THE ABANDONED 179 ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ enclosed in this storeroom, the patience advised by the engineer ended by degenerating into a violent irritation and frankly there was reason for it. "Decidedly, this is very stupid," the reporter said finally, "and there really is no way to end this!" "We must send these vagabonds packing!" cried Pencroff. "We will get back in the end even if it takes twenty days, even if we have to fight them hand to hand, but is there no way to get to them?" "Yes," replied the engineer, who got a bright idea. "One idea?" said Pencroff. "Well that's good, since there are no others. And what is it?" "Let us try to redescend into Granite House by the old passageway of the lake," replied the engineer. "Ah! A thousand devils!" cried the sailor. "Why didn't I think of it?" It was in fact the only means of penetrating into Granite House in order to combat the band and of expelling it. The orifice of the overflow was, it is true, closed by a wall of cemented rocks which it would be necessary to sacrifice but they would be free to make it again. Fortunately, Cyrus Smith still had not completed his project of hiding this orifice by submerging it under the waters of the lake because he had not had the time to do it. It was already past noon when the colonists, well armed and provided with pics and picaxes, left the Chimneys. They passed under the windows of Granite House after having ordered Top to remain at his post. They intended to ascend the left bank of the Mercy in order to reach Grand View Plateau. But they had not gone fifty paces in this direction when they heard the dog barking furiously. It was a desperate call. They stopped. "Run!" said Pencroff. And everyone descended the bank as fast as he could. Rounding the bend they saw that the situation had changed. In fact the apes, terrorized by some unknown cause, were trying to get out. Two or three ran and jumped from one window to the other with the agility of clowns. They did not even think of replacing the ladder which would have facilitated their descent and in their fright perhaps they had forgotten this means of getting out. Soon five or six were in a position to be fired upon and the colonists, easily seeing them, fired. Some, wounded or dead, fell back into the rooms uttering sharp cries. Others fell outside, killed by their fall, and in a few moments they could suppose that there no longer were any living quadrumanes in Granite House. "Hurrah!" cried Pencroff. "Hurrah! Hurrah!" "So many hurrahs!" said Gideon Spilett. "Why not? They are dead," replied the sailor. "Agreed, but this does not give us the means of returning to our home." "Let us go to the overflow passage," replied Pencroff. 180 THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ "Without doubt," said the engineer. "However, it would be preferable..." At this moment, as if in response to Cyrus Smith's comment, they saw the ladder glide onto the landing outside the door. Then it unraveled and fell to the ground. "Ah! A thousand pipes! That's considerate!" cried the sailor, looking at Cyrus Smith. "Very considerate!" murmured the engineer, stepping on the first rung of the ladder. "Take care, Mister Cyrus!" cried Pencroff, "there may still be several of these apes..." "We will soon know," replied the engineer, without stopping. All his companions followed him and in a minute they arrived at the landing of the door. They looked everywhere. No one was in the rooms or in the storeroom which had been respected by the band of quadrumanes. "So, and the ladder?" cried the sailor. "Who then was the gentleman who returned it?" But at this moment a cry was heard and a large ape, who had taken refuge in the passageway, threw himself into the hall, pursued by Neb. "Ah! The bandit!" cried Pencroff. And with axe in hand he was about to crack the animal's skull when Cyrus Smith stopped him and said to him: "Spare him, Pencroff." "Show mercy to this blackamoor?" "Yes! It was he who threw us the ladder." And the engineer said this in so strange a voice that it was difficult to know if he spoke seriously or not. Nevertheless they threw themselves on the ape who, after having defended himself valiantly, was thrown to the ground and tied. "Whew!" cried Pencroff. "And now what will we make of him?" "A servant!" replied Herbert. And in speaking so the lad really was not joking because he knew that use could be made of this intelligent race of quadrumanes. The colonists then approached the ape and looked at him. He belonged to that species of anthropomorphs whose facial angle in not significantly less than that of the Australians and of the Hottentots. It was an orang who, as such, had neither the ferocity of the baboon, nor the thoughtlessness of the macaco, nor the filthy ways of the saguin, nor the impatience of the barbary ape nor the bad instincts of the cynocephalus. It was of that family of anthropomorphs having a quasi-human intelligence. Employed in homes, they can serve at tables, clean rooms, care for clothes, polish shoes, skillfully handle a knife, a spoon and a fork and even drink wine... all this as well as the best servant on two feet and no feathers. It is said that Buffon possessed one of these apes who served him for a long time as a faithful and zealous servant. THE ABANDONED 181 ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ The one that they had tied up in the large hall of Granite House was a large devil, six feet tall, with an admirably proportioned body, a large chest, a head of average size, a facial angle of sixty five degrees, a rounded cranium, a prominent nose, a skin covered with a sleek, gentle and glossy hair - in short an accomplished type of anthropomorph. His eyes, a little smaller than human eyes, shown with a vivacious intelligence, his white teeth glistened under his moustache and he had a small beard glazed with a hazel color. "A fine lad!" said Pencroff. "If only we knew his language, we could speak to him." "Are you serious, master?" said Neb. "Will we take him on as a servant?" "Yes, Neb," replied the engineer, smiling. "But do not be jealous!" "And I hope that he will make an excellent servant," added Herbert. "He seems to be young, his education will be easy and we will not be obliged to use force to subjugate him, nor to pull his teeth as is done in similar circumstances. He will become attached to his masters if we are good to him." "And that we will be," replied Pencroff, who had completely forgotten his grudge against "the jokers." Then, approaching the orang: "Well, my boy," he asked him. "How goes it?" The orang replied with a small growl that did not denote any bad temper. "Do we wish then to become a part of the colony?" asked the sailor, "to enter the service of Mister Cyrus Smith?" The ape made another approving growl. "And we will be content with our nourishment for our wages?" A third affirmative growl. "His conversation is a little monotonous," said Gideon Spilett. "Good!" replied Pencroff, "the best servants are those who speak the least. So then, no wages! - Do you understand my boy? To begin with, we will give you no wages but later on we will double it if we are satisfied with you!" Thus the colony added a new member who could be of service. As to his name, the sailor asked that he be called Jupiter, or Jup for short, in memory of another ape he had known. And so, without further ceremony, Master Jup was installed at Granite House. 182 THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ CHAPTER VII Projects to execute - A bridge over the Mercy - Making an island out of Grand View Plateau - The draw-bridge - The corn harvest - The creek - The culverts - The poultry yard - The pigeon house - The two onagers - The harnessed cart - Excursion to Port Balloon. The colonists of Lincoln Island had thus regained their dwelling without having been obliged to use the old passageway, which saved them from masonry work. It was truly fortunate that at the moment when whey were getting ready to do this, the band of apes had been terrified, at least subjected to something inexplicable, which had driven them from Granite House. Did these animals have some warning of a serious assault coming to them from another direction? This was just about the only way to explain their retreat. During the final hours of that day, the bodies of the apes were carried to the woods where they were buried; then the colonists repaired the disorder caused by the intruders - disorder but not damage - because if they had upset the furniture in the rooms, at least they had broken nothing. Neb rekindled his stoves and the reserves in the pantry furnished a substantial meal to which all did justice. Jup was not forgotten and he ate with appetite the pine almonds and the rhizome roots which were abundantly provided for him. Pencroff had untied his arms but he judged it best to leave the fetters on his legs until the time when they could count on his submissiveness. Then, before going to bed, Cyrus Smith and his companions, seated around the table, discussed several projects whose execution was urgent. The most important and the most pressing was the establishment of a bridge over the Mercy in order to put the southern part of the island in communication with Granite House, then the establishment of a corral destined to house the sheep or other wool animals that they agreed to capture. As can be seen, these two projects tended to solve the question of clothing, which was then the most serious. In fact, the bridge would make it easy to transport the envelope of the balloon which would give linen, and the corral would furnish a collection of wool which would give winter clothing. As to the corral, it was Cyrus Smith's intention to establish it at the very source of Red Creek, where the ruminants would find fresh and abundant pasture for their nourishment. Already the route between Grand View Plateau and the sources had been partly blazed, and with a cart better built than the first one, the haul would be easier especially if they managed to capture some beast of burden. But if there was no inconvenience due to the fact that the corral might be far from Granite House, such was not the case with the poultry yard, which Neb called to the attention of the colonists. In fact, it was necessary that the birds be within THE ABANDONED 183 ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ the reach of the kitchen chef and no location seemed more favorable than that portion of the banks of the lake that bordered on the old overflow. The waterfowl would know how to prosper there as well as the others. The tinamou couple, taken during the last excursion, would serve as the first attempt at domestication. The next day - the 3rd of November - the new works were begun with the construction of the bridge and all hands were required for this important task. Saws, axes, chisels and hammers were placed on the colonists' shoulders who, transformed into carpenters, descended to the shore. There Pencroff had a thought. "What if, during our absence, Master Jup takes a fancy to draw up this ladder that he gallantly threw down yesterday?" "Let us tie it down at its lower end," replied Cyrus Smith. This was done by means of two picks well buried in the sand. Then the colonists ascended the left bank of the Mercy and soon arrived at the bend formed by the river. There they stopped in order to see if the bridge could be thrown at this point. The spot seemed suitable. In fact from this point to Port Balloon, discovered the previous day on the southern shore, it was only three and a half miles. From bridge to port it would be easy to blaze a path fit for a cart, which would make for easy communication between Granite House and the south of the island. Cyrus Smith then acquainted his companions with a project both very simple to execute and very advantageous, which he had thought about for some time. It was to completely isolate Grand View Plateau in order to shelter it from any attack by quadrupeds or by quadrumanes. By this means Granite House, the Chimneys, the poultry yard and all the upper part of the plateau destined to be made into an island, would be protected from the depredations of animals. Nothing was easier to execute than this project and here is how the engineer counted on doing it. The plateau already found itself defended on three sides by watercourses, be they artificial or natural. In the northwest, by the shore of Lake Grant from the corner located at the opening of the old overflow to the cut made on the east shore for the escape of the waters; In the north, from this cut to the sea, by the new watercourse which had hollowed itself out on the plateau and on the beach upstream and downstream from the waterfall, and in fact it was sufficient to excavate the bed of this creek to render it impractical to animals; On the eastern shore by the sea itself, from the mouth of the aforesaid creek to the mouth of the Mercy; Finally on the south, from this mouth to the bend in the Mercy where they would establish the bridge. There still remained the western part of the plateau, between the bend in the river and the southern corner of the lake, a distance