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+The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Mysterious Island, by Jules Verne
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and
+most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions
+whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms
+of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at
+www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you
+will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before
+using this eBook.
+
+Title: The Mysterious Island
+
+Author: Jules Verne
+
+Release Date: August 31, 2003 [eBook #8993]
+[Most recently updated: June 9, 2022]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: UTF-8
+
+Produced by: Norman M. Wolcott
+
+*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND ***
+
+
+
+
+The Mysterious Island
+
+by Jules Verne
+
+
+
+
+[Redactor’s Note: _The Mysterious Island_ (Number V013 in the T&M
+numerical listing of Verne’s works) is a translation of _L’Île
+mystérieuse_ first published in England by Sampson and Low and in the
+United States by Scribner and Henry L. Shepard using the same
+translation of W. H. G. Kingston. English translators often altered
+their translations to suit current political views of Church and
+Empire. In the Kingston translation the chapters near the end of the
+book where Captain Nemo makes his appearance are altered beyond all
+recognition and all mention of Captain Nemo’s previous life as a
+“freedom fighter” for Indian independence is removed, in addition to
+other deletions. The present translation is by the American Stephen W.
+White. It first appeared in the _Evening Telegraph_ of Philadelphia, PA
+and was later published as an Evening Telegraph Reprint Book (1876).
+The present version is prepared from a xerox copy of that book kindly
+provided by Mr. Sidney Kravitz of Dover, NJ. According to Taves and
+Michaluk “Although more faithful than any other translation, this one
+has never been reprinted”. And so after a lapse of 127 years this
+translation of _The Mysterious Island_ is now again available to the
+public.
+
+Since the text was hand set for a newspaper there are many printer’s
+errors (including upside-down characters). Where obvious these have
+been corrected, although an attempt has been made to retain the
+original spelling of words in use at that period. Where there is a
+doubt, words have been altered so that the spelling is consistent. In
+other cases, like “trajopan” where the inconsistency is traced to
+Verne’s original, the spelling is left unaltered. A table of contents
+based on the chapter headings has been added which also indicates the
+points at which the french version was divided into three parts. An
+updated translation by Sidney Kravitz is now available from Wesleyan
+University Press (2001).
+
+
+JULES VERNE’S LAST STORY
+
+
+THE
+
+THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND
+
+ISLAND
+
+WITH A MAP OF THE ISLAND AND A FULL GLOSSARY
+
+
+By JULES VERNE
+
+
+AUTHOR OF “THE TOUR OF THE WORLD IN EIGHTY DAYS,” “A JOURNEY TO THE
+CENTRE OF THE EARTH,” “TWENTY THOUSAND LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA,”
+ETC.,ETC.
+
+
+
+
+_TRANSLATED EXPRESSLY FOR_
+
+“T H E   E V E N I N G   T E L E G R A P H,”
+
+_AND REPRINTED FROM THE COLUMNS OF THAT JOURNAL._
+
+
+
+
+PHILADELPHIA:
+
+
+OFFICE OF THE EVENING TELEGAPH, 108 SOUTH THIRD ST.
+
+1876
+
+PRICE, 25 CENTS
+
+
+THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS
+
+
+PART I SHIPWRECKED IN THE AIR
+
+I  The Hurricane of 1865—Cries in the Air—A Balloon Caught By a
+Waterspout—Only the Sea in Sight—Five Passengers—What Took Place in the
+Basket—Land Ahead!—The End.
+
+II  An Episode of the Rebellion—The Engineer Cyrus Smith—Gideon
+Spilett—The Negro Neb—The Sailor Pencroft—The Youth, Herbert—An
+Unexpected Proposal—Rendezvous at 10 O’clock P.M.—Departure in the
+Storm.
+
+III  Five O’clock in the Afternoon—The Lost One—The Despair of
+Neb—Search to the Northward—The Island—A Night of Anguish—The Fog of
+the Morning—Neb Swimming—Sight of the Land—Fording the Channel.
+
+IV  The Lithodomes—The Mouth of the River—The “Chimneys”—Continuation
+of the Search—The Forest of Evergreens—Getting Firewood—Waiting for the
+Tide—On Top of the Cliff—The Timber-Float—The Return to the Coast.
+
+V  Arranging the Chimneys—The Important Question of Fire—The Match
+Box—Search Over the Shore—Return of the Reporter and Neb—One Match—The
+Crackling Fire—The Fish Supper—The First Night on Land.
+
+VI  The Castaways’ Inventory—No Effects—The Charred Linen—An Expedition
+Into the Forest—The Flora of the Woods—The Flight of the Jacamar—Tracks
+of Wild Beasts—The Couroucous—The Heath-Cock—Line-Fishing
+Extraordinary.
+
+VII  Neb Has Not Yet Returned—The Reflections of the Reporter—The
+Supper—Prospect of a Bad Night—The Storm Is Frightful—They Go Out Into
+the Night—Struggle with the Rain and Wind.
+
+VIII  Is Cyrus Smith Alive?—Neb’s Story—Footprints—An Insoluble
+Question—The First Words of Smith—Comparing the Footprints—Return to
+the Chimneys—Pencroff Dejected.
+
+IX  Cyrus Is Here-Pencroff’s Attempts—Rubbing Wood—Island or
+Continent—The Plans of the Engineer—Whereabouts in the Pacific—In the
+Depths of the Forest—The Pistachio Pine—A Pig Chase—A Smoke of Good
+Omen.
+
+X  The Engineer’s Invention—Island Or Continent?—Departure for the
+Mountain—The Forest—Volcanic Soil—The Tragopans—The Moufflons—The First
+Plateau—Encamping for the Night—The Summit of the Cone
+
+XI  At the Summit of the Cone—The Interior of the Crater—Sea
+Everywhere—No Land in Sight—A Bird’s Eve View of the Coast—Hydrography
+and Orography—Is the Island Inhabited?—A Geographical Baptism—Lincoln
+Island.
+
+XII  Regulation of Watches—Pencroff Is Satisfied—A Suspicious Smoke—The
+Course of Red Creek—The Flora of the Island—Its Fauna—Mountain
+Pheasants—A Kangaroo Chase—The Agouti—Lake Grant—Return to the
+Chimneys.
+
+XIII  Top’s Contribution—Making Bows and Arrows—A Brick-Kiln—A
+Pottery—Different Cooking Utensils—The First Boiled Meat—Mugwort—The
+Southern Cross—An Important Astronomical Observation.
+
+XIV  The Measure Of the Granite Wall—An Application of the Theorem of
+Similar Triangles—The Latitude of the Island—An Excursion to the
+North—An Oyster-Bed—Plans for the Future—The Sun’s Passage of the
+Meridian—The Co-ordinates of Lincoln Island.
+
+XV  Winter Sets In—The Metallurgic Question—The Exploration of Safety
+Island—A Seal Hunt—Capture of an Echidna—The Ai—The Catalonian
+Method—Making Iron and Steel.
+
+XVI  The Question of a Dwelling Discussed Again—Pencroff’s Ideas—An
+Exploration to the North of the Lake—The Western Boundary of the
+Plateau—The Serpents—The Outlet of the Lake—Top’s Alarm—Top Swimming—A
+Fight Under Water—The Dugong.
+
+XVII  A Visit to the Lake—The Direction of the Current—The Prospects of
+Cyrus Smith—The Dugong Fat—The Use of the Schistous Limestone—The
+Sulphate of Iron—How Glycerine Is Made—Soap—Saltpetre—Sulphuric
+Acid—Nitric Acid—The New Outlet.
+
+XVIII  Pencroff Doubts No More—The Old Outlet of the Lake—A
+Subterranean Descent—The Way Through the Granite—Top Has
+Disappeared—The Central Cavern—The Lower Well—Mystery—The Blows with
+the Pick—The Return.
+
+XIX  Smith’s Plan—The Front of Granite House—The Rope Ladder—Pencroff’s
+Ideas—The Aromatic Herbs—A Natural Warren—Getting Water—The View From
+the Windows of Granite House.
+
+XX  The Rainy Season—What to Wear-A Seal-Hunt—Candle-Making—-Work in
+the Granite House—The Two Causeways—Return From a Visit to the
+Oyster-Bed—What Herbert Found in His Pocket.
+
+XXI  Several Degrees Below Zero—Exploration of the Swamp Region to the
+Southeast—The View of the Sea—A Conversation Concerning the Future of
+the Pacific Ocean—The Incessant Labor of the Infusoria—What Will Become
+of This Globe—The Chase—The Swamp of the Tadorns.
+
+XXII.  The Traps—The Foxes—The Peccaries—The Wind Veers to the
+Northwest—The Snow-Storm—The Basket-Makers—The Coldest Snap of
+Winter—Crystallization of the Sugar-Maple—The Mysterious Shafts—The
+Projected Exploration—The Pellet of Lead.
+
+
+PART II THE ABANDONED
+
+XXIII  Concerning the Leaden Pellet—Making a Canoe—Hunting—In the Top
+of a Kauri—Nothing to Indicate the Presence of Man—The Turtle on its
+Back—The Turtle Disappears—Smith’s Explanation.
+
+XXIV  Trial of the Canoe—A Wreck on the Shore—The Tow—Jetsam
+Point—Inventory of the Box—What Pencroff Wanted—A Bible—A Verse from
+the Bible.
+
+XXV  The Departure—The Rising Tide—Elms and Other Trees—Different
+Plants—The Kingfisher—Appearance of the Forest—The Gigantic
+Eucalypti—Why They Are Called Fever-Trees—Monkeys—The
+Waterfall—Encampment for the Night.
+
+XXVI  Going Toward the Coast—Troops of Monkeys—A New Water-Course—Why
+the Tide Was Not Felt—A Forest on the Shore—Reptile Promontory—Spilett
+Makes Herbert Envious—The Bamboo Fusilade.
+
+XXVII  Proposal to Return By the South Coast—Its Configuration—Search
+for the Shipwrecked—A Waif in the Air—Discovery of a Small Natural
+Harbor—Midnight on the Mercy—A Drifting Canoe.
+
+XXVIII  Pencroff’s Halloos—A Night in the Chimneys—Herbert’s
+Arrow—Smith’s Plan—An Unexpected Solution—What Had Happened in Granite
+House—How the Colonists Obtained a New Domestic.
+
+XXIX  Projects to Be Carried Out—A Bridge Over the Mercy—To Make An
+Island of Prospect Plateau—The Draw-Bridge—The Corn Harvest—The
+Stream—The Causeway—The Poultry Yard—The Pigeon-House—The Two Wild
+Asses—Harnessed to the Wagon—Excursion to Balloon Harbor.
+
+XXX  Clothing—Seal-Skin Boots—Making Pyroxyline—Planting—The
+Fish—Turtles’ Eggs—Jup’s Education—The Corral-Hunting Moufflons—Other
+Useful Animals and Vegetables—Home Thoughts.
+
+XXXI  Bad Weather—The Hydraulic Elevator—Making Window Glass and Table
+Ware—The Bread Tree—Frequent Visits to the Corral—The Increase of the
+Herd—The Reporter’s Question—The Exact Position of Lincoln
+Island—Pencroff’s Proposal.
+
+XXXII  Ship Building—The Second Harvest—Ai Hunting—A New Plant—A
+Whale—The Harpoon From the Vineyard—Cutting Up This Cetacea—Use of the
+Whalebone—The End of May—PencroffIs Content.
+
+XXXIII  Winter—Fulling Cloth—The Mill—Pencroff’s Fixed Purpose—The
+Whalebones—The Use of An Albatross—Top and Jup—Storms—Damage to the
+Poultry-Yard—An Excursion to the Marsh—Smith Alone—Exploration of the
+Pits.
+
+XXXIV  Rigging the Launch—Attacked By Foxes—Jup Wounded—Jup Nursed—Jup
+Cured—Completion of the Launch—Pencroff’s Triumph—The Good Luck—Trial
+Trip, to the South of the Island—An Unexpected Document.
+
+XXXV  Departure Decided Upon—Preparations—The Three Passengers—The
+First Night—The Second Night—Tabor Island—Search on the Shore—Search in
+the Woods—No One—Animals—Plants—A House—Deserted.
+
+XXXVI  The Inventory—The Night—Some Letters—The Search Continued—Plants
+and Animals—Herbert in Danger—Aboard—The Departure—Bad Weather—A
+Glimmer of Intelligence—Lost At Sea—A Timely Light.
+
+XXXVII  The Return-Discussion—Smith and the Unknown—Balloon Harbor-The
+Devotion of the Engineer-A Touching Experience-Tears.
+
+XXXVIII  A Mystery to Be Solved—The First Words of the Unknown—Twelve
+Years on the Island—Confessions—Disappearance—Smith’s
+Confidence—Building a Wind-Mill—The First Bread—An Act of
+Devotion—Honest Hands.
+
+XXXIX  Always Apart—A Bequest of the Unknown’s—The Farm Established At
+the Corral—Twelve Years—The Boatswain’s Mate of the Britannia—Left on
+Tabor Island—The Hand of Smith—The Mysterious Paper
+
+XL  A Talk—Smith and Spilett—The Engineer’s Idea—The Electric
+Telegraph—The Wires—The Batter—the Alphabet—Fine Weather—The Prosperity
+of the Colony—Photography—A Snow Effect—Two Years on Lincoln Island.
+
+XLI  Thoughts of Home—Chances of Return—Plan to Explore the Coast—The
+Departure of the 16th of April—Serpentine Peninsula Seen From Sea—The
+Basaltic Cliffs of the Western Coast—Bad Weather—Night—A New Incident.
+
+XLII  Night At Sea—Shark Gulf—Confidences—Preparations for Winter—Early
+Advent of Bad Weather—Cold—In-Door Work—Six Months Later—A Speck on the
+Photograph—An Unexpected Event.
+
+
+PART III THE SECRET OF THE ISLAND
+
+XLIII  Lost Or Saved?—Ayrton Recalled—Important Discussion—It Is Not
+the Duncan—Suspicion And Precaution—Approach of the Ship—A Cannon
+Shot—The Brig Anchors in Sight of the Island—Night Fall.
+
+XLIV  Discussions—Presentiments—Ayrton’s Proposal—It Is Accepted—Ayrton
+and Pencroff on Safety Islet—Norfolk Convicts—Their Projects—Heroic
+Attempt of Ayrton—His Return—Six Against Fifty.
+
+XLV  The Mist Rises—The Engineer’s Disposition of Forces—Three
+Posts—Ayrton and Pencroft—The First Attack—Two Other Boat Loads—On the
+Islet—Six Convicts on Shore—The Brig Weighs Anchor—The Speedy’s
+Projectiles—Desperate Situation—Unexpected Denouement.
+
+XLVI  The Colonists on the Beach—Ayrton and Pencroff as Salvors—Talk At
+Breakfast—Pencroff’s Reasoning—Exploration of the Brig’s Hull in
+Detail—The Magazine Uninjured—New Riches—A Discovery—A Piece of a
+Broken Cylinder.
+
+XLVII  The Engineer’s Theory—Pencroff’s Magnificent Suppositions—A
+Battery in the Air—Four Projectiles—The Surviving Convicts—Ayrton
+Hesitates—Smith’s Generosity and Pencroff’s Dissatisfaction.
+
+XLVIII  The Projected Expedition—Ayrton At the Corral—Visit to Port
+Balloon—Pencroff’s Remarks—Despatch Sent to the Corral—No Answer From
+Ayrton—Setting Out Next Day—Why the Wire Did Not Act—A Detonation.
+
+XLIX  The Reporter and Pencroff in the Corral—Moving Herbert—Despair of
+the Sailor—Consultation of the Engineer and the Reporter—Mode of
+Treatment—A Glimmer of Hope—How to Warn Neb—A Faithful Messenger—Neb’s
+Reply.
+
+L  The Convicts in the Neighborhood of the Corral—Provisional
+Occupation—Continuation of Herbert’s Treatment—Pencroff’s
+Jubilation—Review of the Past—Future Prospects—Smith’s Ideas.
+
+LI  No News of Neb—A Proposal From Pencroff and Spilett—The Reporter’s
+Sorties—A Fragment Of Cloth—A Message—Hurried Departure—Arrival At
+Prospect Plateau.
+
+LII  Herbert Carried to Granite House—Neb Relates What Had
+Happened—Visit of Smith to the Plateau—Ruin and Devastation—The
+Colonists Helpless—Willow Bark—A Mortal Fever—Top Barks Again.
+
+LIII  An Inexplicable Mystery—Herbert’s Convalescence—The Unexplored
+Parts of the Island—Preparations for Departure—The First
+Day—Night—Second Day—The Kauris—Cassowaries—Footprints in the
+Sand—Arrival At Reptile End.
+
+LIV  Exploration of Reptile End—Camp At the Mouth of Fall River—By the
+Corral—The Reconnaissance—The Return—Forward—An Open Door—A Light in
+the Window—By Moonlight.
+
+LV  Ayrton’s Recital—Plans of His Old Comrades—Taking Possession of the
+Corral—The Rules of the Island—The Good Luck—Researches About Mount
+Franklin—The Upper Valleys—Subterranean Rumblings—Pencroff’s Answer—At
+the Bottom of the Crater—The Return
+
+LVI  After Three Years—The Question of a New Ship—Its
+Determination—Prosperity of the Colony—The Shipyard—The Cold
+Weather—Pencroff Resigned—Washing—Mount Franklin.
+
+LVII  The Awakening of the Volcano—The Fine Weather—Resumption of
+Work—The Evening of the 15th of October—A Telegraph—A Demand—An
+Answer—Departure for the Corral—The Notice—The Extra Wire—The Basalt
+Wall—At High Tide—At Low Tide—The Cavern—A Dazzling Light.
+
+LVIII  Captain Nemo—His First Words—History of a Hero of Liberty—Hatred
+of the Invaders—His Companions—The Life Under Water—Alone—The Last
+Refuge of the Nautilus—The Mysterious Genius of the Island.
+
+LIX  The Last Hours of Captain Nemo—His Dying Wishes—A Souvenir for His
+Friends—His Tomb—Some Counsel to the Colonists—The Supreme Moment—At
+the Bottom of the Sea.
+
+LX  The Reflections of the Colonists—Renewal of Work—The 1st of
+January, 1869—A Smoke From the Volcano—Symptoms of An Eruption Ayrton
+and Smith At the Corral—Exploration of the Crypt Dakkar—What Captain
+Nemo Had Said to the Engineer.
+
+LXI  Smith’s Recital—Hastening the Work—A Last Visit to the Corral—The
+Combat Between the Fire and the Water—The Aspect of the Island—They
+Decide to Launch the Ship—The Night of the 8th of March.
+
+LXII  An Isolated Rock in the Pacific—The Last Refuge of the
+Colonists—The Prospect of Death—Unexpected Succor—How and Why It
+Came—The Last Good Action—An Island on Terra Firma—The Tomb of Captain
+Nemo.
+
+
+
+
+THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND.
+
+By JULES VERNE.
+
+
+PART I
+SHIPWRECKED IN THE AIR
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I.
+
+
+THE HURRICANE OF 1865—CRIES IN THE AIR—A BALLOON CAUGHT BY A
+WATERSPOUT—ONLY THE SEA IN SIGHT—FIVE PASSENGERS—WHAT TOOK PLACE IN THE
+BASKET—LAND AHEAD!—THE END.
+
+
+“Are we going up again?”
+
+“No. On the contrary; we are going down!”
+
+“Worse than that, Mr. Smith, we are falling!”
+
+“For God’s sake throw over all the ballast!”
+
+“The last sack is empty!”
+
+“And the balloon rises again?”
+
+“No!”
+
+“I hear the splashing waves!”
+
+“The sea is under us!”
+
+“It is not five hundred feet off!”
+
+Then a strong, clear voice shouted:—
+
+“Overboard with all we have, and God help us!”
+
+Such were the words which rang through the air above the vast
+wilderness of the Pacific, towards 4 o’clock in the afternoon of the
+23d of March, 1865:—
+
+Doubtless, no one has forgotten that terrible northeast gale which
+vented its fury during the equinox of that year. It was a hurricane
+lasting without intermission from the 18th to the 26th of March.
+Covering a space of 1,800 miles, drawn obliquely to the equator,
+between the 35° of north latitude and 40° south, it occasioned immense
+destruction both in America and Europe and Asia. Cities in ruins,
+forests uprooted, shores devastated by the mountains of water hurled
+upon them, hundreds of shipwrecks, large tracts of territory desolated
+by the waterspouts which destroyed everything in their path, thousands
+of persons crushed to the earth or engulfed in the sea; such were the
+witnesses to its fury left behind by this terrible hurricane. It
+surpassed in disaster those storms which ravaged Havana and Guadeloupe
+in 1810 and 1825.
+
+While these catastrophes were taking place upon the land and the sea, a
+scene not less thrilling was enacting in the disordered heavens.
+
+A balloon, caught in the whirl of a column of air, borne like a ball on
+the summit of a waterspout, spinning around as in some aerial
+whirlpool, rushed through space with a velocity of ninety miles an
+hour. Below the balloon, dimly visible through the dense vapor, mingled
+with spray, which spread over the ocean, swung a basket containing five
+persons.
+
+From whence came this aerial traveller, the sport of the awful tempest?
+Evidently it could not have been launched during the storm, and the
+storm had been raging five days, its symptoms manifesting themselves on
+the 18th. It must, therefore, have come from a great distance, as it
+could not have traversed less than 2,000 miles in twenty-four hours.
+The passengers, indeed, had been unable to determine the course
+traversed, as they had nothing with which to calculate their position;
+and it was a necessary effect, that, though borne along in the midst of
+this tempest; they were unconscious of its violence. They were whirled
+and spun about and carried up and down without any sense of motion.
+Their vision could not penetrate the thick fog massed together under
+the balloon. Around them everything was obscure. The clouds were so
+dense that they could not tell the day from the night. No reflection of
+light, no sound from the habitations of men, no roaring of the ocean
+had penetrated that profound obscurity in which they were suspended
+during their passage through the upper air. Only on their rapid descent
+had they become conscious of the danger threatening them by the waves.
+
+Meanwhile the balloon, disencumbered of the heavy articles, such as
+munitions, arms, and provisions, had risen to a height of 4,500 feet,
+and the passengers having discovered that the sea was beneath them, and
+realizing that the dangers above were less formidable than those below,
+did not hesitate to throw overboard everything, no matter how
+necessary, at the same time endeavoring to lose none of that fluid, the
+soul of the apparatus, which sustained them above the abyss.
+
+The night passed in the midst of dangers that would have proved fatal
+to souls less courageous; and with the coming of day the hurricane
+showed signs of abatement. At dawn, the emptied clouds rose high into
+the heavens; and, in a few hours more, the whirlwind had spent its
+force. The wind, from a hurricane, had subsided into what sailors would
+call a “three reef breeze.”
+
+Toward eleven o’clock, the lower strata of the air had lightened
+visibly. The atmosphere exhaled that humidity which is noticeable after
+the passage of great meteors. It did not seem as if the storm had moved
+westward, but rather as if it was ended. Perhaps it had flowed off in
+electric sheets after the whirlwind had spent itself, as is the case
+with the typhoon in the Indian Ocean.
+
+Now, however, it became evident that the balloon was again sinking
+slowly but surely. It seemed also as if it was gradually collapsing,
+and that its envelope was lengthening and passing from a spherical into
+an oval form. It held 50,000 cubic feet of gas, and therefore, whether
+soaring to a great height or moving along horizontally, it was able to
+maintain itself for a long time in the air. In this emergency the
+voyagers threw overboard the remaining articles which weighed down the
+balloon, the few provisions they had kept, and everything they had in
+their pockets, while one of the party hoisted himself into the ring to
+which was fastened the cords of the net, and endeavored to closely tie
+the lower end of the balloon. But it was evident that the gas was
+escaping, and that the voyagers could no longer keep the balloon
+afloat.
+
+They were lost!
+
+There was no land, not even an island, visible beneath them. The wide
+expanse of ocean offered no point of rest, nothing upon which they
+could cast anchor. It was a vast sea on which the waves were surging
+with incomparable violence. It was the limitless ocean, limitless even
+to them from their commanding height. It was a liquid plain, lashed and
+beaten by the hurricane, until it seemed like a circuit of tossing
+billows, covered with a net-work of foam. Not even a ship was in sight.
+
+In order, therefore, to save themselves from being swallowed up by the
+waves it was necessary to arrest this downward movement, let it cost
+what it might. And it was evidently to the accomplishment of this that
+the party were directing their efforts. But in spite of all they could
+do the balloon continued to descend, though at the same time moving
+rapidly along with the wind toward the southwest.
+
+It was a terrible situation, this, of these unfortunate men. No longer
+masters of the balloon, their efforts availed them nothing. The
+envelope collapsed more and more, and the gas continued to escape.
+Faster and faster they fell, until at 1 o’clock they were not more than
+600 feet above the sea. The gas poured out of a rent in the silk. By
+lightening the basket of everything the party had been able to continue
+their suspension in the air for several hours, but now the inevitable
+catastrophe could only be delayed, and unless some land appeared before
+nightfall, voyagers, balloon, and basket must disappear beneath the
+waves.
+
+It was evident that these men were strong and able to face death. Not a
+murmur escaped their lips. They were determined to struggle to the last
+second to retard their fall, and they tried their last expedient. The
+basket, constructed of willow osiers, could not float, and they had no
+means of supporting it on the surface of the water. It was 2 o’clock,
+and the balloon was only 400 feet above the waves.
+
+Then a voice was heard—the voice of a man whose heart knew no
+fear—responded to by others not less strong:—
+
+“Everything is thrown out?”
+
+“No, we yet have 10,000 francs in gold.”
+
+A heavy bag fell into the sea.
+
+“Does the balloon rise?”
+
+“A little, but it will soon fall again.”
+
+“Is there nothing else we can gut rid of?”
+
+“Not a thing.”
+
+“Yes there is; there’s the basket!”
+
+“Catch hold of the net then, and let it go.”
+
+The cords which attached the basket to the hoop were cut, and the
+balloon, as the former fell into the sea, rose again 2,000 feet. This
+was, indeed, the last means of lightening the apparatus. The five
+passengers had clambered into the net around the hoop, and, clinging to
+its meshes, looked into the abyss below.
+
+Every one knows the statical sensibility of a balloon. It is only
+necessary to relieve it of the lightest object in order to have it
+rise. The apparatus floating in air acts like a mathematical balance.
+One can readily understand, then, that when disencumbered of every
+weight relatively great, its upward movement will be sudden and
+considerable. It was thus in the present instance. But after remaining
+poised for a moment at its height, the balloon began to descend. It was
+impossible to repair the rent, through which the gas was rushing, and
+the men having done everything they could do, must look to God for
+succor.
+
+At 4 o’clock, when the balloon was only 500 feet above the sea, the
+loud barking of a dog, holding itself crouched beside its master in the
+meshes of the net, was heard.
+
+“Top has seen something!” cried one, and immediately afterwards another
+shouted:—
+
+“Land! Land!”
+
+The balloon, which the wind had continued to carry towards the
+southwest, had since dawn passed over a distance of several hundred
+miles, and a high land began to be distinguishable in that direction.
+But it was still thirty miles to leeward, and even supposing they did
+not drift, it would take a full hour to reach it. An hour! Before that
+time could pass, would not the balloon be emptied of what gas remained?
+This was the momentous question.
+
+The party distinctly saw that solid point which they must reach at all
+hazards. They did not know whether it was an island or a continent, as
+they were uninformed as to what part of the world the tempest had
+hurried them. But they knew that this land, whether inhabited or
+desert, must be reached.
+
+At 4 o’clock it was plain that the balloon could not sustain itself
+much longer. It grazed the surface of the sea, and the crests of the
+higher waves several times lapped the base of the net, making it
+heavier; and, like a bird with a shot in its wing, could only half
+sustain itself.
+
+A half hour later, and the land was scarcely a mile distant. But the
+balloon, exhausted, flabby, hanging in wrinkles, with only a little gas
+remaining in its upper portion, unable to sustain the weight of those
+clinging to the net, was plunging them in the sea, which lashed them
+with its furious billows. Occasionally the envelope of the balloon
+would belly out, and the wind taking it would carry it along like a
+ship. Perhaps by this means it would reach the shore. But when only two
+cables’ length away four voices joined in a terrible cry. The balloon,
+though seemingly unable to rise again, after having been struck by a
+tremendous wave, made a bound into the air, as if it had been suddenly
+lightened of some of its weight. It rose 1,500 feet, and encountering a
+sort of eddy in the air, instead of being carried directly to land, it
+was drawn along in a direction nearly parallel thereto. In a minute or
+two, however, it reapproached the shore in an oblique direction, and
+fell upon the sand above the reach of the breakers. The passengers,
+assisting each other, hastened to disengage themselves from the meshes
+of the net; and the balloon, relieved of their weight, was caught up by
+the wind, and, like a wounded bird recovering for an instant,
+disappeared into space.
+
+The basket had contained five passengers and a dog, and but four had
+been thrown upon the shore. The fifth one, then, had been washed off by
+the great wave which had struck the net, and it was owing to this
+accident that the lightened balloon had been able to rise for the last
+time before falling upon the land. Scarcely had the four castaways felt
+the ground beneath their feet than all thinking of the one who was
+lost, cried:—“Perhaps he is trying to swim ashore. Save him! Let us
+save him!”
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II.
+
+
+AN EPISODE OF THE REBELLION-THE ENGINEER CYRUS SMITH—GIDEON SPILETT—THE
+NEGRO NEB—THE SAILOR PENCROFF—THE YOUTH, HERBERT—AN UNEXPECTED
+PROPOSAL—RENDEZVOUS AT 10 O’CLOCK P.M.—DEPARTURE IN THE STORM.
+
+
+They were neither professional aeronauts nor amateurs in aerial
+navigation whom the storm had thrown upon this coast. They were
+prisoners of war whose audacity had suggested this extraordinary manner
+of escape. A hundred times they would have perished, a hundred times
+their torn balloon would have precipitated them into the abyss, had not
+Providence preserved them for a strange destiny, and on the 20th of
+March, after having flown from Richmond, besieged by the troops of
+General Ulysses Grant, they found themselves 7,000 miles from the
+Virginia capital, the principal stronghold of the Secessionists during
+that terrible war. Their aerial voyage had lasted five days.
+
+Let us see by what curious circumstances this escape of prisoners was
+effected,—an escape which resulted in the catastrophe which we have
+seen.
+
+This same year, in the month of February, 1865, in one of those
+surprises by which General Grant, though in vain, endeavored to take
+Richmond, many of his officers were captured by the enemy and confined
+within the city. One of the most distinguished of those taken was a
+Federal staff officer named Cyrus Smith.
+
+Cyrus Smith was a native of Massachusetts, an engineer by profession,
+and a scientist of the first order, to whom the Government had given,
+during the war, the direction of the railways, which played such a
+great strategic part during the war.
+
+A true Yankee, thin, bony, lean, about forty-five years old, with
+streaks of grey appearing in his close cut hair and heavy moustache. He
+had one of those fine classical heads that seem as if made to be copied
+upon medals; bright eyes, a serious mouth, and the air of a practiced
+officer. He was one of these engineers who began of his own wish with
+the pick and shovel, as there are generals who have preferred to rise
+from the ranks. Thus, while possessing inventive genius, he had
+acquired manual dexterity, and his muscles showed remarkable firmness.
+He was as much a man of action as of study; he moved without effort,
+under the influence of a strong vitality and his sanguine temperament
+defied all misfortune. Highly educated, practical, “clear-headed,” his
+temperament was superb, and always retaining his presence of mind he
+combined in the highest degree the three conditions whose union
+regulates the energy of man: activity of body, strength of will, and
+determination. His motto might have been that of William of Orange in
+the XVIIth century—“I can undertake without hope, and persevere through
+failure.”
+
+Cyrus Smith was also the personification of courage. He had been in
+every battle of the war. After having begun under General Grant, with
+the Illinois volunteers, he had fought at Paducah, at Belmont, at
+Pittsburg Landing, at the siege of Corinth, at Port Gibson, at the
+Black River, at Chattanooga, at the Wilderness, upon the Potomac,
+everywhere with bravery, a soldier worthy of the General who said “I
+never counted my dead.” And a hundred times Cyrus Smith would have been
+among the number of those whom the terrible Grant did not count; but in
+these combats, though he never spared himself, fortune always favored
+him, until the time he was wounded and taken prisoner at the siege of
+Richmond.
+
+At the same time with Cyrus Smith another important personage fell into
+the power of the Southerners. This was no other than the honorable
+Gideon Spilett, reporter to the New York Herald, who had been detailed
+to follow the fortunes of the war with the armies of the North.
+
+Gideon Spilett was of the race of astonishing chroniclers, English or
+American, such as Stanley and the like, who shrink from nothing in
+their endeavor to obtain exact information and to transmit it to their
+journal in the quickest manner. The journals of the United States, such
+as the New York _Herald_, are true powers, and their delegates are
+persons of importance. Gideon Spilett belonged in the first rank of
+these representatives.
+
+A man of great merit; energetic, prompt, and ready; full of ideas,
+having been all over the world; soldier and artist; vehement in
+council; resolute in action; thinking nothing of pain, fatigue, or
+danger when seeking information, first for himself and afterwards for
+his journal; a master of recondite information of the unpublished, the
+unknown, the impossible. He was one of those cool observers who write
+amid the cannon balls, “reporting” under the bullets, and to whom all
+perils are welcome.
+
+He also had been in all the battles, in the front rank, revolver in one
+hand and notebook in the other, his pencil never trembling in the midst
+of a cannonade. He did not tire the wires by incessant telegraphing,
+like those who speak when they have nothing to say, but each of his
+messages was short, condensed, clear, and to the purpose. For the rest,
+he did not lack humor. It was he who, after the affair of Black river,
+wishing at any price to keep his place at the telegraph wicket in order
+to announce the result, kept telegraphing for two hours the first
+chapters of the Bible. It cost the New York _Herald_ $2,000, but the
+New York _Herald_ had the first news.
+
+Gideon Spilett was tall. He was forty years old or more. Sandy-colored
+whiskers encircled his face. His eye was clear, lively, and quick
+moving. It was the eye of a man who was accustomed to take in
+everything at a glance. Strongly built, he was tempered by all climates
+as a bar of steel is tempered by cold water. For ten years Gideon
+Spilett had been connected with the New York _Herald_, which he had
+enriched with his notes and his drawings, as he wielded the pencil as
+well as the pen. When captured he was about making a description and a
+sketch of the battle. The last words written in his note-book were
+these:—“A Southerner is aiming at me and—.” And Gideon Spilett was
+missed; so, following his invariable custom, he escaped unscratched.
+
+Cyrus Smith and Gideon Spilett, who knew each other only by reputation,
+were both taken to Richmond. The engineer recovered rapidly from his
+wound, and it was during his convalescence he met the reporter. The two
+soon learned to appreciate each-other. Soon their one aim was to rejoin
+the army of Grant and fight again in the ranks for the preservation of
+the Union.
+
+The two Americans had decided to avail themselves of any chance; but
+although free to go and come within the city, Richmond was so closely
+guarded that an escape might be deemed impossible.
+
+During this time Cyrus Smith was rejoined by a devoted servant. This
+man was a negro, born upon the engineer’s estate, of slave parents,
+whom Smith, an abolitionist by conviction, had long since freed. The
+negro, though free, had no desire to leave his master, for whom he
+would have given his life. He was a man of thirty years, vigorous,
+agile, adroit, intelligent, quick, and self-possessed, sometimes
+ingenuous always smiling, ready and honest. He was named
+Nebuchadnezzar, but he answered to the nickname of Neb.
+
+When Neb learned that his master had been taken prisoner he left
+Massachusetts without waiting a moment, arrived before Richmond, and,
+by a ruse, after having risked his life twenty times, he was able to
+get within the besieged city. The pleasure of Cyrus Smith on seeing
+again his servant, and the joy of Neb in finding his master, cannot be
+expressed. But while he had been able to get into Richmond it was much
+more difficult to get out, as the watch kept upon the Federal prisoners
+was very strict. It would require an extraordinary opportunity in order
+to attempt an escape with any chance of success; and that occasion not
+only did not present itself, but it was difficult to make. Meanwhile,
+Grant continued his energetic operations. The victory of Petersburg had
+been vigorously contested. His forces, reunited to those of Butler, had
+not as yet obtained any result before Richmond, and nothing indicated
+an early release to the prisoners. The reporter, whose tiresome
+captivity gave him no item worthy of note, grew impatient. He had but
+one idea; to get out of Richmond at any risk. Many times, indeed, he
+tried the experiment, and was stopped by obstacles insurmountable.
+
+Meanwhile, the siege continued, and as the prisoners were anxious to
+escape in order to join the army of Grant, so there were certain of the
+besieged no less desirous to be free to join the army of the
+Secessionists; and among these was a certain Jonathan Forster, who was
+a violent Southerner. In truth, the Confederates were no more able to
+get out of the city than the Federal prisoners, as the army of Grant
+invested it around. The Mayor of Richmond had not for some time been
+able to communicate with General Lee, and it was of the highest
+importance to make the latter aware of the situation of the city, in
+order to hasten the march of the rescuing army. This Jonathan Forster
+had conceived the idea of passing over the lines of the besiegers in a
+balloon, and arriving by this means in the Confederate camp.
+
+The Mayor authorized the undertaking, a balloon was made and placed at
+the disposal of Forster and five of his companions. They were provided
+with arms as they might have to defend themselves in descending, and
+food in case their aerial voyage should be prolonged. The departure of
+the balloon had been fixed for the 18th of March. It was to start in
+the night, and with a moderate breeze from the northeast, the party
+expected to arrive at the quarters of General Lee in a few hours. But
+the wind from the northeast was not a mere breeze. On the morning of
+the 18th there was every symptom of a storm, and soon the tempest broke
+forth, making it necessary for Forster to defer his departure, as it
+was impossible to risk the balloon and those whom it would carry, to
+the fury of the elements.
+
+The balloon, inflated in the great square of Richmond, was all ready,
+waiting for the first lull in the storm; and throughout the city there
+was great vexation at the settled bad weather. The night of the 19th
+and 20th passed, but in the morning the storm was only developed in
+intensity, and departure was impossible.
+
+On this day Cyrus Smith was accosted in one of the streets of Richmond
+by a man whom he did not know. It was a sailor named Pencroff, aged
+from thirty-five to forty years, strongly built, much sun-burnt, his
+eyes bright and glittering, but with a good countenance.
+
+This Pencroff was a Yankee who had sailed every sea, and who had
+experienced every kind of extraordinary adventure that a two-legged
+being without wings could encounter. It is needless to say that he was
+of an adventurous nature, ready to dare anything and to be astonished
+at nothing. Pencroff, in the early part of this year, had come to
+Richmond on business, having with him Herbert Brown, of New Jersey, a
+lad fifteen years old, the son of Pencroff’s captain, and an orphan
+whom he loved as his own child. Not having left the city at the
+beginning of the siege, he found himself, to his great displeasure,
+blocked. He also had but one idea: to get out. He knew the reputation
+of the engineer, and he knew with what impatience that determined man
+chaffed at his restraint. He did not therefore hesitate to address him
+without ceremony.
+
+“Mr. Smith, have you had enough of Richmond?”
+
+The engineer looked fixedly at the man who spoke thus, and who added in
+a low voice:—
+
+“Mr. Smith, do you want to escape?”
+
+“How?” answered the engineer, quickly, and it was evidently an
+inconsiderate reply, for he had not yet examined the man who spoke.
+
+“Mr. Smith, do you want to escape?”
+
+““Who are you?” he demanded, in a cold voice.
+
+Pencroff made himself known.
+
+“Sufficient,” replied Smith. “And by what means do you propose to
+escape?”
+
+“By this idle balloon which is doing nothing, and seems to me all ready
+to take us!”—
+
+The sailor had no need to finish his sentence. The engineer had
+understood all in a word. He seized Pencroff by the arm and hurried him
+to his house. There the sailor explained his project, which, in truth,
+was simple enough:—They risked only their lives in carrying it out. The
+storm was at its height, it is true; but a skilful and daring engineer
+like Smith would know well how to manage a balloon. He, himself, would
+not have hesitated to have started, had he known how—with Herbert, of
+course. He had seen many storms and he thought nothing of them.
+
+Cyrus Smith listened to the sailor without saying a word, but with
+glistening eyes. This was the opportunity, and he was not the man to
+let it escape him. The project was very dangerous, but it could be
+accomplished. During the night, in spite of the guards, they might
+reach the balloon, creep into the basket, and then cut the lines which
+held it! Certainly they risked being shot, but on the other hand they
+might succeed, and but for this tempest—but without this tempest the
+balloon would have been gone and the long-sought opportunity would not
+have been present.
+
+“I am not alone,” said Smith at length.
+
+“How many would you want to take?” demanded the sailor.
+
+“Two; my friend Spilett, and my man Neb.”
+
+“That would be three,” replied Pencroff; “and, with Herbert and myself,
+five. Well, the balloon can carry six?”
+
+“Very well. We will go!” said the engineer.
+
+This “we” pledged the reporter, who was not a man to retreat, and who,
+when the project was told him, approved of it heartily. What astonished
+him was, that so simple a plan had not already occurred to himself. As
+to Neb, he followed his master wherever his master wanted to go.
+
+“To-night, then,” said Pencroff.
+
+“To-night, at ten o’clock,” replied Smith; “and pray heaven that this
+storm does not abate before we get off.”
+
+Pencroff took leave of the engineer, and returned to his lodging, where
+he found young Herbert Brown. This brave boy knew the plans of the
+sailor, and he was not without a certain anxiety as to the result of
+the proposal to the engineer. We see, therefore, five persons
+determined to throw themselves into the vortex of the storm.
+
+The storm did not abate. And neither Jonathan Forster nor his companion
+dreamed of confronting it in that frail basket. The journey would be
+terrible. The engineer feared but one thing; that the balloon, held to
+the ground and beaten down under the wind, would be torn into a
+thousand pieces. During many hours he wandered about the nearly
+deserted square, watching the apparatus. Pencroff, his hands in his
+pockets, yawning like a man who is unable to kill time, did the same;
+but in reality he also feared that the balloon would be torn to pieces,
+or break from its moorings and be carried off.
+
+Evening arrived and the night closed in dark and threatening. Thick
+masses of fog passed like clouds low down over the earth. Rain mingled
+with snow fell. The weather was cold. A sort of mist enveloped
+Richmond. It seemed as if in the face of this terrible tempest a truce
+had been agreed upon between the besiegers and besieged, and the cannon
+were silent before the heavy detonations of the storm. The streets of
+the city were deserted; it had not even seemed necessary, in such
+weather, to guard the square in which swung the balloon. Everything
+favored the departure of the prisoners; but this voyage, in the midst
+of the excited elements!—
+
+“Bad weather,” said Pencroff, holding his hat, which the wind was
+trying to take off, firmly to his head, “but pshaw, it can’t last, all
+the same.”
+
+At half-past 9, Cyrus Smith and his companions glided by different
+routes to the square, which the gas lights, extinguished by the wind,
+left in profound darkness. They could not see even the huge balloon, as
+it lay pressed over against the ground. Beside the bags of ballast
+which held the cords of the net, the basket was held down by a strong
+cable passed through a ring fastened in the pavement, and the ends
+brought back on board.
+
+The five prisoners came together at the basket. They had not been
+discovered, and such was the darkness that they could not see each
+other. Without saying a word, four of them took their places in the
+basket, while Pencroff, under the direction of the engineer, unfastened
+successively the bundles of ballast. It took but a few moments, and
+then the sailor joined his companions. The only thing that then held
+the balloon was the loop of the cable, and Cyrus Smith had but to give
+the word for them to let it slip. At that moment, a dog leaped with a
+bound into the basket. It was Top, the dog of the engineer, who, having
+broken his chain, had followed his master. Cyrus Smith, fearing to add
+to the weight, wanted to send the poor brute back, but Pencroff said,
+“Pshaw, it is but one more!” and at the same time threw overboard two
+bags of sand. Then, slipping the cable, the balloon, shooting off in an
+oblique direction, disappeared, after having dashed its basket against
+two chimneys, which it demolished in its rush.
+
+Then the storm burst upon them with frightful violence. The engineer
+did not dare to descend during the night, and when day dawned all sight
+of the earth was hidden by the mists. It was not until five days later
+that the breaking of the clouds enabled them to see the vast sea
+extending below them, lashed by the wind into a terrific fury.
+
+We have seen how, of these five men, who started on the 20th of March,
+four were thrown, four days later, on a desert coast, more than 6,000
+miles from this country. And the one who was missing, the one to whose
+rescue the four survivors had hurried was their leader, Cyrus Smith.
+
+[The 5th of April, Richmond fell into the hands of Grant, the Rebellion
+was repressed, Lee retreated into the West (_sic_) and the cause of the
+Union triumphed.]
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III.
+
+
+FIVE O’CLOCK IN THE AFTERNOON—THE LOST ONE—THE DESPAIR OF NEB—SEARCH TO
+THE NORTHWARD—THE ISLAND—A NIGHT OF ANGUISH—THE FOG OF THE MORNING—NEB
+SWIMMING—SIGHT OF THE LAND—FORDING THE CHANNEL.
+
+
+The engineer, on the giving way of the net, had been swept away by a
+wave. His dog had disappeared at the same time. The faithful animal had
+of its own accord sprung to the rescue of its master.
+
+“Forward!” cried the reporter, and all four, forgetting weakness and
+fatigue, began their search. Poor Neb wept with grief and despair at
+the thought of having lost all that he loved in the world.
+
+Not more than two minutes had passed between the moment that Smith had
+disappeared, and the instant of his companions landing. They were,
+therefore, hopeful of being in time to rescue him.
+
+“Hunt, hunt for him,” cried Neb.
+
+“Yes, Neb, and we will find him,” replied Spilett.
+
+“Alive?”
+
+“Alive!”
+
+“Can he swim?” demanded Pencroff.
+
+“Oh, yes,” responded Neb. “And, besides, Top is with him—”
+
+The sailor, looking at the roaring sea, shook his head.
+
+It was at a point northward from this shore, and about half a mile from
+the place where the castaways had landed, that the engineer had
+disappeared, and if he had come ashore at the nearest point it was at
+least that distance from where they now were.
+
+It was nearly 6 o’clock. The fog had risen and made the night very
+dark. The castaways followed northward along the shore of that land
+upon which chance had thrown them. A land unknown, whose geographical
+situation they could not guess. They walked upon a sandy soil, mixed
+with stones, seemingly destitute of any kind of vegetation. The ground,
+very uneven, seemed in certain places to be riddled with small holes,
+making the march very painful. From these holes, great, heavy-flying
+birds rushed forth, and were lost in the darkness. Others, more active,
+rose in flocks, and fled away like the clouds. The sailor thought he
+recognized gulls and sea-mews, whose sharp cries were audible above the
+raging of the sea.
+
+From time to time the castaways would stop and call, listening for an
+answering voice from the ocean. They thought, too, that if they were
+near the place where the engineer had been, washed ashore, and he had
+been unable to make any response, that, at least, the barking of the
+dog Top would have been heard. But no sound was distinguishable above
+the roaring of the waves and the thud of the surf. Then the little
+party would resume their march, searching all the windings of the
+shore.
+
+After a walk of twenty minutes the four castaways were suddenly stopped
+by a foaming line of breakers. They found themselves upon the extremity
+of a sharp point upon which the sea broke with fury.
+
+“This is a promontory,” said the sailor, “and it will be necessary to
+turn back, keeping to the right in order to gain the main land.”
+
+“But if he is there!” cried Neb, pointing towards the ocean, whose
+enormous waves showed white through the gloom.
+
+“Well, let us call again.”
+
+And all together, uniting their voices, uttered a vigorous cry, but
+without response. They waited for a lull, and tried once more. And
+again there was no answer.
+
+Then the castaways turned back, following the opposite side of the
+promontory over ground equally sandy and rocky. However, Pencroff
+observed that the shore was bolder, that the land rose somewhat, and he
+thought that it might gradually slope up to the high hill which was
+dimly visible through the darkness. The birds were less numerous on
+this shore. The sea also seemed less surging and tempestuous, and it
+was noticeable that the agitation of the waves was subsiding. They
+hardly heard the sound of the surf, and doubtless, this side of the
+promontory formed a semi-circular bay, protected by its sharp point
+from the long roll of the sea.
+
+But by following this direction they were walking towards the south,
+which was going away from that place where Smith would have landed.
+After a tramp of a mile and a half, the shore presented no other curve
+which would permit of a return towards the north. It was evident that
+this promontory, the point of which they had turned, must be joined to
+the mainland. The castaways, although much fatigued, pushed on
+courageously, hoping each moment to find a sudden turn which would take
+them in the desired direction. What, then, was their disappointment
+when, after having walked nearly two miles, they found themselves again
+arrested by the sea, upon a high promontory of slippery rocks.
+
+“We are on an island,” exclaimed Pencroff; “and we have measured it
+from end to end!”
+
+The words of the sailor were true. The castaways had been thrown, not
+upon a continent, but upon an island not more than two miles long, and
+of inconsiderable breadth.
+
+This desert isle, covered with stones, without vegetation, desolate
+refuge of sea-birds, did it belong to a more important archipelago?
+They could not tell. The party in the balloon, when from their basket
+they saw the land through the clouds, had not been able to determine
+its size. But Pencroff, with the eyes of a sailor accustomed to
+piercing the gloom, thought, at the moment, that he could distinguish
+in the west confused masses, resembling a high coast. But at this time
+they were unable, on account of the obscurity, to determine to what
+system, whether simple or complex, their isle belonged. They were
+unable to get off, as the sea surrounded them, and it was necessary to
+wait until the next day to search for the engineer; who, alas! had made
+no cry to signal his presence.
+
+“The silence of Cyrus proves nothing,” said the reporter. “He may have
+fainted, or be wounded, and unable to reply, but we will not despair.”
+
+The reporter then suggested the idea of lighting a fire upon the point
+of the island, which would serve as a signal for the engineer. But they
+searched in vain for wood or dry branches. Sand and stones were all
+they found.
+
+One can understand the grief of Neb and his companions, who were
+strongly attached to their brave comrade. It was too evident that they
+could not help him now, and that they must wait till day. The engineer
+had escaped, and was already safe upon the land, or he was lost
+forever. The hours were long and dreadful, the cold was intense, and
+the castaways suffered keenly, but they did not realize it. They did
+not think of sleep. Thinking only of their chief, hoping, wishing to
+hope, they moved back and forth upon that arid island, constantly
+returning to the northern end, where they would be closest to the place
+of the catastrophe. They listened, they shouted, they tried to catch
+some call, and, as a lull would come, or the roar of the surf fall with
+the waves, their hallooes must have sounded far into the distance.
+
+Once the cry of Neb was answered by an echo; and Herbert made Pencroff
+notice it, saying:—“That proves that there is land not far to the
+west.”
+
+The sailor nodded; he knew his eyes could not deceive him. He thought
+he had seen land, and it must be there. But this distant echo was the
+only answer to the cries of Neb, and the silence about the island
+remained unbroken. Meanwhile the sky was clearing slowly. Towards
+midnight, some stars shone out, and, had the engineer been there with
+his companions, he would have noticed that these stars did not belong
+to the northern hemisphere. The pole star was not visible in this new
+horizon, the constellations in the zenith were not such as they had
+been accustomed to see from North America, and the Southern Cross shone
+resplendent in the heavens.
+
+The night passed; and towards 5 o’clock in the morning the middle
+heavens began to brighten, though the horizon remained obscure; until
+with the first rays of day, a fog rose from the sea, so dense that the
+eye could scarcely penetrate twenty paces into its depths, and
+separated into great, heavy-moving masses. This was unfortunate, as the
+castaways were unable to distinguish anything about them. While the
+gaze of Neb and the reporter was directed towards the sea, the sailor
+and Herbert searched for the land in the west; but they could see
+nothing.
+
+“Never mind,” said Pencroff, “if I do not see the land. I feel that it
+is there,—just as sure as that we are not in Richmond.”
+
+But the fog, which was nothing more than a morning mist, soon rose. A
+clear sun warmed the upper air, its heat penetrating to the surface of
+the island. At half-past 6, three quarters of an hour after sunrise,
+the mist was nearly gone. Though still thick overhead, it dissolved,
+below, and soon all the island appeared, as from a cloud. Then the sea
+appeared, limitless towards the east, but bounded on the west by a high
+and abrupt coast.
+
+Yes, the land was there! There, safety was at least provisionally
+assured. The island and the main land were separated by a channel half
+a mile wide, through which rushed a strong current. Into this current
+one of the party, without saying a word or consulting with his
+companions, precipitated himself. It was Neb. He was anxious to be upon
+that coast and to be pushing forward towards the north. No one could
+keep him back. Pencroff called to him in vain. The reporter prepared to
+follow, but the sailor ran to him, exclaiming:—
+
+“Are you determined to cross this channel?”
+
+“I am,” replied Spilett.
+
+“Well, then, listen to me a moment. Neb can rescue his master alone. If
+we throw ourselves into the channel we are in danger of being carried
+out to sea by this strong current. Now, if I am not mistaken it is
+caused by the ebb. You see the tide is going out. Have patience until
+low water and then we may ford it.”
+
+“You are right,” answered the reporter; “we will keep together as much
+as possible.”
+
+Meantime, Neb was swimming vigorously in a diagonal direction, against
+the current; his black shoulders were seen rising with each stroke. He
+was drawn backward with swiftness, but he was gaining towards the other
+shore. It took him more than half an hour to cross the half mile which
+separated the isle from the mainland, and when he reached the other
+side it was at a place a long distance from the point opposite to that
+which he had left.
+
+Neb, having landed at the base of a high rocky wall, clambered quickly
+up its side, and, running, disappeared behind a point projecting into
+the sea, about the same height as the northern end of the island.
+
+Neb’s companions had watched with anxiety his daring attempt, and, when
+he was out of sight, they fixed their eyes upon that land from which
+they were going to demand refuge. They ate some of the shellfish which
+they found upon the sands; it was a poor meal, but then it was better
+than nothing.
+
+The opposite coast formed an immense bay, terminated to the south by a
+sharp point bare of all vegetation, and having a most forbidding
+aspect. This point at its junction with the shore was abutted by high
+granite rocks. Towards the north, on the contrary, the bay widened,
+with a shore more rounded, extending from the southwest to the
+northeast, and ending in a narrow cape. Between these two points, the
+distance must have been about eight miles. A half mile from the shore
+the island, like an enormous whale, lay upon the sea. Its width could
+not have been greater than a quarter of a mile.
+
+Before the Island, the shore began with a sandy beach strewn with black
+rocks, at this moment beginning to appear above the receding tide.
+Beyond this rose, like a curtain, a perpendicular granite wall, at
+least 300 feet high and terminated by a ragged edge. This extended for
+about three miles, ending abruptly on the right in a smooth face, as if
+cut by the hand of man. To the left on the contrary, above the
+promontory, this kind of irregular cliff, composed of heaped-up rocks
+and glistening in the light, sank and gradually mingled with the rocks
+of the southern point.
+
+Upon the upper level of the coast not a tree was visible. It was a
+table-land, as barren though not as extensive as that around Cape Town,
+or at the Cape of Good Hope. At least so it appeared from the islet. To
+the right, however, and back of the smooth face of rock, some verdure
+appeared. The confused massing of large trees was easily
+distinguishable extending far as the eye could reach. This verdure
+gladdened the sight tired by the rough face of granite. Finally, back
+of and above the plateau, distant towards the northwest about seven
+miles, shone a white summit, reflecting the sun’s rays. It was the
+snowy cap of some lofty mountain.
+
+It was not possible at present to say whether this land was an island
+or part of a continent; but the sight of the broken rocks heaped
+together on the left would have proved to a geologist their volcanic
+origin, as they were incontestably the result of igneous action.
+
+Gideon Spilett, Pencroff, and Herbert looked earnestly upon this land
+where they were to live, perhaps for long years; upon which, if out of
+the track of ships, they might have to die.
+
+“Well,” demanded Herbert, “what do you think of it, Pencroff?”
+
+“Well,” replied the sailor, “there’s good and bad in it, as with
+everything else. But we shall soon see; for look; what I told you. In
+three hours we can cross, and once over there, we will see what we can
+do towards finding Mr. Smith.”
+
+Pencroff was not wrong in his predictions. Three hours later, at low
+tide, the greater part of the sandy bed of the channel was bare. A
+narrow strip of water, easily crossed, was all that separated the
+island from the shore. And at 10 o’clock, Spilett and his two
+companions, stripped of their clothing, which they carried in packages
+on their heads, waded through the water, which was nowhere more than
+five feet deep. Herbert, where the water was too deep, swam like a
+fish, acquitting himself well; and all arrived without difficulty at
+the other shore. There, having dried themselves in the sun, they put on
+their clothes, which had not touched the water, and took counsel
+together.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV.
+
+
+THE LITHODOMES—THE MOUTH OF THE RIVER—THE “CHIMNEYS”—CONTINUATION OF
+THE SEARCH—THE FOREST OF EVERGREENS—GETTING FIREWOOD—WAITING FOR THE
+TIDE—ON TOP OF THE CLIFF—THE TIMBER-FLOAT—THE RETURN TO THE COAST.
+
+
+Presently the reporter told the sailor to wait just where he was until
+he should come back, and without losing a moment, he walked back along
+the coast in the direction which Neb had taken some hours before, and
+disappeared quickly around a turn in the shore.
+
+Herbert wished to go with him.
+
+“Stay, my boy,” said the sailor. “We must pitch our camp for the night,
+and try to find something to eat more satisfying than shellfish. Our
+friends will need food when they come back.”
+
+“I am ready, Pencroff,” said Herbert.
+
+“Good,” said the sailor. “Let us set to work methodically. We are
+tired, cold, and hungry: we need shelter, fire, and food. There is
+plenty of wood in the forest, and we can get eggs from the nests; but
+we must find a house.”
+
+“Well,” said Herbert, “I will look for a cave in these rocks, and I
+shall certainly find some hole in which we can stow ourselves.”
+
+“Right,” said Pencroff; “let us start at once.”
+
+They walked along the base of the rocky wall, on the strand left bare
+by the receding waves. But instead of going northwards, they turned to
+the south. Pencroff had noticed, some hundreds of feet below the place
+where they had been thrown ashore, a narrow inlet in the coast, which
+he thought might be the mouth of a river or of a brook. Now it was
+important to pitch the camp in the neighborhood of fresh water; in that
+part of the island, too, Smith might be found.
+
+The rock rose 300 feet, smooth and massive. It was a sturdy wall of the
+hardest granite, never corroded by the waves, and even at its base
+there was no cleft which might serve as a temporary abode. About the
+summit hovered a host of aquatic birds, mainly of the web-footed tribe,
+with long, narrow, pointed beaks. Swift and noisy, they cared little
+for the unaccustomed presence of man. A shot into the midst of the
+flock would have brought down a dozen; but neither Pencroff nor Herbert
+had a gun. Besides, gulls and sea-mews are barely eatable, and their
+eggs have a very disagreeable flavor.
+
+Meanwhile Herbert, who was now to the left, soon noticed some rocks
+thickly strewn with sea weed, which would evidently be submerged again
+in a few hours. On them lay hosts of bivalves, not to be disdained by
+hungry men. Herbert called to Pencroff, who came running to him.
+
+“Ah, they are mussels,” said the sailor. “Now we can spare the eggs.”
+
+“They are not mussels,” said Herbert, examining the mollusks carefully,
+“they are lithodomes.”
+
+“Can we eat them?” said Pencroff.
+
+“Certainly.”
+
+“Then let us eat some lithodomes.”
+
+The sailor could rely on Herbert, who was versed in Natural History and
+very fond of it. He owed his acquaintance with this study in great part
+to his father, who had entered him in the classes of the best
+professors in Boston, where the child’s industry and intelligence had
+endeared him to all.
+
+These lithodomes were oblong shell-fish, adhering in clusters to the
+rocks. They belonged to that species of boring mollusk which can
+perforate a hole in the hardest stone, and whose shell has the
+peculiarity of being rounded at both ends.
+
+Pencroff and Herbert made a good meal of these lithodomes. which lay
+gaping in the sun. They tasted like oysters, with a peppery flavor
+which left no desire for condiments of any kind.
+
+Their hunger was allayed for the moment, but their thirst was increased
+by the spicy flavor of the mollusks. The thing now was to find fresh
+water, which was not likely to fail them in a region so undulating.
+Pencroff and Herbert, after having taken the precaution to fill their
+pockets and handkerchiefs with lithodomes, regained the foot of the
+hill.
+
+Two hundred feet further on they reached the inlet, through which, as
+Pencroff had surmised, a little river was flowing with full current
+Here the rocky wall seemed to have been torn asunder by some volcanic
+convulsion. At its base lay a little creek, running at an acute angle.
+The water in this place was 100 feet across, while the banks on either
+side were scarcely 20 feet broad. The river buried itself at once
+between the two walls of granite, which began to decline as one went up
+stream.
+
+“Here is water,” said Pencroff, “and over there is wood. Well, Herbert,
+now we only want the house.”
+
+The river water was clear. The sailor knew that as the tide was now low
+there would be no influx from the sea, and the water would be fresh.
+When this important point had been settled, Herbert looked for some
+cave which might give them shelter, but it was in vain. Everywhere the
+wall was smooth, flat, and perpendicular.
+
+However, over at the mouth of the watercourse, and above high-water
+mark, the detritus had formed, not a grotto, but a pile of enormous
+rocks, such as are often met with in granitic countries, and which are
+called _Chimneys_.
+
+Pencroff and Herbert went down between the rocks, into those sandy
+corridors, lighted only by the huge cracks between the masses of
+granite, some of which only kept their equilibrium by a miracle. But
+with the light the wind came in, and with the wind the piercing cold of
+the outer air. Still, the sailor thought that by stopping up some of
+these openings with a mixture of stones and sand, the Chimneys might be
+rendered habitable. Their plan resembled the typographical sign, &, and
+by cutting off the upper curve of the sign, through which the south and
+the west wind rushed in, they could succeed without doubt in utilizing
+its lower portion.
+
+“This is just what we want,” said Pencroff, and if we ever see Mr.
+Smith again, he will know how to take advantage of this labyrinth.”
+
+“We shall see him again, Pencroff,” said Herbert, “and when he comes
+back he must find here a home that is tolerably comfortable. We can
+make this so if we can build a fireplace in the left corridor with an
+opening for the smoke.”
+
+“That we can do, my boy,” answered the sailor, “and these Chimneys will
+just serve our purpose. But first we must get together some firing.
+Wood will be useful, too, in blocking up these great holes through
+which the wind whistles so shrilly.”
+
+Herbert and Pencroff left the Chimneys, and turning the angle, walked
+up the left bank of the river, whose current was strong enough to bring
+down a quantity of dead wood. The return tide, which had already begun,
+would certainly carry it in the ebb to a great distance. “Why not
+utilize this flux and reflux,” thought the sailor, “in the carriage of
+heavy timber?”
+
+After a quarter of an hour’s walk, the two reached the elbow which the
+river made in turning to the left. From this point onward it flowed
+through a forest of magnificent trees, which had preserved their
+verdure in spite of the season; for they belonged to that great
+cone-bearing family indigenous everywhere, from the poles to the
+tropics. Especially conspicuous were the “deodara,” so numerous in the
+Himalayas, with their pungent perfume. Among them were clusters of
+pines, with tall trunks and spreading parasols of green. The ground was
+strewn with fallen branches, so dry as to crackle under their feet.
+
+“Good,” said the sailor, “I may not know the name of these trees, but I
+know they belong to the genus firewood, and that’s the main thing for
+us.”
+
+It was an easy matter to gather the firewood. They did not need even to
+strip the trees; plenty of dead branches lay at their feet. This dry
+wood would burn rapidly, and they would need a large supply. How could
+two men carry such a load to the Chimneys? Herbert asked the question.
+
+“My boy,” said the sailor, “there’s a way to do everything. If we had a
+car or a boat it would be too easy.”
+
+“We have the river,” suggested Herbert.
+
+“Exactly,” said Pencroff. “The river shall be our road and our carrier,
+too. Timber-floats were not invented for nothing.”
+
+“But our carrier is going in the wrong direction,” said Herbert, “since
+the tide is coming up from the sea.”
+
+“We have only to wait for the turn of tide,” answered the sailor. “Let
+us get our float ready.”
+
+They walked towards the river, each carrying a heavy load of wood tied
+up in fagots. On the bank, too, lay quantities of dead boughs, among
+grass which the foot of man had probably never pressed before. Pencroff
+began to get ready his float.
+
+In an eddy caused by an angle of the shore, which broke the flow of the
+current, they set afloat the larger pieces of wood, bound together by
+liana stems so as to form a sort of raft. On this raft they piled the
+rest of the wood, which would have been a load for twenty men. In an
+hour their work was finished, and the float was moored to the bank to
+wait for the turn of the tide. Pencroff and Herbert resolved to spend
+the mean time in gaining a more extended view of the country from the
+higher plateau. Two hundred feet behind the angle of the river, the
+wall terminating in irregular masses of rocks, sloped away gently to
+the edge of the forest. The two easily climbed this natural staircase,
+soon attained the summit, and posted themselves at the angle
+overlooking the mouth of the river.
+
+Their first look was at that ocean over which they had been so
+frightfully swept. They beheld with emotion the northern part of the
+coast, the scene of the catastrophe, and of Smith’s disappearance. They
+hoped to see on the surface some wreck of the balloon to which a man
+might cling. But the sea was a watery desert. The coast, too, was
+desolate. Neither Neb nor the reporter could be seen.
+
+“Something tells me,” said Herbert, “that a person so energetic as Mr.
+Smith would not let himself be drowned like an ordinary man. He must
+have got to shore; don’t you think so, Pencroff?”
+
+The sailor shook his head sadly. He never thought to see Smith again;
+but he left Herbert a hope.
+
+“No doubt,” said he, “our engineer could save himself where any one
+else would perish.”
+
+Meanwhile he took a careful observation of the coast. Beneath his eyes
+stretched out the sandy beach, bounded, upon the right of the
+river-mouth, by lines of breakers. The rocks which still were visible
+above the water were like groups of amphibious monsters lying in the
+surf. Beyond them the sea sparkled in the rays of the sun. A narrow
+point terminated the southern horizon, and it was impossible to tell
+whether the land stretched further in that direction, or whether it
+trended southeast and southwest, so as to make an elongated peninsula.
+At the northern end of the bay, the outline of the coast was continued
+to a great distance. There the shore was low and flat, without rocks,
+but covered by great sandbanks, left by the receding tide.
+
+When Pencroff and Herbert walked back towards the west, their looks
+fell on the snowcapped mountain, which rose six or seven miles away.
+Masses of tree-trunks, with patches of evergreens, extended from its
+first declivities to within two miles of the coast. Then from the edge
+of this forest to the coast stretched a plateau strewn at random with
+clumps of trees. On the left shore through the glades the waters of the
+little river, which seemed to have returned in its sinuous course to
+the mountains which gave it birth.
+
+“Are we upon an island?” muttered the sailor.
+
+“It is big enough, at all events,” said the boy.
+
+“An island’s an island, no matter how big,” said Pencroff.
+
+But this important question could not yet be decided. The country
+itself, isle or continent, seemed fertile, picturesque, and diversified
+in its products. For that they must be grateful. They returned along
+the southern ridge of the granite plateau, outlined by a fringe of
+fantastic rocks, in whose cavities lived hundreds of birds. A whole
+flock of them soared aloft as Herbert jumped over the rocks.
+
+“Ah!” cried he, “these are neither gulls nor sea-mews.”
+
+“What are they?” said Pencroff. “They look for all the world like
+pigeons.”
+
+“So they are,” said Herbert, “but they are wild pigeons, or rock
+pigeons.” I know them by the two black bands on the wing, the white
+rump, and the ash-blue feathers. The rock pigeon is good to eat, and
+its eggs ought to be delicious; and if they have left a few in their
+nests—”
+
+“We will let them hatch in an omelet,” said Pencroff, gaily.
+
+“But what will you make your omelet in?” asked Herbert; “in your hat?”
+
+“I am not quite conjurer enough for that,” said the sailor. “We must
+fall back on eggs in the shell, and I will undertake to despatch the
+hardest.”
+
+Pencroff and the boy examined carefully the cavities of the granite,
+and succeeded in discovering eggs in some of them. Some dozens were
+collected in the sailor’s handkerchief, and, high tide approaching, the
+two went down again to the water-course.
+
+It was 1 o’clock when they arrived at the elbow of the river, and the
+tide was already on the turn. Pencroff had no intention of letting his
+timber float at random, nor did he wish to get on and steer it. But a
+sailor is never troubled in a matter of ropes or cordage, and Pencroff
+quickly twisted from the dry lianas a rope several fathoms long. This
+was fastened behind the raft, and the sailor held it in his hand, while
+Herbert kept the float in the current by pushing it off from the shore
+with a long pole.
+
+This expedient proved an entire success. The enormous load of wood kept
+well in the current. The banks were sheer, and there was no fear lest
+the float should ground; before 2 o’clock they reached the mouth of the
+stream, a few feet from the Chimneys.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V.
+
+
+ARRANGING THE CHIMNEYS—THE IMPORTANT QUESTION OF FIRE—THE MATCH
+BOX—SEARCH OVER THE SHORE—RETURN OF THE REPORTER AND NEB—ONE MATCH—THE
+CRACKLING FIRE—THE FISH SUPPER—THE FIRST NIGHT ON LAND.
+
+
+The first care of Pencroff, after the raft had been unloaded, was to
+make the Chimneys habitable, by stopping up those passages traversed by
+the draughts of air. Sand, stones, twisted branches, and mud,
+hermetically sealed the galleries of the & open to the southerly winds,
+and shut out its upper curve. One narrow, winding passage, opening on
+the side; was arranged to carry out the smoke and to quicken the
+draught of the fire. The Chimneys were thus divided into three or four
+chambers, if these dark dens, which would hardly have contained a
+beast, might be so called. But they were dry, and one could stand up in
+them, or at least in the principal one, which was in the centre. The
+floor was covered with sand, and, everything considered, they could
+establish themselves in this place while waiting for one better.
+
+While working, Herbert and Pencroff chatted together.
+
+“Perhaps,” said the boy, “our companions will have found a better place
+than ours.”
+
+“It is possible.” answered the sailor, “but, until we know, don’t let
+us stop. Better have two strings to one’s bow than none at all!”
+
+“Oh,” repeated Herbert, “if they can only find Mr. Smith, and bring him
+back with them, how thankful we will be!”
+
+“Yes,” murmured Pencroff. “He was a good man.”
+
+“Was!” said Herbert. “Do you think we shall not see him again?”
+
+“Heaven forbid!” replied the sailor.
+
+The work of division was rapidly accomplished, and Pencroff declared
+himself satisfied. “Now,” said he, “our friends may return, and they
+will find a good enough shelter.”
+
+Nothing remained but to fix the fireplace and to prepare the meal,
+which, in truth, was a task easy and simple enough. Large flat stones
+were placed at the mouth of the first gallery to the left, where the
+smoke passage had been made; and this chimney was made so narrow that
+but little heat would escape up the flue, and the cavern would be
+comfortably warmed. The stock of wood was piled up in one of the
+chambers, and the sailor placed some logs and broken branches upon the
+stones. He was occupied in arranging them when Herbert asked him if he
+had some matches.
+
+“Certainly,” replied Pencroff, “and moreover, fortunately; for without
+matches or tinder we would indeed be in trouble.”
+
+“Could not we always make fire as the savages do,” replied Herbert, “by
+rubbing two bits of dry wood together?”
+
+“Just try it, my boy, some time, and see if you do anything more than
+put your arms out of joint.”
+
+“Nevertheless, it is often done in the islands of the Pacific.”
+
+“I don’t say that it is not,” replied Pencroff, “but the savages must
+have a way of their own, or use a certain kind of wood, as more than
+once I have wanted to get fire in that way and have never yet been able
+to. For my part, I prefer matches; and, by the way, where are mine?”
+
+Pencroff, who was an habitual smoker, felt in his vest for the box,
+which he was never without, but, not finding it, he searched the
+pockets of his trowsers, and to his profound amazement, it was not
+there.
+
+“This is an awkward business,” said he, looking at Herbert. “My box
+must have fallen from my pocket, and I can’t find it. But you, Herbert,
+have you nothing: no steel, not anything, with which we can make fire?”
+
+“Not a thing, Pencroff.”
+
+The sailor, followed by the boy, walked out, rubbing his forehead.
+
+On the sand, among the rocks, by the bank of the river, both of them
+searched with the utmost care, but without result. The box was of
+copper, and had it been there, they must have seen it.
+
+“Pencroff,” asked Herbert, “did not you throw it out of the basket?”
+
+“I took good care not to,” said the sailor. “But when one has been
+knocked around as we have been, so small a thing could easily have been
+lost; even my pipe is gone. The confounded box; where can it be?”
+
+“Well, the tide is out; let us run to the place where we landed,” said
+Herbert.
+
+It was little likely that they would find this box, which the sea would
+have rolled among the pebbles at high water; nevertheless, it would do
+no harm to search. They, therefore, went quickly to the place where
+they had first landed, some 200 paces from the Chimneys. There, among
+the pebbles, in the hollows of the rocks, they made minute search, but
+in vain. If the box had fallen here it must have been carried out by
+the waves. As the tide went down, the sailor peered into every crevice,
+but without Success. It was a serious loss, and, for the time,
+irreparable. Pencroff did not conceal his chagrin. He frowned, but did
+not speak, and Herbert tried to console him by saying, that, most
+probably, the matches would have been so wetted as to be useless.
+
+“No, my boy,” answered the sailor. “They were in a tightly closing
+metal box. But now, what are we to do?”
+
+“We will certainly find means of procuring fire,” said Herbert. “Mr.
+Smith or Mr. Spilett will not be as helpless as we are.”
+
+“Yes, but in the meantime we are without it,” said Pencroff, “and our
+companions will find but a very sorry meal on their return.”
+
+“But,” said Herbert, hopefully, “it is not possible that they will have
+neither tinder nor matches.”
+
+“I doubt it,” answered the sailor, shaking his head. “In the first
+place, neither Neb nor Mr. Smith smoke, and then I’m afraid Mr. Spilett
+has more likely kept his notebook than his match-box.”
+
+Herbert did not answer. This loss was evidently serious. Nevertheless,
+the lad thought surely they could make a fire in some way or other, but
+Pencroff, more experienced, although a man not easily discouraged, knew
+differently. At any rate there was but one thing to do:—to wait until
+the return of Neb and the reporter. It was necessary to give up the
+repast of cooked eggs which they had wished to prepare, and a diet of
+raw flesh did not seem to be, either for themselves or for the others,
+an agreeable prospect.
+
+Before returning to the Chimneys, the companions, in case they failed
+of a fire, gathered a fresh lot of lithodomes, and then silently took
+the road to their dwelling. Pencroff, his eyes fixed upon the ground,
+still searched in every direction for the lost box. They followed again
+up the left bank of the river, from its mouth to the angle where the
+raft had been built. They returned to the upper plateau, and went in
+every direction, searching in the tall grass on the edge of the forest,
+but in vain. It was 5 o’clock when they returned again to the Chimneys,
+and it is needless to say that the passages were searched in their
+darkest recesses before all hope was given up.
+
+Towards 6 o’clock, just as the sun was disappearing behind the high
+land in the west, Herbert, who was walking back and forth upon the
+shore, announced the return of Neb and of Gideon Spilett. They came
+back alone, and the lad felt his heart sink. The sailor had not, then,
+been wrong in his presentiments; they had been unable to find the
+engineer.
+
+The reporter, when he came up, seated himself upon a rock, without
+speaking. Fainting from fatigue, half dead with hunger, he was unable
+to utter a word. As to Neb, his reddened eyes showed how he had been
+weeping, and the fresh tears which he was unable to restrain,
+indicated, but too clearly, that he had lost all hope.
+
+The reporter at length gave the history of their search. Neb and he had
+followed the coast for more than eight miles, and, consequently, far
+beyond the point where the balloon had made the plunge which was
+followed by the disappearance of the engineer and Top. The shore was
+deserted. Not a recently turned stone, not a trace upon the sand, not a
+footprint, was upon all that part of the shore. It was evident that
+nobody inhabited that portion of the island. The sea was as deserted as
+the land; and it was there, at some hundreds of feet from shore, that
+the engineer had found his grave.
+
+At that moment Neb raised his head, and in a voice which showed how he
+still struggled against despair, exclaimed:—
+
+“No, he is not dead. It is impossible. It might happen to you or me,
+but never to him. He is a man who can get out of anything!”
+
+Then his strength failing him, he murmured, “But I am used up.”
+
+Herbert ran to him and cried:—
+
+“Neb, we will find him; God will give him back to us; but you, you must
+be famishing; do eat something.”
+
+And while speaking the lad offered the poor negro a handful of
+shell-fish—a meagre and insufficient nourishment enough.
+
+But Neb, though he had eaten nothing for hours, refused them. Poor
+fellow! deprived of his master, he wished no longer to live.
+
+As to Gideon Spilett, he devoured the mollusks, and then laid down upon
+the sand at the foot of a rock. He was exhausted, but calm. Herbert,
+approaching him, took his hand.
+
+“Mr. Spilett,” said he, “we have discovered a shelter where you will be
+more comfortable. The night is coming on; so come and rest there.
+To-morrow we will see—”
+
+The reporter rose, and, guided by the lad, proceeded towards the
+Chimneys. As he did so, Pencroff came up to him, and in an off-hand way
+asked him if, by chance, he had a match with him. The reporter stopped,
+felt in his pockets, and finding none, said:—
+
+“I had some, but I must have thrown them all away.”
+
+Then the sailor called Neb and asked him the same question, receiving a
+like answer.
+
+“Curse it!” cried the sailor, unable to restrain the word.
+
+The reporter heard it, and going to him said:—“Have you no matches?”
+
+“Not one; and, of course, no fire.”
+
+“Ah,” cried Neb, “if he was here, my master, he could soon make one.”
+
+The four castaways stood still and looked anxiously at each other.
+Herbert was the first to break the silence, by saying:—
+
+“Mr. Spilett, you are a smoker, you always have matches about you;
+perhaps you have not searched thoroughly. Look again; a single match
+will be enough.”
+
+The reporter rummaged the pockets of his trowsers, his vest, and coat,
+and to the great joy of Pencroff, as well as to his own surprise, felt
+a little sliver of wood caught in the lining of his vest. He could feel
+it from the outside, but his fingers were unable to disengage it. If
+this should prove a match, and only one, it was extremely necessary not
+to rub off the phosphorus.
+
+“Let me try,” said the lad. And very adroitly, without breaking it, he
+drew out this little bit of wood, this precious trifle, which to these
+poor men was of such great importance. It was uninjured.
+
+“One match!” cried Pencroff.” “Why, it is as good as if we had a whole
+ship-load!”
+
+He took it, and, followed by his companions, regained the Chimneys.
+This tiny bit of wood, which in civilised lands is wasted with
+indifference, as valueless, it was necessary here to use with the
+utmost care. The sailor, having assured himself that it was dry, said:—
+
+“We must have some paper.”
+
+“Here is some,” answered Spilett, who, after a little hesitation, had
+torn a leaf from his note-book.
+
+Pencroff took the bit of paper and knelt down before the fire-place,
+where some handfuls of grass, leaves, and dry moss had been placed
+under the faggots in such a way that the air could freely circulate and
+make the dry wood readily ignite. Then Pencroff shaping the paper into
+a cone, as pipe-smokers do in the wind, placed it among the moss.
+Taking, then, a slightly rough stone and wiping it carefully, with
+beating heart and suspended breath, he gave the match a little rub. The
+first stroke produced no effect, as Pencroff fearing to break off the
+phosphorus had not rubbed hard enough.
+
+“Ho, I won’t be able to do it,” said he; “my hand shakes—the match will
+miss—I can’t do it—I don’t want to try!” And, rising, he besought
+Herbert to undertake it.
+
+Certainly, the boy had never in his life been so affected. His heart
+beat furiously. Prometheus, about to steal the fire from heaven, could
+not have been more excited.
+
+Nevertheless he did not hesitate, but rubbed the stone with a quick
+stroke. A little sputtering was heard, and a light blue flame sprung
+out and produced a pungent smoke. Herbert gently turned the match, so
+as to feed the flame, and then slid it under the paper cone. In a few
+seconds the paper took fire, and then the moss kindled. An instant
+later, the dry wood crackled, and a joyous blaze, fanned by the breath
+of the sailor, shone out from the darkness.
+
+“At length,” cried Pencroff, rising, “I never was so excited in my
+life!”
+
+It was evident that the fire did well in the fireplace of flat stones.
+The smoke readily ascended through its passage; the chimney drew, and
+an agreeable warmth quickly made itself felt. As to the fire, it would
+be necessary to take care that it should not go out, and always to keep
+some embers among the cinders. But it was only a matter of care and
+attention as the wood was plenty, and the supply could always be
+renewed in good time.
+
+Pencroff began at once to utilize the fire by preparing something more
+nourishing than a dish of lithodomes. Two dozen eggs were brought by
+Herbert, and the reporter, seated in a corner, watched these
+proceedings without speaking. A triple thought held possession of his
+mind. Did Cyrus still live? If alive, where was he? If he had survived
+his plunge, why was it he had found no means of making his existence
+known? As to Neb, he roamed the sand like one distracted.
+
+Pencroff, who knew fifty-two ways of cooking eggs, had no choice at
+this time. He contented himself with placing them in the hot cinders
+and letting them cook slowly. In a few minutes the operation was
+finished, and the sailor invited the reporter to take part in the
+supper. This was the first meal of the castaways upon this unknown
+coast. The hard eggs were excellent, and as the egg contains all the
+elements necessary for man’s nourishment, these poor men found them
+sufficient, and felt their strength reviving.
+
+Unfortunately, one was absent from this repast. If the five prisoners
+who had escaped from Richmond had all been there, under those piled-up
+rocks, before that bright and crackling fire upon that dry sand, their
+happiness would have been complete. But the most ingenious, as well as
+the most learned—he who was undoubtedly their chief, Cyrus Smith—alas!
+was missing, and his body had not even obtained burial.
+
+Thus passed the 25th of March. The night was come. Outside they heard
+the whistling of the wind, the monotonous thud of the surf, and the
+grinding of the pebbles on the beach.
+
+The reporter had retired to a dark corner, after having briefly noted
+the events of the day—the first sight of this new land, the loss of the
+engineer, the exploration of the shore, the incidents of the matches,
+etc.; and, overcome by fatigue, he was enabled to find some rest in
+sleep.
+
+Herbert fell asleep at once. The sailor, dozing, with one eye open,
+passed the night by the fire, on which he kept heaping fuel.
+
+One only of the castaways did not rest in the Chimneys. It was the
+inconsolable, the despairing Neb, who, during the whole night, and in
+spite of his companions’ efforts to make him take some rest, wandered
+upon the sands calling his master.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI.
+
+
+THE CASTAWAYS’ INVENTORY—NO EFFECTS —THE CHARRED LINEN—AN EXPEDITION
+INTO THE FOREST—THE FLORA OF THE WOODS—THE FLIGHT OF THE JACAMAR—TRACKS
+OF WILD BEASTS—THE COUROUCOUS—THE HEATH-COCK—LINE-FISHING
+EXTRAORDINARY.
+
+
+The inventory of the castaways can be promptly taken. Thrown upon a
+desert coast, they had nothing but the clothes they wore in the
+balloon. We must add Spilett’s watch and note-book, which he had kept
+by some inadvertence; but there were no firearms and no tools, not even
+a pocket knife. Every thing had been thrown overboard to lighten the
+balloon. Every necessary of life was wanting!
+
+Yet if Cyrus Smith had been with them, his practical science and
+inventive genius would have saved them from despair. But, alas! they
+could hope to see him no more. The castaways could rely on Providence
+only, and on their own right hands.
+
+And, first, should they settle down on this strip of coast without an
+effort to discover whether it was island or continent, inhabited or
+desert? It was an urgent question, for all their measures would depend
+upon its solution. However, it seemed to Pencroff better to wait a few
+days before undertaking an exploration. They must try to procure more
+satisfying food than eggs and shellfish, and repair their strength,
+exhausted by fatigue and by the inclemency of the weather. The Chimneys
+would serve as a house for a while. Their fire was lit, and it would be
+easy to keep alive some embers. For the time being there were plenty of
+eggs and shell-fish. They might even be able to kill, with a stick or a
+stone, some of the numerous pigeons which fluttered among the rocks.
+They might find fruit-trees in the neighboring forest, and they had
+plenty of fresh water. It was decided then to wait a few days at the
+Chimneys, and to prepare for an expedition either along the coast or
+into the interior of the country.
+
+This plan was especially agreeable to Neb, who was in no hurry to
+abandon that part of the coast which had been the scene of the
+catastrophe. He could not and would not believe that Smith was dead.
+Until the waves should have thrown up the engineer’s body—until Neb
+should have seen with his eyes and handled with his hands his master’s
+corpse, he believed him alive. It was an illusion which the sailor had
+not the heart to destroy; and there was no use in talking to Neb. He
+was like the dog who would not leave his master’s tomb, and his grief
+was such that he would probably soon follow him.
+
+Upon the morning of the 26th of March, at daybreak, Neb started along
+the coast northward to the spot where the sea had doubtless closed over
+the unfortunate engineer.
+
+For breakfast that morning they had only eggs and lithodomes, seasoned
+with salt which Herbert had found in the cavities of the rocks. When
+the meal was over they divided forces. The reporter stayed behind to
+keep up the fire, and in the very improbable case of Neb’s needing him
+to go to his assistance. Herbert and Pencroff went into the forest.
+
+“We will go hunting, Herbert, “said the sailor. “We shall find
+ammunition on our way, and we will cut our guns in the forest.”
+
+But, before starting, Herbert suggested that as they had no tinder they
+must replace it by burnt linen. They were sorry to sacrifice a piece of
+handkerchief, but the need was urgent, and a piece of Pencroff’s large
+check handkerchief was soon converted into a charred rag, and put away
+in the central chamber in a little cavity of the rock, sheltered from
+wind and dampness.
+
+By this time it was 9 o’clock. The weather was threatening and the
+breeze blew from the southeast. Herbert and Pencroff, as they left the
+Chimneys, cast a glance at the smoke which curled upwards from amid the
+rocks; then they walked up the left bank of the river.
+
+When they reached the forest, Pencroff broke from the first tree two
+thick branches which he made into cudgels, and whose points Herbert
+blunted against a rock. What would he not have given for a knife? Then
+the hunters walked on in the high grass along the bank of the river,
+which, after its turn to the southwest, gradually narrowed, running
+between high banks and over-arched by interlacing trees. Pencroff, not
+to lose his way, determined to follow the course of the stream, which
+would bring him back to his point of departure. But the bank offered
+many obstacles. Here, trees whose flexible branches bent over to the
+brink of the current; there, thorns and lianas which they had to break
+with their sticks. Herbert often glided between the broken stumps with
+the agility of a young cat and disappeared in the copse, but Pencroff
+called him back at once, begging him not to wander away.
+
+Meanwhile, the sailor carefully observed the character and
+peculiarities of the region. On this left bank the surface was flat,
+rising insensibly towards the interior. Sometimes it was moist and
+swampy, indicating the existence of a subterranean network of little
+streams emptying themselves into the river. Sometimes, too, a brook ran
+across the copse, which they crossed without trouble. The opposite bank
+was more undulating, and the valley, through whose bottom flowed the
+river, was more clearly defined. The hill, covered with trees rising in
+terraces, intercepted the vision. Along this right bank they could
+hardly have walked, for the descent was steep, and the trees which bent
+over the water were only sustained by their roots. It is needless to
+say that both forest and shore seemed a virgin wilderness. They saw
+fresh traces of animals whose species was unknown to them. Some seemed
+to them the tracks of dangerous wild beasts, but nowhere was there the
+mark of an axe on a tree-trunk, or the ashes of a fire, or the imprint
+of a foot. They should no doubt have been glad that it was so, for on
+this land in the mid-Pacific, the presence of man was a thing more to
+be dreaded than desired.
+
+They hardly spoke, so great were the difficulties of the route; after
+an hour’s walk they had but just compassed a mile. Hitherto their
+hunting had been fruitless. Birds were singing and flying to and fro
+under the trees; but they showed an instinctive fear of their enemy
+man. Herbert descried among them, in a swampy part of the forest, a
+bird with narrow and elongated beak, in shape something like a
+kingfisher, from which it was distinguished by its harsh and lustrous
+plumage.
+
+“That must be a jacamar,” said Herbert, trying to get within range of
+the bird.
+
+“It would be a good chance to taste jacamar,” answered the sailor, “if
+that fellow would only let himself be roasted.”
+
+In a moment a stone, adroitly aimed by the boy, struck the bird on the
+wing; but the jacamar took to his legs and disappeared in a minute.
+
+“What a muff I am,” said Herbert. ‘Not at all,” said the sailor. “It
+was a good shot, a great many would have missed the bird. Don’t be
+discouraged, we’ll catch him again some day.”
+
+The wood opened as the hunters went on, and the trees grew to a vast
+height, but none had edible fruits. Pencroff sought in vain for some of
+those precious palm trees, which lend themselves so wonderfully to the
+needs of mankind, and which grow from 40° north latitude to 35° south.
+But this forest was composed only of conifers, such as the deodars,
+already recognized by Herbert; the Douglas pines, which grow on the
+northeast coast of America; and magnificent fir trees, 150 feet high.
+Among their branches was fluttering a flock of birds, with small bodies
+and long, glittering tails. Herbert picked up some of the feathers,
+which lay scattered on the ground, and looked at them carefully.
+
+“These are ‘couroucous,’“ said he.
+
+“I would rather have a guinea-hen, or a heath-cock,” said Pencroff,
+“but still, if they are good to eat”—
+
+“They are good to eat,” said Herbert; “their meat is delicious.
+Besides, I think we can easily get at them with our sticks.”
+
+Slipping through the grass, they reached the foot of a tree whose lower
+branches were covered with the little birds, who were snapping at the
+flying insects. Their feathered claws clutched tight the twigs on which
+they were sitting. Then the hunters rose to their feet, and using their
+sticks like a scythe, they mowed down whole rows of the couroucous, of
+whom 105 were knocked over before the stupid birds thought of escape.
+
+“Good,” said Pencroff, “this is just the sort of game for hunters like
+us. We could catch them in our hands.”
+
+They skewered the couroucous on a switch like field-larks, and
+continued to explore. The object of the expedition was, of course, to
+bring back as much game as possible to the Chimneys. So far it had not
+been altogether attained. They looked about everywhere, and were
+enraged to see animals escaping through the high grass. If they had
+only had Top! But Top, most likely, had perished with his master.
+
+About 3 o’clock they entered a wood full of juniper trees, at whose
+aromatic berries flocks of birds were pecking. Suddenly they heard a
+sound like the blast of a trumpet. It was the note of those gallinaceæ,
+called “tetras” in the United States. Soon they saw several pairs of
+them, with brownish-yellow plumage and brown tails. Pencroff determined
+to capture one of these birds, for they were as big as hens, and their
+meat as delicious as a pullet. But they would not let him come near
+them. At last, after several unsuccessful attempts, he said,
+
+“Well, since we can’t kill them on the wing, we must take them with a
+line.”
+
+“Like a carp,” cried the wondering Herbert.
+
+“Like a carp,” answered the sailor, gravely.
+
+Pencroff had found in the grass half-a-dozen tetras nests, with two or
+three eggs in each.
+
+He was very careful not to touch these nests, whose owners would
+certainly return to them. Around these he purposed to draw his lines,
+not as a snare, but with hook and bait. He took Herbert to some
+distance from the nests, and there made ready his singular apparatus
+with the care of a true disciple of Isaac Walton. Herbert watched the
+work with a natural interest, but without much faith in its success.
+The lines were made of small lianas tied together, from fifteen to
+twenty feet long, and stout thorns with bent points, broken from a
+thicket of dwarf acacias, and fastened to the ends of the lianas,
+served as hooks, and the great red worms which crawled at their feet
+made excellent bait. This done, Pencroff, walking stealthily through
+the grass, placed one end of his hook-and-line close to the nests of
+the tetras. Then he stole back, took the other end in his hand, and hid
+himself with Herbert behind a large tree. Herbert, it must be said, was
+not sanguine of success.
+
+A good half hour passed, but as the sailor had foreseen, several pairs
+of tetras returned to their nests. They hopped about, pecking the
+ground, and little suspecting the presence of the hunters, who had
+taken care to station themselves to leeward of the gallinaceæ. Herbert
+held his breath with excitement, while Pencroff, with dilated eyes,
+open month, and lips parted as if to taste a morsel of tetras, scarcely
+breathed. Meanwhile the gallinaceæ walked heedlessly among the hooks.
+Pencroff then gave little jerks, which moved the bait up and down as if
+the worms were still alive. How much more intense was his excitement
+than the fisherman’s who cannot see the approach of his prey!
+
+The jerks soon aroused the attention of the gallinaceæ, who began to
+peck at the bait. Three of the greediest swallowed hook and bait
+together. Suddenly, with a quick jerk, Pencroff pulled in his line, and
+the flapping of wings showed that the birds were taken.
+
+“Hurrah!” cried he, springing upon the game, of which he was master in
+a moment. Herbert clapped his hands. It was the first time he had seen
+birds taken with a line; but the modest sailor said it was not his
+first attempt, and, moreover, that the merit of the invention was not
+his.
+
+“And at any rate,” said he, “in our present situation we must hope for
+many such contrivances.”
+
+The tetras were tied together by the feet, and Pencroff, happy that
+they were not returning empty handed, and perceiving that the day was
+ending, thought it best to return home.
+
+Their route was indicated by the river, and following it downward, by 6
+o’clock, tired out by their excursion, Herbert and Pencroff re-entered
+the Chimneys.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII.
+
+
+NEB HAS NOT YET RETURNED—THE REFLECTIONS OF THE REPORTER—THE
+SUPPER—PROSPECT OF A BAD NIGHT—THE STORM IS FRIGHTFUL—THEY GO OUT INTO
+THE NIGHT—STRUGGLE WITH THE RAIN AND WIND.
+
+
+Gideon Spilett stood motionless upon the shore, his arms crossed,
+gazing on the sea, whose horizon was darkened towards the east by a
+huge black cloud mounting rapidly into the zenith. The wind, already
+strong, was freshening, the heavens had an angry look, and the first
+symptoms of a heavy blow were manifesting themselves.
+
+Herbert went into the Chimneys, and Pencroff walked towards the
+reporter, who was too absorbed to notice his approach.
+
+“We will have a bad night, Mr. Spilett,” said the sailor. “Wind and
+rain enough for Mother Cary’s chickens.”
+
+The reporter turning, and perceiving Pencroff, asked this question:—
+
+“How far off from the shore do you think was the basket when it was
+struck by the sea that carried away our companion?”
+
+The sailor had not expected this question. He reflected an instant
+before answering:—
+
+“Two cables’ lengths or more.”
+
+“How much is a cable’s length?” demanded Spilett.
+
+“About 120 fathoms, or 600 feet.”
+
+“Then,” said the reporter, “Cyrus Smith would have disappeared not more
+than 1,200 feet from the shore?”
+
+“Not more than that.”
+
+“And his dog, too?”
+
+“Yes.”
+
+“What astonishes me,” said the reporter, “admitting that our companion
+and Top have perished, is the fact that neither the body of the dog nor
+of his master has been cast upon the shore.”
+
+“That is not astonishing with so heavy a sea,” replied the sailor.
+“Moreover, it is quite possible that there are currents which have
+carried them farther up the coast.”
+
+“Then it is really your opinion that our companion has been drowned?”
+asked, once more, the reporter.
+
+“That is my opinion.”
+
+“And my opinion, Pencroff,” said Spilett, “with all respect for your
+experience, is, that in this absolute disappearance of both Cyrus and
+Top, living or dead, there is something inexplicable and incredible.”
+
+“I wish I could think as you do, sir,” responded Pencroff, “but,
+unhappily, I cannot.”
+
+After thus speaking the sailor returned to the Chimneys. A good fire
+was burning in the fireplace. Herbert had just thrown on a fresh armful
+of wood, and its flames lit up the dark recesses of the corridor.
+
+Pencroff began at once to busy himself about dinner. It seemed
+expedient to provide something substantial, as all stood in need of
+nourishment, so two tetras were quickly plucked, spitted upon a stick,
+and placed to roast before at blazing fire. The couroucous were
+reserved for the next day.
+
+At 7 o’clock Neb was still absent, and Pencroff began to be alarmed
+about him. He feared that he might have met with some accident in this
+unknown land, or that the poor fellow had been drawn by despair to some
+rash act. Herbert, on the contrary, argued that Neb’s absence was owing
+to some fresh discovery which had induced him to prolong his
+researches. And anything new must be to Cyrus Smith’s advantage. Why
+had not Neb come back, if some hope was not detaining him? Perhaps he
+had found some sign or footprint which had put him upon the track.
+Perhaps, at this moment he was following the trail. Perhaps, already,
+he was beside his master.
+
+Thus the lad spoke and reasoned, unchecked by his companions. The
+reporter nodded approval, but Pencroff thought it more probable that
+Neb, in his search, had pushed on so far that he had not been able to
+return.
+
+Meantime, Herbert, excited by vague presentiments, manifested a desire
+to go to meet Neb. But Pencroff showed him that it would be useless in
+the darkness and storm to attempt to find traces of the negro, and,
+that the better course was, to wait. If, by morning, Neb had not
+returned, Pencroff would not hesitate joining the lad in a search for
+him.
+
+Gideon Spilett concurred with the sailor in his opinion that they had
+better remain together, and Herbert, though tearfully, gave up the
+project. The reporter could not help embracing the generous lad.
+
+The storm began. A furious gust of wind passed over the coast from the
+southeast. They heard the sea, which was out, roaring upon the reef.
+The whirlwind drove the rain in clouds along the shore. The sand,
+stirred up by the wind, mingled with the rain, and the air was filled
+with mineral as well as aqueous dust. Between the mouth of the river
+and the cliff’s face, the wind whirled about as in a maelstrom, and,
+finding no other outlet than the narrow valley through which ran the
+stream, it rushed through this with irresistible violence.
+
+Often, too, the smoke from the chimney, driven back down its narrow
+vent, filled the corridors, and rendered them uninhabitable. Therefore,
+when the tetras were cooked Pencroff let the fire smoulder, only
+preserving some clear embers among the ashes.
+
+At 8 o’clock Neb had not returned; but they could not help admitting
+that now the tempest alone was sufficient to account for his
+non-appearance, and that, probably, he had sought refuge in some
+cavern, waiting the end of the storm, or, at least, daybreak. As to
+going to meet him under present circumstances, that was simply
+impossible.
+
+The birds were all they had for supper, but the party found them
+excellent eating. Pencroff and Herbert, their appetite sharpened by
+their long walk, devoured them. Then each one retired to his corner,
+and Herbert, lying beside the sailor, extended before the fireplace,
+was soon asleep.
+
+Outside, as the night advanced, the storm developed formidable
+proportions. It was a hurricane equal to that which had carried the
+prisoners from Richmond. Such tempests, pregnant with catastrophes,
+spreading terror over a vast area, their fury withstood by no obstacle,
+are frequent during the equinox. We can understand how a coast facing
+the east, and exposed to the full fury of the storm, was attacked with
+a violence perfectly indescribable.
+
+Happily the heap of rocks forming the Chimneys was composed of solid,
+enormous blocks of granite, though some of them, imperfectly balanced,
+seemed to tremble upon their foundations. Pencroff, placing his hand
+against the walls, could feel their rapid vibrations; but he said to
+himself, with reason, that there was no real danger, and that the
+improvised retreat would not tumble about their ears. Nevertheless, he
+heard the sound of rocks, torn from the top of the plateau by the
+gusts, crashing upon the shore. And some, falling perpendicularly,
+struck the Chimneys and flew off into fragments. Twice the sailor rose,
+and went to the opening of the corridor, to look abroad. But there was
+no danger from these inconsiderable showers of stones, and he returned
+to his place before the fire, where the embers glowed among the ashes.
+
+In spite of the fury and fracas of the tempest Herbert slept
+profoundly, and, at length, sleep took possession of Pencroff, whose
+sailor life had accustomed him to such demonstrations. Gideon Spilett,
+who was kept awake by anxiety, reproached himself for not having
+accompanied Neb. We have seen that he had not given up all hope, and
+the presentiments which had disturbed Herbert had affected him also.
+His thoughts were fixed upon Neb; why had not the negro returned? He
+tossed about on his sandy couch, unheeding the warfare of the elements.
+Then, overcome by fatigue, he would close his eyes for an instant, only
+to be awakened by some sudden thought.
+
+Meantime the night advanced; and it was about 2 o’clock when Pencroff
+was suddenly aroused from a deep sleep by finding himself vigorously
+shaken.
+
+“What’s the matter?” he cried, rousing and collecting himself with the
+quickness peculiar to sailors.
+
+The reporter was bending over him and saying:—
+
+“Listen, Pencroff, listen!”
+
+The sailor listened, but could hear no sounds other than those caused
+by the gusts.
+
+“It is the wind,” he said.
+
+“No,” answered Spilett, listening again, “I think I heard—”
+
+“What?”
+
+“The barking of a dog!”
+
+“A dog!” cried Pencroff, springing to his feet.
+
+“Yes—the barking—”
+
+“Impossible!” answered the sailor. “How, in the roarings of the
+tempest—”
+
+“Wait—listen,” said the reporter.
+
+Pencroff listened most attentively, and at length, during a lull, he
+thought he caught the sound of distant barking.
+
+“Is it?” asked the reporter, squeezing the sailor’s hand.
+
+“Yes—yes!” said Pencroff.
+
+“It is Top! It is Top!” cried Herbert, who had just wakened, and the
+three rushed to the entrance of the Chimneys.
+
+They had great difficulty in getting out, as the wind drove against
+them with fury, but at last they succeeded, and then they were obliged
+to steady themselves against the rocks. They were unable to speak, but
+they looked about them. The darkness was absolute. Sea, sky, and earth,
+were one intense blackness. It seemed as if there was not one particle
+of light diffused in the atmosphere.
+
+For some moments the reporter and his two companions stood in this
+place, beset by the gusts, drenched by the rain, blinded by the sand.
+Then again, in the hush of the storm, they heard, far away, the barking
+of a dog. This must be Top. But was he alone or accompanied? Probably
+alone, for if Neb had been with him, the negro would have hastened, at
+once, to the Chimneys.
