engineer, however, remained immobile, listening carefully and looking into the gulf. He did not say a word. The sailor then approached him and touched him. "Mister Smith?" he said. "What do you wish, my friend?" replied the engineer, as if returning from the land of dreams. "The torches will soon be extinguished." "Let's go," replied Cyrus Smith. The small troop left the cavern and began to climb up the somber passageway. Top was at the rear still making those singular growls. The climb was a rather steep one. The colonists stopped for several moments at the upper grotto which formed a sort of landing at the midpoint of this long granite stairway. Then they began to climb again. Soon they felt fresher air. The drops, dried by evaporation, no longer scintillated on the walls. The light from the fading torches became smoky. The one carried by Neb was extinguished and, in order not to venture in profound darkness, they must hurry. This was done and a little before four o'clock, just as the sailor's torch was extinguished in its turn, Cyrus Smith and his companions emerged from the passageway. THE CASTAWAYS FROM THE SKY 115 ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ CHAPTER XIX Cyrus Smith's plan - The front of Granite House - The cord ladder - Pencroff's daydreams - Aromatic herbs - A natural warren - Diverting the water for the needs of the new dwelling - The view from the windows of Granite House. The next day, the 22nd of May, they began working on the special arrangements for the new dwelling. In fact, the exchange of their insufficient shelter at the Chimneys for this vast and sound retreat cut into solid rock and sheltered from the waters of sea and sky, was long overdue. The Chimneys, however, would not be entirely abandoned and it was the engineer's plan to make it into a workshop for heavier work. Cyrus Smith's first concern was to discover the precise position of Granite House from the outside. He went to the beach, to the foot of the enormous wall and, as the pick on escaping from the reporter's hands had to fall perpendicularly, it sufficed to recover the pick in order to discover the place where the hole had been pierced in the granite. The pick was easily found and in fact there was an opening about eighty feet perpendicularly above the point on the shore where it had been driven into the sand. Some rock pigeons were already entering and leaving by this narrow opening. It really seemed that Granite House was discovered just for them. It was the engineer's intention to divide the right side of the cavern into several rooms, preceded by an entrance corridor, and to light it by means of five windows and a door pierced in the facade. Pencroff readily admitted the need for five windows but he could not understand the need for the door since the old passageway offered a natural staircase by which it would always be easy to have access into Granite House. "My friend," Cyrus Smith replied to him, "if it will be easy for us to reach our dwelling by the passageway, it will be equally easy for others to do so. I intend, on the contrary, to obstruct the passageway at its opening, to seal it hermetically and, if necessary, to completely conceal the entrance by raising the water of the lake with a dam." "And how will we enter?" asked the sailor. "By an outside ladder," replied Cyrus Smith, "a cord ladder, which once drawn up will render access to our dwelling impossible." "But why so many precautions?" said Pencroff. "So far, the animals don't seem to be very formidable. As to natives, the island has none." "Are you sure of it, Pencroff?" asked the engineer, looking at the sailor. "We will evidently be sure of it when we have explored all its parts," replied Pencroff. "Yes," said Cyrus Smith, "we still know only a small portion of it. But in any case, if we have no enemies from 116 THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ within, they can come from outside because these parts of the Pacific are dangerous parts. Let us therefore take precautions against all eventualities." Cyrus Smith spoke wisely and without making any further objection Pencroff prepared to execute his orders. The front of Granite House would thus be lighted by means of five windows and a door to serve what constituted "the apartment" properly called. A large bay window and a "bull's eye" window would permit light to enter profusely into this marvellous nave which would serve as a large hall. This front, at eighty feet above the ground, was exposed to the east and the rising sun greeted it with its first rays. It was situated on that portion of the facade between the salient forming corner at the mouth of the Mercy and a line drawn perpendicularly above the pile of rocks which formed the Chimneys. Thus the strong winds, that is to say those from the northeast, would only strike it aslant because it was protected by the orientation of the salient. However, until the window frames were made, the engineer intended to close the openings with thick shutters which would allow neither the wind nor the rain to pass through and which could be concealed if need be. The first job consisted of hollowing out these openings. Using a pick on this hard rock would have been very slow and it is known that Cyrus Smith was a man of spectacular methods. He still had a certain quantity of nitroglycerin and he put it to good use. The effect of the explosive was properly localized and under its force the granite was broken at the very places chosen by the engineer. Then the pick and the pickaxe completed the ogival design of the five windows, the spacious bay window, the bull's eye window and the door. They straightened out the frames, whose profiles were rather capricious and, several days after the beginning of these works, Granite House was generously lighted by the light of the rising sun which penetrated its most secret recesses. Following the plan devised by Cyrus Smith, the apartment would be divided into five compartments having a view of the sea. To the right, an entrance served by a door to which the ladder was attached, then a main kitchen thirty feet wide, a dining room measuring forty feet, a dormitory of equal size, and finally a "guest room", called for by Pencroff, which was at the edge of the Grand Hall. These rooms, or rather this suite of rooms which formed the apartment of Granite House, would not occupy all the space of the cavern. There would be a central corridor and a large storehouse into which utensils, provisions and reserves would easily find a place. All the products gathered on the island, the flora as well as the fauna, would be there in an excellent condition of conservation, and completely sheltered from the dampness. There was no lack of space and each item would be placed methodically. Beyond that, the colonists still had the THE CASTAWAYS FROM THE SKY 117 ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ small grotto situated above the large cavern, which would be like the garret of the new dwelling. This plan decided on, it remained only to put it into execution. The miners became bricklayers once again. The bricks were carried and placed at the foot of Granite House. Until then Cyrus Smith and his companions had access to the cavern only through the old passageway. This mode of communication obliged them first to climb to Grand View Plateau after making a detour at the bank of the river, to descend two hundred feet by the corridor and then to climb up again when they wanted to return to the plateau. That way time was lost with considerable fatigue. Cyrus Smith hence resolved without delay to make a sturdy cord ladder which, once drawn up, would render the entrance to Granite House completely inaccessible. This ladder was made with extreme care. Its sides, which were formed of juncus fibers and woven with a wheel, had the strength of a thick cable. As to its rungs, they were made of the light but tough branches of the red cedar. The apparatus was made by the master hand of Pencroff. Other cords were made with vegetable fibers in the same way and a sort of large pulleyblock was installed at the door. In this way the bricks could be easily lifted to the level of Granite House. The transport of material was very simplified and the interior arrangements, properly called, soon began. There was no lack of lime and several thousand bricks were there, ready to be used. They easily set up the woodwork of the partitions, in a very rudimentary way of course, and in a very short time the apartment was divided into rooms and into a storehouse according to the plan agreed upon. These various works proceeded rapidly under the direction of the engineer, who himself handled the hammer and the trowel. No manual activity was a stranger to Cyrus Smith, who thereby gave an example to his intelligent and zealous companions. They worked with confidence, even merrily, Pencroff always with a funny word, sometimes as a carpenter, sometimes as a rope maker, sometimes mason, and communicating his good humor to all of this small colony. His faith in the engineer was absolute. Nothing could shake it. He believed him capable of undertaking everything and succeeding at everything. The question of clothing and shoes - assuredly a serious question - that of light during the winter nights, the exploitation of the fertile portions of the island, the transformation of this wild vegetation into cultivated vegetation, everything seemed easy to him, Cyrus Smith helping, and everything would be done in its time. He daydreamt of canals to facilitate the transport of the soil's riches, of