less than one mile, which was open to all 184 THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ who came. But nothing was easier than to cut a wide and deep trench, which would be filled by the waters of the lake and whose overflow would be thrown into the Mercy by a second waterfall. The level of the lake would doubtless be lowered a little as a result of this new discharge but Cyrus Smith knew that the flow of Red Creek was sufficient to allow for the execution of his project. "In this way," added the engineer, "Grand View Plateau will be a real island, being surrounded by water on all sides and it will communicate with the rest of our domain only by the bridge which we are going to throw across the Mercy, the two smaller bridges already established upstream and downstream from the waterfall, and finally two other bridges yet to be constructed, one over the trench that I propose to excavate and the other on the left bank of the Mercy. Now if these bridges can be raised at will, Grand View Plateau will be protected against any surprise. In order to help his companions to better understand his plan, Cyrus Smith made a map of the plateau and his project was immediately grasped in its entirety. It was approved unanimously and Pencroff, brandishing his carpenter's axe, cried: "First to the bridge!" It was the most urgent work. The trees were chosen, cut down, branches removed, and cut into small beams, into thick planks and into boards. This bridge, fixed on the side that was supported by the right bank of the Mercy, would be movable on the left bank so that it could be raised by means of counterweights as is done with certain floodgates. It should be understood that this was a large undertaking, and if it was done efficiently it still required a lot of time because the Mercy was about eighty feet wide. It would be necessary to sink the piles into the riverbed in order to support the platform of the bridge and to make a pile driver to pound the tops of the piles which would enable the two arches of the bridge to support heavy loads. Very fortunately they lacked neither the tools to work the wood, nor the ironwork to put it together, nor the knowledge of what was to be done, nor finally the zeal of those who during these seven months had necessarily acquired the manual dexterity. Gideon Spilett was not the most awkward one and kept up with the sailor himself, who never would have expected this from "a mere journalist." The construction of the bridge over the Mercy lasted three weeks, which were fully occupied. They ate at the worksite itself, the weather was magnificent then, and they only returned to Granite House for supper. During this period Master Jup became accustomed and familiar with his new masters whom he looked upon with extreme curiosity. As a precaution, Pencroff still did not allow him complete freedom of movement, wanting to wait, rightly so, until the limits of the plateau would be restricted by these proposed projects. Top and Jup got on and played together but Jup was always serious. THE ABANDONED 185 ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ The bridge was finished on the 20th of November. Its movable portion, in equilibrium with the counterweights, moved easily, and it required little effort to raise it. Between the hinge and the support on which it would rest when closed, there was a twenty foot interval which would be sufficient to prevent any animals from crossing. It was then a question of going for the envelope of the balloon, which the colonists were anxious to put in complete security; but in order to transport it, it would be necessary to get a cart over to Port Balloon and in consequence to blaze a route across the thick forest of the Far West. That would require time. Neb and Pencroff first pushed through to the port and since they found that the "linen supply" would not suffer in the grotto where it had been stored, it was decided that the works relative to Grand View Plateau would be pushed without pausing. "That," noted Pencroff, "will permit us to establish our poultry yard under the best conditions since we will fear neither a visit from the foxes nor the aggression of other noxious animals." "Without mentioning," added Neb, "that we will be able to clear the plateau so as to transplant wild plants there..." "And to prepare our second cornfield," cried the sailor triumphantly. In fact the first cornfield, sowed with a single grain, had prospered admirably thanks to Pencroff's care. It had produced the ten ears predicted by the engineer and each ear carried eighty grains. In six months the colony had obtained eight hundred grains, since two harvests each year were permitted. These eight hundred grains, less fifty which were prudently put aside, would be sowed in a new field with no less care than that bestowed on the single grain. The field was prepared and then surrounded by a high, sharp and strong wooden fence that quadrupeds would find very difficult to cross. As to the birds, some noisy whirligigs and frightful mannequins, dreamed up by Pencroff's fantastic imagination, were sufficient to scatter them. The seven hundred fifty grains were then put in small very regular furrows and nature would do the rest. On the 21st of November, Cyrus Smith began to design the trench that would enclose the plateau from the west, from the southern corner of Lake Grant to the bend in the Mercy. This ground had two feet of topsoil and, under that, granite. He made some more nitroglycerin and the nitroglycerin produced its usual effect. In less than fifteen days a trench, a dozen feet wide and six feet deep, was excavated into the hard ground of the plateau. A new drain was, by the same means, cut into the rocky shore of the lake. The water fell into this new bed and formed a small watercourse to which they gave the name "Glycerin Creek" which became an affluent of the Mercy. As predicted by the engineer, the level of the lake was lowered but by an insignificant amount. Finally, to complete the 186 THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ enclosure, the bed of the brook on the beach was considerably enlarged, and they held the sand in place by means of a double fence. In the first half of December these activities were finished and Grand View Plateau, that is to say a sort of irregular pentagon having a perimeter of about four miles, was surrounded by water and absolutely protected against all aggression. It was very hot during this month of December. However, the colonists did not want to delay the execution of these projects any longer since it was urgent to set up a poultry yard. Needless to say, since the enclosure of the plateau, Master Jup had been given his liberty. He did not leave his masters and showed no wish to escape. He was a gentle animal, very vigorous however, and with an extraordinary agility. Ah! When he climbed the ladder to Granite House, he had no rival. They had already used him for several tasks: He dragged loads of wood and carted away stones that had been extracted from the bed of Glycerin Creek. "He is not yet a mason, but he is already an ape!" said Herbert jokingly, making allusion to the nickname of "ape" that masons give to their apprentices. And if ever the name was justified, this was it. The poultry yard occupied an area of two hundred square yards on the southeast bank of the lake. They surrounded it with a wooden fence and they built different shelters for the animals that would populate it. These were shacks made of branches and divided into compartments, which would not be long in receiving their hosts. The first were the tinamou couple, who soon had numerous young. For companions they had a half dozen ducks who had frequented the borders of the lake. Some of them belonged to this Chinese species whose wings open like a fan and who rival the gilded pheasants with the brilliance and brightness of their plumage. Several days later, Herbert got hold of a gallinaceous couple with a rounded tail and a crest of long feathers, and magnificent "alectorides," who were not long in becoming tame. As to the pelicans, the kingfishers and the waterfowl, they came by themselves to the waterside of the poultry yard, and all of this miniature world, after several disputes, cooing, cheeping and clucking, ended by coming to terms and increasing in proportions which were reassuring for the alimentary future of the colony. Cyrus Smith, wanting to complete his plan, established a pigeon house in a corner of the poultry yard. A dozen of those pigeons that frequented the high rocks of the plateau were lodged there. These birds became easily accustomed to come to their new dwelling each evening and showed more of a tendency to become domesticated than their congeners, the wood pigeons who besides, would only reproduce in the wild state. Finally the time came for them to use the envelope of the balloon to make linen. As to keeping it in this form and risk themselves in a hot air balloon in order to leave the island, THE ABANDONED 187 ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ above an ocean without limits so to say, that was not admissible for people who were destitute of everything. Cyrus Smith, being practical, could not dream of it. They took steps then to bring the envelope to Granite House and to make their heavy cart more manageable and lighter. But if a vehicle was not lacking, the motor had still to be found. Did there exist on the island some native ruminant species that could replace the horse, donkey, ox or cow? That was the question. "The truth is," said Pencroff, "that a beast of burden would be very useful to us while waiting for Mister Smith to construct a steam cart or even a locomotive, because certainly one day we will have a railroad from Granite House to Port Balloon with a branch line to Mount Franklin." And the honest sailor, in speaking this way, believed what he said. Oh! Imagination, when faith is blended with it! But, without exaggeration, a simple harnessable quadruped would have done well for Pencroff's purpose, but Providence favored him and did not keep him waiting. One day, the 23rd of December, they heard Neb shouting and Top barking in rivalry at the same time. The colonists, occupied at the Chimneys, ran immediately fearing some violent incident. What did they see? Two large fine animals who had imprudently ventured onto the plateau while the bridges were down. One would have said they were two horses at least two donkeys, male and female, with a fine form, dove colored fur, white legs and tail, with black stripes on the head, neck and trunk. They advance calmly without showing any uneasiness and looked with a sharp eye on these men whom they still did not recognize as their masters. "They are onagers," cried Herbert, "quadrupeds which are midway between the zebra and the quagga." "Why not donkeys?" asked Neb. "Because they do not have long ears and their forms are more gracious." "Donkeys or horses," laughed Pencroff, "they are 'motors', as Mister Smith would say and as such worth capturing." The sailor, without frightening the two animals, glided among the grass to the bridge over Glycerin Creek, swung it up, and the onagers were prisoners. Now should they seize them with violence and submit them to a forced domestication? No. It was decided that, for several days, they would let them come and go freely on the plateau where there was abundant grass, and immediately the engineer made a stable near the poultry yard where the onagers could find good litter and a refuge for the night. The magnificent couple were allowed complete freedom of movement and the colonists even avoided frightening them by coming near them. Several times however, the onagers seemed to feel the need to leave the plateau, which was too small for them, accustomed as they were to the large areas of the deep forests. They then saw them follow the belt of water that held them back, braying sharply, galloping among the grass and, 188 THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ becoming calm, they looked for hours at the woods that were denied to them forever. Harnesses and straps were made of vegetable fiber, and some days after the capture of the onagers not only was the cart ready to be harnessed, but a straight road or rather a cut had been made across the forest of the Far West from the bend in the Mercy to Port Balloon. They could take the cart there and it was toward the end of December that they tried the onagers for the first time. Pencroff had already coaxed the animals so that they came to eat from his hand and they could approach them without difficulty, but once harnessed, they reared and they had a hard time bridling them. However they were not long in yielding to this new service. The onager, who is less rebellious than the zebra, is frequently harnessed in the mountainous regions of South Africa and even in some relatively cold zones of Europe. On this day the entire colony got into the cart except for Pencroff who marched at the head of the animals. They took the road to Port Balloon. It was hardly surprising that they were jolted all along the way, that goes without saying; but the vehicle arrived without any accident