+
+The sailor pressed the reporter’s hand in a manner signifying that he
+was to remain without, and then returning to the corridor, emerged a
+moment later with a lighted fagot, which he threw into the darkness, at
+the same time whistling shrilly. At this signal, which seemed to have
+been looked for, the answering barks came nearer, and soon a dog
+bounded into the corridor, followed by the three companions. An armful
+of wood was thrown upon the coals, brightly lighting up the passage.
+
+“It is Top!” cried Herbert.
+
+It was indeed Top, a magnificent Anglo-Norman, uniting in the cross of
+the two breeds those qualities—swiftness of foot and keenness of
+scent—indispensable in coursing dogs. But he was alone! Neither his
+master nor Neb accompanied him.
+
+It seemed inexplicable how, through the darkness and storm, the dog’s
+instinct had directed him to the Chimneys, a place he was unacquainted
+with. But still more unaccountable was the fact that he was neither
+fatigued nor exhausted nor soiled with mud or sand. Herbert had drawn
+him towards him, patting his head; and the dog rubbed his neck against
+the lad’s hands.
+
+“If the dog is found, the master will be found also,” said the
+reporter.
+
+“God grant it!” responded Herbert. “Come, let us set out. Top will
+guide us!”
+
+Pencroff made no objection. He saw that the dog’s cunning had disproved
+his conjectures.
+
+“Let us set out at once,” he said; and covering the fire so that it
+could be relighted on their return, and preceded by the dog, who seemed
+to invite their departure, the sailor, having gathered up the remnants
+of the supper, followed by the reporter and Herbert, rushed into the
+darkness.
+
+The tempest, then in all its violence, was, perhaps, at its maximum
+intensity. The new moon had not sufficient light to pierce the clouds.
+It was difficult to follow a straight course. The better way,
+therefore, was to trust to the instinct of Top; which was done. The
+reporter and the lad walked behind the dog, and the sailor followed
+after. To speak was impossible. The rain, dispersed by the wind, was
+not heavy, but the strength of the storm was terrible.
+
+Fortunately, as it came from the southeast, the wind was at the back of
+the party, and the sand, hurled from behind, did not prevent their
+march. Indeed, they were often blown along so rapidly as nearly to be
+overthrown. But they were sustained by a great hope. This time, at
+least, they were not wandering at random. They felt, no doubt, that Neb
+had found his master and had sent the faithful dog to them. But was the
+engineer living, or had Neb summoned his companions only to render the
+last services to the dead?
+
+After having passed the smooth face of rock, which they carefully
+avoided, the party stopped to take breath. The angle of the cliff
+sheltered them from the wind, and they could breathe freely after this
+tramp, or rather race, of a quarter of an hour. They were now able to
+hear themselves speak, and the lad having pronounced the name of Smith,
+the dog seemed to say by his glad barking that his master was safe.
+
+“Saved! He is saved! Isn’t he, Top?” repeated the boy. And the dog
+barked his answer.
+
+It was half-past 2 when the march was resumed. The sea began to rise,
+and this, which was a spring tide backed up by the wind, threatened to
+be very high. The tremendous breakers thundered against the reef,
+assailing it so violently as probably to pass completely over the
+islet, which was invisible. The coast was no longer sheltered by this
+long breakwater, but was exposed to the full fury of the open sea.
+
+After the party were clear of the precipice the storm attacked them
+again with fury. Crouching, with backs still to the wind, they followed
+Top, who never hesitated in his course. Mounting towards the north,
+they had upon their right the endless line of breakers deafening them
+with its thunders, and upon their left a region buried in darkness. One
+thing was certain, that they were upon an open plain, as the wind
+rushed over them without rebounding as it had done from the granite
+cliffs.
+
+By 4 o’clock they estimated the distance travelled as eight miles. The
+clouds had risen a little, and the wind was drier and colder.
+Insufficiently clad, the three companions suffered cruelly, but no
+murmur passed their lips. They were determined to follow Top wherever
+he wished to lead them.
+
+Towards 5 o’clock the day began to break. At first, overhead, where
+some grey shadowings bordered the clouds, and presently, under a dark
+band a bright streak of light sharply defined the sea horizon. The
+crests of the billows shone with a yellow light and the foam revealed
+its whiteness. At the same time, on the left, the hilly parts of the
+shore were confusedly defined in grey outlines upon the blackness of
+the night. At 6 o’clock it was daylight. The clouds sped rapidly
+overhead. The sailor and his companions were some six miles from the
+Chimneys, following a very flat shore, bordered in the offing by a reef
+of rocks whose surface only was visible above the high tide. On the
+left the country sloped up into downs bristling with thistles, giving a
+forbidding aspect to the vast sandy region. The shore was low, and
+offered no other resistance to the ocean than an irregular chain of
+hillocks. Here and there was a tree, leaning its trunks and branches
+towards the west. Far behind, to the southwest, extended the borders of
+the forest.
+
+At this moment Top gave unequivocal signs of excitement. He ran ahead,
+returned, and seemed to try to hurry them on. The dog had left the
+coast, and guided by his wonderful instinct, without any hesitation had
+gone among the downs. They followed him through a region absolutely
+devoid of life.
+
+The border of the downs, itself large, was composed of hills and
+hillocks, unevenly scattered here and there. It was like a little
+Switzerland of sand, and nothing but a dog’s astonishing instinct could
+find the way.
+
+Five minutes after leaving the shore the reporter and his companions
+reached a sort of hollow, formed in the back of a high down, before
+which Top stopped with a loud bark. The three entered the cave.
+
+Neb was there, kneeling beside a body extended upon a bed of grass—
+
+It was the body of Cyrus Smith.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII.
+
+
+IS CYPRUS SMITH ALIVE?—NEB’S STORY—FOOTPRINTS —AN INSOLUBLE
+QUESTION—THE FIRST WORDS OF SMITH—COMPARING THE FOOTPRINTS—RETURN TO
+THE CHIMNEYS—PENCROFF DEJECTED.
+
+
+Neb did not move. The sailor uttered one word.
+
+“Living!” he cried.
+
+The negro did not answer. Spilett and Pencroff turned pale. Herbert,
+clasping his hands, stood motionless. But it was evident that the poor
+negro, overcome by grief, had neither seen his companions nor heard the
+voice of the sailor.
+
+The reporter knelt down beside the motionless body, and, having opened
+the clothing, pressed his ear to the chest of the engineer. A minute,
+which seemed an age, passed, daring which he tried to detect some
+movement of the heart.
+
+Neb raised up a little, and looked on as if in a trance. Overcome by
+exhaustion, prostrated by grief, the poor fellow was hardly
+recognizable. He believed his master dead.
+
+Gideon Spilett, after a long and attentive examination, rose up.
+
+“He lives!” he said.
+
+Pencroff, in his turn, knelt down beside Cyrus Smith; he also detected
+some heartbeats, and a slight breath issuing from the lips of the
+engineer. Herbert, at a word from the reporter, hurried in search of
+water. A hundred paces off he found a clear brook swollen by the late
+rains and filtered by the sand. But there was nothing, not even a
+shell, in which to carry the water; so the lad had to content himself
+with soaking his handkerchief in the stream, and hastened back with it
+to the cave.
+
+Happily the handkerchief held sufficient for Spilett’s purpose, which
+was simply to moisten the lips of the engineer. The drops of fresh
+water produced an instantaneous effect. A sigh escaped from the breast
+of Smith, and it seemed as if he attempted to speak.
+
+“We shall save him,” said the reporter. Neb took heart at these words.
+He removed the clothing from his master to see if his body was anywhere
+wounded. But neither on his head nor body nor limbs was there a bruise
+or even a scratch, an astonishing circumstance, since he must have been
+tossed about among the rocks; even his hands were uninjured, and it was
+difficult to explain how the engineer should exhibit no mark of the
+efforts which he must have made in getting over the reef.
+
+But the explanation of this circumstance would come later, when Cyrus
+Smith could speak. At present, it was necessary to restore his
+consciousness, and it was probable that this result could be
+accomplished by friction. For this purpose they mode use of the
+sailor’s pea-jacket. The engineer, warmed by this rude rubbing, moved
+his arms slightly, and his breathing began to be more regular. He was
+dying from exhaustion, and, doubtless, had not the reporter and his
+companions arrived, it would have been all over with Cyrus Smith.
+
+“You thought he was dead?” asked the sailor.
+
+“Yes, I thought so,” answered Neb. “And if Top had not found you and
+brought you back, I would have buried my master and died beside him.”
+
+The engineer had had a narrow escape!
+
+Then Neb told them what had happened. The day before, after having left
+the Chimneys at day-break, he had followed along the coast in a
+direction due north, until he reached that part of the beach which he
+had already visited. There, though, as he said, without hope of
+success, he searched the shore, the rocks, the sand for any marks that
+could guide him, examining most carefully that part which was above
+high-water mark, as below that point the ebb and flow of the tide would
+have effaced all traces. He did not hope to find his master living. It
+was the discovery of the body which he sought, that he might bury it
+with his own hands. He searched a long time, without success. It seemed
+as if nothing human had ever been upon that desolate shore. Of the
+millions of shell-fish lying out of reach of the tide, not a shell was
+broken. There was no sign of a landing having ever been made there. The
+negro then decided to continue some miles further up the coast. It was
+possible that the currents had carried the body to some distant point.
+For Neb knew that a corpse, floating a little distance from a low
+shore, was almost certain, sooner or later, to be thrown upon the
+strand, and he was desirous to look upon his master one last time.
+
+“I followed the shore two miles further, looking at it at low and high
+water, hardly hoping to find anything, when yesterday evening, about 5
+o’clock, I discovered footprints upon the sand.”
+
+“Footprints,” cried Pencroff.
+
+“Yes, sir,” replied Neb.
+
+“And did they begin at the water?” demanded the reporter.
+
+“No,” answered the negro, “above high-water mark; below that the tide
+had washed out the others.”
+
+“Go on, Neb,” said Spilett.
+
+“The sight of these footprints made me wild with joy. They were very
+plain, and went towards the downs. I followed them for a quarter of an
+hour, running so as not to tread on them. Five minutes later, as it was
+growing dark, I heard a dog bark. It was Top. And he brought me here,
+to my master.”
+
+Neb finished his recital by telling of his grief at the discovery of
+the inanimate body. He had tried to discover some signs of life still
+remaining in it. But all his efforts were in vain. There was nothing,
+therefore, to do but to perform the last offices to him whom he had
+loved so well. Then he thought of his companions. They, too, would wish
+to look once more upon their comrade. Top was there. Could he not rely
+upon the sagacity of that faithful animal? So having pronounced several
+times the name of the reporter, who, of all the engineer’s companions,
+was best known by Top, and having at the same time motioned towards the
+south, the dog bounded off in the direction indicated.
+
+We have seen how, guided by an almost supernatural instinct, the dog
+had arrived at the Chimneys.
+
+Neb’s companions listened to his story with the greatest attention. How
+the engineer had been able to reach this cave in the midst of the
+downs, more than a mile from the beach, was as inexplicable as was his
+escape from the waves and rocks without a scratch.
+
+“So you, Neb,” said the reporter, “did not bring your master to this
+place?”
+
+“No, it was not I,” answered Neb.
+
+“He certainly could not have come alone,” said Pencroff.
+
+“But he must have done it, though it does not seem credible,” said the
+reporter.
+
+They must wait for the solution of the mystery until the engineer could
+speak. Fortunately the rubbing had re-established the circulation of
+the blood, and life was returning. Smith moved his arm again, then his
+head, and a second time some incoherent words escaped his lips.
+
+Neb, leaning over him, spoke, but the engineer seemed not to hear, and
+his eyes remained closed. Life was revealing itself by movement, but
+consciousness had not yet returned. Pencroff had, unfortunately,
+forgotten to bring the burnt linen, which could have been ignited with
+a couple of flints, and without it they had no means of making a fire.
+The pockets of the engineer were empty of everything but his watch. It
+was therefore the unanimous opinion that Cyrus Smith must be carried to
+the Chimneys as soon as possible.
+
+Meantime the attention lavished on the engineer restored him to
+consciousness sooner than could have been hoped. The moistening of his
+lips had revived him, and Pencroff conceived the idea of mixing some of
+the juice of the tetras with water. Herbert ran to the shore and
+brought back two large shells; and the sailor made a mixture which they
+introduced between the lips of the engineer, who swallowed it with
+avidity. His eyes opened. Neb and the reporter were leaning over him.
+
+“My master! my master!” cried Neb.
+
+The engineer heard him. He recognized Neb and his companions, and his
+hand gently pressed theirs.
+
+Again he spoke some words—doubtless the same which he had before
+uttered, and which indicated that some thoughts were troubling him.
+This time the words were understood.
+
+“Island or continent?” he murmured.
+
+“What the devil do we care,” cried Pencroff, unable to restrain the
+exclamation, “now that you are alive, sir. Island or continent? “We
+will find that out later.”
+
+The engineer made a motion in the affirmative, and then seemed to
+sleep.
+
+Taking care not to disturb him, the reporter set to work to provide the
+most comfortable means of moving him.
+
+Neb, Herbert, and Pencroff left the cave and went towards a high down
+on which were some gnarled trees. On the way the sailor kept
+repeating:—
+
+“Island or continent! To think of that, at his last gasp! What a man!”
+
+Having reached the top of the down, Pencroff and his companions tore
+off the main branches from a tree, a sort of sea pine, sickly and
+stunted. And with these branches they constructed a litter, which they
+covered with leaves and grass.
+
+This work occupied some little time, and it was 10 o’clock when the
+three returned to Smith and Spilett.
+
+The engineer had just wakened from the sleep, or rather stupor, in
+which they had found him. The color had come back to his lips, which
+had been as pale as death. He raised himself slightly, and looked
+about, as if questioning where he was.
+
+“Can you listen to me without being tired, Cyrus?” asked the reporter.
+
+“Yes,” responded the engineer.
+
+“I think,” said the sailor, “that Mr. Smith can listen better after
+having taken some more of this tetra jelly,—it is really tetra, sir,”
+he continued, as he gave him some of the mixture, to which he had this
+time added some of the meat of the bird.
+
+Cyrus Smith swallowed these bits of tetra, and the remainder was eaten
+by his companions, who were suffering from hunger, and who found the
+repast light enough.
+
+“Well,” said the sailor, “there are victuals waiting for us at the
+Chimneys, for you must know, Mr. Smith, that to the south of here we
+have a house with rooms and beds and fire-place, and in the pantry
+dozens of birds which our Herbert calls couroucous. Your litter is
+ready, and whenever you feel strong enough we will carry you to our
+house.”
+
+“Thanks, my friend,” replied the engineer, “in an hour or two we will
+go. And now, Spilett, continue.”
+
+The reporter related everything that had happened. Recounting the
+events unknown to Smith; the last plunge of the balloon, the landing
+upon this unknown shore, its deserted appearance, the discovery of the
+Chimneys, the search for the engineer, the devotion of Neb, and what
+they owed to Top’s intelligence, etc.
+
+“But,” asked Smith, in a feeble voice, “you did not pick me up on the
+beach?”
+
+“No,” replied the reporter.
+
+“And it was not you who brought me to this hollow?”
+
+“No.”
+
+“How far is this place from the reef?”
+
+“At least half a mile,” replied Pencroff, “and if you are astonished,
+we are equally surprised to find you here.”
+
+“It is indeed singular,” said the engineer, who was gradually reviving
+and taking interest in these details.
+
+“But,” asked the sailor, “cannot you remember anything that happened
+after you were washed away by that heavy sea?”
+
+Cyrus Smith tried to think, but he remembered little. The wave had
+swept him from the net of the balloon, and at first he had sunk several
+fathoms. Coming up to the surface, he was conscious, in the half-light,
+of something struggling beside him. It was Top, who had sprung to his
+rescue. Looking up, he could see nothing of the balloon, which,
+lightened by his and the dog’s weight, had sped away like an arrow. He
+found himself in the midst of the tumultuous sea, more than half a mile
+from shore. He swum vigorously against the waves, and Top sustained him
+by his garments; but a strong current seized him, carrying him to the
+north, and, after struggling for half an hour, he sank, dragging the
+dog with him into the abyss. From that moment to the instant of his
+finding himself in the arms of his friends, he remembered nothing.
+
+“Nevertheless,” said Pencroff, “you must have been cast upon the shore,
+and had strength enough to walk to this place, since Neb found your
+tracks.”
+
+“Yes, that must be so,” answered the engineer, reflectively. “And you
+have not seen any traces of inhabitants upon the shore?”
+
+“Not a sign,” answered the reporter. “Moreover, if by chance some one
+had rescued you from the waves, why should he then have abandoned you?”
+
+“You are right, my dear Spilett. Tell me, Neb,” inquired the engineer,
+turning towards his servant, “it was not you—you could not have been in
+a trance—during which—. No, that’s absurd. Do any of the footprints
+still remain?”
+
+“Yes, master,” replied Neb; “there are some at the entrance, back of
+this mound, in a place sheltered from the wind and rain, but the others
+have been obliterated by the storm.”
+
+“Pencroff,” said Cyrus, “will you take my shoes and see if they fit
+those footprints exactly?”
+
+The sailor did as he had been asked. He and Herbert, guided by Neb,
+went to where the marks were, and in their absence Smith said to the
+reporter:—
+
+“That is a thing passing belief.”
+
+“Inexplicable, indeed,” answered the other.
+
+“But do not dwell upon it at present, my dear Spilett, we will talk of
+it hereafter.”
+
+At this moment the others returned. All doubt was set at rest. The
+shoes of the engineer fitted the tracks exactly. Therefore it must have
+been Smith himself who had walked over the sand.
+
+“So,” he said, “I was the one in a trance, and not Neb! I must have
+walked like a somnambulist, without consciousness, and Top’s instinct
+brought me here after he rescued me from the waves. Here, Top. Come
+here, dog.”
+
+The splendid animal sprang, barking, to his master, and caresses were
+lavished upon him. It was agreed that there was no other way to account
+for the rescue than by giving Top the credit of it.
+
+Towards noon, Pencroff having asked Smith if he felt strong enough to
+be carried, the latter, for answer, by an effort which showed his
+strength of will, rose to his feet. But if he had not leaned upon the
+sailor he would have fallen.
+
+“Capital,” said Pencroff. “Summon the engineer’s carriage!”
+
+The litter was brought. The cross-branches had been covered with moss
+and grass; and when Smith was laid upon it they walked towards the
+coast, Neb and the sailor carrying him.
+
+Eight miles had to be travelled, and as they could move but slowly, and
+would probably have to make frequent rests, it would take six hours or
+more to reach the Chimneys. The wind was still strong, but,
+fortunately, it had ceased raining. From his couch, the engineer,
+leaning upon his arm, observed the coast, especially the part opposite
+the sea. He examined it without comment, but undoubtedly the aspect of
+the country, its contour, its forests and diverse products were noted
+in his mind. But after two hours, fatigue overcame him, and he slept
+upon the litter.
+
+At half-past 5 the little party reached the precipice, and soon after,
+were before the Chimneys. Stopping here, the litter was placed upon the
+sand without disturbing the slumber of the engineer.
+
+Pencroff saw, to his surprise, that the terrible storm of the day
+before had altered the aspect of the place. Rocks had been displaced.
+Great fragments were strewn over the sand, and a thick carpet of
+several kinds of seaweed covered all the shore. It was plain that the
+sea sweeping over the isle had reached to the base of the enormous
+granite curtain.
+
+Before the entrance to the Chimneys the ground had been violently torn
+up by the action of the waves. Pencroff, seized with a sudden fear,
+rushed into the corridor. Returning, a moment after, he stood
+motionless looking at his comrades.
+
+The fire had been extinguished; the drowned cinders were nothing but
+mud. The charred linen, which was to serve them for tinder, had gone.
+The sea had penetrated every recess of the corridor, and everything was
+overthrown, everything was destroyed within the Chimneys.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX.
+
+
+CYRUS IS HERE-PENCROFF’S ATTEMPTS—RUBBING WOOD—ISLAND OR CONTINENT —THE
+PLANS OF THE ENGINEER—WHEREABOUTS IN THE PACIFIC—IN THE DEPTHS OF THE
+FOREST—THE PISTACHIO PINE—A PIG CHASE—A SMOKE OF GOOD OMEN.
+
+
+In a few words the others were informed of what had happened. This
+accident, which portended serious results—at least Pencroff foresaw
+such—affected each one differently. Neb, overjoyed in having recovered
+his master, did not listen or did not wish to think of what Pencroff
+said. Herbert shared in a measure the apprehensions of the sailor. As
+to the reporter, he simply answered:—
+
+“Upon my word, Pencroff, I don’t think it matters much!”
+
+“But I tell you again; we have no fire!”
+
+“Pshaw!”
+
+“Nor any means of lighting one!”
+
+“Absurd!”
+
+“But, Mr. Spilett—”
+
+“Is not Cyrus here?” asked the reporter; “Isn’t he alive? He will know
+well enough how to make fire!”
+
+“And with what?”
+
+“With nothing!”
+
+What could Pencroff answer? He had nothing to say, as, in his heart, he
+shared his companion’s confidence in Cyrus Smith’s ability. To them the
+engineer was a microcosm, a compound of all science and all knowledge.
+They were better off on a desert island with Cyrus than without him in
+the busiest city of the Union. With him they could want for nothing;
+with him they would have no fear. If they had been told that a volcanic
+eruption would overwhelm the land, sinking it into the depths of the
+Pacific, the imperturbable answer of these brave men would have been,
+“Have we not Cyrus!”
+
+Meantime, the engineer had sunk into a lethargy, the result of the
+journey, and his help could not be asked for just then. The supper,
+therefore, would be very meagre. All the tetras had been eaten, there
+was no way to cook other birds, and, finally, the couroucous which had
+been reserved had disappeared. Something, therefore, must be done.
+
+First of all, Cyrus Smith was carried into the main corridor. There
+they were able to make for him a couch of seaweeds, and, doubtless, the
+deep sleep in which he was plunged, would strengthen him more than an
+abundant nourishment.
+
+With night the temperature, which the northwest wind had raised, again
+became very cold, and, as the sea had washed away the partitions which
+Pencroff had constructed, draughts of air made the place scarcely
+habitable. The engineer would therefore have been in a bad plight if
+his companions had not covered him with clothing which they took from
+themselves.
+
+The supper this evening consisted of the inevitable lithodomes, an
+ample supply of which Herbert and Neb had gathered from the beach. To
+these the lad had added a quantity of edible seaweed which clung to the
+high rocks and were only washed by the highest tides. These seaweeds,
+belonging to the family of Fucaceæ, were a species of Sargassum, which,
+when dry, furnish a gelatinous substance full of nutritive matter, much
+used by the natives of the Asiatic coast. After having eaten a quantity
+of lithodomes the reporter and his companions sucked some of the
+seaweed, which they agreed was excellent.
+
+“Nevertheless,” said the sailor, “it is time for Mr. Smith to help us.”
+
+Meantime the cold became intense, and, unfortunately, they had no means
+of protecting themselves. The sailor, much worried, tried every
+possible means of procuring a fire. He had found some dry moss, and by
+striking two stones together he obtained sparks; but the moss was not
+sufficiently inflammable to catch fire, nor had the sparks the strength
+of those struck by a steel. The operation amounted to nothing. Then
+Pencroff, although he had no confidence in the result, tried rubbing
+two pieces of dry wood together, after the manner of the savages. It is
+true that the motion of the man, if it could have been turned into
+heat, according to the new theory, would have heated the boiler of a
+steamer. But it resulted in nothing except putting him in a glow, and
+making the wood hot. After half an hour’s work Pencroff was in a
+perspiration, and he threw away the wood in disgust.
+
+“When you can make me believe that savages make fire after that
+fashion,” said he, “it will he hot in winter! I might as well try to
+light my arms by rubbing them together.”
+
+But the sailor was wrong to deny the feasibility of this method. The
+savages frequently do light wood in this way. But it requires
+particular kinds of wood, and, moreover, the “knack,” and Pencroff had
+not this “knack.”
+
+Pencroff’s ill humor did not last long. The bits of wood which he had
+thrown away had been picked up by Herbert, who exerted himself to rub
+them well. The strong sailor could not help laughing at the boy’s weak
+efforts to accomplish what he had failed in.
+
+“Rub away, my boy; rub hard!” he cried.
+
+“I am rubbing them,” answered Herbert, laughing, “but only to take my
+turn at getting warm, instead of sitting here shivering; and pretty
+soon I will be as hot as you are, Pencroff!”
+
+This was the case, and though it was necessary for this night to give
+up trying to make a fire, Spilett, stretching himself upon the sand in
+one of the passages, repeated for the twentieth time that Smith could
+not be baffled by such a trifle. The others followed his example, and
+Top slept at the feet of his master.
+
+The next day, the 28th of March, when the engineer awoke, about 8
+o’clock, he saw his companions beside him watching, and, as on the day
+before, his first words were,
+
+“Island or continent?”
+
+It was his one thought.
+
+“Well, Mr. Smith,” answered Pencroff, “we don’t know.”
+
+“You haven’t found out yet?”
+
+“But we will,” affirmed Pencroff, “when you are able to guide us in
+this country.”
+
+“I believe that I am able to do that now,” answered the engineer, who,
+without much effort, rose up and stood erect.
+
+“That is good,” exclaimed the sailor.
+
+“I am dying of hunger,” responded Smith. “Give me some food, my friend,
+and I will feel better. You’ve fire, haven’t you?”
+
+This question met with no immediate answer. But after some moments the
+sailor said:—
+
+“No, sir, we have no fire; at least, not now.”
+
+And be related what had happened the day before. He amused the engineer
+by recounting the history of their solitary match, and their fruitless
+efforts to procure fire like the savages.
+
+“We will think about it,” answered the engineer, “and if we cannot find
+something like tinder—”
+
+“Well,” asked the sailor.
+
+“Well, we will make matches!”
+
+“Friction matches?”
+
+“Friction matches!”
+
+“It’s no more difficult than that,” cried the reporter, slapping the
+sailor on the shoulder.
+
+The latter did not see that it would be easy, but he said nothing, and
+all went out of doors. The day was beautiful. A bright sun was rising
+above the sea horizon, its rays sparkling and glistening on the granite
+wall. After having cast a quick look about him, the engineer seated
+himself upon a rock. Herbert offered him some handfuls of mussels and
+seaweed, saying:—
+
+“It is all that we have, Mr. Smith.”
+
+“Thank you, my boy,” answered he, “it is enough—for this morning, at
+least.”
+
+And he ate with appetite this scanty meal, washing it down with water
+brought from the river in a large shell.
+
+His companions looked on without speaking. Then, after having satisfied
+himself, he crossed his arms and said:—
+
+“Then, my friends, you do not yet know whether we have been thrown upon
+an island or a continent?”
+
+“No sir,” answered Herbert.
+
+“We will find out to-morrow,” said the engineer. “Until then there is
+nothing to do.”
+
+“There is one thing,” suggested Pencroff.
+
+“What is that?”
+
+“Some fire,” replied the sailor, who thought of nothing else.
+
+“We will have it, Pencroff,” said Smith. “But when you were carrying me
+here yesterday, did not I see a mountain rising in the west?”
+
+“Yes,” saidSpilett, “quite a high one.”
+
+“All right,” exclaimed the engineer. “Tomorrow we will climb to its
+summit and determine whether this is an island or a continent; until
+then I repeat there is nothing to do.”
+
+“But there is; we want fire!” cried the obstinate sailor again.
+
+“Have a little patience, Pencroff, and we will have the fire,” said
+Spilett.
+
+The other looked at the reporter as much as to say, “If there was only
+you to make it we would never taste roast meat.” But he kept silent.
+
+Smith had not spoken. He seemed little concerned about this question of
+fire. For some moments he remained absorbed in his own thoughts. Then
+he spoke as follows:—
+
+“My friends, our situation is, doubtless, deplorable, nevertheless it
+is very simple. Either we are upon a continent, and, in that case, at
+the expense of greater or less fatigue, we will reach some inhabited
+place, or else we are on an island. In the latter case, it is one of
+two things; if the island is inhabited, we will get out of our
+difficulty by the help of the inhabitants; if it is deserted, we will
+get out of it by ourselves.”
+
+“Nothing could be plainer than that,” said Pencroff.
+
+“But,” asked Spilett, “whether it is a continent or an island,
+whereabouts do you think this storm has thrown us, Cyrus?”
+
+“In truth, I cannot say,” replied the engineer, “but the probability is
+that we are somewhere in the Pacific. When we left Richmond the wind
+was northeast, and its very violence proves that its direction did not
+vary much. Supposing it unchanged, we crossed North and South Carolina,
+Georgia, the Gulf of Mexico, and the narrow part of Mexico, and a
+portion of the Pacific Ocean. I do not estimate the distance traversed
+by the balloon at less than 6,000 or 7,000 miles, and even if the wind
+had varied a half a quarter it would have carried us either to the
+Marquesas Islands or to the Low Archipelago; or, if it was stronger
+than I suppose, as far as New Zealand. If this last hypothesis is
+correct, our return home will be easy. English or Maoris, we shall
+always find somebody with whom to speak. If, on the other hand, this
+coast belongs to some barren island in the Micronesian Archipelago,
+perhaps we can reconnoitre it from the summit of this mountain, and
+then we will consider how to establish ourselves here as if we were
+never going to leave it.”
+
+“Never?” cried the reporter. “Do you say never, my dear Cyrus?”
+
+“It is better to put things in their worst light at first,” answered
+the engineer; “and to reserve those which are better, as a surprise.”
+
+“Well said,” replied Pencroff. “And we hope that this island, if it is
+an island, will not be situated just outside of the route of ships; for
+that would, indeed, be unlucky.”
+
+“We will know how to act after having first ascended the mountain,”
+answered Smith.
+
+“But will you be able, Mr. Smith, to make the climb tomorrow?” asked
+Herbert.
+
+“I hope so,” answered the engineer, “if Pencroff and you, my boy, show
+yourselves to be good and ready hunters.”
+
+“Mr. Smith,” said the sailor, “since you are speaking of game, if when
+I come back I am as sure of getting it roasted as I am of bringing it—”
+
+“Bring it, nevertheless,” interrupted Smith.
+
+It was now agreed that the engineer and the reporter should spend the
+day at the Chimneys, in order to examine the shore and the plateau,
+while Neb, Herbert, and the sailor were to return to the forest, renew
+the supply of wood, and lay hands on every bird and beast that should
+cross their path. So, at 6 o’clock, the party left, Herbert confident.
+Neb happy, and Pencroff muttering to himself:—
+
+“If, when I get back I find a fire in the house, it will have been the
+lightning that lit it!”
+
+The three climbed the bank, and having reached the turn in the river,
+the sailor stopped and said to his companions:—
+
+“Shall we begin as hunters or wood-choppers?”
+
+“Hunters,” answered Herbert. “See Top, who is already at it.”
+
+“Let us hunt, then,” replied the sailor, “and on our return here we
+will lay in our stock of wood.”
+
+This said, the party made three clubs for themselves, and followed Top,
+who was jumping about in the high grass.
+
+This time, the hunters, instead of following the course of the stream,
+struck at once into the depths of the forests. The trees were for the
+most part of the pine family. And in certain places, where they stood
+in small groups, they were of such a size as to indicate that this
+country was in a higher latitude than the engineer supposed. Some
+openings, bristling with stumps decayed by the weather, were covered
+with dead timber which formed an inexhaustible reserve of firewood.
+Then, the opening passed, the underwood became so thick as to be nearly
+impenetrable.
+
+To guide oneself among these great trees without any beaten path was
+very difficult. So the sailer from time to time blazed the route by
+breaking branches in a manner easily recognizable. But perhaps they
+would have done better to have followed the water course, as in the
+first instance, as, after an hour’s march, no game had been taken. Top,
+running under the low boughs, only flushed birds that were
+unapproachable. Even the couroucous were invisible, and it seemed
+likely that the sailor would be obliged to return to that swampy place
+where he had fished for tetras with such good luck.
+
+“Well, Pencroff,” said Neb sarcastically, “if this is all the game you
+promised to carry back to my master it won’t take much fire to roast
+it!”
+
+“Wait a bit, Neb,” answered the sailor; “it won’t be game that will be
+wanting on our return.”
+
+“Don’t you believe in Mr. Smith?”
+
+“Yes.”
+
+“But you don’t believe be will make a fire?”
+
+“I will believe that when the wood is blazing in the fire-place.”
+
+“It will blaze, then, for my master has said so!”
+
+“Well, we’ll see!”
+
+Meanwhile the sun had not yet risen to its highest point above the
+horizon. The exploration went on and was signalized by Herbert’s
+discovery of a tree bearing edible fruit. It was the pistachio pine,
+which bears an excellent nut, much liked in the temperate regions of
+America and Europe. These nuts were perfectly ripe, and Herbert showed
+them to his companions, who feasted on them.
+
+“Well,” said Pencroff, “seaweed for bread, raw mussels for meat, and
+nuts for dessert, that’s the sort of dinner for men who haven’t a match
+in their pocket!”
+
+“It’s not worth while complaining,” replied Herbert.
+
+“I don’t complain, my boy. I simply repeat that the meat is a little
+too scant in this sort of meal.”
+
+“Top has seen something!” cried Neb, running toward a thicket into
+which the dog had disappeared barking. With the dog’s barks were
+mingled singular gruntings. The sailor and Herbert had followed the
+negro. If it was game, this was not the time to discuss how to cook it,
+but rather how to secure it.
+
+The hunters, on entering the brush, saw Top struggling with an animal
+which he held by the ear. This quadruped was a species of pig, about
+two feet and a half long, of a brownish black color, somewhat lighter
+under the belly, having harsh and somewhat scanty hair, and its toes at
+this time strongly grasping the soil seemed joined together by
+membranes.
+
+Herbert thought that he recognized in this animal a cabiai, or
+water-hog, one of the largest specimens of the order of rodents. The
+water-hog did not fight the dog. Its great eyes, deep sank in thick
+layers of fat, rolled stupidly from side to side. And Neb, grasping his
+club firmly, was about to knock the beast down, when the latter tore
+loose from Top, leaving a piece of his ear in the dog’s mouth, and
+uttering a vigorous grunt, rushed against and overset Herbert and
+disappeared in the wood.
+
+“The beggar!” cried Pencroff, as they all three darted after the hog.
+But just as they had come up to it again, the water-hog disappeared
+under the surface of a large pond, overshadowed by tall, ancient pines.
+
+The three companions stopped, motionless. Top had plunged into the
+water, but the cabiai, hidden at the bottom of the pond, did not
+appear.
+
+“Wait,”, said the boy, “he will have to come to the surface to
+breathe.”
+
+“Won’t he drown?” asked Neb.
+
+“No,” answered Herbert, “since he is fin-toed and almost amphibious.
+But watch for him.”
+
+Top remained in the water, and Pencroff and his companions took
+stations upon the bank, to cut off the animal’s retreat, while the dog
+swam to and fro looking for him.
+
+Herbert was not mistaken. In a few minutes the animal came again to the
+surface. Top was upon him at once, keeping him from diving again, and a
+moment later, the cabiai, dragged to the shore, was struck down by a
+blow from Neb’s club.
+
+“Hurrah!” cried Pencroff with all his heart. “Nothing but a clear fire,
+and this gnawer shall be gnawed to the bone.”
+
+Pencroff lifted the carcase to his shoulder, and judging by the sun
+that it must be near 2 o’clock, he gave the signal to return.
+
+Top’s instinct was useful to the hunters, as, thanks to that
+intelligent animal, they were enabled to return upon their steps. In
+half an hour they had reached the bend of the river. There, as before,
+Pencroff quickly constructed a raft, although, lacking fire, this
+seemed to him a useless job, and, with the raft keeping the current,
+they returned towards the Chimneys. But the sailor had not gone fifty
+paces when he stopped and gave utterance anew to a tremendous hurrah,
+and extending his hand towards the angle of the cliff—
+
+“Herbert! Neb! See!” he cried.
+
+Smoke was escaping and curling above the rocks!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X.
+
+
+THE ENGINEER’S INVENTION—ISLAND OR CONTINENT?—DEPARTURE FOR THE
+MOUNTAIN—THE FOREST—VOLCANIC SOIL—THE TRAGOPANS—THE MOUFFLONS —THE
+FIRST PLATEAU—ENCAMPING FOR THE NIGHT—THE SUMMIT OF THE CONE
+
+
+A few minutes afterwards, the three hunters were seated before a
+sparkling fire. Beside them sat Cyrus Smith and the reporter. Pencroff
+looked from one to the other without saying a word, his cabiai in his
+hand.
+
+“Yes, my good fellow,” said the reporter, “a fire, a real fire, that
+will roast your game to a turn.”
+
+“But who lighted it?” said the sailor.
+
+“The sun.”
+
+The sailor could not believe his eyes, and was too stupefied to
+question the engineer.
+
+“Had you a burning-glass, sir?” asked Herbert of Cyrus Smith.
+
+“No, my boy,” said he, “but I made one.”
+
+And he showed his extemporized lens. It was simply the two glasses,
+from his own watch and the reporter’s, which he had taken out, filled
+with water, and stuck together at the edges with a little clay. Thus he
+had made a veritable burning-glass, and by concentrating the solar rays
+on some dry moss had set it on fire.
+
+The sailor examined the lens; then he looked at the engineer without
+saying a word, but his face spoke for him. If Smith was not a magician
+to him, he was certainly more than a man. At last his speech returned,
+and he said:—
+
+“Put that down, Mr. Spilett, put that down in your book!”
+
+“I have it down,” said the reporter.
+
+Then, with the help of Neb, the sailor arranged the spit, and dressed
+the cabiai for roasting, like a suckling pig, before the sparkling
+fire, by whose warmth, and by the restoration of the partitions, the
+Chimneys had been rendered habitable.
+
+The engineer and his companion had made good use of their day. Smith
+had almost entirely recovered his strength, which he had tested by
+climbing the plateau above. From thence his eye, accustomed to measure
+heights and distances, had attentively examined the cone whose summit
+he proposed to reach on the morrow. The mountain, situated about six
+miles to the northwest, seemed to him to reach about 3,500 feet above
+the level of the sea, so that an observer posted at its summit, could
+command a horizon of fifty miles at least. He hoped, therefore, for an
+easy solution of the urgent question, “Island or continent?”
+
+They had a pleasant supper, and the meat of the cabiai was proclaimed
+excellent; the sargassum and pistachio-nuts completed the repast. But
+the engineer said little; he was planning for the next day. Once or
+twice Pencroff talked of some project for the future, but Smith shook
+his head.
+
+“To-morrow,” he said, “we will know how we are situated, and we can act
+accordingly.”
+
+After supper, more armfuls of wood were thrown on the fire, and the
+party lay down to sleep. The morning found them fresh and eager for the
+expedition which was to settle their fate.
+
+Everything was ready. Enough was left of the cabiai for twenty-four
+hours’ provisions, and they hoped to replenish their stock on the way.
+They charred a little linen for tinder, as the watch glasses had been
+replaced, and flint abounded in this volcanic region.
+
+At half-past 7 they left the Chimneys, each with a stout cudgel. By
+Pencroff’s advice, they took the route of the previous day, which was
+the shortest way to the mountain. They turned the southern angle, and
+followed the left bank of the river, leaving it where it bent to the
+southwest. They took the beaten path under the evergreens, and soon
+reached the northern border of the forest. The soil, flat and swampy,
+then dry and sandy, rose by a gradual slope towards the interior. Among
+the trees appeared a few shy animals, which rapidly took flight before
+Top. The engineer called his dog back; later, perhaps, they might hunt,
+but now nothing could distract him from his great object. He observed
+neither the character of the ground nor its products; he was going
+straight for the top of the mountain.
+
+At 10 o’clock they were clear of the forest, and they halted for a
+while to observe the country. The mountain was composed of two cones.
+The first was truncated about 2,500 feet up, and supported by fantastic
+spurs, branching out like the talons of an immense claw, laid upon the
+ground. Between these spurs were narrow valleys, thick set with trees,
+whose topmost foliage was level with the flat summit of the first cone.
+On the northeast side of the mountain, vegetation was more scanty, and
+the ground was seamed here and there, apparently with currents of lava.
+
+On the first cone lay a second, slightly rounded towards the summit. It
+lay somewhat across the other, like a huge hat cocked over the ear. The
+surface seemed utterly bare, with reddish rocks often protruding. The
+object of the expedition was to reach the top of this cone, and their
+best way was along the edge of the spurs.
+
+“We are in a volcanic country,” said Cyrus Smith, as they began to
+climb, little by little, up the side of the spurs, whose winding summit
+would most readily bring them out upon the lower plateau. The ground
+was strewn with traces of igneous convulsion. Here and there lay
+blocks, debris of basalt, pumice-stone, and obsidian. In isolated
+clumps rose some few of those conifers, which, some hundreds of feet
+lower, in the narrow gorges, formed a gigantic thicket, impenetrable to
+the sun. As they climbed these lower slopes, Herbert called attention
+to the recent marks of huge paws and hoofs on the ground.
+
+“These brutes will make a fight for their territory,” said Pencroff.
+
+“Oh well,” said the reporter, who had hunted tigers in India and lions
+in Africa, “we shall contrive to get rid of them. In the meanwhile, we
+must be on our guard.”
+
+While talking they were gradually ascending. The way was lengthened by
+detours around the obstacles which could not be directly surmounted.
+Sometimes, too, deep crevasses yawned across the ascent, and compelled
+them to return upon their track for a long distance, before they could
+find an available pathway. At noon, when the little company halted to
+dine at the foot of a great clump of firs, at whose foot babbled a tiny
+brook, they were still half way from the first plateau, and could
+hardly reach it before nightfall. From this point the sea stretched
+broad beneath their feet; but on the right their vision was arrested by
+the sharp promontory of the southeast, which left them in doubt whether
+there was land beyond. On the left they could see directly north for
+several miles; but the northwest was concealed from them by the crest
+of a fantastic spur, which formed a massive abutment to the central
+cone. They could, therefore, make no approach as yet to the solving of
+the great question.
+
+At 1 o’clock, the ascent was again begun. The easiest route slanted
+upwards towards the southwest, through the thick copse. There, under
+the trees, were flying about a number of gallinaceæ of the pheasant
+family. These were “tragopans,” adorned with a sort of fleshy wattles
+hanging over their necks and with two little cylindrical horns behind
+their eyes. Of these birds, which were about the size of a hen, the
+female was invariably brown, while the male was resplendent in a coat
+of red, with little spots of white. With a well-aimed stone Spilett
+killed one of the tragopans, which the hungry Pencroff looked at with
+longing eyes.
+
+Leaving the copse, the climbers, by mounting on each other’s shoulders,
+ascended for a hundred feet up a very steep hill, and reached a
+terrace, almost bare of trees, whose soil was evidently volcanic. From
+hence, their course was a zigzag towards the east, for the declivity
+was so steep that they had to take every point of vantage. Neb and
+Herbert led the way, then came Smith and the reporter; Pencroff was
+last. The animals who lived among these heights, and whose traces were
+not wanting, must have the sure foot and the supple spine of a chamois
+or an izard. They saw some to whom Pencroff gave a name of his
+own—“Sheep,” he cried.
+
+They all had stopped fifty feet from half-a-dozen large animals, with
+thick horns curved backwards and flattened at the end, and with woolly
+fleece, hidden under long silky fawn-colored hair. They were not the
+common sheep, but a species widely distributed through the mountainous
+regions of the temperate zone. Their name, according to Herbert, was
+_Moufflon_.
+
+“Have they legs and chops?” asked the sailor.
+
+“Yes,” replied Herbert.
+
+“Then they’re sheep,” said Pencroff. The animals stood motionless and
+astonished at their first sight of man. Then, seized with sudden fear,
+they fled, leaping away among the rocks.
+
+“Good-bye till next time,” cried Pencroff to them, in a tone so comical
+that the others could not forbear laughing.
+
+As the ascension continued, the traces of lava were more frequent, and
+little sulphur springs intercepted their route. At some points sulphur
+had been deposited in crystals, in the midst of the sand and whitish
+cinders of feldspar which generally precede the eruption of lava. As
+they neared the first plateau, formed by the truncation of the lower
+cone, the ascent became very difficult. By 4 o’clock the last belt of
+trees had been passed. Here and there stood a few dwarfed and distorted
+pines, which had survived the attacks of the furious winds. Fortunately
+for the engineer and his party, it was a pleasant, mild day; for a high
+wind, at that altitude of 3,000 feet, would have interfered with them
+sadly. The sky overhead was extremely bright and clear. A perfect calm
+reigned around them. The sun was hidden by the upper mountain, which
+cast its shadow, like a vast screen, westward to the edge of the sea. A
+thin haze began to appear in the east, colored with all the rays of the
+solar spectrum.
+
+There were only 500 feet between the explorers and the plateau where
+they meant to encamp for the night, but these 500 were increased to
+2,000 and more by the tortuous route. The ground, so to speak, gave way
+under their feet. The angle of ascent was often so obtuse that they
+slipped upon the smooth-worn lava. Little by little the evening set in,
+and it was almost night when the party, tired out by a seven hours’
+climb, arrived at the top of the first cone.
+
+Now they must pitch their camp, and think of supper and sleep. The
+upper terrace of the mountain rose upon a base of rocks, amid which
+they could soon find a shelter. Firewood was not plenty, yet the moss
+and dry thistles, so abundant on the plateau, would serve their turn.
+The sailor built up a fireplace with huge stones, while Neb and Herbert
+went after the combustibles. They soon came back with a load of
+thistles; and with flint and steel, the charred linen for tinder, and
+Neb to blow the fire, a bright blaze was soon sparkling behind the
+rocks. It was for warmth only, for they kept the pheasant for the next
+day, and supped off the rest of the cabiai and a few dozen
+pistachio-nuts.
+
+It was only half-past 6 when the meal was ended. Cyrus Smith resolved
+to explore, in, the semi-obscurity, the great circular pediment which
+upheld the topmost cone of the mountain. Before taking rest, he was
+anxious to know whether the base of the cone could be passed, in case
+its flanks should prove too steep for ascent. So, regardless of
+fatigue, he left Pencroff and Neb to make the sleeping arrangements,
+and Spilett to note down the incidents of the day, and taking Herbert
+with him, began to walk around the base of the plateau towards the
+north.
+
+The night was beautiful and still; and not yet very dark. They walked
+together in silence. Sometimes the plateau was wide and easy, sometimes
+so encumbered with rubbish that the two could not walk abreast.
+Finally, after twenty minutes tramp, they were brought to a halt. From
+this point the slant of the two cones was equal. To walk around the
+mountain upon an acclivity whose angle was nearly seventy-five degrees
+was impossible.
+
+But though they had to give up their flank movement, the chance of a
+direct ascent was suddenly offered to them. Before them opened an
+immense chasm in the solid rock. It was the mouth of the upper crater,
+the gullet, so to speak, through which, when the volcano was active,
+the eruption took place. Inside, hardened lava and scoriæ formed a sort
+of natural staircase with enormous steps, by which they might possibly
+reach the summit. Smith saw the opportunity at a glance, and followed
+by the boy, he walked unhesitatingly into the huge crevasse, in the
+midst of the gathering darkness.
+
+There were yet 1,000 feet to climb. Could they scale the interior wall
+of the crater? They would try, at all events. Fortunately, the long and
+sinuous declivities described a winding staircase, and greatly helped
+their ascent. The crater was evidently exhausted. Not a puff of smoke,
+not a glimmer of fire, escaped; not a sound or motion in the dark
+abyss, reaching down, perhaps, to the centre of the globe. The air
+within retained no taint of sulphur. The volcano was not only quiet,
+but extinct.
+
+Evidently the attempt was to succeed. Gradually, as the two mounted the
+inner walls, they saw the crater grow larger over their heads. The
+light from the outer sky visibly increased. At each step, so to speak,
+which they made, new stars entered the field of their vision: The
+magnificent constellations of the southern sky shone resplendent. In
+the zenith glittered the splendid Antares of the Scorpion, and not far
+off that Beta of the Centaur, which is believed to be the nearest star
+to our terrestrial globe. Then, as the crater opened, appeared
+Fomalhaut of the Fish, the Triangle, and at last, almost at the
+Antarctic pole, the glowing Southern Cross.
+
+It was nearly 8 o’clock when they set foot on the summit of the cone.
+The darkness was by this time complete, and they could hardly see a
+couple of miles around them. Was the land an island, or the eastern
+extremity of a continent? They could not yet discover. Towards the west
+a band of cloud, clearly defined against the horizon, deepened the
+obscurity, and confounded sea with sky.
+
+But at one point of the horizon suddenly appeared a vague light, which
+slowly sank as the clouds mounted to the zenith. It was the slender
+crescent of the moon, just about to disappear. But the line of the
+horizon was now cloudless, and as the moon touched it, the engineer
+could see her face mirrored for an instant on a liquid surface. He
+seized the boy’s hand—
+
+“An island!” said he, as the lunar crescent disappeared behind the
+waves.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI.
+
+
+AT THE SUMMIT OF THE CONE—THE INTERIOR OF THE CRATER—SEA EVERYWHERE —NO
+LAND IN SIGHT—A BIRD’S EVE VIEW OF THE COAST—HYDROGRAPHY AND OROGRAPHY
+—IS THE ISLAND INHABITED?—A GEOGRAPHICAL BAPTISM—LINCOLN ISLAND.
+
+
+A half hour later they walked back to the camp. The engineer contented
+himself with saying to his comrades that the country was an island, and
+that to-morrow they would consider what to do. Then each disposed
+himself to sleep, and in this basalt cave, 2,500 feet above sea-level,
+they passed a quiet night in profound repose. The next day, March 30,
+after a hurried breakfast on roast trajopan, they started out for the
+summit of the volcano. All desired to see the isle on which perhaps
+they were to spend their lives, and to ascertain how far it lay from
+other land, and how near the course of vessels bound for the
+archipelagoes of the Pacific.
+
+It was about 7 o’clock in the morning when they left the camp. No one
+seemed dismayed by the situation. They had faith in themselves, no
+doubt; but the source of that faith was not the same with Smith as with
+his companions. They trusted in him, he in his ability to extort from
+the wilderness around them all the necessaries of life. As for
+Pencroff, he would not have despaired, since the rekindling of the fire
+by the engineer’s lens, if he had found himself upon a barren rock, if
+only Smith was with him.
+
+“Bah!” said he, “we got out of Richmond without the permission of the
+authorities, and it will be strange if we can’t get away some time from
+a place where no one wants to keep us!”
+
+They followed the route of the day before, flanking the cone till they
+reached the enormous crevasse. It was a superb day, and the southern
+side of the mountain was bathed in sunlight. The crater, as the
+engineer had supposed, was a huge shaft gradually opening to a height
+of 1,000 feet above the plateau. From the bottom of the crevasse large
+currents of lava meandered down the flanks of the mountain, indicating
+the path of the eruptive matter down to the lower valleys which
+furrowed the north of the island.
+
+The interior of the crater, which had an inclination of thirty-five or
+forty degrees, was easily scaled. They saw on the way traces of ancient
+lava, which had probably gushed from the summit of the cone before the
+lateral opening had given it a new way of escape. As to the volcano
+chimney which communicated with the subterranean abyss, its depth could
+not be estimated by the eye, for it was lost in obscurity; but there
+seemed no doubt that the volcano was completely extinct. Before 8
+o’clock, the party were standing at the summit of the crater, on a
+conical elevation of the northern side.
+
+“The sea! the sea everywhere!” was the universal exclamation. There it
+lay, an immense sheet of water around them on every side. Perhaps Smith
+had hoped that daylight would reveal some neighboring coast or island.
+But nothing appeared to the horizon-line, a radius of more than fifty
+miles. Not a sail was in sight. Around the island stretched a desert
+infinity of ocean.
+
+Silent and motionless, they surveyed every point of the horizon. They
+strained their eyes to the uttermost limit of the ocean. But even
+Pencroff, to whom Nature had given a pair of telescopes instead of
+eyes, and who could have detected land even in the faintest haze upon
+the sea-line, could see nothing. Then they looked down upon their
+island, and the silence was broken by Spilett:—
+
+“How large do you think this island is?”
+
+It seemed small enough in the midst of the infinite ocean.
+
+Smith thought awhile, noticed the circumference of the island, and
+allowed for the elevation.
+
+“My friends,” he said, “if I am not mistaken, the coast of the island
+is more than 100 miles around.”
+
+“Then its surface will be—”
+
+“That is hard to estimate; the outline is so irregular.”
+
+If Smith was right, the island would be about the size of Malta or
+Zante in the Mediterranean; but it was more irregular than they, and at
+the same time had fewer capes, promontories, points, bays, and creeks.
+Its form was very striking. When Spilett drew it they declared it was
+like some fantastic sea beast, some monstrous pteropode, asleep on the
+surface of the Pacific.
+
+The exact configuration of the island may thus be described:—The
+eastern coast, upon which the castaways had landed, was a decided
+curve, embracing a large bay, terminating at the southeast in a sharp
+promontory, which the shape of the land had hidden from Pencroff on his
+first exploration. On the northeast, two other capes shut in the bay,
+and between them lay a narrow gulf like the half-open jaws of some
+formidable dog-fish. From northeast to northwest the coast was round
+and flat, like the skull of a wild beast; then came a sort of
+indeterminate hump, whose centre was occupied by the volcanic mountain.
+From this point the coast ran directly north and south. For two-thirds
+of its length it was bordered by a narrow creek; then it finished in
+along cue, like the tail of a gigantic alligator. This cue formed a
+veritable peninsula, which extended more than thirty miles into the
+sea, reckoning from the southeastern cape before mentioned. These
+thirty miles, the southern coast of the island, described an open bay.
+The narrowest part of the island, between the Chimneys and the creek,
+on the west, was ten miles wide, but its greatest length, from the jaw
+in the northeast to the extremity of the southwestern peninsula, was
+not less than thirty miles.
+
+The general aspect of the interior was as follows:—The southern part,
+from the shore to the mountain, was covered with woods; the northern
+part was arid and sandy. Between the volcano and the eastern coast the
+party were surprised to see a lake, surrounded by evergreens, whose
+existence they had not suspected. Viewed from such a height it seemed
+to be on the same level with the sea, but, on reflection, the engineer
+explained to his companions that it must be at least 300 feet higher,
+for the plateau on which it lay was as high as that of the coast.
+
+“So, then, it is a fresh water lake?” asked Pencroff.
+
+“Yes,” said the engineer, “for it must be fed by the mountain streams.”
+
+“I can see a little river flowing into it,” said Herbert, pointing to a
+narrow brook whose source was evidently in the spurs of the western
+cliff.
+
+“True,” said Smith, “and since this brook flows into the lake, there is
+probably some outlet towards the sea for the overflow. We will see
+about that when we go back.”
+
+This little winding stream and the river so familiar to them were all
+the watercourses they could see. Nevertheless, it was possible that
+under those-masses of trees which covered two-thirds of the island,
+other streams flowed towards the sea. This seemed the more probable
+from the fertility of the country and its magnificent display of the
+flora of the temperate zone. In the northern section there was no
+indication of running water; perhaps there might be stagnant pools in
+the swampy part of the northeast, but that was all; in the main this
+region was composed of arid sand-hills and downs, contrasting strongly
+with the fertility of the larger portion.
+
+The volcano did not occupy the centre of the island. It rose in the
+northwest, and seemed to indicate the dividing line of the two zones.
+On the southwest, south, and southeast, the beginnings of the spurs
+were lost in masses of verdure. To the north, on the contrary, these
+ramifications were plainly visible, subsiding gradually to the level of
+the sandy plain. On this side, too, when the volcano was active, the
+eruptions had taken place, and a great bed of lava extended as far as
+the narrow jaw which formed the northeastern gulf.
+
+They remained for an hour at the summit of the mountain. The island lay
+stretched before them like a plan in relief, with its different tints,
+green for the forests, yellow for the sands, blue for the water. They
+understood the configuration of the entire island; only the bottoms of
+the shady valleys and the depths of the narrow gorges between the spurs
+of the volcano, concealed by the spreading foliage, escaped their
+searching eye.
+
+There remained a question of great moment, whose answer would have a
+controlling influence upon the fortunes of the castaways. Was the
+island inhabited? It was the reporter who put this question, which
+seemed already to have been answered in the negative by the minute
+examination which they had just made of the different portions of the
+island. Nowhere could they perceive the handiwork of man; no late
+settlement on the beach, not even a lonely cabin or a fisherman’s hut.
+No smoke, rising on the air, betrayed a human presence. It is true, the
+observers were thirty miles from the long peninsula which extended to
+the southwest, and upon which even Pencroff’s eye could hardly have
+discovered a dwelling. Nor could they raise the curtain of foliage
+which covered three-fourths of the island to see whether some village
+lay sheltered there. But the natives of these little islands in the
+Pacific usually live on the coast, and the coast seemed absolutely
+desert. Until they should make a more complete exploration, they might
+assume that the island was uninhabited. But was it ever frequented by
+the inhabitants of neighboring islands? This question was difficult to
+answer. No land appeared within a radius of fifty miles. But fifty
+miles could easily be traversed by Malay canoes or by the larger
+pirogues of the Polynesians. Everything depended upon the situation of
+the island—on its isolation in the Pacific, or its proximity to the
+archipelagoes. Could Smith succeed, without his instruments, in
+determining its latitude and longitude? It would be difficult, and in
+the uncertainty, they must take precautions against an attack from
+savage neighbors.
+
+The exploration of the island was finished, its configuration
+determined, a map of it drawn, its size calculated, and the
+distribution of its land and water ascertained. The forests and the
+plains had been roughly sketched upon the reporter’s map. They had only
+now to descend the declivities of the mountain, and to examine into the
+animal, vegetable, and mineral resources of the country. But before
+giving the signal of departure, Cyrus Smith, in a calm, grave voice,
+addressed his companions.
+
+“Look, my friends, upon this little corner of the earth, on which the
+hand of the Almighty has cast us. Here, perhaps, we may long dwell.
+Perhaps, too, unexpected help will arrive, should some ship chance to
+pass. I say _chance_, because this island is of slight importance,
+without even a harbor for ships. I fear it is situated out of the usual
+course of vessels, too far south for those which frequent the
+archipelagoes of the Pacific, too far north for those bound to
+Australia round Cape Horn. I will not disguise from you our situation.”
+
+“And you are right, my dear Cyrus,” said the reporter, eagerly. “You
+are dealing with men. They trust you, and you can count on them. Can he
+not, my friends?”
+
+“I will obey you in everyting [sic], Mr. Smith,” said Herbert, taking
+the engineer’s hand.
+
+“May I lose my name,” said the sailor, “if I shirk my part! If you
+choose, Mr. Smith, we will make a little America here. We will build
+cities, lay railroads, establish telegraphs, and some day, when the
+island is transformed and civilized, offer her to the United States.
+But one thing I should like to ask.”
+
+“What Is that?” said the reporter.
+
+“That we should not consider ourselves any longer as castaways, but as
+colonists.”
+
+Cyrus Smith could not help smiling, and the motion was adopted. Then
+Smith thanked his companions, and added that he counted upon their
+energy and upon the help of Heaven.
+
+“Well, let’s start for the Chimneys,” said Pencroff.
+
+“One minute, my friends,” answered the engineer; “would it not be well
+to name the island, as well as the capes, promontories, and
+water-courses, which we see before us?”
+
+“Good,” said the reporter. “That will simplify for the future the
+instructions which we may have to give or to take.”
+
+“Yes,” added the sailor, “it will be something gained to be able to say
+whence we are coming and where we are going. We shall seem to be
+somewhere.”
+
+“At the Chimneys, for instance,” said Herbert.
+
+“Exactly,” said the sailor. “That name has been quite convenient
+already, and I was the author of it. Shall we keep that name for our
+first encampment, Mr. Smith?”
+
+“Yes, Pencroff, since you baptized it so.”
+
+“Good! the others will be easy enough,” resumed the sailor, who was now
+in the vein. “Let us give them names like those of the Swiss family
+Robinson, whose story Herbert has read me more than once:—’Providence
+Bay,’ ‘Cochalot Point,’ ‘Cape Disappointment.’“
+
+“Or rather Mr. Smith’s name, Mr. Spilett’s, or Neb’s,” said Herbert.
+
+“My name!” cried Neb, showing his white teeth.
+
+“Why not?” replied Pencroff, “‘Port Neb’ would sound first-rate! And
+‘Cape Gideon’—”
+
+“I would rather have names, taken from our country,” said the reporter,
+“which will recall America to us.”
+
+“Yes,” said Smith, “the principal features, the bays and seas should be
+so named. For instance, let us call the great bay to the east Union
+Bay, the southern indentation Washington Bay, the mountain on which we
+are standing Mount Franklin, the lake beneath our feet Lake Grant.
+These names will recall our country and the great citizens who have
+honored it; but for the smaller features, let us choose names which
+will suggest their especial configuration. These will remain in our
+memory and be more convenient at the same time. The shape of the island
+is so peculiar that we shall have no trouble in finding appropriate
+names. The streams, the creeks, and the forest regions yet to be
+discovered we will baptize as they come. What say you, my friends?”
+
+The engineer’s proposal was unanimously applauded. The inland bay
+unrolled like a map before their eyes, and they had only to name the
+features of its contour and relief. Spilett would put down the names
+over the proper places, and the geographical nomenclature of the island
+would be complete. First, they named the two bays and the mountain as
+the engineer had suggested.
+
+“Now,” said the reporter, “to that peninsula projecting from the
+southwest I propose to give the name of Serpentine Peninsula, and to
+call the twisted curve at the termination of it Reptile End, for it is
+just like a snake’s tail.”
+
+“Motion carried,” said the engineer.
+
+“And the other extremity of the island,” said Herbert, “the gulf so
+like an open pair of jaws, let us call it Shark Gulf.”
+
+“Good enough,” said Pencroff, “and we may complete the figure by
+calling the two sides of the gulf Mandible Cape.”
+
+“But there are two capes,” observed the reporter.
+
+“Well, we will have them North Mandible and South Mandible.”
+
+“I’ve put them down,” said Spilett.
+
+“Now we must name the southwestern extremity of the island,” said
+Pencroff.
+
+“You mean the end of Union Bay?” asked. Herbert.
+
+“Claw Cape,” suggested Neb, who wished to have his turn as godfather.
+And he had chosen an excellent name; for this Cape was very like the
+powerful claw of the fantastic animal to which they had compared the
+island. Pencroff was enchanted with the turn things were taking, and
+their active imaginations soon supplied other names. The river which
+furnished them with fresh water, and near which the balloon had cast
+them on shore, they called the Mercy, in gratitude to Providence. The
+islet on which they first set foot, was Safety Island; the plateau at
+the top of the high granite wall above the Chimneys, from which the
+whole sweep of the bay was visible, Prospect Plateau; and, finally,
+that mass of impenetrable woods which covered Serpentine Peninsula, the
+Forests of the Far West.
+
+The engineer had approximately determined, by the height and position
+of the sun, the situation of the island with reference to the cardinal
+points, and had put Union Bay and Prospect Plateau to the east; but on
+the morrow, by taking the exact time of the sun’s rising and setting,
+and noting its situation at the time exactly intermediate, he expected
+to ascertain precisely the northern point of the island; for, on
+account of its situation on the Southern Hemisphere, the sun at the
+moment of its culmination would pass to the north, and not to the
+south, as it does in the Northern Hemisphere.
+
+All was settled, and the colonists were about to descend the mountain,
+when Pencroff cried:—
+
+“Why, what idiots we are!”
+
+“Why so?” said Spilett, who had gotten up and closed his note-book.
+
+“We have forgotten to baptize our island!”
+
+Herbert was about to propose to give it the name of the engineer, and
+his companions would have applauded the choice, when Cyrus Smith said
+quietly:—
+
+“Let us give it the name of a great citizen, my friends, of the
+defender of American unity! Let us call it Lincoln Island!”
+
+They greeted the proposal with three hurrahs.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII.
+
+
+REGULATION OF WATCHES—PENCROFF IS SATISFIED—A SUSPICIOUS SMOKE—THE
+COURSE OF RED CREEK—THE FLORA OF THE ISLAND—ITS FAUNA—MOUNTAIN
+PHEASANTS—A KANGAROO CHASE—THE AGOUTI—LAKE GRANT—RETURN TO THE
+CHIMNEYS.
+
+
+The colonists of Lincoln Island cast a last look about them and walked
+once around the verge of the crater. Half an hour afterwards they were
+again upon the lower plateau, at their encampment of the previous
+night. Pencroff thought it was breakfast time, and so came up the
+question of regulating the watches of Smith and Spilett. The reporter’s
+chronometer was uninjured by the sea water, as he had been cast high up
+on the sand beyond the reach of the waves. It was an admirable
+time-piece, a veritable pocket chronometer, and Spilett had wound it up
+regularly every day. The engineer’s watch, of course, had stopped while
+he lay upon the downs. He now wound it up, and set it at 9 o’clock,
+estimating the time approximately by the height of the sun. Spilett was
+about to do the same, when the engineer stopped him.
+
+“Wait, my dear Spilett,” said he. “You have the Richmond time, have you
+not?”
+
+“Yes.”
+
+“Your watch, then, is regulated by the meridian of that city, which is
+very nearly that of Washington?”
+
+“Certainly.”
+
+“Well, keep it so. Wind it up carefully, but do not touch the hands.
+This may be of use to us.”
+
+“What’s the use of that?” thought the sailor.
+
+They made such a hearty meal, that little was left of the meat and
+pistachio-nuts; but Pencroff did not trouble himself about that. Top,
+who had not been forgotten in the feast, would certainly find some new
+game in the thicket. Besides, the sailor had made up his mind to ask
+Smith to make some powder and one or two shot-guns, which, he thought,
+would be an easy matter.
+
+As they were leaving the plateau, Smith proposed to his companions to
+take a new road back to the Chimneys. He wished to explore Lake Grant,
+which lay surrounded so beautifully with trees. They followed the crest
+of one of the spurs in which the creek which fed the lake probably had
+its source. The colonists employed in conversation only the proper
+names which they had just devised, and found that they could express
+themselves much more easily. Herbert and Pencroff, one of whom was
+young and the other something of a child, were delighted, and the
+sailor said as they walked along:—
+
+“Well, Herbert, this is jolly! We can’t lose ourselves now, my boy,
+since, whether we follow Lake Grant or get to the Mercy through the
+woods of the Far West, we must come to Prospect Plateau, and so to
+Union Bay.”
+
+It had been agreed that, without marching in a squad, the colonists
+should not keep too far apart. Dangerous wild beasts surely inhabited
+the forest recesses, and they must be on their guard. Usually Pencroff,
+Herbert, and Neb walked in front, preceded by Top, who poked his nose
+into every corner. The reporter and engineer walked together, the
+former ready to note down every incident, the latter seldom speaking,
+and turning aside only to pick up sometimes one thing, sometimes
+another, vegetable or mineral, which he put in his pocket without
+saying a word.
+
+“What, the mischief, is he picking up?” muttered Pencroff. “There’s no
+use in looking; I see nothing worth the trouble of stooping for.”
+
+About 10 o’clock the little company descended the last declivities of
+Mount Franklin. A few bushes and trees were scattered over the ground.
+They were walking on a yellowish, calcined soil, forming a plain about
+a mile long, which extended to the border of the wood. Large fragments
+of that basalt which, according to Bischof’s theory, has taken
+350,000,000 years to cool, strewed the uneven surface of the plain. Yet
+there was no trace of lava, which had especially found an exit down the
+northern declivities. Smith thought they should soon reach the creek,
+which he expected to find flowing under the trees by the plain, when he
+saw Herbert running back, and Neb and the sailor hiding themselves
+behind the rocks.
+
+“What’s the matter, my boy?” said Spilett.
+
+“Smoke,” answered Herbert. “We saw smoke ascending from among the
+rocks, a hundred steps in front.”
+
+“Men in this region!” cried the reporter.
+
+“We must not show ourselves till we know with whom we have to deal,”
+answered Smith. “I have more fear than hope of the natives, if there
+are any such on the island. Where is Top?”
+
+“Top is on ahead.”
+
+“And has not barked?”
+
+“No.”
+
+“That is strange. Still, let us try to call him back.”
+
+In a few moments the three had rejoined their companions, and had
+hidden themselves, like Neb and Pencroff, behind the basalt rubbish.
+Thence they saw, very evidently, a yellowish smoke curling into the
+air. Top was recalled by a low whistle from his master, who motioned to
+his comrades to wait, and stole forward under cover of the rocks. In
+perfect stillness the party awaited the result, when a call from Smith
+summoned them forward. In a moment they were by his side, and were
+struck at once by the disagreeable smell which pervaded the atmosphere.
+This odor, unmistakable as it was, had been sufficient to reassure the
+engineer.
+
+“Nature is responsible for that fire,” he said, “or rather for that
+smoke. It is nothing but a sulphur spring, which will be good for our
+sore throats.”
+
+“Good!” said Pencroff; “what a pity I have not a cold!”
+
+The colonists walked towards the smoke. There they beheld a spring of
+sulphate of soda, which flowed in currents among the rocks, and whose
+waters, absorbing the oxygen of the air, gave off a lively odor of
+sulpho-hydric acid. Smith dipped his hand into the spring and found it
+oily. He tasted it, and perceived a sweetish savor. Its temperature he
+estimated at 95° Fahrenheit; and when Herbert asked him on what he
+based his estimate:—
+
+“Simply, my boy,” said he, “because when I put my hand into this water,
+I have no sensation either of heat or of cold. Therefore, it is at the
+same temperature as the human body, that is, about 95°.”
+
+Then as the spring of sulphur could be put to no present use, the
+colonists walked towards the thick border of the forest, a few hundred
+paces distant. There, as they had thought, the brook rolled its bright
+limpid waters between high, reddish banks, whose color betrayed the
+presence of oxide of iron. On account of this color, they instantly
+named the water course Red Creek. It was nothing but a large mountain
+brook, deep and clear, here, flowing quietly over the lands, there,
+gurgling amid rocks, or falling in a cascade, but always flowing
+towards the lake. It was a mile and a half long; its breadth varied
+from thirty to forty feet. Its water was fresh, which argued that those
+of the lake would be found the same—a fortunate occurrence, in case
+they should find upon its banks a more comfortable dwelling than the
+Chimneys.
+
+The trees which, a few hundred paces down stream overshadowed the banks
+of the creek, belonged principally to the species which abound in the
+temperate zone of Australia or of Tasmania, and belong to those
+conifers which clothed the portion of the island already explored, some
+miles around Prospect Plateau. It was now the beginning of April, a
+month which corresponds in that hemisphere to our October, yet their
+leaves had not begun to fall. They were, especially, casuarinæ and
+eucalypti, some of which, in the ensuing spring, would furnish a
+sweetish manna like that of the East. Clumps of Australian cedars rose
+in the glades, covered high with that sort of moss which the
+New-Hollanders call _tussocks_; but the cocoa-palm, so abundant in the
+archipelagoes of the Pacific, was conspicuous by its absence. Probably
+the latitude of the island was too low.
+
+“What a pity!” said Herbert, “such a useful tree and such splendid
+nuts!”
+
+There were flocks of birds on the thin boughs of the eucalypti and the
+casuarinæ, which gave fine play to their wings. Black, white, and grey
+cockatoos, parrots and parroquets of all colors, king-birds, birds of
+paradise, of brilliant green, with a crowd of red, and blue lories,
+glowing with every prismatic color, flew about with deafening clamors.
+All at once, a strange volley of discordant sounds seemed to come from
+the thicket. The colonists heard, one after another, the song of birds,
+the cries of four-footed beasts, and a sort of clucking sound strangely
+human. Neb and Herbert rushed towards the thicket, forgetting the most
+elementary rules of prudence. Happily, there was neither formidable
+wild beast nor savage native, but merely half-a-dozen of those mocking
+birds which they recognized as “mountain pheasants.” A few skillfully
+aimed blows with a stick brought this parody to an end, and gave them
+excellent game for dinner that evening. Herbert also pointed out superb
+pigeons with bronze-colored wings, some with a magnificent crest,
+others clad in green, like their congeners at Port-Macquarie; but like
+the troops of crows and magpies which flew about, they were beyond
+reach. A load of small-shot would have killed hosts of them; but the
+colonists had nothing but stones and sticks, very insufficient weapons.
+They proved even more inadequate when a troop of quadrupeds leaped away
+through the underbrush with tremendous bounds thirty feet long, so that
+they almost seemed to spring from tree to tree, like squirrels.
+
+“Kangaroos!” cried Herbert.
+
+“Can you eat them?” said Pencroff.
+
+“They make a delicious stew,” said the reporter.
+
+The words had hardly escaped his lips, when the sailor, with Neb and
+Herbert at his heels, rushed after the kangaroos. Smith tried in vain
+to recall them, but equally in vain did they pursue the game, whose
+elastic leaps left them far behind. After five minutes’ chase, they
+gave it up, out of breath.
+
+“You see, Mr. Smith,” said Pencroff, “that guns are a necessity. Will
+it be possible to make them?”
+
+“Perhaps,” replied the engineer; “but we will begin by making bows and
+arrows, and you will soon use them as skilfully as the Australian
+hunters.”
+
+“Bows and arrows!” said Pencroff, with a contemptuous look. “They are
+for children!”
+
+“Don’t be so proud, my friend,” said the reporter. “Bows and arrows
+were sufficient for many centuries for the warfare of mankind. Powder
+is an invention of yesterday, while war, unhappily, is as old as the
+race.”
+
+“That’s true, Mr. Spilett,” said the sailor. “I always speak before I
+think. Forgive me.”
+
+Meanwhile Herbert, with his Natural History always uppermost in his
+thoughts, returned to the subject of kangaroos.
+
+“Those which escaped us,” he said, “belong to the species most
+difficult to capture—very large, with long grey hair, but I am sure
+there are black and red kangaroos, rock-kangaroos, kangaroo-rats—”
+
+“Herbert,” said the sailor, “for me there is only one kind—the
+‘kangaroo-on-the-spit’—and that is just what we haven’t got.”
+
+They could not help laughing at Professor Pencroff’s new
+classification. He was much cast down at the prospect of dining on
+mountain-phesants; but chance was once more kind to him. Top, who felt
+his dinner at stake, rushed hither and thither, his instinct quickened
+by sharp appetite. In fact, he would have left very little of what he
+might catch or any one else, had not Neb watched him shrewdly. About 3
+o’clock he disappeared into the rushes, from which came grunts and
+growls which indicated a deadly tustle. Neb rushed in, and found Top
+greedily devouring an animal, which in ten seconds more would have
+totally disappeared. But the dog had luckily fallen on a litter, and
+two more rodents—for to this species did the beasts belong—lay
+strangled on the ground. Neb reappeared in triumph with a rodent in
+each hand. They had yellow hair, with patches of green, and the
+rudiments of a tail. They were a sort of agouti, a little larger than
+their tropical congeners, true American hares, with long ears and five
+molar teeth on either side.
+
+“Hurrah!” cried Pencroff, “the roast is here; now we can go back to the
+house.”
+
+The journey was resumed. Red Creek still rolled its limped waters under
+the arching boughs of casuarence, bankseas and gigantic gum trees.
+Superb liliaceæ rose, to a height of twenty feet, and other arborescent
+trees of species unknown to the young naturalist, bent over the brook,
+which murmered gently beneath its leafy cradle. It widened sensibly,
+nevertheless, and the mouth was evidently near. As the party emerged
+from a massive thicket of fine trees, the lake suddenly appeared before
+them.
+
+They were now on its left bank, and a picturesque region opened to
+their view. The smooth sheet of water, about seven miles in
+circumference and 250 acres in extent, lay sleeping among the trees.
+Towards the east, across the intermittent screen of verdure, appeared a
+shining horizon of sea. To the north the curve of the lake was concave,
+contrasting with the sharp outline of its lower extremity. Numerous
+aquatic birds frequented the banks of this little Ontario, in which the
+“Thousand Isles” of its American original were represented by a rock
+emerging from its surface some hundreds of feet from the southern bank.
+There lived in harmony several couples of kingfishers, perched upon
+rocks, grave and motionless, watching for fish; then they would plunge
+into the water and dive with a shrill cry, reappearing with the prey in
+their beaks. Upon the banks of the lake and the island were constantly
+strutting wild ducks, pelicans, water-hens and red-beaks. The waters of
+the lake were fresh and limpid, somewhat dark, and from the concentric
+circles on its surface, were evidently full of fish.
+
+“How beautiful this lake is!” said Spilett. “We could live on its
+banks.”
+
+“We will live there!” answered Smith.
+
+The colonists, desiring to get back to the Chimneys by the shortest
+route, went down towards the angle formed at the south by the junction
+of the banks. They broke a path with much labor through the thickets
+and brush wood, hitherto untouched by the hand of man, and walked
+towards the seashore, so as to strike it to the north of Prospect
+Plateau. After a two miles’ walk they came upon the thick turf of the
+plateau, and saw before them the infinite ocean.
+
+To get back to the Chimneys they had to walk across the plateau for a
+mile to the elbow formed by the first bend of the Mercy. But the
+engineer was anxious to know how and where the overflow of the lake
+escaped. It was probable that a river existed somewhere pouring through
+a gorge in the granite. In fine, the lake was an immense receptacle
+gradually filled at the expense of the creek, and its overflow must
+somehow find a way down to the sea. Why should they not utilize this
+wasted store of water-power? So they walked up the plateau, following
+the banks of Lake Grant, but after a tramp of a mile, they could find
+no outlet.
+
+It was now half-past 4, and dinner had yet to be prepared. The party
+returned upon its track, and reached the Chimneys by the left bank of
+the Mercy. Then the fire was lighted, and Neb and Pencroff, on whom
+devolved the cooking, in their respective characters of negro and
+sailor, skilfully broiled the agouti, to which the hungry explorers did
+great honor. When the meal was over, and just as they were settling
+themselves to sleep, Smith drew from his pocket little specimens of
+various kinds of minerals, and said quietly,
+
+“My friends, this is iron ore, this pyrites, this clay, this limestone,
+this charcoal. Nature gives us these as her part in the common task.
+To-morrow we must do our share!”
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII.
+
+
+TOP’S CONTRIBUTION—MAKING BOWS AND ARROWS—A BRICK-KILN—A
+POTTERY—DIFFERENT COOKING UTENSILS—THE FIRST BOILED MEAT—MUGWORT—THE
+SOUTHERN CROSS—AN IMPORTANT ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATION.
+
+
+“Now then, Mr. Smith, where shall we begin?” asked Pencroff the next
+morning.
+
+“At the beginning,” answered the engineer.
+
+And this, indeed, was necessary, as the colonists did not even possess
+implements with which to make implements. Neither were they in that
+condition of nature which “having time,” economizes effort; the
+necessities of life must be provided for at once, and, if profiting by
+experience they had nothing to invent, at least they had everything to
+make. Their iron and steel was in the ore, their pottery was in the
+clay, their linen and clothes were still to be provided.
+
+It must be remembered, however, that these colonists were _men_, in the
+best sense of the word. The engineer Smith could not have been aided by
+comrades more intelligent, or more devoted and zealous. He had
+questioned them, and knew their ability.
+
+The reporter, having learned everything so as to be able to speak of
+everything, would contribute largely from his knowledge and skill
+towards the settlement of the island. He would not shirk work; and, a
+thorough sportsman, he would follow as a business what he had formerly
+indulged in as a pastime. Herbert, a manly lad, already well versed in
+natural science, would contribute his share to the common cause. Neb
+was devotion personified. Adroit, intelligent, indefatigable, robust,
+of iron constitution, knowing something of the work in a smithy, his
+assistance would be considerable. As to Pencroff, he had sailed every
+sea, had been a carpenter in the Brooklyn yards, an assistant tailor on
+board ship, and, during hie leaves of absence, a gardener, farmer,
+etc.; in short, like every sailor, he was a Jack-of-all-trades.
+
+Indeed, it would have been hard to bring together five men, more able
+to struggle against fate, and more certain to triumph in the end.
+
+“At the beginning,” Smith had said. And this beginning was the
+construction of an apparatus which would serve to transform the natural
+substances. Every one knows what an important part heat plays in these
+transformations. Therefore, as wood and coal were already provided it
+was only necessary to make an oven to utilize them.
+
+“What good is an oven,” asked Pencroff.
+
+“To make the pottery that we want,” replied Smith.
+
+“And how will we make an oven?”
+
+“With bricks.”
+
+“And how will we make the bricks?”
+
+“With the clay. Come, friends. We will set up our factory at the place
+of production, so as to avoid carriage. Neb will bring the provisions,
+and we shall not lack fire to cook food.”
+
+“No,” replied the reporter, “but suppose we lack food, since we have no
+hunting implements?”
+
+“If we only had a knife!” cried the sailor,
+
+“What, then?” asked Smith.
+
+“Why, I would make a bow and arrows. And game would be plenty in the
+larder.”
+
+“A knife. Something that will cut,” said the engineer, as if talking to
+himself.
+
+Suddenly his face brightened:
+
+“Come here, Top,” he called.
+
+The dog bounded to his master, and Smith having taken off the collar
+which the animal had around his neck, broke it into halves, saying:—
+
+“Here are two knives, Pencroff.”
+
+For all response, the sailor gave a couple of cheers. Top’s collar was
+made from a thin piece of tempered steel. All that was therefore
+necessary was to rub it to an edge upon a sand-stone, and then to
+sharpen it upon one of finer grain. These kind of stones were readily
+procurable upon the beach, and in a couple of hours the implements of
+the colony consisted of two strong blades, which it was easy to fasten
+into solid handles. The overcoming of this first difficulty was greeted
+as a triumph and it was indeed a fortunate event.
+
+On setting out, it was the intention of the engineer to return to the
+western bank of the lake, where he had noticed the clay, of which he
+had secured a specimen. Following the bank of the Mercy they crossed
+Prospect Plateau, and after a walk of about five miles, they arrived at
+a glade some 200 paces distant from Lake Grant.
+
+On the way, Herbert had discovered a tree from which the South American
+Indians make bows. It was the “crejimba,” of the palm family. From it
+they cut long straight branches, which they peeled and shaped into
+bows. For cords they took the fibres of the “hibiscus heterophyltus”
+(Indian hemp), a malvaceous plant, the fibres of which are as strong as
+the tendons of an animal. Pencroff, having thus provided bows, only
+needed arrows. Those were easily made from straight, stiff branches,
+free from knots, but it was not so easy to arm them with a substitute
+for iron. But Pencroff said that he had accomplished this much, and
+that chance would do the rest.
+
+The party had reached the place discovered the day before. The ground
+was composed of that clay which is used in making bricks and tiles, and
+was therefore just the thing for their purpose. The labor was not
+difficult. It was only necessary to scour the clay with sand, mould the
+bricks, and then bake them before a wood fire.
+
+Usually, bricks are pressed in moulds, but the engineer contented
+himself with making these by hand. All this day and the next was
+employed in this work. The clay, soaked in water, was kneaded by the
+hands and feet of the manipulators, and then divided into blocks of
+equal size. A skilled workman can make, without machinery, as many as
+10,000 bricks in twelve hours; but in the two days the brickmakers of
+Lincoln Island had made but 3,000, which were piled one upon the other
+to await the time when they would be dry enough to bake, which would be
+in three or four days.
+
+On the 2d of April, Smith occupied himself in determining the position
+of the island.
+
+The day before he had noted the precise minute at which the sun had
+set, allowing for the refraction. On this morning, he ascertained with
+equal precision the time of its rising. The intervening time was twelve
+hours and twenty-four minutes. Therefore six hours and twelve minutes
+after rising the sun would pass the meridian, and the point in the sky
+which it would occupy at that instant would be north.
+
+At the proper hour Smith marked this point, and by getting two trees in
+line obtained a meridian for his future operations.
+
+During the two days preceding the baking they occupied themselves by
+laying in a supply of firewood. Branches were cut from the edge of the
+clearing, and all the dead wood under the trees was picked up. And now
+and then they hunted in the neighborhood, the more successfully, as
+Pencroff had some dozens of arrows with very sharp points. It was Top
+who had provided these points by bringing in a porcupine, poor game
+enough, but of an undeniable value, thanks to the quills with which it
+bristled. These quills were firmly fastened to the ends of the arrows,
+and their flight was guided by feathering them with the cockatoo’s
+feathers. The reporter and Herbert soon became expert marksmen, and all
+kinds of game, such as cabiais, pigeons, agoutis, heath-cock, etc.,
+abounded at the Chimneys. Most of these were killed in that part of the
+forest upon the left bank of the Mercy, which they had called Jacamar
+Wood, after the kingfisher which Pencroff and Herbert had pursued there
+during their first exploration.
+
+The meat was eaten fresh, but they preserved the hams of the cabiai by
+smoking them before a fire of green wood, having made them aromatic
+with odorous leaves. Thus, they had nothing but roast after roast, and
+they would have been glad to have heard a pot singing upon the hearth;
+but first they must have the pot, and for this they must have the oven.
+
+During these excursions, the hunters noticed the recent tracks of large
+animals, armed with strong claws, but they could not tell their
+species; and Smith cautioned them to be prudent, as, doubtless, there
+were dangerous beasts in the forest.
+
+He was right. For one day Spilett and Herbert saw an animal resembling
+a jaguar. But, fortunately, the beast did not attack them, as they
+could hardly have killed it without being themselves wounded. But,
+Spilett promised, if he should ever obtain a proper weapon, such as one
+of the guns Pencroff begged for, that he would wage relentless war on
+all ferocious beasts and rid the island of their presence.
+
+They did not do anything to the Chimneys, as the engineer hoped to
+discover, or to build, if need be, a more convenient habitation, but
+contented themselves by spreading fresh quantities of moss and dry
+leaves upon the sand in the corridors, and upon these primitive beds
+the tired workmen slept soundly. They also reckoned the days already
+passed on Lincoln Island, and began keeping a calendar. On the 5th of
+April, which was a Wednesday, they had been twelve days upon the
+island.
+
+On the morning of the 6th, the engineer with his companions met at the
+place where the bricks were to be baked. Of course the operation was to
+be conducted in the open air, and not in an oven, or, rather, the pile
+of bricks would in itself form a bake-oven. Carefully-prepared faggots
+were laid upon the ground, surrounding the tiers of dry bricks, which
+formed a great cube, in which air-holes had been left. The work
+occupied the whole day, and it was not until evening that they lit the
+fire, which all night long they kept supplied with fuel.
+
+The work lasted forty-eight hours, and succeeded perfectly. Then, as it
+was necessary to let the smoking mass cool, Neb and Pencroff, directed
+by Mr. Smith, brought, on a hurdle made of branches, numerous loads of
+limestone which they found scattered in abundance to the north of the
+lake. These stones, decomposed by heat, furnished a thick quick-lime,
+which increased in bulk by slacking, and was fully as pure as if it had
+been produced by the calcimation of chalk or marble. Mixed with sand in
+order to diminish its shrinkage while drying, this lime made an
+excellent mortar.
+
+By the 9th of April the engineer had at his disposal a quantity of
+lime, all prepared, and some thousands of bricks. They, therefore,
+began at once the construction of an oven, in which to bake their
+pottery. This was accomplished without much difficulty; and, five days
+later, the oven was supplied with coal from the open vein, which the
+engineer had discovered near the mouth of Red Creek, and the first
+smoke escaped from a chimney twenty feet high. The glade was
+transformed into a manufactory, and Pencroff was ready to believe that
+all the products of modern industry would be produced from this oven.
+
+Meantime the colonists made a mixture of the clay with lime and quartz,
+forming pipe-clay, from which they moulded pots and mugs, plates and
+jars, tubs to hold water, and cooking vessels. Their form was rude and
+defective, but after they had been baked at a high temperature, the
+kitchen of the Chimneys found itself provided with utensils as precious
+as if they were composed of the finest kaolin.
+
+We must add that Pencroff, desirous of knowing whether this material
+deserved its name of pipe-clay, made some large pipes, which he would
+have found perfect, but for the want of tobacco. And, indeed, this was
+a great privation to the sailor.
+
+“But the tobacco will come like everything else,” he would say in his
+hopeful moments.
+
+The work lasted until the 15th of April, and the time was well spent.
+The colonists having become potters, made nothing but pottery. When it
+would suit the engineer to make them smiths they would be smiths. But
+as the morrow would be Sunday, and moreover Easter Sunday, all agreed
+to observe the day by rest. These Americans were religious men,
+scrupulous observers of the precepts of the Bible, and their situation
+could only develop their trust in the Author of all things.
+
+On the evening of the 15th they returned permanently to the Chimneys,
+bringing the rest of the pottery back with them, and putting out the
+oven fire until there should be use for it again. This return was
+marked by the fortunate discovery by the engineer of a substance that
+would answer for tinder, which, we know, is the spongy, velvety pulp of
+a mushroom of the polypore family. Properly prepared it is extremely
+inflammable, especially when previously saturated with gunpowder, or
+nitrate or chlorate of potash. But until then they had found no
+polypores, nor any fungi that would answer instead. Now, the engineer,
+having found a certain plant belonging to the mugwort family, to which
+belong wormwood, mint, etc., broke off some tufts, and, handing them to
+the sailor, said:—
+
+“Here, Pencroff, is something for you.”
+
+Pencroff examined the plant, with its long silky threads and leaves
+covered with a cotton-like down.
+
+“What is it, Mr. Smith?” he asked. “Ah, I know! It’s tobacco!”
+
+“No,” answered Smith; “it is Artemesia wormwood, known to science as
+Chinese mugwort, but to us it will be tinder.”
+
+This mugwort, properly dried, furnished a very inflammable substance,
+especially after the engineer had impregnated it with nitrate of
+potash, which is the same as saltpetre, a mineral very plenty on the
+island.
+
+This evening the colonists, seated in the central chamber, supped with
+comfort. Neb had prepared some agouti soup, a spiced ham, and the
+boiled corms of the “caladium macrorhizum,” an herbaceous plant of the
+arad family, which under the tropics takes a tree form. These corms,
+which are very nutritious, had an excellent flavor, something like that
+of Portland sago, and measurably supplied the place of bread, which the
+colonists were still without.
+
+Supper finished, before going to sleep the party took a stroll upon the
+beach. It was 8 o’clock, and the night was magnificent. The moon, which
+had been full five days before, was about rising, and in the zenith,
+shining resplendent above the circumpolar constellations, rode the
+Southern Cross. For some moments the engineer gazed at it attentively.
+At its summit and base were two stars of the first magnitude, and on
+the left arm and the right, stars, respectively, of the second
+magnitude and the third. Then, after some reflection, he said:—
+
+“Herbert, is not to-day the 15th of April?”
+
+“Yes, sir,” answered the lad.
+
+“Then, if I am not mistaken, to-morrow will be one of the four days in
+the year when the mean and real time are the same; that is to say, my
+boy, that to-morrow, within some seconds of noon by the clocks, the sun
+will pass the meridian. If, therefore, the weather is clear, I think I
+will be able to obtain the longitude of the island within a few
+degrees.”
+
+“Without a sextant or instruments?” asked Spilett.
+
+“Yes,” replied the engineer. And since it is so clear, I will try
+to-night to find our latitude by calculating the height of the Cross,
+that is, of the Southern Pole, above the horizon. You see, my friends,
+before settling down, it will not do to be content with determining
+this land to be an island; we must find out its locality.”
+
+“Indeed, instead of building a house, it will be better to build a
+ship, if we are within a hundred miles of an inhabited land.”
+
+“That is why I am now going to try to get the latitude of the place,
+and to-morrow noon to calculate the longitude.”
+
+If the engineer had possessed a sextant, the work would have been easy,
+as this evening, by taking the height of the pole, and to-morrow by the
+sun’s passage of the meridian, he would have the co-ordinates of the
+island. But, having no instruments he must devise something. So
+returning to the Chimneys, he made, by the light of the fire, two
+little flat sticks which he fastened together with a thorn, in a way
+that they could be opened and shut like compasses, and returned with
+them to the beach. But as the sea horizon was hidden from this point by
+Claw Cape, the engineer determined to make his observation from
+Prospect Plateau, leaving, until the next day, the computation of the
+height of the latter, which could easily be done by elementary
+geometry.
+
+The colonists, therefore, went to the edge of the plateau which faced
+the southeast, overlooking the fantastic rocks bordering the shore. The
+place rose some fifty feet above the right bank of the Mercy, which
+descended, by a double slope, to the end of Claw Cape and to the
+southern boundary of the island. Nothing obstructed the vision, which
+extended over half the horizon from the Cape to Reptile Promontory. To
+the south, this horizon, lit by the first rays of the moon, was sharply
+defined against the sky. The Cross was at this time reversed, the star
+Alpha being nearest the pole. This constellation is not situated as
+near to the southern as the polar star is to the northern pole; Alpha
+is about 27° from it, but Smith knew this and could calculate
+accordingly. He took care also to observe it at the instant when it
+passed the meridian under the pole, thus simplifying the operation.
+
+The engineer opened the arms of his compass so that one pointed to the
+horizon and the other to the star, and thus obtained the angle of
+distance which separated them. And in order to fix this distance
+immovably, he fastened these arms, respectively, by means of thorns, to
+a cross piece of wood. This done, it was only necessary to calculate
+the angle obtained, bringing the observation to the level of the sea so
+as to allow for the depression of the horizon caused by the height of
+the plateau. The measurement of this angle would thus give the height
+of Alpha, or the pole, above the horizon; or, since the latitude of a
+point on the globe is always equal to the height of the pole above the
+horizon at that point, the latitude of the island.
+
+This calculation was postponed until the next day, and by 10 o’clock
+everybody slept profoundly.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV.
+
+
+THE MEASURE OF THE GRANITE WALL—AN APPLICATION OF THE THEOREM OF
+SIMILAR TRIANGLES—THE LATITUDE OF THE ISLAND—AN EXCURSION TO THE
+NORTH—AN OYSTER-BED—PLANS FOR THE FUTURE—THE SUN’S PASSAGE OF THE
+MERIDIAN—THE CO-ORDINATES OF LINCOLN ISLAND.
+
+
+At daybreak the next day, Easter Sunday, the colonists left the
+Chimneys and went to wash their linen and clean their clothing. The
+engineer intended to make some soap as soon as he could obtain some
+soda or potash and grease or oil. The important question of renewing
+their wardrobes would be considered in due time. At present they were
+strong, and able to stand hard wear for at least six months longer. But
+everything depended on the situation of the island as regarded
+inhabited countries, and that would be determined this day, providing
+the weather permitted.
+
+The sun rising above the horizon, ushered in one of those glorious days
+which seem like the farewell of summer. The first thing to be done was
+to measure the height of Prospect Plateau above the sea.
+
+“Do you not need another pair of compasses?” asked Herbert, of the
+engineer.
+
+“No, my boy,” responded the latter, “this time we will try another and
+nearly as precise a method.”
+
+Pencroff, Neb, and the reporter were busy at other things; but Herbert,
+who desired to learn, followed the engineer, who proceeded along the
+beach to the base of the granite wall.
+
+Smith was provided with a pole twelve feet long, carefully measured off
+from his own height, which he knew to a hair. Herbert carried a
+plumb-line made from a flexible fibre tied to a stone. Having reached a
+point 20 feet from the shore and 500 feet from the perpendicular
+granite wall, Smith sunk the pole two feet in the sand, and, steadying
+it carefully, proceeded to make it plumb with the horizon. Then, moving
+back to a spot where, stretched upon the sand, he could sight over the
+top of the pole to the edge of the cliff, bringing the two points in
+line, he carefully marked this place with a stone. Then addressing
+Herbert,
+
+“Do you know the first principles of geometry?” said he.
+
+“Slightly, sir,” answered Herbert, not wishing to seem forward.
+
+“Then you remember the relation of similar triangles?”
+
+“Yes, sir,” answered Herbert. “Their like sides are proportional.”
+
+“Right, my boy. And I have just constructed two similar right angled
+triangles:—the smaller has for its sides the perpendicular pole and the
+distances from its base and top to the stake; the second has the wall
+which we are about to measure, and the distances from its base and
+summit to the stake, which are only the prolongation of the base and
+hypothenuse of the first triangle.
+
+“I understand,” cried Herbert. “As the distance from the stake to the
+pole is proportional to the distance from the stake to the base of the
+wall, so the height of the wall is proportional to the height of the
+rod.”
+
+“Exactly,” replied the engineer, “and after measuring the first two
+distances, as we know the height of the pole, we have only to calculate
+the proportion in order to find the height of the wall.”
+
+The measurements were made with the pole and resulted in determining
+the distances from the stake to the foot of the pole and the base of
+the wall to be 15 and 500 feet respectively. The engineer and Herbert
+then returned to the Chimneys, where the former, using a flat stone and
+a bit of shell to figure with, determined the height of the wall to be
+333.33 feet.
+
+Then taking the compasses, and carefully measuring the angle which he
+had obtained the night before, upon a circle which he had divided into
+360 parts, the engineer found that this angle, allowing for the
+differences already explained, was 53°. Which, subtracted from 90°—the
+distance of the pole from the equator—gave 37° as the latitude of
+Lincoln Island. And making an allowance of 5° for the imperfections of
+the observations, Smith, concluded it to be situated between the 35th
+and the 40th parallel of south latitude.
+
+But, in order to establish the co-ordinates of the island, the
+longitude also must be taken. And this the engineer determined to do
+when the sun passed the meridian at noon.
+
+They therefore resolved to spend the morning in a walk, or rather an
+exploration of that part of the island situated to the north of Shark
+Gulf and the lake; and, if they should have time, to push on as far as
+the western side of South Mandible Cape. They would dine on the downs
+and not return until evening.
+
+At half-past 8 the little party set out, following the edge of the
+channel. Opposite, upon Safety Islet, a number of birds of the
+sphemiscus family strutted gravely about. There were divers, easily
+recognizable, by their disagreeable cry, which resembled the braying of
+an ass. Pencroff, regarding them with gastronomic intent, was pleased
+to learn that their flesh, though dark colored, was good to eat. They
+could also see amphibious animals, which probably were seals, crawling
+over the sand. It was not possible to think of these as food, as their
+oily flesh is detestable; nevertheless Smith observed them carefully,
+and without disclosing his plans to the others, he announced that they
+would very soon, make a visit to the island. The shore followed by the
+colonists was strewn with mollusks, which would have delighted a
+malacologist. But, what was more important, Neb discovered, about four
+miles from the Chimneys, among the rocks, a bed of oysters, left bare
+by the tide.
+
+“Neb hasn’t lost his day,” said Pencroff, who saw that the bed extended
+some distance.
+
+“It is, indeed, a happy discovery,” remarked the reporter. “And when we
+remember that each oyster produces fifty or sixty thousand eggs a year,
+the supply is evidently inexhaustable.”
+
+“But I don’t think the oyster is very nourishing,” said Herbert.
+
+“No,” answered Smith. “Oysters contain very little azote, and it would
+be necessary for a man living on them alone to eat at least fifteen or
+sixteen dozen every day.”
+
+“Well,” said Pencroff, “we could swallow dozens and dozens of these and
+not exhaust the bed. Shall we have some for breakfast?”
+
+And, without waiting for an answer, which he well knew would be
+affirmative, the sailor and Neb detached a quantity of these mollusks
+from the rocks, and placed them with the other provisions for
+breakfast, in a basket which Neb had made from the hibiscus fibres.
+Then they continued along the shore between the downs and the sea.
+
+From time to time Smith looked at his watch, so as to be ready for the
+noon observation.
+
+All this portion of the island, as far as South Mandible Cape, was
+desert, composed of nothing but sand and shells, mixed with the debris
+of lava. A few sea birds, such as the sea-gulls and albatross,
+frequented the shore, and some wild ducks excited the covetousness of
+Pencroff. He tried to shoot some, but unsuccessfully, as they seldom
+lit, and he could not hit them flying.
+
+This made the sailor say to the engineer:—
+
+“You see, Mr. Smith, how much we need guns!”
+
+“Doubtless, Pencroff,” answered the reporter, “but it rests with you.
+You find iron for the barrels, steel for the locks, saltpetre, charcoal
+and sulphur for the powder, mercury and nitric acid for the fulminate,
+and last of all, lead for the balls, and Mr. Smith will make us guns of
+the best quality.
+
+“Oh, we could probably find all these substances on the island,” said
+the engineer. “But it requires fine tools to make such a delicate
+instrument as a firearm. However, we will see after awhile.”
+
+“Why, why did we throw the arms and everything else, even our
+penknives, out of the balloon?” cried Pencroff.
+
+“If we hadn’t, the balloon would have thrown us into the sea,” answered
+Herbert.
+
+“So it would, my boy,” answered the sailor; and then another idea
+occurring to him:—
+
+“I wonder what Mr. Forster and his friend thought,” he said, “the next
+day, when they found they balloon had escaped?”
+
+“I don’t care what they thought,” said the reporter.
+
+“It was my plan,” cried Pencroff, with a satisfied air.
+
+“And a good plan it was, Pencroff,” interrupted the reporter, laughing,
+“to drop us here!”
+
+“I had rather be here than in the hands of the Southerners!” exclaimed
+the sailor, “especially since Mr. Smith has been kind enough to rejoin
+us!”
+
+“And I, too,” cried the reporter. “After all, what do we lack here?
+Nothing.”
+
+“That means—everything,” answered the sailor, laughing and shrugging
+his shoulders. “But some day we will get away from this place.”
+
+“Sooner, perhaps, than you think, my friends,” said the engineer, “if
+Lincoln Island is not very far from an inhabited archipelego or a
+continent. And we will find that out within an hour. I have no map of
+the Pacific, but I have a distinct recollection of its southern
+portion. Yesterday’s observation places the island in the latitude of
+New Zealand and Chili. But the distance between these two countries is
+at least 6,000 miles. We must therefore determine what point in this
+space the island occupies, and that I hope to get pretty soon from the
+longitude.
+
+“Is not the Low Archipelago nearest us in latitude,” asked Herbert.
+
+“Yes,” replied the engineer, “but it is more than 1,200 miles distant.”
+
+“And that way?” inquired Neb, who followed the conversation with great
+interest, pointing towards the south.
+
+“Nothing!” answered Pencroff.
+
+“Nothing, indeed,” added the engineer.
+
+“Well, Cyrus,” demanded the reporter, “if we find Lincoln Island to be
+only 200 or 300 miles from New Zealand or Chili?”
+
+“We will build a ship instead of a house, and Pencroff shall command
+it.”
+
+“All right, Mr. Smith,” cried the sailor; “I am all ready to be
+captain, provided you build something seaworthy.”
+
+“We will, if it is necessary,” answered Smith.
+
+While these men, whom nothing could discourage, were talking, the hour
+for taking the observation approached. Herbert could not imagine how
+Mr. Smith would be able to ascertain the time of the sun’s passage of
+the meridian of the island without a single instrument. It was 11
+o’clock, and the party, halting about six miles from the Chimneys, not
+far from the place where they had found the engineer after his
+inexplicable escape, set about preparing breakfast. Herbert found fresh
+water in a neighboring brook, and brought some back in a vessel which
+Neb had with him.