exploiting quarries and working mines, of machines suitable for every industrial practice, of railroads, yes, of railroads whose network would certainly cover Lincoln Island one day. The engineer let Pencroff speak. He did not contradict the exaggerations of this brave heart. He well knew that confidence is catching. He even smiled to hear him speak and 118 THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ said nothing about the anxieties he sometimes had about the future. In fact, in this part of the Pacific, outside the ship lanes, he feared that they would never be rescued. It was thus on themselves, on themselves alone that the colonists must count, because the distance from Lincoln Island to any other land was such that to risk themselves in a boat of necessarily mediocre construction would be a serious and perilous thing. But, as the sailor said, they had accomplished a hundred times more than the Robinsons of a bygone time, for whom everything was done miraculously. And, in fact, they had knowledge, and the man who had knowledge would succeed where others would vegetate and inevitably perish. During these activities Herbert distinguished himself. He was intelligent and active, he learned quickly, worked well, and Cyrus Smith attached himself more and more to this lad. Herbert had a vivid and respectful regard for the engineer. Pencroff saw the close sympathy that formed between these two beings but he was not jealous of it. Neb was Neb. He was what he would always be, courageous, zealous, devoted, abnegation personified. He had the same faith in his master as Pencroff but he manifested it less noisily. When the sailor was enthusiastic, Neb always took an attitude as if to say "but nothing is more natural." Pencroff and he liked each other and were not long in becoming friends. As to Gideon Spilett, he took part in the common work and he was not the most awkward one which always astonished the sailor a little. "A clever 'journalist' who not only understands everything, but can do everything!" The ladder was finally installed on the 28th of May. There were no less than a hundred rungs for this perpendicular height of eighty feet. Fortunately, Cyrus Smith had been able to divide it into two parts, profiting from an overhang in the wall which made a ledge forty feet above the ground. This ledge, carefully leveled with a pick, became a sort of landing on which they fixed the first ladder, whose swinging was thus diminished by half, and a cord permitted it to be raised to the level of Granite House. As to the second ladder, its lower end was also attached to the ledge, but its upper end was connected to the door itself. In this way, getting up was notably easier. Besides, Cyrus Smith counted on later installing a hydraulic lift, which would do away with all fatigue and all time lost by the inhabitants of Granite House. The colonists promptly became accustomed to the use of this ladder. They were nimble and skillful and Pencroff, since he was a sailor, accustomed to climbing the ratlines of the shrouds, was able to give them lessons. But it was necessary to give Top lessons also. The poor dog, with his four feet, was not made for this exercise. But Pencroff was so zealous a teacher that Top ended by being able to climb the ladder as well as his peers in the circus. It need not be said that the sailor was proud of his pupil. Nevertheless, more than once Pencroff put him on his back for which Top never complained. THE CASTAWAYS FROM THE SKY 119 ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ It should be noted here that during these works, which were actively carried on because the bad season was approaching, the question of food had not been neglected. The reporter and Herbert definitely became purveyors to the colony, devoting several hours every day to hunting. They still only exploited Jacamar Woods on the left of the river because they still could not cross the Mercy without a bridge or a boat. All of these immense forests to which they had given the name of Forests of the Far West, had not at all been explored. They reserved this important excursion for the first good days of the coming spring. But Jacamar Woods was full of game; kangaroos and wild boar abounded and the hunters did wonders with the iron tipped spears and the bow and arrows. In addition, Herbert discovered a natural warren near the southwest corner of the lagoon, a sort of slightly wet meadow covered with willows and aromatic herbs which perfumed the air, herbs such as thyme, serpolet, basil, savory, and all fragrant species of the labiate family which rabbits are so fond of. The reporter noted that since the table was served with things for rabbits, it would be astonishing if there were no rabbits. The two hunters carefully explored this warren. In any case, it produced an abundance of useful plants and a naturalist would have had a good opportunity there to study specimens of the vegetable kingdom. Herbert therefore collected a certain quantity of basil shoots, rosemary, melissa, betony, etc., which possessed various therapeutic properties for use as cough mixtures, astringents, antifebriles, others antispasmodics, or antirhumatics. And when later, Pencroff asked about this collection of herbs: "To take care of us," replied the lad, "to treat us when we are ill." "Since there are no doctors on the island, why should we be sick?" replied Pencroff, very seriously. To this there was nothing to reply but the lad nonetheless made his collection, which was very well received at Granite House. He was able to add to this stock of medicinal plants a quantity of didymous monardas which are known in North America under the name of "Oswego Tea," producing an excellent beverage. Finally that day, on looking carefully, the two hunters arrived at the true location of the warren. The ground was riddled with holes. "Burrows!" cried Herbert. "Yes," replied the reporter, "I see them well." "But are they inhabited?" "That is the question." The question was not long in resolving itself. Almost at once, hundreds of small animals resembling rabbits fled in all directions, and with such speed that even Top could not overtake them. Hunters and dog were soon out of breath and these rodents easily escaped them. But the reporter resolved not to leave the place before having captured at least half a dozen of these quadrupeds. He wanted first to supply the 120 THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ pantry and then to domesticate those which they would take later. With several nooses spread at the openings of the burrows, the operation could not fail to succeed. But at the moment they had neither nooses nor a way to make them. They hence had to resign themselves to visiting each refuge, to pry with a stick and to do with patience what they could not do in any other way. Finally, after an hour of digging, four rodents were taken. They were rabbits resembling their European congeners and who are commonly known under the name of "American Rabbits." The result of the hunt was brought to Granite House and was a part of the evening meal. The hosts of this warren were not scorned because they were delicious. This was a precious resource for the colony, one which seemed to be inexhaustible. On the 31st of May, the partitions were completed. Nothing remained but to furnish the rooms, which would be the work for the long winter. A chimney was built in the first room which served as the kitchen. The tube, designed to conduct the smoke outside, gave some work for the improvised chimney makers. It seemed simpler to Cyrus Smith to make it out of brick clay. Since he could not dream of making an opening to the upper plateau, they excavated a hole through the granite above the window of the aforementioned kitchen and it was through this hole that the pipe was obliquely placed with a top like that of an iron stove. Perhaps, even doubtless, the chimney would smoke when the strong winds would beat directly against the facade, but these winds were rare and besides, Master Neb, the cook, did not mind it. When these interior arrangements had been finished, the engineer occupied himself with closing the opening of the old passageway which ended at the lake, in a way to prevent any access by this means. Lumps of rocks were hauled to the opening and firmly cemented. Cyrus Smith still had not begun the project of drowning this orifice under the water of the lake by returning them to their former level with a dam. He contented himself with concealing the obstruction with grass, bushes and brushwood which were planted in the crevices of the rocks and which would develop exuberantly next spring. Nevertheless, he used the overflow in a way to bring a stream of sweet water into the new dwelling. A small groove, made below level, produced this result, and this diversion of a pure and inexhaustible source gave an output of twenty five to thirty gallons a day.