and, on the same day, they loaded the envelope and the various riggings of the balloon. At eight o'clock in the evening the cart, after having passed back over the Mercy bridge, redescended the left bank of the river and halted on the beach. The onagers were unharnessed and then brought back to their stable, and before going to sleep, Pencroff heaved a sigh of satisfaction which echoed throughout Granite House. CHAPTER VIII Linen - Hunting for sealskin - Making pyroxyle - Various plantings - Fishing - Tortoise eggs - Progress of Master Jup - The corral - Hunting wild sheep - New vegetable and animal riches - Remembrance of their native land. The first week in January was devoted to making the linen needed by the colony. The needles found in the case were used by vigorous if not sturdy fingers and the sewing was done well. There was no lack of thread thanks to Cyrus Smith's idea of using the thread that had already served to sew up the balloon. These long threads were unraveled by Gideon Spilett and Herbert with admirable patience. Pencroff had to give up this work which irritated him beyond measure; but when it came to sewing, he had no equal. No one can be ignorant of the fact that sailors have a remarkable aptitude for the sewing profession. The cloth that composed the envelope of the balloon was then degreased by means of soda and potassium obtained from the incineration of plants so that the unvarnished cotton regained its suppleness and its natural elasticity; then THE ABANDONED 189 ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ subjected to the decoloration action of the atmosphere, it acquired a perfect whiteness. Several dozen shirts and socks - the latter unknitted of course but made of sewn cloth - were made. What pleasure it was for the colonists to dress again in white linen - very rough linen doubtless but they were not troubled by so small a matter - and to sleep between sheets which made the bunks of Granite House into quite substantial beds. It was also about this time that they made sealskin shoes, which opportunely replaced the shoes and the boots brought from America. These new shoes were large and wide and never pinched their feet. The heat was still with them at the beginning of the year of 1866 but that did not stop the hunting in the woods. Agoutis, peccaries, capybaras, kangaroos, hairy and feathery game truly abounded and Gideon Spilett and Herbert were good archers who did not waste a shot. Cyrus Smith recommended that they economize on munitions and he took measures to replenish the powder and the lead shot that had been found in the case and which he wished to save for the future. Who could know what hazards they would face one day in the event that they left their domain? They must prepare for future uncertainties by economizing their munitions and substitute for them other easily renewable substances. As to replacing the lead of which Cyrus Smith had found no trace on the island, he used, without detriment, small iron shot which was easy to make. These grains were not as heavy as the lead grains so they made them larger. Each charge contained less but the skill of the hunters made up for the deficiency. As to the powder, Cyrus Smith would have been able to make it since he had available saltpeter, sulphur and coal but this preparation required extreme care and without special tools it was difficult to produce in good quality. Cyrus Smith preferred to make pyroxyle, that is to say guncotton, a substance in which cotton in not necessary except for the cellulose. Now cellulose is nothing more than the elementary tissue of plants and it is found in a nearly perfect state of purity not only in cotton but in the fibrous textiles of hemp and flax, in paper, old linen, elder pith, etc. Now elder trees abounded on the island near the mouth of Red Creek. The colonists had already used the berries of these shrubbery trees of the honeysuckle family as a coffee. It was sufficient to collect the elder pith, that is to say the cellulose. The only other substance necessary for making pyroxyle was fuming nitric acid. Now, since Cyrus Smith had sulphuric acid available, he had already produced nitric acid easily by attacking saltpeter which was furnished by nature. He therefore resolved to make and use pyroxyle although he was aware of its rather serious disadvantages, that is to say a large variation in effect, an excessive inflammability since it ignites at 170ø instead of 240ø and finally a too rapid detonation which could damage the guns. On the other hand, the 190 THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ advantages of pyroxyle are these, that it is not altered by humidity, that it does not foul up the gun and that its explosive force is quadruple that of ordinary powder. To make pyroxyle, it suffices to submerge the cellulose into fuming nitric acid for a quarter of an hour, then to wash it with water and dry it over a large fire. One can see that nothing is simpler. Cyrus Smith only had the ordinary nitric acid and not the fuming nitric acid or the monohydrate, that is to say the acid which emits white vapors on contact with humid air; but the engineer could substitute for the latter and obtain the same result by mixing ordinary nitric acid with sulphuric acid in the ratio of three to five by volume. This he did. The hunters soon had a well made substance which gave excellent results when used with discretion. About this time the colonists cleared three acres (1) of Grand View Plateau and the remainder was saved in the prairie state for the use of the onagers. Several excursions were made into the Jacamar and Far West forests and they brought back a true harvest of wild vegetables, spinach, cress, horse radish and turnips which would soon be cultivated. This would improve their diet. They also carried a lot of wood and coal. Each excursion had, at the same time, improved the roadway which settled down little by little under the wheels of the cart. The warren continued to furnish its quota of rabbits for the Granite House pantry. Since it was located just beyond Glycerin Creek, its hosts could not penetrate the guarded plateau nor ravage the newly made plantation. As to the oyster bed, located among the rocks of the beach and whose products were frequently renewed, it yielded excellent mollusks daily. Fishing either in the waters of the lake or in the Mercy was worthwhile because Pencroff had made some lines armed with iron hooks which frequently caught fine trout and certain extremely savoury fish whose silvery sides were covered with small yellow spots. In this way Master Neb, in charge of the culinary department, was able to agreeably vary the menu at each meal. Bread alone was still missing from the colonists' table and, as was said, it was a privation which was truly felt. About this time they also hunted the tortoises which frequented the beaches of Cape Mandible. In this region the shore bristled with small mounds covering perfectly spherical eggs with a hard white shell whose albumin does not coagulate like bird eggs. It was the sun that made them hatch. There naturally was a considerable number since each tortoise can lay up to two hundred fifty annually. "A real egg field," said Gideon Spilett, "and we have only to collect them." But they were not content with these products. They also had a hunt for the producers, a hunt which allowed them to carry back to Granite House a dozen of these chelonians, truly ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ (1) An acre equals 0.4046 hectares. THE ABANDONED 191 ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ very valuable from the alimentary point of view. Tortoise soup, enhanced with aromatic herbs and cruciferae, often drew merited praise for its preparer, Master Neb. A happy circumstance should be cited here, which allowed them to make additional provisions for the winter. Schools of salmon ventured into the Mercy and ascended the watercourse for several miles. This was the season in which the females, seeking suitable places for spawning, precede the males and make a lot of noise swimming through the sweet water. A thousand of these fish, which measured up to two and a half feet in length, crowded the river and they caught a large quantity by establishing several dams. Several hundred were salted and put in reserve for the time when winter, freezing the watercourse, would render all fishing impractical. It was at this time that the very intelligent Jup was promoted to the rank of valet. He had been dressed in a jacket, short breeches of white cloth, and an apron with pockets that he liked to shove his hands into. He did not mind that they saw him fumbling. The skillful orang had been well trained by Neb and one would say that the Negro and the ape understood each other when they chatted. Jup had, besides, an actual sympathy for Neb and Neb reciprocated. Unless they had need for his services, be it to haul some wood or to climb to the top of some tree, Jup passed most of his time in the kitchen trying to imitate Neb in everything that he saw him do. Besides, the master showed patience and even an extreme zeal in instructing his pupil and the pupil showed a remarkable intelligence in profiting from the lessons given to him by his master. One can judge the satisfaction that he gave to the hosts of Granite House when one day, without any previous announcement, he came with a table napkin on his arm, ready to serve at the table. Skillful and attentive, he performed perfectly, changing the napkins, carrying the plates, pouring the drinks, all with a seriousness that amused the colonists to the last degree and delighted Pencroff. "Jup, some soup!" "Jup, a little agouti!" "Jup, a napkin!" "Jup! Worthy Jup! Honest Jup!" Without becoming upset, Jup responded to everyone and observed everything. He shook his intelligent head when Pencroff, alluding to his joke on the first day, said to him: "Decidedly Jup, we must double your wages!" Needless to say, the orang had become completely acclimatized to Granite House and he often accompanied his masters into the forest without ever manifesting any desire to escape. At such times he marched in the most amusing fashion, with a cane that Pencroff had given him, carrying it on his shoulder like a gun. If they had to pluck some fruit from the top of a tree, how quickly he was up there! If the wheel of the cart became stuck in the mud how vigorously Jup got it back on the road with a single shove! 192 THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ "What a rascal!" Pencroff often cried. "If he was as mischievous as he is good, there would be no holding him back." It was toward the end of January that the colonists undertook a large task in the central part of the island. It had been decided that at the foot of Mount Franklin near the sources of Red Creek, they would build a corral designed to hold the ruminants whose presence near Granite House would have been a nuisance, and especially those wild sheep which could furnish the wool that they expected to make into winter clothing. Every morning the colony, sometimes in its entirety, more often represented only by Cyrus Smith, Herbert and Pencroff, went to the sources of the creek with the aid of the onagers. This was a promenade of not more than five miles under a dome of verdure on this newly traced route which took the name of "Route to the Corral." There a large piece of ground had been chosen on the very flank of the southern part of the mountain. It was a prairie, planted with clusters of trees, situated at the very foot of a buttress which enclosed it on one side. A small brook, having its source among the slopes, flowed diagonally across the area and fed into Red Creek. The grass grew well and the few trees allowed the air to circulate freely. It sufficed then to enclose the said prairie with a palisade which would be supported at each corner by a buttress. Being rather high, the most agile animals would not be able to cross it. This enclosure would contain, at any one time, about a hundred horned animals, wild sheep or goats, with young that would be born in time. The perimeter of the corral was marked off by the engineer and they then proceeded to cut the trees needed to construct the palisade; but, since in making the road it had already been necessary to sacrifice about a hundred trees, they were used as stakes which were firmly planted in the ground. At the front of the palisade, a rather large entrance was arranged and closed with two swing doors made of very thick planks which could be shut by exterior cross bars. The construction of the corral required not less than three weeks because in addition to the work on the palisade, Cyrus Smith built large planked sheds under which the ruminants could find shelter. Besides, it had been necessary to make it very sturdy because wild sheep are robust animals and their first violence was to be feared. The stakes, pointed on top and hardened in fire, were made strong by means of regularly placed iron bolts which assured the strength of the entire structure. The corral finished, a game drive was then undertaken to the foot of Mount Franklin amid the pastures frequented