+
+Meantime, the engineer made ready for his astronomical observation. He
+chose a smooth dry place upon the sand, which the sea had left
+perfectly level. It was no more necessary, however, for it to be
+horizontal, than for the rod which he stuck in the sand to be
+perpendicular. Indeed, the engineer inclined the rod towards the south
+or away from the sun, as it must not be forgotten that the colonists of
+Lincoln Island, being in the Southern Hemisphere, saw the orb of day
+describe his diurnal arc above the northern horizon.
+
+Then Herbert understood how by means of the shadow of the rod on the
+sand, the engineer would be able to ascertain the culmination of the
+sun, that is to say, its passage of the meridian of the island, or, in
+other words, the _time_ of the place. For the moment that the shadow
+obtained its minimum length it would be noon, and all they had to do
+was to watch carefully the end of the shadow. By inclining the rod from
+the sun Smith had made the shadow longer, and therefore its changes
+could be the more readily noted.
+
+When he thought it was time, the engineer knelt down upon the sand and
+began marking the decrease in the length of the shadow by means of
+little wooden pegs. His companions, bending over him, watched the
+operation with the utmost interest.
+
+The reporter, chronometer in hand, stood ready to mark the minute when
+the shadow would be shortest. Now, as this 16th of April was a day when
+the true and mean time are the same, Spilett’s watch would give the
+true time of Washington, and greatly simplify the calculation.
+
+Meantime the shadow diminished little by little, and as soon as Smith
+perceived it begin to lengthen he exclaimed:—
+
+“Now!”
+
+“One minute past 5,” answered the reporter.
+
+Nothing then remained but the easy work of summing up the result. There
+was, as we have seen, five hours difference between the meridian of
+Washington and that of the island. Now, the sun passes around the earth
+at the rate of 15° an hour. Fifteen multiplied by five gives
+seventy-five. And as Washington is in 77° 3’ 11” from the meridian of
+Greenwich, it follows that the island was in the neighborhood of
+longitude 152° west.
+
+Smith announced this result to his companions, and, making the same
+allowance as before, he was able to affirm that the bearing of the
+island was between the 35° and 37° of south latitude, and between the
+150° and 155° of west longitude.
+
+The difference in this calculation, attributable to errors in
+observation, was placed, as we have seen, at 5° or 300 miles in each
+direction. But this error did not influence the conclusion that Lincoln
+Island was so far from any continent or archipelago that they could not
+attempt to accomplish the distance in a small boat.
+
+In fact, according to the engineer, they were at least 1,200 miles from
+Tahiti and from the Low Archipelago, fully 1,800 miles from New
+Zealand, and more than 4,500 miles from the coast of America.
+
+And when Cyrus Smith searched his memory, he could not remember any
+island in the Pacific occupying the position of Lincoln Island.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XV.
+
+
+WINTER SETS IN—THE METALLUGRIC QUESTION—THE EXPLORATION OF SAFETY
+ISLAND—A SEAL HUNT—CAPTURE OF AN ECHIDNA—THE AI—THE CATALONIAN
+METHOD—MAKING IRON AND STEEL.
+
+
+The first words of the sailor, on the morning of the 17th of April,
+were:—
+
+“Well, what are we going to do to-day?”
+
+“Whatever Mr. Smith chooses,” answered the reporter.
+
+The companions of the engineer, having been brickmakers and potters,
+were about to become metal-workers.
+
+The previous day, after lunch, the party had explored as far as the
+extremity of Mandible Cape, some seven miles from the Chimneys. The
+extensive downs here came to an end and the soil appeared volcanic.
+There were no longer high walls, as at Prospect Plateau, but the narrow
+gulf between the two capes was enframed by a fantastic border of the
+mineral matter discharged from the volcano. Having reached this point,
+the colonists retraced their steps to the Chimneys, but they could not
+sleep until the question whether they should look forwards to leaving
+Lincoln Island had been definitely settled.
+
+The 1,200 miles to the Low Archipelago was a long distance. And now, at
+the beginning of the stormy season, a small boat would certainly not be
+able to accomplish it. The building of a boat, even when the proper
+tools are provided, is a difficult task, and as the colonists had none
+of these, the first thing to do was to make hammers, hatchets, adzes,
+saws, augers, planes, etc., which would take some time. It was
+therefore decided to winter on Lincoln Island, and to search for a more
+comfortable dwelling than the Chimneys in which to live during the
+inclement weather.
+
+The first thing was to utilize the iron ore which the engineer had
+discovered, by transforming it into iron and steel.
+
+Iron ore is usually found in combination with oxygen or sulphur. And it
+was so in this instance, as of the two specimens brought back by Cyrus
+Smith one was magnetic iron, and the other pyrites or sulphuret of
+iron. Of these, it was the first kind, the magnetic ore, or oxide of
+iron, which must be reduced by coal, that is to say, freed from the
+oxygen, in order to obtain the pure metal. This reduction is performed
+by submitting the ore to a great heat, either by the Catalonian method,
+which has the advantage of producing the metal at one operation, or by
+means of blast furnaces which first smelt the ore, and then the iron,
+carrying off the 3 or 4 per cent of coal combined with it.
+
+The engineer wanted to obtain iron in the shortest way possible. The
+ore he had found was in itself very pure and rich. Such ore is found in
+rich grey masses, yielding a black dust crystallized in regular
+octahedrons, highly magnetic, and in Europe the best quality of iron is
+made from it. Not far from this vein was the coal field previously
+explored by the colonists, so that every facility existed for the
+treatment of the ore.
+
+“Then, sir, are we going to work the iron?” questioned Pencroff. “Yes,
+my friend,” answered the engineer.
+
+“But first we will do something I think you will enjoy—have a seal hunt
+on the island.”
+
+“A seal hunt!” cried the sailor, addressing Spilett “Do we need seals
+to make iron?”
+
+“It seems so, since Cyrus has said it,” replied the reporter.
+
+But as the engineer had already left the Chimneys, Pencroff prepared
+for the chase without gaining an explanation.
+
+Soon the whole party were gathered upon the beach at a point where the
+channel could be forded at low water without wading deeper than the
+knees. This was Smith’s first visit to the islet upon which his
+companions had been thrown by the balloon. On their landing, hundreds
+of penguins looked fearlessly at them, and the colonists armed with
+clubs could have killed numbers of these birds, but it would have been
+useless slaughter, and it would not do to frighten the seals which were
+lying on the sand some cable lengths away. They respected also certain
+innocent-looking sphemiscus, with flattened side appendages, mere
+apologies for wings, and covered with scale-like vestiges of feathers.
+
+The colonists marched stealthily forward over ground riddled with holes
+which formed the nests of aquatic birds. Towards the end of the island,
+black objects, like moving rocks, appeared above the surface of the
+water, they were the seals the hunters wished to capture.
+
+It was necessary to allow them to land, as, owing to their shape, these
+animals, although capital swimmers and difficult to seize in the sea,
+can move but slowly on the shore. Pencroff, who knew their habits,
+counselled waiting until the seals were sunning themselves asleep on
+the sand. Then the party could manage so as to cut off their retreat
+and despatch them with a blow on the muzzle. The hunters therefore hid
+themselves behind the rocks and waited quietly.
+
+In about an hour half a dozen seals crawled on to the sand, and
+Pencroff and Herbert went off round the point of the island so as to
+cut off their retreat, while the three others, hidden by the rocks,
+crept forward to the place of encounter.
+
+Suddenly the tall form of the sailor was seen. He gave a shout, and the
+engineer and his companions hurriedly threw themselves between the
+seals and the sea. They succeeded in beating two of the animals to
+death, but the others escaped.
+
+“Here are your seals, Mr. Smith,” cried the sailor, coming forward.
+
+“And now we will make bellows,” replied the engineer.
+
+“Bellows!” exclaimed the sailor. “These seals are in luck.”
+
+It was, in effect, a huge pair of bellows, necessary in the reduction
+of the ore, which the engineer expected to make from the skins of the
+seals. They were medium-sized, about six feet long, and had heads
+resembling those of dogs. As it was useless to burden themselves with
+the whole carcass, Neb and Pencroff resolved to skin them on the spot,
+while Smith and the reporter made the exploration of the island.
+
+The sailor and the negro acquitted themselves well, and three hours
+later Smith had at his disposal two seal skins, which he intended to
+use just as they were, without tanning.
+
+The colonists, waiting until low water, re-crossed the channel and
+returned to the Chimneys.
+
+It was no easy matter to stretch the skins upon the wooden frames and
+to sew them so as to make them sufficiently air-tight. Smith had
+nothing but the two knives to work with, yet he was so ingenious and
+his companions aided him so intelligently, that, three days later, the
+number of implements of the little colony was increased by a bellows
+intended to inject air into the midst of the ore during its treatment
+by heat—a requisite to the success of the operation.
+
+It was on the morning of the 20th of April that what the reporter
+called in his notes the “iron age” began. The engineer had decided to
+work near the deposits of coal and iron, which were situated at the
+base of the northeasterly spurs of Mount Franklin, six miles from the
+Chimneys. And as it would not be possible to go back and forth each
+day, it was decided to camp upon the ground in a temporary hut, so that
+they could attend to the important work night and day.
+
+This settled, they left in the morning, Neb and Pencroff carrying the
+bellows and a stock of provisions, which latter they would add to on
+the way.
+
+The road led through the thickest part of Jacamar Wood, in a
+northwesterly direction. It was as well to break a path which would
+henceforth be the most direct route between Prospect Plateau and Mount
+Franklin. The trees belonging to the species already recognized were
+magnificent, and Herbert discovered another, the dragon tree, which
+Pencroff designated as an “overgrown onion,” which, notwithstanding its
+height, belongs to the same family of liliaceous plants as the onion,
+the civet, the shallot, or the asparagus. These dragon trees have
+ligneous roots which, cooked, are excellent, and which, fermented,
+yield a very agreeable liquor. They therefore gathered some.
+
+It took the entire day to traverse the wood, but the party were thus
+able to observe its fauna and flora. Top, specially charged to look
+after the fauna, ran about in the grass and bushes, flushing all kinds
+of game. Herbert and Spilett shot two kangaroos and an animal which was
+like a hedge-hog, in that it rolled itself into a ball and erected its
+quills, and like an ant-eater, in that it was provided with claws for
+digging, a long and thin snout terminating in a beak, and an extensile
+tongue furnished with little points, which enabled it to hold insects.
+
+“And what does it look like boiling in the pot?” asked Pencroff,
+naturally.
+
+“Like an excellent piece of beef,” answered Herbert.
+
+“We don’t want to know any more than that,” said the sailor.
+
+During the march they saw some wild boars, but they did not attempt to
+attack the little troupe, and it seemed that they were not going to
+have any encounter with savage beasts, when the reporter saw in a dense
+thicket, among the lower branches of a tree, an animal which he took to
+be a bear, and which he began tranquilly to sketch. Fortunately for
+Spilett, the animal in question did not belong to that redoubtable
+family of plantigrades. It was an ai, better known as a sloth, which
+has a body like that of a large dog, a rough and dirty-colored skin,
+the feet armed with strong claws which enable it to grasp the branches
+of trees and feed upon the leaves. Having identified the animal without
+disturbing it, Spilett struck out “bear” and wrote “ai” under his
+drawing and the route was resumed.
+
+At 5 o’clock Smith called a halt. They were past the forest and at the
+beginning of the massive spurs which buttressed Mount Franklin towards
+the east. A few hundred paces distant was Red Creek; so drinking water
+was not wanting.
+
+The camp was made. In less than an hour a hut, constructed from the
+branches of the tropical bindweed, and stopped with loam, was erected
+under the trees on the edge of the forest. They deferred the geological
+work until the next day. Supper was prepared, a good fire blazed before
+the hut, the spit turned, and at 8 o’clock, while one of the party kept
+the fire going, in case some dangerous beast should prowl around, the
+others slept soundly.
+
+The next morning, Smith, accompanied by Herbert, went to look for the
+place where they had found the specimen of ore. They found the deposit
+on the surface, near the sources of the creek, close to the base of one
+of the northeast buttresses. This mineral, very rich in iron, enclosed
+in its fusible vein-stone, was perfectly suited to the method of
+reduction which the engineer intended to employ, which was the
+simplified Catalonian process practised in Corsica.
+
+This method properly required the construction of ovens and crucibles
+in which the ore and the coal, placed in alternate layers, were
+transformed and reduced. But Smith proposed to simplify matters by
+simply making a huge cube of coal and ore, into the centre of which the
+air from the bellows would be introduced. This was, probably, what
+Tubal Cain did. And a process which gave such good results to Adam’s
+grandson would doubtless succeed with the colonists of Lincoln Island.
+
+The coal was collected with the same facility as the ore, and the
+latter was broken into little pieces and the impurities picked from it.
+Then the coal and ore were heaped together in successive layers—just as
+a charcoal-burner arranges his wood. Thus arranged, under the influence
+of the air from the bellows, the coal would change into carbonic acid,
+then into oxide of carbon, which would release the oxygen from the
+oxide of iron.
+
+The engineer proceeded in this manner. The sealskin bellows, furnished
+with a pipe of refractory earth (an earth difficult of fusion), which
+had previously been prepared at the pottery, was set up close to the
+heap of ore. And, moved by a mechanism consisting of a frame,
+fibre-cords, and balance-weight, it injected into the mass a supply of
+air, which, by raising the temperature, assisted the chemical
+transformation which would give the pure metal.
+
+The operation was difficult. It took all the patience and ingenuity of
+the colonists to conduct it properly; but finally it succeeded, and the
+result was a pig of iron in a spongy state, which must be cut and
+forged in order to expel the liquified gangue. It was evident that
+these self-constituted smiths wanted a hammer, but they were no worse
+off than the first metallurgist, and they did as he must have done.
+
+The first pig, fastened to a wooden handle, served as a hammer with
+which to forge the second upon an anvil of granite, and they thus
+obtained a coarse metal, but one which could be utilized.
+
+At length, after much trouble and labor, on the 25th of April, many
+bars of iron had been forged and turned into crowbars, pincers,
+pickaxes, mattocks, etc., which Pencroff and Neb declared to be real
+jewels.
+
+But in order to be in its most serviceable state, iron must be turned
+into steel. Now steel, which is a combination of iron and carbon, is
+made in two ways: first from cast iron, by decarburetting the molten
+metal, which gives natural or puddled steel; and, second, by the method
+of cementation, which consists in carburetting malleable iron. As the
+engineer had iron in a pure state, he chose the latter method, and
+heated the metal with powdered charcoal in a crucible made from
+refractory earth.
+
+This steel, which was malleable hot and cold, he worked with the
+hammer. And Neb and Pencroff, skillfully directed, made axe-heads,
+which, heated red-hot and quickly plunged in cold water, took an
+excellent temper.
+
+Other instruments, such as planes and hatchets, were rudely fashioned,
+and bands of steel were made into saws and chisels; and from the iron,
+mattocks, shovels, pickaxes, hammers, nails, etc., were manufactured.
+
+By the 5th of May the first metallurgic period was ended, the smiths
+returned to the Chimneys, and new work would soon authorize their
+assumption of a new title.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVI.
+
+
+THE QUESTION OF A DWELLING DISCUSSED AGAIN—PENCROFF’S IDEAS—AN
+EXPLORATION TO THE NORTH OF THE LAKE—THE WESTERN BOUNDARY OF THE
+PLATEAU—THE SERPENTS—THE OUTLET OF THE LAKE—TOP’S ALARM—TOP SWIMMING—A
+FIGHT UNDER WATER—THE DUGONG.
+
+
+It was the 6th of May, corresponding to the 6th of November in the
+Northern Hemisphere. For some days the sky had been cloudy, and it was
+important to make provision against winter. However, the temperature
+had not lessened much, and a centigrade thermometer transported to
+Lincoln Island would have averaged 10° or 12° above zero. This would
+not be surprising, since Lincoln Island, from its probable situation in
+the Southern Hemisphere, was subject to the same climatic influences as
+Greece or Sicily in the Northern. But just as the intense cold in
+Greece and Sicily sometimes produces snow and ice, so, in the height of
+winter, this island would probably experience sudden changes in the
+temperature against which it would be well to provide.
+
+At any rate, if the cold was not threatening, the rainy season was at
+hand, and upon this desolate island, in the wide Pacific, exposed to
+all the inclemency of the elements, the storms would be frequent, and,
+probably, terrible.
+
+The question of a more comfortable habitation than the Chimneys ought,
+therefore, to be seriously considered, and promptly acted upon.
+
+Pencroff having discovered the Chimneys, naturally had a predilection
+for them; but he understood very well that another place must be found.
+This refuge had already been visited by the sea, and it would not do to
+expose themselves to a like accident.
+
+“Moreover,” added Smith, who was discussing these things with his
+companions, “there are some precautions to take.”
+
+“Why? The island is not inhabited,” said the reporter.
+
+“Probably not,” answered the engineer, “although we have not yet
+explored the whole of it; but if there are no human beings, I believe
+dangerous beasts are numerous. So it will be better to provide a
+shelter against a possible attack, than for one of us to be tending the
+fire every night. And then, my friends, we must foresee everything. We
+are here in a part of the Pacific often frequented by Malay pirates—”
+
+“What, at this distance from land?” exclaimed Herbert.
+
+“Yes, my boy, these pirates are hardy sailors as well as formidable
+villains, and we must provide for them accordingly.”
+
+“Well,” said Pencroff, “we will fortify ourselves against two and
+four-footed savages. But, sir, wouldn’t it be as well to explore the
+island thoroughly before doing anything else?”
+
+“It would be better,” added Spilett; “who knows but we may find on the
+opposite coast one or more of those caves which we have looked for here
+in vain.”
+
+“Very true,” answered the engineer, “but you forget, my friends, that
+we must be somewhere near running water, and that from Mount Franklin
+we were unable to see either brook or river in that direction. Here, on
+the contrary, we are between the Mercy and Lake Grant, which is an
+advantage not to be neglected. And, moreover, as this coast faces the
+east, it is not as exposed to the trade winds, which blow from the
+northwest in this hemisphere.”
+
+“Well, then, Mr. Smith,” replied the sailor, “let us build a house on
+the edge of the lake. We are no longer without bricks and tools. After
+having been brickmakers, potters, founders, and smiths, we ought to be
+masons easily enough.”
+
+“Yes, my friend; but before deciding it will be well to look about. A
+habitation all ready made would save us a great deal of work, and
+would, doubtless, offer a surer retreat, in which we would be safe from
+enemies, native as well as foreign?”
+
+“But, Cyrus,” answered the reporter, “have we not already examined the
+whole of this great granite wall without finding even a hole?”
+
+“No, not one!” added Pencroff. “If we could only dig a place in it high
+out of reach, that would be the thing! I can see it now, on the part
+overlooking the sea, five or six chambers—”
+
+“With windows!” said Herbert, laughing.
+
+“And a staircase!” added Neb.
+
+“Why do you laugh?” cried the sailor. “Haven’t we picks and mattocks?
+Cannot Mr. Smith make powder to blow up the mine. You will be able,
+won’t you, sir, to make powder when we want it?”
+
+The engineer had listened to the enthusiastic sailor developing these
+imaginative projects. To attack this mass of granite, even by mining,
+was an Herculean task, and it was truly vexing that nature had not
+helped them in their necessity. But he answered Pencroff, by simply
+proposing to examine the wall more attentively, from the mouth of the
+river to the angle which ended it to the north. They therefore went out
+and examined it most carefully for about two miles. But everywhere it
+rose, uniform and upright, without any visible cavity. The rock-pigeons
+flying about its summit had their nests in holes drilled in the very
+crest, or upon the irregularly cut edge of the granite.
+
+To attempt to make a sufficient excavation in such a massive wall even
+with pickaxe and powder was not to be thought of. It was vexatious
+enough. By chance, Pencroff had discovered in the Chimneys, which must
+now be abandoned, the only temporary, habitable shelter on this part of
+the coast.
+
+When the survey was ended the colonists found themselves at the
+northern angle of the wall, where it sunk by long declivities to the
+shore. From this point to its western extremity it was nothing more
+than a sort of talus composed of stones, earth, and sand bound together
+by plants, shrubs, and grass, in a slope of about 45°. Here and there
+the granite thrust its sharp points out from the cliff. Groups of trees
+grew over these slopes and there was a thin carpet of grass. But the
+vegetation extended but a short distance, and then the long stretch of
+sand, beginning at the foot of the talus, merged into the beach.
+
+Smith naturally thought that the over flow of the lake fell in this
+direction, as the excess of water from Red Creek must be discharged
+somewhere, and this point had not been found less on the side already
+explored, that is to say from the mouth of the creek westward as far as
+Prospect Plateau.
+
+The engineer proposed to his companions that they clamber up the talus
+and return to the Chimneys by the heights, exploring the eastern and
+western shores of the lake. The proposition was accepted, and, in a few
+minutes, Herbert and Neb had climbed to the plateau, the others
+following more leisurely.
+
+Two hundred feet distant the beautiful sheet of water shone through the
+leaves in the sunlight. The landscape was charming. The trees in autumn
+tints, were harmoniously grouped. Some huge old weatherbeaten trunks
+stood out in sharp relief against the green turf which covered the
+ground, and brilliant cockatoos, like moving, prisms, glanced among the
+branches, uttering their shrill screams.
+
+The colonists, instead of proceeding directly to the north bank of the
+lake, bore along the edge of the plateau, so as to come back to the
+mouth of the creek, on its left bank. It was a circuit of about a mile
+and a half. The walk was easy, as the trees, set wide apart, left free
+passage between them. They could see that the fertile zone stopped at
+this point, and that the vegetation here, was less vigorous than
+anywhere between the creek and the Mercy.
+
+Smith and his companions moved cautiously over this unexplored
+neighborhood. Bows and arrows and iron-pointed sticks were their sole
+weapons. But no beast showed itself, and it was probable that the
+animals kept to the thicker forests in the south. The colonists,
+however, experienced a disagreeable sensation in seeing Top stop before
+a huge serpent 14 or 15 feet long. Neb killed it at a blow. Smith
+examined the reptile, and pronounced it to belong to the species of
+diamond-serpents eaten by the natives of New South Wales and not
+venomous, but it was possible others existed whose bite was mortal,
+such as the forked-tail deaf viper, which rise up under the foot, or
+the winged serpents, furnished with two ear-like appendages, which
+enable them to shoot forward with extreme rapidity. Top having gotten
+over his surprise, pursued these reptiles with reckless fierceness, and
+his master was constantly obliged to call him in.
+
+The mouth of Red Creek, where it emptied into the lake, was soon
+reached. The party recognized on the opposite bank the point visited on
+their descent from Mount Franklin. Smith ascertained that the supply of
+water from the creek was considerable; there therefore must be an
+outlet for the overflow somewhere. It was this place which must be
+found, as, doubtless, it made a fall which could be utilized as a
+motive power.
+
+The colonists, strolling along, without, however, straying too far from
+each other, began to follow round the bank of the lake, which was very
+abrupt. The water was full of fishes, and Pencroff promised himself
+soon to manufacture some apparatus with which to capture them.
+
+It was necessary first to double the point at the northeast. They had
+thought that the discharge would be here, as the water flowed close to
+the edge of the plateau. But as it was not here, the colonists
+continued along the bank, which, after a slight curve, followed
+parallel with the sea-shore.
+
+On this side the bank was less wooded, but clumps of trees, here and
+there, made a picturesque landscape. The whole extent of the lake,
+unmoved by a single ripple, was visible before, them. Top, beating the
+bush, flushed many coveys of birds, which Spilett and Herbert saluted
+with their arrows. One of these birds, cleverly hit by the lad, dropped
+in the rushes. Top rushing after it, brought back a beautiful
+slate-colored water fowl. It was a coot, as large as a big partridge,
+belonging to the group of machio-dactyls, which form the division
+between the waders and the palmipedes. Poor game and bad tasting, but
+as Top was not as difficult to please as his masters, it was agreed
+that the bird would answer for his supper.
+
+Then the colonists, following the southern bank of the lake, soon came
+to the place they had previously visited. The engineer was very much
+surprised, as he had seen no indication of an outlet to the surplus
+water. In talking with the reporter and the sailor, he did not conceal
+his astonishment.
+
+At this moment, Top, who had been behaving himself quietly, showed
+signs of alarm. The intelligent animal, running along the bank,
+suddenly stopped, with one foot raised, and looked into the water as if
+pointing some invisible game. Then he barked furiously, questioning it,
+as it were, and again was suddenly silent.
+
+At first neither Smith nor his companions paid any attention to the
+dog’s actions, but his barking became so incessant, that the engineer
+noticed it.
+
+“What is it, Top?” he called.
+
+The dog bounded towards his master, and, showing a real anxiety, rushed
+back to the bank. Then, suddenly, he threw himself into the lake.
+
+“Come back here, Top,” cried the engineer, not wishing his dog to
+venture in those supicious waters.
+
+“What’s going on under there?” asked the sailor examining the surface
+of the lake.
+
+“Top has smelt something amphibious,” answered Herbert.
+
+“It must be an alligator,” said the reporter.
+
+“I don’t think so,” answered Smith. “Alligators are not met with in
+this latitude.”
+
+Meantime, Top came ashore at the call of his master, but he could not
+be quiet; he rushed along the bank, through the tall grass, and, guided
+by instinct, seemed to be following some object, invisible under the
+water, which was hugging the shore. Nevertheless the surface was calm
+and undisturbed by a ripple. Often the colonists stood still on the
+bank and watched the water, but they could discover nothing. There
+certainly was some mystery here, and the engineer was much perplexed.
+
+“We will follow out this exploration,” he said.
+
+In half an hour all had arrived at the southeast angle of the lake, and
+were again upon Prospect Plateau. They had made the circle of the bank
+without the engineer having discovered either where or how the surplus
+water was discharged.
+
+“Nevertheless, this outlet exists,” he repeated, “and, since it is not
+outside, it must penetrate the massive granite of the coast!”
+
+“And why do you want to find that out?” asked Spilett.
+
+“Because,” answered the engineer, “if the outlet is through the solid
+rock it is possible that there is some cavity, which could be easily
+rendered habitable, after having turned the water in another
+direction.”
+
+“But may not the water flow into the sea, through a subterranean outlet
+at the bottom of the lake?” asked Herbert.
+
+“Perhaps so,” answered Smith, “and in that case, since Nature has not
+aided us, we must build our house ourselves.”
+
+As it was 5 o’clock, the colonists were thinking of returning to the
+Chimneys across the plateau, when Top again became excited, and,
+barking with rage, before his master could hold him, he sprang a second
+time into the lake. Every one ran to the bank. The dog was already
+twenty feet off, and Smith called to him to come back, when suddenly an
+enormous head emerged from the water.
+
+Herbert instantly recognized it, the comical face, with huge eyes and
+long silky moustaches.
+
+“A manatee,” he cried.
+
+Although not a manatee, it was a dugong, which belongs to the same
+species.
+
+The huge monster threw himself upon the dog. His master could do
+nothing to save him, and, before Spilett or Herbert could draw their
+bows, Top, seized by the dugong, had disappeared under the water.
+
+Neb, spear in hand, would have sprung to the rescue of the dog, and
+attacked the formidable monster in its own element, had he not been
+held back by his master.
+
+Meanwhile a struggle was going on under the water—a struggle which,
+owing to the powerlessness of the dog, was inexplicable; a struggle
+which, they could see by the agitation of the surface, was becoming
+more terrible each moment; in short, a struggle which could only be
+terminated by the death of the dog. But suddenly, through the midst of
+a circle of foam, Top appeared, shot upward by some unknown force,
+rising ten feet in the air, and falling again into the tumultuous
+waters, from which he escaped to shore without any serious wounds,
+miraculously saved.
+
+Cyrus Smith and his companions looked on amazed. Still more
+inexplicable, it seemed as if the struggle under water continued.
+Doubtless the dugong, after having seized the dog, had been attacked by
+some more formidable animal, and had been obliged to defend itself.
+
+But this did not last much longer. The water grew red with blood, and
+the body of the dugong, emerging from the waves, floated on to a little
+shoal at the southern angle of the lake.
+
+The colonists ran to where the animal lay, and found it dead. Its body
+was enormous, measuring between 15 and 16 feet long and weighing
+between 3,000 and 4,000 pounds. On its neck, yawned a wound, which
+seemed to have been made by some sharp instrument.
+
+What was it that had been able, by this terrible cut, to kill the
+formidable dugong? None of them could imagine, and, preoccupied with
+these incidents, they returned to the Chimneys.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVII
+
+
+A VISIT TO THE LAKE—THE DIRECTION OF THE CURRENT—THE PROSPECTS OF CYRUS
+SMITH—THE DUGONG FAT—THE USE OF THE SCHISTOUS LIMESTONE—THE SULPHATE OF
+IRON—HOW GLYCERINE IS MADE—SOAP—SALTPETRE—SULPHURIC ACID—NITRIC
+ACID—THE NEW OUTLET.
+
+
+The next day, the 7th of May, Smith and Spilett, leaving Neb to prepare
+the breakfast, climbed the plateau, while Herbert and Pencroff went
+after a fresh supply of wood.
+
+The engineer and the reporter soon arrived, at the little beach where
+the dugong lay stranded. Already flocks of birds had gathered about the
+carcass, and it was necessary to drive them off with stones, as the
+engineer wished to preserve the fat for the use of the colony. As to
+the flesh of the dugong, it would undoubtedly furnish excellent food,
+as in certain portions of the Malay archipelago it is reserved for the
+table of the native princes. But it was Neb’s affair to look after
+that.
+
+Just now, Cyrus Smith was thinking of other things. The incident of the
+day before was constantly presenting itself. He wanted to solve the
+mystery of that unseen combat, and to know what congener of the
+mastodons or other marine monster had given the dugong this strange
+wound.
+
+He stood upon the border of the lake, looking upon its tranquil surface
+sparkling under the rays of the rising sun. From the little beach where
+the dugong lay, the waters deepened slowly towards the centre, and the
+lake might be likened to a large basin, filled by the supply from Red
+Creek.
+
+“Well, Cyrus,” questioned the reporter, “I don’t see anything
+suspicious in this?”
+
+“No, my dear fellow, and I am at a loss how to explain yesterday’s
+affair.”
+
+“The wound on this beast is strange enough, and I can’t understand how
+Top could have been thrown out of the water in that way. One would
+suppose that it had been done by a strong arm, and that that same arm,
+wielding a poignard, had given the dugong his death-wound.”
+
+“It would seem so,” answered the engineer, who had become thoughtful.
+“There is something here which I cannot understand. But neither can we
+explain how I myself was saved; how I was snatched from the waves and
+borne to the downs. Therefore, I am sure there is some mystery which we
+will some day discover. In the mean time, let us take care not to
+discuss these singular incidents before our companions, but keep our
+thoughts for each other, and continue our work.”
+
+It will be remembered that Smith had not yet discovered what became of
+the surplus water of the lake, and as there was no indication of its
+ever overflowing, an outlet must exist somewhere. He was surprised,
+therefore, on noticing a slight current just at this place. Throwing in
+some leaves and bits of wood, and observing their drift, he followed
+this current, which brought him to the southern end of the lake. Here
+he detected a slight depression in the waters, as if they were suddenly
+lost in some opening below.
+
+Smith listened, placing his ear to the surface of the lake, and
+distinctly heard the sound of a subterranean fall.
+
+“It is there,” said he, rising, “there that the water is discharged,
+there, doubtless, through a passage in the massive granite that it goes
+to join the sea, through cavities which we will be able to utilize to
+our profit! Well! I will find out!”
+
+The engineer cut a long branch, stripped off its leaves, and, plunging
+it down at the angle of the two banks, he found that there was a large
+open hole a foot below the surface. This was the long-sought-for
+outlet, and such was the force of the current that the branch was
+snatched from his hands and disappeared.
+
+“There can be no doubt of it now,” repeated the engineer. “It is the
+mouth of the outlet, and I am going to work to uncover it.
+
+“How?” inquired Spilett.
+
+“By lowering the lake three feet.”
+
+“And how will you do that?”
+
+“By opening another vent larger than this.”
+
+“Whereabouts, Cyrus?”
+
+“Where the bank is nearest the coast.”
+
+“But it is a granite wall,” exclaimed Spilett,
+
+“Very well,” replied Smith. “I will blow up the wall, and the waters,
+escaping, will subside so as to discover the orifice—”
+
+“And will make a waterfall at the cliff,” added the reporter.
+
+“A fall that we will make use of!” answered Cyrus. “Come, come!”
+
+The engineer hurried off his companion, whose confidence in Smith was
+such that he doubted not the success of the undertaking. And yet, this
+wall of granite, how would they begin: how, without powder, with but
+imperfect tools, could they blast the rock? Had not the engineer
+undertaken a work beyond his skill to accomplish?
+
+When Smith and the reporter re-entered the Chimneys, they found Herbert
+and Pencroff occupied in unloading their raft.
+
+“The wood-choppers have finished, sir,” said the sailor, laughing, “and
+when you want masons—”
+
+“Not masons, but chemists,” interrupted the engineer.
+
+“Yes,” added Spilett, “we are going to blow up the island.”
+
+“Blow up the island?” cried the sailor.
+
+“A part of it, at least,” answered the reporter.
+
+“Listen to me, my friends,” said the engineer, who thereupon made known
+the result of his observations. His theory was, that a cavity, more or
+less considerable, existed in the mass of granite which upheld Prospect
+Plateau, and he undertook to penetrate to it. To do this, it was first
+necessary to free the present opening, in other words to lower the
+level of the lake by giving the water a larger issue. To do this they
+must manufacture an explosive with which to make a drain in another
+part of the bank. It was this Smith was going to attempt to do, with
+the minerals Nature had placed at his disposal.
+
+All entered into the proposal with enthusiasm. Neb and Pencroff were at
+once detailed to extract the fat from the dugong and to preserve the
+flesh for food; and soon after their departure the others, carrying the
+hurdle, went up the shore to the vein of coal, where were to be found
+the schistous pyrites of which Smith had procured a specimen.
+
+The whole day was employed in bringing a quantity of these pyrites to
+the Chimneys, and by evening they had several tons.
+
+On the next day, the 8th of May, the engineer began his manipulations.
+The schistous pyrites were principally composed of carbon, of silica,
+of alumina, and sulphuret of iron,—these were in excess,—it was
+necessary to separate the sulphuret and change it into sulphate by the
+quickest means. The sulphate obtained, they would extract the Sulphuric
+acid, which was what they wanted.
+
+Sulphuric acid is one of the agents in most general use, and the
+industrial importance of a nation can be measured by its consumption.
+In the future this acid would be of use to the colonists in making
+candles, tanning skins, etc., but at present the engineer reserved it
+for another purpose.
+
+Smith chose, behind the Chimneys, a place upon which the earth was
+carefully levelled. On this he made a pile of branches and cut wood, on
+which were placed pieces of schistous pyrites leaning against each
+other, and then all was covered over with a thin layer of pyrites
+previously reduced to the size of nuts.
+
+This done, they set the wood on, fire, which in turn inflamed the
+schist, as it contained carbon and sulphur. Then new layers of pyrites
+were arranged so as to form an immense heap, surrounded with earth, and
+grass, with air-holes left here and there, just as is done in reducing
+a pile of wood to charcoal.
+
+Then they left the transformation to complete itself. It would take ten
+or twelve days for the sulphuret of iron and the alumina to change into
+sulphates, which substances were equally soluble; the others—silica,
+burnt carbon, and cinders—were not so.
+
+While this chemical process was accomplishing itself, Smith employed
+his companions upon other branches of the work, which they undertook
+with the utmost zeal.
+
+Neb and Pencroff had taken the fat from the dugong, which had been
+placed in large earthen jars. It was necessary to separate the
+glycerine from this fat by saponifying it. It was sufficient, in order
+to do this, to treat it with chalk or soda. Chalk was not wanting, but
+by this treatment the soap would be calcareous and useless, while by
+using soda, a soluble soap, which could be employed for domestic
+purposes, would be the result. Cyrus Smith, being a practical man,
+preferred to try to get the soda. Was this difficult? No, since many
+kinds of marine plants abounded on the shore, and all those fucaceæ
+which form wrack. They therefore gathered a great quantity of these
+seaweed, which were first dried, and, afterwards, burnt in trenches in
+the open air. The combustion of these plants was continued for many
+days, so that the heat penetrated throughout, and the result was the
+greyish compact mass, long known as “natural soda.”
+
+This accomplished, the engineer treated the fat with the soda, which
+gave both a soluble soap and the neutral substance, glycerine.
+
+But this was not all. Smith wanted, in view of his future operations,
+another substance, nitrate of potash, better known as saltpetre.
+
+He could make this by treating carbonate of potash, which is easily
+extracted from vegetable ashes, with nitric acid. But this acid, which
+was precisely what he wanted in order to complete his undertaking
+successfully, he did not have. Fortunately, in this emergency, Nature
+furnished him with saltpetre, without any labor other than picking it
+up. Herbert had found a vein of this mineral at the foot of Mount
+Franklin, and all they had to do was to purify the salt.
+
+These different undertakings, which occupied eight days, were finished
+before the sulphate of iron was ready. During the interval the
+colonists made some refractory pottery in plastic clay, and constructed
+a brick furnace of a peculiar shape, in which to distil the sulphate of
+iron. All was finished on the 18th of May, the very day the chemical
+work was completed.
+
+The result of this latter operation, consisting of sulphate of iron,
+sulphate of alumina, silica, and a residue of charcoal and cinders, was
+placed, in a basin full of water. Having stirred up the mixture, they
+let it settle, and at length poured off a clear liquid holding the
+sulphates of iron and alumina in solution. Finally, this liquid was
+partly evaporated, the sulphate of iron crystalized, and the
+mother-water was thrown away.
+
+Smith had now a quantity of crystals, from which the sulphuric acid was
+to be extracted.
+
+In commerce this acid is manufactured in large quantities and by
+elaborate processes. The engineer had no such means at his command, but
+he knew that in Bohemia an acid known as Nordhausen is made by simpler
+means, which has, moreover, the advantage of being non-concentrated.
+For obtaining the acid in this way, all the engineer had to do was to
+calcinize the crystals in a closed jar in such a manner that the
+sulphuric acid distilled in vapor, which would in turn produce the acid
+by condensation.
+
+It was for this that the refractory jars and the furnace had been made.
+The operation was a success; and on the 20th of May, twelve days after
+having begun, Smith was the possessor of the agent which he expected to
+use later in different ways.
+
+What did he want with it now? Simply to produce nitric acid, which was
+perfectly easy, since the saltpetre, attacked by the sulphuric acid,
+would give it by distillation.
+
+But how would he use this acid? None of the others knew, as he had
+spoken no word on the subject.
+
+The work approached completion, and one more operation would procure
+the substance which had required all this labor. The engineer mixed the
+nitric acid with the glycerine, which latter had been previously
+concentrated by evaporation in a water-bath, and without employing any
+freezing mixture, obtained many pints of an oily yellow liquid.
+
+This last operation Smith had conducted alone, at some distance from
+the Chimneys, as he feared an explosion, and when he returned, with a
+flagon of this liquid, to his friends, he simply said:—“Here is some
+nitro-glycerine!”
+
+It was, in truth, that terrible product, whose explosive power is,
+perhaps, ten times as great as that of gunpowder, and which has caused
+so many accidents! Although, since means have been found of
+transforming it into dynamite, that is, of mixing it with clay or sugar
+or some solid substance sufficiently porous to hold it, the dangerous
+liquid can be used with more safety. But dynamite was not known when
+the colonists were at work on Lincoln Island.
+
+“And is that stuff going to blow up the rocks?” asked Pencroff,
+incredulously.
+
+“Yes, my friend,” answered the engineer, “and it will do all the better
+since the granite is very hard and will oppose more resistance to the
+explosion.”
+
+“And when will we see all this, sir?”
+
+“To-morrow,” when we have drilled a hole,” answered the engineer.
+
+Early the next morning, the 21st of May, the miners betook themselves
+to a point which formed the east bank of Lake Grant, not more than 500
+feet from the coast. At this place the plateau was lower than the lake,
+which was upheld by the coping of granite. It was plain that could they
+break this the waters would escape by this vent, and, forming a stream,
+flow over the inclined surface of the plateau, and be precipitated in a
+waterfall over the cliff on to the shore. Consequently, there would be
+a general lowering of the lake, and the orifice of the water would be
+uncovered—this was to be the result.
+
+The coping must be broken. Pencroff, directed by the engineer, attacked
+its outer facing vigorously. The hole which he made with his pick began
+under a horizontal edge of the bank, and penetrated obliquely so as to
+reach a level lower than the lake’s surface. Thus the blowing up of the
+rocks would permit the water to escape freely and consequently lower
+the lake sufficiently.
+
+The work was tedious, as the engineer, wishing to produce a violent
+shock, had determined to use not less than two gallons of
+nitro-glycerine in the operation. But Pencroff and Neb, taking turns at
+the work, did so well, that by 4 o’clock in the afternoon it was
+achieved.
+
+Now came the question of igniting the explosive. Ordinarily,
+nitro-glycerine is ignited by the explosion of fulminated caps, as, if
+lighted without percussion, this substance burns and does not explode.
+
+Smith could doubtless make a cap. Lacking fulminate, he could easily
+obtain a substance analogous to gun-cotton, since he had nitric acid at
+hand. This substance pressed in a cartridge, and introduced into the
+nitro-glycerine, could be lighted with a slow match, and produce the
+explosion.
+
+But Smith knew that their liquid had the property of exploding under a
+blow. He determined, therefore, to make use of this property, reserving
+the other means in case this experiment failed.
+
+The blow of a hammer upon some drops of the substance spread on a hard
+stone, suffices to provoke an explosion. But no one could give those
+blows without being a victim to the operation. Smith’s idea was to
+suspend a heavy mass of iron by means of a vegetable fibre to an
+upright post, so as to have the iron hang directly over the hole.
+Another long fibre, previously soaked in sulphur, was to be fastened to
+the middle of the first and laid along the ground many feet from this
+excavation. The fire was to be applied to this second fibre, it would
+burn till it reached the first and set it on fire, then the latter
+would break and the iron be precipitated upon the nitro-glycerine.
+
+The apparatus was fixed in place; then the engineer, after having made
+his companions go away, filled the hole so that the fluid overflowed
+the opening, and spread some drops underneath the mass of suspended
+iron.
+
+This done, Smith lit the end of the sulfured fibre, and, leaving the
+place, returned with his companions to the Chimneys.
+
+Twenty-five minutes after a tremendous explosion was heard. It seemed
+as if the whole island trembled to its base. A volley of stones rose
+into the air as if they had been vomited from a volcano. The concussion
+was such that it shook the Chimneys. The colonists, though two miles
+away, were thrown to the ground. Rising again, they clambered up to the
+plateau and hurried towards the place.
+
+A large opening had been torn in the granite coping. A rapid stream of
+water escaped through it, leaping and foaming across the plateau, and,
+reaching the brink, fell a distance of 300 feet to the shore below.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVIII.
+
+
+PENCROFF DOUBTS NO MORE—THE OLD OUTLET OF THE LAKE—A SUBTERRANEAN
+DESCENT—THE WAY THROUGH THE GRANITE—TOP HAS DISAPPEARED—THE CENTRAL
+CAVERN—THE LOWER WELL—MYSTERY—THE BLOWS WITH THE PICK—THE RETURN.
+
+
+Smith’s project had succeeded; but, as was his manner, he stood
+motionless, absorbed, his lips closed, giving no sign of satisfaction.
+Herbert was all enthusiasm; Neb jumped with joy; Pencroff, shaking his
+head, murmured:—
+
+“Indeed, our engineer does wonders!”
+
+The nitro-glycerine had worked powerfully. The opening was so great
+that at least a three times greater volume of water escaped by it than
+by the former outlet. In a little while, therefore, the level of the
+lake would be lowered two feet or more.
+
+The colonists returned to the Chimneys, and collecting some picks,
+spears, ropes, a steel and tinder, returned to the plateau. Top went
+with them.
+
+On the way the sailor could not resist saying to the engineer:—
+
+“But do you really think, Mr. Smith, that one could blow up the whole
+island with this beautiful liquid of yours?”
+
+“Doubtless,” replied the other, “island, continents, the world itself.
+It is only a question of quantity.”
+
+“Couldn’t you use this nitro-glycerine to load firearms.”
+
+“No, Pencroff, because it is too shattering. But it would be easy to
+make gun-cotton, or even common powder, as we have the material.
+Unfortunately, the guns themselves are wanting.”
+
+“But with a little ingenuity!—”
+
+Pencroff had erased “impossible” from his vocabulary.
+
+The colonists having reached Prospect Plateau, hastened at once to the
+old outlet of the lake, which ought now to be uncovered. And when the
+water no longer poured through it, it would, doubtless, be easy to
+explore its interior arrangement.
+
+In a few moments they reached the lower angle of the lake, and saw at a
+glance what the result was.
+
+There, in the granite wall of the lake, above the water-level, appeared
+the long-looked for opening. A narrow ledge, left bare, by the
+subsidence of the water, gave them access to it. The opening was twenty
+feet wide, though only two feet high. It was like the gutter-mouth in a
+pavement. It was not open enough for the party to get in, but Neb and
+Pencroff, with their picks, in less than an hour had given it a
+sufficient height.
+
+The engineer looked in and saw that the walls of the opening in its
+upper part showed a slope of from 30° to 35°. And, therefore, unless
+they became much steeper it would be easy to descend, perhaps, to the
+level of the sea. And if, as was probable, some vast cavern existed in
+the interior of the massive granite, it was possible that they could
+make use of it.
+
+“What are we waiting for, Mr. Smith,” cried the sailor, all impatience
+to begin the exploration, “Top, you see, has gone ahead!”
+
+“We must have some light,” said the engineer. “Go, Neb, and cut some
+resinous branches.”
+
+The negro and Herbert ran to some pine and evergreens growing upon the
+bank, and soon returned with branches which were made into torches.
+Having lit them, the colonists, with Smith leading, entered the dark
+passage, but recently filled with water.
+
+Contrary to their expectation, the passage grew higher as they
+advanced, until soon they were able to walk upright. The granite walls,
+worn, by the water, were very slippery, and the party had to look out
+for falls. They, therefore, fastened themselves together with a cord,
+like mountain climbers. Fortunately, some granite steps made the
+descent less perilous. Drops of water, still clinging to the rocks,
+glistened like stalactites in the torchlight. The engineer looked
+carefully at this black granite. He could not see a stratum or a flaw.
+The mass was compact and of fine grain, and the passage must have been
+coeval with the island. It had not been worn little by little by the
+constant action of water. Pluto, and not Neptune, had shaped it; and
+the traces of igneous action were still visible upon its surface.
+
+The colonists descended but slowly. They experienced some emotion in
+thus adventuring into the depths of the earth, in being its first human
+visitants. No one spoke, but each was busied with his own reflections
+and the thought occurred to more than one, that perhaps some pulp or
+other gigantic cephalopod might inhabit the interior cavities which
+communicated with the sea. It was, therefore, necessary to advance
+cautiously.
+
+Top was ahead of the little troop and they could rely on the dog’s
+sagacity to give the alarm on occasion. After having descended 100
+feet, Smith halted, and the others came up with him. They were standing
+in a cavern of moderate size. Drops of water fell from the roof, but
+they did not ooze through the rocks, they were simply the last traces
+of the torrent which had so long roared through this place, and the
+air, though humid, emitted no mephitic vapor.
+
+“Well, Cyrus,” said Spilett, “here is a retreat sufficiently unknown
+and hidden in the depths, but it is uninhabitable.”
+
+“How, uninhabitable?” asked the sailor.
+
+“Why, it is too small and too dark.”
+
+“Cannot we make it bigger, blast it out, and make openings for the
+light and air?” answered Pencroff, who now thought nothing
+impracticable.
+
+“Let us push on,” said Smith. “Perhaps lower down, nature will have
+spared us this work.”
+
+“We are only a third of the way down,” observed Herbert.
+
+“But 100 feet,” responded Cyrus; “and it is possible that 100 feet
+lower—.”
+
+“Where is Top?” asked Neb, interrupting his master.
+
+They looked about the cavern. The dog was not there.
+
+“Let us overtake him,” said Smith, resuming the march. The engineer
+noted carefully all the deviations of the route, and easily kept a
+general idea of their direction, which was towards the sea. The party
+had not descended more than fifty feet further, when their attention
+was arrested by distant sounds coming from the depths of the rock. They
+stopped and listened. These sounds, borne along the passage, as the
+voice through an acoustic tube, were distinctly heard.
+
+“Its Top’s barking!” cried Herbert.
+
+“Yes, and the brave dog is barking furiously,” added Pencroff.
+
+“We have our spears,” said Smith. “Come on, and be ready.”
+
+“It is becoming more and more interesting,” whispered Spilett to the
+sailor, who nodded assent.
+
+They hurried to the rescue of the dog. His barks grew more distinct.
+They could hear that he was in a strange rage. Had he been captured by
+some animal whom he had disturbed? Without thinking of the danger, the
+colonists felt themselves drawn on by an irresistible curiosity, and
+slipped rather than ran down the passage. Sixteen feet lower they came
+up with the dog.
+
+There, the corridor opened out into a vast and magnificent cavern. Top,
+rushing about, was barking furiously. Pencroff and Neb, shaking their
+torches, lit up all the inequalities of the granite, and the others,
+with their spears ready, held themselves prepared for any emergency.
+
+But the enormous cavern was empty. The colonists searched everywhere;
+they could find no living thing. Nevertheless, Top continued barking,
+and neither threats nor caresses could stop him.
+
+“There must be some place where the water escaped to the sea,” said the
+engineer.
+
+“Yes, and look out for a hole,” answered Pencroff.
+
+“On, Top, on,” cried Smith, and the dog, encouraged by his master, ran
+towards the end of the cavern, and redoubled his barking.
+
+Following him, they saw by the light of the torches the opening of what
+looked like a well in the granite. Here, undoubtedly, was the place
+where the water had found its way out of the cavern, but this time,
+instead of being a corridor sloping and accessible, it was a
+perpendicular well, impossible to descend.
+
+The torches were waved above the opening. They saw nothing. Smith broke
+off a burning branch and dropped it into the abyss. The resin, fanned
+by the wind of its fall, burned brightly and illuminated the interior
+of the pit, but showed nothing else. Then the flame was extinguished
+with a slight hiss, which indicated that it had reached the water,
+which must be the sea level.
+
+The engineer calculated, from the time taken in the fall, that the
+depth was about ninety feet. The floor of the cavern was therefore that
+distance above the sea.
+
+“Here is our house,” said Smith.
+
+“But it was preoccupied,” said Spilett, whose curiosity was
+unsatisfied.
+
+“Well, the thing that had it, whether amphibious or not, has fled by
+this outlet and vacated in our favor,” replied the engineer.
+
+“Any how, I should like to have been Top a quarter of an hour ago,”
+said the sailor, “for he does not bark at nothing.”
+
+Smith looked at his dog, and those who were near him heard him murmur:—
+
+“Yes, I am convinced that Top knows more than we do about many things!”
+
+However, the wishes of the colonists had been in a great measure
+realized. Chance, aided by the marvelous acuteness of their chief, had
+done them good service. Here they had at their disposal a vast cavern,
+whose extent could not be estimated In the insufficient light of the
+torches, but which could certainly be easily partitioned off with
+bricks into chambers, and arranged, if not as a house, at least as a
+spacious suite of rooms. The water having left it, could not return.
+The place was free.
+
+But two difficulties remained, the possibility of lighting the cavern
+and the necessity of rendering it easier of access. The first could not
+be done from above as the enormous mass of granite was over them; but,
+perhaps, they would be able to pierce the outer wall which faced the
+sea. Smith, who during the descent had kept account of the slope, and
+therefore of the length of the passage, believed that this part of the
+wall could not be very thick. If light could be thus obtained, so could
+entrance, as it was as easy to pierce a door as windows, and to fix a
+ladder on the outside.
+
+Smith communicated his ideas to his companions.
+
+“Then let us set to work!” answered Pencroff; “I have my pick and will
+I soon make daylight in the granite! Where shall I begin?”
+
+“Here,” answered the engineer, showing the strong sailor a considerable
+hollow in the wall, which greatly diminished its thickness.
+
+Pencroff attacked the granite, and for half an hour, by the light of
+the torches, made the splinters fly about him. Then Neb took his place,
+and Spilett after Neb. The work continued, two hours longer, and, when
+it seemed as if the wall could not be thicker than the length of the
+pick, at the last stroke of Spilett the implement, passing through,
+fell on the outside.
+
+“Hurrah forever!” cried Pencroff.
+
+The wall was but three feet thick.
+
+Smith looked through the opening, which was eighty feet above the
+ground. Before him extended the coast, the islet, and, beyond, the
+boundless sea.
+
+Through the hole the light entered in floods, inundating the splendid
+cavern and producing a magical effect. While on the left hand it
+measured only thirty feet in height and one hundred in length, to the
+right it was enormous, and its vault rose to a height of more than
+eighty feet. In some places, granite pillars, irregularly disposed,
+supported the arches as in the nave of a cathedral. Resting upon a sort
+of lateral piers, here, sinking into elliptic arches, there, rising in
+ogive mouldings, losing itself in the dark bays, half seen in the
+shadow through the fantastic arches, ornamented by a profusion of
+projections which seemed like pendants, this vaulted roof afforded a
+picturesque blending of all the architectures—Byzantine, Roman,
+Gothic—that the hand of man has produced. And this was the work of
+nature! She alone had constructed this magic Alhambra in a granite
+rock!
+
+The colonists were overcome with admiration. Expecting to find but a
+narrow cavern, they found themselves in a sort of marvellous palace,
+and Neb had taken off his hat as if he had been transported into a
+temple!
+
+Exclamations of pleasure escaped from their lips, and the hurrahs
+echoed and reechoed from the depths of the dark nave.
+
+“My friends,” cried Smith, “when we shall have lighted the interior of
+this place, when we shall have arranged our chambers, our store-rooms,
+our offices in the left-hand portion, we will still have this splendid
+cavern, which shall be our study and our museum!
+
+“And we will call it—” asked Herbert.
+
+“Granite House,” answered Smith; and his companions saluted the name
+with their cheers.
+
+By this time the torches were nearly consumed, and as, in order to
+return, it was necessary to regain the summit of the plateau and to
+remount the corridor, it was decided to postpone until the morrow the
+work of arranging their new home.
+
+Before leaving, Smith leaned over the dark pit once more and listened
+attentively. But there was no sound from these depths save that of the
+water agitated by the undulations of the surge. A resinous torch was
+again thrown in, lighting up anew for an instant the walls of the well,
+but nothing suspicions was revealed. If any marine monster had been
+inopportunely surprised by the retreat of the waters, he had already
+regained the open sea by the subterranean passage which extended under
+the shore.
+
+Nevertheless the engineer stood motionless, listening attentively, his
+gaze plunged in the abyss, without speaking.
+
+Then the sailor approached him, and, touching his arm:—
+
+“Mr. Smith,” he said.
+
+“What is it, my friend,” responded the engineer, like one returning
+from the land of dreams.
+
+“The torches are nearly out.”
+
+“Forward!” said Smith; and the little troop left the cavern and began
+the ascent through the dark weir. Top walked behind, still growling in
+an odd way. The ascension was sufficiently laborious, and the colonists
+stopped for a few minutes at the upper grotto, which formed a sort of
+landing half way up the long granite stairway. Then they began again to
+mount, and pretty soon they felt the fresh air. The drops, already
+evaporated, no longer shone on the walls. The light of the torches
+diminished; Neb’s went out, and they had to hasten in order to avoid
+having to grope their way through, the profound darkness. A little
+before 4 o’clock, just as the torch of the sailor was burnt out, Smith
+and his companions emerged from the mouth of the passage.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIX.
+
+
+SMITH’S PLAN—THE FRONT OF GRANITE HOUSE—THE ROPE LADDER—PENCROFF’S
+IDEAS—THE AROMATIC HERBS—A NATURAL WARREN—GETTING WATER—THE VIEW FROM
+THE WINDOWS OF GRANITE HOUSE.
+
+
+On the next day, May 22, the colonists proceeded to take possession of
+their new abode. They longed to exchange their insufficient shelter for
+the vast retreat in the rock, impenetrable to wind and wave. Still they
+did not intend altogether to abandon the Chimneys, but to make a
+workshop of it.
+
+Smith’s first care was to ascertain exactly over what point rose the
+face of Granite House. He went down on the shore to the foot of the
+immense wall, and, as the pickaxe, which slipped from the reporter’s
+hands, must have fallen perpendicularly, he could ascertain, by finding
+this pickaxe, the place where the granite had been pierced. And, in
+fact, when the implement was found, half buried in the sand, the hole
+in the rock could be seen eighty feet above it, in a straight line.
+Rock pigeons were already fluttering in and out by this narrow opening.
+They evidently thought Granite House had been discovered for their
+benefit.
+
+The engineer intended to divide the right portion of the cavern into
+several chambers opening upon an entrance-corridor, and lighted by five
+windows and a door cut in the face of the rock. Pencroff agreed with
+him as to the window, but could not understand the use of the door,
+since the old weir furnished a natural staircase to Granite House.
+
+“My friend,” said Smith, “if we could get to our abode by the weir, so
+can others. I want to block up this passage at its month, to seal it
+hermetically, and even, if necessary, to conceal the entrance by
+damming up the lake.”
+
+“And how shall we get in?” said the sailor.
+
+“By a rope ladder from the outside,” answered Smith, “which we can pull
+up after us.”
+
+“But why take so many precautions?” said Pencroff. “So far, the animals
+we have found here have not been formidable; and there are certainly no
+natives.”
+
+“Are you so sure, Pencroff?” said the engineer, looking steadily at the
+sailor.
+
+“Of course we shall not be perfectly sure till we have explored every
+part.”
+
+“Yes,” said Smith, “for we know as yet only a small portion. But even
+if there are no enemies upon the island, they may come from the
+outside, for this part of the Pacific is a dangerous region. We must
+take every precaution.”
+
+So the facade of Granite House was lighted with five windows, and with
+a door opening upon the “apartments,” and admitting plenty of light
+into that wonderful nave which was to serve as their principal
+hallroom. This facade, eighty feet above the ground, was turned to the
+east, and caught the first rays of the morning sun. It was protected by
+the slope of the rock from the piercing northeast wind. In the
+meantime, while the sashes of the windows were being made, the engineer
+meant to close the openings with thick shutters, which would keep out
+wind and rain, and which could be readily concealed. The first work was
+to hollow out these windows. But the pickaxe was at a disadvantage
+among these hard rocks, and Smith again had recourse to the
+nitro-glycerine, which, used in small quantities, had the desired
+effect. Then the work was finished by the pick and mattock—the five
+ogive windows, the bay, the bull’s-eyes, and the door—and, some days
+after the work was begun, the sun shone in upon the innermost recesses
+of Granite House.
+
+According to Smith’s plan, the space had been divided into five
+compartments looking out upon the sea; upon the right was the hall,
+opposite to the door from which the ladder was to hang, then a kitchen
+thirty feet long, a dining-room forty feet long, a sleeping-room of the
+same size, and last a “guest chamber,” claimed by Pencroff; and
+bordering on the great hall.
+
+These rooms, or rather this suite of rooms, in which they were to live,
+did not occupy the full depth of the cave. They opened upon a corridor
+which ran between them and a long storehouse, where were kept their
+utensils and provisions. All the products of the island, animal and
+vegetable, could be kept there in good condition and free from damp.
+They had room enough, and there was a place for everything. Moreover,
+the colonists still had at their disposal the little grotto above the
+large cavern, which would serve them as a sort of attic. This plan
+agreed upon, they became brickmakers again, and brought their bricks to
+the foot of Granite House.
+
+Until that time the colonists had had access to the cavern only by the
+old weir. This mode of communication compelled them first to climb up
+Prospect Plateau, going round by the river, to descend 200 feet through
+the passage, and then to ascend the same distance when they wanted to
+regain the plateau. This involved fatigue and loss of time. Smith
+resolved to begin at once the construction of a strong rope ladder,
+which, once drawn up after them, would render the entrance to Granite
+House absolutely inaccessible. This ladder was made with the greatest
+care, and its sides were twisted of fibres by means of a shuttle. Thus
+constructed, it had the strength of a cable. The rungs were made of a
+kind of red cedar, with light and durable branches; and the whole was
+put together by the practised hand of Pencroff.
+
+Another kind of tackle was made of vegetable fibre, and a sort of
+derrick was setup at the door of Granite House. In this way the bricks
+could easily be carried to the level of Granite House; and when some
+thousands of them were on the spot, with abundance of lime, they began
+work on the interior. They easily set up the wood partitions, and in a
+short time the space was divided into chambers and a store-house,
+according to the plan agreed upon.
+
+These labors went on quickly under the direction of the engineer, who
+himself wielded hammer and trowel. They worked confidently and gaily.
+Pencroff, whether carpenter, ropemaker, or mason, always had a joke
+ready, and all shared in his good humor. His confidence in the engineer
+was absolute. All their wants would be supplied in Smith’s own time. He
+dreamed of canals, of quarries, of mines, of machinery, even of
+railroads, one day, to cover the island. The engineer let Pencroff
+talk. He knew how contagious is confidence; he smiled to hear him, and
+said nothing of his own inquietude. But in his heart he feared that no
+help could come from the outside. In that part of the Pacific, out of
+the track of ships, and at such a distance from other land that no boat
+could dare put out to sea, they had only themselves to rely upon.
+
+But, as the sailor said, they were far ahead of the Swiss Family
+Robinson, for whom miracles were always being wrought. In truth they
+knew Nature; and he who knows Nature will succeed when others would lie
+down to die.
+
+Herbert especially distinguished himself in the work. He understood at
+a word and was prompt in execution. Smith grew fonder of him every day
+and Herbert was devoted to the engineer. Pencroff saw the growing
+friendship, but the honest sailor was not jealous. Neb was courage,
+zeal, and self-denial in person. He relied on his master as absolutely
+as Pencroff, but his enthusiasm was not so noisy. The sailor and he
+were great friends. As to Spilett, his skill and efficiency were a
+daily wonder to Pencroff. He was the model of a newspaper man—quick
+alike to understand and to perform.
+
+The ladder was put in place May 28. It was eighty feet high, and
+consisted of 100 rungs; and, profiting by a projection in the face of
+the cliff, about forty feet up, Smith had divided it into two parts.
+This projection served as a sort of landing-place for the head of the
+lower ladder, shortening it, and thus lessening its swing. They
+fastened it with a cord so that it could easily be raised to the level
+of Granite House. The upper ladder they fastened at top and bottom. In
+this way the ascent was much more easy. Besides, Smith counted upon
+putting up at some future time a hydraulic elevator, which would save
+his companions much fatigue and loss of time.
+
+The colonists rapidly accustomed themselves to the use of this ladder.
+The sailor, who was used to shrouds and ratlines, was their teacher.
+The great trouble was with Top, whose four feet were not intended for
+ladders. But Pencroff was persevering, and Top at last learned to run
+up and down as nimbly as his brothers of the circus. We cannot say
+whether the sailor was proud of this pupil, but he sometimes carried
+Top up on his back, and Top made no complaints.
+
+All this time, the question of provisions was not neglected. Every day
+Herbert and the reporter spent some hours in the chase. They hunted
+only through Jacamar Woods, on the left of the river, for, in the
+absence of boat or bridge, they had not yet crossed the Mercy. The
+immense woody tracts which they had named the Forests of the Far West
+were entirely unexplored. This important excursion was set apart for
+the first five days of the coming spring. But Jacamar Woods were not
+wanting in game; kangaroos and boars were plenty there, and the
+iron-tipped spears, the bows and arrows of the hunters did wonders.
+More than this, Herbert discovered, at the southwest corner of, the
+lagoon, a natural warren, a sort of moist meadow covered with willows
+and aromatic herbs, which perfumed the air, such as thyme, basil, and
+all sorts of mint, of which rabbits are so fond. The reporter said that
+when the feast was spread for them it would be strange if the rabbits
+did not come; and the hunters explored the warren carefully. At all
+events, it produced an abundance of useful plants, and would give a
+naturalist plenty of work. Herbert gathered a quantity of plants
+possessing different medicinal properties, pectoral, astringent,
+febrifuge, anti-rheumatic. When Pencroff asked of what good were all
+this collection of herbs:—
+
+“To cure us when we are sick,” answered the boy.
+
+“Why should we be sick, since there are no doctors on the island?” said
+Pencroff, quite seriously.
+
+To this no reply could be made, but the lad went on gathering his
+bundle, which was warmly welcomed at Granite House; especially as he
+had found some Mountain Mint, known in North America as “Oswego Tea,”
+which produces a pleasant beverage.
+
+That day the hunters, in their search, reached the site of the warren.
+The ground was perforated with little holes like a colander.
+
+“Burrows!” cried Herbert.
+
+“But are they inhabited?”
+
+“That is the question.”
+
+A question which was quickly resolved. Almost immediately, hundreds of
+little animals, like rabbits, took to flight in every direction, with
+such rapidity that Top himself was distanced. But the reporter was
+determined not to quit the place till he had captured half a dozen of
+the little beasts. He wanted them now for the kitchen: domestication
+would come later. With a few snares laid at the mouth of the burrows,
+the affair would be easy; but there were no snares, nor materials for
+snares; so they patiently rummaged every form with their sticks, until
+four rodents were taken.
+
+They were rabbits, much like their European congeners, and commonly
+known as “American hares.” They were brought back to Granite Home, and
+figured in that evening’s meal. Delicious eating they were; and the
+warren bade fair to be a most valuable reserve for the colonists.
+
+On May 31, the partitions were finished, and nothing remained but to
+furnish the rooms, which would occupy the long days of winter. A
+chimney was built in the room which served as a kitchen. The
+construction of the stove-pipe gave them a good deal of trouble. The
+simplest material was clay; and as they did not wish to have any outlet
+on the upper plateau, they pierced a hole above the kitchen window, and
+conducted the pipe obliquely to this hole. No doubt during an eastern
+gale the pipe would smoke, but the wind rarely blew from that quarter,
+and head-cook Neb was not particular
+
+When these domestic arrangements had been made, the engineer proceeded
+to block up the mouth of the old weir by the lake, so as to prevent any
+approach from that quarter. Great square blocks were rolled to the
+opening, and strongly cemented together. Smith did not yet attempt to
+put in execution his project of damming up the waters of the lake so as
+to conceal this weir; he was satisfied with concealing the obstruction
+he had placed there by means of grass, shrubs, and thistles, which were
+planted in the interstices of the rocks, and which by the next spring
+would sprout up luxuriantly. Meanwhile he utilized the weir in
+conducting to their new abode a little stream of fresh water from the
+lake. A little drain, constructed just below its level, had the effect
+of supplying them with twenty-five or thirty gallons a day; so there
+was likely to be no want of water at Granite House.
+
+At last, all was finished, just in time for the tempestuous season.
+They closed the windows with thick shutters till Smith should have time
+to make glass from the sand. In the rocky projections around the
+windows Spilett had arranged, very artistically, plants of various
+kinds and long floating grasses, and thus the windows were framed
+picturesquely in green. The denizens of this safe and solid dwelling
+could but be delighted with their work. The windows opened upon a
+limitless horizon, shut in only by the two Mandible Capes on the north
+and by Claw Cape at the south. Union Bay spread magnificently before
+them. They had reason enough to be satisfied, and Pencroff did not
+spare his praises of what he called “his suite on the fifth floor.”
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XX.
+
+
+THE RAINY SEASON—WHAT TO WEAR-A SEAL-HUNT—CANDLE-MAKING—-WORK IN THE
+GRANITE HOUSE—THE TWO CAUSEWAYS—RETURN FROM A VISIT TO THE
+OYSTER-BED—WHAT HERBERT FOUND IS HIS POCKET.
+
+
+The winter season began in earnest with the month of June, which
+corresponded with December in our northern hemisphere. Showers and
+storms succeeded each other without an intermission, and the inmates of
+the Granite House could appreciate the advantages of a dwelling
+impervious to the weather. The Chimneys would indeed have proved a
+miserable shelter against the inclemency of the winter; they feared
+even lest the high tides driven by the sea-wind should pour in and
+destroy their furnaces and their foundry. All this month of June was
+occupied with various labors, which left plenty of time for hunting and
+fishing, so that the reserve stock of food was constantly kept up.
+Pencroff intended, as soon as he had time, to set traps, from which he
+expected great results. He had made snares of ligneous fibre, and not a
+day passed but some rodent was captured from the warren. Neb spent all
+his time in smoking and salting meat.
+
+The question of clothes now came up for serious discussion. The
+colonists had no other garments than those which they wore when the
+balloon cast them on shore. These, fortunately, were warm and
+substantial; and by dint of extreme care, even their linen had been
+kept clean and whole; but everything would soon wear out, and moreover,
+during a vigorous winter, they would suffer severely from cold. Here
+Smith was fairly baffled. He had been occupied in providing for their
+most urgent wants, food and shelter, and the winter was upon them
+before the clothes problem could be solved. They must resign themselves
+to bear the cold with fortitude, and when the dry season returned would
+undertake a great hunt of the moufflons, which they had seen on Mount
+Franklin, and whose wool the engineer could surely make into warm thick
+cloth. He would think over the method.
+
+“Well, we must toast ourselves before the fire!” said Pencroff.”
+There’s plenty of fire wood, no reason for sparing it.”
+
+“Besides,” added Spilett, “Lincoln Island is not in very high latitude,
+and the winters are probably mild. Did you not say, Cyrus that the
+thirty-fifth parallel corresponded with that of Spain in the other
+hemisphere?”
+
+“Yes,” said the engineer, “but the winter in Spain is sometimes very
+cold, with snow and ice, and we may have a hard time of it. Still we
+are on an island, and have a good chance for more moderate weather.”
+
+“Why, Mr. Smith?” said Herbert.
+
+“Because the sea, my boy, may be considered as an immense reservoir, in
+which the summer heat lies stored. At the coming of winter this heat is
+again given out, so that the neighboring regions have always a medium
+temperature, cooler in summer and warmer in winter.”
+
+“We shall see,” said Pencroff. “I am not going to bother myself about
+the weather. One thing is certain, the days are getting short already
+and the evenings long. Suppose we talk a little about candles.”
+
+“Nothing is easier,” said Smith.
+
+“To talk about?” asked the sailor.
+
+“To make.”
+
+“And when shall we begin?”
+
+“To-morrow, by a seal-hunt.”
+
+“What! to make dips?”
+
+“No, indeed, Pencroff, candles.”
+
+Such was the engineer’s project, which was feasible enough, as he had
+lime and sulphuric acid, and as the amphibia of the island would
+furnish the necessary fat. It was now June 4, and Pentecost Sunday,
+which they kept as a day of rest and thanksgiving. They were no longer
+miserable castaways, they were colonists. On the next day, June 5, they
+started for the islet. They had to choose the time of low tide to ford
+the channel; and all determined that, somehow or other, they must build
+a boat which would give them easy communication with all parts of the
+island, and would enable them to go up the Mercy, when they should
+undertake that grand exploration of the southwestern district which
+they had reserved for the first good weather.
+
+Seals were numerous, and the hunters, armed with their iron-spiked
+spears, easily killed half a dozen of them, which Neb and Pencroff
+skinned. Only the hides and fat were carried back to Granite House, the
+former to be made into shoes. The result of the hunt was about 300
+pounds of fat, every pound of which could be used in making candles.
+The operation was simple enough, and the product, if not the best of
+its kind, was all they needed. Had Smith had at his disposition nothing
+but sulphuric acid, he could, by heating this acid with neutral fats,
+such as the fat of the seal, separate the glycerine, which again could
+be resolved, by means of boiling water, into oleine, margarine, and
+stearine. But, to simplify the operation, he preferred to saponify the
+fat by lime. He thus obtained a calcareous soap, easily decomposed by
+sulphuric acid, which precipitated the lime as a sulphate, and freed
+the fatty acids. The first of these three acids (oleine, margarine, and
+stearine) was a liquid which he expelled by pressure. The other two
+formed the raw material of the candles.
+
+In twenty-four hours the work was done. Wicks were made, after some
+unsuccessful attempts, from vegetable fibre, and were steeped in the
+liquified compound. They were real stearine candles, made by hand,
+white and smooth.
+
+During all this month work was going on inside their new abode. There
+was plenty of carpenter’s work to do. They improved and completed their
+tools, which were very rudimentary. Scissors were made, among other
+things, so that they were able to cut their hair, and, if not actually
+to shave their beards, at least to trim them to their liking. Herbert
+had no beard, and Neb none to speak of, but the others found ample
+employment for the scissors.
+
+They had infinite trouble in making a hand-saw; but at last succeeded
+in shaping an instrument which would cut wood by a rigorous
+application. Then they made tables, chairs and cupboards to furnish the
+principal rooms, and the frames of beds whose only bedding was
+mattrasses of wrack-grass. The kitchen, with its shelves, on which lay
+the terra-cotta utensils, its brick furnace, and its washing-stone,
+looked very comfortable, and Neb cooked with the gravity of a chemist
+in his laboratory.
+
+But joiners work had to give place to carpentry. The new weir created
+by the explosion rendered necessary the construction of two causeways,
+one upon Prospect Plateau, the other on the shore itself. Now the
+plateau and the coast were transversely cut by a water-course which the
+colonists had to cross when ever they wished to reach the northern part
+of the island. To avoid this they had to make a considerable detour,
+and to walk westward as far as the sources of Red creek. Their best
+plan therefore was to build two causeways, one on the plateau and one
+on the shore, twenty to twenty-five feet long, simply constructed of
+trees squared by the axe. This was the work of some days. When these
+bridges had been built, Neb and Pencroff profited by them to go to the
+oyster-bed which had been discovered off the down. They dragged after
+them a sort of rough cart which had taken the place of the inconvenient
+hurdle; and they brought back several thousand oysters, which, were
+readily acclimated among the rocks, and formed a natural preserve at
+the mouth of the Mercy. They were excellent of their kind, and formed
+an almost daily article of diet. In fact, Lincoln Island, though the
+colonists had explored but a small portion of it, already supplied
+nearly all their wants, while it seemed likely that a minute
+exploration of the western forests would reveal a world of new
+treasures.
+
+Only one privation still distressed the colonists. Azotic food they had
+in plenty, and the vegetables which corrected it; from the ligneous
+roots of the dragon-trees, submitted to fermentation, they obtained a
+sort of acidulated beer. They had even made sugar, without sugar-cane
+or beet-root, by collecting the juice which distills from the “acer
+saccharinum,” a sort of maple which flourishes in all parts of the
+temperate zone, and which abounded on the island. They made a very
+pleasant tea from the plant brought from the warren; and, finally, they
+had plenty of salt, the only mineral component necessary to food—but
+bread was still to seek.
+
+Perhaps, at some future time, they would have been able to replace this
+aliment by some equivalent, sago flour, or the breadfruit tree, which
+they might possibly have discovered in the woods of the southwest; but
+so far they had not met with them. Just at this time a little incident
+occurred which brought about what Smith, with all his ingenuity, could
+not have achieved.
+
+One rainy day the colonists were together in the large hall of Granite
+House, when Herbert suddenly cried,
+
+“See, Mr. Smith, a grain of corn.”
+
+And he showed his companions a single gram which had got into the
+lining of his waistcoat through a hole in his pocket. Pencroff had
+given him some ring-doves in Richmond, and in feeding them one of the
+grains had remained in his pocket.
+
+“A grain of corn?” said the engineer, quickly.
+
+“Yes, sir; but only one.”
+
+“That’s a wonderful help,” said Pencroff, laughing. “The bread that
+grain will make will never choke us.”
+
+Herbert was about to throw away the grain, when Cyrus Smith took it,
+examined it, found that it was in good condition, and said quietly to
+the sailor:—
+
+“Pencroff, do you know how many ears of corn will spring from one
+grain?”
+
+“One, I suppose,” said the sailor, surprised at the question.
+
+“Ten, Pencroff. And how many grains are there to an ear?”
+
+“Faith, I don’t know.”
+
+“Eighty on an average,” said Smith. “So then, if we plant this grain,
+we shall get from it a harvest of 800 grains; from them in the second
+year 640,000; in the third, 512,000,000; in the fourth, more than
+400,000,000,000. That is the proportion.”
+
+His companions listened in silence. The figures stupefied them.
+
+“Yes, my friend,” resumed the engineer. “Such is the increase of
+Nature. And what is even this multiplication of a grain of corn whose
+ears have only 800 grains, compared with the poppy plant, which has
+32,000 seeds, or the tobacco plant, which has 360,000? In a few years,
+but for the numerous enemies which destroy them, these plants would
+cover the earth. And now, Pencroff,” he resumed, “do you know how many
+bushels there are in 400,000,000,000 grains?”
+
+“No,” answered the sailor, “I only know that I am an idiot!”
+
+“Well, there will be more than 3,000,000, at 130,000 the bushel!”
+
+“Three millions!” cried Pencroff.
+
+“Three millions.”
+
+“In four years?”
+
+“Yes,” said Smith, “and even in two, if, as I hope, we can get two
+harvests a year in this latitude.”
+
+Pencroff answered with a tremendous hurrah.
+
+“So, Herbert,” added the engineer, “your discovery is of immense
+importance. Remember, my friends, that everything may be of use to us
+in our present situation.”
+
+“Indeed, Mr. Smith, I will remember it,” said Pencroff, “and if ever I
+find one of those grains of tobacco which increase 360,000 times, I’ll
+take care not to throw it away. And now what must we do?”
+
+“We must plant this grain,” said Herbert.
+
+“Yes,” added Spilett, “and with the greatest care, for upon it depend
+our future harvests!”
+
+“Provided that it grows,” said the sailor.
+
+“It will grow,” answered Smith.
+
+It was now the 20th of June, a good time for planting the precious
+grain. They thought at first of planting it in a pot; but upon
+consideration, they determined to trust it frankly to the soil. The
+same day it was planted, with the greatest precaution. The weather
+clearing a little, they walked up to the plateau above Granite House,
+and chose there a spot well sheltered from the wind, and exposed to the
+midday fervor of the sun. This spot was cleared, weeded, and even dug,
+so as to destroy insects and worms; it was covered with a layer of
+fresh earth, enriched with a little lime; a palissade was built around
+it, and then the grain was covered up in its moist bed.
+
+They seemed to be laying the corner-stone of an edifice. Pencroff was
+reminded of the extreme care with which they had lighted their only
+match; but this was a more serious matter. The castaways could always
+have succeeded in obtaining fire by some means or other; but no earthly
+power could restore that grain of corn, if, by ill fortune, it should
+perish!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXI
+
+
+SEVERAL DEGREES BELOW ZERO—EXPLORATION OF THE SWAMP REGION TO THE
+SOUTHEAST—THE VIEW OF THE SEA—A CONVERSATION CONCERNING THE FUTURE OF
+THE PACIFIC OCEAN—THE INCESSANT LABOR OF THE INFUSORIA—WHAT WILL BECOME
+OF THIS GLOBE—THE CHASE—THE SWAMP OF THE TADORNS.
+
+
+From this moment Pencroff did not let a day pass without visiting what
+he called with perfect gravity, his “corn field.” And alas, for any
+insects that ventured there, no mercy would be shown them. Near the end
+of the month of June, after the interminable rains, the weather became
+decidedly cold, and on the 29th, a Fahrenheit thermometer would
+certainly have stood at only 20° above zero.
+
+The next day, the 30th of June, the day which corresponds to the 3lst
+of December in the Northern Hemisphere, was a Friday. Neb said the year
+ended on an unlucky day, but Pencroff answered that consequently the
+new year began on a lucky one, which was more important. At all events,
+it began with a very cold snap. Ice accumulated at the mouth of the
+Mercy, and the whole surface of the lake was soon frozen over.
+
+Fresh firewood had continually to be procured. Pencroff had not waited
+for the river to freeze to convey enormous loads of wood to their
+destination. The current was a tireless motor, and conveyed the
+floating wood until the ice froze around it. To the fuel, which the
+forest so plentifully furnished, were added several cartloads of coal,
+which they found at the foot of the spurs of Mount Franklin. The
+powerful heat from the coal was thoroughly appreciated in a temperature
+which on the 4th of July fell to eight degrees above zero. A second
+chimney had been set up in the dining-room, where they all worked
+together. During this cold spell Cyrus Smith could not be thankful
+enough that he had conducted to Granite House a small stream of water
+from Lake Grant. Taken below the frozen surface, then conducted through
+the old weir, it arrived unfrozen at the interior reservoir, which had
+been dug at the angle of the storehouse, and which, when too full,
+emptied itself into the sea. About this time the weather being very
+dry, the colonists, dressing as warmly as possible, determined to
+devote a day to the exploration of that part of the island situated to
+the southeast, between the Mercy and Claw Cape. It was a large swampy
+district and might offer good hunting, as aquatic birds must abound
+there. They would have eight or nine miles to go and as far to return,
+consequently the whole day must be given up. As it concerned the
+exploration of an unknown portion of the island, every one had to take
+part.
+
+Therefore, on the 5th of July, at 6 o’clock in the morning, before the
+sun had fairly risen, the whole party, armed with spears, snares, bows
+and arrows, and furnished with enough provisions for the day, started
+from Granite House, preceded by Top, who gambolled before them. They
+took the shortest route, which was to cross the Mercy on the blocks of
+ice which then obstructed it.
+
+“But,” as the reporter very truly observed, “this cannot supply the
+place of a real bridge.”
+
+So the construction of a “real” bridge was set down as work for the
+future. This was the first time that the colonists had set foot on the
+right bank of the Mercy and had plunged into the forest of large and
+magnificent firs, then covered with snow. But they had not gone half a
+mile when the barking of Top frightened from a dense thicket where they
+had taken up their abode, a whole family of quadrupeds.
+
+“Why they look like foxes,” said Herbert, when he saw them scampering
+quickly away.
+
+And they were foxes, but foxes of enormous size. They made a sort of
+bark which seemed to astonish Top, for he stopped in his chase and gave
+these swift animals time to escape. The dog had a right to be
+surprised, for he knew nothing of natural history; but by this barking,
+the greyish-red color of their hair, and their black tails, which ended
+in a white tuft, these foxes had betrayed their origin. So Herbert gave
+them without hesitation their true name of culpeux. These culpeux are
+often met with in Chili, in the Saint Malo group, and in all those
+parts of America lying between the 30th and 40th parallels.
+
+Herbert was very sorry that Top had not caught one of these carnivora.
+
+“Can we eat them?” asked Pencroff, who always considered the fauna of
+the island from that special point of view.
+
+“No,” said Herbert, “but zoologists have not yet ascertained whether
+the pupil of the eye of this fox is diurnal or nocturnal, or whether
+the animal would come under the genus “canine.”
+
+Smith could not help smiling at this remark of the boy, which showed
+thoughtfulness beyond his years. As for the sailor, from the moment
+these foxes ceased to belong to the edible species, they ceased to
+interest him. Ever since the kitchen had been established at Granite
+House he had been saying that precautions ought to be taken against
+these four-footed plunderers. A fact which no one denied.
+
+Having turned Jetsam Point the party came upon a long reach washed by
+the sea. It was then 8 o’clock in the morning. The sky was very clear,
+as is usual in prolonged cold weather; but, warmed by their work, Smith
+and his companions did not suffer from the sharpness of the atmosphere.
+Besides, there was no wind, the absence of which always renders a low
+temperature more endurable. The sun, bright but cold, rose from the
+ocean, and his enormous disc was poised in the horizon. The sea was a
+calm, blue sheet of water, like a land-locked sea under a clear sky.
+Claw Cape, bent in the shape of an ataghan, was clearly defined about
+four miles to the southeast. To the left, the border of the swamp was
+abruptly intercepted by a little point which shone brightly against the
+sun. Certainly in that part of Union Bay, which was not protected from
+the open sea, even by a sand bank, ships beaten by an east wind could
+not have found shelter.
+
+By the perfect calm of the sea, with no shoals to disturb its waters,
+by its uniform color, with no tinge of yellow, and, finally, by the
+entire absence of reefs, they knew that this side was steep, and that
+here the ocean was fathoms deep. Behind them, in the west, at a
+distance of about four miles, they saw the beginning of the Forests of
+the Far West. They could almost have believed themselves upon some
+desolate island in the Antarctic regions surrounded by ice.
+
+The party halted here for breakfast; a fire of brushwood and seaweed
+was lighted, and Neb prepared the meal of cold meat, to which he added
+some cups of Oswego tea. While eating they looked around them. This
+side of Lincoln island was indeed barren, and presented a strong
+contrast to the western part.
+
+The reporter thought that if the castaways had been thrown upon this
+coast, they would have had a very melancholy impression of their future
+home.
+
+“I do not believe we could even have reached it,” said the engineer,
+“for the sea is very deep here, and there is not even a rock which
+would have served as a refuge; before Granite House there were shoals,
+at least, and a little island which multiplied our chances of safety;
+here is only the bottomless sea.”
+
+“It is curious enough,” said Spilett, “that this island, relatively so
+small, presents so varied a soil. This diversity of appearance belongs,
+logically, only to continents of a considerable area. One would really
+think that the western side of Lincoln Island, so rich and fertile, was
+washed by the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico, and that the northern
+and southern coasts extended into a sort of Arctic Sea.”
+
+“You are right, my dear Spilett,” replied the engineer, “I have
+observed the same thing. I have found this island curious both in its
+shape and in its character. It has all the peculiarities of a
+continent, and I would not be surprised if it had been a continent
+formerly.”
+
+“What! a continent in the middle of the Pacific!” cried Pencroff.
+
+“Why not?” answered Smith. “Why should not Australia, New Ireland, all
+that the English geographers call Australasia, joined to the
+Archipelagoes of the Pacific Ocean, have formed in times past a sixth
+part of the world as important as Europe or Asia, Africa or the two
+Americas. My mind does not refuse to admit that all the islands rising
+from this vast ocean are the mountains of a continent now engulphed,
+but which formerly rose majestically from these waters.”
+
+“Like Atlantis?” asked Herbert. “Yes. my boy, if that ever existed.”
+“And Lincoln Island may have been a part of this continent?” asked
+Pencroff. “It is probable,” replied Smith. “And that would explain the
+diversity of products upon the surface, and the number of animals which
+still live here,” added Herbert.
+
+“Yes, my boy,” answered the engineer, “and that gives me a new argument
+in support of my theory. It is certain after what we have seen that the
+animals in the island are numerous, and what is more curious, is that
+the species are extremely varied. There must be a reason for this, and
+mine is, that Lincoln Island was formerly a part of some vast
+continent, which has, little by little, sunk beneath the surface of the
+Pacific.” “Then,” said Pencroff, who did not seem entirely convinced,
+“what remains of this old continent may disappear in its turn and leave
+nothing between America and Asia.” “Yes,” said Smith, “there will be
+new continents which millions upon millions of animalculæ are building
+at this moment.” “And who are these masons?” inquired Pencroff. “The
+coral insects,” answered Smith. “It is these who have built by their
+constant labor the Island of Clermont Tonnerre, the Atolls and many
+other coral islands which abound in the Pacific. It takes 47,000,000 of
+these insects to deposit one particle; and yet with the marine salt
+which they absorb, and the solid elements of the water which they
+assimilate, these animalculæ produce limestone, and limestone forms
+those enormous submarine structures whose hardness and solidity is
+equal to that of granite.
+
+Formerly, during the first epochs of creation, Nature employed heat to
+produce land by upheaval, but now she lets these microscopic insects
+replace this agent, whose dynamic power at the interior of this globe
+has evidently diminished. This fact is sufficiently proved by the great
+number of volcanoes actually extinct on the surface of the earth. I
+verily believe that century after century, and infusoria after
+infusoria will change the Pacific some day into a vast continent, which
+new generations will, in their turn, inhabit and civilize.”
+
+“It will take a long time,” said Pencroff. “Nature has time on her
+side,” replied the engineer. “But what is the good of new continents?”
+asked Herbert. “It seems to me that the present extent of habitable
+countries is enough for mankind. Now Nature does nothing in vain.”
+“Nothing in vain, indeed,” replied the engineer; “but let us see how we
+can explain the necessity of new continents in the future, and
+precisely in these tropical regions occupied by these coral islands.
+Here is an explanation, which seems to me at least plausible.”
+
+“We are listening, Mr. Smith,” replied Herbert.
+
+“This is my idea: Scientists generally admit that some day the globe
+must come to an end, or rather the animal and vegetable life will be no
+longer possible, on account of the intense cold which will prevail.
+What they cannot agree upon is the cause of this cold. Some think that
+it will be produced by the cooling of the sun in the course of millions
+of years; others by the gradual extinction of the internal fires of our
+own globe, which have a more decided influence than is generally
+supposed. I hold to this last hypothesis, based upon the fact that the
+moon is without doubt a refrigerated planet, which is no longer
+habitable, although the sun continues to pour upon its surface the same
+amount of heat. If then, the moon is refrigerated, it is because these
+internal fires, to which like all the stellar world it owes its origin,
+are entirely extinct. In short, whatever be the cause, our world will
+certainly some day cool; but this cooling will take place gradually.
+What will happen then? Why, the temperate zones, at a time more or less
+distant, will be no more habitable than are the Polar regions now. Then
+human, as well as animal life, will be driven to latitudes more
+directly under the influence of the solar rays. An immense emigration
+will take place. Europe, Central Asia, and North America will little by
+little be abandoned, as well as Australasia and the lower parts of
+South America. Vegetation will follow the human emigration. The flora
+will move towards the equator at the same time with the fauna, the
+central parts of South America and Africa will become the inhabited
+continent. The Laplanders and the Samoyedes will find the climate of
+the Polar Sea on the banks of the Mediterranean. Who can tell but that
+at this epoch, the equatorial regions will not be too small to contain
+and nourish the population of the globe. Now, why should not a
+provident nature, in order from this time, to provide a refuge for this
+animal and vegetable emigration, lay the foundation, under the equator,
+of a new continent, and charge these infusoria with the building of it?
+I have often thought of this, my friends, and I seriously believe that,
+some day, the aspect of our globe will be completely transformed, that
+after the upheaval of new continents the seas will cover the old ones,
+and that in future ages some Columbus will discover in the islands of
+Chimborazo or the Himalaya, or Mount Blanc, all that remains of an
+America, an Asia, and a Europe. Then at last, these new continents, in
+their turn, will become uninhabitable. The heat will die out as does
+the heat from a body whose soul has departed, and life will disappear
+from the globe, if not forever, at least for a time. Perhaps then our
+sphere will rest from its changes, and will prepare in death to live
+again under nobler conditions.
+
+“But all this my friends, is with the Creator of all things. From the
+talking of the work of these infusoria I have been led into too deep a
+scrutiny of the secrets of the future.”
+
+“My dear Cyrus,” said the reporter, “these theories are to me
+prophesies. Some day they will be accomplished.”
+
+“It is a secret with the Almighty,” replied Smith.
+
+“All this is well and good,” said Pencroff, who had listened with all
+his ears, “but will you tell me, Mr. Smith, if Lincoln Island has been
+constructed by these infusoria.”
+
+“No,” replied Smith, “it is of purely volcanic origin.”
+
+“Then it will probably disappear some day. I hope sincerely we won’t be
+here.”
+
+“No, be easy, Pencroff, we will get away.”
+
+“In the meantime,” said Spilett, “let us settle ourselves as if
+forever. It is never worth while to do anything by halves.”
+
+This ended the conversation. Breakfast was over, the exploration
+continued, and the party soon arrived at the beginning of the swampy
+district.
+
+It was, indeed, a marsh which extended as far as the rounded side
+forming the southeastern termination of the island, and measuring
+twenty square miles. The soil was formed of a silicious clay mixed with
+decayed vegetation. It was covered by confervæ, rushes, sedges, and
+here and there by beds of herbage, thick as a velvet carpet. In many
+places frozen pools glistened under the sun’s rays. Neither rains, nor
+any river swollen by a sudden increase could have produced this water.
+One would naturally conclude that this swamp was fed by the
+infiltration of water through the soil. And this was the fact. It was
+even to be feared that the air here during hot weather, was laden with
+that miasma which engenders the marsh fever. Above the aquatic herbs on
+the surface of the stagnant waters, a swarm of birds were flying. A
+hunter would not have lost a single shot. Wild ducks, teal, and snipe
+lived there in flocks, and it was easy to approach these fearless
+creatures. So thick were these birds that a charge of shot would
+certainly have brought down a dozen of them, but our friends had to
+content themselves with their bows and arrows. The slaughter was less,
+but the quiet arrow had the advantage of not frightening the birds,
+while the sound of fire-arms would have scattered them to every corner
+of the swamp. The hunters contented themselves this time with a dozen
+ducks, with white bodies, cinnamon-colored belts, green heads, wings
+black, white, and red, and feathered beaks. These Herbert recognized as
+the “Tadorns.” Top did his share well in the capture of these birds,
+whose name was given this swampy district.
+
+The colonists now had an abundant reserve of aquatic game. When the
+time should come the only question would be how to make a proper use of
+them, and it was probable that several species of these birds would be,
+if not domesticated, at least acclimated, upon the borders of the lake,
+which would bring them nearer to the place of consumption.
+
+About 5 o’clock in the afternoon Smith and his companions turned their
+faces homewards. They crossed Tadorn’s Fens, and re-crossed the Mercy
+upon the ice, arriving at Granite House at 8 o’clock in the evening.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXII.
+
+
+THE TRAPS—THE FOXES—THE PECCARIES —THE WIND VEERS TO THE NORTHWEST —THE
+SNOW-STORM—THE BASKET-MAKERS —THE COLDEST SNAP OF WINTER
+—CRYSTALLIZATION OF THE SUGAR-MAPLE —THE MYSTERIOUS SHAFTS—THE
+PROJECTED EXPLORATION—THE PELLET OF LEAD.
+
+
+The intense cold lasted until the 15th of August, the thermometer never
+rising above the point hitherto observed. When the atmosphere was calm
+this low temperature could be easily borne; but when the wind blew, the
+poor fellows suffered much for want of warmer clothing. Pencroff
+regretted that Lincoln Island, instead of harboring so many foxes and
+seals, with no fur to speak of, did not shelter some families of bears.
+
+“Bears,” said he, “are generally well dressed; and I would ask nothing
+better for the winter than the loan of their warm cloaks.”.
+
+“But perhaps,” said Neb, laughing “These bears would not consent to
+give you their cloak. Pencroff, these fellows are no Saint Martins.”
+
+“We would make them, Neb, we would make them,” answered Pencroff in a
+tone of authority.
+
+But these formidable carnivora did not dwell on the island, or if they
+did, had not yet shown themselves. Herbert, Pencroff, and the reporter
+were constantly at work getting traps on Prospect Plateau and on the
+borders of the forest. In the sailor’s opinion any animal whatever
+would be a prize, and rodents or carnivora, whichever these new traps
+should entice, would be well received at Granite House. These traps
+were very simple. They were pits dug in the ground and covered with
+branches and grass, which hid the openings. At the bottom they placed
+some bait, whose odor would attract the animals. They used their
+discretion about the position of their traps, choosing places where
+numerous footprints indicated the frequent passage of quadrupeds. Every
+day they went to look at them, and at three different times during the
+first few days they found in them specimens of those foxes which had
+been already seen on the right bank of the Mercy.
+
+“Pshaw! there are nothing but foxes in this part of the world,” said
+Pencroff, as, for the third time, he drew one of these animals out of
+the pit. “Good-for-nothing beasts;”
+
+“Stop,” said Spilett; “they are good for something.”
+
+“For what?”
+
+“To serve as bait to attract others!”
+
+The reporter was right, and from this time the traps were baited with
+the dead bodies of foxes. The sailor had made snares out of the threads
+of curry-jonc, and these snares were more profitable than the traps. It
+was a rare thing for a day to pass without some rabbit from the warren
+being captured. It was always a rabbit, but Neb knew how to vary his
+sauces, and his companions did not complain. However, once or twice in
+the second week in August, the traps contained other and more useful
+animals than the foxes. There were some of those wild boars which had
+been already noticed at the north of the lake. Pencroff had no need to
+ask if these animals were edible, that was evident from their
+resemblance to the hog of America and Europe.
+
+“But these are not hogs, let me tell you,” said Herbert.
+
+“My boy,” replied the sailor, handing over the trap and drawing out one
+of these representatives of the swine family by the little appendage
+which served for a tail, “do let me believe them to be hogs.”
+
+“Why?”
+
+“Because it pleases me.”
+
+“You are fond of hogs, then, Pencroff?”
+
+“I am very fond of them,” replied the sailor, “especially of their
+feet, and if any had eight instead of four I would like them twice as
+much.”
+
+These animals were peccaries, belonging to one of the four genera,
+which make up that family. This particular species were the
+“tajassans,” known by there dark color and the absence of those long
+fangs which belong to the others of their race. Peccaries generally
+live in herds, and it was likely that these animals abounded in the
+woody parts of the island. At all events they were edible from head to
+foot, and Pencroff asked nothing more.
+
+About the 15th of August the weather moderated suddenly by a change of
+wind to the northwest. The temperature rose several degrees higher, and
+the vapors accumulated in the air were soon resolved into snow. The
+whole island was covered with a white mantle, and presented a new
+aspect to its inhabitants. It snowed hard for several days and the
+ground was covered two feet deep. The wind soon rose with great
+violence and from the top of Granite House they could hear the sea
+roaring against the reefs.
+
+At certain angles the wind made eddies in the air, and the snow,
+forming itself into high whirling columns, looked like those twisting
+waterspouts which vessels attack with cannon. The hurricane, coming
+steadily from the northwest, spent its force on the other side of the
+island, and the eastern lookout of Granite House preserved it from a
+direct attack.
+
+During this snow-storm, as terrible as those of the polar regions,
+neither Smith nor his companions could venture outside. They were
+completely housed for five days, from the 20th to the 25th of August.
+They heard the tempest roar though Jacamar Woods, which must have
+suffered sadly. Doubtless numbers of trees were uprooted, but Pencroff
+comforted himself with the reflection that there would be fewer to cut
+down.
+
+“The wind will be wood-cutter; let it alone,” said he.
+
+How fervently now the inhabitants of Granite House must have thanked
+Heaven for having given to them this solid and impenetrable shelter!
+Smith had his share of their gratitude, but after all, it was nature
+which had hollowed out this enormous cave, and he had only discovered
+it. Here all were in safety, the violence of the tempest could not
+reach them. If they had built a house of brick and wood on Prospect
+Plateau, it could not have resisted the fury of this hurricane. As for
+the Chimneys, they heard the billows strike them with such violence
+that they knew they must be uninhabitable, for the sea, having entirely
+covered their islet, beat upon them with all its force.
+
+But here at Granite House, between these solid walls which neither wind
+nor water could effect, they had nothing to fear. During this
+confinement the colonists were not idle. There was plenty of wood in
+the storehouse cut into planks, and little by little they completed
+their stock of furniture. As far as tables and chairs went they were
+certainly solid enough, for the material was not spared. This furniture
+was a little too heavy to fulfil its essential purpose of being easily
+moved, but it was the pride of Neb and Pencroff, who would not have
+exchanged it for the handsomest Buhl.
+
+Then the carpenters turned basket-makers, and succeeded remarkably well
+at this new occupation.
+
+They had discovered at the northern part of the lake a thick growth of
+purple osiers. Before the rainy season, Pencroff and Herbert had
+gathered a good many of these useful shrubs; and their branches, being
+now well seasoned, could be used to advantage. Their first specimens
+were rough; but, thanks to the skill and intelligence of the workmen
+consulting together, recalling the models they had seen, and rivalling
+each other in their efforts, hampers and baskets of different sizes
+here soon added to the stock of the colony. The storehouse was filled
+with them, and Neb set away in special baskets his stock of pistachio
+nuts and roots of the dragon tree.
+
+During the last week in August the weather changed again, the
+temperature fell a little, and the storm was over. The colonists at
+once started out. There must have been at least two feet of snow on the
+shore, but it was frozen over the top, which made it easy to walk over.
+Smith and his companions climbed up Prospect Plateau. What a change
+they beheld! The woods which they had left in bloom, especially the
+part nearest to them where the conifers were plenty, were now one
+uniform color.
+
+Everything was white, from the top of Mount Franklin to the
+coast—forests, prairie, lake, river, beach. The waters of the Mercy ran
+under a vault of ice, which cracked and broke with a loud noise at
+every change of tide. Thousands of birds—ducks and wood-peckers—flew
+over the surface of the lake. The rocks between which the cascade
+plunged to the borders of the Plateau were blocked up with ice. One
+would have said that the water leaped out of a huge gargoyle, cut by
+some fantastic artist of the Renaissance. To calculate the damage done
+to the forest by this hurricane would be impossible until the snow had
+entirely disappeared.
+
+Spilett, Pencroff, and Herbert took this opportunity to look after
+their traps and had hard work finding them under their bed of snow.
+There was danger of their falling in themselves; a humiliating thing to
+be caught in one’s own trap! They were spared this annoyance, however,
+and found the traps had been untouched; not an animal had been caught,
+although there were a great many footprints in the neighborhood, among
+others, very clearly impressed marks of claws.
+
+Herbert at once classified these carnivora among the cat tribe, a
+circumstance which justified the engineer’s belief in the existence of
+dangerous beasts on Lincoln Island. Doubtless these beasts dwelt in the
+dense forests of the Far West; but driven by hunger, they had ventured
+as far as Prospect Plateau. Perhaps they scented the inhabitants of
+Granite House.
+
+“What, exactly, are these carnivora?” asked Pencroff.
+
+“They are tigers,” replied Herbert.
+
+“I thought those animals were only found in warm countries.”
+
+“In the New World,” replied the lad, “they are to be found from Mexico
+to the pampas of Buenos Ayres. Now, as Lincoln Island is in almost the
+same latitude as La Plata, it is not surprising that tigers are found
+here.”
+
+“All right, we will be on our guard,” replied Pencroff.
+
+In the meantime, the temperature rising, the snow began to melt, it
+came on to rain, and gradually the white mantle disappeared.
+Notwithstanding the bad weather the colonists renewed their stock of
+provisions, both animal and vegetable.
+
+This necessitated excursions into the forest, and thus they discovered
+how many trees had been beaten down by the hurricane. The sailor and
+Neb pushed forward with their wagon as far as the coal deposit in order
+to carry back some fuel. They saw on their way that the chimney of the
+pottery oven had been much damaged by the storm; at least six feet had
+been blown down.
+
+They also renewed their stock of wood as well as that of coal, and the
+Mercy having become free once more, they employed the current to draw
+several loads to Granite House. It might be that the cold season was
+not yet over.
+
+A visit had been made to the Chimneys also, and the colonists could not
+be sufficiently grateful that this had not been their home during the
+tempest. The sea had left undoubted signs of its ravages. Lashed by the
+fury of the wind from the offing, and rushing over Safety Island, it
+spent its full force upon these passages, leaving them half full of
+sand and the rocks thickly covered with seaweed.