(1) Water would never be lacking at Granite House. Finally, everything was completed and it was time because the bad season arrived. Thick shutters allowed them to close the windows of the facade while waiting for the time when the engineer could make plate glass. Gideon Spilett, being artistically inclined, planted various species of plants and long flowing grass on the rock ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ (1) The gallon equals about 4« liters. THE CASTAWAYS FROM THE SKY 121 ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ ledges and around the windows. In this fashion the openings were enclosed in a picturesque greenery producing a charming effect. The inhabitants of this solid, safe and secure dwelling could only be enchanted with their work. The windows gave them a view which extended on a limitless horizon from the two Mandible Capes in the north to Cape Claw in the south. All of Union Bay was magnificently unfolded before them. Yes, these brave colonists had grounds for being satisfied and Pencroff spared no praise of what he humorously called his "apartment on the fifth floor above the mezzanine." CHAPTER XX The rainy season - The question of clothing - A hunt for seals - Making candles - Work inside Granite House - Two bridges - Return visit to the oyster bed - What Herbert finds in his pocket. The winter season really began with the month of June, which corresponds to the month of December in the northern hemisphere. It started with showers and squalls which followed each other without intermission. The hosts of Granite House could appreciate the advantages of a dwelling beyond the reach of the harsh weather. The shelter of the Chimneys would really have been insufficient against the rigors of winter and it was to be feared that the high tides, driven on by the winds from the open sea, would make further inroads there. Cyrus Smith even took some precautions to provide for this eventuality in order to preserve, as much as possible, the forge and the furnace which were installed there. During all of this month of June, the time was employed with various activities which excluded neither hunting nor fishing and the reserves of the pantry were abundantly maintained. Pencroff, as soon as he had the time, proposed to make traps from which he expected great things. He made some collars of ligneous fibers and not a day passed when the warren did not furnish its contingent of rodents. Neb employed nearly all of his time to salt or smoke these meats, which were excellently preserved. The question of clothing was then very seriously discussed. The colonists had no other clothes than the ones that they wore when the balloon threw them on the island. These clothes were warm and sturdy and by taking care of them, as well as their underwear, they had kept them in perfect condition, but they would soon have to be replaced. If the winter would be rigorous, the colonists would suffer much from the cold. 122 THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ On this subject the ingenuity of Cyrus Smith was in default. He had to take care first of the most pressing problems, making a dwelling and assuring the food supply. Hence the frost could come on before the question of clothing had been resolved. They would have to resign themselves to passing this first winter without complaining. When the fine season came, they would conduct a serious hunt for those wild sheep whose presence had been noted during the exploration of Mount Franklin and, once the wool was collected, the engineer would be able to make a warm and sturdy material... How? He would think about it. "Well then, we will be free to roast our legs at Granite House," said Pencroff. "There's lots of fuel and no reason to spare it." "Besides," replied Gideon Spilett, "Lincoln Island is not situated at a very high latitude and it is probable that the winters will not be bad here. Didn't you tell us, Cyrus, that the 35th parallel corresponds to that of Spain in the other hemisphere?" "Without doubt," replied the engineer, "but certain winters are very cold in Spain. Snow and ice are not lacking there and Lincoln Island is perhaps also rigorously tried. However, it is an island and as such I hope that the temperature will be more moderate." "Why so, Mister Cyrus?" asked Herbert. "Because the sea, my child, may be considered as an immense reservoir which stores up the heat of the summer. With the coming of winter it returns this heat, which assures a moderate temperature to those regions near oceans, not as high in the summer, but not as low in the winter." "We will look forward to it," replied Pencroff. "I do not trouble myself as to whether it is cold or not. But this is certain, that the days are already short and the evenings long. May we give a little consideration to the question of illumination?" "Nothing is easier," replied Cyrus Smith. "To consider?" asked the sailor. "To solve." "And when do we begin?" "Tomorrow, by organizing a hunt for seals." "To make wax candles?" "For shame, Pencroff, tallow candles." Such was in fact the engineer's plan, a realistic plan, since he had lime and sulphuric acid and the amphibians of the islet would furnish the fat necessary to make it. It was the 4th of June, Whit Sunday, and they agreed unanimously to observe this holiday. All work was suspended and prayers were directed to Heaven. But these prayers were now those of thanks. The colonists of Lincoln Island were no longer the unfortunate castaways thrown on the islet. They no longer asked for anything, they gave thanks. THE CASTAWAYS FROM THE SKY 123 ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ The next day, the 5th of June, amid rather uncertain weather, they left for the islet. It was still necessary to profit from the low tide to cross the channel, and while on this subject, it was agreed that they would construct, for better or for worse, a boat which would make communications easier and also permit them to ascend the Mercy when that important exploration of the southwest of the island would be undertaken during the first fine days. The seals were numerous and the hunters, armed with their iron tipped spears, easily killed half a dozen. Neb and Pencroff skinned them and only brought to Granite House their fat and their skins, these skins to be made into sturdy footwear. The result of this hunt was as follows, about three hundred pounds of fat which would be entirely used for making candles. The operation was extremely simple and, if it did not yield absolutely perfect products, they were nonetheless usable. Cyrus Smith only needed the sulphuric acid. Heating this acid with the neutral fatty material from the seal's fat would enable him to isolate the glycerin; then, from this new combination, it would be easy to separate the olein, the margarine, and the stearin using boiling water. But in order to simplify the operation he preferred to saponify the fat by means of the lime. He obtained a sort of calcareous soap, easy to decompose with the sulphuric acid, which precipitated as sulphate of lime, freeing the fatty acids. Of these three acids, olein, margarine, and stearin, the first, being liquid, was driven out by sufficient pressure. As to the other two, they formed the very substance which would be used in molding the candles. The operation did not last more than twenty four hours. The wicks, after several attempts, were made of vegetable fibers and, soaked in the liquified substance, they formed real stearin candles, molded by hand, lacking only whiteness and polish. They doubtless did not offer the advantages which wicks impregnated with boric acid have of vitrifying themselves as they burn so as to consume themselves entirely; but Cyrus Smith, having made a beautiful pair of snuffers, these candles would be greatly appreciated during the evenings at Granite House. During all of this month, there was no lack of work on the interior of the new dwelling. The joiners had their work cut out for them. They perfected the tools which were very rudimentary. They also completed their stock. Some scissors were made among other things and the colonists were finally able to cut their hair and their beards, at least to trim them imaginatively. Herbert had no beard and Neb hardly any, but their companions were so overgrown as to justify the making of the said scissors. The making of a hand saw cost infinite pain, but finally they obtained an instrument which, when vigorously handled, would cut the ligneous fibers of wood. Thus they made tables, benches and wardrobe cabinets which furnished the main rooms, 124 THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ and bed frames whose bedding consisted entirely of mattresses of seawrack. The kitchen, with its terra cotta utensils resting on shelves, its brick furnace and its stone washstand, had a formal look and Neb operated there as seriously as if he were in a chemist's laboratory. But the joiners were soon replaced by carpenters. The new overflow created by the mine made it necessary to construct two bridges, one on Grand View Plateau and the other on the shore itself. In fact, now the plateau and the shore were cut transversely by a watercourse which they had to cross when they wanted to get to the north of the island. To avoid this, the colonists would have been obliged to make a considerable detour and ascend westward to the sources of Red Creek. It was simpler to build two bridges on the plateau and on the shore, twenty to twenty five feet in length. Squaring the trees with an axe was the only carpentry. This was the work of a few days. The bridges built, Neb and Pencroff then profited from them by going to the oyster bed, which had been discovered near the dunes. They hauled with them a sort of large cart which replaced the old very inconvenient hurdle, and they brought back several thousand oysters that quickly acclimatized themselves among the rocks at the mouth of the Mercy, becoming as good as a natural oyster bed. These mollusks were of an excellent quality and the colonists consumed them nearly every day. As we know, although the inhabitants of Lincoln Island had only explored a small portion of it, the island had already furnished nearly all their needs. And it was likely