by the ruminants. This operation was made on the 7th of February, a fine summer day and everyone took part in it. The two onagers, well broken in by this time, were mounted by Gideon Spilett and Herbert and rendered a useful service on this occasion. THE ABANDONED 193 ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ The maneuver consisted simply of pressing down on the sheep and goats and little by little narrowing the field of battle around them. Cyrus Smith, Pencroff, Neb and Jup posted themselves at various points in the woods, while the two horsemen and Top galloped within a radius of a half a mile around the corral. The wild sheep were numerous in this portion of the island. These fine animals, large as deer, horns stronger than those of a ram, with gray fleece blending with long hair, resembled argalis. This hunting day was tiring. What comings and goings, crossing and criss-crossing and commotion! Of the hundred wild sheep surrounded, more than two thirds escaped; but in the end thirty of these ruminants and a dozen wild goats, driven little by little toward the corral whose open door seemed to offer an outlet, threw themselves inside and were imprisoned. In sum the result was satisfying and the colonists could not complain. For the most part, these wild sheep were females, several of whom would not be long in giving birth. It was certain that the flock would prosper not only to provide wool but also hides in the not too distant future. That evening the hunters returned to Granite House exhausted. However, the next day they returned, at least to visit the corral. The prisoners had been trying to turn over the palisade but they had not succeeded and they were not long in becoming more tranquil. During the month of February no important event occurred. The daily tasks were regularly pursued. At the same time as they improved the roads to the corral and to Port Balloon, a third was begun from the enclosure to the western shore. The deep woods which covered Serpentine Peninsula were still an unknown portion of Lincoln Island. Gideon Spilett counted on purging from his domain the wild beasts that took refuge there. Before the return of the cold season, the most assiduous care was given to the cultivation of the wild plants that had been transplanted from the forest to Grand View Plateau. Herbert hardly ever returned from an excursion without bringing back some useful vegetable. One day it was a specimen of the chicoriaceae species whose seed, under pressure, makes an excellent oil; on another day it was the common sorrel whose antiscorbutic properties are not to be disdained; then some of the precious tubercles which have been cultivated at all times in South America, these potatoes which nowadays are counted as more than two hundred species. The kitchen garden, now in good repair, well watered and well defended against birds, was divided into small plots where lettuce, kidney beans, sorrel, turnips, horse radish and other cruciferous plants grew. The earth of the plateau was very fertile and they could hope that the harvest would be abundant. Various beverages were no longer lacking and, on the condition that one did not ask for wine, the most difficult people would have no cause to complain. To the Oswego tea furnished by the didymous monarda and the fermented liqueur 194 THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ extracted from the dragon tree roots, Cyrus Smith had added a real beer; he made it with the young shoots of the "abies nigra" which, after having been boiled and fermented, gave a particularly healthy and pleasant beverage which the Anglo- Americans call "spring beer," that is to say fir tree beer. About the end of the summer the poultry yard possessed a fine pair of bustards who belonged to the "houbara" species characterized by a sort of apron of feathers, a dozen shovellers, whose upper jaw is extended on each side by a membranous appendage, and some magnificent black crested cocks with a carbuncle and epidermis resembling the cocks of Mozambique, who strutted on the banks of the lake. Thus everything was successful thanks to the activity of these courageous and intelligent men. Providence had doubtless done much for them; but faithful to principles, they had first helped themselves and heaven came to their aid afterwards. At the end of a warm summer's day, when work was finished and a breeze came up from the sea, they loved to sit at the edge of Grand View Plateau under a sort of veranda covered with creeping vines that Neb had erected with his own hands. There they chatted, they instructed one another, they made plans, the sailor's good humor always entertaining this small world in which perfect harmony never ceased to reign. They also spoke of their country, of dear and wonderful America. What of the War of Secession? It evidently could not have continued. Richmond had doubtless fallen promptly into the hands of General Grant! The capture of the Confederate capital had to be the last act of this deadly struggle! Now the North had triumphed for a good cause. Ah! How a newspaper would have been welcomed by the exiles of Lincoln Island! For eleven months all communication between them and the rest of humanity had been interrupted and in a little while the 24th of March would mark the anniversary of the day when the balloon had thrown them on this unknown shore! Then they were only castaways, not even knowing if they could wrest a miserable existence from the elements. And now thanks to the knowledge of their chief, thanks to their own intelligence, they were true colonists, provided with arms, tools and instruments, who had known how to transform to their profit the animals, plants and minerals of the island, that is to day the three kingdoms of nature. Yes! They often spoke of these things and made additional plans for the future! As to Cyrus Smith, for the most part silent, he listened to his companions more often than he spoke. Now and then he smiled at some of Herbert's thoughts or at some of Pencroff's witticisms but, at all times and everywhere he thought about those inexplicable events, about this strange enigma whose secret still escaped him. THE ABANDONED 195 ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ CHAPTER IX Bad weather - The hydraulic lift - Making glass panes and glass cups - The bread tree - Frequent visits to the corral - Increase in the flock - The reporter's question - Exact coordinates of Lincoln Island - Pencroff's proposition. The weather changed during the first week of March. There had been a full moon at the beginning of the month and the heat was excessive. One felt that the atmosphere was charged with electricity and a more or less extended period of stormy weather was indeed to be feared. In fact on the 2nd it thundered with extreme violence. The wind blew from the east and hail directly attacked the Granite House facade, crackling like a volley of grape-shot. They had to hermetically seal the door and the window shutters, otherwise all would have been flooded in the inside of the rooms. Upon seeing these hailstones fall, some of which were the size of a pigeon's egg, it occurred to Pencroff that his cornfield was in serious danger. Soon he ran to his field where the ears were already beginning to raise their little green heads and, with a large cloth he succeeded in protecting his harvest. He was pelted but he did not complain. This bad weather lasted for eight days during which the thunder did not cease. Between storms, they still heard it rumbling beyond the limits of the horizon; then it returned with new fury. The lightning hit several trees on the island, among others an enormous pine that grew near the lake at the edge of the forest. Two or three times the lightning struck the shore, melting the sand and vitrifying it. On recovering these fulgurites, the engineer was led to believe that it would be possible to make thick and sturdy window panes which would resist the wind, the rain and the hail. The colonists, not having any pressing work to do outside, profited from the bad weather by working inside Granite House whose arrangements were perfected day by day. The engineer made a potter's wheel which allowed him to turn out several articles for their clothing and for the kitchen, in particular some buttons which they needed badly. A rack was made to hold the weapons which were maintained with extreme care, and neither the shelves nor the closets left anything to desire. They sawed, they planed, they filed, they turned the potter's wheel, and during the bad weather they heard only the grinding of the tools or the rumbling of the wheel responding to the roaring of the thunder. Master Jup had not been forgotten and he occupied his own room near the storeroom, a sort of cabin with a cot filed with good litter which suited him perfectly. "With worthy Jup, never any recrimination," Pencroff often repeated, "never any inconvenient response! What a servant, Neb, what a servant." 196 THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ "My pupil," replied Neb, "and soon to be my equal!" "Your superior," retorted the sailor laughing, "because you talk and he does not!" It goes without saying that Jup was now in the swing of things. He beat the clothes, he turned the spit, he swept the rooms, he served at the table, he arranged the wood and - a detail which enchanted Pencroff - he never went to sleep without coming to tuck in the worthy sailor in his bed. As to the health of the members of the colony, bipeds or bimanes, quadrumanes or quadrupeds, it left nothing to desire. With this life in the open air, on this wholesome soil, under this temperate zone, working with body and mind, they could not believe that illness would ever affect them. All went well. In fact, Herbert had already grown two inches in a year. His figure was becoming more masculine and he promised to become a man accomplished in body and in morals. Besides, he profited by teaching himself during the spare time left to him after his manual occupations. He read some books found in the case and after the practical lessons which resulted from the very necessity of their situation, he found out about the sciences from the engineer and about languages from the reporter, masters who were pleased to complete his education. The engineer's obsession was to transmit all that he knew, to instruct by example as well as by word, and Herbert profited well from his professor's lessons. "If I die," thought Cyrus Smith, "it is he who will take my place." The storm finally ended around the 9th of March but the sky remained covered with clouds during all of this last month of the summer. The atmosphere, violently troubled by these electrical disturbances, could not recover its former purity, and it was nearly always rain and fog except for three or four fine days which favored excursions of all sorts, About this time, the female onager gave birth to a young one which belonged to the same sex as her mother and which did well. At the corral there was also an increase in the flock and several lambs were already bleating under the hangars to the great joy of Neb and Herbert who each had their favorites among the new-born. They also tried to domesticate the peccaries, an attempt which completely succeeded. A stable was constructed near the poultry yard and they soon counted several young in a mood to be civilized, that is to say fattened under Neb's care, Master Jup, charged with bringing them their daily nourishment, dishwater, kitchen scraps, etc. acquitted himself conscientiously in this job. He came now and then to amuse himself at the expense of his young boarders and to pull their tails, but it was mischievousness and not wickedness because these small wriggling tails amused him like a toy and his instinct was that of a child. One day during this month of March, Pencroff, chatting with the engineer, reminded Cyrus Smith of a promise that he still had not had the time to fulfil. THE ABANDONED 197 ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ "You spoke of a sort of lift to replace the long ladders of Granite House, Mister Cyrus," he said to him. "Won't you make it some day?" "You wish to speak of a sort of lift?" replied Cyrus Smith. "Call it a lift if you wish," replied the sailor, "the name means nothing provided it can lift us to our dwelling without fatigue." "Nothing will be easier, Pencroff, but is it useful?" "Certainly, Mister Cyrus. Now that we have the necessities, let us think a little about comfort. For people it will be luxurious if you wish; but for things it is indispensable! It is not convenient to climb up a long ladder when one is heavily loaded." "Well, Pencroff, we will try to satisfy you," replied Cyrus Smith. "But you do not have any engine available." "We will make it." "A steam engine?" "No, a water engine." And in fact, to move his apparatus, a natural force was there for the engineer to use without great difficulty. For this purpose it sufficed to increase the flow of the small diversion from the lake which furnished water to the interior of Granite House. The opening arranged between the stones and grass at the upper end of the passageway was enlarged. This