+
+While Neb, Herbert, and Pencroff spent their time in hunting and
+renewing their supply of fuel, Smith andSpilett set to work to clear
+out the Chimneys. They found the forge and furnaces almost unhurt, so
+carefully protected had they been by the banks of sand which the
+colonists had built around them.
+
+It was a fortunate thing that they laid in a fresh supply of fuel, for
+the colonists had not yet seen the end of the intense cold. It is well
+known that in the Northern Hemisphere, the month of February is noted
+for its low temperature. The same rule held good in the Southern
+Hemisphere, and the end of August, which is the February of North
+America, did not escape from this climatic law.
+
+About the 25th, after another snow and rain storm, the wind veered to
+the southeast, and suddenly the cold became intense. In the engineer’s
+opinion, a Fahrenheit thermometer would have indicated about eight
+degrees below zero, and the cold was rendered more severe by a cutting
+wind which lasted for several days.
+
+The colonists were completely housed again, and as they were obliged to
+block up all their windows, only leaving one narrow opening for
+ventilation, the consumption of candles was considerable. In order to
+economize them, the colonists often contented themselves with only the
+light from the fire; for fuel was plenty.
+
+Once or twice some of them ventured to the beach, among the blocks of
+ice which were heaped up there by every fresh tide. But they soon
+climbed up to Granite House again. This ascent was very painful, as
+their hands were frostbitten by holding on to the frozen sides of the
+ladder.
+
+There were still many leisure hours to be filled up during this long
+confinement, so Smith undertook another indoor occupation.
+
+The only sugar which they had had up to this time was a liquid
+substance which they had procured by making deep cuts in the bark of
+the maple tree. They collected this liquid in jars and used it in this
+condition for cooking purposes. It improved with age, becoming whiter
+and more like a syrup in consistency. But they could do better than
+this, and one day Cyrus Smith announced to his companions that he was
+going to turn them into refiners.
+
+“Refiners! I believe that’s a warm trade?” said Pencroff.
+
+“Very warm!” replied the engineer.
+
+“Then it will suit this season!” answered the sailor.
+
+Refining did not necessitate a stock of complicated tools or skilled
+workmen; it was a very simple operation.
+
+To crystallize this liquid they first clarified it, by putting it on
+the fire in earthenware jars, and submitting it to evaporation. Soon a
+scum rose to the surface, which, when it began to thicken, Neb removed
+carefully with a wooden ladle. This hastened the evaporation, and at
+the same time prevented it from scorching.
+
+After several hours boiling over a good fire, which did as much good to
+the cooks as it did to the boiling liquid, it turned into a thick
+syrup. This syrup was poured into clay moulds which they had made
+beforehand, in various shapes in the same kitchen furnace.
+
+The next day the syrup hardened, forming cakes and loaves. It was sugar
+of a reddish color, but almost transparent, and of a delicious taste.
+
+The cold continued until the middle of September, and the inmates of
+Granite House began to find their captivity rather tedious. Almost
+every day they took a run out-doors, but they always soon returned.
+They were constantly at work over their household duties, and talked
+while they worked.
+
+Smith instructed his companions in everything, and especially explained
+to them the practical applications of science.
+
+The colonists had no library at their disposal, but the engineer was a
+book, always ready, always open at the wished-for page. A book which
+answered their every question, and one which they often read. Thus the
+time passed, and these brave man had no fear for the future.
+
+However, they were all anxious for the end of their captivity, and
+longed to see, if not fine weather, at least a cessation of the intense
+cold. If they had only had warmer clothing, they would have attempted
+excursions to the downs and to Tadorns’ Fens, for game would have been
+easy to approach, and the hunt would assuredly have been fruitful. But
+Smith insisted that no one should compromise his health, as he had need
+of every hand; and his advice was taken.
+
+The most impatient of the prisoners, after Pencroff, was Top. The poor
+dog found himself in close quarters in Granite House, and ran from room
+to room, showing plainly the uneasiness he felt at this confinement.
+
+Smith often noticed that whenever he approached the dark well
+communicating with the sea, which had its opening in the rear of the
+storehouse, Top whined in a most curious manner, and ran around and
+around the opening, which had been covered over with planks of wood.
+Sometimes he even tried to slip his paws under the planks, as if trying
+to raise them up, and yelped in a way which indicated at the same time
+anger and uneasiness.
+
+The engineer several times noticed this strange behavior, and wondered
+what there could be in the abyss to have such a peculiar effect upon
+this intelligent dog.
+
+This well, of course, communicated with the sea. Did it then branch off
+into narrow passages through the rock-work of the island? Was it in
+communication with other caves? Did any sea-monsters come into it from
+time to time from the bottom of these pits?
+
+The engineer did not know what to think, and strange thoughts passed
+through his mind. Accustomed to investigate scientific truths, he could
+not pardon himself for being drawn into the region of the mysterious
+and supernatural; but how explain why Top, the most sensible of dogs,
+who never lost his time in barking at the moon, should insist upon
+exploring this abyss with nose and ear, if there was nothing there to
+arouse his suspicions?
+
+Top’s conduct perplexed Smith more than he cared to own to himself.
+However, the engineer did not mention this to any one but Spilett,
+thinking it useless to worry his companions with what might be, after
+all, only a freak of the dog.
+
+At last the cold spell was over. They had rain, snow-squalls,
+hail-storms, and gales of wind, but none of these lasted long. The ice
+thawed and the snow melted; the beach, plateau, banks of the Mercy, and
+the forest were again accessible. The return of spring rejoiced the
+inmates of Granite House, and they soon passed all their time in the
+open air, only returning to eat and sleep.
+
+They hunted a good deal during the latter part of September, which led
+Pencroff to make fresh demands for those fire-arms which he declared
+Smith had promised him. Smith always put him off, knowing that without
+a special stock of tools it would be almost impossible to make a gun
+which would be of any use to them.
+
+Besides, he noticed that Herbert and Spilett had become very clever
+archers, that all sorts of excellent game, both feathered and
+furred—agoutis, kangaroos, cabiais, pigeons, bustards, wild ducks, and
+snipe—fell under their arrows; consequently the firearms could wait.
+But the stubborn sailor did not see it in this light, and constantly
+reminded the engineer that he had not provided them with guns; and
+Gideon Spilett supported Pencroff.
+
+“If,” said he, “the island contains, as we suppose, wild beasts, we
+must consider how to encounter and exterminate them. The time may come
+when this will be our first duty.”
+
+But just now it was not the question of firearms which occupied Smith’s
+mind, but that of clothes. Those which the colonists were wearing had
+lasted through the winter, but could not hold out till another. What
+they must have at any price was skins of the carnivora, or wool of the
+ruminants; and as moufflons (mountain goats), were plenty, they must
+consider how to collect a flock of them which they could keep for the
+benefit of the colony. They would also lay out a farm yard in a
+favorable part of the island, where they could have an enclosure for
+domestic animals and a poultry yard.
+
+These important projects must be carried out during the good weather.
+Consequently, in view of these future arrangements, it was important to
+undertake a reconnoissance into the unexplored part of Lincoln Island,
+to wit:—the high forests which extended along the right bank of the
+Mercy, from its mouth to the end of Serpentine Peninsula. But they must
+be sure of their weather, and a month must yet elapse before it would
+be worth while to undertake this exploration. While they were waiting
+impatiently, an incident occurred which redoubled their anxiety to
+examine the whole island.
+
+It was now the 24th of October. On this day Pencroff went to look after
+his traps which he always kept duly baited. In one of them, he found
+three animals, of a sort welcome to the kitchen. It was a female
+peccary with her two little ones. Pencroff returned to Granite House,
+delighted with his prize, and, as usual, made a great talk about it.
+
+“Now, we’ll have a good meal, Mr Smith,” cried he, “and you too, Mr.
+Spilett, must have some.”
+
+“I shall be delighted,” said the reporter, “but what is it you want me
+to eat?”
+
+“Sucking pig,” said Pencroff.
+
+“Oh, a suckling-pig! To hear you talk one would think you had brought
+back a stuffed partridge!”
+
+“Umph,” said Pencroff, “so you turn up your nose at my suckling pig?”
+
+“No,” answered Spilett coolly, “provided one does not get too much of
+them—”
+
+“Very well, Mr. Reporter!” returned the sailor, who did not like to
+hear his game disparaged. “You are getting fastidious! Seven months
+ago, when we were cast upon this island, you would have been only too
+glad to have come across such game.”
+
+“Well, well,” said the reporter, “men are never satisfied.”
+
+“And now,” continued Pencroff, “I hope Neb will distinguish himself.
+Let us see; these little peccaries are only three months old, they will
+be as tender as quail. Come, Neb, I will superintend the cooking of
+them myself.”
+
+The sailor, followed by Neb, hastened to the kitchen, and was soon
+absorbed over the oven. The two prepared a magnificent repast; the two
+little peccaries, kangaroo soup, smoked ham, pistachio nuts,
+dragon-tree wine, Oswego tea; in a word, everything of the best. But
+the favorite dish of all was the savory peccaries made into a stew. At
+5 o’clock, dinner was served in the dining-room of Granite House. The
+kangaroo soup smoked upon the table. It was pronounced excellent.
+
+After the soup came the peccaries, which Pencroff begged to be allowed
+to carve, and of which he gave huge pieces to every one. These suckling
+pigs were indeed delicious, and Pencroff plied his knife and fork with
+intense earnestness, when suddenly a cry and an oath escaped him.
+
+“What’s the matter?” said Smith.
+
+“The matter is that I have just lost a tooth!” replied the sailor.
+
+“Are there pebbles in your peccaries, then?” said Spilett.
+
+“It seems so,” said the sailor, taking out of his mouth the object
+which had cost him a grinder.
+
+It was not a pebble, it was a leaden pellet.
+
+
+
+
+PART II
+THE ABANDONED
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIII.
+
+
+CONCERNING THE LEADEN PELLET—MAKING A CANOE—HUNTING—IN THE TOP OF A
+KAURI—NOTHING TO INDICATE THE PRESENCE OF MAN—THE TURTLE ON ITS
+BACK—THE TURTLE DISAPPEARS—SMITH’S EXPLANATION.
+
+
+It was exactly seven months since the passengers in the balloon had
+been thrown upon Lincoln Island. In all this time no human being had
+been seen. No smoke had betrayed the presence of man upon he island. No
+work of man’s hands, either ancient or modern, had attested his
+passage. Not only did it seem uninhabited at present, but it appeared
+to have been so always. And now all the framework of deductions fell
+before a little bit of metal found in the body of a pig.
+
+It was certainly a bullet from a gun, and what but a human being would
+be so provided?
+
+When Pencroff had placed it upon the table, his companions looked at it
+with profound astonishment. The possibilities suggested by this
+seemingly trivial incident flashed before them. The sudden appearance
+of a supernatural being could not have impressed them more.
+
+Smith instantly began to reason upon the theories which this incident,
+as surprising as it was unexpected, suggested. Taking the bit of lead
+between his fingers he turned it round and about for some time before
+he spoke.
+
+“You are sure, Pencroff,” he asked, at length, “that the peccary was
+hardly three months old?”
+
+“I’m sure, sir,” answered the sailor. “It was sucking its mother when I
+found it in the ditch.”
+
+“Well, then, that proves that within three months a gun has been fired
+upon Lincoln Island.”
+
+“And that the bullet has wounded, though not mortally, this little
+animal,” added Spilett.
+
+“Undoubtedly,” replied Smith; “and now let us see what conclusions are
+to be drawn from this incident. Either the island was inhabited before
+our arrival, or men have landed here within three months. How these men
+arrived, whether voluntarily or involuntarily, whether by landing or by
+shipwreck, cannot be settled at present. Neither have we any means of
+determining whether they are Europeans or Malays, friends or enemies;
+nor do we know whether they are living here at present or whether they
+have gone. But these questions are too important to be allowed to
+remain undecided.”
+
+“No!” cried the sailor springing from the table. “There can be no men
+besides ourselves on Lincoln Island. Why, the island is not large: and
+if it had been inhabited, we must have met some one of its people
+before this.”
+
+“It would, indeed, be astonishing if we had not,” said Herbert.
+
+“But it would be much more astonishing, I think,” remarked the
+reporter, “if this little beast had been born with a bullet in his
+body!”
+
+“Unless,” suggested Neb, seriously, “Pencroff had had it—”
+
+“How’s that, Neb?” interrupted the sailor, “I, to have had a bullet in
+my jaw for five or six months, without knowing it? Where would it have
+been?” he added, opening his mouth and displaying the thirty-two
+splendid teeth that ornamented it. “Look, Neb, and if you can find one
+broken one in the whole set you may pull out half-a-dozen!”
+
+“Neb’s theory is inadmissible,” said Smith, who, in spite of the
+gravity of his thoughts, could not restrain a smile. “It is certain
+that a gun has been discharged on the island within three months. But I
+am bound to believe that the persons on this island have been here but
+a short time, or else simply landed in passing; as, had the island had
+inhabitants when we made the ascent of Mount Franklin, we must have
+seen them or been seen. It is more probable, that within the past few
+weeks some people have been shipwrecked somewhere upon the coast; the
+thing, therefore, to do is to discover this point.”
+
+“I think we should act cautiously,” said the reporter.
+
+“I think so, too,” replied Smith, “as I fear that they must be Malay
+pirates;”
+
+“How would it do, Mr. Smith,” said the sailor, “to build A canoe so
+that we could go up this river, or, if need be, round the coast? It
+won’t do to be taken unawares.”
+
+“It’s a good idea,” answered the engineer; “but we have not the time
+now. It would take at least a month to build a canoe—”
+
+“A regular one, yes,” rejoined the sailor; “but we don’t want it to
+stand the sea. I will guarantee to make one in less than five days that
+will do to use on the Mercy.”
+
+“Build a boat in five days,” cried Neb.
+
+“Yes, Neb, one of Indian fashion.”
+
+“Of wood?” demanded the negro, still incredulous.
+
+“Of wood, or what is better, of bark,” answered Pencroff. “Indeed, Mr.
+Smith, it could be done in five days!”
+
+“Be it so, then,” answered the engineer. “In five days.”
+
+“But we must look out for ourselves in the meantime!” said Herbert.
+
+“With the utmost caution, my friends,” answered Smith. “And be very
+careful to confine your hunting expeditions to the neighborhood of
+Granite House.”
+
+The dinner was finished in lower spirits than Pencroff had expected.
+The incident of the bullet proved beyond doubt that the island had
+been, or was now, inhabited by others, and such a discovery awakened
+the liveliest anxiety in the breasts of the colonists.
+
+Smith and Spilett, before retiring, had a long talk about these things.
+They questioned, if by chance this incident had an connection with the
+unexplained rescue of the engineer, and other strange events which they
+had encountered in so many ways. Smith, after having discussed the pros
+and cons of the question, ended by saying:—
+
+“In short, Spilett, do you want to know my opinion?”
+
+“Yes, Cyrus.”
+
+“Well, this is it. No matter how minutely we examine the island, we
+will find nothing!”
+
+Pencroff began his work the next day. He did not mean to build a boat
+with ribs and planks, but simply a flat bottomed float, which would do
+admirably in the Mercy, especially in the shallow water and its
+sources. Strips of bark fastened together would be sufficient for their
+purpose, and in places where a portage would be necessary the affair
+would be neither heavy nor cumbersome. The sailor’s idea was to fasten
+the strips of bark together with clinched nails, and thus to make the
+craft staunch.
+
+The first thing was to select trees furnishing a supple and tough bark.
+Now, it had happened that the last storm had blown down a number of
+Douglass pines, which were perfectly adapted to this purpose. Some of
+these lay prone upon the earth, and all the colonists had to do was to
+strip them of their bark, though this indeed was somewhat difficult, on
+account of the awkwardness of their tools.
+
+While the sailor, assisted by the engineer was thus occupied, Herbert
+and Spilett, who had been made purveyors to the colony, were not idle.
+The reporter could not help admiring the young lad, who had acquired a
+remarkable proficiency in the use of the bow and arrows, and who
+exhibited, withal, considerable hardiness and coolness. The two
+hunters, remembering the caution of the engineer, never ventured more
+than two miles from Granite House, but the outskirts of the forest
+furnished a sufficient supply of agoutis, cabiais, kangaroos,
+peccaries, etc., and although the traps had not done so well since the
+cold had abated, the warren furnished a supply sufficient for the wants
+of the colonists.
+
+Often, while on these excursions, Herbert conversed with Spilett about
+the incident of the bullet and of the engineer’s conclusions, and one
+day—the 26th of October—he said:—
+
+“Don’t you think it strange, Mr. Spilett, that any people should have
+been wrecked on this island, and never have followed up the coast to
+Granite House?”
+
+“Very strange if they are still here,” answered the reporter, “but not
+at all astonishing if they are not.”
+
+“Then you think they have gone again?”
+
+“It is likely, my boy, that, if they had staid any time, or were still
+here, something would have discovered their presence.”
+
+“But if they had been able to get off again they were not really
+shipwrecked.”
+
+“No, Herbert, they were what I should call shipwrecked temporarily.
+That is, it is possible that they were driven by stress of weather upon
+the island, without having to abandon their vessel, and when the wind
+moderated they set out again.”
+
+“One thing is certain,” said Herbert, “and that is, that Mr. Smith has
+always seemed to dread, rather than to desire, the presence of human
+beings on our island.”
+
+“The reason is, that he knows that only Malays frequent these seas, and
+these gentlemen are a kind of rascals that had better be avoided.”
+
+“Is it not possible, sir, that some time we will discover traces of
+their landing and, perhaps, be able to settle this point?”
+
+“It is not unlikely, my boy. An abandoned camp or the remains of a
+fire, we would certainly notice, and these are what we will look for on
+our exploration.”
+
+The hunters, talking in this way, found themselves in a portion of the
+forest near the Mercy, remarkable for its splendid trees. Among others,
+were those magnificent conifera, called by the New Zealanders “kauris,”
+rising mere than 200 feet in height.
+
+“I have an idea, Mr. Spilett,” said Herbert, “supposing I climb to the
+top of one of these kauris, I could see, perhaps, for a good ways.”
+
+“It’s a good idea,” answered the other, “but can you climb one of these
+giants?”
+
+“I am going to try, anyhow,” exclaimed the boy, springing upon the
+lower branches of one, which grew in such a manner as to make the tree
+easy to mount. In a few minutes he was in its top, high above all the
+surrounding leafage of the forest.
+
+From this height, the eye could take in all the southern portion of the
+island between Claw Cape on the southeast and Reptile Promontory on the
+southwest. To the northwest rose Mount Franklin, shutting out more than
+one-fourth of the horizon.
+
+But Herbert, from his perch, could overlook the very portion of the
+island which was giving, or had given, refuge to the strangers whose
+presence they suspected. The lad looked about him with great attention,
+first towards the sea, where not a sail was visible, although it was
+possible that a ship, and especially one dismasted, lying close in to
+shore, would be concealed from view by the trees which hid the coast.
+In the woods of the Far West nothing could be seen. The forest formed a
+vast impenetrable dome many miles in extent, without an opening or
+glade. Even the course of the Mercy could not be seen, and it might be
+that there were other streams flowing westward, which were equally
+invisible.
+
+But, other signs failing, could not the lad catch in the air some smoke
+that would indicate the presence of man? The atmosphere was pure, and
+the slightest vapor was sharply outlined against the sky. For an
+instant Herbert thought he saw a thin film rising in the west, but a
+more careful observation convinced him that he was mistaken. He looked
+again, however, with all care, and his sight was excellent. No,
+certainly, it was nothing.
+
+Herbert climbed down the tree, and he and the reporter returned to
+Granite House. There Smith listened to the lad’s report without
+comment. It was plain he would not commit himself until after the
+island had been explored.
+
+Two days later—the 28th of October—another unaccountable incident
+happened.
+
+In strolling along the beach, two miles from Granite House, Herbert and
+Neb had been lucky enough to capture a splendid specimen of the
+chelonia mydas (green turtle), whose carapace shone with emerald
+reflections. Herbert had caught sight of it moving among the rocks
+towards the sea.
+
+“Stop him, Neb, stop him!” he cried.
+
+Neb ran to it.
+
+“It’s a fine animal,” said Neb, “but how are we going to keep it?”
+
+“That’s easy enough, Neb. All we have to do is to turn it on its back,
+and then it cannot get away. Take your spear and do as I do.”
+
+The reptile had shut itself in its shell, so that neither its head nor
+eyes were visible, and remained motionless as a rock. The lad and the
+negro placed their spears underneath it, and, after some difficulty,
+succeeded in turning it over. It measured three feet in length, and
+must have weighed at least 400 pounds.
+
+“There, that will please Pencroff,” cried Neb.
+
+Indeed, the sailor could not fail to be pleased, as the flesh of these
+turtles, which feed upon eel-grass, is very savory.
+
+“And now what can we do with our game?” asked Neb; “we can’t carry it
+to Granite House.”
+
+“Leave it here, since it cannot turn back again,” answered Herbert,
+“and we will come for it with the cart.”
+
+Neb agreed, and Herbert, as an extra precaution, which the negro
+thought useless, propped up the reptile with large stones. Then the two
+returned to Granite House, following the beach, on which the tide was
+down. Herbert, wishing to surprise Pencroff, did not tell him of the
+prize which was lying on its back upon the sand; but two hours later
+Neb and he returned with the cart to where they had left it, and—the
+“splendid specimen of chelonia mydas” was not there!
+
+The two looked about them. Certainly, this was where they had left it.
+Here were the stones he had used, and, therefore, the lad could not be
+mistaken.
+
+“Did the beast turn over, after all?” asked Neb.
+
+“It seems so,” replied Herbert, puzzled, and examining the stones
+scattered over the sand.
+
+“Pencroff will be disappointed.”
+
+“And Mr. Smith will be troubled to explain this!” thought Herbert.
+
+“Well,” said Neb, who wished to conceal their misadventure, “we won’t
+say anything about it.”
+
+“Indeed, we will tell the whole story,” answered Herbert.
+
+And taking with them the useless cart, they returned to Granite House.
+
+At the shipyard they found the engineer and the sailor working
+together. Herbert related all that happened.
+
+“You foolish fellows,” cried the sailor, “to let at least fifty pounds
+of soup, escape!”
+
+“But, Pencroff,” exclaimed Neb, “it was not our fault that the reptile
+got away; haven’t I told you we turned it on its back?”
+
+“Then you didn’t turn it enough!” calmly asserted the stubborn sailor.
+
+“Not enough!” cried Herbert; and he told how he had taken care to prop
+the turtle up with stones.
+
+“Then it was a miracle!” exclaimed Pencroff.
+
+“Mr. Smith,” asked Herbert, “I thought that turtles once placed on
+their backs could not get over again, especially the very large ones?”
+
+“That is the fact,” answered Smith.
+
+“Then how did it—”
+
+“How far off from the sea did you leave this turtle,” asked the
+engineer, who had stopped working and was turning this incident over in
+his mind.
+
+“About fifteen feet,” answered Herbert.
+
+“And it was low water?”
+
+“Yes, sir.”
+
+“Well,” responded the engineer, “what the turtle could not do on land,
+he could do in water. When the tide rose over him he turned over,
+and—tranquilly paddled off.”
+
+“How foolish we are,” cried Neb.
+
+“That is just what I said you were,” answered Pencroff.
+
+Smith had given this explanation, which was doubtless admissible; but
+was he himself satisfied with it? He did not venture to say that.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIV.
+
+
+TRIAL OF THE CANOE—A WRECK ON THE SHORE—THE TOW—JETSAM POINT—INVENTORY
+OF THE BOX—WHAT PENCROFF WANTED—A BIBLE—A VERSE FROM THE BIBLE.
+
+
+On the 29th of October the canoe was finished. Pencroff had kept his
+word, and had built, in five days, a sort of bark shell, stiffened with
+flexible crejimba rods. A seat at either end, another midway to keep it
+open, a gunwale for the thole-pins of a pair of oars, and a paddle to
+steer with, completed this canoe, which was twelve feet in length, and
+did not weigh 200 pounds.
+
+“Hurrah!” cried the sailor, quite ready to applaud his own success.
+“With this we can make the tour of—”
+
+“Of the world?” suggested Spilett.
+
+“No, but of the island. Some stones for ballast, a mast in the bow,
+with a sail which Mr. Smith will make some day, and away we’ll go! But
+now let us try our new ship, for we must see if it will carry all of
+us.”
+
+The experiment was made. Pencroff, by a stroke of the paddle, brought
+the canoe close to the shore by a narrow passage between the rocks, and
+he was confident that they could at once make a trial trip of the craft
+by following the bank as far as the lower point where the rocks ended.
+
+As they were stepping in, Neb cried:—
+
+“But your boat leaks, Pencroff.”
+
+“Oh, that’s nothing, Neb,” answered the sailor. “The wood has to drink!
+But in two days it will not show, and there will be as little water in
+our canoe as in the stomach of a drunkard! Come, get in!”
+
+They all embarked, and Pencroff pushed off. The weather was splendid,
+the sea was as calm as a lake, and the canoe could venture upon it with
+as much security as upon the tranquil current of the Mercy.
+
+Neb and Herbert took the oars, and Pencroff sat in the stern with the
+paddle as steersman.
+
+The sailor crossed the channel, and rounded the southern point of the
+islet. A gentle breeze was wafted from the south. There were no
+billows, but the canoe rose and fell with the long undulations of the
+sea, and they rowed out half a mile from the coast so as to get a view
+of the outline of Mount Franklin. Then, putting about, Pencroff
+returned towards the mouth of the river, and followed along the rounded
+shore which hid the low marshy ground of Tadorn’s Fen. The point, made
+longer by the bend of the coast, was three miles from the Mercy, and
+the colonists resolved to go past it far enough to obtain a hasty
+glance at the coast as far as Claw Cape.
+
+The canoe followed along the shore, keeping off some two cables length
+so as to avoid the line of rocks beginning to be covered by the tide.
+The cliff, beginning at the mouth of the river, lowered as it
+approached the promontory. It was a savage-looking, unevenly-arranged
+heap of granite blocks, very different from the curtain of Prospect
+Plateau. There was not a trace of vegetation on this sharp point, which
+projected two miles beyond the forest, like a giant’s arm, thrust out
+from a green sleeve.
+
+The canoe sped easily along. Spilett sketched the outline of the coast
+in his note-book, and Neb, Pencroff, and Herbert discussed the features
+of their new domain; and as they moved southward the two Mandible Capes
+seemed to shut together and enclose Union Bay. As to Smith, he regarded
+everything in silence, and from his distrustful expression it seemed as
+if he was observing some suspicious land.
+
+The canoe had reached the end of the point and was about doubling it,
+when Herbert rose, and pointing out a black object, said:—
+
+“What is that down there on the sand?”
+
+Every one looked in the direction indicated.
+
+“There is something there, indeed,” said the reporter. “It looks like a
+wreck half buried in the sand.”
+
+“Oh, I see what it is!” cried Pencroff.
+
+“What?” asked Neb.
+
+“Barrels! they are barrels, and, may be, they are full!”
+
+“To shore, Pencroff!” said Smith.
+
+And with a few strokes the canoe was driven into a little cove, and the
+party went up the beach.
+
+Pencroff was not mistaken. There were two barrels half buried in the
+sand; but firmly fastened to them was a large box, which, borne up by
+them, had been floated on to the shore.
+
+“Has there been a shipwreck here?” asked Herbert.
+
+“Evidently,” answered Spilett.
+
+“But what is in this box?” exclaimed Pencroff, with a natural
+impatience. “What is in this box? It is closed, and we have nothing
+with which to raise the lid. However, with a stone—”
+
+And the sailor picked up a heavy rock, and was about to break one of
+the sides, when the engineer, stopping him, said:—
+
+“Cannot you moderate your impatience for about an hour, Pencroff?”
+
+“But, think, Mr. Smith! May be there is everything we want in it!”
+
+“We will find out, Pencroff,” answered the engineer, “but do not break
+the box, as it will be useful. Let us transport it to Granite House,
+where we can readily open it without injuring it. It is all prepared
+for the voyage, and since it has floated here, it can float again to
+the river month.”
+
+“You are right, sir, and I am wrong,” answered the sailor, “but one is
+not always his own master!”
+
+The engineer’s advice was good. It was likely that the canoe could not
+carry the things probably enclosed in the box, since the latter was so
+heavy that it had to be buoyed up by two empty barrels. It was,
+therefore, better to tow it in this condition to the shore at the
+Granite House.
+
+And now the important question was, from whence came this jetsam? Smith
+and his companions searched the beach for several hundred paces, but
+there was nothing else to be seen. They scanned the sea, Herbert and
+Neb climbing up a high rock, but not a sail was visible on the horizon.
+
+Nevertheless, there must have been a shipwreck, and perhaps this
+incident was connected with the incident of the bullet. Perhaps the
+strangers had landed upon another part of the island. Perhaps they were
+still there. But the natural conclusion of the colonists was that these
+strangers could not be Malay pirates, since the jetsam was evidently of
+European or American production.
+
+They all went back to the box, which measured five feet by three. It
+was made of oak, covered with thick leather, studded with copper nails.
+The two large barrels, hermetically sealed, but which sounded empty,
+were fastened to its sides by means of strong ropes, tied in what
+Pencroff recognized to be “sailor’s knots.” That it was uninjured
+seemed to be accounted for by the fact of its having been thrown upon
+the sand instead of the rocks. And it was evident that it had not been
+long either in the sea or upon the beach. It seemed probable, also,
+that the water had not penetrated, and that its contents would be found
+uninjured. It therefore looked as if this box must have been thrown
+overboard from a disabled ship making for the island. And, in the hope
+that it would reach the island, where they would find it later, the
+passengers had taken the precaution to buoy it up.
+
+“We will tow this box to Granite House,” said the engineer, “and take
+an inventory of its contents; then, if we discover any of the survivors
+of this supposed shipwreck, we will return them what is theirs. If we
+find no one—”
+
+“We will keep the things ourselves!” cried the sailor. “But I wish I
+knew what is in it.”
+
+The sailor was already working at the prize, which would doubtless
+float at high water. One of the ropes which was fastened to the barrels
+was partly untwisted and served to fasten these latter to the canoe.
+Then, Neb and Pencroff dug out the sand with their oars, and soon the
+canoe, with the jetsam in tow, was rounding the promontory to which
+they gave the name of Jetsam Point. The box was so heavy that the
+barrels just sufficed to sustain it above the water; and Pencroff
+feared each moment that it would break loose and sink to the bottom.
+Fortunately his fears were groundless, and in an hour and a half the
+canoe touched the bank before Granite House.
+
+The boat and the prize were drawn upon the shore, and as the tide was
+beginning to fall, both soon rested on dry ground. Neb brought some
+tools so as to open the box without injury, and the colonists forthwith
+proceeded to examine its contents.
+
+Pencroff did not try to hide his anxiety. He began by unfastening the
+barrels, which would be useful in the future, then the fastenings were
+forced with pincers, and the cover taken off. A second envelope, of
+zinc, was enclosed within the case, in such a manner that its contents
+were impervious to moisture.
+
+“Oh!” cried Pencroff, “they must be preserves which are inside.”
+
+“I hope for something better than that,” answered the reporter.
+
+“If it should turn out that there was—” muttered the sailor.
+
+“What?” asked Neb.
+
+“Nothing!”
+
+The zinc cover was split, lengthwise and turned back, and, little by
+little, many different objects were lifted out on the sand. At each new
+discovery Pencroff cheered, Herbert clapped his hands, and Neb danced.
+There were books which made the lad crazy with pleasure, and cooking
+implements which Neb covered with kisses.
+
+In truth the colonists had reason to be satisfied, as the following
+inventory, copied from Spilett’s note-book, will show:—
+
+TOOLS.—3 pocket-knives, with-several blades, 2 wood-chopper’s hatchets,
+2 carpenter’s hatchets, 3 planes, I adzes, l axe, 6 cold chisels, 2
+files, 3 hammers, 3 gimlets, 2 augers, 10 bags of nails and screws, 3
+saws of different sizes, 2 boxes of needles.
+
+ARMS.—2 flint-lock guns, 2 percussion guns, 2 central-fire carbines; 5
+cutlasses, 4 boarding sabres, 2 barrels of powder, holding l5 pounds
+each, l2 boxes of caps.
+
+INSTRUMENTS.—1 sextant, 1 opera-glass, 1 spyglass, 1 box compass, 1
+pocket compass, 1 Fahrenheit thermometer, 1 aneroid barometer, 1 box
+containing a photographic apparatus, together with glasses, chemicals,
+etc.
+
+CLOTHING.—2 dozen shirts of a peculiar material resembling wool, though
+evidently a vegetable substance; 3 dozen stockings of the same
+material.
+
+UTENSILS.—1 Iron pot, 6 tinned copper stewpans, 3 iron plates, 10
+aluminium knives and forks, 2 kettles, 1 small portable stove. 5 table
+knives.
+
+BOOKS.-l Bible, 1 atlas, 1 dictionary of Polynesian languages, 1
+dictionary of the Natural Sciences, 3 reams of blank paper, 2 blank
+books.
+
+“Unquestionably,” said the reporter, after the inventory had been
+taken, “the owner of this box was a practical man! Tools, arms,
+instruments, clothing, utensils, books, nothing is wanting. One would
+say that he had made ready for a shipwreck before-hand!”
+
+“Nothing, Indeed, is wanting,” murmured Smith, thoughtfully.
+
+“And it is a sure thing,” added Herbert, “that the ship that brought
+this box was not a Malay pirate!”
+
+“Unless its owner had been taken prisoner,” said Pencroff.
+
+“That is not likely,” answered the reporter. “It is more probable that
+an American or European ship has been driven to this neighborhood, and
+that the passengers, wishing to save what was, at least, necessary,
+have prepared this box and have thrown it overboard.”
+
+“And do you think so, Mr. Smith?” asked Herbert.
+
+“Yes, my boy,” answered the engineer, “that might have been the case.
+It is possible, that, anticipating a ship wreck, this chest has been
+prepared, so that it might be found again on the coast—”
+
+“But the photographic apparatus!” observed the sailor incredulously.
+
+“As to that,” answered the engineer, “I do not see its use; what we, as
+well as any other ship wrecked person, would have valued more, would
+have been a greater assortment of clothing and more ammunition!”
+
+“But have none of these things any mark by which we can tell where they
+came from,” askedSpilett.
+
+They looked to see. Each article was examined attentively, but,
+contrary to custom, neither books, instruments, nor arms had any name
+or mark; nevertheless, they were in perfect order, and seemed never to
+have been used. So also with the tools and utensils; everything was
+new, and this went to prove that the things had not been hastily thrown
+together in the box, but that their selection had been made
+thoughtfully and with care. This, also, was evident from the zinc case
+which had kept everything watertight, and which could not have been
+soldered in a moment.
+
+The two dictionaries and the Bible were in English, and the latter
+showed that it had been often read. The Atlas was a splendid work,
+containing maps of every part of the world, and many charts laid out on
+Mercator’s Projection. The nomenclature in this book was in French, but
+neither in it, nor in any of the others, did the name of the editor or
+publisher appear.
+
+The colonists, therefore, were unable to even conjecture the
+nationality of the ship that had so recently passed near them. But no
+matter where it came from, this box enriched the party on Lincoln
+Island. Until now, in transforming the products of nature, they had
+created everything for themselves, and had succeeded by their own
+intelligence. Did it not now seem as if Providence had intended to
+reward them by placing these divers products of human industry in their
+hands? Therefore, with one accord, they all rendered thanks to Heaven.
+
+Nevertheless, Pencroff was not entirely satisfied. It appeared that the
+box did not contain something to which he attached an immense
+importance, and as its contests lessened, his cheers had become less
+hearty, and when the inventory was closed, he murmured:—
+
+“That’s all very fine, but you see there is nothing for me here!”
+
+“Why, what did you expect, Pencroff?” exclaimed Neb.
+
+“A half pound of tobacco,” answered the sailor, “and then I would have
+been perfectly happy!”
+
+The discovery of this jetsam made the thorough exploration of the
+island more necessary than ever. It was, therefore, agreed that they
+should set out early the next morning, proceeding to the western coast
+via the Mercy. If anyone had been shipwrecked on that part of the
+island, they were doubtless without resources, and help must be given
+them at once.
+
+During the day the contents of the box were carried to Granite House
+and arranged in order in the great hall. And that evening—the 29th of
+October—Herbert before retiring asked Mr. Smith to read some passages
+from the Bible.
+
+“Gladly,” answered the engineer, taking the sacred book in his hands;
+when Pencroff checking him, said:—
+
+“Mr. Smith, I am superstitious. Open the book at random and read the
+first verse which you meet with. We will see if it applies to our
+situation.”
+
+Smith smiled at the words of the sailor, but yielding to his wishes he
+opened the Bible where the marker lay between the leaves. Instantly his
+eye fell upon a red cross made with a crayon, opposite the 8th verse of
+the seventh chapter of St. Matthew.
+
+He read these words:—
+
+“For every one that asketh, receiveth; and he that seeketh, findeth.”
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXV.
+
+
+THE DEPARTURE—THE RISING TIDE—ELMS AND OTHER TREES—DIFFERENT PLANTS—THE
+KINGFISHER—APPEARANCE OF THE FOREST—THE GIGANTIC EUCALYPTI—WHY THEY ARE
+CALLED FEVER-TREES—MONKEYS—THE WATERFALL—ENCAMPMENT FOR THE NIGHT.
+
+
+The next day—the 30th of October—everything was prepared for the
+proposed exploration, which these last events had made so necessary.
+Indeed, as things had turned out, the colonists could well imagine
+themselves in a condition to give, rather than to receive, help.
+
+It was agreed that they ascend the Mercy as far as practicable. They
+would thus be able to transport their arms and provisions a good part
+of the way without fatigue.
+
+It was also necessary to think, not only of what they now carried, but
+of what they might perhaps bring back to Granite House. If, as all
+thought, there had been a shipwreck on the coast, they would find many
+things they wanted on the shore, and the cart would doubtless have
+proved more convenient than the canoe. But the cart was so heavy and
+unwieldy that it would have been too hard work to drag it, which fact
+made Pencroff regret that the box had not only held his half-pound of
+tobacco, but also a pair of stout New Jersey horses, which would have
+been so useful to the colony.
+
+The provisions, already packed by Neb, consisted of enough dried meat,
+beer, and fermented liquor to last them for the three days which Smith
+expected they would be absent. Moreover, they counted on being able to
+replenish their stock at need along the route, and Neb had taken care
+not to forget the portable stove.
+
+They took the two wood-choppers’ hatchets to aid in making their way
+through the thick forest, and also the glass and the pocket compass.
+
+Of the arms, they chose the two flint-lock guns in preference to the
+others, as the colonists could always renew the flints; whereas the
+caps could not be replaced. Nevertheless, they took one of the carbines
+and some cartridges. As for the powder, the barrels held fifty pounds,
+and it was necessary to take a certain amount of that; but the engineer
+expected to manufacture an explosive substance, by which it could be
+saved in the future. To the firearms they added the five cutlasses, in
+leather scabbards. And thus equipped, the party could venture into the
+forest with some chance of success.
+
+Armed in this manner, Pencroff, Herbert, and Neb had all they could
+desire, although Smith made them promise not to fire a shot
+unnecessarily.
+
+At 6 o’clock the party, accompanied by Top, started for the mouth of
+the Mercy. The tide had been rising half an hour, and there were
+therefore some hours yet of the flood which they could make use of. The
+current was strong, and they did not need to row to pass rapidly up
+between the high banks and the river. In a few minutes the explorers
+had reached the turn where, seven months before, Pencroff had made his
+first raft. Having passed this elbow, the river, flowing from the
+southwest, widened out under the shadow of the grand ever-green
+conifers; and Smith and his companions could not but admire the
+beautiful scenery. As they advanced the species of forest trees
+changed. On the right bank rose splendid specimens of ulmaceæ, those
+valuable elms so much sought after by builders, which have the property
+of remaining sound for a long time in water. There was, also, numerous
+groups belonging to the same family, among them the micocouliers, the
+root of which produces a useful oil. Herbert discovered some
+lardizabalaceæ, whose flexible branches, soaked in water, furnish
+excellent ropes, and two or three trunks of ebony of a beautiful black
+color, curiously veined.
+
+From time to time, where a landing was easy, the canoe stopped, and
+Spilett, Herbert, and Pencroff, accompanied by Top, explored the bank.
+In addition to the game, Herbert thought that he might meet with some
+useful little plant which was not to be despised, and the young
+naturalist was rewarded by discovering a sort of wild spinach and
+numerous specimens of the genus cabbage, which would, doubtless, bear
+transplanting; they were cresses, horse-radishes, and a little,
+velvety, spreading plant, three-feet high, bearing brownish-colored
+seeds.
+
+“Do you know what this is?” asked Herbert of the sailor.
+
+“Tobacco!” cried Pencroff, who had evidently never seen the plant which
+he fancied so much.
+
+“No, Pencroff,” answered Herbert, “It is not tobacco, it is mustard.”
+
+“Only mustard!” exclaimed the other. “Well if you happen to come across
+a tobacco plant, my boy, do not pass it by.”
+
+“We will find it someday,” said Spilett.
+
+“All right,” cried Pencroff, “and then I will be able to say that the
+island lacks nothing!”
+
+These plants were taken up carefully and carried back to the canoe,
+where Cyrus Smith had remained absorbed in his own thoughts.
+
+The reporter, Herbert, and Pencroff, made many of these excursions,
+sometimes on the right bank of the Mercy and sometimes upon the left.
+The latter was less abrupt, but more wooded. The engineer found, by
+reference to the pocket-compass, that the general direction of the
+river from its bend was southwest, and that it was nearly straight for
+about three miles. But it was probable that the direction would change
+further up, and that it would flow from the spurs of Mount Franklin,
+which fed its waters in the northwest.
+
+During one of these excursions Spilett caught a couple of birds with
+long, slim beaks, slender necks, short wings, and no tails, which
+Herbert called tinamous, and which they resolved should be the first
+occupants of the future poultry-yard.
+
+But the first report of a gun that echoed through the forests of the
+Far West, was provoked by the sight of a beautiful bird, resembling a
+kingfisher.
+
+“I know it,” cried Pencroff.
+
+“What do you know?” asked the reporter.
+
+“That bird! It is the bird which escaped on our first exploration, the
+one after which we named this part of the forest!”
+
+“A jacamar!” exclaimed Herbert.
+
+It was, indeed, one of those beautiful birds, whose harsh plumage is
+covered with a metallic lustre. Some small shot dropped it to the
+earth, and Top brought it, and also some touracolories, climbing birds,
+the size of pigeons, to the canoe. The honor of this first shot
+belonged to the lad, who was pleased enough with the result. The
+touracolories were better game than the jacamar, the flash of the
+latter being tough, but it would have been hard to persuade Pencroff
+that they had not killed the most delicious of birds.
+
+It was 10 o’clock when the canoe reached the second bend of the river,
+some five miles from the mouth. Here they stopped half an hour, under
+the shadow of the trees, for breakfast.
+
+The river measured from sixty to seventy feet in width, and was five or
+six feet deep. The engineer had remarked its several affluents, but
+they were simply unnavigable streams. The Forests of the Far West, or
+Jacamar Wood, extended farther than they could see, but no where could
+they detect the presence of man. If, therefore, any persons had been
+shipwrecked on the island, they had not yet quitted the shore, and it
+was not in those thick coverts that search must be made for the
+survivors.
+
+The engineer began to manifest some anxiety to get to the western coast
+of the island, distant, as he calculated, about five miles or less. The
+journey was resumed, and, although the course of the Mercy, sometimes
+towards the shore, was oftener towards the mountain, it was thought
+better to follow it as long as possible, on account of the fatigue and
+loss of time incident to hewing a way through the wood. Soon, the tide
+having attained its height, Herbert and Neb took the oars, and Pencroff
+the paddle, wad they continued the ascent by rowing.
+
+It seemed as if the forest of the Far West began to grow thinner. But,
+as the trees grew farther apart, they profited by the increased space,
+and attained a splendid growth.
+
+“Eucalypti!” cried Herbert, descrying some of these superb plants, the
+loftiest giants of the extra-tropical zone, the congeners of the
+eucalypti of Australia and New Zealand, both of which countries were
+situated in the same latitude as Lincoln Island. Some rose 200 feet in
+height and measured twenty feet in circumference, and their bark, five
+fingers in thickness, exuded an aromatic resin. Equally wonderful were
+the enormous specimens of myrtle, their leaves extending edgewise to
+the sun, and permitting its rays to penetrate and fall upon the ground.
+
+“What trees!” exclaimed Neb. “Are they good for anything?”
+
+“Pshaw!” answered Pencroff. “They are like overgrown men, good for
+nothing but to show in fairs!”
+
+“I think you’re wrong, Pencroff,” said Spilett, “the eucalyptus wood is
+beginning to be extensively used in cabinet work.”
+
+“And I am sure,” added Herbert, “that it belongs to a most useful
+family,” and thereupon the young naturalist enumerated many species of
+the plant and their uses.
+
+Every one listened to the lad’s lesson in botany, Smith smiling,
+Pencroff with an indescribable pride. “That’s all very well, Herbert,”
+answered the sailor, “but I dare swear that of all these useful
+specimens none are as large as these!”
+
+“That is so.”
+
+“Then, that proves what I said,” replied the sailor, “that giants are
+good for nothing.”
+
+“There’s where you are wrong, Pencroff,” said the engineer, “these very
+eucalypti are good for something.”
+
+“For what?”
+
+“To render the country healthy about them. Do you know what they call
+them In Australia and New Zealand?”
+
+“No sir.”
+
+“They call them ‘fever’ trees.”
+
+“Because they give it?”
+
+“No; because they prevent it!”
+
+“Good. I shall make a note of that,” said the reporter.
+
+“Note then, my dear Spilett, that it has been proved that the presence
+of these trees neutralizes marsh miasmas. They have tried this natural
+remedy in certain unhealthy parts of Europe, and northern Africa, with
+the best results. And there are no intermittent fevers in the region of
+these forests, which is a fortunate thing for us colonists of Lincoln
+Island.”
+
+“What a blessed island!” cried Pencroff. “It would lack nothing—if it
+was not—”
+
+“That will come, Pencroff, we will find it,” answered the reporter;
+“but now let us attend to our work and push on as far as we can get
+with the canoe.”
+
+They continued on through the woods two miles further, the river
+becoming more winding, shallow, and so narrow that Pencroff pushed
+along with a pole. The sun was setting, and, as it would be impossible
+to pass in the darkness through the five or six miles of unknown woods
+which the engineer estimated lay between them and the coast, it was
+determined to camp wherever the canoe was obliged to stop.
+
+They now pushed on without delay through the forest, which grew more
+dense, and seemed more inhabited, because, if the sailor’s eyes did not
+deceive him, he perceived troops of monkeys running among the
+underbrush. Sometimes, two or three of these animals would halt at a
+distance from the canoe and regard its occupants, as if, seeing men for
+the first time, they had not then learned to fear them. It would have
+been easy to have shot some of these quadrumanes, but Smith was opposed
+to the useless slaughter. Pencroff, however, looked upon the monkey
+from a gastronomic point of view, and, indeed, as these animals are
+entirely herberiferous, they make excellent game; but since provisions
+abounded, it was useless to waste the ammunition.
+
+Towards 4 o’clock the navigation of the Mercy became very difficult,
+its course being obstructed by rocks and aquatic plants. The banks rose
+higher and higher, and, already, the bed of the stream was confined
+between the outer spurs of Mount Franklin. Its sources could not be far
+off, since the waters were fed by the southern watershed of that
+mountain.
+
+“Before a quarter of an hour we will have to stop, sir,” said Pencroff.
+
+“Well, then, we will make a camp for the night.”
+
+“How far are we from Granite House?” asked Herbert.
+
+“About seven miles, counting the bends of the river, which have taken
+us to the northwest.”
+
+“Shall we keep on?” asked the reporter.
+
+“Yes, as far as we can get,” answered the engineer. “To-morrow, at
+daylight, we will leave the canoe, and traverse, in two hours I hope,
+the distance which separates us from the coast, and then we will have
+nearly the whole day in which to explore the shore.”
+
+“Push on,” cried Pencroff.
+
+Very soon the canoe grated on the stones at the bottom of the river,
+which was not more than twenty feet wide. A thick mass of verdure
+overhung and descended the stream, and they heard the noise of a
+waterfall, which indicated that some little distance further on there
+existed a natural barrier.
+
+And, indeed, at the last turn in the river, they saw the cascade
+shining through the trees. The canoe scraped over the bottom and then
+grounded on a rock near the right bank.
+
+It was 5 o’clock, and the level rays of the setting sun illuminated the
+little fall. Above, the Mercy, supplied from a secret source, was
+hidden by the bushes. The various streams together had made it a river,
+but here it was but a shallow, limpid brook.
+
+They made camp in this lovely spot. Having disembarked, a fire was
+lighted under a group of micocouliers, in whose branches Smith and his
+companions could, if need be, find a refuge for the night.
+
+Supper was soon finished, as they were very hungry, and then there was
+nothing to do but to go to sleep. But some suspicious growling being
+heard at nightfall, the fire was so arranged as to protect the sleepers
+by its flames. Neb and Pencroff kept it lit, and perhaps they were not
+mistaken in believing to have seen some moving shadows among the trees
+and bushes; but the night passed without accident, and the next day—the
+31st of October—by 5 o’clock all were on foot ready for the start.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVI.
+
+
+GOING TOWARD THE COAST—TROOPS OF MONKEYS—A NEW WATER-COURSE—WHY THE
+TIDE WAS NOT FELT—A FOREST ON THE SHORE—REPTILE PROMONTORY—SPILETT
+MAKES HERBERT ENVIOUS—THE BAMBOO FUSILADE.
+
+
+It was 6 o’clock when the colonists, after an early breakfast, started
+with the intention of reaching the coast by the shortest route. Smith
+had estimated that it would take them two hours, but it must depend
+largely on the nature of the obstacles in the way. This part of the Far
+West was covered with trees, like an immense thicket composed of many
+different species. It was, therefore, probable that they would have to
+make a way with hatchets in hand—and guns also, if they were to judge
+from the cries heard over night.
+
+The exact position of the camp had been determined by the situation of
+Mount Franklin, and since the volcano rose less than three miles to the
+north, it was only necessary to go directly toward the southwest to
+reach the west coast.
+
+After having seen to the mooring of the canoe, the party started, Neb
+and Pencroff carrying sufficient provisions to last the little troop
+for two days at least. They were no longer hunting, and the engineer
+recommended his companions to refrain from unnecessary firing, so as
+not to give warning of their presence on the coast. The first blows of
+the hatchet were given in the bushes just above the cascade, while
+Smith, compass in hand, indicated the route. The forest was, for the
+most part, composed of such trees as had already been recognized about
+the lake and on Prospect Plateau. The colonists could advance but
+slowly, and the engineer believed that in time their route would join
+with that of Red Creek.
+
+Since their departure, the party had descended the low declivities
+which constituted the orography of the island, over a very dry
+district, although the luxuriant vegetation suggested either a
+hydrographic network permeating the ground beneath, or the proximity to
+some stream. Nevertheless, Smith did not remember having seen, during
+the excursion to the crater, any other water courses than Bed Creek and
+the Mercy.
+
+During the first few hours of the march, they saw troops of monkeys,
+who manifested the greatest astonishment at the sight of human beings.
+Spilett laughingly asked if these robust quadrumanes did not look upon
+their party as degenerate brethren; and, in truth, the simple
+pedestrians, impeded at each step by the bushes, entangled in the
+lianas, stopped by tree trunks, did not compare favorably with these
+nimble animals, which bounded from branch to branch, moving about
+without hindrance. These monkeys were very numerous, but, fortunately,
+they did not manifest any hostile disposition.
+
+They saw, also, some wild-boars, some agoutis, kangaroos, and other
+rodents, and two or three koulas, which latter Pencroff would have been
+glad to shoot.
+
+“But,” said he, “the hunt has not begun. Play now, my friends, and we
+will talk to you when we come back.”
+
+At half-past 9, the route, which bore directly southwest, was suddenly
+interrupted by a rapid stream, rushing over rocks, and pent in between
+banks but thirty or forty feet apart. It was deep and clear, but
+absolutely unnavigable.
+
+“We are stopped!” cried Neb.
+
+“No,” replied Herbert; “we can swim such a brook as this.”
+
+“Why should we do that?” answered Smith. “It is certain that this creek
+empties into the sea. Let us keep to this bank and I will be astonished
+if it does not soon bring us to the coast. Come on!”
+
+“One minute,” said the reporter. “The name of this creek, my friends?
+We must not leave our geography incomplete.”
+
+“True enough,” said Pencroff.
+
+“You name it, my boy,” said the engineer, addressing Herbert.
+
+“Will not it be better to wait till we have discovered its mouth?”
+asked Herbert.
+
+“Right,” replied Smith, “let us push on.”
+
+“Another minute,” exclaimed Pencroff.
+
+“What more?” demanded the reporter.
+
+“If hunting is forbidden, fishing is allowed, I suppose,” said the
+sailor.
+
+“We haven’t the time to waste,” answered the engineer.
+
+“But just five minutes,” pleaded Pencroff; “I only want five minutes
+for the sake of breakfast!” And lying down on the bank he plunged his
+arms in the running waters and soon brought up several dozen of the
+fine crawfish which swarmed between the rocks.
+
+“These will be good!” cried Neb, helping the sailor.
+
+“Did not I tell you that the island had everything but tobacco?” sighed
+the sailor.
+
+It took but five minutes to fill a sack with these little blue
+crustaceæ, and then the journey was resumed.
+
+By following the bank the colonists moved more freely. Now and then
+they found traces of large animals which came to the stream for water,
+but they found no sign of human beings, and they were not yet in that
+part of the Far West where the peccary had received the leaden pellet
+which cost Pencroff a tooth.
+
+Smith and his companions judged, from the fact that the current rushed
+towards the sea with such rapidity, that they must be much farther
+from, the coast than they imagined, because at this time the tide was
+rising, and its’ effect would have been visible near the mouth of the
+creek. The engineer was greatly astonished, and often consulted his
+compass to be sure that the stream, was not returning towards the
+depths of the forest. Meantime, its waters, gradually widening, became
+less tumultuous. The growth of trees on the right bank was much denser
+than on the left, and it was impossible to see through this thicket;
+but these woods were certainly not inhabited, or Top would have
+discovered it. At half-past 10, to the extreme surprise of Smith,
+Herbert, who was walking some paces ahead, suddenly stopped,
+exclaiming, “The sea!”
+
+And a few minutes later the colonists, standing upon the border of the
+forest, saw the western coast of the island spread before them.
+
+But what a contrast was this coast to the one on which chance had
+thrown them! No granite wall, no reef in the offing, not even a beach.
+The forest formed the shore, and its furthermost trees, washed by the
+waves, leaned over the waters. It was in no sense such a beach as is
+usually met with, composed of vast reaches of sand or heaps of rocks,
+but a fine border of beautiful trees. The bank was raised above the
+highest tides, and upon this rich soil, supported by a granite base,
+the splendid monarchs of the forest seemed to be as firmly set as were
+those which stood in the interior of the island.
+
+The colonists stood in a hollow by a tiny rivulet, which served as a
+neck to the other stream; but, curiously enough, these waters, instead
+of emptying into the sea by a gently sloping opening, fell from a
+height of more than forty feet—which fact explained why the rising tide
+did not affect the current. And, on this account, they were unanimous
+in giving this water-course the name of Fall River.
+
+Beyond, towards the north, the forest shore extended for two miles;
+then the trees became thinner, and, still further on, a line of
+picturesque heights extended from north to south. On the other hand,
+all that part of the coast comprised between Fall River and the
+promontory of Reptile End was bordered by masses of magnificent trees,
+some upright and others leaning over the sea, whose waves lapped their
+roots. It was evidently, therefore, on this part of the coast that the
+exploration must be continued, as this shore offered to the castaways,
+whoever they might be, a refuge, which the other, desert and savage,
+had refused.
+
+The weather was beautiful, and from the cliff where the breakfast had
+been prepared, the view extended far and wide. The horizon was
+perfectly distinct, without a sail in sight, and upon the coast, as far
+as could be seen, there was neither boat nor wreck, but the engineer
+was not willing to be satisfied in this respect, until they had
+explored the whole distance as far as Serpentine Peninsula.
+
+After a hurried breakfast he gave the signal to start. Instead of
+traversing a beach, the colonists followed along the coast, under the
+trees. The distance to Reptile End was about twelve miles, and, had the
+way been clear, they could have accomplished it in four hours, but the
+party were constantly obliged to turn out from the way, or to cut
+branches, or to break through thickets, and these hindrances multiplied
+as they proceeded. But they saw no signs of a recent shipwreck on the
+shore; although, as Spilett observed, as the tide was up, they could
+not say with certainty that there had not been one.
+
+This reasoning was just, and, moreover, the incident of the bullet
+proved, indubitably, that within three months a gun had been fired on
+the island.
+
+At 5 o’clock the extremity of the peninsula was still two miles
+distant, and it was evident that the colonists would have to camp for
+the night on the promontory of Reptile End. Happily, game was as plenty
+here as on the other coast, and birds of different kinds abounded. Two
+hours later, the party, tired out, reached the promontory. Here the
+forest border ended, and the shore assumed the usual aspect of a coast.
+It was possible that an abandoned vessel might be here, but, as the
+night was falling, it was necessary to postpone the exploration until
+the morrow.
+
+Pencroff and Herbert hastened to find a suitable place for a camp. The
+outskirts of the forest died away here, and near them the lad found a
+bamboo thicket.
+
+“Good,” said he, “this is a valuable discovery.”
+
+“Valuable?” asked Pencroff.
+
+“Yes, indeed, I need not tell you, Pencroff, all its uses, such as for
+making baskets, paper, and water-pipes; that the larger ones make
+excellent building material and strong jars. But—”
+
+“But?”
+
+“But perhaps you do not know that in India they eat bamboo as we do
+asparagus.”
+
+“Asparagus thirty feet high?” cried, Pencroff. “And is it good?”
+
+“Excellent,” answered the lad. “But they eat only the young sprouts.”
+
+“Delicious!” cried Pencroff.
+
+“And I am sure that the pith of young plants preserved in vinegar makes
+an excellent condiment.”
+
+“Better and better.”
+
+“And, lastly, they exude a sweet liquor which makes a pleasant drink.”
+
+“Is that all?” demanded the sailor.
+
+“That’s all.”
+
+“Isn’t it good to smoke?”
+
+“No, my poor Pencroff, you cannot smoke it!”
+
+They did not have to search far for a good place for the camp. The
+rocks, much worn by the action of the sea, had many hollows that would
+afford shelter from the wind. But just as they were about to enter one
+of these cavities they were arrested by formidable growlings.
+
+“Get back!” cried Pencroff, “we have only small shot in our guns, and
+these beasts would mind it no more than salt!”
+
+And the sailor, seizing Herbert, dragged him behind some rocks, just as
+a huge jaguar appeared at the mouth of the cavern. Its skin was yellow,
+striped with black, and softened off with white under its belly. The
+beast advanced, and looked about. Its hair was bristling, and its eyes
+sparkling as if it was not scenting man for the first time.
+
+Just then Spilett appeared, coming round the high rocks, and Herbert,
+thinking he had not seen the jaguar, was about rushing towards him,
+when the reporter, motioning with his hand, continued his approach. It
+was not his first tiger.
+
+Advancing within ten paces of the animal, he rested motionless, his gun
+at his shoulder, not a muscle quivering. The jaguar, crouching back,
+made a bound towards the hunter, but as it sprung a bullet struck it
+between the eyes, dropping it dead.
+
+Herbert and Pencroff rushed to it, and Smith and Neb coming up at the
+moment, all stopped to look at the splendid animal lying at length upon
+the sand.
+
+“Oh, Mr. Spilett, how I envy you!” cried Herbert, in an excess of
+natural enthusiasm.
+
+“Well, my boy, you would have done as well,” answered the reporter.
+
+“I have been as cool as that!”
+
+“Only imagine, Herbert, that a jaguar is a hare, and you will shoot him
+as unconcernedly as anything in the world! And now,” continued the
+reporter, “since the jaguar has left his retreat I don’t see, my
+friends, why we should not occupy the place during the night”
+
+“But some others may return!” said Pencroff.
+
+“We will only have to light a fire at the entrance of the cavern,” said
+the reporter, “and they will not dare to cross the threshold.”
+
+“To the jaguar house, then,” cried the sailor, dragging the body of the
+animal after him.
+
+The colonists went to the abandoned cave, and, while Neb was occupied
+in skinning the carcass, the others busied themselves with piling a
+great quantity of dry wood around the threshold. This done they
+installed themselves in the cave, whose floor was strewn with bones;
+the arms were loaded for an emergency; and, having eaten supper, as
+soon as the time for sleep was come, the fire at the entrance was lit.
+
+Immediately a tremendous fusilade ensued! It was the bamboo which, in
+burning, exploded like fire-works! The noise, in itself, would have
+been sufficient to frighten off the bravest beasts.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVII.
+
+
+PROPOSAL TO RETURN BY THE SOUTH COAST—ITS CONFIGURATION—SEARCH FOR THE
+SHIPWRECKED—A WAIF IN THE AIR—DISCOVERY OF A SMALL NATURAL
+HARBOR—MIDNIGHT ON THE MERCY—A DRIFTING CANOE.
+
+
+Smith and his companions slept like mice in the cavern which the jaguar
+had so politely vacated, and, by sunrise, all were on the extremity of
+the promontory, and scrutinizing the horizon visible on either hand. No
+ship or wreck was to be seen, and not even with the spy-glass could any
+suspicious object be discerned. It was the same along the shore, at
+least on all that portion, three miles in length, which formed the
+south side of the promontory; as, beyond that, a slope of the land
+concealed the rest of the coast, and even from the extremity of
+Serpentine Peninsula, Claw Cape was hidden by high rocks.
+
+The southern bank of the island remained to be explored. Had they not
+better attempt this at once, and give up this day to it? This procedure
+had not entered into their first calculations, as, when the canoe was
+left at the sources of the Mercy, the colonists thought that, having
+explored the west coast, they would return by the river; Smith having
+then believed that this coast sheltered either a wreck or a passing
+ship. But as soon as this shore disclosed no landing place, it became
+necessary to search the south side of the island for those whom they
+had failed to discover on the west.
+
+It was Spilett who proposed continuing the exploration so as to settle
+definitely the question of the supposed shipwreck, and he inquired how
+far it would be to Claw Cape.
+
+“About thirty miles,” answered the engineer, “if we allow for the
+irregularity of the shore.”
+
+“Thirty miles!” exclaimed Spilett, “that would be a long walk.
+Nevertheless, I think we should return to Granite House by the south
+coast.”
+
+“But,” observed Herbert, “from Claw Cape to Granite House is at least
+ten miles further.”
+
+“Call it forty miles altogether,” answered the reporter, “and do not
+let us hesitate to do it. At least we will have seen this unknown
+shore, and will not have it to explore over again.”
+
+“That is so,” said Pencroff. “But how about the canoe?”
+
+“The canoe can stay where it is for a day or two,” replied Spilett. “We
+can hardly say that the island is infested with thieves!” ‘
+
+“Nevertheless, when I remember that affair of the turtle, I am not so
+confident.”
+
+“The turtle! the turtle!” cried the reporter, “don’t you know that the
+sea turned it over?”
+
+“Who can say?” murmured the engineer.
+
+“But—,” began Neb, who, it was evident, wished to say something.
+
+“What is it, Neb?” questioned the engineer.
+
+“If we do return by the shore to Claw Cape, after having gone round it,
+we will be stopped—”
+
+“By the Mercy!” cried Herbert. “And we have no bridge or boat!”
+
+“Oh!” answered Pencroff, “we can cross it readily enough with some
+logs.”
+
+“Nevertheless,” said Spilett, “it would be well to build a bridge some
+time if we wish to have ready access to the Far West.”
+
+“A bridge!” cried Pencroff. “Well isn’t Mr. Smith State Engineer? If we
+shall need a bridge we will have one. As to carrying you over the Mercy
+to-night without getting wet, I will look out for that. We still have a
+day’s provision, which is all that is necessary, and, besides, the game
+may not give out to-day as It did yesterday. So let us go.”
+
+The proposal of the reporter, strongly seconded by the sailor, obtained
+general approval, as every one wished to end their doubts, and by
+returning by Claw Cape the exploration would be complete. But no time
+was to be lost, for the tramp was long, and they counted on reaching
+Granite House that night. So by 6 o’clock the little party was on its
+way, the guns loaded with ball in case of an encounter, and Top, who
+went ahead, ordered to search the edge of the forest.
+
+The first five miles of the distance was rapidly traversed, and not the
+slightest sign of any human being was seen. When the colonists arrived
+at the point where the curvature of the promontory ended, and
+Washington Bay began, they were able to take in at one view the whole
+extent of the southern coast. Twenty-five miles distant the shore was
+terminated by Claw Cape, which was faintly visible through the morning
+mists, and reproduced as a mirage in mid-air. Between the place
+occupied by the colonists and the upper end of the Great Bay the shore
+began with a flat and continuous beach, bordered in the background by
+tall trees; following this, it became very irregular, and thrust sharp
+points into the sea, and finally a heap of black rocks, thrown together
+in picturesque disorder, completed the distance to Claw Cape.
+
+“A ship would surely be lost on these sands and shoals and reefs,” said
+Pencroff.
+
+“It is poor quarters!”
+
+“But at least a portion of her would be left,” observed the reporter.
+
+“Some bits of wood would remain on the reefs, nothing on the sands,”
+answered the sailor.
+
+“How is that?”
+
+“Because the sands are even more dangerous than the rocks, and swallow
+up everything that is thrown upon them; a few days suffice to bury out
+of sight the hull of a ship of many tons measurement.”
+
+“Then, Pencroff,” questioned the engineer, “if a vessel had been lost
+on these banks, it would not be surprising if there was no trace left?”
+
+“No, sir, that is after a time or after a tempest. Nevertheless, it
+would be surprising, as now, that no spars or timbers were thrown upon
+the shore beyond the reach of the sea.”
+
+“Let us continue our search,” replied Smith.
+
+By 1 o’clock the party had accomplished twenty miles, having reached
+the upper end of Washington Bay, and they stopped to lunch.
+
+Here began an irregular shore, oddly cut into by a long line of rocks,
+succeeding the sand banks, and just beginning to show themselves by
+long streaks of foam, above the undulations of the receding waves. From
+this point to Claw Cape the beach was narrow and confined between the
+reef of rocks and the forest, and the march would therefore be more
+difficult. The granite wall sunk more and more, and above it the tops
+of the trees, undisturbed by a breath of air, appeared in the
+background.
+
+After half an hour’s rest the colonists took up the march again, on the
+lookout for any sign of a wreck, but without success. They found out,
+however, that edible mussels were plenty on this beach, although they
+would not gather them until means of transport between the two banks of
+the river should have been perfected.
+
+Towards 3 o’clock, Smith and his companions reached a narrow inlet,
+unfed by any water-course. It formed a veritable little natural harbor,
+invisible from without, and approached by a narrow passage guarded by
+the reefs. At the upper end of this creek some violent convulsion had
+shattered the rock, and a narrow, sloping passage gave access to the
+upper plateau, which proved to be ten miles from Claw Cape, and
+therefore four miles in a direct line from Prospect Plateau.
+
+Spilett proposed to his companions to halt here, and, as the march had
+sharpened their appetites, although it was not dinner time, no one
+objected to a bit of venison, and with this lunch they would be able to
+await supper at Granite House.
+
+Soon the colonists, seated under a group of splendid pines, were eating
+heartily of the provisions which Neb had brought out from his
+haversack. The place was some fifty or sixty feet above the sea, and
+the view, extending beyond the furthest rock of the cape, was lost in
+Union Bay. But the islet and Prospect Plateau were invisible, as the
+high ground and the curtain of high trees shut out the horizon to the
+north. Neither over the extent of sea nor on that part of the coast
+which it was still necessary to explore could they discover even with
+the spyglass any suspicious object.
+
+“Well” said Spilett, “we can console ourselves by thinking that no one
+is disputing the island with us.”
+
+“But how about the pellet?” said Herbert. “It was not a dream.”
+
+“Indeed it was not!” cried Pencroff, thinking of his missing tooth.
+
+“Well, what are we to conclude?” asked the reporter.
+
+“This,” said Smith, “that within three months a ship, voluntarily or
+otherwise, has touched—”
+
+“What! You will admit, Cyrus, that it has been swallowed up without
+leaving any trace?” cried the reporter.
+
+“No, my dear Spilett; but you must remember that while it is certain
+that a human being has been here, it seems just as certain that he is
+not here now.”
+
+“Then, if I understand you sir,” said Herbert, “the ship has gone
+again?”
+
+“Evidently.”
+
+“And we have lost, beyond return, a chance to get home?” said Neb.
+
+“I believe without return.”
+
+“Well then, since the chance is lost, let us push on,” said Pencroff,
+already home-sick for Granite House.
+
+“But, just as they were rising, Top’s barking was heard, and the dog
+burst from the forest, holding in his mouth a soiled rag.
+
+Neb took it from him. It was a bit of strong cloth. Top, still barking,
+seemed by his motions to invite his master to follow into the wood.
+
+“Here is something which will explain my bullet,” cried Pencroff.
+
+“A shipwrecked person!” answered Herbert.
+
+“Wounded, perhaps!” exclaimed Neb.
+
+“Or dead!” responded the reporter.
+
+And all holding their arms in readiness, hurried after the dog through
+the outskirts of the forests. They advanced some distance into the
+wood, but, to their disappointment, they saw no tracks. The underbrush
+and lianas were uninjured and had to be cut away with the hatchet, as
+in the depths of the forest. It was hard to imagine that any human
+creature had passed there, and yet Top’s action showed no uncertainty,
+but was more like that of a human being having a fixed purpose.
+
+In a few minutes the dog stopped. The colonists, who had arrived at a
+sort of glade surrounded by high trees, looked all about them, but
+neither in the underbrush or between the tree trunks could they
+discover a thing.
+
+“What is it, Top?” said Smith.
+
+Top, barking louder, ran to the foot of a gigantic pine.
+
+Suddenly Pencroff exclaimed:—
+
+“This is capital!”
+
+“What’s that,” asked Spilett.
+
+“We’ve been hunting for some waif on the sea or land—”
+
+“Well?”
+
+“And here it is in the air!”
+
+And the sailor pointed out a mass of faded cloth caught on the summit
+of the pine, a piece of which Top had found on the ground.
+
+“But that is no waif!” exclaimed Spilett.
+
+“Indeed it is,” answered Pencroff.
+
+“How is it!”
+
+“It is all that is left of our balloon, of our ship which is stranded
+on the top of this tree.”
+
+Pencroff was not mistaken, and he added, with a shout:—
+
+“And there is good stuff in it which will keep us in linen for years.
+It will make us handkerchiefs and shirts. Aha, Mr. Spilett! what do you
+say of an island where shirts grow on the trees?”
+
+It was, indeed, a fortunate thing for the colonists that the aerostat,
+after having made its last bound into the air, had fallen again on the
+island. They could, either keep the envelope in its present shape, in
+case they might desire to attempt a new flight through the air, or,
+after having taken off the varnish, they could make use of its hundreds
+of ells of good cotton cloth. At these thoughts all shared Pencroff’s
+joy.
+
+It was no easy task to take down this envelope from the tree top. But
+Neb, Herbert, and the sailor climbed up to it, and after two hours of
+hard work not only the envelope, with its valve, springs, and leather
+mountings, but the net, equivalent to a large quantity of cordage and
+ropes, together with the iron ring and the anchor, lay upon the ground.
+The envelope, excepting the rent, was in good order, and only its lower
+end had been torn away.
+
+It was a gift from heaven.
+
+“Nevertheless, Mr. Smith,” said the sailor, “if we ever do decide to
+leave the island it won’t be in a balloon, I hope. These air ships
+don’t always go the way you want them to, as we have found out. If you
+will let me have my way, we will build a ship of twenty tons, and you
+will allow me to cut from this cloth a foresail and jib. The rest of it
+will do for clothes.”
+
+“We will see about it, Pencroff,” answered Smith.
+
+“And meanwhile it must all be put away carefully,” said Neb.
+
+In truth, they could not think of carrying all this weight of material
+to Granite House; and while waiting for a proper means of removing it,
+it was important not to leave it exposed to the weather. The colonists,
+uniting their efforts, succeeded in dragging it to the shore, where
+they discovered a cave so situated that neither wind, rain, nor sea
+could get at it.
+
+“It is a wardrobe,” said Pencroff; “but since it does not kick, it will
+be prudent to hide the opening, not, perhaps from two-footed, but from
+four-footed thieves!”
+
+By 6 o’clock everything was stored away, and after having named the
+little inlet, Balloon, Harbor, they took the road for Claw Cape.
+Pencroff and the engineer discussed several projects, which it would be
+well to attend to at once. The first thing was to build a bridge across
+the Mercy, and, as the canoe was too small, to bring the balloon over
+in the cart. Then to build a decked launch, which Pencroff would make
+cutter-rigged, and in which they could make voyages of
+circumnavigation—around the island; then, etc.
+
+In the meantime the night approached, and it was already dark, when the
+colonists reached Jetsam Point, where they had discovered the precious
+box. But here, as elsewhere, there was nothing to indicate a shipwreck,
+and it became necessary to adopt the opinions expressed by Smith.
+
+The four miles from Jetsam Point to Granite House were quickly
+traversed, but it was midnight when the colonists arrived at the first
+bend above the mouth of the Mercy. There the river was eighty feet
+wide, and Pencroff, who had undertaken to overcome the difficulty of
+crossing it, set to work. It must be admitted that the colonists were
+fatigued. The tramp had been long, and the incident of the balloon had
+not rested their arms or legs. They were therefore anxious to get back
+to Granite House to supper and bed, and if they had only had the
+bridge, in a quarter of an hour they could have been at home.
+
+The night was very dark. Pencroff and Neb, armed with the hatchets,
+chose two trees near the bank, and began cutting them down, in order to
+make a raft. Smith and Spilett, seated on the ground, waited to assist
+their companions, and Herbert sauntered about, doing nothing.
+
+All at once the lad, who had gone up the stream, returned hurriedly,
+and, pointing back, exclaimed:—
+
+“What is that drifting there?”
+
+Pencroff stopped work and perceived an object resting motionless in the
+gloom.
+
+“A canoe!” he exclaimed.
+
+All came up and saw, to their astonishment, a boat following the
+current.
+
+“Canoe, ahoy!” shouted Pencroff from force of habit, forgetting that it
+might be better to keep quiet.
+
+There was no answer. The boat continued to drift, and it was not more
+than a dozen paces off, when the sailor exclaimed:—
+
+“Why, it’s our canoe! She has broken away and drifted down with the
+current. Well, we must admit that she comes in the nick of time!”
+
+“Our canoe!” murmured the engineer.
+
+Pencroff was right. It was indeed their canoe, which had doubtless
+broken loose and drifted all the way from the headwaters of the Mercy!
+It was important to seize it in passing before it should be drawn into
+the rapid current at the mouth of the river, and Pencroff and Neb, by
+the aid of a long pole, did this, and drew the canoe to the bank.
+
+The engineer stepped in first, and, seizing the rope, assured himself
+that it had been really worn in two against the rocks.
+
+“This,” said the reporter in an undertone; “this is a coincidence—”
+
+“It is very strange!” answered the engineer.
+
+At least it was fortunate, and while no one could doubt that the rope
+had been broken by friction, the astonishing part of the affair was
+that the canoe had arrived at the moment when the colonists were there
+to seize it, for a quarter of an hour later, and it would have been
+carried out to sea. Had there been such things as genii, this incident
+would have been sufficient to make the colonists believe that the
+island was inhabited by a supernatural being, who placed his power at
+their disposal.
+
+With a few strokes the party arrived at the mouth of the Mercy. The
+canoe was drawn on shore at the Chimneys, and all took their way to the
+ladder at Granite House.
+
+But, just then, Top began barking furiously, and Neb, who was feeling
+for the lower rung, cried out:—
+
+“The ladder’s gone!”
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVIII
+
+
+PENCROFF’S HALLOOS—A NIGHT IN THE CHIMNEYS—HERBERT’S ARROW—SMITH’S
+PLAN—AN UNEXPECTED SOLUTION—WHAT HAD HAPPENED IN GRANITE HOUSE—HOW THE
+COLONISTS OBTAINED A NEW DOMESTIC.
+
+
+Smith stood silent. His companions searched in the obscurity along the
+wall, over the ground, for the broken part of the ladder, supposing it
+had been torn off by the wind. But the ladder had certainly
+disappeared, although it was impossible to tell in the darkness whether
+a gust of wind had not carried it up and lodged it on the first ledge.
+
+“If this is a joke, it’s a pretty poor one,” cried Pencroff. “To get
+home and not be able to find the staircase, won’t do for tired men.”
+
+Neb stood in open-mouthed amazement.
+
+“It could not have been carried away by the wind!” said Herbert.
+
+“I’m beginning to think that strange things happen in Lincoln Island!”
+said Pencroff.
+
+“Strange?” rejoined Spilett. “Why no, Pencroff, nothing is more
+natural. Somebody has come while we have been absent, and has taken
+possession of the house and drawn up the ladder!”.
+
+“Some one!” cried the sailor. “Who could it be?”
+
+“Why, the man who shot the bullet,” answered the reporter “How else can
+you explain it?”
+
+“Very well, if any one is up there,” replied Pencroff, beginning to get
+angry, “I will hail him, and he had better answer.”
+
+And in a voice of thunder the sailor gave a prolonged “Ohe,” which was
+loudly repeated by the echoes.
+
+The colonists listened, and thought that they heard a sort of chuckling
+proceed from Granite House. But there was no answering voice to the
+sailor, who repeated his appeal in vain.
+
+Here was an event that would have astonished people the most
+indifferent, and from their situation the colonists could not be that.
+To them, the slightest incident was of moment, and certainly during
+their seven months’ residence nothing equal to this had happened.
+
+They stood there at the foot of Granite House not knowing what to do or
+to say. Neb was disconsolate at not being able to get back to the
+kitchen, especially as the provisions taken for the journey had all
+been eaten, and they had no present means of renewing them.
+
+“There is but one thing to do, my friends,” said Smith, “to wait until
+daylight, and then to be governed by circumstances. Meanwhile let us go
+to the Chimneys, where we will be sheltered, and, even if we cannot
+eat, we can sleep.”
+
+“But who is the ill-mannered fellow that has played us this trick?”
+asked Pencroff again, who thought it no joke.
+
+Whoever he was, there was nothing to do but to follow the engineer’s
+advice. Top having been ordered to lie down under the windows of
+Granite House, took his place without complaint. The brave dog remained
+at the foot of the wall, while his master and his companions took
+shelter among the rocks.
+
+The colonists, tired as they were, slept but little. Not only were
+their beds uncomfortable, but it was certain that their house was
+occupied at present, and they were unable to get into it. Now Granite
+House was not only their dwelling, it was their storehouse. Everything
+they possessed was stored there. It would be a serious thing if this
+should be pillaged and they should have again to begin at the
+beginning. In their anxiety, one or the other went out often to see if
+the dog remained on watch. Smith, alone, waited with his accustomed
+patience, although he was exasperated at finding himself confronted by
+something utterly inexplicable, and his reason shrank from the thought
+that around him, over him, perhaps, was exercising an influence to
+which he could give no name. Spilett sharing his thoughts, they
+conversed together in an undertone of those unaccountable events which
+defied all their knowledge and experience. Certainly, there was a
+mystery about this island, but how discover it? Even Herbert did not
+know what to think, and often questioned Smith. As to Neb, he said that
+this was his master’s business and not his; and if he had not feared
+offending his companions, the brave fellow would have slept this night
+as soundly as if he had been in his bed in Granite House.
+
+Pencroff, however, was very much put out.
+
+“It’s a joke,” he said. “It’s a joke that is played on us. Well, I
+don’t like such jokes, and the joker won’t like it, if I catch him!”
+
+At dawn the colonists, well armed, followed along the shore to the
+reefs. By 5 o’clock the closed windows of Granite House appeared
+through their leafy curtain. Everything, from this side, appeared to be
+in order, but an exclamation escaped from the colonists when they
+perceived that the door which they had left closed was wide open. There
+could be no more doubt that some one was in Granite House, The upper
+ladder was in its place; but the lower had been drawn up to the
+threshold. It was evident that the intruders wished to guard against a
+surprise. As to telling who or how many they were, that was still
+impossible, as none had yet shown themselves.
+
+Pencroff shouted again, but without answer.
+
+“The beggars!” he exclaimed, “to sleep as soundly as if they were at
+home! Halloo! pirates! bandits! corsairs! sons of John Bull!”
+
+When Pencroff, as an American, called any one a “son of John Bull,” he
+had reached the acme of insult.
+
+Just then, the day broke and the facade of Granite House was
+illuminated by the rays of the rising sun. But inside as well as
+without all was still and calm. It was evident from the position of the
+ladder that whoever had been inside the house had not come out. But how
+could they get up to them?
+
+Herbert conceived the idea of shooting an arrow attached to a cord
+between the lower rungs of the ladder which were hanging from the
+doorway: They would thus be able by means of the cord to pull this
+ladder down, and gain access to Granite House. There was evidently
+nothing else to do, and with a little skill this attempt might prove
+successful. Fortunately there were bows and arrows at the Chimneys, and
+they found there, also, some twenty fathoms of light hibiscus cord.
+Pencroff unrolled this, and fastened the end to a well-feathered arrow.
+Then Herbert having placed the arrow in his bow took careful aim at the
+hanging part of the ladder.
+
+The others stationed themselves some distance in the background to
+observe what might happen, and the reporter covered the doorway with
+his carbine.
+
+The bow bent, the arrow shot upward with the cord, and passed between
+the two lower rungs of the ladder. The operation had succeeded. But
+just as Herbert, having caught the end of the cord, was about giving it
+a pull to make the ladder fall, an arm thrust quickly between the door
+and the wall seized the ladder and drew it within Granite House.
+
+“You little beggar!” cried Pencroff. “If a ball would settle you, you
+would not have to wait long!”
+
+“But what is it?” demanded Neb.
+
+“What! didn’t you see?”
+
+“No.”
+
+“Why, it’s a monkey, a macauco, a sapajo, an orang, a baboon, a
+gorilla, a sagoin! Our house has been invaded by monkeys, which have
+climbed up the ladder while we were away.”
+
+And at the moment, as if to prove the truth of what the sailor said,
+three or four quadrumana threw open the window shutters and saluted the
+true proprietors of the place with a thousand contortions and grimaces.
+
+“I knew all the time it was a joke,” cried Pencroff, “But here’s one of
+the jokers that will pay for the others!” he added, covering a monkey
+with his gun and firing. All disappeared but, this one, which, mortally
+wounded, fell to the ground.
+
+This monkey was very large and evidently belonged to the first order of
+quadrumana. Whether a chimpanzee, an orang, a gorilla, or a gibbon, it
+ranked among these anthropomorphi, so called on account of their
+likeness to the human race. Herbert declared it was an orang-outang,
+and we all know that the lad understood zoology.
+
+“What a fine beast!” cried Neb.
+
+“As fine as you choose!” answered the reporter, “but I don’t see yet
+how we are going to get in!”
+
+“Herbert is a good shot,” said the reporter, “and his bow is sure! We
+will try again—”
+
+“But these monkeys are mischievous,” cried Pencroff, “and if they don’t
+come to the windows, we cannot shoot them; and when I think of the
+damage they can do in the rooms and, in the magazine—”
+
+“Have patience,” answered Smith. “These animals cannot hold us in
+check, very long.”
+
+“I will be sure of that when they are out of there, “rejoined Pencroff,
+“Can you say how many dozens of these fools there may be?”
+
+It would hare been hard to answer Pencroff, but it was harder to try
+again the experiment of the arrow, as the lower end of the ladder had
+been drawn within the doorway, and when they pulled on the cord again,
+it broke, and the ladder remained, as before.
+
+It was, Indeed, vexatious. Pencroff was in a fury, and, although the
+situation had a certain comic aspect, he did not think it funny at all.
+It was evident that the colonists would, eventually, get back into
+their house and drive out the monkeys, but when and how they could not
+say.
+
+Two hours passed, during which the monkeys avoided showing themselves;
+but they were there, for all that, and, two or three times, a muzzle or
+paw slipped by the door or the windows, and was saluted by a shot.
+
+“Let us conceal ourselves,” said the engineer, at length. “And then the
+monkeys will think we have gone off, and will show themselves again.
+Let Herbert and Spilett remain hidden behind the rocks and fire on any
+that appear.
+
+The directions of the engineer were followed, and while the reporter
+and the lad, who were the best shots in the party, took their
+positions, the others went over the plateau to the forest to shoot some
+game, as it was breakfast time and they had no food.
+
+In half an hour the hunters returned with some wild pigeons, which
+would be pretty good roasted. Not a monkey had shown itself.
+
+Spilett and Herbert went to their breakfast, while Top kept watch under
+the windows. Then they returned to their post. Two hours later the
+situation was unchanged. The quadrumana gave no sign of existence, and
+it seemed as if they must have disappeared; but it was more likely
+that, frightened by the death of one of their number and the
+detonations of the guns, they kept themselves hidden in the chambers or
+the store-room of Granite House. And, when the colonists thought of all
+that was stored in this latter room, the patience which the engineer
+had recommended turned into irritation, and indeed they could not be
+blamed for it.
+
+“It is too bad!” exclaimed the reporter, at length; “and is there no
+way we can put an end to this?”
+
+“We must make these beggars give up!” cried Pencroff. “We can readily
+do it, even if there are twenty of them, in a hand-to hand fight! Oh,
+is there no way we can get at them?”
+
+“Yes,” replied Smith, struck by an idea.
+
+“Only one?” rejoined Pencroff. “Well, that’s better than none at all.
+What is it?”
+
+“Try to get into Granite House by the old weir,” answered the engineer.
+
+“Why in the mischief didn’t I think of that!” cried the sailor.
+
+This was, indeed, the only way to get into Granite House, in order to
+fight the band and drive them out. It is true that, if they tore down
+the cemented wall which closed the weir, the work would have all to be
+done over again; but, fortunately, Smith had not yet effected his
+design of hiding this opening by covering it again with the lake, as
+that operation necessitated a good deal of time.
+
+It was already past noon when the colonists, well armed and furnished
+with picks and mattocks, left the Chimneys, passed under the windows of
+Granite House, and, having ordered Top to remain at his post, made
+ready to climb the left bank of the Mercy, so as to reach Prospect
+Plateau. But they had hardly gone fifty paces, when they heard the loud
+barkings of the dog, as if making a desperate appeal. All halted.
+
+“Let us run back,” cried Pencroff. And all did as proposed as fast as
+possible.
+
+Arrived at the turn, the whole situation was changed. The monkeys,
+seized with a sudden fright, startled by some unknown cause, were
+trying to escape. Two or three were running and springing from window
+to window, with the agility of clowns. In their fright they seemed to
+have forgotten to replace the ladder, by which they could easily have
+descended. In a moment half a dozen were in such a position that they
+could be shot, and the colonists, taking aim, fired. Some fell, wounded
+or killed, within the chambers, uttering sharp cries. Others, falling
+to the ground without, were crushed by the fall, and a few moments
+afterwards it seemed as if there was not one living quadrumana in
+Granite House.
+
+“Hurrah,” said Pencroff, “hurrah, hurrah!”
+
+“Don’t cheer yet,” saidSpilett.
+
+“Why not,” asked Pencroff. “Ain’t they all killed.”
+
+“Doubtless: but that does not give us the means of getting in.”
+
+“Let us go the weir!” exclaimed Pencroff.
+
+“We will have to,” said the engineer. “Nevertheless it would have been
+preferable—”
+
+And at the instant, as if in answer to the observation of the engineer,
+they saw the ladder slide over the door-sill and roll over to the
+ground.
+
+“By the thousand pipes, but that is lucky!” cried Pencroff, looking at
+Smith.
+
+“Too lucky!” muttered Smith, springing up the ladder.
+
+“Take care, Mr. Smith!” exclaimed Pencroff, “if there should be any
+sojourners—”
+
+“We will soon see,” responded the other.
+
+All his companions followed him and in a moment were within the
+doorway.
+
+They searched everywhere. No one was in the chambers or in the
+storeroom, which remained undisturbed by the quadrumana.
+
+“And the ladder,” said Pencroff; “where is the gentleman who pushed it
+down to us?”
+
+But just then a cry was heard, and a huge monkey, that had taken refuge
+in the corridor, sprang into the great hall, followed by Neb.
+
+“Ah, the thief!” cried Pencroff, about to spring with his hatchet at
+the head of the animal, when Smith stopped him.
+
+“Spare it, Pencroff.”
+
+“What, spare this black ape?”
+
+“Yes, it is he that has thrown us the ladder,” said the engineer, in a
+voice so strange, that it was hard to say whether he was in earnest or
+not.
+
+Nevertheless, all threw themselves on the monkey, which, after a brave
+resistance, was thrown down and tied.
+
+“Ugh!” exclaimed Pencroff; “and now what will we do with it?”
+
+“Make a servant of it,” answered Herbert, half in earnest, as the lad
+knew how great was the intelligence of this race of quadrumana.
+
+The colonists gathered round the monkey and examined it attentively. It
+appeared to belong to that species of anthropomorphi in which the
+facial angle is not visibly inferior to that of the Australians or
+Hottentots. He was an orang of the kind which has neither the ferocity
+of the baboon nor the macauco, nor the thoughtlessness of the sagoin,
+nor the impatience of the magot, nor the bad instincts of the
+cynocephalous. It was of a family of anthropomorphi which has traits
+indicating a half-human intelligence. Employed in houses, they can wait
+on the table, do chamber-work, brush clothes, black boots, clean the
+knives and forks, and—empty the bottles, as well as the best trained
+flunkey. Buffon possessed one of these monkeys, which served him a long
+time as a zealous and faithful servant.
+
+The one at present tied in the hall of Granite House was a big fellow,
+six feet high, deep-chested, and finely built, a medium-sized head,
+with a sharp facial angle, a well-rounded skull, and a prominent nose,
+and a skin covered with smooth hair, soft and shining,—in short, a
+finished type of anthropomorphi. Its eyes, somewhat smaller than those
+of a human being, sparkled with intelligence; its teeth glistened
+beneath its moustache, and it wore a small nut-brown beard.
+
+“He is a fine chap,” said Pencroff. “If we only understood his
+language, one might talk with him!”
+
+“Then,” said Neb, “are they in earnest, my master? Will we take it as a
+domestic?”
+
+“Yes, Neb,” said the engineer, smiling. “But you need not be jealous.”
+
+“And I hope it will make an excellent servant. As it is young its
+education will be easy, and we will not have to use force to make it
+mind, nor to pull out its teeth as is sometimes done. It cannot fail to
+become attached to masters who only treat it well.”
+
+“And we will do that,” said Pencroff, who having forgotten his recent
+wrath against the “jokers,” approached the orang and accosted him
+with:—
+
+“Hullo, my boy, how goes it?”
+
+The orang responded with a little grunt, which seemed to denote a not
+bad temper.
+
+“You want to join the colony, do you? Would you like to enter the
+service of Mr. Smith?”
+
+The monkey gave another affirmative grunt.
+
+“And you’ll be satisfied with your board as wages?”
+
+A third affirmative grunt.
+
+“His conversation is a little monotonous,” observed Spilett.
+
+“Well,” replied Pencroff, “the best domestics are those that speak
+least. And then, no wages! Do you hear, my boy? At first we give you no
+wages, but we will double them later, if you suit us!”
+
+Thus the colonists added to their number one who had already done them
+a service. As to a name, the sailor asked that he should be called, in
+remembrance of another monkey, Jupiter, or by abbreviation, Jup. And
+thus, without more ado, Master Jup was installed in Granite House.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIX.
+
+
+PROJECTS TO BE CARRIED OUT—A BRIDGE OVER THE MERCY—TO MAKE AN ISLAND OF
+PROSPECT PLATEAU—THE DRAW-BRIDGE—THE CORN HARVEST—THE STREAM—THE
+CAUSEWAY—THE POULTRY YARD—THE PIGEON-HOUSE—THE TWO WILD ASSES—HARNESSED
+TO THE WAGON—EXCURSION TO BALLOON HARBOR.
+
+
+The colonists had now reconquered their domicile without having been
+obliged to follow the weir. It was, indeed, fortunate, that at the
+moment they decided to destroy their masonry, the band of monkeys,
+struck by a terror not less sudden than inexplicable, had rushed from
+Granite House. Had these animals a presentiment that a dangerous attack
+was about to be made on them from another direction? This was the only
+way to account for their retreat.
+
+The rest of the day was occupied in carrying the dead monkeys to the
+wood and burying them there, and in repairing the disorder made by the
+intruders,—disorder and not damage, as, though they had upset the
+furniture in the rooms, they had broken nothing. Neb rekindled the
+range, and the supply in the pantry furnished a substantial repast that
+was duly honored.
+
+Jup was not forgotten, and he ate with avidity the pistachio nuts and
+the roots of the sumach, with which he saw himself abundantly provided.
+Pencroff had unfastened his arms, although he thought it best to keep
+the monkey’s legs bound until they could be sure he had surrendered.
+
+Seated at the table, before going to bed, Smith and his companions
+discussed three projects, the execution of which was urgent. The most
+important and the most pressing was the establishment of a bridge
+across the Mercy, then the building of a corral, designed for the
+accommodation of moufflons or other woolly animals which they had
+agreed to capture. These two plans tended to solve the question of
+clothing, which was then the most serious question.
+
+It was Smith’s intention to establish this corral at the sources of Red
+Creek, where there was abundant pasturage. Already the path between
+there and Prospect Plateau was partially cleared, and with a better
+constructed cart, carriage would be easy, especially if they should
+capture some animal that could draw it.
+
+But while it would not be inconvenient to have the corral some distance
+from Granite House, it was different with the poultry-yard, to which
+Neb called attention. It was necessary that the “chickens” should be at
+the hand of the cook, and no place seemed more favorable for an
+establishment of this kind than that portion of the lake shore
+bordering on the former weir. The aquatic birds also would thrive
+there, and the pair of tinamons, taken in the last excursion, would
+serve as a beginning.
+
+The next day—the 3d of November—work was begun on the bridge, and all
+hands were required on the important undertaking. Laden with tools the
+colonists descended to the shore.
+
+Here Pencroff reflected as follows:—
+
+“Supposing while we are away Master Jup takes the notion of hauling up
+the ladder, which he so gallantly unrolled for us yesterday.”
+
+“We would be dependent on his tail!” answered Spilett.
+
+The ladder was therefore made fast to two stakes driven firmly into the
+ground. The colonists ascended the river, and soon arrived at its
+narrow bend, where they halted to examine whether the bridge could not
+be thrown across at this place. The situation was suitable, as from
+this point to Balloon Harbor the distance was three miles and a half,
+and a wagon road connecting Granite House with the southern part of the
+island, could easily be constructed.
+
+Then Smith communicated to his companions a project which he had had in
+view for some time. This was to completely isolate Prospect Plateau, so
+as to protect it from all attacks of quadrupeds or quadrumana. By this
+means Granite House, the Chimneys, the poultry yard, and all the upper
+part of the plateau destined for sowing would be protected against the
+depredations of animals.
+
+Nothing could be easier than to do this, and the engineer proposed to
+accomplish it as follows:—The plateau was already protected on three
+sides by either natural or artificial water courses. On the northwest,
+by the bank of Lake Grant, extending from the angle against the former
+weir to the cut made in the east bank to draw off the water. On the
+north, by this new water course which had worn itself a bed both above
+and below the fall, which could be dug out sufficiently to render the
+passage impracticable to animals. And upon the east, by the sea itself,
+from the mouth of this new creek to the mouth of the Mercy. Therefore
+the only part remaining open was the western part of the plateau
+included between the bend in the river and the southern angle of the
+lake, a distance of leas than a mile. But nothing could be easier than
+to dig a ditch, wide and deep, which would be filled from the lake, and
+flow into the Mercy. Doubtless the level of the lake would be lowered
+somewhat by this new drain on its resources, but Smith had assured
+himself that the flow of Red Creek was sufficient for his purpose.
+
+“Thus,” added the engineer, “Prospect Plateau will be a veritable
+island, unconnected with the rest of our domain, save by the bridge
+which we will throw over the Mercy, by the two causeways already built
+above and below the fall, and by the two others which are to be
+constructed, one over the proposed ditch, and the other over the left
+bank of the Mercy. Now if this bridge and the causeways can be raised
+at will, Prospect Plateau will be secured from surprise.”
+
+Smith, in order to make his companions comprehend clearly his plans,
+had made a plot of the plateau, and his project was rendered perfectly
+plain. It met with unanimous approval; and Pencroff, brandishing his
+hatchet, exclaimed:—
+
+“And first, for the bridge!”
+
+This work was the most urgent. Trees were selected, felled, lopped, and
+cut into beams, planks, and boards. The bridge was to be stationary on
+the right bank of the Mercy, but on the left it was to be so
+constructed as to raise by means of counterweights, as in some
+draw-bridges.
+
+It will be seen that this work, even if it could be easily
+accomplished, would take considerable time, as the Mercy was eighty
+feet wide at this point. It was first necessary to drive piles in the
+bed of the river, to sustain the flooring of the bridge, and to set up
+a pile-driver to drive the piles, so as to form two arches capable of
+supporting heavy weights.
+
+Fortunately they lacked neither the necessary tools for preparing the
+timber, nor the iron work, to bind it together, nor the ingenuity of a
+man who was an adept at this sort of work, nor, finally, the zeal of
+his companions who in these seven months had necessarily acquired
+considerable manual skill. And it should be added that Spilett began to
+do nearly as well as the sailor himself “who would never have expected
+so much from a newspaper man!”
+
+It took three weeks of steady work to build this bridge. And as the
+weather was fine they lunched on the ground, and only returned to
+Granite House for supper.
+
+During this period it was observed that Master Jup took kindly to and
+familiarized himself with his new masters, whom he watched with the
+greatest curiosity. Nevertheless, Pencroff was careful not to give him
+complete liberty until the limits of the plateau had been rendered
+impassible. Top and he were the best possible friends, and got on
+capitally together although Jup took everything gravely.
+
+The bridge was finished on the 20th of November. The movable part
+balanced perfectly with the counterpoise, and needed but little effort
+to raise it; between the hinge and crossbeam on which the draw rested
+when closed, the distance was twenty feet, a gap sufficiently wide to
+prevent animals from getting across.
+
+It was next proposed to go for the envelope of the balloon, which the
+colonists were anxious to place in safety; but in order to bring it,
+the cart would have to be dragged to Balloon Harbor, necessitating the
+breaking of a road through the dense underwood of the Far West, all of
+which would take time. Therefore Neb and Pencroff made an excursion to
+the harbor, and as they reported that the supply of cloth was well
+protected in the cave, it was decided that the works about the plateau
+should not be discontinued.
+
+“This,” said Pencroff, “will enable us to establish the poultry-yard
+under the most advantageous conditions, since we need have no fear of
+the visits of foxes or other noxious animals.”
+
+“And also,” added Neb, “we can clear the plateau, and transplant wild
+plants”—
+
+“And make ready our second corn-field,” continued the sailor with a
+triumphant air.
+
+Indeed the first corn-field, sowed with a single grain, had prospered
+admirably, thanks to the care of Pencroff. It had produced the ten ears
+foretold by the engineer, and as each ear had eighty grains, the
+colonists found themselves possessed of 800 grains—in six months—which
+promised them a double harvest each year. These 800 grains, excepting
+fifty which it was prudent to reserve, were now about to be sowed in a
+new field with as much care as the first solitary specimen.
+
+The field was prepared, and inclosed with high, sharp-pointed
+palisades, which quadrupeds would have found very difficult to
+surmount. As to the birds, the noisy whirligigs and astonishing
+scarecrows, the product of Pencroff’s genius, were enough to keep them
+at a distance. Then the 750 grains were buried in little hills,
+regularly disposed, and Nature was left to do the rest.
+
+On the 21st of November, Smith began laying out the ditch which was to
+enclose the plateau on the west. There were two or three feet of
+vegetable earth, and beneath that the granite. It was, therefore,
+necessary to manufacture some more nitro-glycerine, and the
+nitro-glycerine had its accustomed effect. In less than a fortnight a
+ditch, twelve feet wide and six feet deep was excavated in the plateau.
+A new outlet was in like manner made in the rocky border of the lake,
+and the waters rushed into this new channel, forming a small stream, to
+which they gave the name of Glycerine Creek. As the engineer had
+foreseen the level of the lake was lowered but very slightly. Finally,
+for completing the enclosure, the bed of the stream across the beach
+was considerably enlarged, and the sand was kept up by a double
+palisade.
+
+By the middle of December all these works were completed, and Prospect
+Plateau, shaped something like an irregular pentagon, having a
+perimeter of about four miles, was encircled with a liquid belt, making
+it absolutely safe from all aggression.
+
+During this month the heat was very great. Nevertheless, the colonists,
+not wishing to cease work, proceeded to construct the poultry-yard.
+Jup, who since the enclosing of the plateau had been given his liberty,
+never quitted his masters nor manifested the least desire to escape. He
+was a gentle beast, though possessing immense strength and wonderful
+agility. No one could go up the ladder to Granite House as he could.
+Already he was given employment; he was instructed to fetch wood and
+carry off the stones which had been taken from the bed of Glycerine
+Creek.
+
+“Although he’s not yet a mason, he is already a ‘monkey,’“ said
+Herbert, making a joking allusion to the nickname masons give their
+apprentices. And if ever a name was well applied, it was so in this
+instance!
+
+The poultry-yard occupied an area of 200 square yards on the southeast
+bank of the lake. It was enclosed with a palisade, and within were
+separate divisions for the proposed inhabitants, and huts of branches
+divided into compartments awaiting their occupants.
+
+The first was the pair of tinamons, who were not long in breeding
+numerous little ones. They had for companions half-a-dozen ducks, who
+were always by the water-side. Some of these belonged to that Chinese
+variety whose wings open like a fan, and whose plumage rivals in
+brilliance that of the golden pheasant. Some days later, Herbert caught
+a pair of magnificent curassows, birds of the gallinaceæ family, with
+long rounding tails. These soon bred others, and as to the pellicans,
+the kingfishers, the moorhens, they came of themselves to the
+poultry-yard. And soon, all this little world, after some disputing,
+cooing, scolding, clucking, ended by agreeing and multiplying at a rate
+sufficient for the future wants of the colony.