that, buried in its more secret retreats, over all of this wooded part that extended from the Mercy to Reptile Promontory, it would lavish new treasures. The colonists of Lincoln Island still had one deprivation. Their diet did not lack protein, nor vegetable products which they modified for their use; the ligneous roots of the dragon trees, subjected to fermentation, gave them a sour beverage, a sort of beer preferable to pure water; they even made sugar, without cane sugar or sugar beets, by collecting this liquid that was distilled as "acer saccharum," a sort of maple of the aceraceae family, which prospers in all temperate zones and which were abundant on the island; they made a very agreeable tea by using the monarda brought back from the warren; lastly, they had an abundance of salt, the only mineral product which enters into the preparation of food... but they could not make bread. Perhaps at a later time the colonists would be able to replace this food with some equivalent, the flour of the sago tree or the bread tree, and it was in fact possible that the southern forests had these precious trees, but up to this time they had not encountered them. However, Providence was able, in this circumstance, to come directly to the colonists' aid, in an infinitesimal way it is true, but Cyrus Smith, with all his intelligence and all his ingenuity could never have produced that which Herbert, by the greatest chance, found one day in the lining of his vest which he was mending. THE CASTAWAYS FROM THE SKY 125 ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ On this day it was raining in torrents. The colonists were assembled in the main hall of Granite House when the lad suddenly cried out: "Well, Mister Cyrus. A grain of corn." And he showed his companions a grain, a single grain, which got into the lining of his vest through a hole in his pocket. The presence of this grain was explained by Herbert's habit, while in Richmond, of feeding some pigeons that Pencroff had given him. "A grain of corn?" replied the engineer vividly. "Yes, Mister Cyrus, but only one, nothing but a single one." "Well, my boy," cried Pencroff, smiling, "we are really getting on. What will we be able to make with this single grain of corn?" "We will make bread from it," replied Cyrus Smith. "Bread, cakes, tarts!" replied the sailor. "Come now! The bread that this grain of corn will furnish will not stuff us soon." Herbert, attaching no importance to his discovery, was about to throw away the grain in question, but Cyrus Smith took it, examined it, saw that it was in good condition and looking at the sailor: "Pencroff," he asked him tranquilly, "do you know how many ears a grain of corn can produce?" "One, I suppose," replied the sailor, surprised by the question. "Ten, Pencroff. And do you know how many grains an ear holds?" "My faith, no." "Eighty on the average," said Cyrus Smith. "Thus, if we plant this grain, at the first harvest we will gather eight hundred grains, which will produce at the second harvest six hundred forty thousand, at the third five hundred twelve million, at the fourth more than four hundred billion grains. There are the proportions." Cyrus Smith's companions listened without replying. These figures stupefied them. They were exact, however. "Yes, my friends," continued the engineer. "Such are the geometric progressions of a fertile nature. And yet what is this multiplication of a grain of corn whose ears contain only eight hundred grains, compared to the stems of the poppy which hold thirty two thousand grains or the stems of tobacco, which produce three hundred sixty thousand? In several years, without the numerous destructive causes which arrest their growth, these plants would overrun the entire earth." But the engineer had not finished his little interrogation. "And now, Pencroff," he continued, "do you know how many bushels four hundred billion grains will yield?" "No," replied the sailor, "but what I do know is that I am only a fool." 126 THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ "Well, it will make more than three million at a hundred thirty thousand per bushel, Pencroff." "Three million!" cried Pencroff. "Three million." "In four years?" "In four years," replied Cyrus Smith, "and even in two years if, as I hope, we will be able to obtain two harvests per year at this latitude." At this, following his custom, Pencroff could think of no reply other than a formidable hurrah. "Thus, Herbert," added the engineer, "you have made an extremely important discovery for us. Everything, my friends, everything can serve us in the condition we find ourselves. I beg you, do not forget it." "No, Mister Cyrus, no, we will not forget it," replied Pencroff, "and if ever I find one of these grains of tobacco which multiplies at three hundred sixty thousand, I assure you that I will not throw it to the wind. And now, do you know what remains to be done?" "It remains for us to plant this grain," replied Herbert. "Yes," added Gideon Spilett, "and with all the respect due to it because it carries within itself our future harvests." "Provided that it grows!" cried the sailor. "It will grow," replied Cyrus Smith. It was the twentieth of June. The moment was thus propitious for sowing this unique and precious grain of corn. They first questioned whether they should plant it in a pot; but after reflection, they decided to very boldly refer it to nature and to entrust it to the earth. This is what was done this very day and needless to say, all precautions were taken to make the operation a success. The weather having slightly cleared up, the colonists climbed to the heights of Granite House. There, on the plateau, they chose a spot well sheltered from the wind, on which the noonday sun would shed all its warmth. The spot was cleared, carefully weeded, even searched for insects and worms; they placed a layer of good earth on it, enriched with a little lime; they surrounded it with a fence; then the grain was buried in the wet ground. Did it not seem that the colonists were putting down the first stone of an edifice? This recalled for Pencroff the day when he had to light his single match and all the care that he carried to this operation. But this time the thing was more serious. In fact, the castaways would always have managed to procure fire in one way or another, but no human power could again make this grain of corn if, unfortunately, it should be lost. THE CASTAWAYS FROM THE SKY 127 ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ CHAPTER XXI Several degrees below zero - Exploration of the marshy part of the southeast - The colpeos - View of the sea - A conversation on the future of the Pacific Ocean - The incessant work of the infusoria - What will become of the globe - The hunt - Tadorn's marsh. From this moment, a day did not pass without Pencroff going to visit what he seriously called his "cornfield." And woe to the insects that ventured there. No mercy awaited them. About the end of the month of June, after endless rains, the frost definitely came on, and on the 29th a Fahrenheit thermometer would have registered only 20ø above zero (6.67ø centigrade below zero). The next day, June 30th, a day which corresponds to December 31st of the northern year, was a Friday. Neb made the observation that the year ended on a bad day; but Pencroff replied that naturally the next year would begin on a good day, which was better. In any event, it began with a very brisk frost. Ice floes piled up at the mouth of the Mercy and the lake was not long in becoming frozen along its entire extent. They renewed their provision of fuel during several breaks in the weather. Pencroff had transported enormous rafts of wood to their destination without waiting for the river to freeze. The current was a tireless motor and it was used to cart the floating wood up to the moment when the frost blocked it. To the fuel furnished so abundantly by the forest, they also added several cartloads of coal for which they had to go to the foot of the buttresses of Mount Franklin. This powerful coal heat was well appreciated during the cold weather which on July 4th fell to 8ø Fahrenheit (13ø centigrade below zero). A second chimney had been installed in the dining room and there they all worked together. During this period of frost, Cyrus Smith had to congratulate himself for having diverted a small stream from Lake Grant to Granite House. Drawn as a liquid from under the frozen surface, it was then conducted by the old passageway to an interior reservoir which had been excavated in a corner of the rear storeroom and whose overflow escaped by the well to the sea. During this period, the weather being extremely dry, the colonists, dressed as well as possible, resolved to devote a day to the exploration of that part of the southeast of the island between the Mercy and Cape Claw. It was a vast marshy terrain which would make for good hunting because of the many aquatic birds there. They had to count on an eight to nine mile trip to get there as well as to return, and consequently it would take a full day. Since it was also an exploration of an unknown portion of the island, the entire colony took part in it. Hence on the 5th of July, at six in the morning, with dawn 128 THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ barely breaking, Cyrus Smith, Gideon Spilett, Herbert, Neb and Pencroff, armed with spears, collars, bows and arrows, and supplied with sufficient provisions, left Granite House, preceded by Top who skipped about in front of them. They took the shortest route and the shortest