produced a strong fall at the bottom of the corridor, whose overflow fell into the inside well. Below the fall, the engineer installed a cylinder with paddles which connected to the outside with a strong cable wound around a wheel and supporting a basket. By means of a long cord which came to the ground, which could engage and disengage with the hydraulic motor, they could raise the basket to the door of Granite House. It was the 17th of March when the lift functioned for the first time and gave universal satisfaction. Henceforth all the loads, the wood, coal, provisions and the colonists themselves were hoisted by this simple system which replaced the primitive ladder that no one missed. Top showed particular enchantment with this improvement because he did not have and could not have Master Jup's skill in climbing ladders and often he made the climb to Granite House either on Neb's back or on that of the orang himself. About this time Cyrus Smith also tried to make glass. First he had to adapt the old pottery furnace to this new application. This presented some rather great difficulties, but after several unfruitful attempts he succeeded in getting a glassworks going, which Gideon Spilett and Herbert, the natural assistants of the engineer, did not leave for several days. As to the substances that enter into the composition of glass, they are only sand, chalk and soda (carbonate or 198 THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ sulphate). Now the shore could furnish the sand, the lime could furnish the chalk, the marine plants could furnish the soda, the pyrites could furnish the sulphuric acid, and the soil could furnish the coal to heat the furnace to the desired temperature. Thus Cyrus Smith found the conditions necessary for the operation. The tool whose manufacture would offer the most difficulty was the glass blower, an iron tube five or six feet long which would collect the material at one end and keep it in the fuzed state. But by means of a long and thin sheet of iron which was rolled up like a gun barrel, Pencroff succeeded in making this blower which was soon in working condition. On the 28th of March the furnace was heated up. One hundred parts of sand, thirty five of chalk, forty of sodium sulphate, mixed with two or three parts of powdered coal, composed the substance which was placed in fire clay crucibles. When the high temperature of the furnace had reduced it to the liquid state or at least to a pasty state, Cyrus Smith collected a certain quantity of this paste with the blower; he worked and reworked it on a previously made plate of metal so as to give it a suitable shape for blowing; then he passed the blower to Herbert and told him to blow through the other end. "Like making soap bubbles?" asked the lad. "Exactly," replied the engineer. And Herbert, puffing up his cheeks, blew into the blower taking care to turn it continually. His breath dilated the glassy mass. More fuzed material was added to the first batch and it soon resulted in a bubble that measured a foot in diameter. Then Cyrus Smith took the blower from Herbert's hands and imparted a pendulum movement to it which ended by elongating the malleable bubble so as to give it a cylindrical- conical form. The blowing operation had thus given a glass cylinder terminated by two hemispherical domes which were easy to detach by means of a sharp iron dipped in cold water; then by the same procedure this cylinder was split along its length. Having been made malleable by a second heating, it was stretched out on a plate and flattened with a wooden roller. The first glass pane was made and it was sufficient to repeat the operation fifty times to make fifty panes. The windows of Granite House were shortly provided with transparent panes, not very clear perhaps, but sufficiently transparent. As to cups, glasses and bottles, that was fun. Besides, they welcomed whatever came from the end of the blower. Pencroff asked for the privilege of "blowing" when his turn came, and it was a pleasure for him, but he blew so hard that his products took on the most amusing shapes, which earned his admiration. During one of the excursions that was made about this time, a new tree was discovered whose produce added to the food supply of the colony. Cyrus Smith and Herbert, while hunting, had ventured one day into the forest of the Far West on the left bank of the THE ABANDONED 199 ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ Mercy and, as always, the lad asked a thousand questions of the engineer to which he gladly replied. But they did not have their minds on the hunting which was the reason that they had no success. Now since Cyrus Smith was not a hunter and since Herbert, on the other hand, spoke about chemistry and physics, many a kangaroo, capybara and agouti within easy reach escaped the lad's shots. The result was that, with the day nearly over, the two hunters would probably have a useless excursion, when Herbert stopped and uttered a joyous cry: "Ah! Mister Cyrus, do you see this tree?" And he showed him a shrub rather than a tree because it was only composed of a single stem, covered with a scaly bark, which carried striped leaves with small parallel veins. "And what is this tree which resembles a small palm tree?" asked Cyrus Smith. "It is a sago palm whose picture I have in our natural history dictionary." "But I do not see any fruit on this bush." "No, Mister Cyrus," replied Herbert, "but its trunk has a flour that nature has already ground for us." "It is the breadfruit tree?" "Yes! The breadfruit tree." "Well, my boy," replied the engineer, "this is a precious discovery while we are waiting for our wheat harvest. Let's get to work and I hope that you are not mistaken." Herbert was not mistaken. He broke a stem of a sago which was composed of a glandular texture enclosing a certain quantity of floury pith, traversed by ligneous bundles, separated by rings of the same substance arranged concentrically. With this flour was mixed a gummy sap with a disagreeable taste but that would be easy to remove by pressure. This cellular substance formed an extremely nourishing flour of superior quality whose exportation was formerly prohibited by Japanese laws. Cyrus Smith and Herbert, after having studied the portion of the Far West where the sago grew, took some reference points and returned to Granite House where they made their discovery known. The next day the colonists came to the harvest and Pencroff, becoming more and more enthusiastic about his island, said to the engineer: "Mister Cyrus, do you believe that there are islands for castaways?" "What do you mean by that, Pencroff?" "Well, I mean that there are islands created especially to make a shipwreck convenient, and on which poor devils can always manage their affairs." "That is possible," replied the engineer, smiling. "It is certain, sir," replied Pencroff, "and it is none the less certain that Lincoln Island in one of them." They returned to Granite House with an ample harvest of sago stems. The engineer made a press in order to extract the 200 THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ gummy sap mixed with the flour and he obtained a significant quantity of flour which, in Neb's hands, were transformed into cakes and puddings. It still was not real wheat bread but one could imagine that it was. During this period the onager, the goats and the sheep of the corral furnished the daily milk necessary for the colony. Also the cart, or rather a sort of light covered trap which replaced it, made frequent trips to the corral, and when it was Pencroff's turn to do it, he took Jup and had him drive it. Jup cracked his whip and acquitted himself with his usual intelligence. All therefore prospered, at Granite House as well as at the corral and truly the colonists, though they were far from their native land, had nothing to complain of. They were so well made for this life and besides so accustomed to this island, that they would not have left its hospitable soil without regret. And yet, such is the love of one's country in the heart of man, that if some vessel had unexpectedly appeared in view of the island, the colonists would have signaled it, they would have attracted its attention, and they would have left!... While waiting for this, they lived a happy existence, and they feared rather than desired any event which might come to interrupt it. But who could deceive himself and take comfort in illusions that fortune would always favor them! Be it as it may, this Lincoln Island on which the colonists had lived for more than a year was often the subject of their conversation, and one day an observation was made which would later have serious consequences. It was the 1st of April, Easter Sunday, that Cyrus Smith and his companions had sanctified with rest and prayer. It was a fine day like an October day in the northern hemisphere. After dinner, toward evening, all were gathered under the veranda at the edge of Grand View Plateau and they looked at night coming on at the horizon. Several cups of this beverage of elder tree berries, which took the place of coffee, had been served by Neb. They chatted about the island and its isolated position in the Pacific when Gideon Spilett was led to say: "My dear Cyrus, have you, since you possessed this sextant in the case, have you again taken the bearings of our island?" "No," replied the engineer. "But wouldn't it perhaps be wise to do it, with this instrument which is more accurate than the one you used?" "What's the good?" said Pencroff. "The island is doing right well where it is!" "Doubtless," replied Gideon Spilett, "but the imperfection of the apparatus has affected the accuracy of the observations which can easily be verified exactly..." "You are right, my dear Spilett," replied the engineer, "and I should have made this verification sooner, but if I have committed some error it should not be more than 5ø in longitude or in latitude." THE ABANDONED 201 ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ "Well, who knows?" replied the reporter, "who knows if we are not much nearer to inhabited land than we think?" "We will know tomorrow," replied Cyrus Smith, "and we would have known it already if it were not for those occupations which left me no leisure." "Fine!" said Pencroff, "Mister Cyrus is too good an observer to be mistaken and if the island has not budged from its place, then it is just where he put it." "We will see." The next day, by means of the sextant, the engineer made the observations necessary to verify the coordinates that he had already obtained and this was the result of his operation: His first observation had given him for the position of Lincoln Island: In west longitude: from 150ø to 155ø; In south latitude: from 30ø to 35ø. The second gave exactly: In west longitude: 150ø 30' In south latitude: 34ø 57'. So, in spite of the imperfection of his apparatus, Cyrus Smith had operated with such competence that his error had not exceeded five degrees. "Now," said Gideon Spilett, "since we possess an atlas as well as a sextant, let us see, my dear Cyrus, the exact position that Lincoln Island occupies in the Pacific." Herbert went to find the atlas which, as we know, had been edited in France and which consequently had its nomenclature in the French language. They opened up the map of the Pacific and the engineer, compass in hand, prepared to determine its position. Suddenly the compass stopped in his hand and he said: "But an island already exists in this part of the Pacific!" "An island," cried Pencroff. "Ours, doubtless," replied Gideon Spilett. "No," replied Cyrus Smith. "This island is situated at 153ø longitude and 37ø 11' latitude, that is to say at two and a half degrees further west and two degrees further south than Lincoln Island." "And what island is this?" asked Herbert. "Tabor Island." "An important island?" "No, an island lost in the Pacific, and which has probably never been visited." "Well, we will visit it," said Pencroff. "We?" "Yes, Mister Cyrus. We will construct a decked boat and I will be in charge of sailing it. At what distance are we from this Tabor Island?" "About a hundred and fifty miles to the northeast," replied Cyrus Smith. 