+
+Smith, in order to complete his work, established a pigeon-house in the
+corner of the poultry-yard, and placed therein a dozen wild pigeons.
+These birds readily habituated themselves to their new abode, and
+returned there each evening, showing a greater propensity to
+domestication than the wood pigeons, their congeners, which do not
+breed except in a savage state.
+
+And now the time was come to make use of the envelope in the
+manufacture of clothing, for to keep it intact in order to attempt to
+leave the island by risking themselves in a balloon filled with heated
+air over a sea, which might be called limitless, was only to be thought
+of by men deprived of all other resources, and Smith, being eminently
+practical, did not dream of such a thing.
+
+It was necessary to bring the envelope to Granite House, and the
+colonists busied themselves in making their heavy cart less unwieldly
+and lighter. But though the vehicle was provided, the motor was still
+to be found! Did not there exist in the island some ruminant of
+indiginous species which could replace the horse, ass, ox, or cow? That
+was the question.
+
+“Indeed,” said Pencroff, “a draught animal would be very useful to us,
+while we are waiting until Mr. Smith is ready to build a steam-wagon or
+a locomotive, though doubtless, some day we will have a railway to
+Balloon Harbor, with a branch road up Mount Franklin!”
+
+And the honest sailor, in talking thus, believed what he said. Such is
+the power of imagination combined with faith!
+
+But, in truth, an animal capable of being harnessed would have just
+suited Pencroff, and as Fortune favored him, she did not let him want.
+
+One day, the 23d of December, the colonists, busy at the Chimneys,
+heard Neb crying and Top barking in such emulation, that dreading some
+terrible accident, they ran to them.
+
+What did they see? Two large, beautiful animals, which had imprudently
+ventured upon the plateau, the causeways not having been closed. They
+seemed like two horses, or rather two asses, male and female, finely
+shaped, of a light bay color, striped with black on the head, neck, and
+body, and with white legs and tail. They advanced tranquilly, without
+showing any fear, and looked calmly on these men in whom they had not
+yet recognized their masters.
+
+“They are onagers,” cried Herbert. “Quadrupeds of a kind between the
+zebra and the quagga.”
+
+“Why aren’t they asses?” asked Neb.
+
+“Because they have not long ears, and their forms are more graceful.”
+
+“Asses or horses,” added Pencroff—“they are what Mr. Smith would call
+“motors,” and it will be well to capture them!”
+
+The sailor, without startling the animals, slid through the grass to
+the causeway over Glycerine Creek, raised it, and the onagers were
+prisoners. Should they be taken by violence, and made to submit to a
+forced domestication? No. It was decided that for some days they would
+let these animals wander at will over the plateau where the grass was
+abundant, and a stable was at once constructed near to the poultry-yard
+in which the onagers would find a good bedding, and a refuge for the
+night.
+
+The fine pair were thus left entirely at liberty, and the colonists
+avoided approaching them. In the meantime the onagers often tried to
+quit the plateau, which was too confined for them, accustomed to wide
+ranges and deep forests. The colonists saw them following around the
+belt of water impossible to cross, whinnying and galloping over the
+grass, and then resting quietly for hours regarding the deep woods from
+which they were shut off.
+
+In the meantime, harness had been made from vegetable fibres, and some
+days after the capture of the onagers, not only was the cart ready, but
+a road, or rather a cut, had been made through the forest all the way
+from the bend in the Mercy to Balloon Harbor. They could therefore get
+to this latter place with the cart, and towards the end of the month
+the onagers were tried for the first time.
+
+Pencroff had already coaxed these animals so that they ate from his
+hand, and he could approach them without difficulty, but, once
+harnessed, they reared and kicked, and were with difficulty kept from
+breaking loose, although it was not long before they submitted to this
+new service.
+
+This day, every one except Pencroff, who walked beside his team, rode
+in the cart to Balloon Harbor. They were jolted about a little over
+this rough road, but the cart did not break down, and they were able to
+load it, the same day, with the envelope and the appurtenances to the
+balloon.
+
+By 8 o’clock in the evening, the cart, having recrossed the bridge,
+followed down the bank of the Mercy and stopped on the beach. The
+onagers were unharnessed, placed in the stable, and Pencroff, before
+sleeping, gave a sigh of satisfaction that resounded throughout Granite
+House.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXX.
+
+
+CLOTHING—SEAL-SKIN BOOTS—MAKING PYROXYLINE—PLANTING—THE FISH—TURTLES’
+EGGS—JUP’S EDUCATION—THE CORRAL-HUNTING MOUFFLONS—OTHER USEFUL ANIMALS
+AND VEGETABLES—HOME THOUGHTS.
+
+
+The first week In January was devoted to making clothing. The needles
+found in the box were plied by strong, if not supple fingers, and what
+was sewed, was sewed strongly. Thread was plenty, as Smith had thought
+of using again that with which the strips of the balloon had been
+fastened together. These long bands had been carefully unripped by
+Spilett and Herbert with commendable patience, since Pencroff had
+thrown aside the work, which bothered him beyond measure; but when it
+came to sewing again the sailor was unequalled.
+
+The varnish was then removed from the cloth by means of soda procured
+as before, and the cloth was afterwards bleached in the sun. Some
+dozens of shirts and socks—the latter, of course, not knitted, but made
+of sewed strips—were thus made. How happy it made the colonists to be
+clothed again in white linen—linen coarse enough, it is true, but they
+did not mind that—and to lie between sheets, which transformed the
+banks of Granite House into real beds! About this time they also made
+boots from seal leather, which were a timely substitute for those
+brought from America. They were long and wide enough, and never pinched
+the feet of the pedestrians.
+
+In the beginning of the year (1866) the hot weather was incessant, but
+the hunting in the woods, which fairly swarmed with birds and beasts,
+continued; and Spilett and Herbert were too good shots to waste powder.
+Smith had recommended them to save their ammunition, and that they
+might keep it for future use the engineer took measures to replace it
+by substances easily renewable. How could he tell what the future might
+have in store for them in case they left the island? It behooved them,
+therefore, to prepare for all emergencies.
+
+As Smith had not discovered any lead in the island he substituted iron
+shot, which were easily made. As they were not so heavy as leaden ones
+they had to be made larger, and the charges contained a less number,
+but the skill of the hunters counterbalanced this defect. Powder he
+could have made, since he had all the necessary materials but as its
+preparation requires extreme care, and as without special apparatus it
+is difficult to make it of good quality, Smith proposed to manufacture
+pyroxyline, a kind of gun-cotton, a substance in which cotton is not
+necessary, except as cellulose. Now cellulose is simply the elementary
+tissue of vegetables, and is found in almost a pure state not only in
+cotton, but also in the texile fibres of hemp and flax, in paper and
+old rags, the pith of the elder, etc. And it happened that elder trees
+abounded in the island towards the mouth of Red Creek:—the colonists
+had already used its shoots and berries in place of coffee.
+
+Thus they had the cellulose at hand, and the only other substance
+necessary for the manufacture of pyroxyline was nitric acid, which
+Smith could easily produce as before. The engineer, therefore, resolved
+to make and use this combustible, although he was aware that it had
+certain serious inconveniences, such as inflaming at 170° instead of
+240°, and a too instantaneous deflagration for firearms. On the other
+hand, pyroxyline had these advantages—it was not affected by dampness,
+it did not foul the gun-barrels, and its explosive force was four times
+greater than that of gunpowder.
+
+In order to make the pyroxyline, Smith made a mixture of three parts of
+nitric acid with five of concentrated sulphuric acid, and steeped the
+cellulose in this mixture for a quarter of an hour; afterwards it was
+washed in fresh water and left to dry. The operation succeeded
+perfectly, and the hunters had at their disposal a substance perfectly
+prepared, and which, used with discretion, gave excellent results.
+
+About this time the colonists cleared three acres of Prospect Plateau,
+leaving the rest as pasture for the onagers. Many excursions were made
+into Jacamar Wood and the Far West, and they brought back a perfect
+harvest of wild vegetables, spinach, cresses, charlocks, and radishes,
+which intelligent culture would greatly change, and which would serve
+to modify the flesh diet which the colonists had been obliged to put up
+with. They also hauled large quantities of wood and coal, and each
+excursion helped improve the roads by grinding down its inequalities
+under the wheels.
+
+The warren always furnished its contingent of rabbits, and as it was
+situated without Glycerine creek, its occupants could not reach nor
+damage the new plantations. As to the oyster-bed among the coast rocks,
+it furnished a daily supply of excellent mollusks. Further, fish from
+the lake and river were abundant, as Pencroff had made set-lines on
+which they often caught trout and another very savory fish marked with
+small yellow spots on a silver-colored body. Thus Neb, who had charge
+of the culinary department, was able to make an agreeable change in the
+menu of each repast. Bread alone was wanting at the colonists’ table,
+and they felt this privation exceedingly.
+
+Sometimes the little party hunted the sea-turtles, which frequented the
+coast at Mandible Cape. At this season the beach was covered with
+little mounds enclosing the round eggs, which were left to the sun to
+hatch; and as each turtle produces two hundred and fifty eggs annually,
+their number was very great.
+
+“It is a true egg-field,” said Spilett, “and all we have to do is to
+gather them.”
+
+But they did not content themselves with these products; they hunted
+also the producers, and took back to Granite House a dozen of these
+reptiles, which were excellent eating. Turtle soup, seasoned with
+herbs, and a handful of shell-fish thrown in, gained high praise for
+its concoctor, Neb.
+
+Another fortunate event, which permitted them to make new provision for
+winter, must be mentioned. Shoals of salmon ascended the Mercy for many
+miles, in order to spawn. The river was full of these fish, which
+measured upwards of two feet in length, and it was only necessary to
+place some barriers in the stream in order to capture a great many.
+Hundreds were caught in this way, and salted down for winter, when the
+ice would stop the fishing.
+
+Jup, during this time, was elevated to the position of a domestic. He
+had been clothed in a jacket, and short trowsers, and an apron with
+pockets, which were his joy, as he kept his hands in them and allowed
+no one to search them. The adroit orang had been wonderfully trained by
+Neb, and one would have said they understood each other’s conversation.
+Jup had, moreover, a real affection for the Negro, which was
+reciprocated. When the monkey was not wanted to carry wood or to climb
+to the top of some tree, he was passing his time in the kitchen,
+seeking to imitate Neb in all that he was doing. The master also showed
+great patience and zeal in instructing his pupil, and the pupil showed
+remarkable intelligence in profiting by these lessons.
+
+Great was the satisfaction one day when Master Jup, napkin on arm, came
+without having been called to wait on the table. Adroit and attentive,
+he acquitted himself perfectly, changing the plates, bringing the
+dishes, and pouring the drink, all with a gravity which greatly amused
+the colonists, and completely overcame Pencroff.
+
+“Jup, some more soup! Jup, a bit more agouti! Jup, another plate! Jup,
+brave, honest Jup!”
+
+Jup, not in the least disconcerted, responded to every call, looked out
+for everything, and nodded his head intelligently when the sailor,
+alluding to his former pleasantry said:—
+
+“Decidedly, Jup, we must double your wages!”
+
+The orang had become perfectly accustomed, to Granite House, and often
+accompanied his masters to the forest without manifesting the least
+desire to run off. It was laughable to see him march along with a stick
+of Pencroff’s on his shoulder, like a gun. If any one wanted some fruit
+gathered from a treetop how quickly be was up there. If the wagon
+wheels stuck in the mire, with what strength he raised it onto the road
+again.
+
+“What a Hercules!” exclaimed Pencroff. “If he was as mischievous as he
+is gentle we could not get along with him.”
+
+Towards the end of January the colonists undertook great work in the
+interior of the island. It had been decided that they would establish
+at the foot of Mount Franklin, near the sources of Red Creek, the
+corral destined to contain the animals whose presence would have been
+unpleasant near Granite House, and more particularly the moufflons,
+which were to furnish wool for winter clothing. Every morning all the
+colonists, or oftener Smith, Herbert, and Pencroff, went with the
+onagers to the site, five miles distant, over what they called Corral
+Road. There an extensive area had been chosen opposite the southern
+slope of the mountain. It was a level plain, having here and there
+groups of trees, situated at the base of one of the spurs, which closed
+it in on that side. A small stream, rising close by, crossed it
+diagonally, and emptied into Red Creek. The grass was lush, and the
+position of the trees allowed the air to circulate freely. All that was
+necessary was to build a palisade around to the mountain spur
+sufficiently high to keep in the animals. The enclosure would be large
+enough to contain one hundred cattle, moufflons or wild goats and their
+young.
+
+The line of the corral was marked out by the engineer, and they all set
+to work to cut down the trees necessary for the palisade. The road
+which they had made furnished some hundred trees, which were drawn to
+the place and set firmly in the ground. At the back part of the
+palisade they made an entranceway, closed by a double gate made from
+thick plank, which could be firmly fastened on the outside.
+
+The building of this corral took all of three weeks, as, besides the
+work on the palisades, Smith put up large sheds for the animals. These
+were made of planks, and, indeed, everything had to be made solidly and
+strong, as moufflons have great strength, and their first resistance
+was to be feared. The uprights, pointed at the end and charred, had
+been bolted together, and the strength of the whole had been augmented
+by placing braces at intervals.
+
+The corral finished, the next thing was to inaugurate a grand hunt at
+the pasturages, near the foot of Mount Franklin, frequented by the
+animals. The time chosen was the 7th of February, a lovely summer day,
+and everybody took part in the affair. The two onagers, already pretty
+well trained, were mounted by Spilett and Herbert and did excellent
+service. The plan was to drive together the moufflons and goats by
+gradually narrowing the circle of the chase around them. Smith,
+Pencroff, Neb, and Jup posted themselves in different parts of the
+wood, while the two horsemen and Top scoured the country for half a
+mile around the corral. The moufflons were very numerous in this
+neighborhood. These handsome animals were as large as deer, with larger
+horns than those of rams, and a greyish-colored wool, mingled with long
+hair, like argali.
+
+The hunt, with its going and coming, the racing backwards and forwards,
+the shouting and hallooing, was fatiguing enough. Out of a hundred
+animals that were driven together many escaped, but little by little
+some thirty moufflons and a dozen wild goats were driven within the
+corral, whose open gate seemed to offer a chance of escape. The result
+was, therefore, satisfactory; and as many of these moufflons were
+females with young, it was certain that the herd would prosper, and
+milk and skins be plenty in the future.
+
+In the evening the hunters returned to Granite House nearly tired out.
+Nevertheless the next day they went back to look at the corral. The
+prisoners had tried hard to break down the palisade, but, not
+succeeding, they had soon become quiet.
+
+Nothing of any importance happened during February. The routine of
+daily work continued, and while improving the condition of the existing
+roads, a third, starting from the enclosure, and directed towards the
+southern coast, was begun. This unknown portion of Lincoln Island was
+one mass of forest, such as covered Serpentine Peninsula, giving
+shelter to the beasts from whose presence Spilett proposed to rid their
+domain.
+
+Before the winter returned careful attention was given to the
+cultivation of the wild plants which had been transplanted to the
+plateau, and Herbert seldom returned from an excursion without bringing
+back some useful vegetable. One day it was a kind of succory, from the
+seed of which an excellent oil can be pressed; another time, it was the
+common sorrel, whose anti-scorbutic properties were not to be
+neglected; and again, it was some of those valuable tubercles which
+have always been cultivated in South America, those potatoes, of which
+more than two hundred species are known at present. The kitchen garden,
+already well enclosed, well watered, and well defended against the
+birds, was divided into small beds of lettuce, sorrel, radish,
+charlock, and other crucifers; and as the soil upon the plateau was of
+wonderful richness, abundant crops might be anticipated.
+
+Neither were various drinks wanting, and unless requiring wine, the
+most fastidious could not have complained. To the Oswego tea, made from
+the mountain mint, and the fermented liquor made from the roots of the
+dragon-tree, Smith added a genuine beer; this was made from the young
+shoots of the “abies nigra,” which, after having been boiled and
+fermented, yielded that agreeable and particularly healthful drink,
+known to Americans as “spring beer,” that is, spruce beer.
+
+Toward the close of summer the poultry yard received a fine pair of
+bustards belonging to the species “houbara,” remarkable for a sort of
+short cloak of feathers and a membranous pouch extending on either side
+of the upper mandible; also some fine cocks, with black skin, comb, and
+wattles, like those of Mozambique, which strutted about the lake shore.
+
+Thus the zeal of these intelligent and brave men made every thing
+prosper. Providence, doubtless, assisted them; but, faithful to the
+precept, they first helped themselves, and Heaven helped them
+accordingly.
+
+In the evenings, during this warm summer weather, after the day’s work
+was ended, and when the sea breeze was springing up, the colonists
+loved to gather together on the edge of Prospect Plateau in an arbor of
+Neb’s building, covered with climbing plants. There they conversed and
+instructed each other, and planned for the future; or the rough wit of
+the sailor amused this little world, in which the most perfect harmony
+had never ceased to reign.
+
+They talked, too, of their country, dear and grand America. In what
+condition was the Rebellion? It certainly could not have continued.
+Richmond had, doubtless, soon fallen into General Grant’s hands. The
+capture of the Confederate capital was necessarily the last act in that
+unhappy struggle. By this time the North must have triumphed. How a
+newspaper would have been welcomed by the colonists of Lincoln Island!
+It was eleven months since all communication between them and the rest
+of the world had been interrupted, and pretty soon, the 24th of March,
+the anniversary of the day when the balloon had thrown them on this
+unknown coast, would have arrived. Then they were castaways, struggling
+with the elements for life. Now thanks to the knowledge of their
+leader, thanks to their own intelligence, they were true colonists,
+furnished with arms, tools, instruments, who had turned to their use
+the animals, vegetables and minerals of the island, the three kingdoms
+of nature.
+
+As to Smith, he listened to the conversation of his companions oftener
+than he spoke himself. Sometimes he smiled at some thought of
+Herbert’s, or some sally of Pencroff’s, but always and above all other
+things, he reflected upon those inexplicable events, upon that strange
+enigma whose secret still escaped him.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXI.
+
+
+BAD WEATHER—THE HYDRAULIC ELEVATOR—MAKING WINDOW GLASS AND TABLE
+WARE—THE BREAD TREE—FREQUENT VISITS TO THE CORRAL—THE INCREASE OF THE
+HERD—THE REPORTER’S QUESTION—THE EXACT POSITION OF LINCOLN
+ISLAND—PENCROFF’S PROPOSAL.
+
+
+The weather changed during the first week in March. There was a full
+moon in the beginning of the month, and the heat was excessive. The
+electricity in the air could be felt, and the stormy weather was at
+hand. On the 2d the thunder was very violent, the wind came out east,
+and the hail beat against the front of Granite House, pattering like a
+volley of musketry. It was necessary to fasten the doors and shutters
+in order to keep the rooms from being inundated. Some of the hailstones
+were as large as pigeons’ eggs, and made Pencroff think of his
+cornfield. He instantly ran there, and by covering the tiny young
+sprouts with a large cloth was able to protect them. The sailor was
+well pelted, but he did not mind that.
+
+The stormy weather lasted for eight days, and the thunder was almost
+continuous. The heavens were full of lightning, and many trees in the
+forest were struck, and also a huge pine growing upon the border of the
+lake. Two or three times the electric fluid struck the beach, melting
+and vitrifying the sand. Finding these fulgurites, Smith conceived the
+idea that it would be possible to furnish the windows of Granite House
+with glass thick and solid enough to resist the wind and rain and hail.
+
+The colonists, having no immediate out-of-doors work, profited by the
+bad weather to complete and perfect the interior arrangements of
+Granite House. The engineer built a lathe with which they were able to
+turn some toilette articles and cooking utensils, and also some
+buttons, the need of which had been pressing. They also made a rack for
+the arms, which were kept with the utmost care. Nor was Jup forgotten;
+he occupied a chamber apart, a sort of cabin with a frame always full
+of good bedding, which suited him exactly.
+
+“There’s no such thing as fault-finding with Jup,” said Pencroff. “What
+a servant he is, Neb!”
+
+“He is my pupil and almost my equal!”
+
+“He’s your superior,” laughed the sailor, “as you can talk, Neb, and he
+cannot!”
+
+Jup had by this time become perfectly familiar with all the details of
+his work. He brushed the clothes, turned the spit, swept the rooms,
+waited at table, and—what delighted Pencroff—never laid down at night
+before he had tucked the worthy sailor in his bed.
+
+As to the health of the colony, bipeds and bimana, quadrupeds and
+quadrumana, it left nothing to be desired. With the out-of-doors work,
+on this salubrious soil, under this temperate zone, laboring with head
+and hand, they could not believe that they could ever be sick, and all
+were in splendid health. Herbert had grown a couple of inches during
+the year; his figure had developed and knitted together, and he
+promised to become a fine man physically and morally. He profited by
+the lessons which he learned practically and from the books in the
+chest, and he found in the engineer and the reporter masters pleased to
+teach him. It was the engineer’s desire to teach the lad all he himself
+knew.
+
+“If I die,” thought Smith, “he will take my place.”
+
+The storm ended on the 9th of March, but the sky remained clouded
+during the remainder of the month, and, with the exception of two or
+three fine days, rainy or foggy.
+
+About this time a little onager was born, and a number of moufflons, to
+the great joy of Neb and Herbert, who had each their favorites among
+these new comers.
+
+The domestication of piccaries was also attempted—a pen being built
+near the poultry-yard, and a number of the young animals placed therein
+under Neb’s care. Jup was charged with taking them their daily
+nourishment, the kitchen refuse, and he acquitted himself
+conscientiously of the task. He did, indeed, cut off their tails, but
+this was a prank and not naughtiness, because those little twisted
+appendages amused him like a toy, and his instinct was that of a child.
+
+One day in March, Pencroff, talking with the engineer, recalled to his
+mind a promise made some time before.
+
+“You have spoken of something to take the place of our long ladder, Mr.
+Smith. Will you make it some day?”
+
+“You mean a kind of elevator?” answered Smith.
+
+“Call it an elevator if you wish,” responded the sailor. “The name does
+not matter, provided we can get to our house easily.”
+
+“Nothing is easier, Pencroff; but is it worth while?”
+
+“Certainly, sir, it is. After we have the necessaries, let us think of
+the conveniences. For people this will be a luxury, if you choose; but
+for things, it is indispensable. It is not so easy to climb a long
+ladder when one is heavily loaded.”
+
+“Well, Pencroff, we will try to satisfy you,” answered Smith.
+
+“But you haven’t the machine.”
+
+“We will make one.”
+
+“To go by steam?”
+
+“No, to go by water.”
+
+Indeed, a natural force was at hand. All that was necessary was to
+enlarge the passage which furnished Granite House with water, and make
+a fall at the end of the corridor. Above this fall the engineer placed
+a paddle-wheel, and wrapped around its axle a strong rope attached to a
+basket. In this manner, by means of a long cord which reached to the
+ground, they could raise or lower the basket by means of the hydraulic
+motor.
+
+On the 17th of March the elevator was used for the first time, and
+after that everything was hoisted into Granite House by its means. Top
+was particularly pleased by this improvement, as he could not climb
+like Jup, and he had often made the ascent on the back of Neb or of the
+orang.
+
+Smith also attempted to make glass, which was difficult enough, but
+after numerous attempts he succeeded in establishing a glass-works at
+the old pottery, where Herbert and Spilett spent several days. The
+substances entering into the composition of glass—sand, chalk, and
+soda—the engineer had at hand; but the “cane” of the glassmaker, an
+iron tube five or six feet long, was wanting. This Pencroff, however,
+succeeded in making, and on the 28th of March the furnace was heated.
+
+One hundred parts of sand, thirty-five of chalk, forty of sulphate of
+soda, mixed with two of three parts of powdered charcoal, composed the
+substance which was placed in earthen vessels and melted to a liquid,
+or rather to the consistency of paste. Smith “culled” a certain
+quantity of this paste with his cane, and turned it back and forth on a
+metal plate so placed that it could be blown on; then he passed the
+cane to Herbert, telling him to blow in it.
+
+“As you do to make soap bubbles?”
+
+“Exactly.”
+
+So Herbert, puffing out his cheeks, blew through the cane, which he
+kept constantly turning about, in such a manner as to inflate the
+vitreous mass. Other quantities of the substance in fusion were added
+to the first, and the result was a bubble, measuring a foot in
+diameter. Then Smith took the cane again, and swinging it like a
+pendulum, he made this bubble lengthen into the shape of cylinder.
+
+This cylinder was terminated at either end by two hemispherical caps,
+which were easily cut off by means of a sharp iron dipped in cold
+water; in the same way the cylinder was cut lengthwise, and after
+having been heated a second time it was spread on the plate and
+smoothed with a wooden roller.
+
+Thus the first glass was made, and by repeating the operation fifty
+times they had as many glasses, and the windows of Granite House were
+soon garnished with transparent panes, not very clear, perhaps, but
+clear enough.
+
+As to the glassware, that was mere amusement. They took whatever shape
+happened to come at the end of the cane. Pencroff had asked to be
+allowed to blow in his turn and he enjoyed it, but he blew so hard that
+his products took the most diverting forms, which pleased him
+amazingly.
+
+During one of the excursions undertaken about this time a new tree was
+discovered, whose products added much to the resources of the colony.
+
+Smith and Herbert, being out hunting one day, went into the forests of
+the Far West, and as usual the lad asked the engineer a thousand
+questions, and as Smith was no sportsman, and Herbert was deep in
+physics and chemistry, the game did not suffer; and so it fell out that
+the day was nearly ended, and the two hunters were likely to have made
+a useless excursion, when Herbert, stopping suddenly, exclaimed
+joyfully:—
+
+“Oh, Mr. Smith, do you see that tree?”
+
+And he pointed out a shrub rather than a tree, as it was composed of a
+single stem with a scaly bark, and leaves striped with small parallel
+veins.
+
+“It looks like a small palm. What is it?” asked Smith.
+
+“It is a “cycas revoluta,” about which I have read in our Dictionary of
+Natural History.”
+
+“But I see no fruit on this shrub?”
+
+“No, sir, but its trunk contains a flour which Nature furnishes all
+ground.”
+
+“Is it a bread-tree?”
+
+“That’s it, exactly.”
+
+“Then, my boy, since we are waiting for our wheat crop, this is a
+valuable discovery. Examine it, and pray heaven you are not mistaken.”
+
+Herbert was not mistaken. He broke the stem of the cycas, which was
+composed of a glandular tissue containing a certain quantity of
+farinaceous flour, traversed by ligneous fibres and separated by
+concentric rings of the same substance. From the fecula oozed a sticky
+liquid of a disagreeable taste, but this could readily be removed by
+pressure. The substance itself formed a real flour of superior quality,
+extremely nourishing, and which used to be forbidden exportation by the
+laws of Japan.
+
+Smith and Herbert, after baring carefully noted the location of the
+cycas, returned to Granite House and made known their discovery, and
+the next day all the colonists went to the place, and, Pencroff,
+jubilant, asked the engineer:—
+
+“Mr Smith, do you believe there are such things as castaways’ islands?”
+
+“What do you mean, Pencroff?.”
+
+“Well, I mean islands made especially for people to be shipwrecked
+upon, where the poor devils could always get along!”
+
+“Perhaps,” said the engineer, smiling.
+
+“Certainly!” answered the sailor, “and just as certainly Lincoln Island
+is one of them!”
+
+They returned to Granite House with an ample supply of cycas stems, and
+the engineer made a press by which the liquid was expelled, and they
+obtained a goodly quantity of flour which Neb transformed into cakes
+and puddings. They had not yet real wheaten bread, but it was the next
+thing to do.
+
+The onager, the goats, and the sheep in the corral furnished a daily
+supply of milk to the colony, and the cart, or rather a light wagon,
+which had taken its place, made frequent trips to the corral. And when
+Pencroff’s turn came, he took Jup along, and made him drive, and Jup,
+cracking his whip, acquitted himself with his usual intelligence. Thus
+everything prospered, and the colonists, if they had not been so far
+from their country, would have had nothing to complain of. They liked
+the life and they were so accustomed to the island that they would have
+left it with regret. Nevertheless, such is man’s love of country, that
+had a ship hove in sight the colonists would have signalled it, have
+gone aboard and departed. Meantime, they lived this happy life and they
+had rather to fear than to wish for any interruption of its course.
+
+But who is able to flatter himself that he has attained his fortune and
+reached the summit of his desires?
+
+The colonists often discussed the nature of their Island, which they
+had inhabited for more than a year, and one day a remark was made
+which, was destined, later, to bring about the most serious result.
+
+It was the 1st of April, a Sunday, and the Pascal feast, which Smith
+and his companions had sanctified by rest and prayer. The day had been
+lovely, like a day in October in the Northern Hemisphere. Towards
+evening all were seated in the arbor on the edge of the plateau,
+watching the gradual approach of night, and drinking some of Neb’s
+elderberry coffee. They had been talking of the island and its isolated
+position in the Pacific, when something made Spilett say:—
+
+“By the way, Cyrus, have you ever taken the position of the island
+again since you have had the sextant?”
+
+“No,” answered the engineer.
+
+“Well, wouldn’t it be well enough to do so?”.
+
+“What would be the use?” asked Pencroff. “The island is well enough
+where it is.”
+
+“Doubtless,” answered Spilett, “but it is possible that the
+imperfections of the other instruments may have caused an error in that
+observation, and since, it is easy to verify it exactly—”
+
+“You are right, Spilett,” responded the engineer, “and I would have
+made this verification before, only that if I have made an error it
+cannot exceed five degrees in latitude or longitude.”
+
+“Who knows,” replied the reporter, “who knows but that we are much
+nearer an inhabited land than we believe?”
+
+“We will know to-morrow,” responded the engineer,” and had it not been
+for the other work, which has left us no leisure, we would have known
+already.”
+
+“Well,” said Pencroff, “Mr. Smith is too good an observer to have been
+mistaken, and if the island has not moved, it is just where he put it!”
+
+So the next day the engineer made the observations with the sextant
+with the following result:—Longitude 150° 30’ west; latitude 34° 57’
+south. The previous observation had given the situation of the island
+as between longitude 150° and 155° west, and latitude 36° and 35°
+south, so that, notwithstanding the rudeness of his apparatus, Smith’s
+error had not been more than five degrees.
+
+“Now,” said Spilett, “since, beside a sextant, we have an atlas, see,
+my dear Cyrus, the exact position of Lincoln Island in the Pacific.”
+
+Herbert brought the atlas, which it will be remembered gave the
+nomenclature in the French language, and the volume was opened at the
+map of the Pacific. The engineer, compass in hand, was about to
+determine their situation, when, suddenly he paused, exclaiming:—
+
+“Why, there is an island marked in this part of the Pacific!”
+
+“An island?” cried Pencroff.
+
+“Doubtless it is ours.” added Spilett.
+
+“No.” replied Smith. “This island is situated in 153° of longitude and
+37° 11’ of latitude.”
+
+“And what’s the name?” asked Herbert.
+
+“Tabor Island.”
+
+“Is it important?”
+
+“No, it is an island lost in the Pacific, and which has never, perhaps,
+been visited.”
+
+“Very well, we will visit it,” said Pencroff.
+
+“We?”
+
+“Yes, sir; We will build a decked boat, and I will undertake to steer
+her. How far are we from this Tabor Island?”
+
+“A hundred and fifty miles to the northeast.”
+
+“Is that all?” responded Pencroff.
+
+“Why in forty-eight hours, with a good breeze, we will be there!”
+
+“But what would be the use?” asked the reporter.
+
+“We cannot tell till we see it!”
+
+And upon this response it was decided that a boat should be built so
+that it might be launched by about the next October, on the return of
+good weather.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXII.
+
+
+SHIP BUILDING—THE SECOND HARVEST—AI HUNTING—A NEW PLANT—A WHALE—THE
+HARPOON FROM THE VINEYARD—CUTTING UP THIS CETACEA—USE OF THE
+WHALEBONE—THE END OF MAY—PENCROFF IS CONTENT.
+
+
+When Pencroff was possessed of an idea, he would not rest till it was
+executed. Now, he wanted to visit Tabor Island, and as a boat of some
+size was necessary, therefore the boat must be built. He and the
+engineer accordingly determined upon the following model:—
+
+The boat was to measure thirty-five feet on the keel by nine feet
+beam—with the lines of a racer—and to draw six feet of water, which
+would be sufficient to prevent her making leeway. She was to be
+flush-decked, with the two hatchways into two holds separated by a
+partition, and sloop-rigged with mainsail, topsail, jib, storm-jib and
+brigantine, a rig easily handled, manageable in a squall, and excellent
+for lying close in the wind. Her hull was to be constructed of planks,
+edge to edge, that is, not overlapping, and her timbers would be bent
+by steam after the planking had been adjusted to a false frame.
+
+On the question of wood, whether to use elm or deal, they decided on
+the latter as being easier to work, and supporting immersion in water
+the better.
+
+These details having been arranged, it was decided that, as the fine
+weather would not return before six months, Smith and Pencroff should
+do this work alone. Spilett and Herbert were to continue hunting, and
+Neb and his assistant, Master Jup, were to attend to the domestic cares
+as usual.
+
+At once trees were selected and cut down and sawed into planks, and a
+week later a ship-yard was made in the hollow between Granite House and
+the Cliff, and a keel thirty-five feet long, with stern-post and stem
+lay upon the sand.
+
+Smith had not entered blindly upon this undertaking. He understood
+marine construction as he did almost everything else, and he had first
+drawn the model on paper. Moreover, he was well aided by Pencroff, who
+had worked as a ship-carpenter. It was, therefore, only after deep
+thought and careful calculation that the false frame was raised on the
+keel.
+
+Pencroff was very anxious to begin the new enterprise, and but one
+thing took him away, and then only for a day, from the work. This was
+the second harvest, which was made on the 15th of April. It resulted as
+before, and yielded the proportion of grains calculated.
+
+“Five bushels, Mr. Smith,” said Pencroff, after having scrupulously
+measured these riches.
+
+“Five bushels,” answered the engineer, “or 650,000 grains of corn.”
+
+“Well, we will sow them all this time, excepting a small reserve.”
+
+“Yes, and if the next harvest is proportional to this we will have
+4,000 bushels.”
+
+“And we will eat bread.”
+
+“We will, indeed.”
+
+“But we must build a mill?”
+
+“We will build one.”
+
+The third field of corn, though incomparably larger than the others,
+was prepared with great care and received the precious seed. Then
+Pencroff returned to his work.
+
+In the meantime, Spilett and Herbert hunted in the neighborhood, or
+with their guns loaded with ball, adventured into the unexplored depths
+of the Far West. It was an inextricable tangle of great trees growing
+close together. The exploration of those thick masses was very
+difficult and the engineer never undertook it without taking with him
+the pocket compass, as the sun was rarely visible through the leaves.
+Naturally, game was not plenty in these thick undergrowths, but three
+ai were shot during the last fortnight in April, and their skins were
+taken to Granite House, where they received a sort of tanning with
+sulfuric acid.
+
+On the 30th of April, a discovery, valuable for another reason, was
+made by Spilett. The two hunters were deep in the south-western part of
+the Far West when the reporter, walking some fifty paces ahead of his
+companion, came to a sort of glade, and was surprised to perceive an
+odor proceeding from certain straight stemmed plants, cylindrical and
+branching, and bearing bunches of flowers and tiny seeds. The reporter
+broke off some of these stems, and, returning to the lad, asked him if
+he knew what they were.
+
+“Where did you find this plant?” asked Herbert.
+
+“Over there in the glade; there is plenty of it.”
+
+“Well, this is a discovery that gives you Pencroff’s everlasting
+gratitude.”
+
+“Is it tobacco?”
+
+“Yes, and if it is not first quality it is all the same, tobacco.”
+
+“Good Pencroff, how happy he’ll be. But he cannot smoke all. He’ll have
+to leave some for us.”
+
+“I’ll tell you what, sir. Let us say nothing to Pencroff until the
+tobacco has been prepared, and then some fine day we will hand him a
+pipe full.”
+
+“And you may be sure, Herbert, that on that day the good fellow will
+want nothing else in the world.”
+
+The two smuggled a good supply of the plant into Granite House with as
+much precaution as if Pencroff had been the strictest of custom house
+officers. Smith and Neb were let into the secret, but Pencroff never
+suspected any thing during the two months it took to prepare the
+leaves, as he was occupied all day at the ship-yard.
+
+On the 1st of May the sailor was again interrupted at his favorite work
+by a fishing adventure, in which all the colonists took part.
+
+For some days they had noticed an enormous animal swimming in the sea
+some two or three miles distant from the shore. It was a huge whale,
+apparently belonging to the species _australis_, called “cape whales.”
+
+“How lucky for us if we could capture it!” cried the sailor. “Oh, if we
+only had a suitable boat and a harpoon ready, so that I could
+say:—Let’s go for him! For he’s worth all the trouble he’ll give us!”
+
+“Well, Pencroff, I should like to see you manage a harpoon. It must be
+interesting.”
+
+“Interesting and somewhat dangerous,” said the engineer, “but since we
+have not the means to attack this animal, it is useless to think about
+him.”
+
+“I am astonished to see a whale in such comparatively high latitude.”
+
+“Why, Mr. Spilett, we are in that very part of the Pacific which
+whalers call the ‘whale-field,’ and just here whales are found in the
+greatest number.”
+
+“That is so,” said Pencroff, “and I wonder we have not seen one before,
+but it don’t matter much since we cannot go to it.”
+
+And the sailor turned with a sigh to his work, as all sailors are
+fishermen; and if the sport is proportionate to the size of the game,
+one can imagine what a whaler must feel in the presence of a whale.
+But, aside from the sport, such spoil would have been very acceptable
+to the colony, as the oil, the fat, and the fins could be turned to
+various uses.
+
+It appeared as if the animal did not wish to leave these waters. He
+kept swimming about in Union Bay for two days, now approaching the
+shore, when his black body could be seen perfectly, and again darting
+through the water or spouting vapor to a vast height in the air. Its
+presence continually engaged the thoughts of the colonists, and
+Pencroff was like a child longing for some forbidden object.
+
+Fortune, however, did for the colonists what they could not have done
+for themselves, and on the 3d of May, Neb looking from his kitchen
+shouted that the whale was aground on the island.
+
+Herbert and Spilett, who were about starting on a hunt, laid aside
+their guns, Pencroff dropped his hatchet, and Smith and Neb, joining
+their companions, hurried down to the shore. It had grounded on Jetsam
+Point at high water, and it was not likely that the monster would be
+able to get off easily; but they must hasten in order to cut off its
+retreat if necessary. So seizing some picks and spears they ran across
+the bridge, down the Mercy and along the shore, and in less than twenty
+minutes the party were beside the huge animal, above whom myriads of
+birds were already hovering.
+
+“What a monster!” exclaimed Neb.
+
+And the term was proper, as it was one of the largest of the southern
+whales, measuring forty-five feet in length and weighing not less than
+150,000 pounds.
+
+Meantime the animal, although the tide was still high, made no effort
+to get off the shore, and the reason for this was explained later when
+at low water the colonists walked around its body.
+
+It was dead, and a harpoon protruded from its left flank.
+
+“Are there whalers in our neighborhood?” asked Spilett.
+
+“Why do you ask?”
+
+“Since the harpoon is still there—”
+
+“Oh that proves nothing, sir,” said Pencroff. “Whales sometimes go
+thousands of miles with a harpoon in them, and I should not be
+surprised if this one which came to die here had been struck in the
+North Atlantic.”
+
+“Nevertheless”—began Spilett, not satisfied with Pencroff’s
+affirmation.
+
+“It is perfectly possible,” responded the engineer, “but let us look at
+the harpoon. Probably it will have the name of the ship on it.”
+
+Pencroff drew out the harpoon, and read this inscription:—
+
+Maria-Stella Vineyard.
+
+
+“A ship from the Vineyard! A ship of my country!” be cried. “The
+Maria-Stella! a good whaler! and I know her well! Oh, my friends, a
+ship from the Vineyard! A whaler from the Vineyard!”
+
+And the sailor, brandishing the harpoon, continued to repeat that name
+dear to his heart, the name of his birthplace.
+
+But as they could not wait for the Maria-Stella to come and reclaim
+their prize, the colonists resolved to cut it up before decomposition
+set in. The birds of prey were already anxious to become possessors of
+the spoil, and it was necessary to drive them away with gunshots.
+
+The whale was a female, and her udders furnished a great quantity of
+milk, which, according to Dieffenbach, resembles in taste, color, and
+density, the milk of cows.
+
+As Pencroff had served on a whaler he was able to direct the
+disagreeable work of cutting up the animal—an operation which lasted
+during three days. The blubber, cut in strips two feet and a half thick
+and divided into pieces weighing a thousand pounds each, was melted
+down in large earthen vats, which had been brought on to the ground.
+And such was its abundance, that notwithstanding a third of its weight
+was lost by melting, the tongue alone yielded 6,000 pounds of oil. The
+colonists were therefore supplied with an abundant supply of stearine
+and glycerine, and there was, besides, the whalebone, which would find
+its use, although there were neither umbrellas nor corsets in Granite
+House.
+
+The operation ended, to the great satisfaction of the colonists, the
+rest of the animal was left to the birds, who made away with it to the
+last vestiges, and the daily routine of work was resumed. Still, before
+going to the ship-yard, Smith worked on certain affairs which excited
+the curiosity of his companions. He took a dozen of the plates of
+baleen (the solid whalebone), which he cut into six equal lengths,
+sharpened at the ends.
+
+“And what is that for?” asked Herbert, when they were finished.
+
+“To kill foxes, wolves, and jaguars,” answered the engineer.
+
+“Now?”
+
+“No, but this winter, when we have the ice.”
+
+“I don’t understand,” answered Herbert.
+
+“You shall understand, my lad,” answered the engineer. “This is not my
+invention; it is frequently employed by the inhabitants of the Aleutian
+islands. These whalebones which you see, when the weather is freezing I
+will bend round and freeze in that position with a coating of ice; then
+having covered them with a bit of fat, I will place them in the snow.
+Supposing a hungry animal swallows one of these baits? The warmth will
+thaw the ice, and the whalebone, springing back, will pierce the
+stomach.”
+
+“That is ingenious!” said Pencroff.
+
+“And it will save powder and ball,” said Smith.
+
+“It will be better than the traps.”
+
+“Just wait till winter comes.”
+
+The ship-building continued, and towards the end of the month the
+little vessel was half-finished. Pencroff worked almost too hard, but
+his companions were secretly preparing a recompense for all his toil,
+and the 31st of May was destined to be one of the happiest times in his
+life.
+
+After dinner on that day, just as he was leaving table, Pencroff felt a
+hand on his shoulder and heard Spilett saying to him:—
+
+“Don’t go yet awhile, Pencroff. You forget the dessert.”
+
+“Thank you, Spilett, but I must get back to work.”
+
+“Oh, well, have a cup of coffee.”
+
+“Not any.”
+
+“Well, then, a pipe?”
+
+Pencroff started up quickly, and when he saw the reporter holding him a
+pipe full of tobacco, and Herbert with a light, his honest, homely face
+grew pale, and he could not say a word; but taking the pipe, he placed
+it to his lips, lit it, and drew five or six long puffs, one after the
+other.
+
+A fragrant, blueish-colored smoke filled the air, and from the depths
+of this cloud came a voice, delirious with joy, repeating,
+
+“Tobacco! real tobacco!”
+
+“Yes, Pencroff,” answered Smith, “and good tobacco at that.”
+
+“Heaven be praised!” ejaculated the sailor. “Nothing now is wanting in
+our island. And he puffed and puffed and puffed.
+
+“Who found it?” he asked, at length. “It was you, Herbert, I suppose?”
+
+“No, Pencroff, it was Mr. Spilett.”
+
+“Mr. Spilett!” cried the sailor, hugging the reporter, who had never
+been treated that way before.
+
+“Yes, Pencroff,”—taking advantage of a cessation in the embrace to get
+his breath—“But include in your thanksgiving Herbert, who recognized
+the plant, Mr. Smith, who prepared it, and Neb, who has found it hard
+to keep the secret.”
+
+“Well, my friends, I will repay you for this some day! Meanwhile I am
+eternally grateful!.”
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXIII
+
+
+WINTER—FULLING CLOTH—THE MILL —PENCROFF’S FIXED PURPOSE—THE
+WHALEBONES—THE USE OF AN ALBATROSS —TOP AND JUP—STORMS—DAMAGE TO THE
+POULTRY-YARD—AN EXCURSION TO THE MARSH—SMITH ALONE—EXPLORATION OF THE
+PITS.
+
+
+Winter came with June, and the principal work was the making of strong
+warm clothing. The moufflons had been clipped, and the question was how
+to transform the wool into cloth.
+
+Smith, not having any mill machinery, was obliged to proceed in the
+simplest manner, in order to economize the spinning and weaving.
+Therefore he proposed to make use of the property possessed by the
+filaments of wool of binding themselves together under pressure, and
+making by their mere entanglement the substance known as felt. This
+felt can be obtained by a simple fulling, an operation which, while it
+diminishes the suppleness of the stuff, greatly augments its
+heat-preserving qualities; and as the moufflons’ wool was very short it
+was in good condition for felting.
+
+The engineer, assisted by his companions, including Pencroff—who had to
+leave his ship again—cleansed the wool of the grease and oil by soaking
+it in warm water and washing it with soda, and, when it was partially
+dried by pressure it was in a condition to be milled, that is, to
+produce a solid stuff, too coarse to be of any value in the industrial
+centres of Europe, but valuable enough in the Lincoln Island market.
+
+The engineer’s professional knowledge was of great service in
+constructing the machine destined to mill the wool, as he knew how to
+make ready use of the power, unemployed up to this time, in the
+water-fall at the cliff, to move a fulling mill.
+
+Its construction was most simple. A tree furnished with cams, which
+raised and dropped the vertical millers, troughs for the wool, into
+which the millers fell, a strong wooden building containing and
+sustaining the contrivance, such was the machine in question.
+
+The work, superintended by Smith, resulted admirably. The wool,
+previously impregnated with a soapy solution, came from the mill in the
+shape of a thick felt cloth. The striæ and roughnesses of the material
+had caught and blended together so thoroughly that they formed a stuff
+equally suitable for cloths or coverings. It was not, indeed, one of
+the stuffs of commerce, but it was “Lincoln felt,” and the island had
+one more industry.
+
+The colonists, being thus provided with good clothes and warm
+bed-clothing, saw the winter of 1866-67 approach without any dread. The
+cold really began to be felt on the 20th of June, and, to his great
+regret, Pencroff was obliged to suspend work on his vessel, although it
+would certainly be finished by the next spring.
+
+The fixed purpose of the sailor was to make a voyage of discovery to
+Tabor Island, although Smith did not approve of this voyage of simple
+curiosity, as there was evidently no succor to be obtained from that
+desert and half arid rock. A voyage of 150 miles in a boat,
+comparatively small, in the midst of unknown seas, was cause for
+considerable anxiety. If the frail craft, once at sea, should be unable
+to reach Tabor Island, or to return to Lincoln Island, what would
+become of her in the midst of this ocean so fertile in disasters?
+
+Smith often talked of this project with Pencroff, and he found in the
+sailor a strange obstinacy to make the voyage, an obstinacy for which
+Pencroff himself could not account.
+
+“Well,” said the engineer one day, “you must see, Pencroff, after
+having said every good of Lincoln Island, and expressing the regret you
+would feel should you have to leave it, that you are the first to want
+to get away.”
+
+“Only for a day or two,” answered Pencroff, “for a few days, Mr. Smith;
+just long enough to go and return, and see what this island is.”
+
+“But it cannot compare with ours.”
+
+“I know that.””
+
+“Then why go?”
+
+“To find out what’s going on there!”
+
+“But there is nothing; there can be nothing there.”
+
+“Who knows?”
+
+“And supposing you are caught in a storm?”
+
+“That is not likely in that season,” replied Pencroff. “But, sir, as it
+is necessary to foresee everything, I want your permission to take
+Herbert with me.”
+
+“Pencroff,” said the engineer, laying his hand on the shoulder of the
+sailor, “If anything should happen to you and this child, whom chance
+has made our son, do you think that we would ever forgive ourselves?”
+
+“Mr. Smith,” responded Pencroff with unshaken confidence, “we won’t
+discuss such mishaps. But we will talk again of this voyage when the
+time comes. Then, I think, when you have seen our boat well rigged,
+when you have seen how well she behaves at sea, when you have made the
+tour of the island—as we will, together—I think, I say, that you will
+not hesitate to let me go. I do not conceal from you that this will be
+a fine work, your ship.”
+
+“Say rather, our ship, Pencroff,” replied the engineer, momentarily
+disarmed. And the conversation, to be renewed later, ended without
+convincing either of the speakers.
+
+The first snow fell towards the end of the month. The corral had been
+well provisioned, and there was no further necessity for daily visits,
+but it was decided to go there at least once a week. The traps were set
+again, and the contrivances of Smith were tried, and worked perfectly.
+The bent whalebones, frozen, and covered with fat, were placed near the
+edge of the forest, at a place frequented by animals, and some dozen
+foxes, some wild boars, and a jaguar were found killed by this means,
+their stomachs perforated by the straightened whalebones.
+
+At this time, an experiment, thought of by the reporter, was made. It
+was the first attempt of the colonists to communicate with their
+kindred.
+
+Spilett had already often thought of throwing a bottle containing a
+writing into the sea, to be carried by the currents, perhaps, to some
+inhabited coast, or to make use of the pigeons. But it was pure folly
+to seriously believe that pigeons or bottles could cross the 1,200
+miles separating the island from all lands.—
+
+But on the 30th of June they captured, not without difficulty, an
+albatross, which Herbert had slightly wounded in the foot. It was a
+splendid specimen of its kind, its wings measuring ten feet from tip to
+tip, and it could cross seas as vast as the Pacific.
+
+Herbert would have liked to have kept the bird and tamed it, but
+Spilett made him understand that they could not afford to neglect this
+chance of corresponding by means of this courier with the Pacific
+coasts. So Herbert gave up the bird, as, if it had come from some
+inhabited region, it was likely to return there if at liberty.
+
+Perhaps, in his heart, Spilett, to whom the journalistic spirit
+returned sometimes, did not regret giving to the winds an interesting
+article relating the adventures of the colonists of Lincoln Island.
+What a triumph for the reporters of the New York _Herald_, and for the
+issue containing the chronicle, if ever the latter should reach his
+director, the honorable John Bennett!
+
+Spilett, therefore, wrote out a succinct article, which was enclosed in
+a waterproof-cloth bag, with the request to whoever found it to send it
+to one of the offices of the _Herald_. This little bag was fastened
+around the neck of the albatross and the bird given its freedom, and it
+was not without emotion that the colonists saw this rapid courier of
+the air disappear in the western clouds.
+
+“Where does he go that way?” asked Pencroff.
+
+“Towards New Zealand,” answered Herbert.
+
+“May he have a good voyage,” said the sailor, who did not expect much
+from this method of communication.
+
+With the winter, in-door work was resumed; old clothes were repaired,
+new garments made, and the sails of the sloop made from the
+inexhaustible envelope of the balloon. During July the cold was
+intense, but coal and wood were abundant, and Smith had built another
+chimney in the great hall, where they passed the long evenings. It was
+a great comfort to the colonists, when, seated in this well-lighted and
+warm hall, a good dinner finished, coffee steaming in the cups, the
+pipes emitting a fragrant smoke, they listened to the roar of the
+tempest without. They were perfectly comfortable, if that is possible
+where one is far from his kindred and without possible means of
+communicating with them. They talked about their country, of their
+friends at home, of the grandeur of the republic, whose influence must
+increase; and Smith, who had had much to do with the affairs of the
+Union, entertained his hearers with his stories, his perceptions and
+his prophecies.
+
+One evening as they had been sitting talking in this way for some time,
+they were interrupted by Top, who began barking in that peculiar way
+which had previously attracted the attention of the engineer, and
+running around the mouth of the well which opened at the end of the
+inner corridor.
+
+“Why is Top barking that way again?” asked Pencroff.
+
+“And Jup growling so?” added Herbert.
+
+Indeed, both the dog and the orang gave unequivocal signs of agitation,
+and curiously enough these two animals seemed to be more alarmed than
+irritated.
+
+It is evident,” said Spilett, “that this well communicates directly
+with the sea, and that some animal comes to breathe in its depths.”
+
+“It must be so, since there is no other explanation to give. Be quiet,
+Top! and you, Jup! go to your room.”
+
+The animals turned away, Jup went to his bed, but Top remained in the
+hall, and continued whining the remainder of the evening. It was not,
+however, the question of this incident that darkened the countenance of
+the engineer.
+
+During the remainder of the month, rain and snow alternated, and though
+the temperature was not as low as during the preceding winter, there
+were more storms and gales. On more than one occasion the Chimneys had
+been threatened by the waves, and it seemed as if an upraising of the
+sea, caused by some submarine convulsion, raised the monstrous billows
+and hurled them against Granite House.
+
+During these storms it was difficult, even dangerous, to attempt using
+the roads on the island, as the trees were falling constantly.
+Nevertheless, the colonists never let a week pass without visiting the
+corral, and happily this enclosure, protected by the spur of the
+mountain, did not suffer from the storms. But the poultry-yard, from
+its position, exposed to the blast, suffered considerable damage. Twice
+the pigeon-house was unroofed, and the fence also was demolished,
+making it necessary to rebuild it more solidly. It was evident that
+Lincoln Island was situated in the worst part of the Pacific. Indeed,
+it seemed as if the island formed the central point of vast cyclones
+which whipped it as if it were a top; only in this case the top was
+immovable and the whip spun about.
+
+During the first week in August the storm abated, and the atmosphere
+recovered a calm which it seemed never to have lost. With the calm the
+temperature lowered, and the thermometer of the colonists indicated 8°
+below zero.
+
+On the 3d of August, an excursion, which had been planned for some time
+was made to Tadorn’s Fen. The hunters were tempted by the great number
+of aquatic birds which made these marshes their home, and not only
+Spilett and Herbert, but Pencroff and Neb took part in the expedition.
+Smith alone pleaded some excuse for remaining behind at Granite House.
+
+The hunters promised to return by evening. Top and Jup accompanied
+them. And when they had crossed the bridge over the Mercy the engineer
+left them, and returned with the idea of executing a project in which
+he wished to be alone. This was to explore minutely the well opening
+into the corridor.
+
+Why did Top run round this place so often? Why did he whine in that
+strange way? Why did Jup share Top’s anxiety? Had this well other
+branches beside the communication with the sea? Did it ramify towards
+other portions of the island? This is what Smith wanted to discover,
+and, moreover, to be alone in his discovery. He had resolved to make
+this exploration during the absence of his companions, and here was the
+opportunity.
+
+It was easy to descend to the bottom of the well by means of the
+ladder, which had not been used since the elevator had taken its place.
+The engineer dragged this ladder to the opening of the well, and,
+having made fast one end, let it unroll itself into the abyss. Then,
+having lit a lantern, and placing a revolver and cutlass in his belt,
+he began to descend the rungs. The sides of the well were smooth, but
+some projections of rocks appeared at intervals, and by means of these
+projections an athlete could have raised himself to the mouth of the
+well. The engineer noticed this, but in throwing the light of the
+lantern on these points he could discover nothing to indicate that they
+had ever been used in that way.
+
+Smith descended deeper, examining every part of the well, but he saw
+nothing suspicious. When he had reached the lowermost rung, he was at
+the surface of the water, which was perfectly calm. Neither there, nor
+in any other part of the well, was there any lateral opening. The wall,
+struck by the handle of Smith’s cutlass, sounded solid. It was a
+compact mass, through which no human being could make his way. In order
+to reach the bottom of the well, and from thence climb to its mouth, it
+was necessary to traverse the submerged passage under the shore, which
+connected with the sea, and this was only possible for marine animals.
+As to knowing whereabouts on the shore, and at what depth under the
+waves, this passage came out, that was impossible to discover.
+
+Smith, having ended his exploration, remounted the ladder, covered over
+again the mouth of the well, and returned thoughtfully to the great
+hall of Granite House, saying to himself:—
+
+“I have seen nothing, and yet, there is something there.”
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXIV.
+
+
+RIGGING THE LAUNCH—ATTACKED BY FOXES—JUP WOUNDED—JUP NURSED—JUP
+CURED—COMPLETION OF THE LAUNCH—PENCROFF’S TRIUMPH—THE GOOD LUCK—TRIAL
+TRIP, TO THE SOUTH OF THE ISLAND—AN UNEXPECTED DOCUMENT.
+
+
+The same evening the hunters returned, fairly loaded down with game,
+the four men having all they could carry. Top had a circlet of ducks
+round his neck, and Jup belts of woodcock round his body.
+
+“See, my master,” cried Neb, “see how we have used our time. Preserves,
+pies, we will have a good reserve! But some one must help me, and I
+count upon you, Pencroff.”
+
+“No, Neb,” responded the sailor, “the rigging of the launch occupies my
+time, and you will have to do without me.”
+
+“And you, Master Herbert?”
+
+“I, Neb, must go to-morrow to the corral.”
+
+“Then will you help me, Mr. Spilett?”
+
+“To oblige you, I will, Neb,” answered the reporter, “but I warn you
+that if you discover your recipes to me I will publish them.”
+
+“Whenever you choose, sir,” responded Neb; “whenever you choose.”
+
+And so the next day the reporter was installed as Neb’s aid in his
+culinary laboratory. But beforehand the engineer had given him the
+result of the previous day’s exploration, and Spilett agreed with Smith
+in his opinion that, although he had found out nothing, still there was
+a secret to be discovered.
+
+The cold continued a week longer, and the colonists did not leave
+Granite House excepting to look after the poultry-yard. The dwelling
+was perfumed by the good odors which the learned manipulations of Neb
+and the reporter emitted; but all the products of the hunt in the fen
+had not been made into preserves, and as the game kept perfectly in the
+intense cold, wild ducks and others, were eaten fresh, and declared
+better than any waterfowl in the world.
+
+During the week, Pencroff, assisted by Herbert, who used the sailor’s
+needle skilfully, worked with such diligence that the sails of the
+launch were finished. Thanks to the rigging which had been recovered
+with the envelope of the balloon, hemp cordage was not wanting. The
+sails were bordered by strong bolt-ropes, and there was enough left to
+make halliards, shrouds, and sheets. The pulleys were made by Smith on
+the lathe which he had set up, acting under Pencroff’s instruction. The
+rigging was, therefore, completed before the launch was finished.
+Pencroff made a red, white, and blue flag, getting the dye from certain
+plants; but to the thirty-seven stars representing the thirty-seven
+States of the Union, the sailor added another star, the star of the
+“State of Lincoln:” as he considered his island as already annexed to
+the great republic.
+
+“And,” said he, “it is in spirit, if it is not in fact!”
+
+For the present the flag was unfurled from the central window of
+Granite House and saluted with three cheers.
+
+Meantime, they had reached the end of the cold season; and it seemed as
+if this second winter would pass without any serious event, when during
+the night of the 11th of August, Prospect Plateau was menaced by a
+complete devastation. After a busy day the colonists were sleeping
+soundly, when towards 4 o’clock in the morning, they were suddenly
+awakened by Top’s barking. The dog did not bark this time at the mouth
+of the pit, but at the door, and he threw himself against it as if he
+wished to break it open. Jup, also, uttered sharp cries.
+
+“Be quiet, Top!” cried Neb, who was the first awake.
+
+But the dog only barked the louder.
+
+“What’s the matter?” cried Smith. And every one dressing in haste,
+hurried to the windows and opened them.
+
+“Beneath them a fall of snow shone white through the darkness. The
+colonists could see nothing, but they heard curious barkings
+penetrating the night. It was evident that the shore had been invaded
+by a number of animals which they could not see.”
+
+“What can they be?” cried Pencroff.
+
+“Wolves, jaguars, or monkeys!” replied Neb.
+
+“The mischief! They can get on to the plateau!” exclaimed the reporter.
+
+“And our poultry-yard, and our garden!” cried Herbert.
+
+“How have they got in?” asked Pencroff.
+
+“They have come through the causeway,” answered the engineer, “which
+one of us must have forgotten to close!”
+
+“In truth,” said Spilett, “I remember that I left it open—”
+
+“A nice mess you have made of it, sir!” cried the sailor.
+
+“What is done, is done,” replied Spilett. “Let us consider what it is
+necessary to do!”
+
+These questions and answers passed rapidly between Smith and his
+companions. It was certain that the causeway had been passed, that the
+shore had been invaded by animals, and that, whatever they were, they
+could gain Prospect Plateau by going up the left bank of the Mercy. It
+was, therefore, necessary quickly to overtake them, and, if necessary,
+to fight them!
+
+“But what are they?” somebody asked a second time, as the barking
+resounded more loudly.
+
+Herbert started at the sound, and he remembered having heard it during
+his first visit to the sources of Red Creek.
+
+“They are foxes! they are foxes!” he said.
+
+“Come on!” cried the sailor. And all, armed with hatchets, carbines,
+and revolvers, hurried into the elevator, and were soon on the shore.
+
+These foxes are dangerous animals, when numerous or irritated by
+hunger. Nevertheless, the colonists did not hesitate to throw
+themselves into the midst of the band, and their first shots, darting
+bright gleams through the darkness, drove back the foremost assailants.
+
+It was most important to prevent these thieves from gaining Prospect
+Plateau, as the garden and the poultry-yard would have been at their
+mercy, and the result would have been immense, perhaps, irreparable
+damage, especially to the corn-field. But as the plateau could only be
+invaded by the left bank of the Mercy, it would suffice to oppose a
+barrier to the foxes on the narrow portion of the shore comprised
+between the river and the granite wall.
+
+This was apparent to all, and under Smith’s direction the party gained
+this position and disposed themselves so as to form an impassable line.
+Top, his formidable jaws open, preceded the colonists, and was followed
+by Jup, armed with a knotty cudgel, which he brandished like a
+cricket-bat.
+
+The night was very dark, and it was only by the flash of the discharges
+that the colonists could perceive their assailants, who numbered at
+least 100, and whose eyes shone like embers.
+
+“They must not pass!” cried Pencroff.
+
+“They shall not pass!” answered the engineer.
+
+But if they did not it was not because they did not try. Those behind
+kept pushing on those in front, and it was an incessant struggle; the
+colonists using their hatchets and revolvers. Already the dead bodies
+of the foxes were strewn over the ground, but the band did not seem to
+lessen; and it appeared as if reinforcements were constantly pouring in
+through the causeway on the shore. Meantime the colonists fought side
+by side, receiving some wounds, though happily but trifling. Herbert
+shot one fox, which had fastened itself on Neb like a tiger-cat. Top
+fought with fury, springing at the throats of the animals and
+strangling them at once. Jup, armed with his cudgel, laid about him
+like a good fellow, and it was useless to try to make him stay behind.
+Gifted, doubtless, with a sight able to pierce the darkness, he was
+always in the thick of the fight, uttering from time to time a sharp
+cry, which was with him a mark of extreme jollification. At one time he
+advanced so far, that by the flash of a revolver he was seen,
+surrounded by five or six huge foxes, defending himself with rare
+coolness.
+
+At length the fight ended in a victory for the colonists, but only
+after two hours of resistance. Doubtless the dawn of day determined the
+retreat of the foxes, who scampered off toward the north across the
+drawbridge, which Neb ran at once to raise. When daylight lit the
+battlefield, the colonists counted fifty dead bodies upon the shore.
+
+“And Jup! Where is Jup?” cried Neb.
+
+Jup had disappeared. His friend Neb called him, and for the first time
+he did not answer the call. Every one began to search for the monkey,
+trembling lest they should find him among the dead. At length, under a
+veritable mound of carcasses, each one marked by the terrible cudgel of
+the brave animal, they found Jup. The poor fellow still held in his
+hand the handle of his broken weapon; but deprived of this arm, he had
+been overpowered by numbers, and deep wounds scored his breast.
+
+“He’s alive!” cried Neb, who knelt beside him.
+
+“And we will save him,” answered the sailor, “We will nurse him as one
+of ourselves!”
+
+It seemed as if Jup understood what was said, for he laid his head on
+Pencroff’s shoulder as if to thank him. The sailor himself was wounded,
+but his wounds, like those of his companions, were trifling, as thanks
+to their firearms, they had always been able to keep the assailants at
+a distance. Only the orang was seriously hurt.
+
+Jup, borne by Neb and Pencroff, was carried to the elevator, and lifted
+gently to Granite House. There he was laid upon one of the beds, and
+his wounds carefully washed. No vital organ seemed to have been
+injured, but the orang was very feeble from loss of blood, and a strong
+fever had set in. His wounds having been dressed, a strict diet was
+imposed upon him, “just as for a real person,” Neb said, and they gave
+him a refreshing draught made from herbs.
+
+He slept at first but brokenly, but little by little, his breathing
+became more regular, and they left him in a heavy sleep. From time to
+time Top came “on tip-toe” to visit his friend, and seemed to approve
+of the attentions which had been bestowed upon it.
+
+One of Jup’s hands hung over the side of the bed, and Top licked it
+sympathetically.
+
+The same morning they disposed of the dead foxes by dragging the bodies
+to the Far West and burying them there.
+
+This attack, which might have been attended with very grave results,
+was a lesson to the colonists, and thenceforth they never slept before
+having ascertained that all the bridges were raised and that no
+invasion was possible.
+
+Meantime Jup, after having given serious alarm for some days, began to
+grow better. The fever abated gradually, and Spilett, who was something
+of a physician, considered him out of danger. On the 16th of August Jup
+began to eat. Neb made him some nice, sweet dishes, which the invalid
+swallowed greedily, for if he had a fault, it was that he was a bit of
+a glutton, and Neb had never done anything to correct this habit.
+
+“What would you have?” he said to Spilett, who sometimes rebuked the
+negro for indulging him. “Poor Jup has no other pleasure than to eat!
+and I am only too glad to be able to reward his services in this way!”
+
+By the 21st of August he was about again. His wounds were healed, and
+the colonists saw that he would soon recover his accustomed suppleness
+and vigor. Like other convalescents he was seized with an excessive
+hunger, and the reporter let him eat what he wished, knowing that the
+monkey’s instinct would preserve him from excess. Neb was overjoyed to
+see his pupil’s appetite returned.
+
+“Eat Jup,” he said, “and you shall want for nothing. You have shed your
+blood for us, and it is right that I should help you to make it again!”
+
+At length, on the 25th of August, the colonists seated in the great
+hall, were called by Neb to Jup’s room.
+
+“What is it?” asked the reporter.
+
+“Look!” answered Neb, laughing, and what did they see but Jup, seated
+like a Turk within the doorway of Granite House, tranquilly and gravely
+smoking!
+
+“My pipe!” cried Pencroff. “He has taken my pipe! Well, Jup, I give it
+to you. Smoke on my friend, smoke on!”
+
+And Jup gravely puffed on, seeming to experience the utmost enjoyment.
+
+Smith was not greatly astonished at this incident, and he cited
+numerous examples of tamed monkeys that had become accustomed to the
+use of tobacco.
+
+And after this day master Jup had his own pipe hung in his room beside
+his tobacco-bag, and, lighting it himself with a live coal, he appeared
+to be the happiest of quadrumana. It seemed as if this community of
+taste drew closer together the bonds of friendship already existing
+between the worthy monkey and the honest sailor.
+
+“Perhaps he is a man,” Pencroff would sometimes say to Neb. “Would it
+astonish you if some day he was to speak?”
+
+“Indeed it would not,” replied Neb. “The wonder is that he don’t do it,
+as that is all he lacks!”
+
+“Nevertheless, it would be funny if some fine day he said to
+me:—Pencroff, suppose we change pipes!”
+
+“Yes,” responded Neb. “What a pity he was born mute!”
+
+Winter ended with September, and the work was renewed with ardor. The
+construction of the boat advanced rapidly. The planking was completed,
+and as wood was plenty Pencroff proposed that they line the interior
+with a stout ceiling, which would insure the solidity of the craft.
+Smith, not knowing what might be in store for them, approved the
+sailor’s idea of making his boat as strong as possible. The ceiling and
+the deck were finished towards the 13th of September. For caulking,
+they used some dry wrack, and the seams were then covered with boiling
+pitch, made from the pine trees of the forest.
+
+The arrangement of the boat was simple. She had been ballasted with
+heavy pieces of granite, set in a bed of lime, and weighing 12,000
+pounds. A deck was placed over this ballast, and the interior was
+divided into two compartments, the larger containing two bunks, which
+served as chests. The foot of the mast was at the partition separating
+the compartments, which were entered through hatchways.
+
+Pencroff had no difficulty in finding a tree suitable for a mast. He
+chose a young straight fir, without knots, so that all he had to do was
+to square the foot and round it off at the head. All the iron work had
+been roughly but solidly made at the Chimneys; and in the first week of
+October yards, topmast, spars, oars, etc., everything, in short, was
+completed; and it was determined that they would first try the craft
+along the shores of the island, so as to see how she acted.
+
+She was launched on the 10th of October. Pencroff was radiant with
+delight. Completely rigged, she had been pushed on rollers to the edge
+of the shore, and, as the tide rose, she was floated on the surface of
+the water, amid the applause of the colonists, and especially of
+Pencroff, who showed no modesty on this occasion. Moreover, his vanity
+looked beyond the completion of the craft, as, now that she was built,
+he was to be her commander. The title of captain was bestowed upon him
+unanimously.
+
+In order to satisfy Captain Pencroff it was necessary at once to name
+his ship, and after considerable discussion they decided upon Good
+Luck—the name chosen by the honest sailor. Moreover, as the weather was
+fine, the breeze fresh, and the sea calm, the trial must be made at
+once in an excursion along the coast.
+
+“Get aboard! Get aboard!” cried Captain Pencroff.
+
+At half-past 10, after having eaten breakfast and put some provisions
+aboard, everybody, including Top and Jup, embarked, the sails were
+hoisted, the flag set at the masthead, and the Good Luck, with Pencroff
+at the helm, stood out to sea.
+
+On going out from Union Bay they had a fair wind, and they were able to
+see that, sailing before it, their speed was excellent. After doubling
+Jetsam Point and Claw Cape, Pencroff had to lie close to the wind in
+order to skirt along the shore, and he observed the Good Luck would
+sail to within five points of the wind, and that she made but little
+lee-way. She sailed very well, also, before the wind, minding her helm
+perfectly, and gained even in going about.
+
+The passengers were enchanted. They had a good boat, which, in case of
+need, could render them great service, and in this splendid weather,
+with the fair wind, the sail was delightful. Pencroff stood out to sea
+two or three miles, opposite Balloon Harbor, and then the whole varied
+panorama of the island from Claw Cape to Reptile Promontory was visible
+under a new aspect. In the foreground were the pine forests,
+contrasting with the foliage of the other trees, and over all rose Mt.
+Franklin, its head white with snow.
+
+“How beautiful it is!” exclaimed Herbert.
+
+“Yes, she is a pretty creature,” responded Pencroff. “I love her as a
+mother. She received us poor and needy, and what has she denied to
+these five children who tumbled upon her out of the sky?”
+
+“Nothing, captain, nothing,” answered Neb. And the two honest fellows
+gave three hearty cheers in honor of their island.
+
+Meantime, Spilett, seated by the mast, sketched the panorama before
+him, while Smith looked on in silence.
+
+“What do you say of our boat, now, sir?” demanded Pencroff.
+
+“It acts very well,” replied the engineer.
+
+“Good. And now don’t you think it could undertake a voyage of some
+length?”
+
+“Where, Pencroff?”
+
+“To Tabor Island, for instance.”
+
+“My friend,” replied the engineer, “I believe that in a case of
+necessity there need be no hesitancy in trusting to the Good Luck even
+for a longer journey; but, you know, I would be sorry to see you leave
+for Tabor Island, because nothing obliges you to go.”
+
+“One likes to know one’s neighbors,” answered Pencroff, whose mind was
+made up. “Tabor Island is our neighbor, and is all alone. Politeness
+requires that at least we make her a visit.”
+
+“The mischief!” exclaimed Spilett, “our friend Pencroff is a stickler
+for propriety.”
+
+“I am not a stickler at all,” retorted the sailor, who was a little
+vexed by the engineer’s opposition.
+
+“Remember, Pencroff,” said Smith, “that you could not go the island
+alone.”
+
+“One other would be all I would want.”
+
+“Supposing so,” replied the engineer, “would you risk depriving our
+colony of five, of two of its colonists?”
+
+“There are six,” rejoined Pencroff. “You forget Jup.”
+
+“There are seven,” added Neb. “Top is as good as another.”
+
+“There is no risk in it, Mr. Smith,” said Pencroff again.
+
+“Possibly not, Pencroff; but, I repeat, that it is exposing oneself
+without necessity.”
+
+The obstinate sailor did not answer, but let the conversation drop for
+the present. He little thought that an incident was about to aid him,
+and change to a work of humanity what had been merely a caprice open to
+discussion.
+
+The Good Luck, after having stood out to sea, was returning towards the
+coast and making for Balloon Harbor, as it was important to locate the
+channel-way between the shoals and reefs so as to buoy them, for this
+little inlet was to be resting place of the sloop.
+
+They were half a mile off shore, beating up to windward and moving
+somewhat slowly, as the boat was under the lee of the land. The sea was
+as smooth as glass. Herbert was standing in the bows indicating the
+channel-way. Suddenly he cried:—
+
+“Luff, Pencroff, luff.”
+
+“What is it?” cried the sailor, springing to his feet. “A rock?”
+
+“No—hold on, I cannot see very well—luff again—steady—bear away a
+little—” and while thus speaking, the lad lay down along the deck,
+plunged his arm quickly into the water, and then rising up again with
+something in his hand, exclaimed:—
+
+“It is a bottle!”
+
+Smith took it, and without saying a word, withdrew the cork and took
+out a wet paper, on which was written these words:—
+
+“A shipwrecked man—Tabor Island:—l53° W. lon.—37° 11’ S. lat.”
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXV.
+
+
+DEPARTURE DECIDED UPON—PREPARATIONS—THE THREE PASSENGERS—THE FIRST
+NIGHT—THE SECOND NIGHT—TABOR ISLAND—SEARCH ON THE SHORE—SEARCH IN THE
+WOODS—NO ONE—ANIMALS—PLANTS—A HOUSE—DESERTED.
+
+
+“Some one shipwrecked!” cried Pencroff, “abandoned some hundred miles
+from us upon Tabor Island! Oh! Mr. Smith, you will no longer oppose my
+project!”
+
+“No, Pencroff, and you must leave as soon as possible.”.
+
+“To-morrow?”
+
+“To-morrow.”
+
+The engineer held the paper which he had taken from the bottle in his
+hand. He considered for a few moments, and then spoke:—
+
+“From this paper, my friends,” said he, “and from the manner in which
+it is worded, we must conclude that, in the first place, the person
+cast away upon Tabor Island is a man well informed, since he gives the
+latitude and longitude of his island exactly; secondly, that he is
+English or American, since the paper is written in English.”
+
+“That is a logical conclusion,” answered Spilett, “and the presence of
+this person explains the arrival of the box on our coast. There has
+been a shipwreck, since some one has been shipwrecked. And he is
+fortunate in that Pencroff had the idea of building this boat and even
+of trying it to-day, for in twenty-four hours the bottle would have
+been broken on the rocks.”
+
+“Indeed,!’ said Herbert, “it is a happy chance that the Good Luck
+passed by the very spot where this bottle was floating.”
+
+“Don’t it seem to you odd?” asked Smith of Pencroff.
+
+“It seems fortunate, that’s all,” replied the sailor. “Do you see
+anything extraordinary in it, sir? This bottle must have gone
+somewhere, and why not here as well as anywhere else?”
+
+“Perhaps you are right, Pencroff,” responded the engineer, “and
+nevertheless—”
+
+“But,” interrupted Herbert, “nothing proves that this bottle has
+floated in the water for a long time.”
+
+“Nothing,” responded Spilett, “and moreover the paper seems to have
+been recently written. What do you think, Cyrus?”
+
+“It is hard to decide.” answered Smith..
+
+Meanwhile Pencroff had not been idle. He had gone about, and the Good
+Luck, with a free wind, all her sails drawing, was speeding toward Claw
+Cape. Each one thought of the castaway on Tabor Island. Was there still
+time to save him? This was a great event in the lives of the colonists.
+They too were but castaways, but it was not probable that another had
+been as favored as they had been, and it was their duty to hasten at
+once to this one’s relief. By 2 o’clock Claw Cape was doubled, and the
+Good Luck anchored at the mouth of the Mercy.
+
+That evening all the details of the expedition were arranged. It was
+agreed that Herbert and Pencroff, who understood the management of a
+boat, were to undertake the voyage alone. By leaving the next day, the
+11th of October, they would reach the island, supposing the wind
+continued, in forty-eight hours. Allowing for one day there, and three
+or four days to return in, they could calculate on being at Lincoln
+Island again on the 17th. The weather was good, the barometer rose
+steadily, the wind seemed as if it would continue, everything favored
+these brave men, who were going so far to do a humane act.
+
+Thus, Smith, Neb, and Spilett was to remain at Granite House; but at
+the last moment, the latter, remembering his duty as reporter to the
+New York _Herald_, having declared that he would swim rather than lose
+such an opportunity, was allowed to take part in the voyage.
+
+The evening was employed in putting bedding, arms, munitions,
+provisions, etc., on board, and the next morning, by 5 o’clock, the
+good-byes were spoken, and Pencroff, hoisting the sails, headed for
+Claw Cape, which had to be doubled before taking the route to the
+southeast. The Good Luck was already a quarter of a mile from shore
+when her passengers saw upon the heights of Granite House two men
+signalling farewells. They were Smith and Neb, from whom they were
+separating for the first time in fifteen months.
+
+Pencroff, Herbert, and the reporter returned the signal, and soon
+Granite House disappeared behind the rocks of the Cape.
+
+During the morning, the Good Luck remained in view of the southern
+coast of the island, which appeared like a green clump of trees, above
+which rose Mount Franklin. The heights, lessened by distance, gave it
+an appearance little calculated to attract ships on its coasts. At 1
+o’clock Reptile Promontory was passed ten miles distant. It was
+therefore impossible to distinguish the western coast, which extended
+to the spurs of the mountain, and three hours later, Lincoln Island had
+disappeared behind the horizon.
+
+The Good Luck behaved admirably. She rode lightly over the seas and
+sailed rapidly. Pencroff had set his topsail, and with a fair wind he
+followed a straight course by the compass. Occasionally Herbert took
+the tiller, and the hand of the young lad was so sure, that the sailor
+had nothing to correct.
+
+Spilett chatted with one and the other, and lent a hand when necessary
+in manœuvring the sloop. Captain Pencroff was perfectly satisfied with
+his crew, and was constantly promising them an extra allowance of grog.
+
+In the evening the slender crescent of the moon glimmered in the
+twilight. The night came on dark but starlit, with the promise of a
+fine day on the morrow. Pencroff thought it prudent to take in the
+topsail, which was perhaps an excess of caution in so still a night,
+but he was a careful sailor, and was not to be blamed.
+
+The reporter slept during half the night, Herbert and Pencroff taking
+two-hour turns at the helm. The sailor had as much confidence in his
+pupil as he had in himself, and his trust was justified by the coolness
+and judgment of the lad. Pencroff set the course as a captain to his
+helmsman, and Herbert did not allow the Good Luck to deviate a point
+from her direction.
+
+The night and the next day passed quietly and safely. The Good Luck
+held her southeast course, and, unless she was drawn aside by some
+unknown current, she would make Tabor Island exactly. The sea was
+completely deserted, save that sometimes an albatross or frigate-bird
+passed within gun-shot distance.
+
+“And yet,” said Herbert, “this is the season when the whalers usually
+come towards the southern part of the Pacific. I don’t believe that
+there is a sea more deserted than this.”
+
+“It is not altogether deserted,” responded Pencroff.
+
+“What do you mean?”
+
+“Why we are here. Do you take us for porpoises or our sloop for
+driftwood?” And Pencroff laughed at his pleasantry.
+
+By evening they calculated the distance traversed at 130 miles, or
+three and a third miles an hour. The breeze was dying away, but they
+had reason to hope, supposing their course to have been correct, that
+they would sight Tabor Island at daylight.
+
+No one of the three slept during this night. While waiting for morning
+they experienced the liveliest emotions. There was so much uncertainty
+in their enterprise. Were they near the island? Was the shipwrecked man
+still there? Who was he? Might not his presence disturb the unity of
+the colony? Would he, indeed, consent to exchange one prison for
+another? All these questions, which would doubtless be answered the
+next day, kept them alert, and at the earliest dawn they began to scan
+the western horizon.
+
+What was the joy of the little crew when towards 6 o’clock Pencroff
+shouted—
+
+“Land!”
+
+In a few hours they would be upon its shore.
+
+The island was a low coast, raised but a little above the waves, not
+more than fifteen miles away. The sloop, which had been heading south
+of it, was put about, and, as the sun rose, a few elevations became
+visible here and there.
+
+“It is not as large as Lincoln Island,” said Herbert, “and probably
+owes its origin to like submarine convulsions.”
+
+By 11 o’clock the Good Luck was only two miles distant from shore, and
+Pencroff, while seeking some place to land, sailed with extreme caution
+through these unknown waters. They could see the whole extent of this
+island, on which were visible groups of gum and other large trees of
+the same species as those on Lincoln Island. But, it was astonishing,
+that no rising smoke indicated that the place was inhabited, nor was
+any signal visible upon the shore. Nevertheless the paper had been
+precise: it stated that there was a shipwrecked man here; and he should
+have been upon the watch.
+
+Meanwhile the Good Luck went in through the tortuous passages between
+the reefs, Herbert steering, and the sailor stationed forward, keeping
+a sharp lookout, with the halliards in his hand, ready to run down the
+sail. Spilett, with the spy-glass, examined all the shore without
+perceiving anything. By noon the sloop touched the beach, the anchor
+was let go, the sails furled, and the crew stepped on shore.
+
+There could be no doubt that that was Tabor Island, since the most
+recent maps gave no other land in all this part of the Pacific.
+
+After having securely moored the sloop, Pencroff and his companion,
+well armed, ascended the coast towards a round hill, some 250 feet
+high, which was distant about half a mile, from the summit of which
+they expected to have a good view of the island.
+
+The explorers followed the edge of grassy plain which ended at the foot
+of the hill. Rock-pigeons and sea-swallows circled about them, and in
+the woods bordering the plain to the left they heard rustlings in the
+bushes and saw movements in the grass indicating the presence of very
+timid animals, but nothing, so far, indicated that the island was
+inhabited.
+
+Having reached the hill the party soon climbed to its summit, and their
+gaze traversed the whole horizon. They were certainly upon an island,
+not more than six miles in circumference, in shape a long oval, and but
+little broken by inlets or promontories. All around it, the sea,
+absolutely deserted, stretched away to the horizon.
+
+This islet differed greatly from Lincoln Island in that it was covered
+over its entire surface with woods, and the uniform mass of verdure
+clothed two or three less elevated hills. Obliquely to the oval of the
+island a small stream crossed a large grassy plain and emptied into the
+sea on the western side by a narrowed mouth.
+
+“The place is small,” said Herbert.
+
+“Yes,” replied the sailor. “It would have been too small for us.”
+
+“And,” added the reporter, “it seems uninhabited.”
+
+“Nevertheless,” said Pencroff, “let us go down and search.”
+
+The party returned to the sloop, and they decided to walk round the
+entire island before venturing into its interior, so that no place
+could escape their investigation.
+
+The shore was easily followed, and the explorers proceeded towards the
+south, starting up flocks of aquatic birds and numbers of seals, which
+latter threw themselves into the sea as soon as they caught sight of
+the party.
+
+“Those beasts are not looking on man for the first time. They fear what
+they know,” said the reporter.
+
+An hour after their departure the three had reached the southern point
+of the islet, which terminated in a sharp cape, and they turned towards
+the north, following the western shore, which was sandy, like the
+other, and bounded by a thick wood.
+
+In four hours after they had set out the party had made the circuit of
+the island, without having seen any trace of a habitation, and not even
+a footprint. It was most extraordinary, to say the least, and it seemed
+necessary to believe that the place was not and had not been inhabited.
+Perhaps, after all, the paper had been in the water for many months, or
+even years, and it was possible, in that case, that the shipwrecked one
+had been rescued or that he had died from suffering.
+
+The little party, discussing all sorts of possibilities, made a hasty
+dinner on board the sloop, and at 5 o’clock started to explore the
+woods.
+
+Numerous animals fled before their approach, principally, indeed
+solely, goats and pigs, which it was easy to see were of European
+origin. Doubtless some whaler had left them here, and they had rapidly
+multiplied. Herbert made up his mind to catch two or three pairs to
+take back to Lincoln Island.
+
+There was no longer any doubt that the island had previously been
+visited. This was the more evident as in passing through the forest
+they saw the traces of pathways, and the trunks of trees felled by the
+hatchet, and all about, marks of human handiwork; but these trees had
+been felled years before; the hatchet marks were velvetted with moss,
+and the pathways were so overgrown with grass that it was difficult to
+discover them.
+
+“But,” observed Spilett, “this proves that men not only landed here,
+but that they lived here. Now who and how many were these men, and how
+many remain?”
+
+“The paper speaks of but one,” replied Herbert.
+
+“Well,” said Pencroff, “if he is still here we cannot help finding
+him.”
+
+The exploration was continued, following diagonally across the island,
+and by this means the sailor and his companions reached the little
+stream which flowed towards the sea.
+
+If animals of European origin, if works of human hands proved
+conclusively that man had once been here, many specimens of the
+vegetable kingdom also evidenced the fact. In certain clear places it
+was plain that kitchen vegetables had formerly been planted. And
+Herbert was overjoyed when he discovered potatoes, succory, sorrel,
+carrots, cabbage, and turnips, the seeds of which would enrich the
+garden at Granite House.
+
+“Indeed,” exclaimed Pencroff, “this will rejoice Neb. Even if we don’t
+find the man, our voyage will not have been useless, and Heaven will
+have rewarded us.”
+
+“Doubtless,” replied Spilett, “but from the conditions of these fields,
+it looks as if the place had not been inhabited for a long time.”
+
+“An inhabitant, whoever he was, would not neglect anything so important
+as this.”
+
+“Yes, this man has gone. It must be—”
+
+“That the paper had been written a long time ago?”
+
+“Undoubtedly.”
+
+“And that the bottle had been floating in the sea a good while before
+it arrived at Lincoln Island?”
+
+“Why not?” said Pencroff. “But, see, it is getting dark,” he added,
+“and I think we had better give over the search.”
+
+“We will go aboard, and to-morrow we will begin again,” replied the
+reporter.
+
+They were about adopting this counsel, when Herbert, pointing to
+something dimly visible, through the trees, exclaimed:—
+
+“There’s a house!”
+
+All three directed their steps towards the place indicated, and they
+made out in the twilight that it was built of planks, covered with
+heavy tarpaulin. The door, half closed, was pushed back by Pencroff,
+who entered quickly.
+
+The place was empty!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXVI.
+
+
+THE INVENTORY—THE NIGHT—SOME LETTERS—THE SEARCH CONTINUED—PLANTS AND
+ANIMALS—HERBERT IN DANGER—ABOARD—THE DEPARTURE—BAD WEATHER—A GLIMMER OF
+INTELLIGENCE —LOST AT SEA—A TIMELY LIGHT.
+
+
+Pencroff, Spilett and Herbert stood silent In darkness. Then the former
+gave a loud call. There was no answer. He lit a twig, and the light
+illuminated for a moment a small room, seemingly deserted. At one end
+was a large chimney, containing some cold cinders and an armful of dry
+wood. Pencroff threw the lighted twig into it, and the wood caught fire
+and gave out a bright light.
+
+The sailor and his companions thereupon discovered a bed in disorder,
+its damp and mildewed covers proving that it had been long unused; in
+the corner of the fireplace were two rusty kettles and an overturned
+pot; a clothes-press with some sailors’ clothing, partially moulded; on
+the table a tin plate, and a Bible, injured by the dampness; in a
+corner some tools, a shovel, a mattock, a pick, two shot guns, one of
+which was broken; on a shelf was a barrel full of powder, a barrel of
+lead, and a number of boxes of caps. All were covered with a thick
+coating of dust.
+
+“There is no one here,” said the reporter.
+
+“Not a soul.”
+
+“This room has not been occupied in a long time.”
+
+“Since a very long time.”
+
+“Mr. Spilett,” said Pencroff, “I think that instead of going on board
+we had better stay here all night.”
+
+“You are right, Pencroff, and if the proprietor returns he will not be
+sorry, perhaps, to find the place occupied.”
+
+“He won’t come back, though,” said the sailor, shaking his head.
+
+“Do you think he has left the island?”
+
+“If he had left the island he would have taken these things with him.
+You know how much a shipwrecked person would be attached to these
+objects. No, no,” repeated the sailor, in the tone of a man perfectly
+convinced; “no, he has not left the island. He is surely here.”
+
+“Alive?”
+
+“Alive or dead. But if he is dead he could not have buried himself, I
+am sure, and we will at least find his remains.”
+
+It was therefore agreed to pass the night in this house, and a supply
+of wood in the corner gave them the means of heating it. The door
+having been closed, the three explorers, seated upon a bench, spoke
+little, but remained deep in thought. They were in the mood to accept
+anything that might happen, and they listened eagerly for any sound
+from without. If the door had suddenly opened and a man had stood
+before them, they would not have been much surprised, in spite of all
+the evidence of desolation throughout the house; and their hands were
+ready to clasp the hands of this man, of this shipwrecked one, of this
+unknown friend whose friends awaited him.
+
+But no sound was heard, the door did not open, and the hours passed by.
+
+The night seemed interminable to the sailor and his companions.
+Herbert, alone, slept for two hours, as at his age, sleep is a
+necessity. All were anxious to renew the search of the day before, and
+to explore the innermost recesses of the islet. Pencroff’s conclusions
+were certainly just, since the house and its contents had been
+abandoned. They determined, therefore, to search for the remains of its
+inhabitant, and to give them Christian burial.
+
+As soon as it was daylight they began to examine the house. It was
+prettily situated under a small hill, on which grew several fine gum
+trees. Before it a large space had been cleared, giving a view over the
+sea. A small lawn, surrounded by a dilapidated fence, extended to the
+bank of the little stream. The house had evidently been built from
+planks taken from a ship. It seemed likely that a ship had been thrown
+upon the island, that all or at least one of the crew had been saved,
+and that this house had been built from the wreck. This was the more
+probable, as Spilett, in going round the dwelling, saw on one of the
+planks these half-effaced letters:—
+
+BR ... TAN ... A.
+
+“Britannia,” exclaimed Pencroff, who had been called by the reporter to
+look at it; “that is a common name among ships, and I cannot say
+whether it is English or American. However, it don’t matter to what
+country the man belongs, we will save him, if he is alive. But before
+we begin our search let us go back to the Good Luck.”
+
+Pencroff had been seized with a sort of anxiety about his sloop.
+Supposing the island was inhabited, and some one had taken it—but he
+shrugged his shoulders at this unlikely thought. Nevertheless the
+sailor was not unwilling to go on board to breakfast. The route already
+marked was not more than a mile in length, and they started on their
+walk, looking carefully about them in the woods and underbrush, through
+which ran hundreds of pigs and goats.
+
+In twenty minutes the party reached the place where the Good Luck rode
+quietly at anchor. Pencroff gave a sigh of satisfaction.
+
+After all, this boat was his baby, and it is a father’s right to be
+often anxious without reason.
+
+All went on board and ate a hearty breakfast, so as not to want
+anything before a late dinner; then the exploration was renewed, and
+conducted with the utmost carefulness. As it was likely that the
+solitary inhabitant of this island was dead, the party sought rather to
+find his remains than any traces of him living. But during all the
+morning they were unable to find anything; if he was dead, some animal
+must have devoured his body.
+
+“We will leave to-morrow at daylight,” said Pencroff to his companions,
+who towards 2 o’clock were resting for a few moments under a group of
+trees.
+
+“I think we need not hesitate to take those things which belonged to
+him?” queried Herbert.
+
+“I think not,” answered Spilett; “and these arms and tools will add
+materially to the stock at Granite House. If I am not mistaken, what is
+left of the lead and powder is worth a good deal.”
+
+“And we must not forget to capture a couple of these pigs,” said
+Pencroff.
+
+“Nor to gather some seed,” added Herbert, “which will give us some of
+our own vegetables.”
+
+“Perhaps it would be better to spend another day here, in order to get
+together everything that we want,” suggested the reporter.
+
+“No, sir;” replied the sailor. “I want to get away to-morrow morning.
+The wind seems to be shifting to the west, and will be in our favor
+going back.”
+
+“Then don’t let us lose any time,” said Herbert, rising.
+
+“We will not,” replied Pencroff. “Herbert, you get the seed, and
+Spilett and I will chase the pigs, and although we haven’t Top, I think
+we will catch some.”
+
+Herbert, therefore, followed the path which led to the cultivated part
+of the island, while the others plunged at once into the forest.
+Although the pigs were plenty they were singularly agile, and not in
+the humor to be captured. However, after half an hour’s chasing the
+hunters had captured a couple in their lair, when cries mingled with
+horrible hoarse sounds, having nothing human in them, were heard.
+Pencroff and Spilett sprang to their feet, regardless of the pigs,
+which escaped.
+
+“It is Herbert!” cried the reporter.
+
+“Hurry!” cried the sailor, as the two ran with their utmost speed
+towards the place from whence the cries came.
+
+They had need to hasten, for at a turn in the path they saw the lad
+prostrate beneath a savage, or perhaps a gigantic ape, who was
+throttling him.
+
+To throw themselves on this monster and pinion him to the ground,
+dragging Herbert away, was the work of a moment. The sailor had
+herculean strength. Spilett, too, was muscular, and, in spite of the
+resistance of the monster, it was bound so that it could not move.
+
+“You are not wounded, Herbert?”
+
+“No, oh no.”
+
+“Ah! if it had hurt you, this ape-”
+
+“But he is not an ape!” cried Herbert.
+
+At these words Pencroff and Spilett looked again at the object lying on
+the ground. In fact, it was not an ape, but a human being—a man! But
+what a man! He was a savage, in all the horrible acceptation of the
+word; and, what was more frightful, he seemed to have fallen to the
+last degree of brutishness.
+
+Matted hair, tangled beard descending to his waist, his body naked,
+save for a rag about his loins, wild eyes, long nails, mahogany-colored
+skin, feet as hard as if they had been made of horn; such was the
+miserable creature which it was, nevertheless, necessary to call a man.
+But one might well question whether this body still contained a soul,
+or whether the low, brutish instinct alone survived.
+
+“Are you perfectly sure that this is what has been a man?” questioned
+Pencroff of the reporter.
+
+“Alas! there can be no doubt of it,” replied Spilett.
+
+“Can he be the person shipwrecked?” asked Herbert
+
+“Yes,” responded the reporter, “but the poor creature is no longer
+human.”
+
+Spilett was right. Evidently, if the castaway had ever been civilized,
+isolation had made him a savage, a real creature of the woods. He gave
+utterance to hoarse sounds, from between teeth which were as sharp as
+those of animals living on raw flesh. Memory had doubtless long ago
+left him, and he had long since forgotten the use of arms and tools,
+and even how to make a fire. One could see that he was active and
+supple, but that his physical qualities had developed to the exclusion
+of his moral perception.
+
+Spilett spoke to him, but he neither understood nor listened, and,
+looking him in the eye, the reporter could see that all intelligence
+had forsaken him. Nevertheless, the prisoner did not struggle or strive
+to break his bonds. Was he cowed by the presence of these men, whom he
+had once resembled? Was there in some corner of his brain a flitting
+remembrance which drew him towards humanity? Free, would he have fled
+or would he have remained? They did not know, and they did not put him
+to the proof. After having looked attentively at the miserable
+creature, Spilett said:—
+
+“What he is, what he has been, and what he will be; it is still our
+duty to take him to Lincoln Island.”
+
+“Oh yes, yes,” exclaimed Herbert, “and perhaps we can, with care,
+restore to him some degree of intelligence.”
+
+“The soul never dies,” answered the reporter, “and it would be a great
+thing to bring back this creature of God’s making from his
+brutishness.”
+
+Pencroff shook his head doubtfully.
+
+“It is necessary to try at all events,” said the reporter, “humanity
+requires it of us.”
+
+“It was, indeed, their duty as civilized and Christian beings, and they
+well knew that Smith would approve of their course.
+
+“Shall we leave him bound?” inquired the sailor.
+
+“Perhaps if we unfasten his feet he will walk,” said Herbert.
+
+“Well, let us try,” replied the sailor.
+
+And the cords binding the creature’s legs were loosened, although his
+arms were kept firmly bound. He rose without manifesting any desire to
+escape. His tearless eyes darted sharp glances upon the three men who
+marched beside him, and nothing denoted that he remembered being or
+having been like them. A wheezing sound escaped from his lips, and his
+aspect was wild, but he made no resistance.
+
+By the advice of the reporter, the poor wretch was taken to the house,
+where, perhaps, the sight of the objects in it might make some
+impression upon him. Perhaps a single gleam would awaken his sleeping
+consciousness, illuminate his darkened mind.
+
+The house was near by, and in a few minutes they were there; but the
+prisoner recognized nothing—he seemed to have lost consciousness of
+everything. Could it be that this brutish state was due to his long
+imprisonment on the island? That, having come here a reasoning being,
+his isolation had reduced him to this state?
+
+The reporter thought that perhaps the sight of fire might affect him,
+and in a moment one of those lovely flames which attract even animals
+lit up the fireplace. The sight of this flame seemed at first to
+attract the attention of the unfortunate man, but very soon he ceased
+regarding it. Evidently, for the present at least, there was nothing to
+do but take him aboard the Good Luck, which was accordingly done. He
+was left in charge of Pencroff, while the two others returned to the
+island and brought over the arms and implements, a lot of seeds, some
+game, and two pairs of pigs which they had caught. Everything was put
+on board, and the sloop rode ready to hoist anchor as soon as the next
+morning’s tide would permit.
+
+The prisoner had been placed in the forward hold, where he lay calm,
+quiet, insensible, and mute. Pencroff offering him some cooked meat to
+eat, he pushed it away; but, on being shown one of the ducks which
+Herbert had killed, he pounced on it with bestial avidity and devoured
+it.
+
+“You think he’ll be himself again?” asked the sailor, shaking his head.
+
+“Perhaps,” replied the reporter. “It is not impossible that our
+attentions will react on him, since it is the isolation that has done
+this; and he will be alone no longer.”
+
+“The poor fellow has doubtless been this way for a long time.”
+
+“Perhaps so.”
+
+“How old do you think he is?” asked the lad.
+
+“That is hard to say,” replied the reporter, “as his matted beard
+obscures his face; but he is no longer young, and I should say he was
+at least fifty years old.”
+
+“Have you noticed how his eyes are set deep in his head?”
+
+“Yes, but I think that they are more human than one would suspect from
+his general appearance.”
+
+“Well, we will see,” said Pencroff; “and I am curious to have Mr.
+Smith’s opinion of our savage. We went to find a human being, and we
+are bringing back a monster. Any how, one takes what he can get.”
+
+The night passed, and whether the prisoner slept or not he did not
+move, although he had been unbound. He was like one of those beasts
+that in the first moments of their capture submit, and to whom the rage
+returns later.
+
+At daybreak the next day, the 17th, the change in the weather was as
+Pencroff had predicted. The wind hauled round to the northwest and
+favored the return of the Good Luck; but at the same time it had
+freshened, so as to make the sailing more difficult. At 5 o’clock the
+anchor was raised, Pencroff took a reef in the mainsail and headed
+directly towards home.
+
+The first day passed without incident. The prisoner rested quietly in
+the forward cabin, and, as he had once been a sailor, the motion of the
+sloop produced upon him a sort of salutary reaction. Did it recall to
+him some remembrance of his former occupation? At least he rested
+tranquil, more astonished than frightened.
+
+On the 16th the wind freshened considerably, coming round more to the
+north, and therefore in a direction less favorable to the course of the
+Good Luck, which bounded over the waves. Pencroff was soon obliged to
+hold her nearer to the wind, and without saying so, he began to be
+anxious at the lookout ahead. Certainly, unless the—wind moderated, it
+would take much longer to go back than it had taken to come.
+
+On the 17th they had been forty-eight hours out, and yet nothing
+indicated they were in the neighborhood of Lincoln Island. It was,
+moreover, impossible to reckon their course, or even to estimate the
+distance traversed, as the direction and the speed had been too
+irregular. Twenty-four hours later there was still no land in view. The
+wind was dead ahead, and an ugly sea running. On the 18th a huge wave
+struck the sloop, and had not the crew been lashed to the deck, they
+would have been swept overboard.
+
+On this occasion Pencroff and his companions, busy in clearing things
+away, received an unhoped-for assistance from the prisoner, who sprang
+from the hatchway as if his sailor instinct had returned to him, and
+breaking the rail by a, vigorous blow—with a spar, enabled the water on
+the deck to flow off more freely. Then, the boat cleared, without
+having said a word, he returned to his cabin.
+
+Nevertheless, the situation was bad, and the sailor had cause to
+believe himself lost upon this vast sea, without the possibility of
+regaining his course. The night of the 18th was dark and cold. But
+about 11 o’clock the wind lulled, the sea fell, and the sloop, less
+tossed about, moved more rapidly. None of the crew thought of sleep.
+They kept an eager lookout, as either Lincoln Island must be near at
+hand and they would discover it at daybreak, or the sloop had been
+drifted from her course by the currents, and it would be next to
+impossible to rectify the direction.
+
+Pencroff, anxious to the last degree, did not, however, despair; but,
+seated at the helm, he tried to see through the thick darkness around
+him. Towards 2 o’clock he suddenly started up, crying:—“A light! a
+light!” It was indeed a bright light appearing twenty miles to—the
+northeast. Lincoln Island was there, and this light, evidently lit by
+Smith, indicated the direction to be followed.
+
+Pencroff, who had been heading much too far towards the north, changed
+his course, and steered directly towards the light, which gleamed above
+the horizon like a star of the first magnitude.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXVII.
+
+
+THE RETURN-DISCUSSION—SMITH AND THE UNKNOWN—BALLOON HARBOR-THE DEVOTION
+OF THE ENGINEER-A TOUCHING EXPERIENCE-TEARS.
+
+
+At 7 o’clock the next morning the boat touched the shore at the mouth
+of the Mercy. Smith and Neb, who had become very anxious at the stormy
+weather and the prolonged absence of their companions, had climbed, at
+daylight, to Prospect Plateau, and had at length perceived the sloop in
+the distance.
+
+“Thank Heaven! There they are,” exclaimed Smith; while Neb, dancing
+with pleasure, turned towards his master, and, striking his hands
+together, cried, “Oh, my master!”-a more touching expression than, the
+first polished phrase.