route was to cross the Mercy over the ice floes then blocking it. "But," the reporter justly noted, "this cannot replace a genuine bridge." So the construction of a "genuine" bridge was recorded as one of the works for the future. It was the first time that the colonists set foot on the right bank of the Mercy and they ventured among large and superb conifers which were then covered with snow. But they had not gone half a mile when, from a thick bush, an entire family of quadrupeds fled from where they lived, provoked to flight by Top's barks. "Ah! They could be called foxes!" cried Herbert, when he saw the entire band dash off so quickly. They were in fact foxes, but foxes of a very large size. They made a sort of barking that astonished Top himself because he stopped in his pursuit and gave these fast animals the time to disappear. The dog was right to be surprised since he did not know natural history. But by their barks, these foxes with a reddish grey fur and black tails that ended in a white tassel, revealed their origin. Herbert, without hesitating, gave them their true name of "colpeos". These colpeos are frequently encountered in Chile, the Falkland Islands and in all American localities between the 30th and 40th parallels. Herbert regretted very much that Top had not been able to get hold of one of these carnivores. "Are they good to eat?" asked Pencroff, who never considered the representatives of the fauna of the island except from his special point of view. "No," replied Herbert, "but zoologists have not yet found out if the pupil of these foxes is diurnal or nocturnal and if it isn't correct to classify them in the genus dog, properly called." Cyrus Smith could not prevent a smile on hearing the lad's thoughts, which attested to a serious mind. As to the sailor, from the moment that these foxes could not be classified in the genus edible, they were of little importance to him. Nevertheless, when a poultry yard would be established at Granite House, it was noted that it would be good to take several precautions against possible visits from these plunderers on four feet. This no one contested. After having turned Flotsom Point (1), the colonists found ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ (1) Verne made an error here. The colonists do not give this place the name of Flotsom Point until three chapters later. (Translator's note) THE CASTAWAYS FROM THE SKY 129 ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ a long beach which was washed by the vast sea. It was then eight o'clock in the morning. The sky was very clear such as comes from a prolonged severe frost; but, excited by their journey, Cyrus Smith and his companions did not feel the weather's sting too vividly. Besides, the wind was not blowing, a circumstance which rendered the low temperature infinitely more bearable. A brilliant sun, but without heating action, then rose from the ocean, its enormous disk balanced on the horizon. The sea formed a tranquil sheet, blue as a Mediterranean gulf when the sky is clear. Cape Claw, curved in the form of a yataghan, was clearly visible about four miles away to the southeast. To the left, the border of the marsh was abruptly interrupted by a small point which the solar rays, at the moment, patterned into a flash of fire. Certainly in this part of Union Bay, with no cover from the open sea, not even a reef of sand, any vessels battered by the winds from the east would find no shelter. They sensed from the tranquility of the sea not disturbed by shallows, from its uniform color which had no trace of a yellowish nuance and from the absence of any reef, that this coast was abrupt and that the ocean covered up a deep abyss there. Behind them in the west, at a distance of four miles, the first line of trees of the forests of the Far West was visible. They could believe, so to speak, that they were on the desolated coast of some Antarctic island that the ice floes had overrun. The colonists stopped here for a meal. A fire was started with brushwood and dry seaweed and Neb prepared a meal of cold meat to which he added several cups of Oswego tea. While eating, everyone looked around. This part of Lincoln Island was really sterile and contrasted with the entire western region. This led the reporter to make this observation, that if chance had first thrown the castaways on this shore, they would have had a deplorable idea of their future domain. "I do not think that we would have been able to reach it," replied the engineer, "because the sea is too deep here and it would offer us no rock on which to take refuge. In front of Granite House at least, there were some reefs, an islet, which multiplied the chances of safety. Here nothing but the abyss." "It is rather strange," noted Gideon Spilett, "that this relatively small island presents such varied terrains. This diversity appears logically only on continents of a certain size. One could truly say that the Western part of Lincoln Island, so rich and so fertile, is washed by the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico and that the shores of the north and the southeast reach out to a sort of Arctic Sea." "You are right, my dear Spilett," replied Cyrus Smith. "That is an observation that I have also made. I find this island strange in its form and in its nature. One would say, in short, that it has all the aspects of a continent, and it would not surprise me if it had been a continent once upon a time." "What! A continent in the middle of the Pacific?" cried Pencroff. "Why not?" replied Cyrus Smith. "Why could not 130 THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ Australia, New Ireland and all that the English geographers call Australasia, united to the archipelagos of the Pacific, have formed in the past a sixth part of the world as important as Europe or Asia, as Africa or the two Americas? I feel that all these islands that emerge from this vast ocean are the summits of a continent which, though now engulfed, was above water in prehistoric times." "The way Atlantis once was," replied Herbert. "Yes, my child... if it existed." "And was Lincoln Island part of this continent?" asked Pencroff. "That is possible," replied Cyrus Smith, "and that would explain this diversity of productions that we see on its surface." "And the considerable number of animals that still live here," added Herbert. "Yes, my child," replied the engineer, "and you furnish me with a new argument to apply to my thesis. It is certain, from what we have seen, that there are numerous animals on the island and, what is even stranger, that the species are so extremely varied. That is why I think that Lincoln Island could once have been part of some vast continent which little by little sank below the Pacific." "Then one fine day," answered Pencroff, who was not absolutely convinced, "the remainder of this ancient continent will disappear in its turn and there will no longer be anything between America and Asia." "Yes," replied Cyrus Smith, "but there will be new continents which millions upon millions of animalcules are working to build at this moment." "And what are these masons?" asked Pencroff. "The coral infusoria," replied Cyrus Smith. "It is they who made, by constant work, Reao Island, the atolls and other numerous coral islands of the Pacific Ocean. Forty seven million of these infusoria weigh a grain (1) nevertheless, with the ocean salt that they absorb, with the solid elements that they assimilate from the water, these animalcules produce lime and this lime forms enormous submarine substructures whose hardness and compactness are equal to that of granite. Formerly, during the first stages of creation, nature, using fire, produced land by upheaval; but now it charges these microscopic animals to replace this agent whose dynamic power in the interior of the globe has evidently diminished - this is proved by the large number of volcanos on the surface of the earth that are actually extinct. And I really believe that in later centuries, as infusoria are added to infusoria, this Pacific will change one day into a vast continent which new generations will live on and civilize in their turn." "That will take long!" said Pencroff. "Nature has the time for it," replied the engineer. "But what will be the good of new continents?" asked Herbert. "It seems to me that the actual extent of the habitable world is sufficient for humanity. Nature does ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ (1) A grain weighs 65 milligrams. THE CASTAWAYS FROM THE SKY 131 ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ nothing uselessly." "In fact nothing is useless," replied the engineer, "but here is how one can explain the necessity for new continents in the future and precisely on this tropical zone occupied by the corral islands. At least this explanation seems plausible to me." "We are listening, Mister Cyrus," replied Herbert. "Here is my idea: Scientists generally admit that one day our world will end, or rather that animal and vegetable life will no longer be possible on it due to the intense cold to which it will be subjected. What they are not in agreement on is the cause of this cold. Some think that it will result from the lower temperature that the sun will experience after millions of years; others think that it will result from the gradual extinction of the interior fires of our globe which have a more pronounced influence on it than is generally supposed. I myself hold to this last hypothesis and I base it on the fact that the moon is really a frozen star which is no longer habitable even