202 THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ "A hundred and fifty miles! What's that?" replied Pencroff. "In forty eight hours and with a good wind we will clear it." "But for what good?" asked the reporter. "We don't know. Let's see." And on this response it was decided that a seaworthy boat would be constructed to take to the sea around the coming October at the return of the fine season. CHAPTER X Construction of the boat - Second harvest of corn - Hunting koala - A new plant more pleasant than useful - A whale in sight - The harpoon from Vineyard - Cutting up the cetacean - Using the whalebones - The end of the month of May - Pencroff has nothing left to wish for. When Pencroff got an idea into his head, he would not rest until he executed it. Now, he wanted to visit Tabor Island and since a boat of a certain size was necessary for this trip, he would construct the aforesaid boat. This is the plan which was drawn up by the engineer in agreement with the sailor. The keel of the boat would measure thirty five feet and the beam nine feet - which would make it a fast sailer provided its bottom and underwater lines were well made - and it would not draw more than six feet, a level of water sufficient to maintain it against the drift. It would be decked along its entire length, pierced by two hatchways which would give access to two cabins separated by a partition, and rigged as a sloop with a spanker, a staysail, a foresail, a forestaysail, and a jib. These are very manageable sails conducting themselves well against squalls and holding on firmly when close-hauled. Finally, its hull would be carvel-built, that is to say that the planking would be flush instead of overlapped. As to its ribs, they would heat press it into place after adjusting the planking, which would be mounted on dummy frames. What wood would be employed in the construction of this boat, elm or fir, both being abundant on the island? They decided on the fir, a wood which is a little "cracked," as the carpenters would say, but which is easy to work and can withstand the water as well as the elm. These details concluded, it was decided that, since the return of the fine season was six months away, that only Cyrus Smith and Pencroff would work on the boat. Gideon Spilett and Herbert would continue to hunt, and neither Neb nor Master Jup, his assistant, would abandon the domestic activity that had devolved upon them. THE ABANDONED 203 ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ The trees were immediately chosen, felled and branches removed, and sawed into planks, since they had been able to make some long saws. Eight days later, in a recess of land that existed between the Chimneys and the wall, a shipyard was built, and a keel thirty five feet in length, with a sternpost at the rear and a stem up front, was stretched out on the sand. Cyrus Smith was not treading in the dark in this new activity. He knew about maritime construction as he knew about nearly everything else, and it was on paper that he first made the design for the boat. Besides, he was ably seconded by Pencroff, who had worked for several years in a Brooklyn shipyard and knew the practical end of the business. It was only after hard calculations and mature thought that the dummy frames were fitted to the keel. Pencroff was all afire to do well at this new enterprise and he would not for a moment think of abandoning it. Only one thing could tear him away from his shipyard, and for only a day. It was the second harvest of corn, which was done on the 15th of April. It was as successful as the first and gave the proportion of grains announced in advance. "Five bushels, Mister Cyrus," said Pencroff, after having scrupulously measured his riches. "Five bushels," replied the engineer, "and at one hundred thirty thousand grains per bushel, that makes six hundred fifty thousand grains." "Well, we will sow it all this time," said the sailor, "less a little reserve however." "Yes, Pencroff, and if the coming harvest gives a proportional yield, we will have four thousand bushels." "And we will eat bread?" "We will eat bread." "But we will have to make a mill." "We will make a mill." The third cornfield was thus incomparably more extensive than the first two, and the ground, prepared with extreme care, received the precious seed. That done, Pencroff returned to his work. During this time Gideon Spilett and Herbert hunted in the neighborhood and they ventured rather deeply into the still unknown parts of the Far West, their guns loaded with shot, ready for any unpleasant encounter. It was an inextricable medley of magnificent trees pressed against each other because of a lack of space. The exploration of these wooded masses was extremely difficult and the reporter never chanced there without carrying the pocket compass, because the sun could hardly be seen through the thick branches and it would have been difficult to find one's way. It happened, naturally, that game was more rare in these regions where there was little liberty of movement. However, three large herbivores were killed during this last half of April. These were some koalas, a specimen of which the colonists had already seen to the north of the lake, who stupidly allowed themselves to be killed among 204 THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ the large branches of some trees on which they had sought refuge. Their hides were brought to Granite House and with the aid of sulphuric acid, they were subjected to a sort of tanning which rendered them usable. A discovery, precious from another point of view, was also made during one of these excursions thanks to Gideon Spilett. It was the 30th of April. The two hunters had pushed their way into the southwest of the Far West when the reporter, preceding Herbert by some fifty paces, arrived at a sort of clearing in which the trees, having more space, allowed a few rays to penetrate. At first Gideon Spilett was surprised by the odor from certain plants with straight cylindrical branchy stems which produced very small clustered berries. The reporter tore off one or two of these stems and returned to the lad, saying to him: "What can this be, Herbert?" "And where did you find this plant, Mister Spilett?" "There in the clearing where it grows abundantly." "Well, Mister Spilett," said Herbert, "this is a discovery that will assure you Pencroff's eternal gratitude." "It is tobacco then?" "Yes, and if it is not of the first quality, it is none the less tobacco." "Ah! Worthy Pencroff! How happy he'll be! But he will not smoke it all, the devil! He will give us our share!" "Ah! I have an idea, Mister Spilett," replied Herbert. "Let us not say anything to Pencroff. We will take the time to prepare these leaves and one fine day we will present him with a full pipe." "And on that day, Herbert, our worthy companion will have nothing more to wish for in this world." The reporter and the lad took a good quantity of the precious plant and they returned to Granite House where they brought it in deceitfully with as much precaution as if Pencroff had been the most severe of customs inspectors. Cyrus Smith and Neb were taken into confidence and the sailor suspected nothing during all of the rather long time that was needed for drying the leaves, chopping them up, and subjecting them to a certain torrefaction over some hot stones. This required two months but all these manipulations were made without Pencroff's knowledge because, occupied with the construction of the boat, he only returned to Granite House when it was time to go to bed. One time, however, his favorite activity was interrupted, on the 1st of May, by a fishing adventure in which all the colonists took part. For several days they had observed an enormous animal swimming in the waters of Lincoln Island, two or three miles out to sea. It was a whale of the largest size, belonging to a southern species called "Cape Whale." THE ABANDONED 205 ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ "How lucky it would be if we could get hold of it," cried the sailor. "Ah! If we had a suitable boat and a working harpoon, how I would say: 'Let us chase the animal because it is worth the trouble that it takes!'" "Well, Pencroff," said Gideon Spilett, "I would like to see you handle the harpoon. That would be interesting." "Very interesting and not without danger," said the engineer, "but since we do not have the means to attack this animal, it is useless for us to preoccupy ourselves with it." "I am astonished," said the reporter, "to see a whale in this relatively high latitude." "Why so, Mister Spilett?" replied Herbert. "We are precisely in that part of the Pacific that English and American fisherman call the "Whale Field", and it is here, between New Zealand and South America, that the whales of the southern hemisphere are met with in the greatest number." "Nothing is more true," replied Pencroff, "and what surprises me is that we have not seen any others. But this is of little importance since we can't get near it." And Pencroff returned to his work, but not without a sigh of regret because in every sailor there is a fisherman, and if the pleasure of fishing is in direct ratio to the size of the animal, one can image what a whaler feels in the presence of a whale. If he could only have had this pleasure! But they could not conceal from themselves the fact that such a prey would be very profitable to the colony because the oil, the blubber and the whalebones would find many uses. Now it happened that the whale seemed to have no wish to leave the waters of the island. Herbert and Gideon Spilett, when they were not hunting, and Neb while watching his stoves, did not leave the telescope and observed all the movements of the animal, either from the windows of Granite House or from Grand View Plateau. The cetacean, soundly entrenched in the vast Union Bay, plowed rapidly from Cape Mandible to Cape Claw, propelled by its very powerful caudal fin. It moved with sudden jolts with a speed that sometimes approached up to twelve miles per hour. Sometimes it also approached so near to the island that they could see it in detail. It was definitely a southern whale, entirely black, and its head was more slumped than that of the northern whale. They also saw it throw out through its blow-holes a cloud of vapor to a great height ... or was it water, because, strange as it seems, naturalists and whalers are still not in agreement on this subject. Is it air or is it water which is ejected? It is generally admitted that it is vapor which, condensing upon sudden contact with the cold air, falls down as rain. However, the presence of this marine mammal preoccupied the colonists. It especially agitated Pencroff and distracted him during his work. He ended by yearning for this whale like 206 THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ something forbidden to a child. At night he talked about it in his sleep and certainly, if he had the means to attack it, if the boat had been ready to take to sea, he would not have hesitated to go out in pursuit. But what the colonists could not do, chance did for them, and on the 3rd of May, Neb's shouts from his kitchen window announced that the whale was stranded on the shore. Herbert and Gideon Spilett, who were about to go hunting, left their guns, Pencroff threw away his ax, Cyrus Smith and Neb joined their companions, and everyone quickly ran to where the stranding had taken place. The stranding occurred on the beach at Flotsam Point, three miles from Granite House, at high tide. It was therefore probable that the cetacean could not easily disentangle himself. In any case they must hurry in order to cut off its retreat if this became necessary. They ran with picks and iron spears, crossed the bridge over the Mercy, redescended the right bank of the river, took to the shore, and in less than twenty minutes the colonists were near the enormous animal above which a world of birds already swarmed. "What a monster," cried Neb. And the expression was justified because this was a southern whale, eighty feet long, a giant of its species, which would not weigh less than one hundred fifty thousand pounds. However, the stranded monster did not move nor did it struggle to get back to the sea while it was still high tide. The colonists soon had the explanation for its immobility when, at low tide, they were able to go around the animal. It was dead, with a harpoon sticking into its left side. "Are there whalers in our waters," Gideon Spilett said immediately. "Why do you say that?" asked the sailor. "Since this harpoon is still there..." "Ah! Mister Spilett, that proves nothing," replied Pencroff. "Whales can travel thousands of miles with a harpoon in their sides, and this one could have been struck in the North Atlantic and come to die in the South Pacific, that would not be astonishing!" "However...," said Gideon Spilett, not satisfied with Pencroff's statement. "That is perfectly possible," replied Cyrus Smith, "but let us examine this harpoon. Perhaps, as is customary, the whalers have engraved the name of their vessel on it." Pencroff pulled out the harpoon from the animal's side and read this inscription on it Maria-Stella Vineyard "A vessel from the Vineyard! A vessel from my country!" he cried. "The Maria-Stella! A fine whaler, believe me! THE ABANDONED 207 ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ I know that ship! Ah! My friends, a vessel from the Vineyard, a whaler from the Vineyard." (1) And the sailor, swinging the harpoon, repeated not without emotion, this name which had touched his heart, this name from his native land. But since they could not wait for the Maria-Stella to come and reclaim the animal harpooned by it, they resolved to proceed to cut it up before it became decomposed. The birds of prey, who had watched this rich prey for several days, wanted to take possession of it without further delay, and they had to scare them away with gunshots. This whale was a female whose breasts would furnish a large quantity of milk which, in the opinion of the naturalist Dieffenbach, can pass as cow's milk, since it differs from it neither in taste, nor color, nor density. Pencroff had formerly served on a whaling vessel and he was able to supervise the cutting operation - a rather unpleasant operation which lasted three days, but which none of the colonists avoided, not even Gideon Spilett whom, as the sailor said, would end by becoming "a very good castaway." The blubber, cut into parallel slices two and a half feet thick, then divided into pieces weighing a thousand pounds each, were melted in large earthen vases carried to the very spot - because they did not want to smell up the approaches to Grand View Plateau - and in this fusion it lost about a third of its weight. But there were lavish quantities: The tongue alone gave six thousand pounds of oil and the lower lip four thousand. Then, with this blubber, which would provide stearin and glycerin for a long time, they still had the whalebones which would doubtless find some application even though no umbrellas nor corsets were used at Granite House. The upper part of the mouth of the cetacean was furnished, on both sides, with eight hundred very elastic horned blades of a fibrous texture and tapered like two large combs with teeth six feet long, which served to catch the thousands of animacules, small fishes and mollusks on which the whale fed. With the operation completed to the great satisfaction of the operators, the remains of the animal were left to the birds, who would make it disappear to its last vestiges, and the daily work was resumed at Granite House. However, before returning to the shipyard, Cyrus Smith had the idea of making certain contrivances which vividly excited the curiosity of his companions. He took a dozen of the whalebones and cut them into six equal parts, sharpening their ends. "To what use will you put this, Mister Cyrus," asked Herbert, "when you have finished this operation?" ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ (1) A port in the State of New York. 208 THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ "To kill wolves, foxes, and even jaguars," replied the engineer. "Now?" "No, this winter, when we will have ice." "I do not understand" replied Herbert. "You will understand, my child," replied the engineer. "This device is not my invention and it is frequently used by Aleutian hunters in Russian America. These whalebones that you see, my friends, well, when it is below freezing, I will bend them, sprinkle them with water until they are entirely coated with a layer of ice which will keep them curved, and I will scatter them on the snow after having previously covered them with a layer of blubber. Now, what will happen if a hungry animal swallows one of these baits? The heat from his stomach will melt the ice and the whalebone will expand and pierce it with its sharp ends." "That is ingenious!" said Pencroff. "And it will save us powder and shot," replied Cyrus Smith. "This will be worth more than traps," added Neb. "Let us wait then for winter!" "Let us wait for winter." However, the construction of the vessel advanced and toward the end of the month, half of the planking was completed. Already they could see that it would have an excellent shape and that it would take well to the sea. Pencroff worked with a zest without parallel, and he needed his robust nature to resist these fatigues; but his companions secretly prepared a reward for his pains, and on the 31st of May he experienced one of the greatest joys of his life. On this day, when he finished dinner and was about to leave the table, Pencroff felt a hand on his shoulder. It was the hand of Gideon Spilett who said to him: "One moment, Master Pencroff, don't go like that! You have forgotten your dessert." "Thanks, Mister Spilett," replied the sailor, "I am returning to work." "Well, a cup of coffee, my friend?" "Nothing else." "A pipe then?" Pencroff suddenly got up and his fine large body paled when he saw the reporter present him with a full pipe and Herbert with a burning cinder. The sailor wanted to say a word, but without success; then seizing the pipe, he carried it to his lips. He applied the cinder and gulped five or six times. A bluish cloud and a fragrance developed, and from within the depths of this cloud, they heard a delirious voice which kept repeating: "Tobacco, real tobacco!" THE ABANDONED 209 ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ "Yes, Pencroff," replied Cyrus Smith, "and excellent tobacco at that!" "Oh! Divine Providence! Sacred Author of all things!" cried the sailor. "Nothing is lacking on our island!" And Pencroff smoked and smoked and smoked. "And who made this discovery?" he finally asked. "You, Herbert, no doubt?" "No, Pencroff, it was Mister Spilett." "Mister Spilett!" cried the sailor, squeezing the chest of the reporter who had never suffered such an embrace. "Oof! Pencroff," replied Gideon Spilett, recovering his breath, "A quick compromise. Give a part of your thanks to Herbert, who recognized this plant, to Cyrus, who prepared it, and to Neb, who took pains to guard our secret well!" "Well, my friends, I will repay you some day!" replied the sailor. "Now we are friends for life!" CHAPTER XI Winter - Pressing wool - The mill - Pencroff's obsession - Whalebones - To what use an albatross can be put - The fuel of the future - Top and Jup - Storms - Damage at the poultry yard - An excursion to the marshes - Cyrus Smith alone - Exploration of the well. Winter arrived with the month of June which is the December of the northern hemisphere and the main occupation was the making of warm and sturdy clothing. The sheep at the corral had been divested of their wool and it was now a matter of transforming this precious textile material into fabric. It goes without saying that Cyrus Smith, not having either a carding machine, nor a wool-combing machine, nor a smoothing machine, nor a drawing machine, nor a twisting machine, nor a "Mule-Jenny," nor a "self-acting" machine to spin the wool, nor a loom to weave it with, had to proceed in a simpler way that would save the spinning and weaving. In fact, he intended simply to make use of the property that wool filaments have when pressed in all directions, that of becoming entangled and criss-crossed into a material called felt. This felt could be obtained by a simple pressing, an operation which, if it diminished the softness of the fabric, significantly increased its heat insulating properties. The wool furnished by the sheep was made of very short strands which was good for felting. The engineer, aided by his companions including Pencroff - he had to abandon his boat once more - began the preliminary operations which had as its goal to rid the wool of this oily 210 THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ and greasy substance with which it is impregnated and which is called suint. This degreasing was done in wash-tubs in which the wool was immersed for twenty four hours at a temperature of seventy degrees. Then it was thoroughly washed in a soda bath. Later it would be squeezed dry, becoming compressed and producing a firm felt, rough doubtless and of no value in the industrial centers of Europe or America but which would be highly appreciated in the "markets of Lincoln Island." This kind of fabric has been known from the earliest times and the first wool fabric was made by this very procedure that Cyrus Smith was going to use. Where his abilities as an engineer would be needed was in the construction of a machine to press the wool, because he knew how to profit from the unused mechanical force inherent in the water falling on the beach to actuate a pressing machine. Nothing was more rudimentary. A shaft, provided with lifters which would raise and lower vertical hammers on each revolution, troughs to receive the wool on which the hammers would fall, a strong timber housing to support the entire system and hold it together: such was the machine in question and such it has been throughout the centuries, until the hammers were replaced by compressing cylinders which no longer subjected the material to a beating but to a real rolling action. The operation, well supervised by Cyrus Smith, succeeded as they had hoped. The wool, previously impregnated with a soapy solution intended on the one hand to facilitate the sliding action, the compression and the softening and, on the other hand, to prevent its alteration from the thrashing, left the mill as a thick layer of felt. The streaks and coarseness with which the strands of wool are naturally provided with were so well intertwined with one another that they formed a fabric equally suited to making clothing as well as blankets. It obviously was not merino, nor muslin, nor Scotch cashmere, nor worsted, nor repp, nor Chinese satin, nor Orleans cloth, nor alpaca, nor flannel! It was "lincolnian felt," and Lincoln Island had another industry. Thus with good clothing and thick blankets, the colonists could face the winter of 1866-67 without fear. The severe frost began to really make itself felt toward the 20th of June and to his great regret, Pencroff had to suspend the construction of the boat which besides he could not finish before the coming spring. The sailor's obsession was to make a voyage of discovery to Tabor Island although Cyrus Smith did not approve of this voyage for curiosity's sake because there evidently was nothing useful to find on this semi-arid and deserted rock. A voyage of one hundred fifty miles in a relatively small boat on an unknown sea could not but cause him some apprehension. If the vessel, once at sea, could not reach Tabor Island and if it could not return to Lincoln Island, what would become of it in this Pacific so full of disasters? THE ABANDONED 211 ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ Cyrus Smith often spoke about this project with Pencroff and he found in the sailor a rather strange stubbornness to complete this voyage, a stubbornness which he could not explain. One day the engineer said to him, "My friend, after having said so many nice things about Lincoln Island, after having indicated so many times that you would be sorry to leave it, you are the first to want to go." "To leave it for several days only," replied Pencroff, "For several days only, Mister Cyrus! Time to come and go, to see what is on the islet." "But it cannot be as good as Lincoln Island!" "I know that in advance." "Then why venture there?" "To know what goes on at Tabor Island." "But nothing happens there! Nothing can happen there." "Who knows?" "And what if you are caught in some storm?" "We need not fear that in the fine season," replied Pencroff. "But, Mister Cyrus, since we must think of everything, I ask your permission to take Herbert with me on this voyage." "Pencroff," replied the engineer, placing his hand on the sailor's shoulder, "do you think that we could ever forgive ourselves if some harm came to you or to this lad whom chance has made our son?" "Mister Cyrus," replied Pencroff with firm confidence, "we will not cause you this grief. Besides, we will speak again about this voyage when the time will come to make it. Then I imagine, when you will see our boat well rigged, with good topsides, when you will see how well it takes to the sea, when we will make a tour of our island - because we will do it together - I imagine, say I, that you will no longer hesitate to let me leave. I will not hide from you that your boat will be a masterpiece." "At least say 'our boat' Pencroff," replied the engineer, momentarily disarmed. The conversation ended in this way to commence again at a later time without convincing either the sailor or the engineer. The first snow fell toward the end of the month of June. Previously the corral had been well provisioned and daily visits were no longer necessary, but it was decided that they would not let a week go by without returning there. The traps were set again and they tried the devices made by Cyrus Smith. The whalebones were bent, encased in a sheath of ice, covered with a thick layer of blubber and placed at the edge of the forest where animals usually passed on their way to the lake. To the great satisfaction of the engineer, this invention, repeatedly used by Aleutian fishermen, succeeded perfectly. A dozen foxes, some wild boars, and even a jaguar were taken. 