+
+The engineer’s first thought, on counting the number of persons on the
+deck of the Good Luck, was that Pencroff had found no one on Tabor
+Island, or that the unfortunate man had refused to exchange one prison
+for another.
+
+The engineer and Neb were on the beach at the moment the sloop arrived,
+and before the party had leaped ashore, Smith said:—
+
+“We have been very anxious about you, my friends. Did anything happen
+to you?” “No, indeed; everything went finely,” replied Spilett. “We
+will tell you all about it.”
+
+“Nevertheless, you have failed in your search, since you are all
+alone.”, “But, sir, there are four of us,” said the sailor.
+
+“Have you found this person?”. “Yes.”
+
+“And brought him back?” “Yes.” “Living?” “Where is he, and what is he,
+then?” “He is, or rather, he was a human being; and that is all, Cyrus,
+that we can say.”
+
+The engineer was thereupon, informed of everything that had happened;
+of the search, of the long-abandoned house, of the capture of the
+scarcely human inhabitant.
+
+“And,” added Pencroff,” I don’t know whether we have done right in
+bringing him here.”
+
+“Most certainly you have done right,” replied the engineer.
+
+“But the poor fellow has no sense at all.” “Not now, perhaps; in a few
+months, he will be as much a man as any of us. “Who knows what might
+happen to the last one of us, after living for a long time alone on
+this island? It is terrible to be all alone, my friends, and it is
+probable that solitude quickly overthrows reason, since you have found
+this poor being in such a condition.”
+
+“But, Mr. Smith,” asked Herbert, “what makes you think that the
+brutishness of this man has come on within a little while?”
+
+“Because the paper we found had been recently written, and no one but
+this shipwrecked man could have written it.”
+
+“Unless,” suggested Spilett, “it had been written by a companion of
+this man who has since died.”
+
+“That is impossible, Spilett.”
+
+“Why so?”
+
+“Because, then, the paper would have mentioned two persons instead of
+one.”
+
+Herbert briefly related the incident of the sea striking the sloop, and
+insisted that the prisoner must then have had a glimmer of his sailor
+instinct.
+
+“You are perfectly right, Herbert,” said the engineer, “to attach great
+importance to this fact. This poor man will not be incurable; despair
+has made him what he is. But here he will find his kindred, and if he
+still has any reason, we will save it.”
+
+Then, to Smith’s great pity and Neb’s wonderment, the man was brought
+up from the cabin of the sloop, and as soon as he was on land, he
+manifested a desire to escape. But Smith, approaching him, laid his
+hand authoritatively upon his shoulder and looked at him with infinite
+tenderness. Thereupon the poor wretch, submitting to a sort of
+instantaneous power, became quiet, his eyes fell, his head dropped
+forward, and he made no further resistance.
+
+“Poor shipwrecked sailor,” murmured the reporter.
+
+Smith regarded him attentively. To judge from his appearance, this
+miserable creature had little of the human left in him; but Smith
+caught in his glance, as the reporter had done, an almost imperceptible
+gleam of intelligence.
+
+It was decided that the Unknown, as his new companions called him,
+should stay in one of the rooms of Granite House, from which he could
+not escape. He made no resistance to being conducted there, and with
+good care they might, perhaps, hope that some day he would prove a
+companion to them.
+
+Neb hastened to prepare breakfast, for the voyagers were very hungry,
+and during the meal Smith made them relate in detail every incident of
+the cruise. He agreed with them in thinking that the name of the
+Britannia gave them reason to believe that the Unknown was either
+English or American; and, moreover, under all the growth of hair
+covering the man’s face, the engineer thought he recognized the
+features characteristic of an Anglo-Saxon.
+
+“But, by the way, Herbert,” said the reporter, “you have never told us
+how you met this savage, and we know nothing, except that he would have
+strangled you, had we not arrived so opportunely.”
+
+“Indeed, I am not sure that I can tell just what happened,” replied
+Herbert. “I was, I think, gathering seeds, when I heard a tremendous
+noise in a high tree near by. I had hardly time to turn, when this
+unhappy creature, who had, doubtless, been hidden crouching in the
+tree, threw himself upon me; and, unless Mr. Spilett and Pencroff—”
+
+“You were in great danger, indeed, my boy,” said Smith; “but perhaps,
+if this had not happened, this poor being would have escaped your
+search, and we would have been without another companion.”
+
+“You expect, then, to make him a man again?” asked the reporter.
+
+“Yes,” replied Smith.
+
+Breakfast ended, all returned to the shore and began unloading the
+sloop; and the engineer examined the arms and tools, but found nothing
+to establish the identity of the Unknown.
+
+The pigs were taken to the stables, to which they would soon become
+accustomed. The two barrels of powder and shot and the caps were a
+great acquisition, and it was determined to make a small powder
+magazine in the upper cavern of Granite House, where there would be no
+danger of an explosion. Meantime, since the pyroxyline answered very
+well, there was no present need to use this powder.
+
+When the sloop was unloaded Pencroff said:—
+
+“I think, Mr. Smith, that it would be better to put the Good Luck in a
+safe place.”
+
+“Is it not safe enough at the mouth of the Mercy?”
+
+“No, sir,” replied the sailor. “Most of the time she is aground on the
+sand, which strains her.”
+
+“Could not she be moored out in the stream?”
+
+“She could, but the place is unsheltered, and in an easterly wind I am
+afraid she would suffer from the seas.”
+
+“Very well; where do you want to put her?”
+
+“In Balloon Harbor,” replied the sailor. “It seems to me that that
+little inlet, hidden by the rocks, is just the place for her.”
+
+“Isn’t it too far off?”
+
+“No, it is only three miles from Granite House, and we have a good
+straight road there.”
+
+“Have your way, Pencroff,” replied the engineer. “Nevertheless, I
+should prefer to have the sloop under our sight. We must, when we have
+time, make a small harbor.”
+
+“Capital!” cried Pencroff. “A harbor with a light house, a breakwater,
+and a dry dock! Oh, indeed, sir, everything will be easy enough with
+you!”
+
+“Always provided, my good man, that you assist me, as you do three
+fourths of the work.”
+
+Herbert and the sailor went aboard the Good Luck, and set sail, and in
+a couple of hours the sloop rode quietly at anchor in the tranquil
+water of Balloon Harbor.
+
+During the first few days that the Unknown was at Granite House, had he
+given any indication of a change in his savage nature? Did not a
+brighter light illumine the depths of his intelligence? Was not, in
+short, his reason returning to him? Undoubtedly, yes; and Smith and
+Spilett questioned whether this reason had ever entirely forsaken him.
+
+At first this man, accustomed to the air and liberty which he had had
+in Tabor Island, was seized with fits of passion, and there was danger
+of his throwing himself out of one of the windows of Granite House. But
+little by little he grew more quiet, and he was allowed to move about
+without restraint.
+
+Already forgetting his carnivorous instincts, he accepted a less
+bestial nourishment, and cooked food did not produce in him the
+sentiment of disgust which he had shown on board the Good Luck.
+
+Smith had taken advantage of a time when the man was asleep to cut the
+hair and beard which had grown like a mane about his face, and had
+given him such a savage aspect. He had also been clothed more decently,
+and the result was that the Unknown appeared more like a human being,
+and it seemed as if the expression of his eyes was softened. Certainly,
+sometimes, when intelligence was visible, the expression of this man
+had a sort of beauty.
+
+Every day, Smith made a point of passing some hours in his company. He
+worked beside him, and occupied himself in various ways to attract his
+attention. It would suffice, if a single ray of light illuminated his
+reason, if a single remembrance crossed his mind. Neither did the
+engineer neglect to speak in a loud voice, so as to penetrate by both
+sound and sight to the depths of this torpid intelligence. Sometimes
+one or another of the party joined the engineer, and they usually
+talked of such matters pertaining to the sea as would be likely to
+interest the man. At times the Unknown gave a sort of vague attention
+to what was said, and soon the colonists began to think that he partly
+understood them. Again his expression would be dolorous, proving that
+he suffered inwardly. Nevertheless, he did not speak, although they
+thought, at times, from his actions, that words were about to pass his
+lips.
+
+The poor creature was very calm and sad. But was not the calmness only
+on the surface, and the sadness the result of his confinement? They
+could not yet say. Seeing only certain objects and in a limited space,
+always with the colonists, to whom he had become accustomed, having no
+desire to satisfy, better clothed and better fed, it was natural that
+his physical nature should soften little by little; but was he imbued
+with the new life, or, to use an expression justly applicable to the
+case, was he only tamed, as an animal in the presence of its master?
+This was the important question Smith was anxious to determine, and
+meantime he did not wish to be too abrupt with his patient. For to him,
+the unknown was but a sick person. Would he ever be a convalescent?
+
+Therefore, the engineer watched him unceasingly. How he laid in wait
+for his reason, so to speak, that he might lay hold of it.
+
+The colonists followed with strong interest all the phases of this cure
+undertaken by Smith. All aided him in it, and all, save perhaps the
+incredulous Pencroff, came to share in his belief and hope.
+
+The submission of the Unknown was entire, and it seemed as if he showed
+for the engineer, whose influence over him was apparent, a sort of
+attachment, and Smith resolved now to test it by transporting him to
+another scene, to that ocean which he had been accustomed to look upon,
+to the forest border, which would recall those woods where he had lived
+such a life!”
+
+“But,” said Spilett, “can we hope that once at liberty, he will not
+escape?”
+
+“We must make the experiment,” replied the engineer.
+
+“All right,” said Pencroff. “You will see, when this fellow snuffs the
+fresh air and sees the coast clear, if he don’t make his legs spin!”
+
+“I don’t think it,” replied the engineer.
+
+“We will try, any how,” said Spilett.
+
+It was the 30th of October, and the Unknown had been a prisoner for
+nine days. It was a beautiful, warm, sunshiny day. Smith and Pencroff
+went to the room of the Unknown, whom they found at the window gazing
+out at the sky.
+
+“Come, my friend,” said the engineer to him.
+
+The Unknown rose immediately. His eye was fixed on Smith, whom he
+followed; and the sailor, little confident in the results of the
+experiment, walked with him.
+
+Having reached the door, they made him get into the elevator, at the
+foot of which the rest of the party were waiting. The basket descended,
+and in a few seconds all were standing together on the shore.
+
+The colonists moved off a little distance from the Unknown, so as to
+leave him quite at liberty. He made some steps forward towards the sea,
+and his face lit up with pleasure, but he made no effort to escape. He
+looked curiously at the little waves, which, broken by the islet, died
+away on the shore.
+
+“It is not, indeed, the ocean,” remarked Spilett, “and it is possible
+that this does not give him the idea of escaping.”
+
+“Yes,” replied Smith, “we must take him to the plateau on the edge of
+the forest. There the experiment will be more conclusive.”
+
+“There he cannot get away, since the bridges are all raised,” said Neb.
+
+“Oh, he is not the man to be troubled by such a brook as Glycerine
+Creek; he could leap it at a bound,” returned Pencroff.
+
+“We will see presently,” said Smith, who kept his eye fixed on his
+patient.
+
+And thereupon all proceeded towards Prospect Plateau. Having reached
+the place they encountered the outskirts of the forest, with its leaves
+trembling in the wind, The Unknown seemed to drink in with eagerness
+the perfume in the air, and a long sigh escaped from his breast.
+
+The colonists stood some paces back, ready to seize him if he attempted
+to escape.
+
+The poor creature was upon the point of plunging in the creek that
+separated him from the forest; he placed himself ready to spring—then
+all at once he turned about, dropping his arms beside him, and tears
+coursed down his cheeks.
+
+“Ah!” cried Smith, “you will be a man again, since you weep!”
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXVIII
+
+
+A MYSTERY TO BE SOLVED—THE FIRST WORDS OF THE UNKNOWN—TWELVE YEARS ON
+THE ISLAND—CONFESSIONS—DISAPPEARANCE—SMITH’S CONFIDENCE —BUILDING A
+WIND-MILL—THE FIRST BREAD—AN ACT OF DEVOTION—HONEST HANDS.
+
+
+Yes, the poor creature had wept. Some remembrance had flashed across
+his spirit, and, as Smith had said, he would be made a man through his
+tears.
+
+The colonists left him for some time, withdrawing themselves, so that
+he could feel perfectly at liberty; but he showed no inclination to
+avail himself of this freedom, and Smith soon decided to take him back
+to Granite House.
+
+Two days after this occurrence, the Unknown showed a disposition to
+enter little by little into the common life. It was evident that he
+heard, that he understood, but it was equally evident that he
+manifested a strange disinclination to speak to them. Pencroff,
+listening at his room, heard these words escape him:—
+
+“No! here! I! never!”
+
+The sailor reported this to his companions, and Smith said:—
+
+“There must be some sad mystery here.”
+
+The Unknown had begun to do some little chores, and to work in the
+garden. When he rested, which was frequent, he seemed entirely
+self-absorbed; but, on the advice of the engineer, the others respected
+the silence, which he seemed desirous of keeping. If one of the
+colonists approached him he recoiled, sobbing as if overcome. Could it
+be by remorse? or, was it, as Spilett once suggested:—
+
+“If he does not speak I believe it is because he has something on his
+mind too terrible to mention.”
+
+Some days later the Unknown was working on the plantation, when, of a
+sudden, he stopped and let his spade fall, and Smith, who was watching
+him from a distance, saw that he was weeping again. An irresistible
+pity drew the engineer to the poor fellow’s side; and, touching his arm
+lightly,
+
+“My friend,” said he.
+
+The Unknown tried to look away, and when Smith sought to take his hand
+he drew back quickly.
+
+“My friend,” said Smith, with decision, “I wish you to look at me.”
+
+The Unknown obeyed, raising his eyes and regarding the other as one
+does who is under the influence of magnetism. At first he wished to
+break away, then his whole expression changed; his eyes flashed, and,
+unable longer to contain himself, he muttered some incoherent words.
+Suddenly he crossed his arms, and in a hollow voice:—
+
+“Who are you?” he demanded.
+
+“Men shipwrecked as you have been,” replied the engineer, greatly
+moved. “We have brought you here among your kindred.”
+
+“My kindred! I have none!
+
+“You are among friends—,”
+
+“Friends! I! Friends!” cried the Unknown, hiding his face in his hands.
+“Oh, no! never! Leave me! leave me!” and he rushed to the brink of the
+plateau overlooking the sea, and stood there, motionless, for a long
+time.
+
+Smith had rejoined his companions and had related to them what had
+happened.
+
+“There certainly is a mystery in this man’s life,” said Spilett, “and
+it seems as if his first human sensation was remorse.”
+
+“I don’t understand what kind of a man we have brought back,” says the
+sailor. “He has secrets—”
+
+“Which we will respect,” answered the engineer, quickly. “If he has
+committed some fault he has cruelly expiated it, and in our sight it is
+absolved.”
+
+For two hours the Unknown remained upon the shore, evidently under the
+influence of remembrances which brought back to him all his past, a
+past which, doubtless, was hateful enough, and the colonists, though
+keeping watch upon him, respected his desire to be alone.
+
+Suddenly he seemed to have taken a resolution, and he returned to the
+engineer. His eyes were red with the traces of tears, and his face wore
+an expression of deep humility. He seemed apprehensive, ashamed,
+humiliated, and his looks were fixed on the ground.
+
+“Sir,” said he, “are you and your companions English?”
+
+“No,” replied Smith, “we are Americans.”
+
+“Ah!” murmured the Unknown, “I am glad of that.”
+
+“And what are you, my friend?” asked the engineer.
+
+“English,” he responded, as if these few words had cost him a great
+effort. He rushed to the shore, and traversed its length to the mouth
+of the Mercy, in a state of extreme agitation.
+
+Having, at one place, met Herbert, he stopped, and in a choking voice,
+accosted him:—
+
+“What month is it?”
+
+“November,” replied the lad.
+
+“And what year?”
+
+“1866.”
+
+“Twelve years! Twelve years!” he cried, and then turned quickly away.
+
+Herbert related this incident to the others.
+
+“The poor creature knew neither the month nor the year,” remarked
+Spilett.
+
+“And he had been twelve years on the island, when we found him.”
+
+“Twelve years,” said Smith. “Twelve years of isolation, after a wicked
+life, perhaps; that would indeed affect a man’s reason.”
+
+“I cannot help thinking,” observed Pencroff, “that this man was not
+wrecked on that island, but that he has been left there for some
+crime.”
+
+“You may be right, Pencroff,” replied the reporter, “and if that is the
+case, it is not impossible that whoever left him there may return for
+him some day.”
+
+“And they would not find him,” said Herbert.
+
+“But, then,” exclaimed Pencroff, “he would want to go back, and—”
+
+“My friends,” interrupted Smith, “do not let us discuss this question
+till we know what we are talking about. I believe that this unhappy man
+has suffered, and that he has paid bitterly for his faults, whatever
+they may have been, and that he is struggling with the need of opening
+his heart to someone. Do not provoke him to speak; he will tell us of
+his own accord some day, and when we have learned all, we will see what
+course it will be necessary to follow. He alone can tell us if he has
+more than the hope, the certainty of some day being restored to his
+country, but I doubt it.”
+
+“Why?” asked the reporter.
+
+“Because, had he been sure of being delivered after a fixed time, he
+would have awaited the hour of his deliverance, and not have thrown
+that paper in the sea. No, it is more likely that be was condemned to
+die upon this island, to never look upon his kind again.”
+
+“But there still is something which I cannot understand,” said the
+sailor.
+
+“What is that?”
+
+“Why, if this man had been left on Tabor Island twelve years ago, it
+seems probable that he must have been in this savage condition for a
+long time.”
+
+“That is probable,” replied the engineer.
+
+“And, therefore, it is a long time since he wrote that paper.”
+
+“Doubtless—and yet that paper seemed to have been written recently—”
+
+“Yes, and how account for the bottle taking so many years in coming
+from Tabor Island here?”
+
+“It is not absolutely impossible,” responded the reporter. “Could not
+it have been in the neighborhood of the island for a long time?”
+
+“And have remained floating? No,” answered the sailor, “for sooner or
+later it would have been dashed to pieces on the rocks.”
+
+“It would, indeed,” said Smith, thoughtfully.
+
+“And, moreover,” continued the sailor, if the paper had been enclosed
+in the bottle for a long time, it would have been injured by the
+moisture, whereas, it was not damaged in the least.”
+
+The sailor’s remark was just, and, moreover, this paper, recently
+written, gave the situation of the island with an exactness which
+implied a knowledge of hydrography, such as a simple sailor could not
+have.
+
+“There is, as I said before, something inexplicable in all this,” said
+the engineer, “but do not let us urge our new companion to speak, When
+he wishes it we will be ready to listen.”
+
+For several days after this the Unknown neither spoke nor left the
+plateau. He worked incessantly, digging in the garden apart from the
+colonists, and at meal times, although he was often asked to join them,
+he remained alone, eating but a few uncooked vegetables. At night,
+instead of returning to his room in Granite House, he slept under the
+trees, or hid himself, if the weather was bad, in some hollow of the
+rocks. Thus he returned again to that manner of life in which he had
+lived when he had no other shelter than the forests of Tabor Island,
+and all endeavor to make him modify this life having proved fruitless,
+the colonists waited patiently. But the moment came when, irresistibly
+and as if involuntarily forced from him by his conscience, the terrible
+avowals were made.
+
+At dusk on the evening of the 10th of November, as the colonists were
+seated in the arbor, the Unknown stood suddenly before them. His eyes
+glowed, and his whole appearance wore again the savage aspect of former
+days. He stood there, swayed by some terrible emotion, his teeth
+chattering like those of a person in a fever. The colonists were
+astounded. “What was the matter with him? Was the sight of his
+fellow-creatures unendurable? Had he had enough of this honest life?
+Was he homesick for his brutish life? One would have thought so,
+hearing him give utterance to these incoherent phrases:-
+
+“Why am I here? By what right did you drag me from my island? Is there
+any bond between you and me? Do you know who I am—what I have done—why
+I was there—alone? And who has told you that I was not abandoned—that I
+was not condemned to die there? Do you know my past? Do you know
+whether I have not robbed, murdered—if I am not a miserable—a wicked
+being—fit to live like a wild beast—far from all—say—do you know?”
+
+The colonists listened silently to the unhappy creature, from whom
+these half avowals came in spite of himself. Smith, wishing to soothe
+him, would have gone to him, but the Unknown drew back quickly.
+
+“No! no!” he cried. “One word only—am I free?”.
+
+“You are free,” replied the engineer.
+
+“Then, good-bye!” he cried, rushing off.
+
+Neb, Pencroff, and Herbert ran to the border of the wood, but they
+returned alone.
+
+“We must let him have his own way,” said the engineer.
+
+“He will never come back,” exclaimed Pencroff.
+
+“He will return,” replied the engineer.
+
+And after that conversation many days passed, but Smith—was it a
+presentiment—persisted in the fixed idea that the unhappy man would
+return sooner or later.
+
+“It is the last struggle of this rude nature, which is touched by
+remorse, and which would be terrified by a new isolation.”
+
+In the meantime, work of all kinds was continued, both on Prospect
+Plateau and at the corral, where Smith proposed to make a farm. It is
+needless to say that the seeds brought from Tabor Island had been
+carefully sown. The plateau was a great kitchen-garden, well laid out
+and enclosed, which kept the colonists always busy. As the plants
+multiplied, it was necessary to increase the size of the beds, which
+threatened to become fields, and to take the place of the grass land.
+But as forage abounded in other parts of the island, there was no fear
+of the onagers having to be placed on rations; and it was also better
+to make Prospect Plateau, defended by its belt of creeks, a garden of
+this kind, and to extend the fields, which required no protection,
+beyond the belt.
+
+On the 15th of November they made their third harvest. Here was a field
+which had indeed increased in the eighteen months since the first grain
+of corn had been sown. The second crop of 600,000 grains produced this
+time 4,000 bushels or more than 500,000,000 grains. The colonists were,
+therefore, rich in corn; as it was only necessary to sow a dozen
+bushels each year in order to have a supply sufficient for the
+nourishment of man and beast.
+
+After harvesting they, gave up the last fortnight in the month to
+bread-making. They had the grain but not the flour, and a mill was
+therefore necessary. Smith could have used the other waterfall which
+fell into the Mercy, but, after discussing the question, it was decided
+to build a simple wind-mill on the summit of the plateau. Its
+construction would be no more difficult than a water-mill, and they
+would be sure of always having a breeze on this open elevation.
+
+“Without counting,” said Pencroff, “the fine aspect a wind-mill will
+give to the landscape.”
+
+They began the work by selecting timber for the cage and machinery for
+the mill. Some large sand-stones, which the colonists found to the
+north of the lake, were readily made into mill-stones, and the
+inexhaustible envelope of the balloon furnished the cloth necessary for
+the sails.
+
+Smith made his drawings, and the site for the mill was chosen a little
+to the right of the poultry-yard, and close to the lake shore. The
+whole cage rested upon a pivot, held in position by heavy timbers, in
+such a manner that it could turn, with all the mechanism within it,
+towards any quarter of the wind.
+
+The work progressed rapidly. Neb and Herbert had become expert
+carpenters, and had only to follow the plans furnished by the engineer,
+so that in a very short time a sort of round watch-house, a regular
+pepper-box, surmounted by a sharp roof, rose upon the site selected.
+The four wings had been firmly fastened by iron tenons to the main
+shaft, in such a manner as to make a certain angle with it. As for the
+various parts of the interior mechanism—the two mill-stones, the runner
+and the feeder; the hopper, a sort of huge square trough, large above
+and small below, permitting the grains to fall upon the mill-stones;
+the oscillating bucket, designed to regulate the passage of the grain;
+and, finally, the bolter, which, by the operation of the sieve,
+separated the bran from the flour—all these were easily made. And as
+their tools were good, the work simple, and everybody took part in it,
+the mill was finished by the 1st of December.
+
+As usual, Pencroff was overjoyed by his work, and he was sure that the
+machine was perfection.
+
+“Now, with a good wind, we will merrily grind our corn.”
+
+“Let it be a good wind, Pencroff, but not too strong,” said the
+engineer.
+
+“Bah! our mill will turn the faster.”
+
+“It is not necessary to turn rapidly,” replied the engineer.
+“Experience has demonstrated that the best results are obtained by a
+mill whose wings make six times the number of turns in a minute that
+the wind travels feet in a second. Thus, an ordinary wind, which
+travels twenty-four feet in a second, will turn the wings of the mill
+sixteen times in a minute, which is fast enough.”
+
+“Already!” exclaimed Herbert, “there is a fine breeze from the
+northeast, which will be just the thing!”
+
+There was no reason to delay using the mill, and the colonists were
+anxious to taste the bread of Lincoln Island; so this very morning two
+or three bushels of corn were ground, and the next day, at breakfast, a
+splendid loaf, rather heavy perhaps, which had been raised with the
+barm of beer, was displayed upon the table of Granite House. Each
+munched his portion with a pleasure perfectly inexpressible.
+
+Meantime the Unknown had not come back again. Often Spilett and Herbert
+had searched the forest in the neighborhood of Granite House without
+finding any trace of him, and all began to be seriously alarmed at his
+prolonged absence. Undoubtedly the former savage of Tabor Island would
+not find it difficult to live in the forests of the Far West, which
+were so rich in game; but was it not to be feared that he would resume
+his former habits, and that his independence would revive in him his
+brutish instincts? Smith alone, by a sort of presentiment, persisted in
+saying that the fugitive would return.
+
+“Yes, he will come back,” he repeated with a confidence in which his
+companions could not share. “When this poor creature was on Tabor
+Island, he knew he was alone, but here, he knows that his kindred await
+him. Since he half-spoke of his past life, he will return to tell us
+everything, and on that day he will be ours.”
+
+The event proved the correctness of Cyrus Smith’s reasoning.
+
+On the 3d of December, Herbert had gone to the southern shore of the
+lake, to fish, and, since the dangerous animals never showed themselves
+in this part of the island, he had gone unarmed.
+
+Pencroff and Neb were working in the poultry-yard, while Smith and the
+reporter were occupied at the Chimneys making soda, the supply of soap
+being low.
+
+Suddenly sharp cries of help were heard by Neb and Pencroff, who
+summoned the others, and all rushed towards the lake.
+
+But before them, the Unknown, whose presence in the neighborhood had
+not been suspected, leapt over Glycerine Creek and bounded along the
+opposite bank.
+
+There, Herbert stood facing a powerful jaguar, like the one which had
+been killed at Reptile End. Taken by surprise, he stood with his back
+against a tree, and the animal, crouching on his haunches, was about to
+spring upon him, when the Unknown, with no other arm than his knife,
+threw himself on the brute, which turned upon its new adversary.
+
+The struggle was short. This man, whose strength and agility was
+prodigious, seized the jaguar by the throat in a vice-like grip, and,
+not heeding the claws of the beast tearing his flesh, he thrust his
+knife into its heart.
+
+The jaguar fell, and the Unknown was about turning to go away, when the
+colonists came up, and Herbert, catching hold of him, exclaimed:—
+
+“No, no, you must not leave us!”
+
+Smith walked towards the man, who frowned at his approach. The blood
+was flowing from a wound in his shoulder, but he did not heed it.
+
+“My friend,” said Smith, “we are in your debt. You have risked your
+life to save our boy.”
+
+“My life,” murmured the Unknown; “what is it worth? less than nothing.”
+
+“You are wounded?”
+
+“That does not matter.”
+
+“Will you not shake hands with me?” asked Herbert.
+
+But on the lad’s seeking to take his hand, the Unknown folded his arms,
+his chest heaved, and he looked about as if he wished to escape; but,
+making a violent effort at self-control, and in a gruff voice:—
+
+“Who are you?” he asked, “and what are you going to do with me?”
+
+It was their history that he thus asked for, for the first time.
+Perhaps, if that was related, he would tell his own. So Smith, in a few
+words, recounted all that had happened since their departure from
+Richmond; how they had succeeded, and the resources now at their
+disposal.
+
+The Unknown listened with the utmost attention.
+
+Then Smith told him who they all were, Spilett, Herbert, Pencroff, Neb,
+himself, and he added that the greatest happiness that had come to them
+since their arrival on Lincoln Island was on their return from the
+islet, when they could count one more companion.
+
+At these words the other colored up, and bowing his head, seemed
+greatly agitated.
+
+“And now that you know us,” asked Smith, “will you give us your hand?”
+
+“No,” answered the Unknown in a hoarse voice; “no! You are honest men.
+But I—”
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXIX
+
+
+ALWAYS APART—A BEQUEST OF THE UNKNOWN’S—THE FARM ESTABLISHED AT THE
+CORRAL—TWELVE YEARS—THE BOATSWAIN’S MATE OF THE BRITANNIA —LEFT ON
+TABOR ISLAND—THE HAND OF SMITH—THE MYSTERIOUS PAPER
+
+
+These last events justified the presentiments of the colonists. There
+was some terrible past in the life of this man, expiated, perhaps, in
+the eyes of men, but which his conscience still held unabsolved. At any
+rate, he felt remorse; he had repented, and his new friends would have
+cordially grasped that hand, but he did not feel himself worthy to
+offer it to honest men. Nevertheless, after the struggle with the
+jaguar, he did not go back to the forest, but remained within the
+bounds of Granite House.
+
+What was the mystery of this life? Would he speak of it some day? The
+colonists thought so, but they agreed that, under no circumstances,
+would they ask him for his secret; and, in the meantime, to associate
+with him as if they suspected nothing.
+
+For some days everything went on as usual. Smith and Spilett worked
+together, sometimes as chemists, sometimes as physicists, the reporter
+never leaving the engineer, except to hunt with Herbert, as it was not
+prudent to allow the young lad to traverse the forest alone. As to Neb
+and Pencroff, the work in the stables and poultry-yard, or at the
+corral, besides the chores about Granite House, kept them busy.
+
+The Unknown worked apart from the others. He had gone back to his
+former habit of taking no share in the meals, of sleeping under the
+trees, of having nothing to do with his companions. It seemed, indeed,
+as if the society of those who had saved him was intolerable.
+
+“But why, then,” asked Pencroff, “did he seek succor from his
+fellow-creatures; why did he throw this paper in the sea?”
+
+“He will tell us everything,” was Smith’s invariable answer.
+
+“But when?”
+
+“Perhaps sooner than you think, Pencroff.”
+
+And, indeed, on the 10th of December, a week after his return to
+Granite House, the Unknown accosted the engineer and in a quiet humble
+voice said:—
+
+“Sir, I have a request to make.”
+
+“Speak,” replied the engineer, “but, first, let me ask you a question?”
+
+At these words the Unknown colored and drew back. Smith saw what was
+passing in the mind of the culprit, who feared, doubtless, that the
+engineer would question him upon his past.
+
+Smith took him by the hand.
+
+“Comrade,” said he, “we are not only companions, we are friends. I
+wanted to say this to you first, now I will listen.”
+
+The Unknown covered his eyes with his hand; a sort of tremor seized
+him, and for some moments he was unable to articulate a word.
+
+“Sir,” said he, at length, “I came to implore a favor from you.”
+
+“What is it?”
+
+“You have, four or five miles from here, at the foot of the mountain, a
+corral for your animals. These require looking after. Will you permit
+me to live over there with them?”
+
+Smith regarded the unhappy man for some time, with deep commiseration.
+Then:—
+
+“My friend,” said he, “the corral has nothing but sheds, only fit for
+the animals—”
+
+“It will be good enough, for me, sir.”
+
+“My friend,” replied Smith, “we will never thwart you in anything. If
+you wish to live in the corral, you may; nevertheless, you will always
+be welcome at Granite House. But since you desire to stay at the
+corral, we will do what is necessary to make you comfortable.”
+
+“Never mind about that, I will get along well enough.”
+
+“My friend,” responded Smith, who persisted in the use of this cordial
+title, “you must let us be the judges in that matter.”
+
+The Unknown thanked the engineer and went away. And Smith, having told
+his companions of the proposition that had been made, they decided to
+build a log house at the corral, and to make it as comfortable as
+possible.
+
+The same day the colonists went, with the necessary tools, to the
+place, and before the week was out the house was ready for its guest.
+It was built twenty feet from the sheds, at a place where the herd of
+moufflons, now numbering twenty-four animals, could be easily
+overlooked. Some furniture, including a bed, table, bench,
+clothes-press, and chest was made, and some arms, ammunition, and
+tools, were carried there.
+
+The Unknown, meanwhile, had not seen his new home, letting the
+colonists work without him, while he remained at the plateau, wishing,
+doubtless, to finish up his work there. And, indeed, by his exertion
+the ground was completely tilled, and ready for the sowing when the
+time should arrive.
+
+On the 20th everything was prepared at the corral, aid the engineer
+told the Unknown that his house was ready for him, to which the other
+replied that he would sleep there that night.
+
+The same evening, the colonists were all together in the great hall of
+Granite House. It was 8 o’clock, the time of their companion’s
+departure; and not wishing by their presence to impose on him the
+leave-taking, which would, perhaps, have cost him an effort, they had
+left him alone and gone up into Granite House.
+
+They had been conversing together in the hall for some minutes, when
+there was a light knock on the door, the Unknown entered, and without
+further introduction:—
+
+“Before I leave you, sirs,” said he, “it is well that you should know
+my history. This is it.”
+
+These simple words greatly affected Smith and companions. The engineer
+started up.
+
+“We ask to hear nothing, my friend,” he said. “It is your right to be
+silent—”
+
+“It is my duty to speak.”
+
+“Then sit down.”
+
+“I will stand where I am.”
+
+“We are ready to hear what you have to say,” said Smith.
+
+The Unknown stood in a shadowed corner of the hall, bare-headed, his
+arms crossed on his breast. In this position, in a hoarse voice,
+speaking as one who forces himself to speak, he made the following
+recital, uninterrupted by any word from his auditors:—
+
+“On the 20th of December, 1854, a steam pleasure-yacht, the Duncan,
+belonging to a Scotch nobleman, Lord Glenarvan, cast anchor at Cape
+Bernoulli, on the western coast of Australia, near the thirty-seventh
+parallel. On board the yacht were Lord Glenarvan, his wife, a major in
+the English army, a French geographer, a little boy, and a little girl.
+These two last were the children of Captain Grant, of the ship
+Britannia, which, with its cargo, had been lost the year before. The
+Duncan was commanded by Captain John Mangles, and was manned by a crew
+of fifteen men.
+
+“This is the reason why the yacht was on the Australian coast at that
+season:—
+
+“Six months before, a bottle containing a paper written in English,
+German, and French, had been picked up by the Duncan in the Irish Sea.
+This paper said, in substance, that three persons still survived from
+the wreck of the Britannia; that they were the captain and two of the
+men; that they had found refuge on a land of which the latitude and
+longitude was given, but the longitude, blotted by the sea water, was
+no longer legible.
+
+“The latitude was 37° 11’ south. Now, as the longitude was unknown, if
+they followed the latitude across continents and seas, they were
+certain to arrive at the land inhabited by Captain Grant and his
+companions.
+
+“The English Admiralty, having hesitated to undertake the search, Lord
+Glenarvan had resolved to do everything in his power to recover the
+captain. Mary and Robert Grant had been in correspondence with him, and
+the yacht Duncan was made ready for a long voyage, in which the family
+of Lord Glenarvan and the children of the captain intended to
+participate. The Duncan, leaving Glasgow, crossed the Atlantic, passed
+the Straits of Magellan, and proceeded up the Pacific to Patagonia,
+where, according to the first theory suggested by the paper, they might
+believe that Captain Grant was a prisoner to the natives.
+
+“The Duncan left its passengers on the western coast of Patagonia, and
+sailed for Cape Corrientes on the eastern coast, there to wait for
+them.
+
+“Lord Glenarvan crossed Patagonia, following the 37th parallel, and,
+not having found any trace of the captain, he reembarked on the 13th of
+November, in order to continue his search across the ocean.
+
+“After having visited without success the islands of Tristan d’Acunha
+and of Amsterdam, lying in the course, the Duncan, as I have stated,
+arrived at Cape Bernouilli on the 20th of December, 1854.
+
+“It was Lord Glenarvan’s intention to cross Australia, as he had
+crossed Patagonia, and he disembarked. Some miles from the coast was a
+farm belonging to an Irishman, who offered hospitality to the
+travellers. Lord Glenarvan told the Irishman the object which had
+brought him to that region, and asked if he had heard of an English
+three-master, the Britannia, having been lost, within two years, on the
+west coast of Australia.
+
+“The Irishman had never heard of this disaster, but, to the great
+surprise of everybody, one of his servants, intervening, said:—
+
+“‘Heaven be praised, my lord. If Captain Grant is still alive he is in
+Australia.’
+
+“‘Who are you?’ demanded Lord Glenarvan.
+
+“‘A Scotchman, like yourself, my lord,’ answered this man, ‘and one of
+the companions of Captain Grant, one of the survivors of the
+Britannia.’
+
+“This man called himself Ayrton. He had been, in short, boatswain’s
+mate of the Britannia, as his papers proved. But, separated from
+Captain Grant at the moment when the ship went to pieces on the rocks,
+he had believed until this moment that every one had perished but
+himself.
+
+“‘Only,’ he added, ‘it was not on the western but on the eastern coast
+of Australia that the Britannia was lost; and if the Captain is still
+living he is a prisoner to the natives, and he must be searched for
+there.’
+
+“This man said these things frankly and with a confident expression. No
+one would have doubted what he said. The Irishman, in whose service he
+had been for more than a year, spoke in his favor. Lord Glenarvan
+believed in his loyalty, and, following his advice, he resolved to
+cross Australia, following the 37th parallel. Lord Glenarvan, his wife,
+the children, the major, the Frenchman, Captain Mangles and some
+sailors formed the little party under the guidance of Ayrton, while the
+Duncan, under the command of the mate, Tom Austin, went to Melbourne,
+to await further instructions.
+
+“They left on the 23d of December, 1861.
+
+“It is time to say that this Ayrton was a traitor. He was, indeed, the
+boatswain’s mate of the Britannia; but, after some dispute with his
+captain, he had tried to excite the crew to mutiny and seize the ship,
+and Captain Grant had put him ashore, the 8th of April, 1832, on the
+west coast of Australia, and had gone off, leaving him there, which was
+no more than right.
+
+“Thus this wretch knew nothing of the shipwreck of the Britannia. He
+had just learned it from Lord Glenarvan’s recital! Since his
+abandonment, he had become, under the name of Ben Joyce, the leader of
+some escaped convicts; and, if he impudently asserted the ship had been
+lost on the east coast, if he urged Lord Glenarvan to go in that
+direction, it was in the hope of separating him from his ship, of
+seizing the Duncan, and of making this yacht a pirate of the Pacific.”
+
+Here the Unknown stopped for a moment. His voice trembled, but he began
+again in these words:—
+
+“The expedition across Australia set out. It was naturally unfortunate,
+since Ayrton, or Ben Joyce, whichever you wish, led it, sometimes
+preceded, sometimes followed by the band of convicts, who had been
+informed of the plot.
+
+“Meanwhile, the Duncan had been taken to Melbourne to await
+instructions. It was therefore necessary to persuade Lord Glenarvan to
+order her to leave Melbourne and to proceed to the east coast of
+Australia, where it would be easy to seize her. After having led the
+expedition sufficiently near this coast, into the midst of vast
+forests, where all resources were wanting, Ayrton obtained a letter
+which he was ordered to deliver to the mate of the Duncan; a letter
+which gave the order directing the yacht to proceed immediately to the
+east coast, to Twofold Bay, a place some days journey from the spot
+where the expedition had halted. It was at this place that Ayrton had
+given the rendezvous to his accomplices.
+
+“At the moment when this letter was to have been sent, the traitor was
+unmasked and was obliged to flee. But this letter, giving him the
+Duncan, must be had at any cost. Ayrton succeeded in getting hold of
+it, and, in two days afterwards, he was in Melbourne.
+
+“So far, the criminal had succeeded in his odious projects. He could
+take the Duncan to this Twofold Bay, where it would be easy for the
+convicts to seize her; and, her crew massacred, Ben Joyce would be
+master of the sea. Heaven stopped him in the consummation of these dark
+designs.
+
+“Ayrton, having reached Melbourne, gave the letter to the mate, Tom
+Austin, who made ready to execute the order; but one can judge of the
+disappointment and the rage of Ayrton, when, the second day out, he
+learned that the mate was taking the ship, not to Twofold Bay on the
+east coast of Australia, but to the east coast of New Zealand. He
+wished to oppose this, but the mate showed him his order. And, in
+truth, by a providential error of the French geographer who had written
+this letter, the eastern coast of New Zealand had been named as their
+place of destination.
+
+“All the plans of Ayrton had miscarried. He tried to mutiny. They put
+him in irons; and he was taken to the coast of New Zealand, unaware of
+what had become of his accomplices, or of Lord Glenarvan.
+
+“The Duncan remained on this coast until the 3d of March. On that day,
+Ayrton heard firing. It was a salute from the Duncan, and, very soon,
+Lord Glenarvan and all his party came on board.
+
+“This is what had happened:—
+
+“After innumerable fatigues and dangers, Lord Glenarvan had been able
+to accomplish his journey and arrived at Twofold Bay. The Duncan was
+not there! He telegraphed to Melbourne, and received a reply:—’Duncan
+sailed on the 18th. Destination unknown.’
+
+“Lord Glenarvan could think of but one explanation, that was that the
+good yacht had fallen into the hands of Ben Joyce, and had become a
+pirate ship.
+
+“Nevertheless, Lord Glenarvan did not wish to give up his undertaking.
+He was an intrepid and a generous man. He embarked on a merchant
+vessel, which took him to the west coast of New Zealand, and he crossed
+the country, following the 37th parallel without finding any trace of
+Captain Grant; but on the other coast, to his great surprise, and by
+the bounty of Heaven, he found the Duncan, commanded by the mate, which
+had been waiting for him for five weeks!
+
+“It was the 3d of March, 1855. Lord Glenarvan was again on the Duncan,
+but Ayrton was there also. He was brought before his lordship, who
+wished to get from this bandit all that he knew concerning Captain
+Grant. Ayrton refused to speak. Lord Glenarvan told him, then, that at
+the first port, he would be given over to the English authorities.
+Ayrton remained silent.
+
+“The Duncan continued along the thirty-seventh parallel. Meanwhile,
+Lady Glenarvan undertook to overcome the obstinacy of the bandit, and,
+finally, her influence conquered him. Ayrton, in exchange for what he
+would tell, proposed to Lord Glenarvan to leave him upon one of the
+islands in the Pacific, instead of giving him up to the English
+authorities. Lord Glenarvan, ready to do anything to gain information
+concerning Captain Grant, consented.
+
+“Then Ayrton told the history of his life, and declared that he knew
+nothing about Captain Grant since the day when the latter had left him
+on the Australian coast.
+
+“Nevertheless, Lord Glenarvan kept the promise he had made. The Duncan,
+continuing her route, arrived at Tabor Island. It was there that Ayrton
+was to be left, and it was there, too, that, by a miracle, they found
+Captain Grant and his two companions. The convict was put upon the
+island in their stead, and when he left the yacht, Lord Glenarvan spoke
+to him in these words:—
+
+“‘Here, Ayrton, you will be far from any country, and without any
+possible means of communicating with your fellow-men. You will not be
+able to leave this island. You will be alone, under the eye of a God
+who looks into the depths of our hearts, but you will neither be lost
+nor neglected, like Captain Grant. Unworthy as you are of the
+remembrance of men, you will be remembered. I know where you are,
+Ayrton, and I know where to find you. I will never forget it.’
+
+“And the Duncan, setting sail, soon disappeared.
+
+“This was the 18th of March, 1855.
+
+“Ayrton was alone; but he lacked neither ammunition nor arms nor seeds.
+He, the convict, had at his disposal the house built by the honest
+Captain Grant. He had only to live and to expiate in solitude the
+crimes which he had committed.
+
+“Sirs, he repented; he was ashamed of his crimes, and he was very
+unhappy. He said to himself that, as some day men would come to seek
+him on this islet, he must make himself worthy to go back with them.
+How he suffered, the miserable man! How he labored to benefit himself
+by labor! How he prayed to regenerate himself by prayer!
+
+“For two years, for three years, it was thus. Ayrton, crushed by this
+isolation, ever on the watch for a ship to appear upon the horizon of
+his island, asking himself if the time of expiation was nearly ended,
+suffered as one has rarely suffered. Oh! but solitude is hard, for a
+soul gnawed by remorse!
+
+“But, doubtless, Heaven found this unhappy wretch insufficiently
+punished, for he fell, little by little, till he became a savage! He
+felt, little by little, the brute nature taking possession of him. He
+cannot say whether this was after two or four years of
+
+abandonment, but at last he became the miserable being whom you found.
+
+“I need not tell you, sirs, that Ayrton and Ben Joyce and I are one!”
+
+Smith and his companions rose as this recital was finished. It is hard
+to say how deeply they were affected! Such misery, such grief, and such
+despair, had been shown to them!
+
+“Ayrton,” said Smith, “you have been a great criminal, but Heaven has,
+doubtless, witnessed the expiation of your crimes. This is proved, in
+that you have been restored to your fellow-men. Ayrton, you are
+pardoned! And now, will you be our companion?”
+
+The man drew back.
+
+“Here is my hand,” said the engineer.
+
+Ayrton darted forward and seized it, great tears streaming from his
+eyes.
+
+“Do you desire to live with us?” asked Smith.
+
+“Oh, Mr. Smith, let me have yet a little time,” he answered, “let me
+remain alone in the house at the corral!”
+
+“Do as you wish, Ayrton,” responded Smith.
+
+The unhappy man was about retiring, when Smith asked him a last
+question.
+
+“One word more, my friend. Since it is your wish to live in solitude,
+why did you throw that paper, which put us in the way of finding you,
+into the sea?”
+
+“A paper?” answered Ayrton, who seemed not to understand what was said.
+
+“Yes, that paper, which we found enclosed in a bottle, and which gave
+the exact situation of Tabor Island?”
+
+The man put his hand to his forehead, and, after some reflection,
+said:—
+
+“I never threw any paper into the sea!”
+
+“Never!” cried Pencroff.
+
+“Never!”
+
+And then, inclining his head, Ayrton left the room.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XL.
+
+
+A TALK—SMITH AND SPILETT—THE ENGINEER’S IDEA—THE ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH—THE
+WIRES—THE BATTER-THE ALPHABET—FINE WEATHER—THE PROSPERITY OF THE
+COLONY—PHOTOGRAPHY—A SNOW EFFECT—TWO YEARS ON LINCOLN ISLAND.
+
+
+“The poor man!” said Herbert, returning from the door, after having
+watched Ayrton slide down the rope of the elevator and disappear in the
+darkness.
+
+“He will come back,” said Smith.
+
+“What does it mean?” exclaimed Pencroff. “That he had not thrown this
+bottle into the sea? Then who did it?”
+
+Certainly, if there was a reasonable question this was.
+
+“He did it,” replied Neb; “only the poor fellow was half out of his
+senses at the time.”
+
+“Yes,” said Herbert, “and he had no knowledge of what he was doing.”
+
+“It can be explained in no other way, my friends,” responded Smith,
+hurriedly, “and I understand, now, how Ayrton was able to give the
+exact situation of the island, since the events prior to his
+abandonment gave him that knowledge.”
+
+“Nevertheless,” observed Pencroff, “he was not a brute when he wrote
+that paper, and if it is seven or eight years since it was thrown into
+the sea, how is it that the paper has not been injured by moisture?”
+
+“It proves,” said Smith, “that Ayrton retained possession of his
+faculties to a period much more recent than he imagines.”
+
+“That must be it,” replied Pencroff, “for otherwise the thing would be
+inexplicable.”
+
+“Inexplicable, indeed,” answered the engineer, who seemed not to wish
+to prolong this talk.
+
+“Has Ayrton told the truth?” questioned the sailor.
+
+“Yes,” answered the reporter, “the history he has related is true in
+every particular. I remember, perfectly well, that the papers reported
+Lord Glenarvan’s undertaking and its result.”
+
+“Ayrton has told the truth,” added Smith, “without any doubt, Pencroff,
+since it was trying enough for him to do so. A man does not lie when he
+accuses himself in this way.”
+
+The next day—the 21st—the colonists went down to the beach, and then
+clambered up to the plateau, but they saw nothing of Ayrton. The man
+had gone to his house the night before, and they judged it best not to
+intrude upon him. Time would, doubtless, effect what sympathy would
+fail to accomplish.
+
+Herbert, Pencroff, and Neb resumed their accustomed occupations; and it
+happened that their work brought Smith and Spilett together at the
+Chimneys.
+
+“Do you know, Cyrus, that your explanation of yesterday about the
+bottle does not satisfy me at all? It is impossible to suppose that
+this unhappy creature could have written that paper, and thrown the
+bottle into the sea, without remembering anything about it!”
+
+“Consequently, it is not he who threw it there, my dear Spilett!”
+
+“Then you believe—”
+
+“I believe nothing, I know nothing!” replied Smith, interrupting the
+reporter. “I place this incident with those others which I have not
+been able to explain!”
+
+“In truth, Cyrus,” said Spilett, “these things are incredible. Your
+rescue, the box thrown up on the beach, Top’s adventures, and now this
+bottle. Will we never have an answer to these enigmas?”
+
+“Yes,” answered the engineer, earnestly, “yes, when I shall have
+penetrated the bowels of this island!”
+
+“Chance will, perhaps, give us the key to this mystery.”
+
+“Chance, Spilett! I do not believe in chance any more than I believe in
+mystery in this world. There is a cause for everything, however
+inexplicable, which has happened here, and I will discover it. But,
+while waiting, let us watch and work.”
+
+January arrived, and the year 1867 began. The works had been pushed
+forward vigorously. One day Herbert and Spilett, passing the corral,
+ascertained that Ayrton had taken possession of his abode. He occupied
+himself with the large herd confided to his care, and thus saved his
+companions the necessity of visiting it two or three times a week.
+Nevertheless, in order not to leave Ayrton too much alone, they
+frequently went there.
+
+It was just as well—owing to certain suspicions shared by Smith and
+Spilett—that this part of the island should be under a certain
+supervision, and Ayrton, if anything happened, would not fail to let
+the inhabitants of Granite House know of it.
+
+Possibly, some sudden event might happen, which it would be important
+to communicate to the engineer without delay. And, aside from whatever
+might be connected with the mystery of the island, other things,
+requiring the prompt intervention of the colonists, might occur, as,
+for example, the discovering of a ship in the offing and in sight of
+the west coast, a wreck on that shore, the possible arrival of pirates,
+etc.
+
+So Smith determined to place the corral in instant communication with
+Granite House.
+
+It was the 10th of January when he told his project to his companions.
+
+“How are you going to do such a thing as that, Mr. Smith?” asked
+Pencroff. “Maybe you propose to erect a telegraph!”
+
+“That is precisely what I propose to do.”
+
+“Electric?” exclaimed Herbert.
+
+“Electric,” responded Smith. “We have everything necessary for making a
+battery, and the most difficult part will be to make the wires, but I
+think we can succeed.”
+
+“Well, after this,” replied the sailor, “I expect some day to see us
+riding along on a railway!”
+
+They entered upon the work at once, beginning with the most difficult
+part, that is to say, the manufacture of the wires, since, if that
+failed, it would be useless to make the battery and other accessories.
+
+The iron of Lincoln Island was, as we know, of excellent quality, and,
+therefore, well adapted to the purpose. Smith began by making a steel
+plate, pierced with conical holes of different sizes, which would bring
+the wire to the desired size. This piece of steel, after having been
+tempered “through and through,” was fixed firmly to a solid frame-work
+sunk in the ground, only a few feet distant from the waterfall—the
+motive power which the engineer intended to use.
+
+And, indeed, there was the fulling-mill, not then in use, the main
+shaft of which turned with great force, and would serve to draw out the
+wire and roll it around itself.
+
+The operation was delicate and required great care. The iron,
+previously made into long and thin bars, with tapering ends, having
+been introduced into the largest hole of the drawing-plate, was drawn
+out by the main shaft of the mill, rolled out to a length of 25 or 30
+feet, then unrolled, and pulled, in turn, through the smaller holes;
+and at length, the engineer obtained wires 30 or 40 feet long, which it
+was easy to join together and place along the five miles between the
+corral and Granite House.
+
+It took but a little while to get this work under way, and then, Smith,
+making his companions the wire-drawers, busied himself in the
+construction of his battery.
+
+It was necessary to make a battery with a constant circuit. We know
+that modern batteries are usually made of a certain kind of coke, zinc,
+and copper. Copper the engineer was without, since, in spite of all his
+efforts, he had been unable to find a trace of it on the island. The
+coke, which is that hard deposit obtained from gas retorts could be
+procured, but it would be necessary to arrange a special apparatus—a
+difficult thing to do. As to the zinc, it will be remembered that the
+box found on Jetsam Point, was lined with a sheet of that metal, which
+could not be better utilized than at present.
+
+Smith, after deep reflection, resolved to make a very simple battery,
+something like that which Becquerel invented in 1820, in which zinc
+alone is used. The other substances, nitric-acid and potash, he had at
+hand.
+
+The manner in which he made this battery, in which the current was
+produced by the action of the acid and the potash on each other, was as
+follows:—
+
+A certain number of glass vessels were made and filled with
+nitric-acid. They were corked with perforated corks, containing glass
+tubes reaching into the acid, and stopped: with clay plugs, connected
+with threads. Into these tubes the engineer poured a solution of
+potash—obtained from burnt plants—and thus the acid and the potash
+reacted on each other through the clay.
+
+Then Smith plunged two plates of zinc, the one in the nitric acid, the
+other in the solution, and thus produced a circuit between the tube and
+jar, and as these plates had been connected by a bit of wire, the one
+in the tube became the positive and the other the negative pole of the
+apparatus. Each jar produced its currents, which, together, were
+sufficient to cause all the phenomena of the electric telegraph.
+
+On the 6th of February they began to erect the poles, furnished with
+glass insulators, and some days later the wire was stretched, ready to
+produce the electric current, which travels with the speed of 100,000
+kilometres a second.
+
+Two batteries had been made, one for Granite House, and the other for
+the corral, as, if the corral had to communicate with Granite House, it
+might, also, be needful for Granite House to communicate with the
+corral.
+
+As to the indicator and manipulator, they were very simple. At both
+stations the wire was wrapped around an electro-magnet of soft iron.
+Communication was established between the two poles; the current,
+leaving the positive pole, traversed the wire, passed into the
+electro-magnet, and returned under ground to the negative pole. The
+current closed, the attraction of the electro-magnet ceased. It was,
+therefore, sufficient to place a plate of soft iron before the
+electro-magnet which, attracted while the current is passing, falls,
+when it is interrupted. The movement of the plate thus obtained, Smith
+easily fastened to it a needle, pointing to a dial, which bore the
+letters of the alphabet upon its face.
+
+Everything was finished by the 12th of February. On that day Smith,
+having turned on the current, asked if everything was all right at the
+corral, and received, in a few moments, a satisfactory reply from
+Ayrton.
+
+Pencroff was beside himself with delight, and every morning and evening
+he sent a telegraph to the corral, which never remained unanswered.
+
+This method of communication presented evident advantages, both in
+informing the colonists of Ayrton’s presence at the corral, and in
+preventing his complete isolation. Moreover, Smith never allowed a week
+to pass without visiting him, and Ayrton came occasionally to Granite
+House, where he always found a kind reception.
+
+Continuing their accustomed work, the fine weather passed away, and the
+resources of the colony, particularly in vegetables and cereals,
+increased from day to day, and the plants brought from Tabor Island had
+been perfectly acclimated. The plateau presented a most attractive
+appearance. The fourth crop of corn had been excellent, and no one
+undertook to count the 400,000,000,000 grains produced in the harvest;
+although Pencroff had had some such idea, until Smith informed him
+that, supposing he could count 300 grains a minute, or 18,000 an hour,
+it would take him 5,500 years to accomplish his undertaking.
+
+The weather was superb, though somewhat warm during the day; but, in
+the evening, the sea-breeze sprung up, tempering the air and giving
+refreshing nights to the inhabitants of Granite House. Still there were
+some storms, which, although not long continued, fell upon Lincoln
+Island with extraordinary violence. For several hours at a time the
+lightning never ceased illuminating the heavens, and the thunder roared
+without cessation.
+
+This was a season of great prosperity to the little colony. The
+denizens of the poultry-yard increased rapidly, and the colonists lived
+on this increase, as it was necessary to keep the population within
+certain limits. The pigs had littered, and Pencroff and Neb’s attention
+to these animals absorbed a great part of their time. There were too
+young onagers, and their parents were often ridden by Spilett and
+Herbert, or hitched to the cart to drag wood or bring the minerals
+which the engineer made use of.
+
+Many explorations were made about this time into the depths of the Far
+West. The explorers did not suffer from the heat, as the sun’s rays
+could not penetrate the leafy roof above them. Thus, they visited all
+that part to the left of the Mercy, bordering on the route from the
+corral to the mouth of Fall River.
+
+But during these excursions the colonists took care to be well armed,
+as they often encountered exceedingly savage and ferocious wild boars.
+They also waged war against the jaguars, for which animals Spilett had
+a special hatred, and his pupil, Herbert, seconded him well. Armed as
+they were, the hunters never shunned an encounter with these beasts,
+and the courage of Herbert was superb, while the coolness of the
+reporter was astonishing. Twenty magnificent skins already ornamented
+the hall at Granite House, and at this rate the jaguars would soon be
+exterminated.
+
+Sometimes the engineer took part in explorations of the unknown
+portions of the island, which he observed with minute attention. There
+were other traces than those of animals which he sought for in the
+thickest places in the forests, but not once did anything suspicions
+appear. Top and Jup, who accompanied him, showed by their action that
+there was nothing there, and yet the dog had growled more than once
+again above that pit which the engineer had explored without result.
+
+During this season Spilett, assisted by Herbert, took numerous views of
+the most picturesque portions of the island, by means of the
+photographic apparatus, which had not been used until now.
+
+This apparatus, furnished with a powerful lens, was very complete. All
+the substances necessary in photographic work were there; the nitrate
+of silver, the hyposulphata of soda, the chloride of ammonium, the
+acetate of soda, and the chloride of gold. Even the paper was there,
+all prepared, so that all that was necessary, in order to use it, was
+to steep it for a few moments in diluted nitrate of silver.
+
+The reporter and his assistant soon became expert operators, and they
+obtained fine views of the neighborhood, such as a comprehensive view
+of the island taken from Prospect Plateau, with Mount Franklin on the
+horizon, the mouth of the Mercy so picturesquely framed between its
+high rocks, the glade and the corral, with the lower spurs of the
+mountain in the background, the curious outline of Claw Cape, Jetsam
+Point, etc. Neither did the photographers forget to take portraits of
+all the inhabitants of the island, without exception.
+
+“Its people,” as Pencroff expressed it.
+
+And the sailor was charmed to see his likeness, faithfully reproduced,
+ornamenting the walls of Granite House, and he stood before this
+display as pleased as if he had been gazing in one of the richest
+show-windows on Broadway.
+
+It must be confessed, however, that the portrait, showing the finest
+execution, was that of master Jup. Master Jup has posed with a gravity
+impossible to describe, and his picture was a speaking likeness!
+
+“One would say he was laughing!” exclaimed Pencroff.
+
+And if Jup had not been satisfied, he must have been hard to please.
+But there it was, and he contemplated his image with such a sentimental
+air, that it was evident he was a little conceited.
+
+The heat of the summer ended with March. The season was rainy, but the
+air was still warm, and the month was not as pleasant as they had
+expected. Perhaps it foreboded an early and a rigorous winter.
+
+One morning, the 21st, Herbert had risen early, and, looking from the
+window, exclaimed:—
+
+“Hullo, the islet is covered with snow!”
+
+“Snow at this season!” cried the reporter, joining the lad.
+
+Their companions were soon beside them, and every one saw that not only
+the islet, but that the entire beach below Granite House, was covered
+with the white mantle.
+
+“It is, indeed, snow,” said Pencroff.
+
+“Or something very much like it,” replied Neb.
+
+“But the thermometer stands at 58°,” said Spilett.
+
+Smith looked at the white covering without speaking, for he was,
+indeed, at a loss how to explain such a phenomenon in this season and
+in this temperature.
+
+“The deuce!” cried the sailor; “our crops will have been frost-bitten.”
+
+And he was about descending when Jup sprang before him and slid down
+the rope to the ground.
+
+The orang had scarcely touched the earth before the immense body of
+snow rose and scattered itself through the air in such innumerable
+flocks as to darken all the heavens for a time.
+
+“They are birds!” cried Herbert.
+
+The effect had, indeed, been produced by myriads of sea-birds, with
+plumage of brilliant whiteness. They had come from hundreds of miles
+around on to the islet and the coast, and they now disappeared in the
+horizon, leaving the colonists as amazed as if they had witnessed a
+transformation scene, from winter to summer, in some fancy spectacle.
+Unfortunately, the change had been so sudden that neither the reporter
+nor the lad had had an opportunity of knocking over some of these
+birds, whose species they did not recognize.
+
+A few days later, and it was the 26th of March. Two years had passed
+since the balloon had been thrown upon Lincoln Island.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XLI.
+
+
+THOUGHTS OF HOME—CHANCES OF RETURN —PLAN TO EXPLORE THE COAST—THE
+DEPARTURE OF THE 16TH OF APRIL—SERPENTINE PENINSULA SEEN FROM SEA—THE
+BASALTIC CLIFFS OF THE WESTERN COAST—BAD WEATHER—NIGHT—A NEW INCIDENT.
+
+
+Two years already! For two years the colonists had had no communication
+with their fellows! They knew no more of what was happening in the
+world, lost upon this island, than if they had been upon the most
+distant asteroid of the solar system.
+
+What was going on in their country? Their fatherland was always present
+to their eyes, that land which, when they left it, was torn by civil
+strife, which perhaps was still red with rebellious blood. It was a
+great grief to them, this war, and they often talked about it, never
+doubting, however, that the cause of the North would triumph for the
+honor of the American confederation.
+
+During these two years not a ship had been seen. It was evident that
+Lincoln Island was out of the route of vessels; that it was unknown—the
+maps proved this—was evident, because, although it had no harbor, yet
+its streams would have drawn thither vessels desiring to renew their
+supply of water. But the surrounding sea was always desert, and the
+colonists could count on no outside help to bring them to their home.
+
+Nevertheless, one chance of rescue existed, which was discussed one day
+in the first week of April, when the colonists were gathered in the
+hall of Granite House.
+
+They had been talking of America and of the small hope of ever seeing
+it again.
+
+“Undoubtedly, there is but one way of leaving the island,” said
+Spilett, “which is, to build a vessel large enough to make a voyage of
+some hundreds of miles. It seems to me, that, when one can build a
+shallop, they can readily build a ship.”
+
+“And that they can as easily go to the Low Archipelago as to Tabor
+Island,” added Herbert.
+
+“I do not say we cannot,” replied Pencroff, who always had the most to
+say on questions of a maritime nature; “I do not say we cannot,
+although it is very different whether one goes far or near! If our
+sloop had been threatened with bad weather when we went to Tabor
+Island, we knew that a shelter was not far off in either direction; but
+1,200 miles to travel is a long bit of road, and the nearest land is at
+least that distance!”
+
+“Do you mean, supposing the case to occur, Pencroff, that you would not
+risk it?” questioned the reporter.
+
+“I would undertake whatever you wished, sir,” replied the sailor, “and
+you know I am not the man to draw back.”
+
+“Remember, moreover, that we have another sailor with us, now,” said
+Neb.
+
+“Who do you mean,” asked Pencroff.
+
+“Ayrton.”
+
+“That is true,” responded Herbert.
+
+“If he would join us,” remarked Pencroff.
+
+“Why,” said the reporter, “do you think that if Lord Glenarvan’s yacht
+had arrived at Tabor Island while Ayrton was living there, that he
+would have refused to leave?”
+
+“You forget, my friends,” said Smith, “that Ayrton was not himself
+during the last few years there. But that is not the question. It is
+important to know whether we can count on the return of this Scotch
+vessel as among our chances for rescue. Now, Lord Glenarvan promised
+Ayrton that he would return to Tabor Island, when he judged his crimes
+sufficiently punished, and I believe that he will return.
+
+“Yes,” said the reporter, “and, moreover, I think he will return soon,
+as already Ayrton has been here twelve years!”
+
+“I, also, think this lord will come back, and, probably, very soon. But
+where will he come to? Not here, but to Tabor Island.”
+
+“That is as sure as that Lincoln Island is not on the maps,” said
+Herbert.
+
+“Therefore, my friends,” replied Smith, “we must take the necessary
+precautions to have Ayrton’s and our presence on Lincoln Island
+advertised on Tabor Island.”
+
+“Evidently,” said the reporter, “and nothing can be easier than to
+place in Captain Grant’s cabin a notice, giving the situation of our
+island.”
+
+“It is, nevertheless, annoying,” rejoined the sailor, “that we forgot
+to do that on our first voyage to the place.”
+
+“Why should we have done so?” replied Herbert. “We knew nothing about
+Ayrton at that time, and when we learned his history, the season was
+too far advanced to allow of our going back there.”
+
+“Yes,” answered Smith, “it was too late then, and we had to postpone
+the voyage until spring.”
+
+“But supposing the yacht comes in the meantime?” asked Pencroff.
+
+“It is not likely,” replied the engineer, “as Lord Glenarvan would not
+choose the winter season to adventure into these distant seas. Either
+it has already been to the island, in the five months that Ayrton has
+been with us, or it will come later, and it will be time enough, in the
+first fine weather of October, to go to Tabor Island and leave a notice
+there.”
+
+“It would, indeed, be unfortunate,” said Neb, “if the Duncan has been
+to and left these seas within a few months.”
+
+“I hope that it is not so,” answered Smith, “and that Heaven has not
+deprived us of this last remaining chance.”
+
+“I think,” observed the reporter, “that, at least, we will know what
+our chances are, when we have visited the island; for those Stockmen
+would, necessarily, leave some trace of their visit, had they been
+there.”
+
+“Doubtless,” answered the engineer. “And, my friends, since we have
+this chance of rescue, let us wait patiently, and if we find it has
+been taken from us, we will see then what to do.”
+
+“At any rate,” said Pencroff, “it is agreed that if we do leave the
+inland by some way or another, it will not be on account of
+ill-treatment!”
+
+“No indeed, Pencroff,” replied the reporter, “it will be because we are
+far from everything which a man loves in this world, his family, his
+friends, his country!”
+
+Everything having been thus arranged there was no longer any question
+of building a ship, and the colonists occupied themselves in preparing
+for their third winter in Granite House.
+
+But they determined, before the bad weather set in, to make a voyage in
+the sloop around the island. The exploration of the coast had never
+been completed, and the colonists had only an imperfect idea of its
+western and northern portions from the mouth of Fall River to the
+Mandible Capes, and of the narrow bay between them.
+
+Pencroff had proposed this excursion, and Smith had gladly agreed to
+it, as he wished to see for himself all that part of his domain.
+
+The weather was still unsettled, but the barometer made no rapid
+changes, and they might expect fair days. So, in the first week of
+April, after a very low barometer, its rise was followed by a strong
+west wind, which lasted for five or six weeks; then the needle of the
+instrument became stationary at a high figure, and everything seemed
+propitious for the exploration.
+
+The day of departure was set for the 16th, and the Good Luck, moored in
+Balloon Harbor, was provisioned for a long cruise.
+
+Smith told Ayrton of the excursion, and proposed to him to take part in
+it; but as Ayrton preferred to remain on shore, it was decided that he
+should come to Granite House while his companions were absent. Jup was
+left to keep him company, and made no objection.
+
+On the morning of the 16th all the colonists, including Top, went on
+board the Good Luck. The breeze blew fresh from the south-west, so that
+from Balloon Harbor they had to beat up against the wind in order to
+make Reptile End. The distance between these two points, following the
+coast, was twenty miles. As the wind was dead ahead, and they had had
+on starting but two hours of the ebb, it took all day to reach the
+promontory, and it was night before the point was doubled.
+
+Pencroff proposed to the engineer that they should keep on slowly,
+sailing under a double-reef, but Smith preferred mooring some cable
+lengths from shore, in order to survey this part of the coast by
+daylight.
+
+And it was agreed that henceforth, as a minute exploration of the
+island was to be made, they would not sail at night, but cast anchor
+every evening at the most available point.
+
+The wind fell as night approached, and the silence was unbroken. The
+little party, excepting Pencroff, slept less comfortably than in their
+beds at Granite House, but still they slept; and at daylight the next
+morning the sailor raised anchor, and, with a free wind, skirted the
+shore.
+
+The colonists knew this magnificently wooded border, as they had
+traversed it formerly, on foot; but its appearance excited renewed
+admiration. They ran as close in as possible, and moderated their speed
+in order to observe it carefully. Often, they would cast anchor that
+Spilett might take photographic views of the superb scenery.
+
+About noon the Good Luck arrived at the mouth of the Fall River. Above,
+upon the right bank, the trees were less numerous, and three miles
+further on they grew in mere isolated groups between the western spurs
+of the mountain, whose arid declivities extended to the very edge of
+the ocean.
+
+How great was the contrast between the southern and the northern
+portions of this coast! The one wooded and verdant, the other harsh and
+savage! It was what they call in certain countries, an “iron-bound
+coast,” and its tempestuous aspect seemed to indicate a sudden
+crystallization of the boiling basalt in the geologic epochs. How
+appalling would this hideous mass have been to the colonists if they
+had chanced to have been thrown on this part of the island! When they
+were on Mount Franklin, their position had been too elevated for them
+to recognize the awfully forbidding aspect of this shore; but, viewed
+from the sea, it presented an appearance, the like of which cannot be
+seen, perhaps, in any portion of the globe.
+
+The sloop passed for half a mile before this coast. It was composed of
+blocks of all dimensions from twenty to thirty feet high, and of all
+sorts of shapes, towers, steeples, pyramids, obelisks, and cones. The
+ice-bergs of the polar seas could not have been thrown together in more
+frightful confusion! Here, the rocks formed bridges, there, nave-like
+arches, of indistinguishable depth; in one place, were excavations
+resembling monumental vaults, in another a crowd of points outnumbering
+the pinnacles of a Gothic cathedral. All the caprices of nature, more
+varied than those of the imagination, were here displayed over a
+distance of eight or nine miles.
+
+Smith and companions gazed with a surprise approaching stupefaction.
+But, though they rested mute, Top kept up an incessant barking, which
+awoke a thousand echoes. The engineer noticed the same strangeness in
+the dog’s action as he showed at the month of the well in Granite
+House.
+
+“Go alongside,” said Smith.
+
+And the Good Luck ran in as close to the rocks as possible. Perhaps
+there was some cavern here which it would be well to explore. But Smith
+saw nothing, not even a hollow which could serve as a retreat for any
+living thing, and the base of the rocks was washed by the surf of the
+sea. After a time the dog stopped barking, and the sloop kept off again
+at some cable lengths from the shore.
+
+In the northwest portion of the island the shore became flat and sandy.
+A few trees rose above the low and swampy ground, the home of myriads
+of aquatic birds.
+
+In the evening the sloop moored in a slight hollow of the shore, to the
+north of the island. She was close into the bank, as the water here was
+of great depth. The breeze died away with nightfall, and the night
+passed without incident.
+
+The next morning Spilett and Herbert went ashore for a couple of hours
+and brought back many bunches of ducks and snipe, and by 8 o’clock the
+Good Luck, with a fair, freshening breeze, was speeding on her way to
+North Mandible Cape.
+
+“I should not be surprised,” said Pencroff, “if we had a squall.
+Yesterday the sun set red, and, this morning, the cats-tails foreboded
+no good.”
+
+These “cats-tails”—were slender cyrrhi, scattered high above, in the
+zenith. These feathery messengers usually announce the near disturbance
+of the elements.
+
+“Very well, then,” said Smith, “crowd on all sail and make for Shark
+Gulf. There, I think the sloop will be safe.”
+
+“Perfectly,” replied the sailor, “and, moreover, the north coast is
+nothing but uninteresting downs.”
+
+“I shall not regret,” added the engineer, “passing, not only the night,
+but also tomorrow in that bay, which deserves to be explored with
+care.”
+
+“I guess we’ll have to, whether we want to or no,” replied Pencroff,
+“as it is beginning to be threatening in the west. See how dirty it
+looks!”
+
+“Any how, we have a good wind to make Mandible Cape,” observed the
+reporter.
+
+“First rate; but, we will have to tack to get into the gulf, and I
+would rather have clear weather in those parts which I know nothing
+about.”
+
+“Parts which are sown with reefs,” added Herbert, “if I may judge from
+what we have seen of the coast to the south of the gulf.”
+
+“Pencroff,” said Smith, “do whatever you think best, we leave
+everything to you.”
+
+“Rest assured, sir,” responded the sailor, “I will not run any
+unnecessary risk. I would rather have a knife in my vitals, than that
+my Good Luck should run on a rock!”
+
+“What time is it?” asked Pencroff.
+
+“10 o’clock.”
+
+“And how far is it to the cape?”
+
+“About fifteen miles.”
+
+“That will take two hours and a half. Unfortunately, the tide then will
+be going down, and it will be a hard matter to enter the gulf with wind
+and tide against us.”
+
+“Moreover,” said Herbert, “it is full moon to-day, and these April
+tides are very strong.”
+
+“But, Pencroff,” asked Smith, “cannot you anchor at the cape?”
+
+“Anchor close to land, with bad weather coming on!” cried the sailor.
+“That would be to run ourselves ashore.”
+
+“Then what will you do?”
+
+“Keep off, if possible, until the tide turns, which will be about 1
+o’clock, and if there is any daylight left try to enter the gulf; if
+not, we will beat on and off until daylight.”
+
+“I have said, Pencroff, that we will leave everything to your
+judgment.”
+
+“Ah,” said Pencroff, “if only there was a light-house on this coast it
+would be easier for sailors.”
+
+“Yes,” answered Herbert, “and this time we have no thoughtful engineer
+to light a fire to guide us into harbor.”
+
+“By the way, Cyrus,” said Spilett, “we have never thanked you for that;
+but indeed, without that fire we would not have reached—”
+
+“A fire?” demanded Smith, astounded by the words of the reporter.
+
+“We wish to say, sir,” said Pencroff, “that we would have been in a bad
+fix on board the Good Luck, when we were nearly back, and that we would
+have passed to windward of the island unless you had taken the
+precaution to light a fire, on the night of the 19th of October, upon
+the plateau above Granite House.”
+
+“Oh, yes, yes! It was a happy thought!” replied Smith.
+
+“And now,” added Pencroff, “unless Ayrton thinks of it, there is not a
+soul to do us this little service.”
+
+“No—no one!” replied Smith.
+
+And a moment or two later, being alone with Spilett, the engineer
+whispered to him:—
+
+“If there is anything sure in this world, Spilett, it is that I never
+lit a fire on that night, either on the plateau or anywhere else!”
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XLII.
+
+
+NIGHT AT SEA—SHARK GULF—CONFIDENCES—PREPARATIONS FOR WINTER—EARLY
+ADVENT OF BAD WEATHER—COLD—IN-DOOR WORK—SIX MONTHS LATER—A SPECK ON THE
+PHOTOGRAPH—AN UNEXPECTED EVENT.
+
+
+The sailor’s predictions were well founded. The breeze changed to a
+strong blow such as would hare caused a ship in the open sea to have
+lowered her topmasts and sailed under close reefs. The sloop was
+opposite the gulf at 6 o’clock, but the tide was running out, so all
+that Pencroff could do was to bend the jib down to the mainmast as a
+stay-sail and lie to with the bows of the Good Luck pointing on shore.
+
+Fortunately, although the wind was strong, the ocean, protected by the
+coast, was not very rough, and there was no danger from heavy seas,
+which would have tried the staunchness of the little craft. Pencroff,
+although he had every confidence in his boat, waited anxiously for
+daylight.
+
+During the night Smith and Spilett had not another opportunity to talk
+alone, although the whispered words of the engineer made the reporter
+anxious to discuss with him again the mysterious influence which seemed
+to pervade Lincoln Island. Spilett could not rid himself of the thought
+of this new and inexplicable incident. He and his companions also had
+certainly seen this light, and yet Smith declared that he knew nothing
+about it.
+
+He determined to return to this subject as soon as they returned home,
+and to urge Smith to inform their companions of these strange events.
+Perhaps, then, they would decide to make, altogether, a thorough search
+into every part of the island.
+
+Whatever it was, no light appeared upon these unknown shores during
+this night, and at daylight the wind, which had moderated somewhat,
+shifted a couple of points, and permitted Pencroff to enter the gulf
+without difficulty. About 7 o’clock the Good Luck passed into these
+waters enclosed in a grotesque frame of lava.
+
+“Here,” said Pencroff, “is a fine roadstead, where fleets could ride at
+ease.”
+
+“It is curious,” remarked Smith, “that this gulf has been formed by two
+successive streams of lava, completely enclosing its waters; and it is
+probable that, in the worst weather, the sea here is perfectly calm.”
+
+“It is a little too large for the Good Luck,” remarked the reporter.
+
+“I admit that,” replied the sailor, “but if the navy of the United
+States needed a shelter in the Pacific, I don’t think they could find a
+better roadstead than this!”
+
+“We are in the shark’s jaws,” said Neb, alluding to the form of the
+gulf.
+
+“We are, indeed,” replied Herbert; “but, Neb, you are not afraid that
+they will close on us?”
+
+“No, sir, not that; and yet I don’t like the looks of the place. It has
+a wicked aspect.”
+
+“So Neb begins running down my roadstead just as I was thinking to
+offer it to the United States!” cried Pencroff.
+
+“But are its waters deep enough?” asked the engineer.
+
+“That is easily seen,” answered the sailor, taking the sounding line,
+which measured fifty fathoms, and letting it down. It unrolled to the
+end without touching bottom.
+
+“There,” said Pencroff, “our iron-clads could come here without running
+aground!”
+
+“In truth,” said Smith, “this gulf is an abyss; but when we remember
+the plutonic origin of the island, that is not extraordinary.”
+
+“One might think,” said Herbert, “that these walls had been cut with an
+instrument, and I believe that at their very base, even with a line six
+times as long, we could not reach the bottom.”
+
+“All this is very well,” said the reporter, “but I would suggest that
+Pencroff’s roadstead lacks one important element.”
+
+“What is that?”
+
+“A cut, or pathway of some kind, by which one could go inland. I do not
+see a place where there is even a foothold.”
+
+And, indeed, these steep lava walls afforded no landing place on all
+their circumference. The Good Luck, skirting within touching distance
+of the lava, found no place where the passengers could disembark.
+
+Pencroff consoled himself by saying that they could blow up the wall,
+if they wanted to, and then, as there was certainly nothing to be done
+here, he turned towards the narrow opening, which was passed at 2
+o’clock.
+
+Neb gave a long sigh of relief. It was evident that the brave negro had
+not been comfortable in those enormous jaws!
+
+The sloop was now headed for Granite House, eight miles distant, and,
+with a fair wind, coasted along within a mile of the shore. The
+enormous lava rocks were soon succeeded by the oddly-disposed downs,
+among which the engineer had been so singularly discovered, and the
+place was covered with sea-birds.
+
+Towards 4 o’clock, Pencroff, leaving the islet to the left, entered the
+channel separating it from the island, and an hour later cast anchor in
+the Mercy.
+
+The colonists had been absent three days. Ayrton was waiting for them
+on the shore, and Jup came joyously to welcome them, grinning with
+satisfaction.
+
+The entire exploration of the coast had been made, and nothing
+suspicious had been seen. So that if any mysterious being resided on
+the island, it must be under cover of the impenetrable woods on
+Serpentine Peninsula, which the colonists had not, as yet,
+investigated.
+
+Spilett talked the matter over with the engineer, and it was agreed
+that they should call their comrades’ attention to these strange
+events, the last one of which was the most inexplicable of all.
+
+“Are you sure you saw it, Spilett?” asked Smith, for the twentieth
+time. “Was it not a partial eruption of the volcano, or some meteor?”
+
+“No, Cyrus, it wag certainly a fire lit by the hand of man. For that
+matter, question Pencroff and Herbert. They saw it also, and they will
+confirm my words.”
+
+So, some evenings later, on the 26th of April, when all the colonists
+were gathered together on Prospect Plateau, Smith began:—
+
+“My friends, I want to call your attention to certain things which are
+happening in our island, and to a subject on which I am anxious to have
+your advice. These things are almost supernatural—”
+
+“Supernatural!” exclaimed the sailor, puffing his pipe. “Can anything
+be supernatural?”
+
+“No, Pencroff, but certainly mysterious; unless, indeed, you can
+explain what Spilett and I have been unable to account for up to this
+time.”
+
+“Let us hear it, Mr. Smith,” replied the sailor.
+
+“Very well. Have you understood, then, how, after being thrown into the
+sea, I was found a quarter of a mile inland, without my having been
+conscious of getting there?”
+
+“Possibly, having fainted,”—began the sailor.
+
+“That is not admissible,” answered the engineer; “but, letting that go,
+have you understood how Top discovered your retreat five miles from the
+place where I lay?”
+
+“The dog’s instinct,” replied Herbert.
+
+“A singular instinct,” remarked the reporter, “since, in spite of the
+storm that was raging, Top arrived at the Chimneys dry and clean!”
+
+“Let that pass,” continued the engineer; “have you understood how our
+dog was so strangely thrown up from the lake, after his struggle with
+the dugong?”
+
+“No! that I avow,” replied Pencroff, “and the wound in the dugong which
+seemed to have been made by some sharp instrument, I don’t understand
+that at all.”
+
+“Let us pass on again,” replied Smith. “Have you understood, my
+friends, how that leaden bullet was in the body of the peccary; how
+that box was so fortunately thrown ashore, without any trace of a
+shipwreck; how that bottle, enclosing the paper, was found so
+opportunely; how our canoe, having broken its rope, floated down the
+Mercy to us at the very moment when we needed it; how, after the
+invasion of the monkeys, the ladder was let down from Granite House;
+how, finally, the document, which Ayrton pretends not to have written,
+came into our hands?”
+
+Smith had thus enumerated, without forgetting one, the strange events
+that had happened on the island. Herbert, Pencroff, and Neb looked at
+each other, not knowing what to say, as this succession of events, thus
+grouped together, gave them the greatest surprise.
+
+“Upon my faith,” said Pencroff, at length, “you are right, Mr. Smith,
+and it is hard to explain those things.”
+
+“Very well, my friends,” continued the engineer, “one thing more is to
+be added, not less incomprehensible than the others!”
+
+“What is that?” demanded Herbert, eagerly.
+
+“When you returned from Tabor Island, Pencroff, you say that you saw a
+light on Lincoln Island?”
+
+“Certainly I did.”
+
+“And you are perfectly sure that you saw it?”
+
+“As sure as that I see you.”
+
+“And you, Herbert?”
+
+“Why, Mr. Smith,” cried Herbert, “it shone like a star of the first
+magnitude!”
+
+“But was it not a star?” insisted the engineer.
+
+“No,” replied Pencroff, “because the sky was covered with heavy clouds,
+and, under any circumstances, a star would not have been so low on the
+horizon. But Mr. Spilett saw it, and he can confirm what we say.”
+
+“I would add,” said the reporter, “that it was as bright as an electric
+light.”
+
+“Yes, and it was certainly placed above Granite House!” exclaimed
+Herbert.
+
+“Very well, my friends,” replied Smith, “during all that night neither
+Neb nor I lit any fire at all!”
+
+“You did not!—” cried Pencroff, so overcome with astonishment that he
+could not finish the sentence.
+
+“We did not leave Granite House, and if any fire appeared upon the
+coast, it was lit by another hand!”
+
+The others were stupefied with amazement. Undoubtedly a mystery
+existed! Some inexplicable influence, evidently favorable to the
+colonists, but exciting their curiosity, made itself felt upon Lincoln
+Island. Was there then some being hidden in its innermost retreats?
+They wished to know this, cost what it might!
+
+Smith also recalled to his companions the singular actions of Top and
+Jup, about the mouth of the well, and he told them that he had explored
+its depths without discovering anything. And the conversation ended by
+a determination, on the part of the colonists, to make a thorough
+search of the island as soon as the spring opened.
+
+After this Pencroff became moody. This island, which he had looked upon
+as his own, did not belong to him alone, but was shared by another, to
+whom, whether he would or not, the sailor felt himself inferior. Neb
+and he often discussed these inexplicable circumstances, and readily
+concluded that Lincoln Island was subject to some supernatural
+influence.
+
+The bad weather began early, coming in with May; and the winter
+occupations were undertaken without delay. The colonists were well
+protected from the rigor of the season. They had plenty of felt
+clothing, and the moufflons had furnished a quantity of wool for its
+further manufacture.
+
+Ayrton had been comfortably clothed, and when the bad weather began, he
+had returned to Granite House; but he remained humble and sad, never
+joining in the amusements of his companions.
+
+The most of this third winter was passed by the colonists indoors at
+Granite House. The storms were frequent and terrible, the sea broke
+over the islet, and any ship driven upon the coast would have been lost
+without any chance of rescue. Twice the Mercy rose to such a height
+that the bridge and causeways were in danger of destruction. Often the
+gusts of wind, mingled with snow and rain, damaged the fields and the
+poultry-yard, and made constant repairs necessary.
+
+In the midst of this season, some jaguars and quadrumanes came to the
+very border of the plateau, and there was danger of the bolder of these
+beasts making a descent on the fields and domestic animals of the
+colonists. So that a constant watch had to be kept upon these dangerous
+visitors, and this, together with the work indoors, kept the little
+party in Granite House busy.
+
+Thus the winter passed, with now and then a grand hunt in the frozen
+marshes of Tadorn’s Fen. The damage done to the corral during the
+winter was unimportant, and was soon repaired by Ayrton, who, in the
+latter part of October, returned there to spend some days at work.
+
+The winter had passed without any new incident. Top and Jup passed by
+the well without giving any sign of anxiety, and it seemed as if the
+series of supernatural events had been interrupted. Nevertheless, the
+colonists were fixed in their determination to make a thorough
+exploration of the most inaccessible parts of the island, when an event
+of the gravest moment, which set aside all the plans of Smith and his
+companions, happened.
+
+It was the 28th of October. Spring was rapidly approaching, and the
+young leaves were appearing on the trees on the edge of the forest.
+Herbert, tempted by the beauty of the day, determined to take a
+photograph of Union Bay, as it lay facing Prospect Plateau, between
+Mandible and Claw Capes.
+
+It was 3 o’clock, the horizon was perfectly clear, and the sea, just
+stirred by the breeze, scintillated with light. The instrument had been
+placed at one of the windows of Granite House, and the lad, having
+secured his negative, took the glass into the dark room, where the
+chemicals were kept, in order to fix it. Returning to the light, after
+this operation, he saw a speck on the plate, just at the horizon, which
+he was unable to wash out.
+
+“It is a defect in the glass,” he thought.
+
+And then he was seized by a curiosity to examine this speck by means of
+a magnifying glass made from one of the lenses of the instrument.
+
+Hardly had he given one look, when, uttering a cry of amazement, he ran
+with the plate and the glass to Smith. The latter examined the speck,
+and immediately seizing the spy-glass hurried to the window.
+
+The engineer, sweeping the horizon with the glass, found the speck, and
+spoke one word. “A ship!”
+
+In truth, a ship was in sight of Lincoln Island.
+
+
+
+
+PART III
+THE SECRET OF THE ISLAND
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XLIII.
+
+
+LOST OR SAVED?—AYRTON RECALLED—IMPORTANT DISCUSSION—IT IS NOT THE
+DUNCAN—SUSPICION AND PRECAUTION—APPROACH OF THE SHIP—A CANNON SHOT—THE
+BRIG ANCHORS IN SIGHT OF THE ISLAND—NIGHT FALL.
+
+
+Two years and a half ago, the castaways had been thrown on Lincoln
+Island; and up to this time they had been cut off from their kind. Once
+the reporter had attempted to establish communication with the
+civilized world, by a letter tied to the neck of a bird; but this was
+an expedient on whose success they could place no reliance. Ayrton,
+indeed, under the circumstances which have been related, had joined the
+little colony. And now, on the 17th of October, other men had appeared
+within sight of the island, on that desert sea! There could be no doubt
+of it; there was a ship, but would she sail away into the offing, or
+put in shore? The question would soon be decided. Smith and Herbert
+hastened to call the others into the great hall of Granite House, and
+inform them of what had been observed. Pencroff seized the spy-glass
+and swept the horizon till his gaze fell upon the point indicated.
+
+“No doubt of it, she’s a ship!” said he in a tone of no great pleasure.
+
+“Is she coming towards us?” asked Spilett.
+
+“Impossible to say yet,” replied Pencroff, “for only her sails are
+visible; her hull is below the horizon.
+
+“What must we do?” said the boy.
+
+“We must wait,” said Smith.
+
+And for a time which seemed interminable, the colonists remained in
+silence, moved alternately by fear and hope. They were not in the
+situation of castaways upon a desert island, constantly struggling with
+niggardly Nature for the barest means of living, and always longing to
+got back to their fellow-men. Pencroff and Neb, especially, would have
+quitted the island with great regret. They were made, in truth, for the
+new life which they were living in a region civilized by their own
+exertions! Still, this ship would bring them news of the Continent;
+perhaps it was an American vessel; assuredly it carried men of their
+own race, and their hearts beat high at the thought!
+
+From time to time, Pencroff went to the window with the glass. From
+thence he examined the ship carefully. She was still twenty miles to
+the east, and they had no means of communication with her. Neither flag
+nor fire would have been seen; nor would the report of a gun be heard.
+Yet the island, with Mount Franklin towering high above it, must be
+visible to the lookout men on the ship. But why should the vessel land
+there? Was it not mere chance which brought it into that part of the
+Pacific, out of the usual track, and when Tabor Island was the only
+land indicated on the maps? But here a suggestion came from Herbert.
+
+“May it not be the Duncan?” cried he.
+
+The Duncan, as our readers will remember, was Lord Glenarvan’s yacht,
+which had abandoned Ayrton on the islet, and was one day to come back
+for him. Now the islet was not so far from Lincoln Island but that a
+ship steering for one might pass within sight of the other. They were
+only 150 miles distant in longitude, and 75 in latitude.
+
+“We must warn Ayrton,” said Spilett, “and tell him to come at once.
+Only he can tell us whether she is the Duncan.”
+
+This was every one’s opinion, and the reporter, going to the telegraph
+apparatus, which communicated with the corral, telegraphed. “Come at
+once.” Soon the wire clicked, “I am coming.” Then the colonists turned
+again to watch the ship.
+
+“If it is the Duncan,” said Herbert, “Ayrton will readily recognize
+her, since he was aboard her so long.”
+
+“It will make him feel pretty queer!” said Pencroff.
+
+“Yes,” replied Smith, “but Ayrton is now worthy to go on board again,
+and may Heaven grant it to be indeed the Duncan! These are dangerous
+seas for Malay pirates.”
+
+“We will fight for our island,” said Herbert.
+
+“Yes, my boy,” answered the engineer, smiling, “but it will be better
+not to have to fight for her.”
+
+“Let me say one thing,” said Spilett. “Our island is unknown to
+navigators, and it is not down in the most recent maps. Now, is not
+that a good reason for a ship which unexpectedly sighted it to try to
+run in shore?”
+
+“Certainly,” answered Pencroff.
+
+“Yes,” said the engineer, “it would even be the duty of the captain to
+report the discovery of any island not on the maps, and to do this he
+must pay it a visit.”
+
+“Well,” said Pencroff, “suppose this ship casts anchor within a few
+cables’ length of our island, what shall we do?”
+
+This downright question for a while remained unanswered. Then Smith,
+after reflection, said in his usual calm tone:—
+
+“What we must do, my friends, is this. We will open communication with
+the ship, take passage on board of her, and leave our island, after
+having taken possession of it in the name of the United States of
+America.
+
+Afterwards we will return with a band of permanent colonists, and endow
+our Republic with a useful station on the Pacific!”
+
+“Good!” said Pencroff, “that will be a pretty big present to our
+country! We have really colonized it already. We have named every part
+of the island; there is a natural port, a supply of fresh water, roads,
+a line of telegraph, a wood yard, a foundry; we need only put the
+island on the maps!”
+
+“But suppose some one else should occupy it while we are gone?” said
+Spilett.
+
+“I would sooner stay here alone to guard it,” cried the sailor, “and,
+believe me, they would not steal it from me, like a watch from a gaby’s
+pocket!”
+
+For the next hour, it was impossible to say whether or not the vessel
+was making for the island. She had drawn nearer, but Pencroff could not
+make out her course. Nevertheless, as the wind blew from the northeast,
+it seemed probable that she was on the starboard tack. Besides, the
+breeze blew straight for the landing, and the sea was so calm that she
+would not hesitate to steer for the island, though the soundings were
+not laid down in the charts.
+
+About 4 o’clock, an hour after he had been telegraphed for, Ayrton
+arrived. He entered the great hall, saying, “Here I am, gentlemen.”
+
+Smith shook hands with him, and drawing him to the window, “Ayrton,”
+said he, “we sent for you for a weighty reason. A ship is within sight
+of the island.”
+
+For a moment Ayrton looked pale, and his eyes were troubled. Then he
+stooped down and gazed around the horizon.
+
+“Take this spy-glass,” said Spilett, “and look well, Ayrton, for it may
+be the Duncan come to take you home.”
+
+“The Duncan!” murmured Ayrton. “Already!”
+
+The last word escaped him involuntarily and he buried his face in his
+hands. Did not twelve years’ abandonment on a desert island seem to him
+a sufficient expiation?
+
+“No,” said he, “no, it cannot be the Duncan.”
+
+“Look, Ayrton,” said the engineer, “for we must know beforehand with
+whom we have to deal.”
+
+Ayrton took the glass and levelled it in the direction indicated. For
+some minutes he observed the horizon in silence. Then he said:—
+
+“Yes, it is a ship, but I do not think it is the Duncan.
+
+“Why not?” asked Spilett.
+
+“Because the Duncan is a steam-yacht, and I see no trace of smoke about
+this vessel.”
+
+“Perhaps she is only under sail,” observed Pencroff. “The wind is
+behind her, and she may want to save her coal, being go far from land.”
+
+“You may be right, Mr. Pencroff,” said Ayrton. “But, let her come in
+shore, and we shall soon know what to make of her.”
+
+So saying, he sat down in a corner and remained silent, taking no part
+in the noisy discussion about the unknown ship. No more work was done.
+Spilett and Pencroff were extremely nervous; they walked up and down,
+changing place every minute. Herbert’s feeling was one of curiosity.
+Neb alone remained calm; his master was his country. The engineer was
+absorbed in his thoughts, and was inclined to believe the ship rather
+an enemy than a friend. By the help of the glass they could make out
+that she was a brig, and not one of those Malay proas, used by the
+pirates of the Pacific. Pencroff, after a careful look, affirmed that
+the ship was square-rigged, and was running obliquely to the coast, on
+the starboard tack, under mainsail, topsail, and top-gallant sail set.
+
+Just then the ship changed her tack, and drove straight towards the
+island. She was a good sailer, and rapidly neared the coast. Ayrton
+took the glass to try to ascertain whether or not she was the Duncan.
+The Scotch yacht, too, was square-rigged. The question therefore was
+whether a smokestack could be seen between the two masts of the
+approaching vessel. She was now only ten miles off, and the horizon was
+clear. Ayrton looked for a moment, and then dropped his glass.
+
+“It is not the Duncan,” said he.
+
+Pencroff sighted the brig again, and made out that she was from 300 to
+400 tons burden, and admirably built for sailing. To what nation she
+belonged no one could tell.
+
+“And yet,” added the sailor, “there’s a flag floating at her peak, but
+I can’t make out her colors.”
+
+“In half an hour we will know for certain,” answered the reporter.
+“Besides, it is evident that their captain means to run in shore, and
+to-day, or to-morrow at latest, we shall make her acquaintance.”
+
+“No matter, “said Pencroff, “we ought to know with whom we have to
+deal, and I shall be glad to make out those colors.”
+
+And he kept the glass steadily at his eye. The daylight began to fail,
+and the sea-wind dropped with it. The brig’s flag wrapped itself around
+the tackle, and could hardly be seen.
+
+“It is not the American flag,” said Pencroff, at intervals, “nor the
+English, whose red would be very conspicuous, nor the French, nor
+German colors, nor the white flag of Russia, nor the yellow flag of
+Spain. It seems to be of one solid color. Let us see; what would most
+likely be found in these waters? The Chilian—no, that flag is
+tri-colored; the Brazilian is green; the Japanese is black and yellow;
+while this—”
+
+Just then a breeze struck the flag. Ayrton took the glass and raised it
+to his eyes.
+
+“Black!” cried he, in a hollow voice.
+
+They had suspected the vessel with good reason. The piratical ensign
+was fluttering at the peak!
+
+A dozen ideas rushed across the minds of the colonists; but there was
+no doubt as to the meaning of the flag. It was the ensign of the
+spoilers of the sea; the ensign which the Duncan would have carried, if
+the convicts had succeeded in their criminal design. There was no time
+to be lost in discussion.
+
+“My friends,” said Smith, “this vessel, perhaps, is only taking
+observations of the coast of our island, and will send no boats on
+shore. We must do all we can to hide our presence here. The mill on
+Prospect Plateau is too conspicuous. Let Ayrton and Neb go at once and
+take down its fans. “We must cover, the windows of Granite House under
+thicker branches. Let the fires be put out, and nothing be left to
+betray the existence of man!”
+
+“And our sloop?” said Herbert.
+
+“Oh,” said Pencroff, “she is safe in port in Balloon Harbor, and I defy
+the rascals to find her there!”
+
+The engineer’s orders were instantly carried out. Neb and Ayrton went
+up to the plateau and concealed every trace of human habitation.
+Meanwhile their companions went to Jacamar Woods and brought back a
+great quantity of branches and climbing plants, which could not, from a
+distance, be distinguished from a natural foliation, and would hide
+well enough the windows in the rock. At the same time their arms and
+munitions were piled ready at hand, in case of a sudden attack. When
+all these precautions had been taken Smith turned to his comrades—
+
+“My friends,” said he, in a voice full of emotion, “if these wretches
+try to get possession of the island we will defend it, will we not?”
+
+“Yes, Cyrus,” answered the reporter, “and, if need be, we will die in
+its defense.”
+
+And they shook hands upon it. Ayrton alone remained seated in his
+corner. Perhaps he who had been a convict himself once, still deemed
+himself unworthy! Smith understood what was passing in his mind, and,
+stepping towards him, asked
+
+“And what will you do, Ayrton?”
+
+“My duty,” replied Ayrton. Then he went to the window, and his eager
+gaze sought to penetrate the foliage. It was then half-past 7 o’clock.
+The sun had set behind Granite House twenty minutes before, and the
+eastern horizon was darkening. The brig was nearing Union Bay. She was
+now about eight miles away, and just abreast of Prospect Plateau, for
+having tacked off Claw Cape, she had been carried in by the rising
+tide. In fact she was already in the bay, for a straight line drawn
+from Claw Cape to Mandible Cape would have passed to the other side of
+her.
+
+Was the brig going to run into the bay? And if so, would she anchor
+there? Perhaps they would be satisfied with taking an observation. They
+could do nothing but wait. Smith was profoundly anxious. Had the
+pirates been on the island before, since they hoisted their colors on
+approaching it? Might they not have effected a descent once before, and
+might not some accomplice be now concealed in the unexplored part of
+the island. They were determined to resist to the last extremity. All
+depended on the arms and the number of the pirates.
+
+Night had come. The new moon had set a few moments after the sun.
+Profound darkness enveloped land and sea. Thick masses of clouds were
+spread over the sky. The wind had entirely died away. Nothing could be
+seen of the vessel, for all her lights were hidden—they could tell
+nothing of her whereabouts.
+
+“Who knows?” said Pencroff. “Perhaps the confounded ship will be off by
+morning.”
+
+His speech was answered by a brilliant flash from the offing, and the
+sound of a gun. The ship was there, and she had artillery. Six seconds
+had elapsed between the flash and the report; the brig, therefore, was
+about a mile and a-quarter from the shore. Just then, they heard the
+noise of chain-cables grinding across the hawse-holes. The vessel was
+coming to anchor in sight of Granite House!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XLIV.
+
+
+DISCUSSIONS—PRESENTIMENTS—AYRTON’S PROPOSAL—IT IS ACCEPTED—AYRTON AND
+PENCROFF ON SAFETY ISLET—NORFOLK CONVICTS—THEIR PROJECTS—HEROIC ATTEMPT
+OF AYRTON—HIS RETURN—SIX AGAINST FIFTY.
+
+
+There was no longer room for doubt as to the pirate’s intentions. They
+had cast anchor at a short distance from the island, and evidently
+intended to land on the morrow.
+
+Brave as they were, the colonists felt the necessity of prudence.
+Perhaps their presence could yet be concealed in case the pirates were
+contented with landing on the coast without going up into the interior.
+The latter, in fact, might have nothing else in view than a supply of
+fresh water, and the bridge, a mile and a half up stream, might well
+escape their eye.
+
+The colonists knew now that the pirate ship carried heavy artillery,
+against which they had nothing but a few shot-guns.
+
+“Still,” said Smith, “our situation is impregnable. The enemy cannot
+discover the opening in the weir, so thickly is it covered with reeds
+and grass, and consequently cannot penetrate into Granite House.”
+
+“But our plantations, our poultry-yard, our corral,—in short
+everything,” cried Pencroff, stamping his foot. “They can destroy
+everything in a few hours.”
+
+“Everything, Pencroff!” answered Smith, “and we have no means of
+preventing them?”
+
+“Are there many of them?” said the reporter. “That’s the question. If
+there are only a dozen, we can stop them, but forty, or fifty, or
+more—”
+
+“Mr. Smith,” said Ayrton, coming up to the engineer, “will you grant me
+one request!”
+
+“What, my friend?”
+
+“To go to the ship, and ascertain how strongly she is manned.”
+
+“But, Ayrton,” said the engineer, hesitating, “your life will be in
+danger.”
+
+“And why not, sir?”
+
+“That is more than your duty.”
+
+“I must do more than my duty,” replied Ayrton.
+
+“You mean to go to the ship in the canoe?” asked Spilett.
+
+“No, sir. I will swim to her. A man can slip in where a boat could not
+pass.”
+
+“Do you know that the brig is a mile and a half from the coast?” said
+Herbert.”
+
+“I am a good swimmer, sir.”
+
+“I repeat to you that you are risking your life,” resumed the engineer.
+
+“No matter,” answered Ayrton—”Mr. Smith, I ask it as a favor. It may
+raise me in my own estimation.”
+
+“Go, Ayrton,” said the engineer, who knew how deeply a refusal would
+affect the ex-convict, now become an honest man.
+
+“I will go with you,” said Pencroff.