though the sun continues to shed the same amount of heat on its surface. If therefore the moon is cold, it is because these interior fires, to which all stars of the stellar world owe their origin, are completely extinct. In short, whatever the cause, our globe will freeze one day but this freezing will only come on little by little. What will then happen? The temperate zones, within a longer or a shorter time, will be no more habitable than the polar regions are. Thus the human population, as well as the animal groups, will flourish at those latitudes more directly subject to the solar influence. An immense migration will occur. Europe, Central Asia and North America will be abandoned little by little, as will Australasia and the lower parts of South America. Vegetation will follow the human emigration. The flora will recede to the equator at the same time as the fauna. The central parts of South America and of Africa will become the continents best to live in. The Laplanders and the Samoyeds will find the climatic conditions of the polar sea on the shores of the Mediterranean. Who can tell us that at this time the equatorial regions will not be too small to contain terrestrial humanity and to nourish it? Now, why won't a clairvoyant nature, in order to give refuge to all of this vegetable and animal migration, lay the foundation, even at this moment, of a new continent under the equator and won't it charge the infusoria to construct it? I have often reflected on all of these things, my friends, and I seriously believe that the aspect of our globe will one day be completely transformed, that as a result of the raising of new continents, the seas will cover the old ones and that, in future centuries, Columbuses will discover the islands of Chimborazo, the Himalayas or Mount Blanc, the remainders of an America, an Asia and a Europe engulfed. Then finally, these new continents in their turn will become uninhabitable; the heat will be extinguished like the heat from a body abandoned by the soul, and life will disappear, if not absolutely from the globe, at least for a time. Then perhaps our spheroid will rest and from death it will resuscitate one day under superior conditions! 132 THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ But all this, my friends, is the secret of the Author of all things, and in talking about the work of the infusoria, I have let myself be carried away a little too far perhaps in peering into the secrets of the future." "My dear Cyrus," replied Gideon Spilett, "these theories are prophecies for me and they will be accomplished one day." "That is the secret of God," said the engineer. "All this is well and good," Pencroff then said, having listened with all ears, "but tell me, Mister Cyrus, if Lincoln Island is constructed by your infusoria?" "No," replied Cyrus Smith, "it is strictly of volcanic origin." "Then it will disappear one day?" "That is probable." "I hope that we will no longer be here." "No, I assure you, Pencroff, we will no longer be here since we have no wish to die here and that in the end we will extricate ourselves." "While waiting," replied Gideon Spilett, "we will carry on as if for eternity. It will not do to take half-way measures." That ended the conversation. The meal was completed. The exploration was continued and the colonists arrived at the beginning of the marshy region. It was a real marsh whose area measured twenty square miles up to the rounded shore which marked the southeast end of the island. The soil was formed of a silicious clay and mixed with vegetative debris. Conferva, juncaceae, carex, bulrush, and some layers of grass here and there covered it with a thick carpet. Frozen ponds scintillated in many a place under the sun's rays. Neither rains nor rivers swelled by a sudden rise had been able to form these reservoirs of water. They naturally concluded that this marsh was fed by infiltrations from the soil, which was the case. They even feared that these miasmas could cause marsh fever during the hot weather. Above the aquatic grass, on the surface of the stagnant waters, fluttered a world of birds. Marsh hunters would not have lost a single shot. Wild duck, pintail, teal and snipe lived there in flocks and these fearless birds could easily be approached. A gunshot would certainly have hit several dozens of the birds, so tight were their ranks. They had to be content with arrows. The result was mediocre but the silent arrow had the advantage of not frightening these birds who would have dissipated to all corners of the of the marsh from the detonation of a gun. The hunters were therefore content, for the time being, with a dozen duck who had white bodies and cinnamon waists, green heads, black, white and reddish wings and flattened beaks that Herbert recognized as "Tadorns." Top skillfully helped with the capture of these birds whose name was given to this marshy part of the island. Thus the colonists had there an abundant reserve of water fowl. When the time came, it would be appropriate to exploit this and it was likely that several of these species could become, if not domesticated, at least acclimatized to the neighborhood of the THE CASTAWAYS FROM THE SKY 133 ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ lake, which would put them within the immediate reach of the consumers. Around five o'clock in the evening, Cyrus Smith and his companions took the road back to their dwelling, crossing Tadorn's Marsh and passing over the Mercy on the bridge of ice. At eight o'clock in the evening they were all back at Granite House. CHAPTER XXII Traps - Foxes - Peccaries - Sudden northwest wind - Snowstorm - Basket makers - Deepest frost of the winter - The crystallization of maple sugar - The mysterious well - The planned exploration - The lead bullet. This intense frost lasted until the 15th of August without however dropping below the temperature already noted. When the weather was calm, this low temperature was easily tolerated but when the cold wind blew, it was hard on these insufficiently dressed men. Pencroff regretted that Lincoln Island had not given sanctuary to several families of bears instead of foxes or seals, whose fur leaves much to be desired. "Bears," he said, "are generally well dressed, and I will ask nothing more of them than to borrow for the winter the warm cloaks which are on their bodies." "But," replied Neb laughing, "perhaps these bears will not consent, Pencroff, to give you their cloaks. These animals are not Saint-Martins!" "We will compel them, Neb. We will compel them," replied Pencroff, in a completely authoritative tone. But these formidable carnivores did not exist on the island, or at least they had not shown themselves until then. Nevertheless, Herbert, Pencroff and the reporter made traps on Grand View Plateau and at the approaches to the forest. In the sailor's opinion, every animal, whatever it be, would be a good prize, and the rodents or carnivores who would use the new traps would be well received at Granite House. Besides, these traps were extremely simple: Holes dug in the ground, a platform of branches and grass above to hide the opening, some bait at the bottom whose odor would attract the animals, that was all. It should be said that these traps were not dug at random but at certain places where numerous footprints indicated the frequent passage of quadrupeds. They were visited every day. Three times during the first days they found specimens there of the colpeos that had already been seen on the right bank of the Mercy. "Are there nothing but foxes in this country?" cried Pencroff, the third time that he pulled out one of these animals from the pit. He was very crestfallen. "These animals are good for nothing." 134 THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ "But yes," said Gideon Spilett. "They are good for something." "And what is that?" "To make bait to attract others." The reporter was right and the traps were henceforth baited with the corpses of the foxes. The sailor also made collars using juncus fibers and the collars were more profitable than the traps. It was a rare day without some rabbit captured from the warren. It was always rabbit, but Neb knew how to vary his sauces and the guests did not dream of complaining. However one or two times, in the second week of August, the traps delivered to the hunters other animals more useful than the colpeos. There were several of these wild boars that had already been sighted to the north of the lake. Pencroff had no need to ask if these animals were edible. This was obvious from their resemblance to the pigs of America or Europe. The sailor leaned over the trap. By the small appendage which serves it as a tail, he took out one of these representatives of the suilline family. "But these are not pigs. I warn you, Pencroff," Herbert said to him. "My boy," replied the sailor, "let me believe that these are pigs." "And why?" "Because it pleases me." "You really like the pig, Pencroff?" "I love the pig a lot," answered the sailor, "especially for its feet, and if it had eight feet instead of four I would love it twice as much." As to the animals in question, they were peccaries belonging to one of the four genuses that make up the family. They were indeed of the "tajacu" species, recognizable by their dark color and deprived of those long canine teeth that arm the mouths of their congeners. These peccaries ordinarily live in groups and it was likely that they abounded in the wooded parts of the island. In any event they were edible from head to toe and Pencroff asked nothing more of