212 THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ They found these animals dead, their stomachs pierced by the extended whalebones. At this time the colonists made their first attempt to communicate with their fellow men. Gideon Spilett had already thought several times either of throwing a notice enclosed in a bottle into the sea that the current could perhaps carry to some inhabited shore or to entrust it to a pigeon. But how could they seriously hope that pigeons or bottles could cross the distance which separated the island from land twelve hundred miles away? It was pure folly. But on the 30th of June the capture was made, not without difficulty, of an albatross which Herbert's shot had slightly wounded in the leg. It was a magnificent bird of that family of great flyers whose extended wings measure ten feet and who can cross seas as large as the Pacific. Herbert would have wanted to keep this superb bird whose wound had promptly healed. He intended to tame it but Gideon Spilett made him to understand that they could not neglect this occasion to try to correspond, by means of this courier, with the lands of the Pacific. Herbert had to yield, because if the albatross had come from some inhabited region he would not fail to return there when he was set free. Perhaps, deep down, Gideon Spilett, still a newsman at heart, was not sorry to entrust to slim chance an article relating to the adventures of the colonists of Lincoln Island. What success the reporter would gain for the New York Herald and for the issue which contained the story, if ever it reached the address of its editor, the honorable John Bennett! Gideon Spilett then wrote up a concise article which he put in a strong bag of gummed cloth, with an earnest request to anyone who should find it, that it be forwarded to the offices of the New York Herald. This small sack was attached to the neck of the albatross and not to its foot because these birds are in the habit of resting on the surface of the sea; then this rapid courier of the skies was set free, and it was not without some emotion that the colonists saw it disappear far into the haze in the west. "Where is he going?" asked Pencroff. "Toward New Zealand," replied Herbert. "Bon Voyage!" cried the sailor who did not expect any great result from this method of correspondence. With the winter, activities were resumed inside Granite House, mending the clothes, various preparations among others the making of sails for the boat, which were cut from the inexhaustible envelope of the balloon. During the month of July the cold was intense but they spared neither the wood nor the coal. Cyrus Smith had installed a second chimney in the great hall and it was there that they passed the long evenings. Chatting while they worked, reading when not working, the time passed profitably for everyone. THE ABANDONED 213 ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ It was a real satisfaction for the colonists when, in this room well lighted by candles, well heated by coal, after a comforting dinner, steaming cups filled with elderberry coffee, pipes giving forth a fragrant smoke, they heard the tempest roaring outside! It was perfect comfort if perfect comfort can ever exist for those who are far from their fellow men and without possible communication with them. They always chatted about their country, of the friends they had left behind, of the grandeur of the American republic whose influence could not but increase and Cyrus Smith, who had been very involved with the affairs of the Union, vividly interested his listeners with his recitals, his perceptions and his predictions. It happened one day that Gideon Spilett had occasion to say: "But in the end, my dear Cyrus, all this industrial and commercial activity in which you predict a continual increase, is it not in danger of coming to a complete halt sooner or later?" "To a halt? And why so?" "By a lack of coal which can be rightly called the most precious of minerals." "Yes, it is the most precious," replied the engineer, "and it seems to me that nature wanted to emphasize this by making the diamond, which is pure carbon alone in the crystallized state. "You do not wish to say, Mister Cyrus," retorted Pencroff, "that they will burn diamonds in the way coal is burned in furnaces?" "No, my friend," replied Cyrus Smith. "However I insist," said Gideon Spilett. "You cannot deny that one day all the coal will be used up." "Oh! The coal deposits are still considerable, and a hundred thousand miners removing five million metric tons annually do not come anywhere near in exhausting it." "With an increase in the consumption of coal," replied Gideon Spilett, "one can predict that these one hundred thousand miners will soon become two hundred thousand miners and that the extraction will be doubled." "Doubtless; but after the mines of Europe, which new machines will soon exploit to greater depths, the mines of America and Australia will continue to furnish the needs of industry for a long time." "How long?" asked the reporter. "At least two hundred fifty or three hundred years." "That is reassuring for us," replied Pencroff, "but disturbing for our great grand cousins." "They will find something else," said Herbert. "I hope so," replied Gideon Spilett, "because without coal, no more machines, and without machines, no more railroads, no more steamships, no more factories, no more progress for modern life." "But what will they find?" asked Pencroff. "Can you imagine, Mister Cyrus?" 214 THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ "Just about, my friend." "And what will they burn in the place of coal." "Water," replied Cyrus Smith. "Water," cried Pencroff, "water to heat steamships and locomotives, water to heat water?" "Yes, but water decomposed into its basic elements," replied Cyrus Smith, "decomposed doubtless by electricity which will then become a powerful and manageable force, because all great discoveries, by some unexplainable law, seem to coincide and become completed at the same time. Yes, my friends, I believe that water will one day be employed as a fuel, that hydrogen and oxygen, which compose it, used alone or together, will furnish an inexhaustible source of heat and light and with an intensity that coal cannot provide. One day, in the place of coal, the coal bunkers of steamers and the tenders of locomotives will be loaded with these two compressed gases which will burn in furnaces with an enormous heating power. Then there will be nothing to fear. As long as this earth is inhabited, it will provide for the needs of its inhabitants and neither light nor heat will ever be lacking, nor will the products of the vegetable, mineral, and animal kingdoms. I believe that when the coalmines have been exhausted, they will heat and be heated with water. Water is the coal of the future." "I would like to see that," said the sailor. "You came of age too soon, Pencroff," replied Neb, who intervened in the discussion only with these words. Nevertheless it was not Neb's words which ended the conversation but Top's barking which burst out with that strange intonation that had already preoccupied the engineer. At the same time, Top began to pace around the orifice of the well which opened at the end of the inside corridor. "Why does Top still bark like this?" asked Pencroff. "And Jup growl this way?" added Herbert. In fact the orang, joining the dog, gave unmistaken signs of agitation, and strange to say, these two animals appeared to be rather anxious instead of irritated. It is evident," said Gideon Spilett, "that this well is in direct communication with the sea and that some marine animal comes from time to time to breathe at the bottom." "It is evident," replied the sailor, "because there is no other explanation to be given... come, quiet, Top," added Pencroff, turning toward the dog, "and you Jup, to your room!" The ape and the dog were silent. Jup went to bed but Top remained in the room and continued to make muffled grunts throughout the evening. There was no more question about the incident which however, darkened the brow of the engineer. During the rest of the month of July it alternated between rain and frost. The temperature did not fall below that of the preceding winter and it did not go lower than eight degrees Fahrenheit (13.33ø centigrade below zero). But if this winter was not colder, nevertheless it was more troubled by tempests THE ABANDONED 215 ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ and windstorms. There still were violent assaults by the sea which once again jeopardized the Chimneys. It seemed that some violent current, provoked by some underseas commotion, lifted these monstrous waves and threw them against the wall of Granite House. When the colonists, leaning against their windows, saw these enormous masses of water breaking under their eyes, they could not but admire the magnificent spectacle of this impotent fury of the ocean. The waves rebounded as a dazzling foam, the beach completely disappeared under this angry deluge, and the wall seemed to emerge from the sea itself, whose sprays rose to a height of over one hundred feet. During these storms it was difficult to venture on the island's trails, even dangerous, because falling trees were frequent. The colonists however did not let a week pass without visiting the corral. Fortunately, this enclosure, sheltered by the southern buttress of Mount Franklin, did not suffer much from the violences of the storm which spared the trees, the sheds and the fence. But the poultry yard, built on Grand View Plateau, and consequently directly exposed to the winds from the east, was subjected to rather considerable damage. The pigeon house was twice broken up and the fence was also damaged. They had to rebuild everything in a more sturdy manner because they could clearly see that Lincoln Island was situated in the worst waters of the Pacific. It really seemed that it formed the central point of a vast cyclone which whipped about like a spinning top. Only here it was the top that was stationary and the whip that turned round. During the first week of the month of August the squalls abated little by little and the atmosphere recovered the calm that it seemed to have lost forever. With the calm the temperature dropped, the frost returned very vividly and the thermometer column fell to eight degrees Fahrenheit below zero (22ø centigrade below freezing). On the 3rd of August an excursion which had been planned for several days was made to the southeast of the island toward Tadorn Marsh. The hunters were tempted by the waterfowl which had established their winter quarters there. Wild duck, snipe, pintail, teal and grebe abounded there and it was decided that a day would be devoted for an expedition against these birds. Not only Gideon Spilett and Herbert, but Pencroff and Neb also took part in the expedition. Only Cyrus Smith, on the pretext of some work, did not join them and remained at Granite House. The hunters took the Port Balloon Road to reach the marshes after having promised to return in the evening. Top and Jup accompanied them. After they passed over the Mercy Bridge, the engineer raised it and returned with the thought of putting into execution a project for which he wanted to be alone. Now this project was to minutely explore the inside of the well whose orifice opened at the level of Granite House and 216 THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ which communicated with the sea since formerly it had served as a passage for the waters of the lake. Why did Top pace so often around this orifice? Why these strange barks when a sort of uneasiness drove him toward the well? Why did Jup join Top in a sort of common anxiety? Did this well have other branches in vertical communication with the sea? Did it reach out to other portions of the island? This Cyrus Smith wanted to know and to be the first to know. He therefore resolved to attempt an exploration of the well during the absence of his companions and the occasion presented itself for doing it. It was easy to descend to the bottom of the well by using the cord ladder that had not been in service since the installation of the elevator and whose length was sufficient. This is what the engineer did. He dragged the ladder up to the opening, whose diameter measured about six feet and he let it unroll after having secured it firmly at its upper end. Then, lighting a lantern, taking a revolver and putting a cutlass into his belt, he began to descend the first rungs. The wall was solid throughout; but there were several projections of rock here and there and by means of these projections it would have been possible for an agile being to climb up to the well's opening. The engineer made a mental note of this; but on casting his lantern on these projections he could find no footprint, nor any fracture which would make him think that it had been used as a staircase either recently or in the past. Cyrus Smith descended deeper, lighting up all the points of the wall. He saw nothing suspicious there. When the engineer reached the last rungs he felt the surface of the water which was then perfectly calm. Neither at this level nor at any other part of the well was there any lateral corridor which could branch out to the interior of this solid mass. The wall, which Cyrus Smith struck with the handle of his cutlass, sounded solid. It was a compact granite through which no living being could blaze a passage. To get to the bottom of the well and then ascend to the orifice it was necessary to pass through the always submerged channel which put it in communication with the sea via the rocky subsoil under the beach, and this was possible only for marine animals. As to the question of knowing where the channel ran, at what point on the shore and at what depth under the waves, that could not be determined. Having completed his exploration, Cyrus Smith then climbed back up, drew up the ladder, covered the opening of the well and returned, full of thoughts, to the large hall of Granite House, saying to himself, "I have seen nothing, yet there is something there."