+
+“You distrust me!” said Ayrton, quickly. Then, he added, more humbly,
+“and it is just.”
+
+“No, no!” cried Smith, eagerly, “Pencroff has no such feeling. You have
+misunderstood him.”
+
+“Just so,” answered the sailor; “I am proposing to Ayrton to accompany
+him only as far as the islet. One of these rascals may possibly have
+gone on shore there, and if so, it will take two men to prevent him
+from giving the alarm. I will wait for Ayrton on the islet.”
+
+Everything thus arranged, Ayrton got ready for departure. His project
+was bold but not impracticable, thanks to the dark night. Once having
+reached the ship, Ayrton, by clinging to the chains of the shrouds,
+might ascertain the number and perhaps the designs of the convicts.
+They walked down upon the beach. Ayrton stripped himself and rubbed
+himself with grease, the better to endure the chill of the water; for
+he might have to be in it several hours. Meanwhile Pencroff and Neb had
+gone after the canoe, fastened on the bank of the Mercy some hundreds
+of paces further up. When they came back, Ayrton was ready to start.
+
+They threw a wrap over his shoulders, and shook hands with him all
+round. Then he got into the boat with Pencroff, and pushed off into the
+darkness. It was now half-past 10, and their companions went back to
+wait for them at the Chimneys.
+
+The channel was crossed without difficulty, and the canoe reached the
+opposite bank of the islet. They moved cautiously, lest pirates should
+have landed there. But the island was deserted. The two walked rapidly
+over it, frightening the birds from their nests in the rocks. Having
+reached the further side, Ayrton cast himself unhesitatingly into the
+sea, and swam noiselessly towards the ship’s lights, which now were
+streaming across the water. Pencroff hid himself among the rocks, to
+await his companion’s return.
+
+Meanwhile, Ayrton swam strongly towards the ship, slipping through the
+water. His head only appeared above the surface; his eyes were fixed on
+the dark hull of the brig, whose lights were reflected in the water. He
+thought only of his errand, and nothing of the danger he encountered,
+not only from the pirates but from the sharks which infested these
+waters. The current was in his favor, and the shore was soon far
+behind.
+
+Half an hour afterwards, Ayrton, without having been perceived by any
+one, dived under the ship, and clung with one hand to the bowsprit.
+Then he drew breath, and, raising himself by the chains, climbed to the
+end of the cut-water. There some sailors’ clothes hung drying. He found
+an easy position, and listened.
+
+They were not asleep on board of the brig. They were talking, singing,
+and laughing. These words, intermingled with oaths, came to Ayrton’s
+ears;—
+
+“What a famous find our brig was!”
+
+“The Speedy is a fast sailor. She deserves her name.”
+
+“All the Norfolk shipping may do their best to take her.”
+
+“Hurrah for her commander. Hurrah for Bob Harvey!”
+
+Our readers will understand what emotion was excited in Ayrton by this
+name, when they learn that Bob Harvey was one of his old companions in
+Australia, who had followed out his criminal projects by getting
+possession, off Norfolk Island, of this brig, charged with arms,
+ammunition, utensils, and tools of all kinds, destined for one of the
+Sandwich Islands. All his band had gotten on board, and, adding piracy
+to their other crimes, the wretches scoured the Pacific, destroying
+ships and massacring their crews. They were drinking deep and talking
+loudly over their exploits, and Ayrton gathered the following facts:—
+
+The crew were composed entirely of English convicts, escaped from
+Norfolk Island. In 29° 2’ south latitude, and 165° 42’ east longitude,
+to the east of Australia, is a little island about six leagues in
+circumference, with Mount Pitt rising in the midst, 1,100 feet above
+the level of the sea. It is Norfolk Island, the seat of an
+establishment where are crowded together the most dangerous of the
+transported English convicts. There are 500 of them; they undergo a
+rigid discipline, with severe punishment for disobedience, and are
+guarded by 150 soldiers and 150 civil servants, under the authority of
+a Governor. A worse set of villains cannot be imagined. Sometimes,
+though rarely, in spite of the extreme precautions of their jailors,
+some of them contrive to escape by seizing a ship, and become the pest
+of the Polynesian archipelagos. Thus had done Harvey and his
+companions. Thus had Ayrton formerly wished to do. Harvey had seized
+the Speedy, which was anchored within sight of Norfolk Island, had
+massacred the crew, and for a year had made the brig the terror of the
+Pacific.
+
+The convicts were most of them gathered on the poop, in the after part
+of the ship; but a few were lying on deck, talking in loud voices. The
+conversation went on amid noise and drunkenness. Ayrton gathered that
+chance only had brought them within sight of Lincoln Island. Harvey had
+never set foot there; but, as Smith had foreseen, coming upon an island
+not in the maps, he had determined to go on shore, and, if the land
+suited him, to make it the Speedy’s headquarters. The black flag and
+the cannon-shot were a mere freak of the pirates, to imitate a
+ship-of-war running up her colors.
+
+The colonists were in very serious danger. The island, with its easy
+water supply, its little harbor, its varied resources so well turned to
+account by the colonists, its secret recesses of Granite House—all
+these would be just what the convicts wanted. In their hands the island
+would become an excellent place of refuge, and the fact of its being
+unknown would add to their security. Of course the colonists would
+instantly be put to death. They could not even escape to the interior,
+for the convicts would make the island their headquarters, and if they
+went on an expedition would leave some of the crew behind. It would be
+a struggle for life and death with these wretches, every one of whom
+must be destroyed before the colonists would be safe. Those were
+Ayrton’s thoughts, and he knew that Smith would agree with him. But was
+a successful resistance possible? Everything depended on the calibre of
+the brig’s guns and the number of her men. These were facts which
+Ayrton must know at any cost.
+
+An hour after he had reached the brig the noise began to subside, and
+most of the convicts lay plunged in a drunken sleep. Ayrton determined
+to risk himself on the ship’s deck, which the extinguished lanterns
+left in profound darkness. He got in the chains by the cut-water, and
+by means of the bowsprit climbed to the brig’s forecastle. Creeping
+quietly through the sleeping crew, who lay stretched here and there on
+the deck, he walked completely around the vessel and ascertained that
+the Speedy carried four guns, from eight to ten-pounders. He discovered
+also that the guns were breech-loading, of modern make, easily worked,
+and capable of doing great damage.
+
+There were about ten men lying on deck, but it might be that others
+were asleep in the hold. Moreover, Ayrton had gathered from the
+conversation that there were some fifty on board; rather an overmatch
+for the six colonists. But, at least, the latter would not be
+surprised; thanks to Ayrton’s devotion, they would know their
+adversaries force, and would make their dispositions accordingly.
+Nothing remained for Ayrton but to go back to his comrades with the
+information he had gathered, and he began walking towards the
+forecastle to let himself down into the sea.
+
+And now to this man, who wished to do more than his duty, there came a
+heroic thought, the thought of sacrificing his life for the safety of
+his comrades. Smith could not of course resist fifty well-armed
+marauders, who would either overcome him or starve him out. Ayrton
+pictured to himself his preservers who had made a man of him, and an
+honest man, to whom he owed everything, pitilessly murdered, their
+labors brought to nothing, their island changed to a den of pirates. He
+said to himself that he, Ayrton, was the first cause of these
+disasters, since his old companion, Harvey, had only carried out
+Ayrton’s projects; and a feeling of horror came over him. Then came the
+irresistible desire to blow up the brig, with all on board. He would
+perish in the explosion, but he would have done his duty.
+
+He did not hesitate! It was easy to reach the powder magazine, which is
+always in the after part of the ship. Powder must be plenty on board
+such a vessel, and a spark would bring destruction.
+
+Ayrton lowered himself carefully between-decks, where he found many of
+the pirates lying about, overcome rather by drunkenness than sleep. A
+ship’s lantern, was lighted at the foot of the mainmast, from which
+hung a rack full of all sorts of firearms. Ayrton took from the rack a
+revolver, and made sure that it was loaded and capped. It was all that
+he needed to accomplish the work of destruction. Then he glided back to
+the poop, where the powder magazine would be.
+
+Between decks it was dark, and he could hardly step without knocking
+against some half-asleep convict, and meeting with an oath or a blow.
+More than once he had to stop short, but at length he reached the
+partition separating the after-compartment, and found the door of the
+magazine. This he had to force, and it was a difficult matter to
+accomplish without noise, as he had to break a padlock. But at last,
+under his vigorous hand, the padlock fell apart and the door opened.
+
+Just then a hand was laid upon his shoulder.
+
+“What are you doing there?” said a harsh voice, and a tall form rose
+from the shadow and turned the light of a lantern fall on Ayrton’s
+face.
+
+Ayrton turned around sharply. By a quick flash from the lantern, he saw
+his old accomplice, Harvey; but the latter, believing Ayrton, as he
+did, to be dead, failed to recognize him.
+
+“What are you doing there?” said Harvey, seizing Ayrton by the strap of
+his trousers. Ayrton made no answer but a vigorous push, and sprang
+forward to the magazine. One shot into those tons of powder, and all
+would have been over!
+
+“Help, lads!” cried Harvey.
+
+Two or three pirates, roused by his voice, threw themselves upon
+Ayrton, and strove to drag him to the ground. He rid himself of them
+with two shots from his revolver; but received in so doing, a wound
+from a knife in the fleshy part of the shoulder. He saw in a moment
+that his project was no longer feasible. Harvey had shut the door of
+the magazine, and a dozen pirates were half-awake. He most save himself
+for the sake of his comrades.
+
+Four barrels were left. He discharged two of them right and left, one
+at Harvey, though without effect; and then, profiting by his enemies’
+momentary recoil, rushed towards the ladder which led to the deck of
+the brig. As he passed the lantern he knocked it down with a blow from
+the butt-end of his pistol, and left everything in darkness.
+
+Two or three pirates, awakened by the noise, were coming down the
+ladder at that moment. A fifth shot stretched one at the foot of the
+steps, and the others got out of the way, not understanding what was
+going on. In two bounds Ayrton was on the brig’s deck, and three
+seconds afterwards, after discharging his last shot at a pirate who
+tried to seize him by the neck, he made his way down the netting and
+leaped into the sea. He had not swam six fathoms before the bullets
+began to whistle around him like hail.
+
+What were the feelings of Pencroff, hidden behind a rock on the islet,
+and of his comrades in the Chimneys, when they heard these shots from
+the brig! They rushed out upon the shore, and, with their guns at their
+shoulders, stood ready to meet any attack. For them no doubt remained.
+They believed that Ayrton had been killed, and the pirates were about
+to make a descent on the island. Thus half an hour passed away. They
+suffered torments of anxiety. They could not go to the assistance of
+Ayrton or Pencroff, for the boat had been taken, and the high tide
+forbade them crossing the channel.
+
+Finally, at half-past 12, a boat with two men came along shore. It was
+Ayrton, with a slight wound in his shoulder, and Pencroff. Their
+friends received them with open arms.
+
+Then all took refuge at the Chimneys. There Ayrton told them all that
+happened, including his plan to blow up the brig.
+
+Every one grasped the man’s hand, but the situation was desperate. The
+pirates knew that Lincoln Island was inhabited, and would come down
+upon it in force. They would respect nothing. If the colonists fell
+into their hands they had no mercy to hope for!
+
+“We can die like men,” said the reporter.
+
+“Let us go in and keep watch,” said the engineer.
+
+“Do you think there is any chance, Mr. Smith?” said the sailor.
+
+“Yes, Pencroff.”
+
+“How! Six against fifty!”
+
+“Yes, six—and one other—”
+
+“Who?” asked Pencroff.
+
+Smith did not answer, but he looked upwards
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XLV.
+
+
+THE MIST RISES—THE ENGINEER’S DISPOSITION OF FORCES—THREE POSTS—AYRTON
+AND PENCROFF—THE FIRST ATTACK —TWO OTHER BOAT LOADS—ON THE ISLET—SIX
+CONVICTS ON SHORE—THE BRIG WEIGHS ANCHOR—THE SPEEDY’S
+PROJECTILES—DESPERATE SITUATION—UNEXPECTED DENOUEMENT.
+
+
+The night passed without incident. The colonists were still at the
+Chimneys, keeping a constant lookout. The pirates made no attempt at
+landing. Since the last shots fired at Ayrton, not a sound betrayed the
+presence of the brig in the bay. They might have supposed she had
+weighed anchor and gone off in the night.
+
+But it was not so, and when daylight began to appear the colonists
+could see her dark hulk dim through the morning mists.
+
+“Listen, my friends,” then said the engineer. “These are the
+dispositions it seems to me best to make before the mist dispels, which
+conceals us from view. We must make these convicts believe that the
+inhabitants of the island are numerous and well able to resist them.
+Let us divide ourselves into three groups, one posted at the Chimneys,
+one at the mouth of the Mercy, and the third upon the islet, to hinder,
+or at least, retard, every attempt to land. We have two carbines and
+four guns, so that each of us will be armed; and as we have plenty of
+powder and ball, we will not spare our shots. We have nothing to fear
+from the guns, nor even from the cannon of the brig. What can they
+effect against these rocks? And as we shall not shoot from the windows
+of Granite House, the pirates will never think of turning their guns
+upon it. What we have to fear is a hand-to-hand fight with an enemy
+greatly superior in numbers. We must try to prevent their landing
+without showing ourselves. So don’t spare your ammunition. Shoot fast,
+and shoot straight. Each of us has eight or ten enemies to kill, and
+must kill them.”
+
+Smith had precisely defined the situation, in a voice as quiet as if he
+were directing some ordinary work. His companions acted upon his
+proposal without a word. Each hastened to take his place before the
+mist should be entirely dissipated.
+
+Neb and Pencroff went back to Granite House and brought back thence
+abundance of ammunition. Spilett and Ayrton, both excellent shots, were
+armed with the two carbines, which would carry nearly a mile. The four
+shot-guns were divided between Smith, Neb, Pencroff, and Herbert. The
+posts were thus filled:—Smith and Herbert remained in ambush at the
+Chimneys, commanding a large radius of the shore in front of Granite
+House. Spilett and Neb hid themselves among the rocks at the mouth of
+the Mercy (the bridge and causeways over which had been removed), so as
+to oppose the passage of any boat or even any landing on the opposite
+side. As to Ayrton and Pencroff, they pushed the canoe into the water,
+and got ready to push across the channel, to occupy two different
+points on the islet, so that the firing, coming from four different
+points, might convince the pirates that the island was both well manned
+and vigorously defended.
+
+In case a landing should be effected in spite of their opposition, or
+should they be in danger of being cut off by a boat from the brig,
+Pencroff and Ayrton could return with the canoe to the shore of the
+island, and hasten to the threatened point.
+
+Before going to their posts, the colonists shook hands all round.
+Pencroff concealed his emotion as he embraced “his boy” Herbert, and
+they parted. A few minutes afterwards each was at his post. None of
+them could have been seen, for the brig itself was barely visible
+through the mist. It was half-past 6 in the morning. Soon the mist rose
+gradually; the ocean was covered with ripples, and, a breeze rising,
+the sky was soon clear. The Speedy appeared, anchored by two cables,
+her head to the north, and her larboard quarter to the island. As Smith
+had calculated, she was not more than a mile and a quarter from the
+shore. The ominous black flag floated at the peak. The engineer could
+see with his glass that the four guns of the ship had been trained on
+the island, ready to be fired at the first signal; but so far there was
+no sound. Full thirty pirates could be seen coming and going on the
+deck. Some were on the poop; two on the transoms of the main topmast
+were examining the island with spy-glasses. In fact, Harvey and his
+crew must have been exceedingly puzzled by the adventure of the night,
+and especially by Ayrton’s attempt upon the powder magazine. But they
+could not doubt that the island before them was inhabited by a colony
+ready to defend it. Yet no one could be seen either on the shore or the
+high ground.
+
+For an hour and a half there was no sign of attack from the brig.
+Evidently Harvey was hesitating. But about 8 o’clock there was a
+movement on board. They were hauling at the tackle, and a boat was
+being let down into the sea. Seven men jumped into it, their guns in
+their hands. One was at the tiller, four at the oars, and the two
+others squatting in the bow, ready to shoot, examined the island. No
+doubt their intention was to make a reconnoissance, and not to land, or
+they would have come in greater number.
+
+The pirates, perched on the rigging of the topmast, had evidently
+perceived that an islet concealed the shore, lying about half a mile
+away. The boat was apparently not running for the channel, but was
+making for the islet, as the most prudent beginning of the
+reconnoissance. Pencroff and Ayrton, lying hidden among the rocks, saw
+it coming down upon them, and even waiting for it to get within good
+reach.
+
+It came on with extreme caution. The oars fell at considerable
+intervals. One of the convicts seated in front had a sounding-line in
+his hand, with which he was feeling for the increased depth of water
+caused by the current of the Mercy. This indicated Harvey’s intention
+of bringing his brig as near shore as possible. About thirty pirates
+were scattered among the shrouds watching the boat and noting certain
+sea-marks which would enable them to land without danger. The boat was
+but two cables’ length from the islet when it stopped. The helmsman,
+standing erect, was trying to find the best place to land. In a moment
+burst forth a double flash and report. The helmsman and the man with
+the line fell over into the boat. Ayrton and Pencroff had done their
+work. Almost at once came a puff of smoke from the brig, and a cannon
+ball struck the rock, at whose foot the two lay sheltered, making it
+fly into shivers; but the marksmen remained unhurt.
+
+With horrible imprecations the boat resumed its course. The helmsman
+was replaced by one of his comrades, and the crew bent to their oars,
+eager to get beyond reach of bullets. Instead of turning back, they
+pulled for the southern extremity of the islet, evidently with the
+intention of coming up on the other side and putting Pencroff and
+Ayrton between two fires. A quarter of an hour passed thus without a
+sound. The defenders of the islet, though they understood the object of
+the flanking movement, did not leave their post. They feared the cannon
+of the Speedy, and counted upon their comrades in ambush.
+
+Twenty minutes after the first shots, the boat was less than two
+cables’ length off the Mercy. The tide was running up stream with its
+customary swiftness, due to the narrowness of the river, and the
+convicts had to row hard to keep themselves in the middle of the
+channel. But as they were passing within easy range of the river’s
+mouth, two reports were heard, and two of the crew fell back into the
+boat. Neb and Spilett had not missed their shot. The brig opened fire
+upon their hiding place, which was indicated by the puff of smoke; but
+with no result beyond shivering a few rocks.
+
+The boat now contained only three men fit for action. Getting into the
+current, it shot up the channel like an arrow, passed Smith and
+Herbert, who feared to waste a shot upon it, and turned the northern
+point of the islet, whence the two remaining oarsmen pulled across to
+the brig.
+
+So far the colonists could not complain. Their adversaries had lost the
+first point in the game. Four pirates had been grievously wounded,
+perhaps killed, while they were without a scratch. Moreover, from the
+skilful disposition of their little force, it had no doubt given the
+impression of a much greater number.
+
+A half hour elapsed before the boat, which was rowing against the
+current, could reach the Speedy. The wounded were lifted on deck, amid
+howls of rage. A dozen furious convicts manned the boat; another was
+lowered into the sea, and eight more jumped into it; and while the
+former rowed straight for the islet, the latter steered around its
+southern point, heading for the Mercy.
+
+Pencroff and Ayrton were in a perilous situation. They waited till the
+first boat was within easy range, sent two balls into her, to the great
+discomfort of the crew; then they took to their heels, running the
+gauntlet of a dozen shots, reached their canoe on the other side of the
+islet, crossed the channel just as the second boat load of pirates
+rounded the southern point, and hastened to hide themselves at the
+Chimneys. They had hardly rejoined Smith and Herbert, when the islet
+was surrounded and thoroughly searched by the pirates.
+
+Almost at the same moment shots were heard from the mouth of the Mercy.
+As the second boat approached them, Spilett and Neb disposed of two of
+the crew; and the boat itself was irresistibly hurried upon the rocks
+at the mouth of the river. The six survivors, holding their guns above
+their heads to keep them from contact with the water, succeeded in
+getting on shore on the right bank of the river; and, finding
+themselves exposed to the fire of a hidden enemy, made off towards
+Jetsam Point, and were soon out of range.
+
+On the islet, therefore, there were twelve convicts, of whom some no
+doubt were wounded, but who had a boat at their service. Six more had
+landed on the island itself, but Granite House was safe from them, for
+they could rot get across the river, the bridges over which were
+raised.
+
+“What do you think of the situation, Mr. Smith?” said Pencroff.
+
+“I think,” said the engineer, “that unless these rascals are very
+stupid, the battle will soon take a new form.”
+
+“They will never get across the channel,” said Pencroff. “Ayrton and
+Mr. Spilett have guns that will carry a mile!”
+
+“No doubt,” said Herbert, “but of what avail are two carbines against
+the brig’s cannon?”
+
+“The brig is not in the channel yet,” replied Pencroff.
+
+“And suppose she comes there?” said Smith.
+
+“She will risk foundering and utter destruction.”
+
+“Still it is possible,” said Ayrton. “The convicts may profit by the
+high tide to run into the channel, taking the risk of running aground;
+and then, under their heavy guns, our position will become untenable.”
+
+“By Jove!” said the sailor, “the beggars are weighing anchor.”
+
+It was but too true. The Speedy began to heave her anchor, and showed
+her intention of approaching the islet.
+
+Meanwhile, the pirates on the islet had collected on the brink of the
+channel. They knew that the colonists were out of reach of their
+shot-guns, but forgot that their enemies, might carry weapons of longer
+range. Suddenly, the carbines of Ayrton and Spilett rang out together,
+carrying news to the convicts, which must have been very disagreeable,
+for two of them fell flat on their faces. There was a general scamper.
+The other ten, leaving their wounded or dying comrades, rushed to the
+other side of the islet, sprang into the boat which had brought them
+over, and rowed rapidly off.
+
+“Eight off!” cried Pencroff, exultingly.
+
+But a more serious danger was at hand. The Speedy had raised her
+anchor, and was steadily nearing the shore. From their two posts at the
+Mercy and the Chimneys, the colonists watched her movements without
+stirring a finger, but not without lively apprehension. Their situation
+would be most critical, exposed as they would be at short range to the
+brig’s cannon, without power to reply by an effective fire. How then
+could they prevent the pirates from landing?
+
+Smith felt that in a few minutes he must make up his mind what to do.
+Should they shut themselves up in Granite House, and stand a siege
+there? But their enemies would thus become masters of the island, and
+starve them out at leisure. One chance was still left; perhaps Harvey
+would not risk his ship in the channel. If he kept outside his shots
+would be fired from a distance of half a mile, and would do little
+execution.
+
+“Bob Harvey is too good a sailor,” repeated Pencroff, “to risk his ship
+in the channel. He knows that he would certainly lose her if the sea
+turned rough! And what would become of him without his ship?”
+
+But the brig came nearer and nearer, and was evidently heading for the
+lower extremity of the islet. The breeze was faint, the current slack,
+and Harvey could manœuvre in safety. The route followed by the boats
+had enabled him to ascertain where the mouth of the river was, and he
+was making for it with the greatest audacity. He intended to bring his
+broadside to bear on the Chimneys, and to riddle them with shell and
+cannon balls. The Speedy soon reached the extremity of the islet,
+easily turning it, and, with a favoring wind, was soon off the Mercy.
+
+“The villains are here!” cried Pencroff. As he spoke, Neb and Spilett
+rejoined their comrades. They could do nothing against the ship, and it
+was better that the colonists should be together when the decisive
+action was about to take place. Neither of the two were injured, though
+a shower of balls had been poured upon them as they ran from rock to
+rock.
+
+“You are not wounded, lad?” said the engineer.
+
+“No, only a few contusions from the ricochet of a ball. But that cursed
+brig is in the channel!”
+
+“We must take refuge in Granite House,” said Smith, “while we have
+time, and before the convicts can see us. Once inside, we can act as
+the occasion demands.”
+
+“Let us start at once, then,” said the reporter.
+
+There was not a moment to lose. Two or three detonations, and the thud
+of balls on the rocks apprised them that the Speedy was near at hand.
+
+To jump into the elevator, to hoist themselves to the door of Granite
+House, where Top and Jup had been shut up since the day before, and to
+rush into the great hall, was the work of a moment. Through the leaves
+they saw the Speedy, environed with smoke, moving up the channel. They
+had not left a moment too soon, for balls were crashing everywhere
+through the hiding places they had quitted. The rocks were splintered
+to pieces.
+
+Still they hoped that Granite House would escape notice behind its
+leafy covering, when suddenly a ball passed through the doorway and
+penetrated into the corridor.
+
+“The devil! we are discovered!” cried Pencroff.
+
+But perhaps the colonists had not been seen, and Harvey had only
+suspected that something lay behind the leafy screen of the rock. And
+soon another ball, tearing apart the foliage, exposed the opening in
+the granite.
+
+The situation of the colonists was now desperate. They could make no
+answer to the fire, under which the rock was crashing around them.
+Nothing remained but to take refuge in the upper corridor of Granite
+House, giving up their abode to devastation, when a hollow sound was
+heard, followed by dreadful shrieks!
+
+Smith and his comrades rushed to the window.
+
+The brig, lifted on the summit of a sort of waterspout, had just split
+in half; and in less than ten seconds she went to the bottom with her
+wicked crew!!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XLVI.
+
+
+THE COLONISTS ON THE BEACH—AYRTON AND PENCROFF AS SALVORS—TALK AT
+BREAKFAST—PENCROFF’S REASONING—EXPLORATION OF THE BRIG’S HULL IN
+DETAIL—THE MAGAZINE UNINJURED—NEW RICHES—A DISCOVERY—A PIECE OF A
+BROKEN CYLINDER.
+
+
+“They have blown up!” cried Herbert.
+
+“Yes, blown up as if Ayrton had fired the magazine,” answered Pencroff,
+jumping into the elevator with Neb and the boy,
+
+“But what has happened?” said Spilett, still stupefied at the
+unexpected issue.
+
+“Ah, this time we shall find out—” said the engineer,
+
+“What shall we find out?”
+
+“All in time; the chief thing is that the pirates have been disposed
+of.”
+
+And they rejoined the rest of the party on beach. Not a sign of the
+brig could be seen, not even the masts. After having been upheaved by
+the water-spout, it had fallen back upon its side, and had sunk in this
+position, doubtless owing to some enormous leak.’ As the channel here
+was only twenty feet deep, the masts of the brig would certainly
+reappear at low tide.
+
+Some waifs were floating on the surface of the sea. There was a whole
+float, made up of masts and spare yards, chicken coops with the fowls
+still living, casks and barrels, which little by little rose to the
+surface, having escaped by the traps; but no debris was adrift, no
+flooring of the deck, no plankage of the hull; and the sudden sinking
+of the Speedy seemed still more inexplicable.
+
+However, the two masts, which had been broken some feet above the
+“partner,” after having snapped their stays and shrouds, soon rose to
+the surface of the channel, with their sails attached, some of them
+furled and some unfurled. But they could not wait for low tide to carry
+away all their riches, and Ayrton and Pencroff jumped into the canoe,
+for the purpose of lashing these waifs either to the shore of the
+island or of the islet. But just as they were about to start, they were
+stopped by a word from Spilett.
+
+“And the six convicts who landed on the right bank of the Mercy,” said
+he.
+
+In fact, it was as well to remember the six men who had landed at
+Jetsam Point, when their boat was wrecked off the rocks. They looked in
+that direction, but the fugitives were not to be seen. Very likely,
+when they saw the brig go down, they had taken flight into the interior
+of the island.
+
+“We will see after them later,” said Smith. “They may still be
+dangerous, for they are armed; but with six to six, we have an even
+chance. Now we have more urgent work on hand.”
+
+Ayrton and Pencroff jumped into the canoe and pulled vigorously out to
+the wreck. The sea was quiet now and very high, for the moon was only
+two days old. It would be a full hour before the hull of the brig would
+appear above the water of the channel.
+
+Ayrton and Pencroff had time enough to lash together the masts and
+spars by means of ropes, whose other end was carried along the shore to
+Granite House, where the united efforts of the colonists succeeded in
+hauling them in. Then the canoe picked up the chicken coops, barrels,
+and casks which were floating in the water, and brought them to the
+Chimneys.
+
+A few dead bodies were also floating on the surface. Among them Ayrton
+recognized that of Bob Harvey, and pointed it out to his companion,
+saying with emotion:—
+
+“That’s what I was, Pencroff.”
+
+“But what you are no longer, my worthy fellow,” replied the sailor.
+
+It was a curious thing that so few bodies could be seen floating on the
+surface. They could count only five or six, which the current was
+already carrying out to sea. Very likely the convicts, taken by
+surprise, had not had time to escape, and the ship having sunk on its
+side, the greater part of the crew were left entangled under the
+nettings. So the ebb which was carrying the bodies of these wretches
+out to sea would spare the colonists the unpleasant task of burying
+them on the island.
+
+For two hours Smith and his companions were wholly occupied with
+hauling the spars up on the sands, and in unfurling the sails, which
+were entirely uninjured, and spreading them out to dry. The work was so
+absorbing that they talked but little; but they had time for thought.
+What a fortune was the possession of the brig, or rather of the brig’s
+contents! A ship is a miniature world, and the colonists could add to
+their stock a host of useful articles. It was a repetition, on a large
+scale, of the chest found on Jetsam Point.
+
+“Moreover,” thought Pencroff, “why should it be impossible to get this
+brig afloat? If she has only one leak, a leak can be stopped up, and a
+ship of 300 or 400 tons is a real ship compared to our Good Luck! We
+would go where we pleased in her. We must look into this matter. It is
+well worth the trouble.”
+
+In fact, if the brig could be repaired, their chance of getting home
+again would be very much greater. But in order to decide this important
+question, they must wait until the tide was at its lowest, so that the
+brig’s hull could be examined in every part.
+
+After their prizes had been secured upon the beach, Smith and his
+companions, who were nearly famished, allowed themselves a few minutes
+for breakfast. Fortunately the kitchen was not far off, and Neb could
+cook them a good breakfast in a jiffy. They took this meal at the
+Chimneys, and one can well suppose that they talked of nothing during
+the repast but the miraculous deliverance of the colony.
+
+“Miraculous is the word,” repeated Pencroff, “for we must own that
+these blackguards were blown up just in time! Granite House was
+becoming rather uncomfortable.”
+
+“Can you imagine, Pencroff, how it happened that the brig blew up?”
+asked the reporter.
+
+“Certainly, Mr. Spilett; nothing is more simple,” replied Pencroff. “A
+pirate is not under the same discipline as a ship-of-war. Convicts
+don’t make sailors. The brig’s magazine must have been open, since she
+cannonaded us incessantly, and one awkward fellow might have blown up
+the ship.”
+
+“Mr. Smith,” said Herbert, “what astonishes me is that this explosion
+did not produce more effect. The detonation was not loud, and the ship
+is very little broken up. She seems rather to have sunk than to have
+blown up.”
+
+“That astonishes you, does it, my boy?” asked the engineer.
+
+“Yes, sir.”
+
+“And it astonishes me too, Herbert,” replied the engineer; “but when we
+examine the hull of the brig, we shall find some explanation of this
+mystery.”
+
+“Why, Mr. Smith,” said Pencroff, “you don’t mean to say that the Speedy
+has just sunk like a ship which strikes upon a rock?”
+
+“Why not,” asked Neb, “if there are rocks in the channel?”
+
+“Good, Neb,” said Pencroff. “You did not look at the right minute. An
+instant before she went down I saw the brig rise on an enormous wave,
+and fall back over to larboard. Now, if she had struck a rock, she’d
+have gone straight to the bottom like an honest ship.”
+
+“And that’s just what she is not,” said Neb.
+
+“Well, we’ll soon find out, Pencroff,” said the engineer.
+
+“We will find out,” added the sailor, “but I’ll bet my head there are
+no rocks in the channel. But do you really think, Mr. Smith, that there
+is anything wonderful in this event?”
+
+Smith did not answer.
+
+“At all events,” said Spilett, “whether shock or explosion, you must
+own, Pencroff, that it came in good time.”
+
+“Yes! yes!” replied the sailor, “but that is not the question. I ask
+Mr. Smith if he sees anything supernatural in this affair?”
+
+“I give no opinion, Pencroff,” said the engineer; a reply which was not
+satisfactory to Pencroff, who believed in the explosion theory, and was
+reluctant to give it up. He refused to believe that in the channel
+which he had crossed so often at low tide, and whose bottom was covered
+with sand as fine as that of the beach, there existed an unknown reef.
+
+At about half-past 1, the colonists got into the canoe, and pulled out
+to the stranded brig. It was a pity that her two boats had not been
+saved; but one, they knew, had gone to pieces at the mouth of the
+Mercy, and was absolutely useless, and the other had gone down with the
+brig, and had never reappeared.
+
+Just then the hull of the Speedy began to show itself above the water.
+The brig had turned almost upside down, for after having broken its
+masts under the weight of its ballast, displaced by the fall, it lay
+with its keel in the air. The colonists rowed all around the hull, and
+as the tide fell, they perceived, if not the cause of the catastrophe,
+at least the effect produced. In the fore part of the brig, on both
+sides of the hull, seven or eight feet before the beginning of the
+stem, the sides were fearfully shattered for at least twenty feet.
+There yawned two large leaks which it would have been impossible to
+stop. Not only had the copper sheathing and the planking disappeared,
+no doubt ground to powder, but there was not a trace of the timbers,
+the iron bolts, and the treenails which fastened them. The false-keel
+had been torn off with surprising violence, and the keel itself, torn
+from the carlines in several places, was broken its whole length.
+
+“The deuce!” cried Pencroff, “here’s a ship which will be hard to set
+afloat.”
+
+“Hard! It will be impossible,” said Ayrton.
+
+“At all events,” said Spilett, “the explosion, if there has been an
+explosion, has produced the most remarkable effects. It has smashed the
+lower part of the hull, instead of blowing up the deck and the
+topsides. These great leaks seem rather to have been made by striking a
+reef than by the explosion of a magazine.”
+
+“There’s not a reef in the channel,” answered the sailor. “I will admit
+anything but striking a reef.”
+
+“Let us try to get into the hold,” said the engineer. “Perhaps that
+will help us to discover the cause of the disaster.”
+
+This was the best course to take, and would moreover enable them to
+make an inventory of the treasures contained in the brig, and to get
+them ready for transportation to the island. Access to the hold was now
+easy; the tide continued to fall, and the lower deck, which, as the
+brig lay, was now uppermost, could easily be reached. The ballast,
+composed of heavy pigs of cast iron, had staved it in several places.
+They heard the roaring of the sea, as it rushed through the fissures of
+the hull.
+
+Smith and his companions, axe in hand, walked along the shattered deck.
+All kinds of chests encumbered it, and as they had not been long under
+water, perhaps their contents had not been damaged.
+
+They set to work at once to put this cargo in safety. The tide would
+not return for some hours, and these hours were utilized to the utmost
+at the opening into the hull. Ayrton and Pencroff had seized upon
+tackle which served to hoist the barrels and chests. The canoe received
+them, and took them ashore at once. They took everything
+indiscriminately, and left the sorting of their prizes to the future.
+
+In any case, the colonists, to their extreme satisfaction, had made
+sure that the brig possessed a varied cargo, an assortment of all kinds
+of articles, utensils, manufactured products, and tools, such as ships
+are loaded with for the coasting trade of Polynesia. They would
+probably find there a little of everything, which was precisely what
+they needed on Lincoln Island.
+
+Nevertheless, Smith noticed, in silent astonishment, that not only the
+hull of the brig had suffered frightfully from whatever shock it was
+which caused the catastrophe, but the machinery was destroyed,
+especially in the fore part. Partitions and stanchions were torn down
+as if some enormous shell had burst inside of the brig. The colonists,
+by piling on one side the boxes which littered their path, could easily
+go from stem to stern. They were not heavy bales which would have been
+difficult to handle, but mere packages thrown about in utter confusion.
+
+The colonists soon reached that part of the stern where the poop
+formerly stood. It was here Ayrton told them they must search for the
+powder magazine. Smith, believing that this had not exploded, thought
+they might save some barrels, and that the powder, which is usually in
+metal cases, had not been damaged by the water. In fact, this was just
+what had happened. They found, among a quantity of projectiles, at
+least twenty barrels, which were lined with copper, and which they
+pulled out with great care. Pencroff was now convinced by his own eyes
+that the destruction of the Speedy could not have been caused by an
+explosion. The part of the hull in which the powder magazine was
+situated was precisely the part which had suffered the least.
+
+“It may be so,” replied the obstinate sailor, “but as to a rock, there
+is not one in the channel.” Then he added:—”I know nothing about it,
+even Mr. Smith does not know. No one knows, or ever will.”
+
+Several hours passed in these researches, and the tide was beginning to
+rise. They had to stop their work of salvage, but there was no fear
+that the wreck would be washed out to sea, for it was as solidly
+imbedded as if it had been anchored to the bottom. They could wait with
+impunity for the turn of the tide to commence operations. As to the
+ship itself, it was of no use; but they must hasten to save the debris
+of the hull, which would not take long to disappear in the shifting
+sands of the channel.
+
+It was 5 o’clock in the afternoon. The day had been a hard one, and
+they sat down to their dinner with great appetite; but afterwards,
+notwithstanding their fatigue, they could not resist the desire of
+examining some of the chests. Most of them contained ready-made
+clothes, which, as may be imagined, were very welcome. There was enough
+to clothe a whole colony, linen of every description, boots of all
+sizes.
+
+“Now we are too rich,” cried Pencroff. “What shall we do with all these
+things?”
+
+Every moment the sailor uttered exclamations of joy, as he came upon
+barrels of molasses and rum, hogsheads of tobacco, muskets and
+side-arms, bales of cotton, agricultural implements, carpenters’ and
+smiths’ tools, and packages of seeds of every kind, uninjured by their
+short sojourn in the water. Two years before, how these things would
+have come in season! But even now that the industrious colonists were
+so well supplied, these riches would be put to use.
+
+There was plenty of storage room in Granite House, but time failed them
+now to put everything in safety. They must not forget that six
+survivors of the Speedy’s crew were now on the island, scoundrels of
+the deepest dye, against whom they must be on their guard.
+
+Although the bridge over the Mercy and the culverts had been raised,
+the convicts would make little account of a river or a brook; and,
+urged by despair, these rascals would be formidable. Later, the
+colonists could decide what course to take with regard to them; in the
+meantime, the chests and packages piled up near the Chimneys must be
+watched over, and to this they devoted themselves during the night.
+
+The night passed, however, without any attack from the convicts. Master
+Jup and Top, of the Granite House guard, would have been quick to give
+notice.
+
+The three days which followed, the 19th, 20th, and 21st of October,
+were employed in carrying on shore everything of value either in the
+cargo or in the rigging. At low tide they cleaned out the hold, and at
+high tide, stowed away their prizes. A great part of the copper
+sheathing could be wrenched from the hull, which every day sank deeper;
+but before the sands had swallowed up the heavy articles which had sunk
+to the bottom, Ayrton and Pencroff dived and brought up the chains and
+anchors of the brig, the iron ballast, and as many as four cannon,
+which could be eased along upon empty barrels and brought to land; so
+that the arsenal of the colony gained as much from the wreck as the
+kitchens and store-rooms. Pencroff, always enthusiastic in his
+projects, talked already about constructing a battery which should
+command the channel and the mouth of the river. With four cannon, he
+would guarantee to prevent any fleet, however powerful, from coming
+within gunshot of the island.
+
+Meanwhile, after nothing of the brig had been left but a useless shell,
+the bad weather came to finish its destruction. Smith had intended to
+blow it up, so as to collect the debris on shore, but a strong
+northeast wind and a high sea saved his powder for him. On the night of
+the 23d, the hull was thoroughly broken up, and part of the wreck
+stranded on the beach. As to the ship’s papers, it is needless to say,
+although they carefully rummaged the closet in the poop, Smith found no
+trace of them. The pirates had evidently destroyed all that concerned
+either the captain or the owner of the Speedy, and as the name of its
+port was not painted on the stern, there was nothing to betray its
+nationality. However, from the shape of the bow, Ayrton and Pencroff
+believed the brig to be of English construction.
+
+A week after the ship went down, not a trace of her was to be seen even
+at low tide. The wreck had gone to pieces, and Granite House had been
+enriched with almost all its contents. But the mystery of its strange
+destruction would never have been cleared up, if Neb, rambling along
+the beach, had not come upon a piece of a thick iron cylinder, which
+bore traces of an explosion. It was twisted and torn at the edge, as if
+it had been submitted to the action of an explosive substance. Neb took
+it to his master, who was busy with his companions in the workshop at
+the Chimneys. Smith examined it carefully, and then turned to Pencroff.
+
+“Do you still maintain, my friend,” said he, “that the Speedy did not
+perish by a collision?”
+
+“Yes, Mr. Smith,” replied the sailor, “you know as well as I that there
+are no rocks in the channel.”
+
+“But suppose it struck against this piece of iron?” said the engineer,
+showing the broken cylinder.
+
+“What, that pipe stem!” said Pencroff, incredulously.
+
+“Do you remember, my friends,” continued Smith, “that before foundering
+the brig was lifted up by a sort of waterspout?”
+
+“Yes, Mr. Smith,” said Herbert.
+
+“Well, this was the cause of the waterspout,” said Smith, holding up
+the broken tube.
+
+“That?” answered Pencroff.
+
+“Yes; this cylinder is all that is left of a torpedo!”
+
+“A torpedo!” cried they all.
+
+“And who put a torpedo there?” asked Pencroff, unwilling to give up.
+
+“That I cannot tell you,” said Smith, “but there it was, and you
+witnessed its tremendous effects!”
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XLVII
+
+
+THE ENGINEER’S THEORY—PENCROFF’S MAGNIFICENT SUPPOSITIONS—A BATTERY IN
+THE AIR—FOUR PROJECTILES—THE SURVIVING CONVICTS—AYRTON
+HESITATES—SMITH’S GENEROSITY AND PENCROFF’S DISSATISFACTION.
+
+
+Thus, then, everything was explained by the submarine action of this
+torpedo. Smith had had some experience during the civil war of these
+terrible engines of destruction, and was not likely to be mistaken.
+This cylinder, charged with nitro-glycerine, had been the cause of the
+column of water rising in the air, of the sinking of the brig, and of
+the shattered condition of her hull. Everything was accounted for,
+except the presence of this torpedo in the waters of the channel!
+
+“My friends,” resumed Smith, “we can no longer doubt the existence of
+some mysterious being, perhaps a castaway like ourselves, inhabiting
+our island. I say this that Ayrton may be informed of all the strange
+events which have happened for two years. Who our unknown benefactor
+may be, I cannot say, nor why he should hide himself after rendering us
+so many services; but his services are not the less real, and such as
+only a man could render who wielded some prodigious power. Ayrton is
+his debtor as well; as he saved me from drowning after the fall of the
+balloon, so he wrote the document, set the bottle afloat in the
+channel, and gave us information of our comrade’s condition. He
+stranded on Jetsam Point that chest, full of all that we needed; he
+lighted that fire on the heights of the island which showed you where
+to land; he fired that ball which we found in the body of the peccary;
+he immersed in the channel that torpedo which destroyed the brig; in
+short, he has done all those inexplicable things of which we could find
+no explanation. Whatever he is, then, whether a castaway or an exile,
+we should be ungrateful not to feel how much we owe him. Some day, I
+hope, we shall discharge our debt.”
+
+“We may add,” replied Spilett, “that this unknown friend has a way of
+doing things which seems supernatural. If he did all these wonderful
+things, he possesses a power which makes him master of the elements.”
+
+“Yes,” said Smith, “there is a mystery here, but if we discover the man
+we shall discover the mystery also. The question is this:—Shall we
+respect the incognito of this generous being, or should we try to find
+him? What do you think?”
+
+“Master,” said Neb, “I have an idea that we may hunt for him as long as
+we please, but that we shall only find him when he chooses to make
+himself known.”
+
+“There’s something in that, Neb,” said Pencroff.
+
+“I agree with you, Neb,” said Spilett; “but that is no reason for not
+making the attempt. Whether we find this mysterious being or not, we
+shall have fulfilled our duty towards him.”
+
+“And what is your opinion, my boy?” said the engineer, turning to
+Herbert.
+
+“Ah,” cried Herbert, his eye brightening; “I want to thank him, the man
+who saved you first and now has saved us all.”
+
+“It wouldn’t be unpleasant for any of us, my boy,” returned Pencroff.
+“I am not curious, but I would give one of my eyes to see him face to
+face.”
+
+“And you, Ayrton?” asked the engineer.
+
+“Mr. Smith,” replied Ayrton, “I can give no advice. Whatever you do
+will be right, and whenever you want my help in your search, I am
+ready.”
+
+“Thanks, Ayrton,” said Smith, “but I want a more direct answer. You are
+our comrade, who has offered his life more than once to save ours, and
+we will take no important step without consulting you.”
+
+“I think, Mr. Smith,” replied Ayrton, “that we ought to do everything
+to discover our unknown benefactor. He may be sick or suffering. I owe
+him a debt of gratitude which I can never forget, for he brought you to
+save me. I will never forget him!”
+
+“It is settled,” said Smith. “We will begin our search as soon as
+possible. We will leave no part of the island unexplored. We will pry
+into its most secret recesses, and may our unknown friend pardon our
+zeal!”
+
+For several days the colonists were actively at work haymaking and
+harvesting. Before starting upon their exploring tour, they wanted to
+finish all their important labors. Now, too, was the time for gathering
+the vegetable products of Tabor Island. Everything had to be stored;
+and, happily, there was plenty of room in Granite House for all the
+riches of the island. There all was ranged in order, safe from man or
+beast. No dampness was to be feared in the midst of this solid mass of
+granite. Many of the natural excavations in the upper corridor were
+enlarged by the pick, or blown out by mining, and Granite House thus
+became a receptacle for all the goods of the colony.
+
+The brig’s guns were pretty pieces of cast-steel, which, at Pencroff’s
+instance, were hoisted, by means of tackle and cranes, to the very
+entrance of Granite House; embrasures were constructed between the
+windows, and soon they could be seen stretching their shining nozzles
+through the granite wall. From this height these fire-breathing gentry
+had the range of all Union Bay. It was a little Gibraltar, to whose
+fire every ship off the islet would inevitably be exposed.
+
+“Mr. Smith,” said Pencroff one day—it was the 8th of November—“now that
+we have mounted our guns, we ought to try their range.”
+
+“For what purpose?”
+
+“Well, we ought to know how far we can send a ball.”
+
+“Try, then, Pencroff,” answered the engineer; “but don’t use our
+powder, whose stock I do not want to diminish; use pyroxyline, whose
+supply will never fail.”
+
+“Can these cannon support the explosive force of pyroxyline?” asked the
+reporter, who was as eager as Pencroff to try their new artillery.
+
+“I think so. Besides,” added the engineer, “we will be careful.”
+
+Smith had good reason to think that these cannon were well made. They
+were of cast steel, and breech-loaders, they could evidently bear a
+heavy charge, and consequently would have a long range, on account of
+the tremendous initial velocity.
+
+“Now,” said Smith, “the initial velocity being a question of the amount
+of powder in the charge, everything depends upon the resisting power of
+the metal; and steel is undeniably the best metal in this respect; so
+that I have great hope of our battery.”
+
+The four cannon were in perfect condition. Ever since they had been
+taken out of the water, Pencroff had made it his business to give them
+a polish. How many hours had been spent in rubbing them, oiling them,
+and cleaning the separate parts! By this time they shone as if they had
+been on board of a United States frigate.
+
+That very day, in the presence of all the colony, including Jup and
+Top, the new guns were successively tried. They were charged with
+pyroxyline, which, as we have said, has an explosive force fourfold
+that of gunpowder; the projectile was cylindro-conical in shape.
+Pencroff, holding the fuse, stood ready to touch them off.
+
+Upon a word from Smith, the shot was fired. The ball, directed seaward,
+passed over the islet and was lost in the offing, at a distance which
+could not be computed.
+
+The second cannon was trained upon the rocks terminating Jetsam Point,
+and the projectile, striking a sharp boulder nearly three miles from
+Granite House, made it fly into shivers. Herbert had aimed and fired
+the shot, and was quite proud of his success. But Pencroff was prouder
+of it even than he. Such a feather in his boy’s cap!
+
+The third projectile, aimed at the downs which formed the upper coast
+of Union Bay, struck the sand about four miles away, then ricocheted
+into the water. The fourth piece was charged heavily to test its
+extreme range, and every one got out of the way for fear it would
+burst; then the fuse was touched off by means of a long string. There
+was a deafening report, but the gun stood the charge, and the
+colonists, rushing to the windows, could see the projectile graze the
+rocks of Mandible Cape, nearly five miles from Granite House, and
+disappear in Shark Gulf.
+
+“Well, Mr. Smith,” said Pencroff, who had cheered at every shot, “what
+do you say to our battery? I should like to see a pirate land now!”
+
+“Better have them stay away, Pencroff,” answered the engineer.
+
+“Speaking of that,” said the sailor, “what are we going to do with the
+six rascals who are prowling about the island? Shall we let them roam
+about unmolested? They are wild beasts, and I think we should treat
+them as such. What do you think about it, Ayrton?” added Pencroff,
+turning towards his companion.
+
+Ayrton hesitated for a moment, while Smith regretted the abrupt
+question, and was sincerely touched when Ayrton answered humbly:—
+
+“I was one of these wild beasts once, Mr. Pencroff, and I am not worthy
+to give counsel.”
+
+And, with bent head, he walked slowly away. Pencroff understood him.
+
+“Stupid ass that I am!” cried he. “Poor Ayrton! and yet he has as good
+a right to speak as any of us. I would rather have bitten off my tongue
+than have given him pain! But, to go back to the subject, I think these
+wretches have no claim to mercy, and that we should rid the island of
+them.”
+
+“And before we hunt them down, Pencroff, shall we not wait for some
+fresh act of hostility?”
+
+“Haven’t they done enough already?” said the sailor, who could not
+understand these refinements.
+
+“They may repent,” said Smith.
+
+“They repent!” cried the sailor, shrugging his shoulders.
+
+“Think of Ayrton, Pencroff!” said Herbert, taking his hand. “He has
+become an honest man.”
+
+Pencroff looked at his companions In stupefaction. He could not admit
+the possibility of making terms with the accomplices of Harvey, the
+murderers of the Speedy’s crew.
+
+“Be it so!” he said. “You want to be magnanimous to these rascals. May
+we never repent of it!”
+
+“What danger do we run if we are on our guard?” said Herbert.
+
+“H’m!” said the reporter, doubtfully. “There are six of them, well
+armed. If each of them sighted one of us from behind a tree—”
+
+“Why haven’t they tried it already?” said Herbert. “Evidently it was
+not their cue.”
+
+“Very well, then,” said the sailor, who was stubborn in his opinion,
+“we will let these worthy fellows attend to their innocent occupations
+without troubling our heads about them.”
+
+“Pencroff,” said the engineer, “you have often shown respect for my
+opinions. Will you trust me once again?”
+
+“I will do whatever you say, Mr. Smith,” said the sailor, nowise
+convinced.
+
+“Well, let us wait, and not be the first to attack.”
+
+This was the final decision, with Pencroff in the minority. They would
+give the pirates a chance, which their own interest might induce them
+to seize upon, to come to terms. So much, humanity required of them.
+But they would have to be constantly on their guard, and the situation
+was a very serious one. They had silenced Pencroff, but, perhaps, after
+all, his advice would prove sound.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XLVIII.
+
+
+THE PROJECTED EXPEDITION—AYRTON AT THE CORRAL—VISIT TO PORT
+BALLOON—PENCROFF’S REMARKS—DESPATCH SENT TO THE CORRAL—NO ANSWER FROM
+AYRTON—SETTING OUT NEXT DAY—WHY THE WIRE DID NOT ACT—A DETONATION.
+
+
+Meanwhile the thing uppermost in the colonists’ thought was to achieve
+the complete exploration of the island which had been decided upon, an
+exploration which now would have two objects: —First, to discover the
+mysterious being whose existence was no longer a matter of doubt; and,
+at the same time to find out what had become of the pirates, what
+hiding place they had chosen, what sort of life they were leading, and
+what was to be feared from them.
+
+Smith would have set off at once, but as the expedition would take
+several days, it seemed better to load the wagon with all the
+necessaries for camping out. Now at this time one of the onagers,
+wounded in the leg, could not bear harness; it must have several days’
+rest, and they thought it would make little difference if they delayed
+the departure a week, that is, till November 20. November in this
+latitude corresponds to the May of the Northern Hemisphere, and the
+weather was fine. They were now at the longest days in the year, so
+that everything was favorable to the projected expedition, which, if it
+did not attain its principal object, might be fruitful in discoveries,
+especially of the products of the soil; for Smith intended to explore
+those thick forests of the Far West, which stretched to the end of
+Serpentine Peninsula.
+
+During the nine days which would precede their setting out, it was
+agreed that they should finish work on Prospect Plateau. But Ayrton had
+to go back to the corral to take care of their domesticated animals. It
+was settled that he should stay there two days, and leave the beasts
+with plenty of fodder. Just as he was setting out, Smith asked him if
+he would like to have one of them with him, as the island was no longer
+secure. Ayrton replied that it would be useless, as he could do
+everything by himself, and that there was no danger to fear. If
+anything happened at or near the corral, he would instantly acquaint
+the colonists of it by a telegram sent to Granite House.
+
+So Ayrton drove off in the twilight, about 9 o’clock, behind one
+onager, and two hours afterwards the electric wire gave notice that he
+had found everything in order at the corral.
+
+During these two days Smith was busy at a project which would finally
+secure Granite House from a surprise. The point was to hide completely
+the upper orifice of the former weir, which had been already blocked up
+with stones, and half hidden under grass and plants, at the southern
+angle of Lake Grant. Nothing could be easier, since by raising the
+level of the lake two or three feet, the hole would be entirely under
+water.
+
+Now to raise the level, they had only to make a dam across the two
+trenches by which Glycerine Creek and Waterfall Creek were fed. The
+colonists were incited to the task, and the two dams, which were only
+seven or eight feet long, by three feet high, were rapidly erected of
+closely cemented stones. When the work had been done, no one could have
+suspected the existence of the subterranean conduit. The little stream
+which served to feed the reservoir at Granite House, and to work the
+elevator, had been suffered to flow in its channel, so that water might
+never be wanting. The elevator once raised, they might defy attack.
+
+This work had been quickly finished, and Pencroff, Spilett, and Herbert
+found time for an expedition to Port Balloon. The sailor was anxious to
+know whether the little inlet up which the Good Luck was moored had
+been visited by the convicts.
+
+“These gentry got to land on the southern shore,” he observed, “and if
+they followed the line of the coast they may have discovered the little
+harbor, in which case I wouldn’t give half a dollar for our Good Luck.”
+
+So off the three went in the afternoon of November 10. They were well
+armed, and as Pencroff slipped two bullets into each barrel of his gun,
+he had a look which presaged no good to whoever came too near, “beast
+or man,” as he said. Neb went with them to the elbow of the Mercy, and
+lifted the bridge after them. It was agreed that they should give
+notice of their return by firing a shot, when Neb would come back to
+put down the bridge.
+
+The little band walked straight for the south coast. The distance was
+only three miles and a half, but they took two hours to walk it. They
+searched on both sides of the way, both the forest and Tadorn’s Fens;
+but they found no trace of the fugitives. Arriving at Port Balloon,
+they saw with great satisfaction that the Good Luck was quietly moored
+in the narrow inlet, which was so well hidden by the rocks that it
+could be seen neither from sea nor shore, but only from directly above
+or below.
+
+“After all,” said Pencroff, “the rascals haven’t been here. The vipers
+like tall grass better, and we shall find them in the Far-West.”
+
+“And it’s a fortunate thing,” added Herbert, “for if they had found the
+Good Luck, they would have made use of her in getting away, and we
+could never have gone back to Tabor Island.”
+
+“Yes,” replied the reporter, “it will be important to put a paper there
+stating the situation of Lincoln Island, Ayrton’s new residence, in
+case the Scotch yacht should come after him.”
+
+“Well, here is our Good Luck, Mr. Spilett,” said the sailor, “ready to
+start with her crew at the first signal!”
+
+Talking thus, they got on board and walked about the deck. On a sudden
+the sailor, after examining the bit around which the cable of the
+anchor was wound, cried,
+
+“Hallo! this is a bad business!”
+
+“What’s the matter, Pencroff?” asked the reporter.
+
+“The matter is that that knot was never tied by me——”
+
+And Pencroff pointed to a rope which made the cable fast to the bit, so
+as to prevent its tripping.
+
+“How, never tied by you?” asked Spilett.
+
+“No, I can swear to it. I never tie a knot like that.”
+
+“You are mistaken, Pencroff.”
+
+“No, I’m not mistaken,” insisted the sailor. “That knot of mine is
+second nature with me.”
+
+“Then have the convicts been on board?” asked Herbert.
+
+“I don’t know,” said Pencroff, “but somebody has certainly raised and
+dropped this anchor!”
+
+The sailor was so positive that neither Spilett nor Herbert could
+contest his assertion. It was evident that the beat had shifted place
+more or less since Pencroff had brought it back to Balloon Harbor. As
+for the sailor, he had no doubt that the anchor had been pulled up and
+cast again. Now, why had these manœuvres taken place unless the boat
+had been used on some expedition?
+
+“Then why did we not see the Good Luck pass the offing?” said the
+reporter, who wanted to raise every possible objection.
+
+“But, Mr. Spilett,” answered the sailor, “they could have set out in
+the night with a good wind, and in two hours have been out of sight of
+the island.”
+
+“Agreed,” said Spilett, but I still ask with what object the convicts
+used the Good Luck, and why, after using her, they brought her back to
+port?”
+
+“Well, Mr. Spilett,” said the sailor, “we will have to include that
+among our mysterious incidents, and think no more of it. One thing is
+certain, the Good Luck was there, and is here! If the convicts take it
+a second time, it may never find its way back again.”
+
+“Then, Pencroff,” said Herbert, “perhaps we had better take the Good
+Luck back and anchor her in front of Granite House.”
+
+“I can hardly say,” answered the sailor, “but I think not. The mouth of
+the Mercy is a bad place for a ship; the sea is very heavy there.”
+
+“But by hauling it over the sand to the foot of the Chimneys——”
+
+“Well, perhaps,” answered Pencroff. “In any case, as we have to leave
+Granite House for a long expedition, I believe the Good Luck will be
+safer here during oar absence, and he will do well to leave her here
+until the island is rid of these rascals.”
+
+“That is my opinion, too,” said the reporter. At least in case of bad
+weather, she will not be exposed as she would be at the mouth of the
+Mercy.”
+
+“But if the convicts should pay her another visit?” said Herbert.
+
+“Well, my boy,” said Pencroff, “if they do not find the boat here they
+will search until they do find her; and in our absence there is nothing
+to prevent their carrying her off from the front of Granite House. I
+agree with Mr. Spilett that we had better leave her at Balloon Harbor;
+but if we have not rid the island of these wretches by the time we come
+back it will be more prudent to take our ship back to Granite House,
+until we have nothing more to fear from our enemies.”
+
+“All right,” said Spilett. “Let us go back now.”
+
+When they returned to Granite House, they told Smith what had happened,
+and the latter approved their present and future plans. He even
+promised Pencroff he would examine that part of the channel situated
+between the island and the coast, so as to see if it would be possible
+to make an artificial harbor by means of a dam. In this way the Good
+Luck would be always within reach, in sight of the colonists, and
+locked up if necessary.
+
+On the same evening they sent a telegram to Ayrton, asking him to bring
+back from the corral a couple of goats, which Neb wished to acclimatize
+on the plateau. Strange to say, Ayrton did not acknowledge the receipt
+of this despatch, as was his custom to do. This surprised the engineer,
+but he concluded that Ayrton was not at the corral at the moment, and
+perhaps had started on his way back to Granite House. In fact, two days
+had elapsed since his departure; and it had been agreed that on the
+evening of the 10th or the morning of the 11th, at latest, he would
+return.
+
+The colonists were now waiting to see Ayrton on Prospect Plateau. Neb
+and Herbert both looked after the approach by way of the bridge, so as
+to let it down when their companion should appear, but when 6 o’clock
+in the evening came, and there was no sign of Ayrton, they agreed to
+send another despatch, asking for an immediate answer.
+
+The wire at Granite House remained silent.
+
+The uneasiness of the colonists was now extreme. What had happened?
+“Was Ayrton not at the corral? or, if there, had he not power over his
+own movements? Ought they to go in search of him on this dark night?
+
+They discussed the point. Some were for going, and others for waiting.
+
+“But,” said Herbert, “perhaps some accident has happened to the wires
+which prevents their working.”
+
+“That may be,” said the reporter.
+
+“Let us wait until to-morrow,” said Smith. “It is just possible that
+either Ayrton has not received our despatch, or we have missed his.”
+
+They waited, as may be imagined, with much anxiety. At daylight on the
+11th of November, Smith sent a message across the wires, but received
+no answer. Again, with the same result.
+
+“Let us set off at once for the corral,” said he.
+
+“Aid will armed,” added Pencroff.
+
+It was agreed that Granite House must not be deserted, so Neb was left
+behind to take charge. After accompanying his companions to Glycerine
+Creek, he put up the bridge again, and hid behind a tree, to wait
+either for their return or for that of Ayrton. In case the pirates
+should appear, and should attempt to force the passage, he would try to
+defend it with his gun; and in the last resort he would take refuge in
+Granite House, where, the elevator once drawn up, he would be in
+perfect safety. The others were to go direct to the corral, and failing
+to find Ayrton there, were to scour the neighboring woods.
+
+At 6 o’clock in the morning the engineer and his three companions had
+crossed Glycerine Creek, and Neb posted himself behind a low cliff,
+crowned by some large dragon trees on the left side of the brook. The
+colonists, after leaving Prospect Plateau, took the direct route to the
+corral. They carried their guns on their shoulders, ready to fire at
+the first sign of hostility. The two rifles and the two guns had been
+carefully loaded.
+
+On either side of the path was a dense thicket, which might easily hide
+enemies, who, as they were armed, would be indeed formidable. The
+colonists walked on rapidly without a word. Top preceded them,
+sometimes keeping to the path, and sometimes making a detour into the
+wood, but not appearing to suspect anything unusual; and they might
+depend upon it that the faithful dog would not be taken by surprise,
+and would bark at the slightest appearance of danger.
+
+Along this same path Smith and his companions followed the telegraphic
+wires which connected the corral with Granite House. For the first two
+miles they did not notice any solution of continuity. The posts were in
+good condition, the insulators uninjured, and the wire evenly
+stretched. From this point the engineer noticed that the tension was
+less complete, and at last, arriving at post No. 74, Herbert, who was
+ahead of the others, cried, “The wire is broken!”
+
+His companions hastened forward and arrived at the spot where the boy
+had stopped. There the overturned post was lying across the path. They
+had discovered the break, and it was evident that the dispatches from
+Granite House could not have been received at the corral.
+
+“It can’t be the wind that has overturned this post,” said Pencroff.
+
+“No,” answered the reporter, “there are marks of footsteps on the
+ground; it has been uprooted by the hand of man.”
+
+“Besides, the wire is broken,” added Herbert, showing the two ends of
+the wire which had been violently torn asunder.
+
+“Is the break a fresh one?” asked Smith.
+
+“Yes,” said Herbert, “it was certainly made a very short time ago.”
+
+“To the corral! to the corral!” cried the sailor.
+
+The colonists were then midway between Granite House and the corral,
+and had still two miles and a half to go. They started on a run.
+
+In fact, they might well fear that something had happened at the
+corral. Ayrton doubtless might have sent a telegram which had not
+arrived. It was not this which alarmed his companions, but a
+circumstance more remarkable. Ayrton, who had promised to come back the
+evening before, had not reappeared! The communication, between Granite
+House and the corral had been out with a sinister design.
+
+They hurried on, their hearts beating quick with fear for their
+comrade, to whom they were sincerely attached; Were they to find him
+struck down by the hand of those he had formerly led?
+
+Soon they reached the place where the road lay along by the little
+brook flowing from Red Creek, which watered the meadows of the corral.
+They had moderated their pace, so as not to be out of breath at the
+moment when a deadly struggle might occur. Their guns were uncocked,
+but loaded. Each of them watched one side of the woods. Top kept up an
+ill-omened growling.
+
+At last the fenced enclosure appeared behind the trees. They saw no
+signs of devastation. The door was closed as usual; a profound silence
+reigned at the corral. Neither the accustomed bleatings of the sheep
+nor the voice of Ayrton was to be heard.
+
+“Let us go in,” said Smith, and the engineer advanced, while his
+companions, keeping guard twenty feet in the rear, stood ready to fire.
+
+Smith raised the inner latch, and began to push back the door, when Top
+barked loudly. There was a report from behind the fence, followed by a
+cry of pain, and Herbert, pierced by a bullet, fell to the ground!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XLIX
+
+
+THE REPORTER AND PENCROFF IN THE CORRAL—MOVING HERBERT—DESPAIR OF THE
+SAILOR—CONSULTATION OF THE ENGINEER AND THE REPORTER—MODE OF
+TREATMENT—A GLIMMER OF HOPE—HOW TO WARN NEB—A FAITHFUL MESSENGER—NEB’S
+REPLY.
+
+
+At Herbert’s cry, Pencroff, dropping his gun, sprang towards him.
+
+“They have killed him!” cried he. “My boy—they have killed him.”
+
+Smith and Spilett rushed forward. The reporter put his ear to the boy’s
+heart to see if it were still beating.
+
+“He’s alive,” said he, “but he must be taken—”
+
+“To Granite House? Impossible!” said the engineer.
+
+“To the corral, then,” cried Pencroff.
+
+“One moment,” said Smith, and he rushed to the left around the fence.
+There he found himself face to face with a convict, who fired at him
+and sent a ball through his cap. An instant later, before he had time
+to fire again, he fell, struck to the heart by Smith’s poniard, a surer
+weapon even than his gun.
+
+While this was going on, the reporter and Pencroff hoisted themselves
+up to the angle of the fence, strode over the top, jumped into the
+enclosure, made their way into the empty house, and laid Herbert gently
+down on Ayrton’s bed.
+
+A few minutes afterwards Smith was at his side. At the sight of
+Herbert, pale and unconscious, the grief of the sailor was intense. He
+sobbed and cried bitterly; neither the engineer nor the reporter could
+calm him. Themselves over whelmed with emotion, they could hardly
+speak.
+
+They did all in their power to save the poor boy’s life. Spilett, in
+his life of varied experience, had acquired some knowledge of medicine.
+He knew a little of everything; and had had several opportunities of
+learning the surgery of gunshot wounds. With Smith’s assistance, he
+hastened to apply the remedies which Herbert’s condition demanded.
+
+The boy lay in a complete stupor, caused either by the hemorrhage or by
+concussion of the brain. He was very pale, and his pulse beat only at
+long intervals, as if every moment about to stop. This, taken in
+conjunction with his utter loss of consciousness, was a grave symptom.
+They stripped his chest, and, staunching the blood by means of
+handkerchiefs, kept bathing the wounds in cold water.
+
+The ball had entered between the third and fourth rib, and there they
+found the wound. Smith and Spilett turned the poor boy over. At this he
+uttered a moan so faint that they feared it was his last breath. There
+was another wound on his back, for the bullet had gone clean through.
+
+“Thank Heaven!” said the reporter, “the ball is not in his body; we
+shall not have to extract it.”
+
+“But the heart?” asked Smith.
+
+“The heart has not been touched, or he would be dead.”
+
+“Dead!” cried Pencroff, with a groan. He had only heard the reporter’s
+last word.
+
+“No, Pencroff,” answered Smith. “No he is not dead; his pulse still
+beats; he has even uttered a groan. For his sake, now, you must be
+calm. We have need of all our self-possession; you must not be the
+means of our losing it, my friend.”
+
+Pencroff was silent, but large tears rolled down his cheeks.
+
+Meanwhile, Spilett tried to recall to memory the proper treatment of
+the case before him. There seemed no doubt that the ball had entered in
+front and gone out by the back; but what injuries had it done by the
+way? Had it reached any vital spot? This was a question which even a
+professional surgeon could not have answered at once.
+
+There was something, however, which Spilett knew must be done, and that
+was to keep down the inflammation, and to fight against the fever which
+ensues upon a wound. The wound must be dressed without delay. It was
+not necessary to bring on a fresh flow of blood by the use of tepid
+water and compresses, for Herbert was already too weak. The wounds,
+therefore, were bathed with cold water.
+
+Herbert was placed upon his left side and held in that position.
+
+“He must not be moved,” said Spilett; “he is in the position most
+favorable to an easy suppuration, and absolute repose is necessary.”
+
+“Cannot we take him to Granite House?” asked Pencroff.
+
+“No, Pencroff,” said the reporter.
+
+Spilett was examining the boy’s wounds again with close attention.
+Herbert was so frightfully pale that he became alarmed.
+
+“Cyrus,” said he, “I am no doctor. I am in a terrible strait; you must
+help me with your advice and assistance.”
+
+“Calm yourself, my friend,” answered the engineer, pressing his hand.
+“Try to judge coolly. Think only of saving Herbert.”
+
+Spilett’s self-possession, which in a moment of discouragement his keen
+sense of responsibility had caused him to lose, returned again at these
+words. He seated himself upon the bed; Smith remained standing,
+Pencroff had torn up his shirt and began mechanically to make lint.
+
+Spilett explained that the first thing to do was to check the
+hemorrhage, but not to close the wounds or bring on immediate
+cicatrization—for there had been internal perforation, and they must
+not let the suppurated matter collect within. It was decided therefore
+to dress the two wounds, but not to press them together. The colonists
+possessed a most powerful agent for quelling inflamation, and one which
+nature supplies in the greatest abundance; to-wit, cold water, which is
+now used by all doctors. It has, moreover, the advantage of allowing
+the wound perfect rest, and dispensing with the frequent dressing,
+which by exposing the wound to the air in the early stages, is so often
+attended with lamentable results.
+
+Thus did Smith and Spilett reason, with clear, native good sense, and
+acted as the best surgeon would have done. The wounds were bandaged
+with linen and constantly soaked with fresh water. The sailor had
+lighted a fire in the chimney, and the house fortunately contained all
+the necessaries of life. They had maple-sugar and the medicinal plants
+which the boy had gathered on the shores of Lake Grant. From these they
+made a refreshing drink for the sick boy. His fever was very high, and
+he lay all that day and night without a sign of consciousness. His life
+was hanging on a thread.
+
+On the next day, November 12, they began to have some hopes of his
+recovery. His consciousness returned, he opened his eyes and recognized
+them all. He even said two or three words, and wanted to know what had
+happened. Spilett told him, and begged him to keep perfectly quiet;
+that his life was not in danger, and his wounds would heal in a few
+days. Herbert suffered very little, for the inflammation was
+successfully kept down by the plentiful use of cold water. A regular
+suppuration had set in, the fever did not increase, and they began to
+hope that this terrible accident would not end in a worse catastrophe.
+
+Pencroff took heart again; he was the best of nurses, like a Sister of
+Charity, or a tender mother watching over her child. Herbert had fallen
+into another stupor, but this time the sleep appeared more natural.
+
+“Tell me again that you have hope, Mr. Spilett,” said Pencroff; “tell
+me again that you will save my boy!”
+
+“We shall save him,” said the reporter. “The wound is a serious one,
+and perhaps the ball has touched the lung; but a wound in that organ is
+not mortal.”
+
+“May God grant it!” answered the sailor.
+
+As may be imagined, the care of Herbert had occupied all their time and
+thoughts for the first twenty-four hours at the corral. They had not
+considered the urgent danger of a return of the convicts, nor taken any
+precautions for the future. But on this day while Pencroff was watching
+over the invalid, Smith and the reporter took counsel together as to
+their plans.
+
+They first searched the corral. There was no trace of Ayrton, and it
+seemed probable that he had resisted his former companions, and fallen
+by their hands. The corral had not been pillaged, and as its gates had
+remained shut, the domestic animals had not been able to wander away
+into the woods. They could see no traces of the pirates either in the
+dwelling or the palisade. The only thing gone was the stock of
+ammunition.
+
+“The poor fellow was taken by surprise,” said Smith, “and as he was a
+man to show fight, no doubt they made an end of him.”
+
+“Yes,” replied the reporter, “and then, no doubt, they took possession
+here, where they found everything in great plenty, and took to flight
+only when they saw us coming.”
+
+“We must beat the woods,” said the engineer, and rid the island of
+these wretches. But we will have to wait some time in the corral, till
+the day comes when we can safely carry Herbert to Granite House.”
+
+“But Neb?” asked the reporter.
+
+“Neb’s safe enough.”
+
+“Suppose he becomes anxious and risks coming here?”
+
+“He must not come,” said Smith sharply. “He would be murdered on the
+way!”
+
+“It’s very likely he will try.”
+
+“Ah! if the telegraph was only in working order, we could warn him! But
+now it’s impossible. We can’t leave Pencroff and Herbert here alone.
+Well, I’ll go by myself to Granite House!”
+
+“No, no, Cyrus,” said the reporter, “you must not expose yourself.
+These wretches are watching the corral from their ambush, and there
+would be two mishaps instead of one!”
+
+“But Neb has been without news of us for twenty-four hours,” repeated
+the engineer. “He will want to come.”
+
+While he reflected, his gaze fell upon Top, who, by running to and fro,
+seemed to say, “Have you forgotten me?”
+
+“Top!” cried Smith.
+
+The dog sprang up at this master’s call.
+
+“Yes, Top shall go!” cried the reporter, who understood in a flash. Top
+will make his way where we could not pass, will take our message and
+bring us back an answer.”
+
+“Quick!” said Smith, “quick!”
+
+Spilett tore out a page of his note-book and wrote these lines:—
+
+“Herbert wounded. We are at the corral. Be on your guard. Do not leave
+Granite House. Have the convicts shown themselves near you? Answer by
+Top!”
+
+This laconic note was folded and tied in a conspicuous way to Top’s
+collar.
+
+“Top, my dog,” said the engineer, caressing the animal, “Neb, Top, Neb!
+Away! away!”
+
+Top sprang high at the words. He understood what was wanted, and the
+road was familiar to him. The engineer went to the door of the corral
+and opened one of the leaves.
+
+“Neb, Top, Neb!” he cried again, pointing towards Granite House.
+
+Top rushed out and disappeared almost instantly.
+
+“He’ll get there!” said the reporter.
+
+“Yes, and come back, the faithful brute!”
+
+“What time is it?” asked Spilett.
+
+“Ten o’clock.”
+
+“In an hour he may be here. We will watch for him.
+
+The door of the corral was closed again. The engineer and the reporter
+re-entered the house. Herbert lay in a profound sleep. Pencroff kept
+his compresses constantly wet with cold water. Spilett, seeing that
+just then there was nothing else to do, set to work to prepare some
+food, all the time keeping his eye on that part of the inclosure which
+backed up against the spur, from which an attack might be made.
+
+The colonists awaited Top’s return with much anxiety. A little before
+11 o’clock Smith andSpilett stood with their carbines behind the door,
+ready to open it at the dog’s first bark. They knew that if Top got
+safely to Granite House, Neb would send him back at once.
+
+They had waited about ten minutes, when they heard a loud report,
+followed instantly by continuous barking. The engineer opened the door,
+and, seeing smoke still curling up among the trees a hundred paces off,
+he fired in that direction. Just then Top bounded into the corral,
+whose door was quickly shut.
+
+“Top, Top!” cried the engineer, caressing the dog’s large, noble head.
+A note was fastened to his collar, containing these words in Neb’s
+sprawling handwriting:——
+
+“No pirates near Granite House. I will not stir. Poor Mr. Herbert!”
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER L.
+
+
+THE CONVICTS IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD OF THE CORRAL—PROVISIONAL
+OCCUPATION—CONTINUATION OF HERBERT’S TREATMENT—PENCROFF’S
+JUBILATION—REVIEW OF THE PAST—FUTURE PROSPECTS—SMITH’S IDEAS.
+
+
+So, then, the convicts were close by, watching the corral, and waiting
+to kill the colonists one after another. They must be attacked like
+wild beasts, but with the greatest precaution, for the wretches had the
+advantage of position, seeing and not being seen, able to make a sudden
+attack, yet not themselves to be surprised.
+
+So Smith made his arrangements to live at the corral, which was fully
+provisioned. Ayrton’s house was furnished with all the necessaries of
+life, and the convicts, frightened away by the colonists’ arrival, had
+not had time to pillage. It was most likely, as Spilett suggested, that
+the course of events had been this:—The convicts had followed the
+southern coast, and after getting over into Serpentine Peninsula, and
+being in no humor to risk themselves in the woods of the Far West, they
+had reached the month of Fall River. Then, walking up the right bank of
+the stream, they had come to the spur of Mount Franklin; here was their
+most natural place of refuge. And they had soon discovered the corral.
+They had probably installed themselves there, had been surprised by
+Ayrton, had overcome the unfortunate man, and—the rest was easily
+divined!
+
+Meanwhile the convicts, reduced to five, but well armed, were prowling
+in the woods, and to pursue them was to be exposed to their fire
+without the power either of avoiding or of anticipating them.
+
+“There is nothing else to do but wait,” repeated Smith. “When Herbert
+is well again, we will beat the island, and have a shot at these
+rascals; while at the same time——”
+
+“We search for our mysterious protector,” added Spilett, finishing the
+sentence. “Ah! we must confess, dear Cyrus, that, for once, his
+protection has failed us.”
+
+“We don’t know about that,” answered the engineer.
+
+“What do you mean?” asked the reporter.
+
+“We are not at the end of our troubles, my dear Spilett, and his
+powerful interference may still be exercised. But now we must think of
+Herbert.”
+
+Several days passed, and the poor boy’s condition was happily no worse;
+and to gain time was a great thing. The cold water, always kept at the
+proper temperature, had absolutely prevented the inflammation of the
+wounds. Nay, it seemed to the reporter that this water, which contained
+a little sulphur, due to the neighborhood of the volcano, had a direct
+tendency towards cicatrization. The suppuration was much less copious,
+and, thanks to excellent nursing, Herbert had returned to
+consciousness, and his fever had abated. He was, moreover, strictly
+dieted, and, of course, was very weak; but he had plenty of broths and
+gruels, and absolute rest was doing him great good.
+
+Smith, Spilett, and Pencroff had become very skilful in tending him.
+All the linen in the house had been sacrificed. The wounded parts,
+covered with lint and compresses, were subjected to just enough
+pressure to cicatrize them without bringing on a reaction of
+inflammation. The reporter dressed the wounds with the greatest care,
+repeating to his companions the medical axiom that good dressing is as
+rare as a good operation.
+
+At the end of ten days, by the 22d of November, Herbert was decidedly
+better. He had begun to take some nourishment. The color came back to
+his cheeks, and he smiled at his nurse. He talked a little, in spite of
+Pencroff, who chattered away all the time to keep the boy from saying a
+word, and told the most remarkable stories. Herbert inquired about
+Ayrton, and was surprised not to see him at the bedside; but the
+sailor, who would not distress his patient, answered merely that Ayrton
+had gone to be with Neb at Granite House in case the convicts attacked
+it. “Nice fellows they are,” said he. “To think that Mr. Smith wanted
+to appeal to their feelings! I’ll send them my compliments in a good
+heavy bullet!”
+
+“And nobody has seen them?” asked Herbert.
+
+“No, my boy,” answered the sailor, “but we will find them, and when you
+are well we shall see whether these cowards, who strike from behind,
+will dare to meet us face to face.”
+
+“I am still very weak, dear Pencroff.”
+
+“Oh! your strength will come back little by little. What’s a ball
+through the chest? Nothing to speak of. I have seen several of them,
+and feel no worse for it.”
+
+In fine, things were growing better, and it no unlucky complication
+occurred, Herbert’s cure might be regarded as certain. But what would
+have been the colonists’ situation if the ball had remained in his
+body, if his arm or leg had had to be amputated? They could not think
+of it without a shudder.
+
+It seemed to Smith that he and his companions, until now so fortunate,
+had entered upon an ill-omened time. For the two and a half years which
+had elapsed since their escape from Richmond they had succeeded in
+everything. But now luck seemed to be turning against them. Ayrton,
+doubtless, was dead, and Herbert severely wounded; and that strange but
+powerful intervention, which had done them such mighty services, seemed
+now to be withdrawn. Had the mysterious being abandoned the island, or
+himself been overcome?
+
+They could give no answer to these questions; but though they talked
+together about them, they were not men to despair. They looked the
+situation in the face; they analyzed the chances; they prepared
+themselves for every contingency; they stood firm and undaunted before
+the future; and if adversity should continue to oppress them, she would
+find them men prepared to do their utmost.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER LI.
+
+
+NO NEWS OF NEB—A PROPOSAL FROM PENCROFF AND SPILETT—THE REPORTER’S
+SORTIES—A FRAGMENT OF CLOTH—A MESSAGE—HURRIED DEPARTURE—ARRIVAL AT
+PROSPECT PLATEAU.
+
+
+Herbert’s convalescence progressed steadily. Only one thing was left to
+wish for, to wit, that he would get well enough to be taken to Granite
+House. However well arranged and provisioned might be the dwelling in
+the corral, there was nothing like the solid comfort of their abode in
+the rock. Besides, they were not safe here, and, in spite of their
+watchfulness, they were always in dread of a shot from the woods.
+Whereas there in the midst of that unassailable and inaccessible mass
+of rock there would be nothing to fear. They waited, therefore, with
+impatience for the moment when Herbert could be carried, without danger
+to his wound, across the difficult route through Jacamar Woods.
+
+Though without news of Neb, they had no fear for him. The brave negro,
+occupying a position of such strength, would not let himself be
+surprised. Top had not been sent back to him, for it seemed useless to
+expose the faithful dog to some shot which might deprive the colonists
+of their most useful helper. The engineer regretted to see his forces
+divided, and thus to play into the hands of the pirates. Since Ayrton’s
+disappearance, they were only four against five, for Herbert could not
+be counted. The poor boy knew and lamented the danger of which he was
+the cause.
+
+One day, November 29, when he was asleep, they discussed their plans of
+action against the convicts.
+
+“My friends,” said the reporter, after they had talked over the
+impossibility of communicating with Neb, “I agree with you that to risk
+ourselves on the path leading from the corral would be a useless
+exposure. But why should we not beat the woods for these wretches?”
+
+“That’s what I was thinking,” replied Pencroff. “We’re not afraid of a
+bullet, and for my part, if Mr. Smith approves, I am ready to take to
+the woods. Surely one man is as good as another!”
+
+“But is he as good as five?” asked the engineer.
+
+“I will go with Pencroff,’ answered the reporter, “and the two of us,
+well armed, and Top with us—”
+
+“My dear Spilett, and you, Pencroff, let us discuss the matter coolly.
+If the convicts were in hiding in some place known to us, from which we
+could drive them by an attack, it would be a different affair. But have
+we not every reason to fear that they will get the first shot?”
+
+“Well, sir,” cried Pencroff, “a bullet doesn’t always hit its mark!”
+
+“That which pierced Herbert did not go astray,” answered the engineer.
+“Besides, remember that if you both leave the corral, I shall be left
+alone to defend it. Can you answer that the convicts will not see you
+go off, that they will not wait till you are deep in the woods, and
+then make their attack in your absence upon a man and a sick boy?”
+
+There was nothing to say in answer to this reasoning, which went home
+to the minds of all.
+
+“If only Ayrton was yet one of the party!” said Spilett. “Poor fellow!
+his return to a life with his kind was not for long!”
+
+“If he is dead!” added Pencroff, in a peculiar tone.
+
+“Have you any hope that those rascals have spared him, Pencroff?” asked
+Spilett.
+
+“Yes, if their interest led them to do so.”
+
+“What! do you suppose that Ayrton, among his former companions in
+guilt, would forget all he owed to us—”
+
+“Nobody can tell,” answered the sailor, with some hesitation.
+
+“Pencroff,” said Smith, laying his hand on the sailor’s arm, “that was
+an unworthy thought. I will guarantee Ayrton’s fidelity!”
+
+“And I too,” added the reporter, decidedly.
+
+“Yes, yes, Mr. Smith, I am wrong,” answered Pencroff. “But really I am
+a little out of my mind. This imprisonment in the corral is driving me
+to distraction.”
+
+“Be patient, Pencroff,” answered the engineer. “How soon, my dear
+Spilett, do you suppose Herbert can be carried to Granite House?”
+
+“That is hard to say, Cyrus,” answered the reporter, “for a little
+imprudence might be fatal. But if he goes on as well as he is doing now
+for another week, why then we will see.”
+
+At that season the spring was two months advanced. The weather was
+good, and the heat began to be oppressive. The woods were in fall leaf,
+and it was almost time to reap the accustomed harvest. It can easily be
+understood how this siege in the corral upset the plans of the
+colonists.
+
+Once or twice the reporter risked himself outside, and walked around
+the palisade. Top was with him, and his carbine was loaded.
+
+He met no one and saw nothing suspicious. Top would have warned him of
+any danger, and so long as the dog did not bark, there was nothing to
+fear.
+
+But on his second sortie, on the 27th of November, Spilett, who had
+ventured into the woods for a quarter of a mile to the south of the
+mountain, noticed that Top smelt something. The dog’s motions were no
+longer careless; he ran to and fro, ferreting about in the grass and
+thistles, as if his keen nose had put him on the track of an enemy.
+
+Spilett followed the dog, encouraging and exciting him by his voice;
+his eye on the alert, his carbine on his shoulder, and availing himself
+of the shelter of the trees. It was not likely that Top had recognized
+the presence of a man, for in that case he would have announced it by a
+half-stifled but angry bark. Since not even a growl was to be heard,
+the danger was evidently neither near nor approaching.
+
+About five minutes had passed in this way, Top ferreting about and the
+reporter cautiously following him, when the dog suddenly rushed towards
+a thicket and tore from it a strip of cloth. It was a piece from a
+garment, dirty and torn. Spilett went back with it to the corral. There
+the colonists examined it and recognized it as a piece of Ayrton’s
+waistcoat, which was made of the felt prepared only in the workshop at
+Granite House.
+
+“You see, Pencroff,” observed Smith, “Ayrton resisted manfully, and the
+convicts dragged him off in spite of his efforts. Do you still doubt
+his good faith?”
+
+“No, Mr. Smith,” replied the sailor; “I have long ago given up that
+momentary suspicion. But I think we may draw one conclusion from this
+fact.”
+
+“What is that?”
+
+“That Ayrton was not killed at the corral. They must have dragged him
+out alive, and perhaps he is still alive.”
+
+“It may be so,” said the engineer, thoughtfully.
+
+The most impatient of them all to get back to Granite House was
+Herbert. He knew how necessary it was for them all to be there, and
+felt that it was he who was keeping them at the corral. The one thought
+which had taken possession of his mind was to leave the corral, and to
+leave it as soon as possible. He believed that he could bear the
+journey to Granite House. He was sure that his strength would come back
+to him sooner in his own room, with the sight and the smell of the sea.
+
+It was now November 29. The colonists were talking together in
+Herbert’s room, about 7 o’clock in the morning, when they heard Top
+barking loudly. They seized their guns, always loaded and cocked, and
+went out of the house.
+
+Top ran to the bottom of the palisade, jumping and barking with joy.
+
+“Some one is coming!”
+
+“Yes.”
+
+“And not an enemy.”
+
+“Neb, perhaps?”
+
+“Or Ayrton?”
+
+These words had scarcely been exchanged between the engineer and his
+comrade, when something leaped the palisade and fell on the ground
+inside. It was Jup. Master Jup himself, who was frantically welcomed by
+Top.
+
+“Neb has sent him!” said the reporter.
+
+“Then he must have some note on him,” said the engineer.
+
+Pencroff rushed to the orang. Neb could not have chosen a better
+messenger, who could get through obstacles which none of the others
+could have surmounted. Smith was right. Around Jup’s neck was hung a
+little bag, and in it was a note in Neb’s handwriting. The dismay of
+the colonists may be imagined when they read these words:—
+
+“FRIDAY, 6 A. M.”—The convicts are on the plateau. NEB.”
+
+They looked at each other without saying a word, then walked back to
+the house. What was there to do? The convicts on Prospect Plateau meant
+disaster, devastation and ruin! Herbert knew at once from their faces
+that the situation had become grave, and when he saw Jup, he had no
+more doubt that misfortune was threatening Granite House.
+
+“Mr. Smith,” said he, “I want to go. I can bear the journey. I want to
+start.”
+
+Spilett came up to Herbert and looked at him intently.
+
+“Let us start then,” said he.
+
+The question of Herbert’s transportation was quickly decided. A litter
+would be the most comfortable way of travelling, but it would
+necessitate two porters; that is, two guns would be subtracted from
+their means of defense. On the other hand, by placing the mattresses on
+which Herbert lay in the wagon, so as to deaden the motion, and by
+walking carefully they could escape jolting him, and would leave their
+arms free.
+
+The wagon was brought out and the onagga harnessed to it; Smith and the
+reporter lifted the mattresses with Herbert on them, and laid them in
+the bottom of the wagon between the rails. The weather was fine, and
+the sun shone brightly between the trees.
+
+“Are the arms ready?” asked Smith.
+
+They were. The engineer and Pencroff, each armed with a
+double-barrelled gun, and Spilett with his carbine, stood ready to set
+out.
+
+“How do you feel, Herbert?” asked the engineer.
+
+“Don’t be troubled, Mr. Smith,” answered the boy, “I shall not die on
+the way.”
+
+They could see that the poor fellow was making a tremendous effort. The
+engineer felt a grievous pang. He hesitated to give the signal for
+departure. But to stay would have thrown Herbert into despair.
+
+“Let us start,” said Smith.
+
+The corral door was opened. Jup and Top, who knew how to be quiet on
+emergency, rushed on ahead. The wagon went out, the gate was shut, and
+the onagga, under Pencroff’s guidance, walked on with a slow pace.
+
+It was necessary, on account of the wagon, to keep to the direct road
+from the corral to Granite House, although it was known to the
+convicts. Smith and Spilett walked on either side of the chariot, ready
+to meet any attack. Still it was not likely that the convicts had yet
+abandoned Prospect Plateau. Neb’s note had evidently been sent as soon
+as they made their appearance. Now this note was dated at 6 o’clock in
+the morning, and the active orang, who was accustomed to the way, would
+have got over the five miles from Granite House in three-quarters of an
+hour. Probably they would have no danger to fear till they approached
+Granite House.
+
+But they kept on the alert. Top and Jup, the latter armed with his
+stick, sometimes in front, and sometimes beating the woods on either
+side, gave no signal of approaching danger. The wagon moved on slowly,
+and an hour after leaving the corral, they had passed over four of the
+five miles without any incident.
+
+They drew near the plateau another mile, and they saw the causeway over
+Glycerine Creek. At last, through an opening in the wood, they saw the
+horizon of the sea. But the wagon went on slowly, and none of its
+defenders could leave it for a moment. Just then Pencroff stopped the
+wagon and cried, fiercely,
+
+“Ah, the wretches!”
+
+And he pointed to a thick smoke which curled up from the mill, the
+stables, and the buildings of the poultry-yard. In the midst of this
+smoke a man was running about. It was Neb.
+
+His companions uttered a cry. He heard them and rushed to meet them.
+
+The convicts had abandoned the plateau half an hour before, after
+having done all the mischief they could.
+
+“And Mr. Herbert?” cried Neb.
+
+Spilett went back to the wagon. Herbert had fainted.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER LII.
+
+
+HERBERT CARRIED TO GRANITE HOUSE—NEB RELATES WHAT HAD HAPPENED—VISIT OF
+SMITH TO THE PLATEAU—RUIN AND DEVASTATION—THE COLONISTS HELPLESS—WILLOW
+BARK—A MORTAL FEVER—TOP BARKS AGAIN.
+
+
+The convicts, the dangers threatening Granite House, the ruin on the
+plateau, none of these were thought of, in the present condition of
+Herbert. It was impossible to say whether the transportation had
+occasioned some internal rupture, but his companions were almost
+hopeless.
+
+The wagon had been taken to the bend of the river, and there the
+mattress, on which lay the unconscious lad, was placed on a litter of
+branches, and within a few minutes Herbert was lying on his bed in
+Granite House. He smiled for a moment on finding himself again in his
+chamber, and a few words escaped feebly from his lips. Spilett looked
+at his wounds, fearing that they might have opened, but the cicatrices
+were unbroken. What, then, was the cause of this prostration, or why
+had his condition grown worse?
+
+Soon the lad fell into a feverish sleep, and the reporter and Pencroff
+watched beside him.
+
+Meantime, Smith told Neb of all that had happened at the corral, and
+Neb told his master of what had passed at the plateau.
+
+It was not until the previous night that the convicts had shown
+themselves beyond the edge of the forest, near Glycerine Creek. Neb,
+keeping watch near the poultry-yard, had not hesitated to fire at one
+of them who was crossing the bridge; but he could not say with what
+result. At least, it did not disperse the band, and Neb had but just
+time to climb up into Granite House, where he, at least, would be safe.
+
+But what was the next thing to do? How prevent the threatened
+devastation to the plateau? How could he inform his master? And,
+moreover, in what situation were the occupants of the corral?
+
+Smith and his companions had gone away on the 11th inst., and here it
+was the 29th. In that time all the information that Neb had received
+was the disastrous news brought by Top. Ayrton gone, Herbert badly
+wounded, the engineer, the reporter, and the sailor imprisoned in the
+corral.
+
+The poor negro asked himself what was to be done. Personally, he had
+nothing to fear, as the convicts could not get into Granite House. But
+the works, the fields, all the improvements, were at the mercy of the
+pirates. Was it not best to let Smith know of the threatened danger?
+
+Then Neb thought of employing Jup on this errand. He knew the
+intelligence of the orang. Jup knew the word “corral.” It was not yet
+daylight. The agile brute could slip through the woods unperceived. So
+the negro wrote a note, which he fastened round Jup’s neck, and taking
+the monkey to the door and unrolling a long cord, he repeated the
+words:—
+
+“Jup! Jup! To the corral! the corral!”
+
+The animal understood him, and, seizing the cord, slid down to the
+ground, and disappeared in the darkness.
+
+“You did well, Neb, although In not forewarning us perhaps you would
+have done better!” said Smith, thinking of Herbert, and how the
+carrying him back had been attended with such serious results.
+
+Neb finished his recital. The convicts had not shown themselves upon
+the beach, doubtless fearing the inhabitants of Granite House, whose
+number they did not know. But the plateau was open and unprotected by
+Granite House. Here, therefore, they gave loose reins to their instinct
+of depredation and destruction, and they had left but half-an-hour
+before the colonists returned.
+
+Neb had rushed from his retreat, and at the risk of being shot, he had
+climbed to the plateau and had tried to put out the fire which was
+destroying the inclosure to the poultry-yard. Ho was engaged in this
+work when the others returned.
+
+Thus the presence of the convicts was a constant menace to the
+colonists, heretofore so happy, and they might expect the most
+disastrous results from them.
+
+Smith, accompanied by Neb, went to see for himself, the extent of the
+injury done. He walked along by the Mercy and up the left bank without
+seeing any trace of the convicts. It was likely that the latter had
+either witnessed the return of the colonists, and had gone back to the
+corral, now undefended, or that they had gone back to their camp to
+await an occasion to renew the attack.
+
+At present, however, all attempts to rid the island of these pests were
+subject to the condition of Herbert.
+
+The engineer and Neb reached the place. It was a scene of desolation.
+Fields trampled; the harvest scattered; the stables and other buildings
+burned; the frightened animals roaming at large over the plateau. The
+fowls, which had sought refuge on the lake, were returning to their
+accustomed place on its banks. Everything here would have to be done
+over again.
+
+The succeeding days were the saddest which the colonists had passed on
+the island. Herbert became more and more feeble. He was in a sort of
+stupor, and symptoms of delirium began to manifest themselves. Cooling
+draughts were all the remedies at the disposition of the colonists.
+Meantime, the fever became intermittent, and it was necessary to check,
+it before it developed greater strength.
+
+“To do this,” said Spilett, “we must have a febrifuge.”
+
+“And we have neither cinchonia nor quinine,” answered the engineer.
+
+“No, but we can make a substitute from the bark of the willow trees at
+the lake.”
+
+“Let us try it immediately,” replied Smith.
+
+Indeed, willow bark has been partly considered succedaneous to
+cinchonia, but since they had no means of extracting the salicin, the
+bark must be used in its natural state.
+
+Smith, therefore, cut some pieces of bark from a species of black
+willow, and, reducing them to powder, this powder was given to Herbert
+the same evening.
+
+The night passed without incident. Herbert was somewhat delirious, but
+the fever did not manifest itself. Pencroff became more hopeful, but
+Spilett, who knew that the fever was intermittent, looked forward to
+the next day with anxiety.
+
+They noticed that during the apyrexy, Herbert seemed completely
+prostrated, his head heavy, and subject to dizziness. Another alarming
+symptom was a congestion of the liver, and soon a more marked delirium
+manifested itself.
+
+Spilett was overwhelmed by this new complication. He drew the engineer
+aside and said to him:——
+
+“It is a pernicious fever!”
+
+“A pernicious fever!” cried Smith. “You must be mistaken, Spilett. A
+pernicious fever never declares itself spontaneously; it must have a
+germ.”
+
+“I am not mistaken,” replied the reporter. “Herbert may have caught the
+germ in the marshes. He has already had one attack; if another follows,
+and we cannot prevent a third—he is lost!”
+
+“But the willow bark?——”
+
+“Is insufficient. And a third attack of pernicious fever, when one
+cannot break it by means of quinine, is always mortal!”
+
+Happily Pencroff had not heard this conversation. It would have driven
+him wild.
+
+Towards noon of the 7th, the second attack manifested itself. The
+crisis was terrible. Herbert felt that he was lost! He stretched out
+his arms towards Smith, towards Spilett, towards Pencroff! He did not
+want to die! The scene was heartrending, and it became necessary to
+take Pencroff away.
+
+The attack lasted five hours. It was plain that the lad could not
+support a third. The night was full of torture. In his delirium,
+Herbert wrestled with the convicts; he called Ayrton; he supplicated
+that mysterious being, that protector, who had disappeared but whose
+image haunted him—then he fell into a profound prostration, and
+Spilett, more than once, thought the poor boy was dead!
+
+The next day passed with only a continuation of the lad’s feebleness.
+His emaciated hands clutched the bed clothing. They continued giving
+him doses of the willow powder, but the reporter anticipated no result
+from it.
+
+“If,” said he, “before to-morrow morning we cannot give him a more
+powerful febrifuge than this, Herbert will die!”
+
+The night came—doubtless the last night for this brave lad, so good, so
+clever, whom all loved as their own child! The sole remedy against this
+pernicious fever, the sole specific which could vanquish it, was not to
+be found on Lincoln Island!
+
+During the night Herbert became frightfully delirious. He recognized no
+one. It was not even probable that he would live till morning. His
+strength was exhausted. Towards 3 o’clock he uttered a frightful cry.
+He was seized by a terrible convulsion. Neb, who was beside him,
+rushed, frightened, into the adjoining chamber, where his companions
+were watching.
+
+At the same moment Top gave one of his strange barks.
+
+All returned to the chamber and gathered round the dying lad, who
+struggled to throw himself from the bed. Spilett, who held his arms,
+felt his pulse slowly rising.
+
+Five o’clock came. The sun’s rays shone into the chambers of Granite
+House. A beautiful day, the last on earth for poor Herbert, dawned over
+Lincoln Island.
+
+A sunbeam crept on to the table beside the bed.
+
+Suddenly Pencroff, uttering an exclamation, pointed to something on
+that table.
+
+It was a small oblong box, bearing these words:——
+
+_Sulphate of quinine._
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER LIII.
+
+
+AN INEXPLICABLE MYSTERY—HERBERT’S CONVALESCENCE—THE UNEXPLORED PARTS OF
+THE ISLAND—PREPARATIONS FOR DEPARTURE—THE FIRST DAY—NIGHT—SECOND
+DAY—THE KAURIS—CASSOWARIES—FOOTPRINTS IN THE SAND—ARRIVAL AT REPTILE
+END.
+
+
+Spilett took the box and opened it. It contained a white powder, which
+he tasted. Its extreme bitterness was unmistakable. It was indeed that
+precious alkaloid, the true anti-periodic.
+
+It was necessary to administer it to Herbert without delay. How it came
+there could be discussed later.
+
+Spilett called for some coffee, and Neb brought a lukewarm infusion, in
+which the reporter placed eighteen grains of quinine and gave the
+mixture to Herbert to drink.
+
+There was still time, as the third attack of the fever had not yet
+manifested itself. And, indeed, it did not return. Moreover, every one
+became hopeful. The mysterious influence was again about them, and that
+too in a moment when they had despaired of its aid.
+
+After a few hours, Herbert rested more quietly, and the colonists could
+talk of the incident. The intervention of this unknown being was more
+evident than ever, but how had he succeeded in getting in to Granite
+House during the night? It was perfectly inexplicable, and, indeed, the
+movements of this “genius of the island” were as mysterious as the
+genius himself.
+
+The quinine was administered to Herbert every three hours, and the next
+day the lad was certainly better. It is true he was not out of danger,
+since these fevers are often followed by dangerous relapses; but, then,
+here was the specific, and, doubtless, not far off, the one who had
+brought it. In two days more Herbert became convalescent. He was still
+feeble, but there had been no relapse, and he cheerfully submitted to
+the rigorous diet imposed upon, him. He was so anxious to get well.
+
+Pencroff was beside himself with joy. After the critical period had
+been safely passed he seized the reporter in his arms, and called him
+nothing but Doctor Spilett.
+
+But the true physician was still to be found.
+
+““We will find him!” said the sailor.
+
+The year 1867, during which the colonists had been so hardly beset,
+came to an end, and the new year began with superb weather. A fine
+warmth, a tropical temperature, moderated by the sea breeze. Herbert’s
+bed was drawn close to the window, where he could inhale long draughts
+of the salt, salubrious air. His appetite began to return, and what
+tempting savory morsels Neb prepared for him!
+
+“It made one wish to be ill,” said Pencroff.
+
+During this time the convicts had not shown themselves, neither was
+there any news of Ayrton. The engineer and Herbert still hoped to get
+him back, but the others thought that the unhappy man had succumbed. In
+a month’s time, when the lad should have regained his strength, the
+important search would be undertaken, and all these questions set at
+rest.
+
+During January the work on the plateau consisted simply in collecting
+the grain and vegetables undestroyed in the work of devastation, and
+planting some for a late crop during the next season. Smith preferred
+to wait till the island was rid of the convicts before he repaired the
+damage to the mill, poultry-yard, and stable.
+
+In the latter part of the month Herbert began to take some exercise. He
+was eighteen years old, his constitution was splendid, and from this
+moment the improvement in his condition was visible daily.