them. About the 15th of August, the weather was suddenly changed by a northwest wind. The temperature rose several degrees and the accumulated vapor in the air was not long in changing to snow. The entire island was covered with a white layer and showed itself to its inhabitants under a new aspect. This snow fell abundantly for several days and soon attained a thickness of two feet. The wind soon freshened with an extreme violence and from the height of Granite House they could hear the sea growling on the reef. There were rapid eddies of air in certain corners and the snow, forming in tall rotating columns, resembled those waterspouts which twirl at their base and which vessels attack by cannon fire. The storm however came from the northwest, taking hold of the island from the rear. The orientation of Granite House preserved it from a direct assault. But in the midst of this snow blast, as terrible as if it was produced in some polar country, neither Cyrus Smith nor his companions were able, in spite of their desire, to venture outside and they THE CASTAWAYS FROM THE SKY 135 ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ remained shut up for five days, from the 20th to the 25th of August. They heard the tempest roar in Jacamar Woods which was sure to suffer from it. Doubtless many trees would be uprooted but Pencroff consoled himself by thinking that it would save him the trouble of cutting them down. "The wind is woodsman, let it work," he repeated. And besides, he had no means of restraining it. What thanks the hosts of Granite House then gave to heaven for having made for them this solid and steadfast retreat! Cyrus Smith deserved a legitimate part of these thanks but after all, it was nature that had excavated this vast cavern and he had only discovered it. There, all were safe and the storms could not reach them. If they had constructed a house of bricks and wood on Grand View Plateau, it would certainly not have resisted the fury of this storm. As to the Chimneys, the noise made by the waves led them to believe that it was absolutely uninhabitable because the sea, passing over the islet, must beat it with rage. But here, in Granite House, inside this block, neither water nor air could harm them and there was nothing to fear. During these days of sequestration the colonists did not remain inactive. Wood, cut into planks, was not lacking in the storeroom and little by little they completed the furniture. The tables and chairs were sturdy, to be sure, because material was not spared. This somewhat heavy furniture hardly justified its name since mobility is an essential condition but Neb and Pencroff were proud of it and would not have exchanged it for any other. Then the woodworkers became basketmakers and they did not succeed badly at this new task. They had discovered, near a corner of the lake that projected northward, a prolific osier bed where a large number of purple osiers grew. Before the rainy season, Pencroff and Herbert had harvested these useful bushes and their branches were used well. The first attempts were shapeless but thanks to the skill and intelligence of the basket makers who, consulting, recalling the models they had seen, emulating each other, some large and small baskets soon accrued to the colony. The storeroom was provided with them and there Neb stored his harvest of rhizomes, pine almonds and the roots of the dragon tree. During the last week of this month of August, the weather changed once more. The temperature dropped a little and it became calm. The colonists went outside. There was certainly two feet of snow on the beach but the surface of this snow was hard so they could walk on it without much difficulty. Cyrus Smith and his companions climbed to Grand View Plateau. What a change! These woods which they had left green, especially the neighboring parts where the conifers dominated, had disappeared under a uniform color. All was white from the top of Mount Franklin to the shore, the forests, the prairie, the lake, the river, the beaches. The water of the Mercy ran under a canopy of ice which broke up at each rise and fall of the tide, shattering loudly. Numerous birds fluttered on the solid surface of the lake, ducks and woodcocks, pintails and 136 THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ guillemots. Thousands were there. The rocks between which the cascade poured out on to the beach, bristled with ice. It could be said that the water escaped from a monstrous gargoyle made with all the fantasy of a renaissance artist. As to judging the damage done to the forest by the storm, they still could not do it, and it would be necessary to wait until the immense white layer was dissipated. Gideon Spilett, Pencroff and Neb used this occasion to visit their traps. They could not find them easily under the snow which covered them. They had to take care not to fall into one or the other. This would have been simultaneously dangerous and humiliating: to be caught in one's one trap! But they avoided this unpleasantness and found the traps perfectly intact. No animal had fallen in, but there were many footprints all about including certain clearly revealed claw marks. Herbert did not hesitate to affirm that some carnivore of the feline genre had passed there. This justified the engineer's opinion on the presence of dangerous beasts on Lincoln Island. Doubtless these animals ordinarily inhabited the thick forests of the Far West but pressed on by hunger, they had ventured up to Grand View Plateau. Perhaps they smelled the hosts of Granite House. "In short, what kind of felines are these?" asked Pencroff. "They are tigers," replied Herbert. "I believe that these animals are found only in warm countries." "On the new continent," replied the lad, "they are observed from Mexico to the pampas of Buenos Aires. Now, since Lincoln Island is very nearly on the same latitude as the province of La Plata, it is not astonishing that several tigers are encountered here." "Good, we will keep an eye out for them," answered Pencroff. However, the snow ended by dissipating under the influence of the rising temperature. Rain fell and thanks to its dissolving action the white layer disappeared. In spite of the bad weather, the colonists renewed their reserve of everything, pine almonds, dragon tree roots, rhizomes, maple syrup for the vegetable part; rabbits from the warren, agoutis and kangaroos for the animal part. This necessitated several excursions into the forest and they noted that a certain quantity of trees had been thrown down by the last storm. The sailor and Neb even hauled the cart up to the coal bed in order to bring back several tons of fuel. They saw in passing that the chimney of the pottery furnace had been extensively damaged by the wind and that at least six feet had been knocked off the top. The provision of wood was also renewed at Granite House at the same time as the coal and they profited by the current of the Mercy, which had become free, to bring in several loads. They could see that the period of severe cold was not over. A visit was also made to the Chimneys and the colonists could only congratulate themselves that they had not lived there during the storm. The sea had left incontestable marks of its ravages. Driven on by the open winds and passing over THE CASTAWAYS FROM THE SKY 137 ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ the islet, the sea had violently assailed the passageways which were half buried in the sand. Thick layers of seaweed covered the rocks. While Neb, Herbert and Pencroff hunted or renewed the supply of fuel, Cyrus Smith and Gideon Spilett cleaned up the Chimneys, finding the forge and the furnace almost intact, protected from the first by the sand covering. The fuel had not been renewed in vain. The colonists had not finished with the rigorous frost. As is known, in the northern hemisphere, the month of February is noted for its large drops in temperature. It is the same in the southern hemisphere and the end of the month of August, which is the February of North America, did not escape this climatic law. About the 25th, after a new change between snow and rain, the wind blew from the southeast and suddenly the cold became extremely brisk. According to the engineer's estimate, the column of mercury on a Fahrenheit thermometer would not have marked less than 8ø below zero (22.22ø centigrade below freezing). Rendered more painful by the sharp wind, this intense frost kept up for several days. The colonists were again shut up in Granite House. Since it was necessary to hermetically seal all openings of the facade leaving only a small passage for the renewal of air, the consumption of candles was considerable. In order to economize them, the colonists often used only the light from the fireplace where they did not spare the fuel. Several times one or the other descended to the beach amid the ice floes that piled up with each tide but they soon climbed back to Granite House and it was not without pain and without suffering that their hands held on to the rungs of the ladder. With this intense frost, the rungs burnt their fingers. It was again necessary to occupy the leisure imposed on the hosts of Granite House. Cyrus Smith then undertook an operation suited to indoors. We know that the colonists had no sugar other than this liquid substance that they drew from the maple by making deep incisions in this tree. It sufficed for them to collect this liqueur into vases and they used it in this state for various culinary uses, so much the more that on aging the liqueur tended to become white and took on a syrupy consistency. But there was something better to make and one day Cyrus Smith announced to his companions that they were going to become refiners. "Refiners!" replied Pencroff. "That is a somewhat warm profession, I believe." "Very warm," replied the engineer. "Then it will be in season," answered the sailor. The word refining should not bring to mind complicated factories, tools and workmen. No! To crystalize this liqueur, it suffices to purify it by an extremely easy operation. Placed on a fire in large earthen vases, it was simply subjected to a certain evaporation and soon a scum rose to the surface. When it began to thicken, Neb took care to stir it with a wooden spatula, which accelerated its evaporation and at the same time prevented it from acquiring an empyreumatic taste. 138 THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ After boiling for several hours on a good fire, which did as much good to the operators as to the substance operated on, it was transformed to a thick syrup. This syrup was poured into clay molds previously made in the same kitchen stove, and to which they had given various shapes. The next day this syrup solidified, forming cakes and tablets. It was sugar of a slightly reddish color but nearly transparent and with a perfect taste. The frost continued to mid-September and the prisoners of Granite House began to find their captivity rather long. Nearly every day they made several sorties which they could not prolong. They therefore worked constantly on the arrangements for the dwelling. They chatted while working. Cyrus Smith instructed his companions in all things and principally he explained to them the practical applications of science. The colonists did not have a library at their disposal, but the engineer was a book that was always ready, always open to the page that each one needed, a book which answered all their questions and which they often leafed through. So the time passed and these brave men had no doubts about the future. However, it was time for their confinement to end. All were in a hurry to see, if not the fine season, at least the end of this insupportable frost. If only they had been dressed in a way to be able to brave it, what excursions they would have made either to the dunes or to Tadorn Marsh. The game would have been easy to approach and the hunt would have assuredly been fruitful. But Cyrus Smith maintained that no one should compromise his health since he had need of all hands, and his advice was followed. But, it must be said, the most impatient of the prisoners, after Pencroff of course, was Top. The faithful dog found Granite House too confining. He came and went from one room to the other, showing from his manner, his boredom in being cooped up. Cyrus Smith often remarked that when he came near the gloomy well which was in communication with the sea and whose opening was at the base of the storeroom, that he made singular grunts. Top turned around this hole which had been covered with a wooden panel. Sometimes he even tried to slip his paws under this panel as if he wanted to lift it. He then yapped in a particular way which indicated anger and uneasiness at the same time. The engineer observed this behavior several times. What was there in this abyss that could impress the intelligent animal? The well led to the sea, that was certain. Did it also branch out through narrow passageways across the framework of the island? Was it in communication with several other interior cavities? Did some marine monster come from time to time to breath at the bottom of this well? The engineer did not know what to think and he couldn't help but imagine bizarre complications. Accustomed to the domain of scientific reality, he could not pardon himself for drifting into the domain of the strange and almost supernatural. Top was one of those sensible dogs who did not waste their time in barking at the moon but THE CASTAWAYS FROM THE SKY 139 ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ how could he explain why the dog insisted on probing this abyss with his smell and hearing if there was nothing to arouse his uneasiness? Top's conduct intrigued Cyrus Smith more than he admitted to himself. In any case, the engineer communicated his impressions only to Gideon Spilett, finding it pointless to tell his companions about these involuntary thoughts that arose within himself and which perhaps were due only to Top's whims. At last the frost ended. There was rain, squalls mixed with snow, showers and windstorms, but this bad weather did not last long. The ice dissolved, the snow melted; the beach, the plateau, the banks of the Mercy and the forests became passable once again. The return of springtime delighted the hosts of Granite House and soon they passed there only the hours for sleeping and for meals. They did a lot of hunting in the second half of September which brought Pencroff to call again for firearms which he said had been promised by Cyrus Smith. The latter, knowing well that without special tools it was almost impossible to make a gun that would be of service, always held back and put off the operation for a later time. He noted, moreover, that Herbert and Gideon Spilett had become skillful archers, that all sorts of excellent animals, agoutis, kangaroos, capybaras, pigeons, bustards, wild duck, snipe, in short that hairy or feathery game fell under their arrows and consequently that they could wait. But the obstinate sailor would not hear of it and did not cease to remind the engineer that he had not satisfied his desire. Besides, Gideon Spilett seconded Pencroff. "If the island, as we have no reason to doubt," he said, "contains ferocious animals, we should think of fighting them and exterminating them. A time may come when this will become our first duty." But at this period, it was not this question of firearms which preoccupied Cyrus Smith but that of clothing. The colonists had passed the winter with those that they wore, but these would not last until the next winter. They would have to procure the furs of some carnivores or the wool of ruminants at any price. Since there was no lack of sheep, it would be advisable to start a flock which would be raised for the needs of the colony. An enclosure for domestic animals, a poultry yard laid out for the fowl, in a word a sort of farm to establish at some point on the island, such were the two important projects to execute during the fine season. Consequently, and in view of these future establishments, it thus became urgent to conduct a reconnaissance of all the unknown parts of Lincoln Island, that is to say in the deep forests which extended on the right of the Mercy from its mouth to the extremity of Serpentine Peninsula, as well as all of the western shore. But better weather was needed and a month must pass before this exploration could be properly undertaken. They therefore waited with some impatience when an incident occurred which further excited the desire of the colonists to visit their entire domain. 140 THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ It was the 24th of October. On this day Pencroff had gone to visit the traps which he always kept decently baited. In one of these he found three animals which would be welcome back home. It was a female peccary and her two young ones. Pencroff returned to Granite House, enchanted with his capture and, as usual, the sailor made a big show over his hunt. "Come! We will make a good meal, Mister Cyrus," he cried. "And you too, Mister Spilett, you will eat it!" "I do so want to eat," replied the reporter, "but what is it that I will eat?" "Piglet." "Ah, really, piglet, Pencroff? To hear you speak, I would think you were bringing a young truffled partridge!" "How's this?" cried Pencroff. "Are you perchance making fun of my piglet?" "No," replied Gideon Spilett, without showing any enthusiasm, "provided one does not overdo it..." "That is good, that is good, Mister journalist," retorted the sailor, who did not like to hear his hunt depreciated. "You are difficult. And seven months ago, when we landed on the island, you would have been very happy to meet with similar game!..." "There, there," replied the reporter. "Man is never happy nor content." "Well," replied Pencroff, "I hope that Neb will distinguish himself. Look! These two young peccaries are not even three months old! They will be as tender as quails. Come Neb, let's go. I will oversee the cooking myself." And the sailor, followed by Neb, went into the kitchen where they became absorbed in their culinary labors. They did it their way. Neb and he then prepared a magnificent meal, the two young peccaries, a kangaroo soup, a smoked ham, some pine almonds, dragon tree beverage, some Oswego tea, in short, the best of everything; but the best of all the dishes was the savory peccaries, prepared braised. At five o'clock dinner was served in the hall of Granite House. The kangaroo soup was smoking on the table. They found it excellent. After the soup came the peccaries which Pencroff wanted to slice himself. He served monstrous portions to each of his fellow diners. These piglets were truly delicious and Pencroff devoured his portion with gusto when all of a sudden a cry and an oath escaped him. "What is it?" asked Cyrus Smith. "It's... It's... I broke a tooth!" replied the sailor. "So! Are there are pebbles in your peccaries?" asked Gideon Spilett. "I think so," replied Pencroff, drawing from his lips the object which had cost him a molar!... It was not a pebble... It was a lead bullet. END OF THE FIRST PART