+
+By the end of the month he walked on the shore and over the plateau,
+and strengthened himself with sea-baths. Smith felt that the day for
+the exploration could be set, and the 15th of February was chosen. The
+nights at this season were very clear, and would, therefore, be
+advantageous to the search.
+
+The necessary preparations were begun. These were important, as the
+colonists had determined not to return to Granite House until their
+double end had been obtained—to destroy the convicts and find Ayrton,
+if he was still alive; and to discover the being who presided so
+efficiently over the destinies of the colony.
+
+The colonists were familiar with all the eastern coast of the island
+between Claw Cape and the Mandibles; with Tadorn’s Fens; the
+neighborhood of Lake Grant; the portion of Jacamar Wood lying between
+the road to the corral and the Mercy; the courses of the Mercy and Red
+Creek, and those spurs of Mount Franklin where the corral was located.
+
+They had partially explored the long sweep of Washington Bay from Claw
+Cape to Reptile End; the wooded and marshy shore of the west coast, and
+the interminable downs which extended to the half-open mouth of Shark
+Gulf.
+
+But they were unacquainted with the vast woods of Serpentine Peninsula;
+all the right bank of the Mercy; the left bank of Fall River, and the
+confused mass of ravines and ridges which covered three-fourths of the
+base of Mount Franklin on the west, north, and east, and where,
+doubtless, there existed deep recesses. Therefore, many thousands of
+acres had not yet been explored.
+
+It was decided that the expedition should cross the Forest of the Far
+West, in such a manner as to go over all that part situated on the
+right of the Mercy. Perhaps it would have been better to have gone at
+once to the corral, where it was probable the convicts had either
+pillaged the place or installed themselves there. But either the
+pillage was a work accomplished or the convicts had purposed to
+entrench themselves there, and it would always be time to dislodge
+them.
+
+So the first plan was decided upon, and it was resolved to cut a road
+through these woods, placing Granite House in communication with the
+end of the peninsula, a distance of sixteen or seventeen miles.
+
+The wagon was in perfect order. The onagers, well rested, were in
+excellent condition for a long pull. Victuals, camp utensils, and the
+portable stove, were loaded into the wagon, together with a careful
+selection of arms and ammunition.
+
+No one was left in Granite House; even Top and Jup took part in the
+expedition. The inaccessible dwelling could take care of itself.
+
+Sunday, the day before the departure, was observed as a day of rest and
+prayer, and on the morning of the 15th Smith took the measures
+necessary to defend Granite House from invasion. The ladders were
+carried to the Chimneys and buried there, the basket of the elevator
+was removed, and nothing left of the apparatus. Pencroff, who remained
+behind in Granite House, saw to this latter, and then slid down to the
+ground by means of a double cord which, dropped to the ground, severed
+the last connection between the entrance and the shore.
+
+The weather was superb.
+
+“It is going to be a warm day,” said the reporter, joyfully.
+
+“But, Doctor Spilett,” said Pencroff, “our road is under the trees, and
+we will never see the sun!”
+
+“Forward!” said the engineer.
+
+The wagon was ready on the bank. The reporter insisted on Herbert
+taking a seat in it, at least for the first few hours. Neb walked by
+the onagers. Smith, the reporter, and the sailor went on ahead. Top
+bounded off into the grass; Jup took a seat beside Herbert, and the
+little party started.
+
+The wagon went up the left bank of the Mercy, across the bridge, and
+there, leaving the route to Balloon Harbor to the left, the explorers
+began to make a way through the forest.
+
+For the first two miles, the trees grew sufficiently apart to permit
+the wagon to proceed easily, without any other obstacle than here and
+there a stump or some bushes to arrest their progress. The thick
+foliage made a cool shadow over the ground. Birds and beasts were
+plenty, and reminded the colonists of their early excursions on the
+island.
+
+“Nevertheless,” remarked Smith, “I notice that the animals are more
+timid than formerly. These woods have been recently traversed by the
+convicts, and we shall certainly find their traces.”
+
+And, indeed, in many places, they saw where a party of men had passed,
+or built a fire, but in no one place was there a definite camp.
+
+The engineer had charged his companions to abstain from hunting, so as
+not to make the convicts aware of their presence by the sound of
+firearms.
+
+In the afternoon, some six miles from Granite House, the advance became
+very difficult, and they had to pass certain thickets, into which Top
+and Jup were sent as skirmishers.
+
+The halt for the night was made, nine miles from Granite House, on the
+bank of a small affluent to the Mercy, of whose existence they had been
+unaware. They had good appetites, and all made a hearty supper, after
+which the camp was carefully organized, in order to guard against a
+surprise from the convicts. Two of the colonists kept guard together in
+watches of two hours, but Herbert, in spite of his wishes, was not
+allowed to do duty.
+
+The night passed without incident. The silence was unbroken save by the
+growling of jaguars and the chattering of monkeys, which seemed
+particularly to annoy Jup.
+
+The next day, they were unable to accomplish more than six miles. Like
+true “frontiersmen,” the colonists avoided the large trees and cut down
+only the smaller ones, so that their road was a winding one.
+
+During the day Herbert discovered some specimens of the tree ferns,
+with vase-shaped leaves, and the algarobabeau (St. John’s bread), which
+the onagers eat greedily. Splendid kauris, disposed in groups, rose to
+a height of two hundred feet, their cylindrical trunks surmounted by a
+crown of verdure.
+
+As to fauna, they discovered no new specimens, but they saw, without
+being able to approach them, a couple of large birds, such as are
+common in Australia, a sort of cassowary, called emus, which were five
+feet high, of brown plumage, and belonged to the order of runners. Top
+tried his best to catch them, but they outran him easily, so great was
+their speed.
+
+The colonists again found traces of the convicts. Near a
+recently-extinguished fire they found footprints, which they examined
+with great attention. By measuring these tracks they were able to
+determine the presence of five men. The five convicts had evidently
+camped here; but—and they made minute search—they could not discover a
+sixth track, which would have been that of Ayrton.
+
+“Ayrton is not with them!” said Herbert.
+
+“No,” replied Pencroff, “the wretches have shot him.” But they must
+have a den, to which we can track them.”
+
+“No,” replied the reporter. “It is more likely that they intend to camp
+about in places, after this manner, until they become masters of the
+island.”
+
+“Masters of the island!” cried the sailor. “Masters of the island,
+indeed” he repeated in a horrified voice. Then he added:——
+
+“The ball in my gun is the one which wounded Herbert and it will do its
+errand!”
+
+But this just reprisal would not restore Ayrton to life, and the only
+conclusion to be drawn, from the footprints was that they would never
+see him again!
+
+That evening the camp was made fourteen miles front Granite House, and
+Smith estimated that it was still five miles to Reptile End.
+
+The next day this point was reached, and the full length of the forest
+had been traversed; but nothing indicated the retreat of the convicts,
+nor the asylum of the mysterious unknown.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER LIV.
+
+
+EXPLORATION OF REPTILE END—CAMP AT THE MOUTH OF FALL RIVER—BY THE
+CORRAL—THE RECONNOISSANCE—THE RETURN—FORWARD—AN OPEN DOOR—A LIGHT IN
+THE WINDOW—BY MOONLIGHT.
+
+
+The next day, the 18th, was devoted to an exploration of the wooded
+shore lying between Reptile End and Fall River. The colonists were
+searching through the heart of the forest, whose width, bounded by the
+shores of the promontory, was from three to four miles. The trees, by
+their size and foliage, bore witness to the richness of the soil, more
+productive here than in any other portion of the island. It seemed as
+if a portion of the virgin forests of America or Central Africa had
+been transported here. It seemed, also, as if these superb trees found
+beneath the soil, moist on its surface, but heated below by volcanic
+fires, a warmth not belonging to a temperate climate. The principal
+trees, both in number and size, were the kauris and eucalypti.
+
+But the object of the colonists was not to admire these magnificent
+vegetables. They knew already that, in this respect, their island
+merited a first place in the Canaries, called, formerly, the Fortunate
+Isles. But, alas! their island no longer belonged to them alone; others
+had taken possession, wretches whom it was necessary to destroy to the
+last man.
+
+On the west coast they found no further traces of any kind.
+
+“This does not astonish me,” said Smith. “The convicts landed near
+Jetsam Point, and, after having crossed Tadorn’s Fens, they buried
+themselves in the forests of the Far West. They took nearly the same
+route which we have followed. That explains the traces we have seen in
+the woods. Arrived upon the shore, the convicts saw very clearly that
+it offered no convenient shelter, and it was then, on going towards the
+north, that they discovered the corral—”
+
+“Where they may have returned,” said Pencroff.
+
+“I do not think so,” answered the engineer, “as they would judge that
+our searches would be in that direction. The corral is only a
+provisional and not a permanent retreat for them.”
+
+“I think so, too,” said the reporter, “and, further, that they have
+sought a hiding place among the spurs of Mount Franklin.”
+
+“Then let us push on to the corral!” cried Pencroff. “An end must be
+put to this thing, and we are only losing time here.”
+
+“No, my friend,” replied the engineer.
+
+“You forget that we are interested in determining whether the forests
+of the Far West do not shelter some habitation. Our exploration has a
+double end, Pencroff; to punish crime and to make a discovery.”
+
+“That is all very well, sir,” replied the sailor, “but I have an idea
+that we will not discover our friend unless he chooses!”
+
+Pencroff had expressed the opinion of the others as well as his own. It
+was, indeed, probable that the retreat of the unknown being was no less
+mysterious than his personality.
+
+This evening the wagon halted at the mouth of Fall River. The
+encampment was made in the usual way, with the customary precautions.
+Herbert had recovered his former strength by this march in the fresh
+salt air, and his place was no longer on the wagon, but at the head of
+the line.
+
+On the 19th, the colonists left the shore and followed up the left bank
+of Fall River. The route was already partially cleared, owing to the
+previous excursions made from the corral to the west coast. They
+reached a place six miles from Mount Franklin.
+
+The engineer’s project was to observe with great care all the valley
+through which flowed the river, and to work cautiously up to the
+corral. If they should find it occupied, they were to secure it by main
+force, but if it should be empty, it was to be used as the point from
+which the explorations of Mount Franklin would be made.
+
+The road was through a narrow valley, separating two of the most
+prominent spurs of Mount Franklin. The trees grew closely together on
+the banks of the river, but were more scattered on the upper slopes.
+The ground was very much broken, affording excellent opportunities for
+an ambush, so that it was necessary to advance with great caution. Top
+and Jup went ahead, exploring the thickets on either hand, but nothing
+indicated either the presence or nearness of the convicts, or that
+these banks had been recently visited.
+
+About 5 o’clock the wagon halted 600 paces from the enclosure, hidden
+by a curtain of tall trees.
+
+It was necessary to reconnoitre the place, in order to find out whether
+it was occupied, but to do this in the day-time was to run the risk of
+being shot; nevertheless Spilett wanted to make the experiment at once,
+and Pencroff, out of all patience, wanted to go with him. But Smith
+would not permit it.
+
+“No, my friends,” said he, “wait until nightfall. I will not allow one
+of you to expose yourselves in the daylight.”
+
+“But, sir,”—urged the sailor, but little disposed to obey.
+
+“Pray do not go, Pencroff,” said the engineer.
+
+“All right,” said the sailor. But he gave vent to his anger by calling
+the convicts everything bad that he could think of.
+
+The colonists remained about the wagon, keeping a sharp lookout in the
+adjoining parts of the forest.
+
+Three hours passed in this manner. The wind fell, and absolute silence
+reigned over everything. The slightest sound—the snapping of a twig, a
+step on the dry leaves—could easily have been heard. But all was quiet.
+Top rested with his head between his paws, giving no sign of
+inquietude.
+
+By 8 o’clock the evening was far enough advanced for the reconnoissance
+to be undertaken, and Spilett and Pencroff set off alone. Top and Jup
+remained behind with the others, as it was necessary that no bark or
+cry should give the alarm.
+
+“Do not do anything imprudently,” urged Smith. “Remember, you are not
+to take possession of the corral, but only to find out whether it is
+occupied or not.”
+
+“All right,” answered Pencroff.
+
+The two set out, advancing with the greatest caution. Under the trees,
+the darkness was such as to render objects, thirty or forty paces
+distant, invisible. Five minutes after having left the wagon they
+reached the edge of the opening, at the end of which rose the fence of
+the enclosure. Here they halted. Some little light still illuminated
+the glade. Thirty paces distant was the gate of the corral, which
+seemed to be closed. These thirty paces which it was necessary to cross
+constituted, to use a ballistic expression, the dangerous zone, as a
+shot from the palisade would certainly have killed any one venturing
+himself within this space,
+
+Spilett and the sailor were not men to shirk danger, but they knew that
+any imprudence of theirs would injure their companions as well as
+themselves. If they were killed what would become of the others?
+
+Nevertheless, Pencroff was so excited in finding himself again close to
+the corral that he would have hurried forward had not the strong hand
+of Spilett detained him. “In a few minutes it will be dark,” whispered
+the reporter.
+
+Pencroff grasped his gun nervously, and waited unwillingly.
+
+Very soon the last rays of light disappeared. Mount Franklin loomed
+darkly against the western sky, and the night fell with the rapidity
+peculiar to these low latitudes. Now was the time.
+
+The reporter and Pencroff, ever since their arrival on the edge of the
+wood, had watched the corral. It seemed to be completely deserted. The
+upper edge of the palisade was in somewhat stronger relief than the
+surrounding shades, and nothing broke its outlines. Nevertheless, if
+the convicts were there, they must have posted one of their number as a
+guard.
+
+Spilett took the hand of his companion, and crept cautiously forward to
+the gate of the corral. Pencroff tried to push it open, but it was, as
+they had supposed, fastened. But the sailor discovered that the outer
+bars were not in place. They, therefore, concluded that the convicts
+were within, and had fastened the gate so that it could only be broken
+open.
+
+They listened. No sound broke the silence. The animals were doubtless
+sleeping in their sheds. Should they scale the fence? It was contrary
+to Smith’s instructions. They might be successful or they might fail.
+And, if there was now a chance of surprising the convicts, should they
+risk that chance in this way?
+
+The reporter thought not. He decided that it would be better to wait
+until they were all together before making the attempt. Two things were
+certain, that they could reach the fence unseen, and that the place
+seemed unguarded.
+
+Pencroff, probably, agreed to this, for he returned with the reporter
+to the wood, and a few minutes later Smith was informed of the
+situation.
+
+“Well,” said he after reflecting for a moment, “I don’t think that the
+convicts are here.”
+
+“We will find out when we have climbed in.” cried Pencroff.
+
+“To the corral, my friends.”
+
+“Shall we leave the wagon in the wood?” cried Neb.
+
+“No,” said Smith, “it may serve as a defense in case of need.”
+
+The wagon issued from the wood and rolled noiselessly over the ground.
+The darkness and the silence were profound. The colonists kept their
+guns in readiness to fire. Jup kept behind, at Pencroff’s order, and
+Neb held Top.
+
+Soon the dangerous zone was crossed, and the wagon was drawn up beside
+the fence. Neb stood at the head of the onagers to keep them quiet, and
+the others went to the gate to determine if it was barricaded on the
+inside.
+
+One of its doors was open!
+
+“What did you tell us?” exclaimed the engineer, turning to the sailor
+and Spilett.
+
+They were stupefied with amazement.
+
+“Upon my soul,” cried the sailor, “It was shut a minute ago!”
+
+The colonists hesitated. The convicts must have been in the corral when
+Pencroff and the reporter had made their reconnoissance; for the gate
+could only have been opened by them. Were they still there?
+
+At this moment, Herbert, who had ventured some steps within the
+inclosure, rushed back and seized Smith’s hand.
+
+“What have you seen?” asked the engineer.
+
+“A light!”
+
+“In the house?”
+
+“Yes, sir.”
+
+All went forward and saw a feeble ray of light trembling through the
+windows of the building.
+
+Smith determined what to do at once.
+
+“It is a fortunate chance, finding the convicts shut up in this house
+not expecting anything! They are ours! Come on!”
+
+The wagon was left under charge of Top and Jup, and the colonists
+glided into the enclosure. In a few moments they were before the closed
+door of the house.
+
+Smith, making a sign to his companions not to move, approached the
+window. He looked into the one room which formed the lower story of the
+building. On the table was a lighted lantern, Near by was Ayrton’s bed.
+On it was the body of a man.
+
+Suddenly, Smith uttered a stiffled exclamation.
+
+“Ayrton!” he cried.
+
+And, at once, the door was rather forced than opened, and all rushed
+into the chamber.
+
+Ayrton seemed to be sleeping. His face showed marks of long and cruel
+suffering. His wrists and ankles were much bruised.
+
+Smith leaned over him.
+
+“Ayrton!” cried the engineer, seizing in his arms this man found so
+unexpectedly.
+
+Ayrton opened his eyes, and looked first at Smith, then at the others.
+
+“You! Is it you?” he cried.
+
+“Ayrton! Ayrton!” repeated the engineer.
+
+“Where am I?”
+
+“In the corral.”
+
+“Am I alone?”
+
+“Yes.”
+
+“Then they will come here!” cried Ayrton. “Look out for yourselves!
+Defend yourselves!” and he fell back, fainting.
+
+“Spilett,” said the engineer, “We may be attacked at any minute. Bring
+the wagon inside the enclosure, and bar the gate, and then come back
+here.”
+
+Pencroff, Neb, and the reporter hastened to execute the orders of the
+engineer. There was not an instant to be lost. Perhaps the wagon was
+already in the hands of the convicts!
+
+In a moment the reporter and his companions had gained the gate of the
+enclosure, behind which they heard Top growling.
+
+The engineer, leaving Ayrton for a moment, left the house, and held his
+gun in readiness to fire. Herbert was beside him. Both scrutinized the
+outline of the mountain spur overlooking the corral. If the convicts
+were hidden in that place they could pick off the colonists one after
+the other.
+
+Just then the moon appeared in the east above the black curtain of the
+forest, throwing a flood of light over the interior of the corral, and
+bringing into relief the trees, the little water-course, and the grassy
+carpet. Towards the mountain, the house and a part of the palisade
+shone white; opposite it, towards the gate, the fence was in shadow.
+
+A black mass soon showed itself. It was the wagon entering within the
+circle of light, and Smith could hear the sound of the gate closing and
+being solidly barricaded by his companions.
+
+But at that moment Top, by a violent effort, broke his fastening, and,
+barking furiously, rushed to the extremity of the corral to the right
+of the house.
+
+“Look out, my friends, be ready!” cried Smith.
+
+The colonists waited, with their guns at the shoulder. Top continued to
+bark, and Jup, running towards the dog, uttered sharp cries.
+
+The colonists, following him, came to the border of the little brook,
+overshadowed by large trees.
+
+And there, in the full moonlight, what did they see?
+
+Five corpses lay extended upon the bank!
+
+They were the bodies of the convicts, who, four months before, had
+landed upon Lincoln Island.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER LV.
+
+
+AYRTON’S RECITAL—PLANS OF HIS OLD COMRADES—TAKING POSSESSION OF THE
+CORRAL—THE RULES OF THE ISLAND—THE GOOD LUCK—RESEARCHES ABOUT MOUNT
+FRANKLIN—THE UPPER VALLEYS —SUBTERRANEAN RUMBLINGS—PENCROFF’S ANSWER—AT
+THE BOTTOM OF THE CRATER-THE RETURN
+
+
+How had it happened? Who had killed the convicts? Ayrton? No, since the
+moment before he had feared their return!
+
+But Ayrton was now in a slumber from which it was impossible to arouse
+him. After he had spoken these few words, he had fallen back upon his
+bed, seized by a sudden torpor.
+
+The colonists, terribly excited, preyed upon by a thousand confused
+thoughts, remained all night in the house. The next morning Ayrton
+awoke from his sleep, and his companions demonstrated to him their joy
+at finding him safe and sound after all these months of separation.
+
+Then Ayrton related in a few words all that had happened.
+
+The day after his return to the corral, the 10th of November, just at
+nightfall, he had been surprised by the convicts, who had climbed over
+the fence. He was tied and gagged and taken to a dark cavern at the
+foot of Mount Franklin, where the convicts had a retreat.
+
+His death had been resolved upon, and he was to be killed the following
+day, when one of the convicts recognized him and called him by the name
+he had borne in Australia. These wretches, who would have massacred
+Ayrton, respected Ben Joyce.
+
+From this moment Ayrton was subjected to the importunities of his old
+comrades. They wished to gain him over to them, and they counted upon
+him to take Granite House, to enter that inaccessible dwelling, and to
+become masters of the island, after having killed the colonists.
+
+Ayrton resisted. The former convict, repentant and pardoned, would
+rather die than betray his companions.
+
+For four months, fastened, gagged, watched, he had remained in this
+cavern.
+
+Meanwhile the convicts lived upon the stock in the corral, but did not
+inhabit the place.
+
+On the 11th of November, two of these bandits, inopportunely surprised
+by the arrival of the colonists, fired on Herbert, and one of them
+returned boasting of having killed one of the inhabitants. His
+companion, as we know, had fallen at Smith’s hand.
+
+One can judge of Ayrton’s despair, when he heard of Herbert’s death! It
+left but four of the colonists, almost at the mercy of the convicts!
+
+Following this event, and during all the time that the colonists,
+detained by Herbert’s illness, remained at the corral, the pirates did
+not leave their cave; indeed, after having pillaged Prospect Plateau,
+they did not deem it prudent to leave it.
+
+The bad treatment of Ayrton was redoubled. His hands and feet still
+bore the red marks of the lines with which he remained bound, day and
+night. Each moment he expected to be killed.
+
+This was the third week in February. The convicts, awaiting a favorable
+opportunity, rarely left their retreat, and then only to a point in the
+interior or on the west coast. Ayrton had no news of his friends, and
+no hopes of seeing them again.
+
+Finally, the poor unfortunate, enfeebled by bad treatment, fell in a
+profound prostration in which he neither saw nor heard anything. From
+this moment, he could not say what had happened.
+
+“But, Mr. Smith,” he added, “since I was imprisoned in this cavern, how
+is it that I am here?”
+
+“How is that the convicts are lying there, dead, in the middle of the
+corral?” answered the engineer.
+
+“Dead!” cried Ayrton, half rising, notwithstanding his feebleness. His
+companions assisted him to get up, and all went to the little brook.
+
+It was broad daylight. There on the shore, in the position in which
+they had met their deaths, lay the five convicts.
+
+Ayrton was astounded. The others looked on without speaking. Then, at a
+sign from Smith, Neb and Pencroff examined the bodies. Not a wound was
+visible upon them. Only after minute search, Pencroff perceived on the
+forehead of one, on the breast of another, on this one’s back, and on
+the shoulder of a fourth, a small red mark, a hardly visible bruise,
+made by some unknown instrument.
+
+“There is where they have been hit!” said Smith.
+
+“But with what sort of a weapon?” cried the reporter.
+
+“A destructive weapon enough, though unknown to us!”
+
+“And who has destroyed them?” asked Pencroff.
+
+“The ruler of the island,” answered Smith, “he who has brought you
+here, Ayrton, whose influence is again manifesting itself, who does for
+us what we are unable to do for ourselves, and who then hides from us.”
+
+“Let us search for him!” cried Pencroff.
+
+“Yes, we will search,” replied Smith; “but the being who accomplishes
+such prodigies will not be found until it pleases him to call us to
+him!”
+
+This invisible protection, which nullified their own actions, both
+annoyed and affected the engineer. The relative inferiority in which it
+placed him wounded his pride. A generosity which so studiously eluded
+all mark of recognition denoted a sort of disdain for those benefited,
+which, in a measure, detracted from the value of the gift.
+
+“Let us search,” he repeated, “and Heaven grant that some day we be
+permitted to prove to this haughty protector that he is not dealing
+with ingrates! What would I not give to be able, in our turn, to repay
+him, and to render him, even at the risk of our lives, some signal
+service!”
+
+From this time, this search was the single endeavor of the inhabitants
+of Lincoln Island. All tried to discover the answer to this enigma, an
+answer which involved the name of a man endowed with an inexplicable,
+an almost superhuman power.
+
+In a short time, the colonists entered the house again, and their
+efforts soon restored Ayrton to himself. Neb and Pencroff carried away
+the bodies of the convicts and buried them in the wood. Then, Ayrton
+was informed by the engineer of all that had happened during his
+imprisonment.
+
+“And now,” said Smith, finishing his recital, “we have one thing more
+to do. Half of our task is accomplished; but if the convicts are no
+longer to be feared, we did not restore ourselves to the mastership of
+the island!”
+
+“Very well,” replied Spilett, “let us search all the mazes of Mount
+Franklin. Let us leave no cavity, no hole unexplored! Ah! if ever a
+reporter found himself in the presence of an exciting mystery. I am in
+that position!”
+
+“And we will not return to Granite House,” said Herbert, “until we have
+found our benefactor.”
+
+“Yes,” said Smith, “we will do everything that is possible for human
+beings to do—but, I repeat it, we will not find him till he wills it.”
+
+“Shall we stay here at the corral?” asked Pencroff.
+
+“Yes,” replied the engineer, “let us remain here. Provisions are
+abundant, and we are in the centre of our circle of investigation, and,
+moreover, if it is necessary, the wagon can go quickly to Granite
+House.”
+
+“All right,” said Pencroff. “Only one thing.”
+
+“What is that?”
+
+“Why, the fine weather is here, and we must not forget that we have a
+voyage to make.”
+
+“A voyage?” asked Spilett.
+
+“Yes, to Tabor Island. We most put up a notice, indicating our island,
+in case the Scotch yacht returns. Who knows that it is not already too
+late?”
+
+“But, Pencroff,” asked Ayrton, “how do you propose to make this
+voyage?”
+
+“Why, on the Good Luck!”
+
+“The Good Luck!” cried Ayrton. “It’s gone!”
+
+“Gone!” shouted Pencroff, springing to his feet.
+
+“Yes. The convicts discovered where the sloop lay, and, a week ago,
+they put out to sea in her, and—”
+
+“And?” said Pencroff, his heart trembling.
+
+“And, not having Harvey to manage her, they ran her upon the rocks, and
+she broke all to pieces!”
+
+“Oh! the wretches! the pirates! the devils!” exclaimed the sailor.
+
+“Pencroff,” said Herbert, taking his hand, “we will build another, a
+larger Good Luck. We have all the iron, all the rigging of the brig at
+our disposal!”
+
+“But, do you realize,” answered Pencroff, “that it will take at least
+five or six months to build a vessel of thirty or forty tons.”
+
+“We will take our time,” replied the reporter, “and we will give up our
+voyage to Tabor Island for this year.”
+
+“We must make the best of it, Pencroff,” said the engineer, “and I hope
+that this delay will not be prejudicial to us.”
+
+“My poor Good Luck! my poor boat!” exclaimed the sailor, half
+broken-hearted at the loss of what was so dear to him.
+
+The destruction of the sloop was a thing much to be regretted, and it
+was agreed that this loss must be repaired as soon as the search was
+ended.
+
+This search was begun the same day, the 19th of February, and lasted
+throughout the week. The base of the mountain was composed of a perfect
+labyrinth of ravines and gorges, and it was here that the explorations
+must be made. No other part of the island was so well suited to hide an
+inhabitant who wished to remain concealed. But so great was the
+intricacy of these places that Smith explored them by a settled system.
+
+In the first place, the colonists visited the valley opening to the
+south of the volcano, in which Fall River rose. Here was where Ayrton
+showed them the cavern of the convicts. This place was in exactly the
+same condition as Ayrton had left it. They found here a quantity of
+food and ammunition left there as a reserve by the convicts.
+
+All this beautiful wooded valley was explored with great care, and
+then, the south-western spur having been turned, the colonists searched
+a narrow gorge where the trees were less numerous. Here the stones took
+the place of grass, and the wild goats and moufflons bounded among the
+rocks. The arid part of the island began at this part. They saw already
+that, of the numerous valleys ramifying from the base of Mount
+Franklin, three only, bounded on the west by Fall River and on the east
+by Red Creek, were as rich and fertile as the valley of the corral.
+These two brooks, which developed into rivers as they progressed,
+received the whole of the mountain’s southern water-shed and fertilized
+that portion of it. As to the Mercy it was more directly fed by
+abundant springs, hidden in Jacamar Wood.
+
+Now any one of these three valleys would have answered for the retreat
+of some recluse, who would have found there all the necessaries of
+life. But the colonists had explored each of them without detecting the
+presence of man. Was it then at the bottom of these arid gorges, in the
+midst of heaps of rocks, in the rugged ravines to the north, between
+the streams of lava, that they would find this retreat and its
+occupant?
+
+The northern part of Mount Franklin had at its base two large, arid
+valleys strewn with lava, sown with huge rocks, sprinkled with pieces
+of obsidian and labradorite. This part required long and difficult
+exploration. Here were a thousand cavities, not very comfortable,
+perhaps, but completely hidden and difficult of access. The colonists
+visited sombre tunnels, made in the plutonic epoch, still blackened by
+the fires of other days, which plunged into the heart of the mountain.
+They searched these dark galleries by the light of torches, peering
+into their least excavations and sounding their lowest depths. But
+everywhere was silence, obscurity. It did not seem as if any human
+being had ever trodden these antique corridors or an arm displaced one
+of these stones.
+
+Nevertheless, if these places were absolutely deserted, if the
+obscurity was complete, Smith was forced to notice that absolute
+silence did not reign there.
+
+Having arrived at the bottom of one of those sombre cavities, which
+extended several hundred feet into the interior of the mountain, he was
+surprised to hear deep muttering sounds which were intensified by the
+sonority of the rocks.
+
+Spilett, who was with him, also heard these distant murmurs, which
+indicated an awakening of the subterranean fires.
+
+Several times they listened, and they came to the conclusion that some
+chemical reaction was going on in the bowels of the earth.
+
+“The volcano is not entirely extinct,” said the reporter.
+
+“It is possible that, since our exploration of the crater, something
+has happened in its lower regions. All volcanoes, even those which are
+said to be extinct, can, evidently, become active again.”
+
+“But if Mount Franklin is preparing for another eruption, is not
+Lincoln Island in danger?”
+
+“I don’t think so,” answered the engineer, “The crater, that is to say,
+the safety-valve, exists, and the overflow of vapors and lavas will
+escape, as heretofore, by its accustomed outlet.”
+
+“Unless the lavas make a new passage towards the fertile parts of the
+island.”
+
+“Why, my dear Spilett, should they not follow their natural course?”
+
+“Well, volcanoes are capricious.”
+
+“Notice,” said Smith, “that all the slope of the mountain favors the
+flow of eruptive matter towards the valleys which we are traversing at
+present. It would take an earthquake to so change the centre of gravity
+of the mountain as to modify this slope.”
+
+“But an earthquake is always possible under these conditions.”
+
+“True,” replied the engineer, “especially when the subterranean forces
+are awakening, and the bowels of the earth, after a long repose, chance
+to be obstructed. You are right, my dear Spilett, an eruption would be
+a serious thing for us, and it would be better if this volcano has not
+the desire to wake up; but we can do nothing. Nevertheless, in any
+case, I do not think Prospect Plateau could be seriously menaced.
+Between it and the lake there is quite a depression in the land, and
+even if the lavas took the road to the lake, they would be distributed
+over the downs and the parts adjoining Shark Gulf.”
+
+“We have not yet seen any smoke from the summit, indicating a near
+eruption,” said Spilett.
+
+“No,” answered the engineer, “not the least vapor has escaped from the
+crater. It was but yesterday that I observed its upper part. But it is
+possible that rocks, cinders, and hardened lavas have accumulated in
+the lower part of its chimney, and, for the moment, this safety-valve
+is overloaded. But, at the first serious effort, all obstacles will
+disappear, and you may be sure, my dear Spilett, that neither the
+island, which is the boiler, nor the volcano, which is the valve, will
+burst under the pressure. Nevertheless, I repeat, it is better to wish
+for no eruption.”
+
+“And yet we are not mistaken,” replied the reporter. “We plainly hear
+ominous rumblings in the depths of the volcano!”
+
+“No,” replied the engineer, after listening again with the utmost
+attention, “that is not to be mistaken. Something is going on there the
+importance of which cannot be estimated nor what the result will be.”
+
+Smith and Spilett, on rejoining their companions, told them of these
+things.
+
+“All right!” cried Pencroff. “This volcano wants to take care of us!
+But let it try! It will find its master!”
+
+“Who’s that?” asked the negro.
+
+“Our genius, Neb, our good genius, who will put a gag in the mouth of
+the crater if it attempts to open it.”
+
+The confidence of the sailor in the guardian of the island was
+absolute, and, indeed, the occult power which had so far been
+manifested seemed limitless; but, thus far this being had escaped all
+the efforts the colonists had made to discover him.
+
+From the 19th to the 25th of February, the investigations were
+conducted in the western portion of Lincoln Island, where the most
+secret recesses were searched. They even sounded each rocky wall, as
+one knocks against the walls of a suspected house. The engineer went so
+far as to take the exact measure of the mountain, and he pushed his
+search to the last strata sustaining it. It was explored to the summit
+of the truncated cone which rose above the first rocky level, and from
+there to the upper edge of the enormous cap at the bottom of which
+opened the crater.
+
+They did more; they visited the gulf, still extinct, but in whose
+depths the rumblings were distinctly heard. Nevertheless, not a smoke,
+not a vapor, no heat in the wall, indicated a near eruption. But
+neither there, nor in any other part of Mount Franklin, did the
+colonists find the traces of him whom they sought.
+
+Their investigations were then directed over all the tract of downs.
+They carefully examined the high lava walls of Shark Gulf from base to
+summit, although it was very difficult to reach the water level. No
+one! Nothing!
+
+These two words summed up in brief the result of all the useless
+fatigues Smith and his companions had been at, and they were a trifle
+annoyed at their ill success.
+
+But it was necessary now to think of returning, as these researches
+could not be pursued indefinitely. The colonists were convinced that
+this mysterious being did not reside upon the surface of the island,
+and strange thoughts floated through their over-excited imaginations;
+Neb and Pencroff, particularly, went beyond the strange into the region
+of the supernatural. The 25th of February, the colonists returned to
+Granite House, and by means of the double cord, shot by an arrow to the
+door-landing, communication was established with their domain.
+
+One month later, they celebrated the third anniversary of their arrival
+on Lincoln Island.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER LVI.
+
+
+AFTER THREE YEARS—THE QUESTION OF A NEW SHIP—ITS
+DETERMINATION—PROSPERITY OF THE COLONY—THE SHIPYARD—THE COLD
+WEATHER—PENCROFF RESIGNED—WASHING—MOUNT FRANKLIN.
+
+
+Three years had passed since the prisoners had fled from Richmond, and
+in all that time their conversation and their thoughts had been of the
+fatherland.
+
+They had no doubt that the war was ended, and that the North had
+triumphed. But how? At what cost? What friends had fallen in the
+struggle? They often talked of these things, although they had no
+knowledge when they would be able to see that country again. To return,
+if only for a few days; to renew their intercourse with civilization;
+to establish a communication between their island and the mother
+country, and then to spend the greater part of their lives in this
+colony which they had founded and which would then be raised to a
+metropolis, was this a dream which could not be realized?
+
+There were but two ways of realizing it: either a ship would some day
+show itself in the neighborhood of Lincoln Island, or the colonists
+must themselves build a vessel staunch enough to carry them to the
+nearest land.
+
+“Unless our genius furnishes us with the means of returning home,” said
+Pencroff.
+
+And, indeed, if Neb and Pencroff had been told that a 300-ton ship was
+waiting for them in Shark Gulf or Balloon Harbor, they would not have
+manifested any surprise. In their present condition they expected every
+thing.
+
+But Smith, less confident, urged them to keep to realities, and to
+build the vessel, whose need was urgent, since a paper should be placed
+on Tabor Island as soon as possible, in order to indicate the new abode
+of Ayrton.
+
+The Good Luck was gone. It would take at least six mouths to build
+another vessel, and, as winter was approaching, the voyage could not be
+made before the next spring.
+
+“We have time to prepare ourself for the fine weather,” said the
+engineer, talking of these things with Pencroff. “I think, therefore,
+since we have to build our own ship, it will be better to make her
+dimensions greater than before. The arrival of the
+
+Scotch yacht is uncertain. It may even have happened that it has come
+and gone. What do you think? Would it not be better to build a vessel,
+that, in case of need, could carry us to the archipelagoes or New
+Zealand?”
+
+“I think, sir, that you are as able to build a large vessel as a small
+one. Neither wood nor tools are wanting. It is only a question of
+time.”
+
+“And how long would it take to build a ship of 250 or 300 tons?”
+
+“Seven or eight months at least. But we must not forget that winter is
+at hand, and that the timber will be difficult to work during the
+severe cold. So, allowing for some weeks’ delay, you can be happy if
+you have your ship by next November.”
+
+“Very well, that will be just the season to undertake a voyage of some
+length, be it to Tabor Island of further.”
+
+“All right, Mr. Smith, make your plans. The workmen are ready, and I
+guess that Ayrton will lend a helping hand.”
+
+The engineer’s project met the approval of the colonists, and indeed it
+was the best thing to do. It is true that it was a great undertaking,
+but they had that confidence in themselves, which is one of the
+elements of success.
+
+While Smith was busy preparing the plans of the vessel, the others
+occupied themselves in felling the trees and preparing the timber. The
+forests of the Far West furnished the best oak and elm, which were
+carried over the new road through the forest to the Chimneys, where the
+ship-yard was established.
+
+It was important that the timber should be cut soon, as it was
+necessary to have it seasoning for some time. Therefore the workmen
+worked vigorously during April, which was not an inclement month, save
+for some violent wind storms. Jup helped them by his adroitness, either
+in climbing to the top of a tree to fasten a rope, or by carrying loads
+on his strong shoulders.
+
+The timber was piled under a huge shed to await its use; and,
+meanwhile, the work in the fields was pushed forward, so that soon all
+traces of the devastation caused by the pirates had disappeared. The
+mill was rebuilt, and a new inclosure for the poultry yard. This had to
+be much larger than the former, as the number of its occupants had
+increased largely. The stables contained five onagas, four of them well
+broken, and one little colt. A plough had been added to the stock of
+the colony, and the onagas were employed in tillage as if they were
+Yorkshire or Kentucky cattle. All the colonists did their share, and
+there were no idle hands. And thus, with good health and spirits, they
+formed a thousand projects for the future.
+
+Ayrton, of course, partook of the common existence, and spoke no longer
+of returning to the corral. Nevertheless, he was always quiet and
+uncommunicative, and shared more in the work than the pleasure of his
+companions. He was a strong workman, vigorous, adroit, intelligent, and
+he could not fail to see that he was esteemed and loved by the others.
+But the corral was not abandoned. Every other day some one went there
+and brought back the supply of milk for the colony, and these occasions
+were also hunting excursions. So that, Herbert and Spilett, with Top in
+advance, oftenest made the journey, and all kinds of game abounded in
+the kitchen of Granite House. The products of the warren and the
+oyster-bed, some turtles, a haul of excellent salmon, the vegetables
+from the plateau, the natural fruits of the forest, were riches upon
+riches, and Neb, the chief cook, found it difficult to store them all
+away.
+
+The telegraph had been repaired, and was used whenever one of the party
+remained over night at the corral. But the island was secure now from
+any aggression—at least from men.
+
+Nevertheless, what had happened once might happen again, and a descent
+of pirates was always to be feared. And it was possible that
+accomplices of Harvey, still in Norfolk, might be privy to his projects
+and seek to imitate them. Every day the colonists searched the horizon
+visible from Granite House with the glass, and whenever they were at
+the corral they examined the west coast. Nothing appeared, but they
+were always on the alert.
+
+One evening the engineer told his companions of a project to fortify
+the corral. It seemed prudent to heighten the palisade, and to flank it
+with a sort of block house, in which the colonists could defend
+themselves against a host of enemies. Granite House, owing to its
+position, was impregnable, and the corral would always be the objective
+point of pirates.
+
+About the 15th of May the keel of the new vessel was laid, and the stem
+and stern posts raised. This keel was of oak, 110 feet long, and the
+breadth of beam was 25 feet. But, with the exception of putting up a
+couple of the frame pieces, this was all that could be done before the
+bad weather and the cold set in.
+
+During the latter part of the month the weather was very inclement.
+Pencroff and Ayrton worked as long as they were able, but severely cold
+weather following the rain made the wood impossible to handle, and by
+the 10th of June the work was given up entirely, and the colonists were
+often obliged to keep in-doors.
+
+This confinement was hard for all of them, but especially so for
+Spilett.
+
+“I’ll tell you what, Neb,” he said, “I will give you everything I own
+if you will get me a newspaper! All that I want to make me happy is to
+know what is going on in the world!”
+
+Neb laughed.
+
+“Faith!” said he, “I am busy enough with my daily work.”
+
+And, indeed, occupation was not wanting. The colony was at the summit
+of prosperity. The accident to the brig had been a new source of
+riches. Without counting a complete outfit of sails, which would answer
+for the new ship, utensils and tools of all sorts, ammunition,
+clothing, and instruments filled the store-rooms of Granite House.
+There was no longer a necessity to manufacture cloth in the felting
+mill. Linen, also, was plenty, and they took great care of it. From the
+chloride of sodium Smith had easily extracted soda and chlorine. The
+soda was easily transformed into carbonate of soda, and the chlorine
+was employed for various domestic purposes, but especially for cleaning
+the linen. Moreover, they made but four washings a year, as was the
+custom in old times, and Pencroff and Spilett, while waiting for the
+postman to bring the paper, made famous washermen!
+
+Thus passed June, July, and August; very rigorous months, in which the
+thermometer measured but 8° Fahrenheit. But a good fire burned in the
+chimney of Granite House, and the superfluity of wood from the
+ship-yard enabled them to economize the coal, which required a longer
+carriage.
+
+All, men and beasts, enjoyed good health. Jup, it is true, shivered a
+little with the cold, and they had to make him a good wadded wrapper.
+What servant he was! Adroit, zealous, indefatigable, not indiscreet,
+not talkative. He was, indeed, a model for his biped brethren in the
+New and the Old World!
+
+“But, after all,” said Pencroff “when one has four hands, they cannot
+help doing their work well!”
+
+During the seven months that had passed since the exploration of the
+mountain nothing had been seen or heard of the genius of the island.
+Although, it is true, that nothing had happened to the colonists
+requiring his assistance.
+
+Smith noticed, too, that the growling of the dog and the anxiety of the
+orang had ceased during this time. These two friends no longer ran to
+the orifice of the well nor acted in that strange way which had
+attracted the attention of the engineer. But did this prove that
+everything had happened that was going to happen? That they were never
+to find an answer to the enigma? Could it be affirmed that no new
+conjunction of circumstances would make this mysterious personage
+appear again? Who knows what the future may bring forth?
+
+On the 7th of September, Smith, looking towards Mount Franklin, saw a
+smoke rising and curling above the crater.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER LVII.
+
+
+THE AWAKENING OF THE VOLCANO—THE FINE WEATHER—RESUMPTION OF WORK—THE
+EVENING OF THE 15TH OF OCTOBER—A TELEGRAPH—A DEMAND—AN ANSWER—DEPARTURE
+FOR THE CORRAL—THE NOTICE—THE EXTRA WIRE—THE BASALT WALL—AT HIGH
+TIDE—AT LOW TIDE—THE CAVERN—A DAZZLING LIGHT.
+
+
+The colonists, called by Smith, had left their work, and gazed in
+silence at the summit of Mount Franklin.
+
+The volcano had certainly awakened, and its vapors had penetrated the
+mineral matter of the crater, but no one could say whether the
+subterranean fires would bring on a violent eruption.
+
+But, even supposing an eruption, it was not likely that Lincoln Island
+would suffer in every part. The discharges of volcanic matter are not
+always disastrous. That the island had already been subjected to an
+eruption was evident from the currents of lava spread over the western
+slope of the mountain. Moreover, the shape of the crater was such as to
+vomit matter in the direction away from the fertile parts of the
+island.
+
+Nevertheless, what had been was no proof of what would be. Often the
+old craters of volcanoes close and new ones open. An earthquake
+phenomenon, often accompanying volcanic action, may do this by changing
+the interior arrangement of the mountain and opening new passages for
+the incandescent lavas.
+
+Smith explained these things to his companions, and without
+exaggerating the situation, showed them just what might happen.
+
+After all, they could do nothing. Granite House did not seem to be
+menaced, unless by a severe earthquake. But all feared for the corral,
+if any new crater opened in the mountain.
+
+From this time the vapor poured from the cone without cessation, and,
+indeed, increased in density and volume, although no flame penetrated
+its thick folds. The phenomenon was confined, as yet, to the lower part
+of the central chimney.
+
+Meanwhile, with good weather, the work out of doors had been resumed.
+They hastened the construction of the ship, and Smith established a
+saw-mill at the waterfall, which cut the timber much more rapidly.
+
+Towards the end of September the frame of the ship, which was to be
+schooner-rigged, was so far completed that its shape could be
+recognized. The schooner, sheer forward and wide aft, was well adapted
+for a long voyage, in case of necessity, but the planking, lining, and
+decking still demanded a long time before they could be finished.
+Fortunately, the iron-work of the brig had been saved after the
+explosion, and Pencroff and Ayrton had obtained a great quantity of
+copper nails from the broken timber, which economized the labor for the
+smiths; nevertheless the carpenters had much to accomplish.
+
+Often, however, after the day’s work was ended, the colonists sat late
+into the night, conversing together of the future and what might happen
+in a voyage in the schooner to the nearest land. But in discussing
+these projects they always planned to return to Lincoln Island. Never
+would they abandon this colony, established with so much difficulty,
+but so successfully, and which would receive a new development through
+communication with America.
+
+Pencroff and Neb, indeed, hoped to end their days here.
+
+“Herbert,” asked the sailor, “you would never abandon Lincoln Island?”
+
+“Never, Pencroff, especially if you made up your mind to remain.”
+
+“Then, it’s agreed, my boy. I shall expect you! You will bring your
+wife and children here, and I will make a jolly playmate for the
+babies!”
+
+“Agreed,” answered Herbert, laughing and blushing at the same time.
+
+“And you, Mr. Smith,” continued the sailor, enthusiastically, “you will
+always remain governor of the island! And, by the way, how many
+inhabitants can the island support? Ten thousand, at the very least!”
+
+They chatted in this way, letting Pencroff indulge in his whims, and
+one thing leading to another, the reporter finished by founding the
+_New Lincoln Herald_!
+
+Thus it is with the spirit of man. The need of doing something
+permanent, something which will survive him, is the sign of his
+superiority over everything here below. It is that which has
+established and justifies his domination over the whole world.
+
+After all, who knows if Jup and Top had not their dream of the future?
+
+Ayrton, silent, said to himself that he wanted to see Lord Glenarvan,
+and show him the change in himself.
+
+One evening, the 15th of October, the conversation was prolonged longer
+than usual. It was 9 o’clock, and already, long, ill-concealed yawns
+showed that it was bed-time. Pencroff was about starting in that
+direction, when, suddenly, the electric bell in the hall rang.
+
+Every one was present, so none of their party could be at the corral.
+
+Smith rose. His companions looked as if they had not heard aright.
+
+“What does he want?” cried Neb. “Is it the devil that’s ringing?”
+
+No one replied.
+
+“It is stormy weather,” said Herbert; “perhaps the electric
+influence——”
+
+Herbert did not finish the sentence. The engineer, towards whom all
+were looking, shook his head.
+
+“Wait a minute,” said Spilett. “If it is a signal, it will be
+repeated.”
+
+“But what do you think it is?” asked Neb.
+
+“Perhaps it——”
+
+The sailor’s words were interrupted by another ring.
+
+Smith went to the apparatus, and, turning on the current, telegraphed
+to the corral:——
+
+“What do you want?”
+
+A few minutes later the needle, moving over the lettered card, gave
+this answer to the inmates of Granite House:—
+
+“Come to the corral as quickly as possible.”
+
+“At last!” cried Smith.
+
+Yes! At last! The mystery was about to be solved! Before the strong
+interest in what was at the corral, all fatigue and need of repose
+vanished. Without saying a word, in a few minutes they were out of
+Granite House and following the shore. Only Top and Jup remained
+behind.
+
+The night was dark. The moon, new this day, had set with the sun. Heavy
+clouds obscured the stars, but now and then heat-lightning, the
+reflection of a distant storm, illuminated the horizon.
+
+But, great as the darkness was, it could not hinder persons as familiar
+with the route as were the colonists. All were very much excited, and
+walked rapidly. There could be no doubt that they were going to find
+the answer to the engineer, the name of that mysterious being, who was
+so generous in his influence, so powerful to accomplish! It could not
+be doubted that this unknown had been familiar with the least detail of
+their daily lives, that he overheard all that was said in Granite
+House.
+
+Each one, lost in his reflections, hurried onward. The darkness under
+the trees was such that the route was invisible. There was no sound in
+the forest. Not a breath of wind moved the leaves.
+
+This silence during the first quarter of an hour was uninterrupted,
+save by Pencroff, who said:——
+
+“We should have brought a lantern.”
+
+And by the engineer’s answer:——
+
+“We will find one at the corral.”
+
+Smith and his companions had left Granite House at twelve minutes past
+9. In thirty-five minutes they had traversed three of the five miles
+between the mouth of the Mercy and the corral.
+
+Just then, brilliant flashes of lightning threw the foliage into strong
+relief. The storm was evidently about to burst upon them. The flashes
+became more frequent and intense. Heavy thunder rolled through the
+heavens. The air was stifling.
+
+The colonists rushed on, as if impelled by some irresistible force.
+
+At a quarter past 9, a sudden flash showed them the outline of the
+palisade; and scarcely had they passed the gateway when there came a
+terrible clap of thunder. In a moment the corral was crossed, and Smith
+stood before the house. It was possible that the unknown being was
+here, since it was from this place that the telegraph had come.
+Nevertheless, there was no light in the window.
+
+The engineer knocked at the door, but without response.
+
+He opened it, and the colonists entered the room, which was in utter
+darkness.
+
+A light was struck by Neb, and in a moment the lantern was lit, and its
+light directed into every corner of the chamber.
+
+No one was there, and everything remained undisturbed.
+
+“Are we victims to a delusion?” murmured Smith.
+
+No! that was impossible! The telegraph had certainly said:——
+
+“Come to the corral quickly as possible.”
+
+He went to the table on which the apparatus was arranged. Everything
+was in place and in order.
+
+“Who was here last?” asked the engineer.
+
+“I, sir,” answered Ayrton.
+
+“And that was——”
+
+“Four days ago.”
+
+“Ah! here is something!” exclaimed Herbert, pointing to a paper lying
+on the table.
+
+On the paper were these words, written in English:——
+
+“Follow the new wire.”
+
+“Come on!” cried Smith, who comprehended in a moment that the dispatch
+had not been sent from the corral, but from the mysterious abode which
+the new wire united directly with Granite House.
+
+Neb took the lantern and all left the corral.
+
+Then the storm broke forth with extreme violence. Flashes of lightning
+and peals of thunder followed in rapid succession. The island was the
+centre of the storm. By the flashes of lightning they could see the
+summit of Mount Franklin enshrouded in smoke.
+
+There were no telegraph poles inside the corral, but the engineer,
+having passed the gate, ran to the nearest post, and saw there a new
+wire fastened to the insulator, and reaching to the ground.
+
+“Here it is!” he cried.
+
+The wire lay along the ground, and was covered with some insulating
+substance, like the submarine cables. By its direction it seemed as if
+it went towards the west, across the woods, and the southern spurs of
+the mountain.
+
+“Let us follow it,” said Smith.
+
+And sometimes by the light of the lantern, sometimes by the
+illumination of the heavens, the colonists followed the way indicated
+by the thread.
+
+They crossed in the first place, the spur of the mountain between the
+valley of the corral and that of Fall River, which stream was crossed
+in its narrowest part. The wire, sometimes hanging on the lower
+branches of the trees, sometimes trailing along the ground, was a sure
+guide.
+
+The engineer had thought that, perhaps, the wire would end at the
+bottom of the valley, and that the unknown retreat was there.
+
+But not so. It extended over the southwestern spur and descended to the
+arid plateau which ended that fantastic wall of basalt. Every now and
+then one or other of the party stooped and took the direction of the
+wire. There could be no doubt that it ran directly to the sea. There,
+doubtless, in some profound chasm in the igneous rocks, was the
+dwelling so vainly sought for until now.
+
+At a few minutes before 10, the colonists arrived upon the high coast
+overhanging the ocean. Here the wire wound among the rocks, following a
+steep slope down a narrow ravine.
+
+The colonists followed it, at the risk of bringing down upon themselves
+a shower of rocks or of being precipitated into the sea. The descent
+was extremely perilous, but they thought not of the danger; they were
+attracted to this mysterious place as the needle is drawn to the
+magnet.
+
+At length, the wire making a sudden turn, touched the shore rocks,
+which were beaten by the sea. The colonists had reached the base of the
+granite wall.
+
+Here there was a narrow projection running parallel and horizontal to
+the sea. The thread led along this point, and the colonists followed.
+They had not proceeded more than a hundred paces, when this projection,
+by a south inclination, sloped down into the water.
+
+The engineer seized the wire and saw that it led down into the sea.
+
+His companions stood, stupefied, beside him.
+
+Then a cry of disappointment, almost of despair, escaped them! Must
+they throw themselves into the water and search some submarine cavern?
+In their present state of excitement, they would not have hesitated to
+have done it.
+
+An observation made by the engineer stopped them. He led his companions
+to the shelter of a pile of rocks and said:——
+
+“Let as wait here. The tide is up. At low water the road will be open.”
+
+“But how do you think—” began Pencroff.
+
+“He would not have called us, unless the means of reaching him had been
+provided.”
+
+Smith had spoken with an air of conviction, and, moreover, his
+observation was logical. It was, indeed, quite possible that an opening
+existed at low water which was covered at present.
+
+It was necessary to wait some hours. The colonists rested in silence
+under their shelter. The rain began to fall in torrents. The echoes
+repeated the roaring of the thunder in sonorous reverberations.
+
+At midnight the engineer took the lantern and went down to the water’s
+edge. It was still two hours before low tide.
+
+Smith had not been mistaken. The entrance to a vast excavation began to
+be visible, and the wire, turning at a right angle, entered this
+yawning mouth.
+
+Smith returned to his companions and said:——
+
+“In an hour the opening will be accessible.”
+
+“Then there is one,” said Pencroff.
+
+“Do you doubt it?” replied Smith.
+
+“But it will be half full of water,” said Herbert.
+
+“Either it will be perfectly dry,” answered the engineer, “in which
+case we will walk, or it will not be dry, and some means of transport
+will be furnished us.”
+
+An hour passed. All went down through the rain to the sea. In these
+hours the tide had fallen fifteen feet. The top of the mouth of the
+opening rose eight feet above the water, like the arch of a bridge.
+
+Looking in, the engineer saw a black object floating on the surface. He
+drew it toward him. It was a canoe made of sheet-iron bolted together.
+It was tied to a projecting rock inside the cavern wall. A pair of oars
+were under the seats.
+
+“Get in,” said Smith.
+
+The colonists entered the boat, Neb and Ayrton took the oars, Pencroff
+the tiller, and Smith, in the bows holding the lantern, lit the way.
+
+The vault, at first very low, rose suddenly; but the darkness was too
+great for them to recognize the size of this cavern, its heighth and
+depth. An imposing silence reigned throughout this granite chamber. No
+sound, not even the pealing of the thunder penetrated its massive
+walls.
+
+In certain parts of the world there are immense caves, a sort of
+natural crypts which date back to the geologic epoch. Some are invaded
+by the sea; others contain large lakes within their walls. Such is
+Fingal’s Cave, in the Island of Staffa; such are the caves of Morgat on
+the Bay of Douarnenez in Brittany; the caves of Bonifacio, in Corsica;
+those of Lyse-Fjord, in Norway; such is that immense cavern, the
+Mammoth Cave of Kentucky, which is 500 feet high and more than twenty
+miles long!
+
+As to this cavern which the colonists were exploring, did it not reach
+to the very centre of the island? For a quarter of an hour the canoe
+advanced under the directions of the engineer. At a certain moment he
+said:——
+
+“Go over to the right.”
+
+The canoe, taking this direction, brought up beside the wall. The
+engineer wished to observe whether the wire continued along this side.
+
+It was there fastened to the rock.
+
+“Forward!” said Smith.
+
+The canoe kept on a quarter of an hour longer, and it must have been
+half a mile from the entrance, when Smith’s voice was heard again.
+
+“Halt!” he exclaimed.
+
+The canoe stopped, and the colonists saw a brilliant light illuminating
+the enormous crypt, so profoundly hidden in the bowels of the earth.
+
+They were now enabled to examine this cavern of whose existence they
+had had no suspicion.
+
+A vault, supported on basaltic shafts, which might all have been cast
+in the same mould, rose to a height of 100 feet. Fantastic arches
+sprung at irregular intervals from these columns, which Nature had
+placed here by thousands. They rose to a height of forty or fifty feet,
+and the water, in despite of the tumult without, quietly lapped their
+base. The light noticed by the engineer seized upon each prismatic
+point and tipped it with fire; penetrated, so to speak, the walls as if
+they had been diaphanous, and changed into sparkling jewels the least
+projections of the cavern.
+
+Following a phenomenon of reflection, the water reproduced these
+different lights upon its surface, so that the canoe seemed to float
+between two sparkling zones.
+
+They had not yet thought of the nature of irradiation projected by the
+luminous centre whose rays, straight and clear, were broken on all the
+angles and mouldings of the crypt. The white color of this light
+betrayed its origin. It was electric. It was the sun of this cavern.
+
+On a sign from Smith, the oars fell again into the water, and the canoe
+proceeded towards the luminous fire, which was half a cable’s length
+distant.
+
+In this place, the sheet of water measured some 300 feet across, and an
+enormous basaltic wall, closing all that side, was visible beyond the
+luminous centre. The cavern had become much enlarged, and the sea here
+formed a little lake. But the vault, the side walls, and those of the
+apsis, all the prisms, cylinders, cones, were bathed in the electric
+fluid.
+
+In the centre of the lake a long fusiform object floated on the surface
+of the water, silent, motionless. The light escaped from its sides as
+from two ovens heated to a white heat. This machine, looking like the
+body of an enormous cetacea, was 250 feet long, and rose ten to twelve
+feet above the water.
+
+The canoe approached softly. In the bows stood Smith. He was greatly
+excited. Suddenly he seized the arm of the reporter.
+
+“It is he! It can be no other than he.” he cried. “He!——”
+
+Then he fell back upon the seat murmuring a name which Spilett alone
+heard.
+
+Doubtless the reporter knew this name, for it affected him strangely,
+and he answered in a hoarse voice:——
+
+“He! a man outlawed!”
+
+“The same!” said Smith.
+
+Under the engineer’s direction the canoe approached this singular
+floating machine, and came up to it on its left side, from which
+escaped a gleam of light through a thick glass.
+
+Smith and his companions stepped on to the platform. An open hatchway
+was there, down which all descended.
+
+At the bottom of the ladder appeared the waist of the vessel lit up by
+electric light. At the end of the waist was a door, which Smith pushed
+open.
+
+A richly ornamented library, flooded with light, was rapidly crossed by
+the colonists. Beyond, a large door, also closed, was pushed open by
+the engineer.
+
+A vast saloon, a sort of museum, in which were arranged all the
+treasures of the mineral world, works of art, marvels of industry,
+appeared before the eyes of the colonists, who seemed to be transported
+to the land of dreams.
+
+Extended upon a rich divan they saw a man, who seemed unaware of their
+presence.
+
+Then Smith raised his voice, and, to the extreme surprise of his
+companions, pronounced these words:——
+
+“Captain Nemo, you have called us. Here we are.’
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER LVIII.
+
+
+CAPTAIN NEMO—HIS FIRST WORDS—HISTORY OF A HERO OF LIBERTY—HATRED OF THE
+INVADERS—HIS COMPANIONS—THE LIFE UNDER WATER—ALONE—THE LAST REFUGE OF
+THE NAUTILUS—THE MYSTERIOUS GENIUS OF THE ISLAND.
+
+
+At these words the man arose, and the light shone full upon his face: a
+magnificent head, with abundance of hair thrown back from a high
+forehead, a white beard, and an expression of haughtiness.
+
+This man stood, resting one hand upon the divan, from which he had
+risen. One could see that a slow disease had broken him down, but his
+voice was still powerful, when he said in English, and in a tone of
+extreme surprise:——
+
+“I have no name, sir!”
+
+“I know you!” answered Smith.
+
+Captain Nemo looked at the engineer as if he would have annihilated
+him. Then, falling back upon the cushions, he murmured:——
+
+“After all, what does it matter; I am dying!”
+
+Smith approached Captain Nemo, and Spilett took his hand, which was hot
+with fever. The others stood respectfully in a corner of the superb
+saloon, which was flooded with light.
+
+Captain Nemo withdrew his hand, and signed to Smith and the reporter to
+be seated.
+
+All looked at him with lively emotion. Here was the being whom they had
+called the “genius of the island,” the being whose intervention had
+been so efficacious, the benefactor to whom they owed so much. Before
+their eyes, here where Pencroff and Neb had expected to find some
+godlike creature, was only a man-a dying man!
+
+But how did Smith know Captain Nemo? Why had the latter sprung up on
+hearing that name pronounced?
+
+The Captain had taken his seat upon the divan, and, leaning upon his
+arm, he regarded the engineer, who was seated near him.
+
+“You know the name I bore?” he asked.
+
+“I know it as well as I know the name of this admirable submarine
+apparatus.”
+
+“The Nautilus,” said the Captain, with a half smile.
+
+“The Nautilus.”
+
+“But do you know-do you know, who I am?”
+
+“I do.”
+
+“For thirty years I have had no communication with the inhabited world,
+for thirty years have I lived in the depths of the sea, the only place
+where I have found freedom! Who, now, has betrayed my secret?”
+
+“A man who never pledged you his word, Captain Nemo, one who,
+therefore, cannot be accused of betraying you.”
+
+“The Frenchman whom chance threw in my way?”
+
+“The same.”
+
+“Then this man and his companions did not perish in the maelstrom into
+which the Nautilus had been drawn?”
+
+“They did not, and there has appeared under the title of _Twenty
+Thousand Leagues Under the Sea_, a work which contains your history.”
+
+“The history of but a few months of my life, sir,” answered the
+Captain, quickly.
+
+“True,” replied Smith, “but a few months of that strange life sufficed
+to make you known—”
+
+“As a great criminal, doubtless,” said Captain Nemo, smiling
+disdainfully. “Yes, a revolutionist, a scourge to humanity.”
+
+The engineer did not answer.
+
+“Well, sir?”
+
+“I am unable to judge Captain Nemo,” said Smith, “at least in what
+concerns his past life. I, like the world at large, am ignorant of the
+motives for this strange existence, and I am unable to judge of the
+effects without knowing the causes, but what I do know is that a
+beneficent hand has been constantly extended to us since our arrival
+here, that we owe everything to a being good, generous, and powerful,
+and that this being, powerful, generous, and good, is you, Captain
+Nemo!”
+
+“It is I,” answered the captain, quietly.
+
+The engineer and the reporter had risen, the others had drawn near, and
+the gratitude which swelled their hearts would have sought expression
+in words and gesture, when Captain Nemo signed to them to be silent,
+and in a voice more moved, doubtless, than he wished:—
+
+“When you have heard me,” he said. And then, in a few short, clear
+sentences, he told them the history of his life.
+
+The history was brief. Nevertheless, it took all his remaining strength
+to finish it. It was evident that he struggled against an extreme
+feebleness. Many times Smith urged him to take some rest, but he shook
+his head, like one who knew that for him there would be no to-morrow,
+and when the reporter offered his services—
+
+“They are useless,” he answered, “my hours are numbered.”
+
+Captain Nemo was an Indian prince, the Prince Dakkar, the son of the
+rajah of the then independent territory of Bundelkund, and nephew of
+the hero of India, Tippo Saib. His father sent him, when ten years old,
+to Europe, where he received a complete education; and it was the
+secret intention of the rajah to have his son able some day to engage
+in equal combat with those whom he considered as the oppressors of his
+country.
+
+From ten years of age until he was thirty, the Prince Dakkar, with
+superior endowments, of high heart and courage, instructed himself in
+everything; pushing his investigations in science, literature, and art
+to the uttermost limits.
+
+He travelled over all Europe. His birth and fortune made his company
+much sought after, but the seductions of the world possessed no charm
+for him. Young and handsome, he remained serious, gloomy, with an
+insatiable thirst for knowledge, with implacable anger fixed in his
+heart.
+
+He hated. He hated the only country where he had never wished to set
+foot, the only nation whose advances he had refused: he hated England
+more and more as he admired her. This Indian summed up in his own
+person all the fierce hatred of the vanquished against the victor. The
+invader is always unable to find grace with the invaded. The son of one
+of those sovereigns whose submission to the United Kingdom was only
+nominal, the prince of the family of Tippo-Saib, educated in ideas of
+reclamation and vengeance, with a deep-seated love for his poetic
+country weighed down with the chains of England, wished never to place
+his foot on that land, to him accursed, that land to which India owed
+her subjection.
+
+The Prince Dakkar became an artist, with a lively appreciation of the
+marvels of art; a savant familiar with the sciences; a statesman
+educated in European courts. In the eyes of a superficial observer, he
+passed, perhaps, for one of those cosmopolites, curious after
+knowledge, but disdaining to use it; for one of those opulent
+travellers, high-spirited and platonic, who go all over the world and
+are of no one country.
+
+It was not so. This artist, this savant, this man was Indian to the
+heart, Indian in his desire for vengeance, Indian in the hope which he
+cherished of being able some day to re-establish the rights of his
+country, of driving on the stranger, of making it independent.
+
+He returned to Bundelkund in the year 1849. He married a noble Indian
+woman whose heart bled as his did at the woes of their country. He had
+two children whom he loved. But domestic happiness could not make him
+forget the servitude of India. He waited for an opportunity. At length
+it came.
+
+The English yoke was pressed, perhaps, too heavily upon the Indian
+people. The Prince Dakkar became the mouthpiece of the malcontents. He
+instilled into their spirits all the hatred he felt against the
+strangers. He went over not only the independent portions of the Indian
+peninsula, but into those regions directly submitted to the English
+control. He recalled to them the grand days of Tippo-Saib, who died
+heroically at Seringapatam for the defense of his country.
+
+In 1857 the Sepoy mutiny broke forth. Prince Dakkar was its soul. He
+organized that immense uprising. He placed his talents and his wealth
+at the service of that cause. He gave himself; he fought in the first
+rank; he risked his life as the humblest of those heroes who had risen
+to free their country; he was wounded ten times in twenty battles, and
+was unable to find death when the last soldiers of independence fell
+before the English guns.
+
+Never had British rule in India been in such danger; and, had the
+Sepoys received the assistance from without which they had hoped for,
+Asia would not to-day, perhaps, be under the dominion of the United
+Kingdom.
+
+At that time the name of Prince Dakkar was there illustrious. He never
+hid himself, and he fought openly. A price was put upon his head, and
+although he was not delivered up by any traitor, his father, mother,
+wife, and children suffered for him before he knew of the dangers which
+they ran on his account.
+
+Once again right fell before might. Civilization never goes backwards,
+and her laws are like those of necessity. The Sepoys were vanquished,
+and the country of the ancient rajahs fell again under the strict rule
+of England.
+
+Prince Dakkar, unable to die, returned again to his mountains in
+Bundelkund. There, thenceforward alone, he conceived an immense disgust
+against all who bore the name of man—a hatred and a horror of the
+civilized world—and wishing to fly from it, he collected the wreck of
+his fortune, gathered together twenty of his most faithful companions,
+and one day disappeared.
+
+Where did Prince Dakkar seek for that independence which was refused
+him upon the inhabited earth? Under the waters, in the depths of the
+seas, where no one could follow him.
+
+From a man of war he became a man of science. On a desert island of the
+Pacific he established his workshops, and there he constructed a
+submarine ship after plans of his own. By means which will some day be
+known, he utilized electricity, that incommensurable force, for all the
+necessities of his apparatus as a motor, for lighting and for heat. The
+sea, with its infinite treasures, its myriads of fishes, its harvests
+of varech and sargassum, its enormous mammifers, and not only all that
+nature held, but all that man had lost, amply sufficed for the needs of
+the Prince and his equipage;—and thus he accomplished his heart’s
+desire, to have no further communication with the earth. He named his
+submarine ship the Nautilus, he called himself Captain Nemo, and he
+disappeared under the seas.
+
+During many years, the Captain visited all the oceans, from one pole to
+the other. Pariah of the earth, he reaped the treasures of the unknown
+worlds. The millions lost in Vigo Bay, in 1702, by the Spanish
+galleons, furnished him with an inexhaustible mine of wealth, which he
+gave, anonymously, to people fighting for their independence.
+
+For years he had had no communication with his kindred, when, during
+the night of the 6th of November, 1866, three men were thrown upon his
+deck. They were a French professor, his servant, and a Canadian
+fisherman. These men had been thrown overboard by the shock of the
+collision between the Nautilus and the United States frigate Abraham
+Lincoln, which had given it chase.
+
+Captain Nemo learned from the Professor that the Nautilus, sometimes
+taken for a gigantic mammifer of the cetacean family, sometimes for a
+submarine apparatus containing a gang of pirates, was hunted in every
+sea.
+
+Captain Nemo could have thrown these three men, whom chance had thrown
+across his mysterious life, into the ocean. He did not do it, he kept
+them prisoners, and, during seven months, they were able to perceive
+all the marvels of a voyage of 20,000 leagues under the sea.
+
+One day, the 22nd of June, 1867, these three men, who knew nothing of
+Captain Nemo’s past life, seized the boat belonging to the Nautilus and
+attempted to escape. But just then the Nautilus was upon the coast of
+Norway in the eddy of the Maelstrom, and the Captain believed that the
+fugitives, caught in its terrible vortex, had been swallowed up in the
+gulf. He was unaware that the Frenchman and his companions had been
+miraculously thrown upon the coast, that the fishermen of the Loffodin
+Islands had rescued them, and that the Professor, on his return to
+France, had published a book in which seven months of this strange and
+adventurous navigation was narrated.
+
+For a long time Captain Nemo continued this mode of life, traversing
+the sea. One by one his companions died and found their rest in the
+coral cemetery at the bottom of the Pacific, and in time Captain Nemo
+was the last survivor of those who had sought refuge in the depths of
+the oceans.
+
+He was then sixty years old. As he was alone, it was necessary to take
+his Nautilus to one of those submarine ports which served him in former
+days as a harbor.
+
+One of these ports was under Lincoln Island, and was the present asylum
+of the Nautilus. For six years the Captain had remained there awaiting
+that death which would reunite him with his companions, when chance
+made him witness to the fall of the balloon which carried the
+prisoners. Clothed in his impermeable jacket, he was walking under the
+water, some cables’ lengths from the shore of the islet, when the
+engineer was thrown into the sea. A good impulse moved Captain Nemo—and
+he saved Cyrus Smith.
+
+On the arrival of these five castaways he wished to go from them, but
+his port of refuge was closed. Some volcanic action had raised up the
+basalt so that the Nautilus could not cross the entrance to the crypt,
+although there was still sufficient water for a boat of light draught.
+
+Captain Nemo, therefore, remained and watched these men, thrown without
+resources upon a desert island, but he did not wish to be seen. Little
+by little, as he saw their honest, energetic lives, how they were bound
+together in fraternal amity, he interested himself in their efforts. In
+spite of himself, he found out all the secrets of their existence.
+Clothed in his impermeable jacket, he could easily reach the bottom of
+the well in Granite House, and climbing by the projections of the rock
+to its mouth, he heard the colonists talk of their past and discuss
+their present and future. He learned from them of the struggle of
+America against itself, for the abolition of slavery. Yes! these men
+were worthy to reconcile Captain Nemo with that humanity which they
+represented so honestly on the island.
+
+Captain Nemo had saved Smith. It was he who had led the dog to the
+Chimneys, who threw Top out of the water, who stranded the box of
+useful articles on Jetsam Point, who brought the canoe down the Mercy,
+who threw the cord from Granite House, when it was attacked by the
+monkeys, who made known the presence of Ayrton on Tabor Island by means
+of the paper inclosed in the bottle, who blew up the brig by means of a
+torpedo, who saved Herbert from certain death by bringing the quinine,
+who, finally, killed the convicts by those electric balls which he
+employed in his submarine hunting excursions. Thus was explained all
+those seemingly supernatural incidents, which, all of them, attested
+the generosity and the power of the Captain.
+
+Nevertheless, this intense misanthrope thirsted to do good. He had some
+useful advice to give to his proteges, and moreover, feeling the
+approach of death, he had summoned, as we have seen, the colonists from
+Granite House, by means of the wire which reached from the corral to
+the Nautilus. Perhaps he would not have done it, had he thought that
+Smith knew enough of his history to call him by his name of Nemo.
+
+The Captain finished the recital of his life, and then Smith spoke. He
+recalled all the instances of the salutary influences exercised over
+the colonists, and then, in the name of his companions, and in his own,
+he thanked this generous being for all that he had done.
+
+But Captain Nemo had never dreamed of asking any return for his
+services. One last thought agitated his spirit, and, before taking the
+hand which the engineer held out to him, he said:—
+
+“Now, sir, you know my life, judge of it!”
+
+In speaking thus, the Captain evidently alluded to an incident of a
+serious nature which had been witnessed by the three strangers on the
+Nautilus—an incident which the French professor had necessarily
+recounted in his book, an incident whose very recital was terrible.
+
+In brief, some days before the flight of the professor and his
+companions, the Nautilus, pursued by a frigate in the North Atlantic,
+had rushed upon her like a battering-ram, and sunk her without mercy.
+
+Smith, understanding this allusion, made no answer.
+
+“It was an English frigate, sir!” cried Captain Nemo, becoming for the
+moment Prince Dakkar, “an English frigate, you understand! She attacked
+me! I was shut in, in a narrow and shallow bay; I had to pass out,
+and—I passed!”
+
+Then, speaking with more calmness:—
+
+“I had right and justice on my side,” he added. “I did good when I
+could, and evil when I must. All justice is not in forgiveness.”
+
+Some moments of silence followed this response, and Captain Nemo asked
+again:—
+
+“What do you think of me?”
+
+Smith took the hand of the Captain, and answered him in a grave voice:—
+
+“Captain, your mistake has been in believing that you could bring back
+the old order of things, and you have struggled against necessary
+progress. It was one of those errors which some of us admire, others
+blame, but of which God alone can judge, and which the human mind
+exonerates. We can disagree with one who misleads himself in an
+intention which he believes laudable, and at the same time esteem him.
+Your error is of a kind which does not preclude admiration, and your
+name has nothing to fear from the judgment of history. She loves heroic
+follies, though she condemns the results which follow.”
+
+The breast of Captain Nemo heaved; he raised his hand towards heaven.
+
+“Was I wrong, or was I right?” he murmured.
+
+Smith continued:—
+
+“All great actions return to God, from whom they came! Captain Nemo,
+the worthy men here, whom you have succored, will always weep for you!”
+
+Herbert approached him. He knelt down and took the hand of the captain,
+and kissed it.
+
+A tear glistened in the eye of the dying man.
+
+“My child,” he said, “bless you!”
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER LIX.
+
+
+THE LAST HOURS OF CAPTAIN NEMO—HIS DYING WISHES—A SOUVENIR FOR HIS
+FRIENDS—HIS TOMB—SOME COUNSEL TO THE COLONISTS—THE SUPREME MOMENT—AT
+THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA.
+
+
+It was morning, though no ray of daylight penetrated the vault. The
+sea, at this moment high, covered the outlet. But the artificial light
+escaping in long rays from the sides of the Nautilus, had not
+diminished, and the sheet of water around the vessel glowed
+resplendent.
+
+Captain Nemo, overcome by an extreme fatigue, fell back upon the divan.
+They did not dream of transporting him to Granite House, as he had
+shown a wish to remain among the priceless treasures of the Nautilus,
+awaiting that death which could not be long in coming.
+
+Smith and Spilett observed with great attention his prostration. They
+saw that he was slowly sinking. His strength, formerly so great, was
+almost gone, and his body was but a frail envelope for the spirit about
+escaping. All life was concentrated at the heart and brain.
+
+The engineer and the reporter consulted together in low tones. Could
+they do anything for the dying man? Could they, if not save him, at
+least prolong his life for a few days? He himself had said that there
+was no remedy, and he awaited death calmly and without fear.
+
+“We can do nothing,” said Spilett.
+
+“What is he dying of?” asked Pencroff.
+
+“Of exhaustion,” answered the reporter.
+
+“Supposing we take him out into the open air, into the sunlight,
+perhaps he would revive?”
+
+“No, Pencroff,” responded the engineer, “there is nothing to do.
+Moreover, Captain Nemo would not be willing to leave here. He has lived
+on the Nautilus for thirty years, and on the Nautilus he wishes to
+die.”
+
+Doubtless Captain Nemo heard Smith’s words, for, raising himself up a
+little, and speaking in a feeble but intelligible voice, he said:—
+
+“You are right. I wish to die here. And I have a request to make.”
+
+Smith and his companions had gathered round the divan, and they
+arranged the cushions so that the dying man was more comfortably
+placed.
+
+They saw that his gaze was fixed upon the marvels of the saloon, lit up
+by the rays of electric light sifting through the arabesques of the
+luminous ceiling. He looked upon the pictures, those _chefs d’œuvre_ of
+Italian, Flemish, French, and Spanish masters, which hung on the
+tapestried walls, upon the marbles and bronzes, upon the magnificent
+organ at the opposite end of the saloon, upon the glasses arranged
+around a central vase in which were disposed the rarest products of the
+seas, marine plants, zoophytes, chaplets of pearls of an inappreciable
+value, and at length his attention was fixed upon this device, the
+device of the Nautilus inscribed upon the front of this museum:—
+
+MOBILIS IN MOBILI.
+
+
+It seemed as if he wished to caress with his regard, one last time,
+those _chefs d’oeuvre_ of art and nature which had been ever visible to
+him in the years of his sojourn in the depths of the sea!
+
+Smith respected Captain Nemo’s silence. He waited for him to speak.
+
+After some moments, during which passed before him, doubtless, his
+whole life, Cap-Nemo turned to the colonists and said:—
+
+“You wish to do me a favor?”
+
+“Captain, we would give our lives to prolong yours!”
+
+“Well, then, promise me that you will execute my last wishes, and I
+will be repaid for all that I have done for you.”
+
+“We promise,” answered Smith, speaking for his companions and himself.
+
+“To-morrow,” said the Captain, “to-morrow I will be dead.”
+
+He made a sign to Herbert, who was about to protest.
+
+“To-morrow I will be dead, and I wish for no other tomb than the
+Nautilus. It is my coffin! All my friends rest at the bottom of the
+sea, and I wish to rest there also.”
+
+A profound silence followed the words of Captain Nemo.
+
+“Attend to what I say,” he continued. “The Nautilus is imprisoned in
+this grotto. But if she cannot leave this prison, she can at least sink
+herself in the abyss, which will cover her and guard my mortal
+remains.”
+
+The colonists listened religiously to the words of the dying man.
+
+“To-morrow, after I am dead, Mr. Smith,” continued the Captain, “you
+and your companions will leave the Nautilus, all of whose riches are to
+disappear with me. One single remembrance of Prince Dakkar, whose
+history you now know, will remain to you. That coffer, there, encloses
+diamonds worth many millions, most of them souvenirs of the time when,
+a husband and father, I almost believed in happiness, and a collection
+of pearls gathered by my friends and myself from the bottom of the sea.
+With this treasure, you will be able, some time, to accomplish good. In
+your hands and those of your companions, Mr. Smith, wealth will not be
+dangerous. I shall be ever present with you in your works.”
+
+After some moments of rest, necessitated by his extreme feebleness,
+Captain Nemo continued as follows:—
+
+“To-morrow, you will take this coffer, you will leave this saloon, and
+close the door; then you will ascend to the platform of the Nautilus
+and you will bolt down the hatchway.”
+
+“We will do it, sir,” replied Smith.
+
+“Very well. You will then embark in the boat which brought you here.
+But, before abandoning the Nautilus, go to the stern, and there, open
+two large cocks which you will find at the water-line. The water will
+penetrate and the Nautilus will sink beneath the waves and rest upon
+the bottom of the abyss.”
+
+Then, upon a gesture from Smith, the Captain added:—
+
+“Fear nothing! you will only be burying the dead!”
+
+Neither Smith nor his companions could say a word to Captain Nemo.
+These were his last wishes, and they had nothing else to do but obey
+them.
+
+“I have your promise?” asked Captain Nemo.
+
+“You have it, sir,” answered the engineer.
+
+The Captain made a sign thanking them, and then motioned to be left
+alone for a few hours. Spilett insisted on remaining with him, in case
+of an emergency, but the other refused, saying:—
+
+“I will live till morning, sir.”
+
+All left the salon, passing through the library, the dining-room, and
+reached the forward part of the vessel, where the electric apparatus,
+furnishing heat, light, and motive power to the Nautilus was placed.
+
+The Nautilus was a _chef-d’oeuvre_ containing _chefs-d’oeuvre_, which
+filled the engineer with amazement.
+
+The colonists mounted the platform, which rose seven or eight feet
+above the water. Then they saw a thick lenticular glass closing up a
+sort of bull’s-eye, through which penetrated a ray of light. Behind
+this bull’s-eye was the wheel-house, where the steersman stood when
+directing the Nautilus under the sea, by means of the electric light.
+
+Smith and his companions stood here in silence, impressed by what they
+saw, and what they had heard, and their hearts bled to think that he,
+their protector, whose arm had been so often raised to aid them, would
+soon be counted among the dead.
+
+Whatever would be the judgment of posterity upon this, so to say,
+extra-human existence, Prince Dakkar would always remain one of those
+strange characters who cannot be forgotten.
+
+“What a man!” said Pencroff. “Is it credible that he has lived so at
+the bottom of the ocean! And to think that he has not found rest even
+there!”
+
+“The Nautilus,” observed Ayrton, “would, perhaps, have served us to
+leave Lincoln Island and gain some inhabited country.”
+
+“A thousand devils!” cried Pencroff. “You couldn’t get me to steer such
+a craft. To sail over the seas is all very well, but under the
+seas,—no, sir!”
+
+“I think, Pencroff,” said the reporter, “that it would be easy to
+manage a submarine apparatus like the Nautilus, and that we would soon
+get accustomed to it. No storms, no boarding to fear. At some little
+distance under the waves the waters are as calm as those of a lake.”
+
+“That’s likely enough,” answered the sailor, “but give me a stiff
+breeze and a well rigged ship. A ship is made to go on the water and
+not under it.”
+
+“My friends,” said the engineer, “it is useless, at least as far as the
+Nautilus is concerned, to discuss this question of submarine vessels.
+The Nautilus is not ours, and we have no right to dispose of it. It
+could not, moreover, serve us under any circumstances. Aside from the
+fact that it cannot get out of this cavern, Captain Nemo wishes it to
+be engulfed with him after his death. His wish is law, and we will obey
+it.”
+
+Smith and his companions, after talking for a while longer, descended
+into the interior of the Nautilus. There they ate some food and
+returned to the salon.
+
+Captain Nemo had recovered from his prostration, and his eyes had
+regained their brilliancy. They saw a smile upon his lips.
+
+The colonists approached him. “Sirs,” said the Captain, “you are brave
+men, and good and honest. You have given yourselves up to the common
+cause. I have often watched you. I have loved you. I do love you!—Give
+me your hand, Mr. Smith.”
+
+Smith gave his hand to the Captain, who pressed it affectionately.
+
+“That is well!” he murmured. Then he added:—
+
+“But I have said enough about myself. I wish to speak of yourselves and
+of Lincoln Island, on which you have found refuge. You want to leave
+it?”.
+
+“To come back again!” said Pencroff eagerly.
+
+“To return?—Oh! yes, Pencroff,” answered the Captain, smiling, “I know
+how much you love this island. It has been improved by your care, and
+it is, indeed, yours.”
+
+“Our project, Captain,” added Smith, “would be to make it over to the
+United States, and to establish a station, which would be well situated
+here in this part of the Pacific.”
+
+“You think of your country,” replied the Captain. “You work for her
+prosperity, for her glory. You are right. The Fatherland! It is there
+we wish to return! It is there we wish to die! And I, I die far from
+everything that I have loved!”
+
+“Have you no last wish to have executed,” asked the engineer earnestly,
+“no souvenir to send to those friends you left in the mountains of
+India?”
+
+“No, Mr. Smith, I have no friends! I am the last of my race—and I die
+long after those whom I have known.—But to return to yourselves.
+Solitude, isolation are sorrowful things, beyond human endurance. I die
+from having believed that man could live alone!—You wish to leave
+Lincoln Island and to return to your country. I know that these
+wretches have destroyed your boat-”
+
+“We are building a ship,” said Spilett, “a ship large enough to take us
+to the nearest country; but if sooner or later we leave the island, we
+will come back again. Too many associations attach us to the place, for
+us ever to forget it.”
+
+“Here we met Captain Nemo,” said Smith.
+
+“Here only will we find the perfect remembrance of you!” added
+Herbert.”
+
+“It is here that I will rest in an eternal sleep, if—” answered the
+Captain.
+
+He hesitated, and, instead of finishing his sentence, said:—
+
+“Mr. Smith, I wish to speak with you,—with you alone.”
+
+The companions of the engineer retired, and Smith remained for some
+time alone with Captain Nemo. He soon called back his friends, but said
+nothing to them of the secrets which the dying prince had confided to
+him.
+
+Spilett observed the Captain with extreme attention. He was evidently
+living by the strength of his will, which could not long hold out
+against his physical weakness.
+
+The day ended without any change manifesting itself. The colonists did
+not leave the Nautilus. Night came, although unseen in this crypt.
+
+Captain Nemo did not suffer pain, but sunk slowly. His noble face, pale
+by the approach of death, was perfectly calm. Now and then he spoke,
+incoherently, of events in his strange existence.—All saw that life was
+retreating. His feet and hands were already cold.
+
+Once or twice, he spoke a word to the colonists who were about him, and
+he looked upon them with that smile which remained when he was no more.
+
+At last, just after midnight, Captain Nemo made a supreme effort, and
+crossed his arms upon his breast, as if he wished to die in that
+attitude.
+
+Towards 1 o’clock all the life that was left was concentrated in his
+expression. One last spark burned in that eye which had formerly
+flashed fire! Then, murmuring these words, “God and Fatherland,” he
+expired quietly.
+
+Smith, stooping down, closed the eyes of him who had been Prince
+Dakkar, who was no more even Captain Nemo.
+
+Herbert and Pencroff wept. Ayrton wiped away a furtive tear. Neb was on
+his knees near the reporter, who was immobile as a statue.
+
+Smith raising his hand above the head of the dead man:—
+
+“May God receive his soul!” he said, and then, turning towards his
+friends, he added:—
+
+“Let us pray for him whom we have lost!”
+
+
+Some hours later, the colonists, in fulfillment of their promise,
+carried out the last wishes of the dead.
+
+They left the Nautilus, taking with them the sole souvenir of their
+benefactor, the coffer containing a hundred fortunes.
+
+The marvellous salon, still flooded with light, was carefully closed.
+The cover to the hatchway was bolted down in such a manner that not a
+drop of water could penetrate to the inner chambers of the Nautilus.
+Then the colonists entered the boat, which was moored beside the
+submarine ship.
+
+The boat was taken to the stern. There, at the water-line, they opened
+the two large cocks which communicated with the reservoirs designed to
+immerse the apparatus.
+
+The cocks were opened, the reservoirs filled, and the Nautilus, sinking
+slowly, disappeared beneath the sea.
+
+But the colonists were able still to follow her coarse through the
+lower depths. Her strong light lit up the transparent waters, as the
+crypt became darkened. Then at length the vast effusion of electric
+effulgence was effaced, and the Nautilus, the tomb of Captain Nemo,
+rested upon the bottom of the sea.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER LX.
+
+
+THE REFLECTIONS OF THE COLONISTS—RENEWAL OF WORK—THE 1ST OF JANUARY,
+1869—A SMOKE FROM THE VOLCANO—SYMPTOMS OF AN ERUPTION AYRTON AND SMITH
+AT THE CORRAL—EXPLORATION OF THE CRYPT DAKKAR —WHAT CAPTAIN NEMO HAD
+SAID TO THE ENGINEER.
+
+
+In the early morning the colonists reached the entrance of the cavern,
+which they called Crypt Dakkar, in remembrance of Captain Nemo. The
+tide was low, and they easily passed under the archway, whose piers
+were washed by the waves.
+
+The iron boat could remain in this place without danger from the sea;
+but as additional precaution they drew it up on a little beach on one
+side of the crypt.
+
+The storm had ceased during the night. The last mutterings of the
+thunder were dying away in the west. It was not raining, although the
+sky was still clouded. In short, this month of October, the beginning
+of the southern spring, did not come in good fashion, and the wind had
+a tendency to shift from one point of the compass to another, so that
+it was impossible to say what the weather would be.
+
+Smith and his companions, on leaving Crypt Dakkar, went towards the
+corral. On the way Neb and Herbert took care to take up the wire which
+had been stretched by Captain Nemo, as it might be useful in the
+future.
+
+While walking the colonists spoke but little. The incidents of this
+night had made a vivid impression upon them. This unknown, whose
+influence had protected them so well, this man whom they imagined a
+genii, Captain Nemo, was no more. His Nautilus and himself were buried
+in the depths of the abyss. It seemed to each one of them that they
+were more isolated than before. They were, so to speak, accustomed to
+count upon this powerful intervention which to-day was wanting, and
+Spilett, and even Smith, did not escape this feeling. So, without
+speaking, they followed the road to the corral.
+
+By 9 o’clock the colonists were in Granite House again.
+
+It had been agreed that the construction of the ship should be pushed
+forward as rapidly as possible, and Smith gave the work more of his
+time and care than ever before. They did not know what the future might
+bring forth, and it would be a guarantee of safety for them to have a
+strong vessel, able to stand rough weather, and large enough to carry
+them, if need be, a long distance. If, when it was finished, the
+colonists decided not to leave the island they could at least make the
+voyage to Tabor Island and leave a notice there. This was an
+indispensable precaution in case the Scotch yacht returned to these
+seas, and it must on no account be neglected.
+
+The work was undertaken at once. All worked at it without ceasing,
+except to prosecute other necessary work. It was important to have the
+new ship finished in five months, if they wished to make the voyage to
+Tabor Island before the equinoxial storms would render it
+impracticable. All the sails of the Speedy had been saved, so that they
+need not trouble themselves about making rigging.
+
+The year ended in the midst of this work. At the end of two months and
+a half the ribs had been put in place and the planking began, so that
+they were able to see that Smith’s plans were excellent. Pencroff
+worked with ardor, and always grumbled when any of the others left off
+work to go hunting. It was, nevertheless, necessary to lay in a stock
+of provisions for the approaching winter. But that made no difference.
+The honest sailor was unhappy unless every one was at work in the
+ship-yard. At these times he grumbled and did—he was so put out—the
+work of half a dozen men.
+
+All this summer season was bad. The heat was overpowering, and the
+atmosphere, charged with electricity, discharged itself in violent
+storms. It was seldom that the distant muttering of the thunder was
+unheard. It was like a dull, but permanent murmur, such as is produced
+in the equatorial regions of the globe.
+
+On the 1st of January, 1869, a terrific storm burst over the island,
+and the lightning struck in many places. Tall trees were shattered, and
+among them was one of the enormous micocouliers which shaded the
+poultry-yard. Had this meteoric storm any relation to the phenomena
+which were occurring In the bowels of the earth? Was there a sort of
+connection between the disturbances in the air and those in the
+interior of the globe. Smith believed it to be so, since the
+development of these storms was marked by a recrudescence of the
+volcanic symptoms.
+
+On the 3d of January, Herbert, who had gone at daybreak to Prospect
+Plateau to saddle one of the onagers, saw an immense black cloud
+rolling out from the summit of the volcano.
+
+Herbert hastened to inform the others, who came at once to look at the
+mountain.
+
+“Ah!” said Pencroff, “it is not vapor this time! It seems to me that
+the giant is not content to breathe, he must smoke!”
+
+The image employed by the sailor expressed with exactness the change
+which had taken place at the mouth of the volcano. For three months the
+crater had been emitting vapors more or less intense, but there had
+been no ebullition of mineral matters. This time, instead of vapors, a
+thick column of smoke rose, like an immense mushroom, above the summit
+of the mountain.
+
+“The chimney is on fire!” said Spilett.
+
+“And we cannot put it out!” answered Herbert.
+
+“It would be well to sweep the volcanoes,” said Neb, in good earnest.
+
+“All right, Neb,” said Pencroff, laughing. “Will you undertake the
+job?”
+
+Smith looked attentively at the thick smoke, and at the same time he
+listened as if he expected to detect some distant rumbling. Then,
+turning towards his companions, who were at some little distance, he
+said:—
+
+“In truth, my friends, it cannot be denied that an important change has
+taken place. The volcanic matters are not only in a state of
+ebullition, they have taken fire, and, without doubt, we are threatened
+with an eruption!”
+
+“Very well, sir; we will witness this eruption,” cried Pencroff, “and
+we will applaud it if it is a success! I don’t think that anything over
+there need worry us!”
+
+“No, Pencroff,” answered Smith, “for the old course of the lava is
+open, and, thanks to its position, the crater has heretofore discharged
+towards the north. Nevertheless—”
+
+“Nevertheless, since there is nothing to be gained by an eruption, it
+would be better not to have it,” said the reporter.
+
+“Who knows?” replied the sailor. “There may be some useful and precious
+matter in the volcano, which it will be good enough to throw up, which
+will be advantageous for us!”
+
+Smith shook his head, as a man who anticipated nothing good from this
+phenomenon. He did not think so lightly of the consequences of an
+eruption. If the lava, on account of the position of the crater, did
+not menace the wooded and cultivated portions of the island, other
+complications might arise. Eruptions are often accompanied by
+earthquakes, and an island formed, like Lincoln Island, of such
+different materials: basalt on one side, granite on another, lavas to
+the north, a mixed soil inland, material which, therefore, could not be
+solidly bound together, ran the risk of being torn asunder. If,
+therefore, the outpouring of volcanic substances did not threaten
+serious results, any movement in the framework upholding the island
+might be followed by the gravest consequences.
+
+“It seems to me,” said Ayrton, who was kneeling down, with his ear to
+the ground, “it seems to me that I hear a noise, like the rattling of a
+wagon, loaded with iron bars.”
+
+The colonists listened carefully, and were convinced that Ayrton was
+not mistaken. With the rumbling mingled subterranean roaring, making a
+sort of “rinfordzando,” which died away slowly, as if from some violent
+cleavage in the interior of the globe. But no detonation was heard, and
+it was fair to conclude that the smoke and vapor found a free passage
+through the central chimney, and, if the escape-pipe was sufficiently
+large, no explosion need be feared.
+
+“Come,” said Pencroff at length, “shall we not go back to work? Let
+Mount Franklin smoke, brawl, moan, and vomit fire and flames as much as
+it chooses, but that is no excuse for us to quit work! Come, Ayrton,
+Neb, all of you, we want all hands to-day! I want our new Good Luck—we
+will keep the name, will we not?—to be moored in Balloon Harbor before
+two months are passed! So there is not an hour to be lost!”
+
+All the colonists went down to the shipyard and worked steadily all day
+without giving too much thought to the volcano, which could not be seen
+from the beach before Granite House. But once or twice heavy shadows
+obscured the sunlight, and, as the was day perfectly clear, it was
+evident that thick clouds of smoke were passing between the sun’s disc
+and the island. Smith and Spilett noticed these sombre voyagers, and
+talked of the progress that the volcanic phenomenon was making, but
+they did not cease work. It was, moreover, of great importance, in
+every sense, that the ship should be finished with as little delay as
+possible. In the presence of events which might happen, the security of
+the colonists would be better assured. Who could say but that this ship
+might not, some day, be their sole refuge?
+
+That evening, after supper, Smith, Spilett, and Herbert climbed to the
+plateau. It was already dark, and they would be able to distinguish
+whether flames or incandescent matter was mingled with the smoke and
+vapor of the volcano.
+
+“The crater is on fire!” cried Herbert, who, more active than his
+companions, had reached the plateau the first.
+
+Mount Franklin, six miles distant, appeared like a gigantic torch, with
+fuliginous flames twisting about its summit. So much smoke, such
+quantities of scoriæ and cinders, perhaps, were mingled with the
+flames, that their light did not glare upon the shades of night. But a
+sort of dull yellow glow spread over the island, making dimly visible
+the higher masses of forest. Enormous clouds obscured the heavens,
+between which glittered a few stars.
+
+“The progress is rapid,” said the engineer.
+
+“It is not astonishing,” answered the reporter. “The volcano has been
+awake for some time already. You remember, Cyrus, that the first vapors
+appeared about the time we were searching the mountain for the retreat
+of Captain Nemo. That was, if I am not mistaken, about the 15th of
+October.
+
+“Yes” replied Herbert, “two months and a half ago.”
+
+“The subterranean fires have been brooding for ten weeks,” continued
+Spilett, “and it is not astonishing that they develop now with this
+violence.”
+
+“Do not you feel certain vibrations in the ground?” asked Smith.
+
+“I think so,” replied Spilett, “but an earthquake—”
+
+“I did not say that we were menaced by an earthquake,” said Smith, “and
+Heaven preserve us from one! No. These vibrations are due to the
+effervesence of the central fire. The crust of the earth is nothing
+more than the covering of a boiler, and you know how the covering of a
+boiler, under pressure, vibrates like a sonorous plate. That is what is
+happening at this moment.”
+
+“What magnificent flames!” cried Herbert, as a sheaf of fire shot up,
+unobscured by the vapors, from the crater. From its midst luminous
+fragments and bright scintillations were thrown in every direction.
+Some of them pierced the dome of smoke, leaving behind them a perfect
+cloud of incandescent dust. This outpouring was accompanied by rapid
+detonations like the discharge of a battery of mitrailleuses.
+
+Smith, the reporter, and the lad, after having passed an hour on
+Prospect Plateau, returned to Granite House. The engineer was pensive,
+and so much preoccupied that Spilett asked him if he anticipated any
+near danger.
+
+“Yes and no,” responded Smith.
+
+“But the worst that could happen,” said the reporter, “would be an
+earthquake, which would overthrow the island. And I don’t think that is
+to be feared, since the vapors and lava have a free passage of escape.”
+
+“I do not fear an earthquake,” answered Smith, “of the ordinary kind,
+such as are brought about by the expansion of subterranean vapors. But
+other causes may bring about great disaster.”
+
+“For example?”
+
+“I do not know exactly—I must see—I must visit the mountain. In a few
+days I shall have made up my mind.”
+
+Spilett asked no further questions, and soon, notwithstanding the
+increased violence of the volcano, the inhabitants of Granite House
+slept soundly.
+
+Three days passed, the 4th 5th, and 6th of January, during which they
+worked on the ship, and, without explaining himself further, the
+engineer hastened the work as much as possible. Mount Franklin was
+covered with a sinister cloud, and with the flames vomited forth
+incandescent rocks, some of which fell back into the crater. This made
+Pencroff, who wished to look upon the phenomenon from an amusing side,
+say—
+
+“Look! The giant plays at cup and ball! He is a juggler.”
+
+And, indeed, the matters vomited forth fell back into the abyss, and it
+seemed as if the lavas, swollen by the interior pressure, had not yet
+risen to the mouth of the crater. At least, the fracture on the
+northeast, which was partly visible, did not pour forth any torrent on
+the western side of the mountain.
+
+Meanwhile, however pressing the ship-building, other cares required the
+attention of the colonists in different parts of the island. First of
+all, they must go to the corral, where the moufflons and goats were
+enclosed, and renew the provisions for these animals. It was,
+therefore, agreed that Ayrton should go there the next day, and, as it
+was customary for but one to do this work, the others were surprised to
+hear the engineer say to Ayrton:——
+
+“As you are going to the corral to-morrow, I will go with you.”
+
+“Oh! Mr. Smith!” cried the sailor, “our time is very limited, and, if
+you go off in this way, we lose just that much help!”
+
+“We will return the next day,” answered Smith, “but I must go to the
+corral—I wish to see about this eruption.”
+
+“Eruption! Eruption!” answered Pencroff, with a dissatisfied air. “What
+is there important about this eruption? It don’t bother me!”
+
+Notwithstanding the sailor’s protest, the exploration was decided upon
+for the next day. Herbert wanted to go with Smith, but he did not wish
+to annoy Pencroff by absenting himself. So, early the next morning,
+Smith and Ayrton started off with the wagon and onagers.
+
+Over the forest hung huge clouds constantly supplied from Mount
+Franklin with fuliginous matter. They were evidently composed of
+heterogeneous substances. It was not altogether the smoke from the
+volcano that made them so heavy and opaque. Scoriæ in a state of
+powder, pulverized puzzolan and grey cinder as fine as the finest
+fecula, were held in suspension in their thick folds. These cinders
+remain in air, sometimes, for months at a time. After the eruption of
+1783, in Iceland, for more than a year the atmosphere was so charged
+with volcanic powder that the sun’s rays were scarcely visible.
+
+Usually, however, these pulverized matters fall to the earth at once,
+and it was so in this instance. Smith and Ayrton had hardly reached the
+corral, when a sort of black cloud, like fine gunpowder, fell, and
+instantly modified the whole aspect of the ground. Trees, fields,
+everything was covered with a coating several fingers deep. But, most
+fortunately, the wind was from the northeast, and the greater part of
+the cloud was carried off to sea.
+
+“That is very curious,” said Ayrton.
+
+“It is very serious,” answered Smith. This puzzolan, this pulverized
+pumice stone, all this mineral dust in short, shows how deep-seated is
+the commotion in the volcano.
+
+“But there is nothing to be done.”
+
+“Nothing, but to observe the progress of the phenomenon. Employ
+yourself, Ayrton, at the corral, and meanwhile I will go up to the
+sources of Red Creek and examine the state of the mountain on its
+western side. Then——”
+
+“Then, sir?”
+
+“Then we will make a visit to Crypt Dakkar—I wish to see—Well, I will
+come back for you in a couple of hours.”
+
+Ayrton went into the corral, and while waiting for the return of the
+engineer occupied himself with the moufflons and goats, which showed a
+certain uneasiness before these first symptoms of an eruption.
+
+Meantime Smith had ventured to climb the eastern spurs of the mountain,
+and he arrived at the place where his companions had discovered the
+sulphur spring on their first exploration.
+
+How everything was changed! Instead of a single column of smoke, he
+counted thirteen escaping from the ground as if thrust upward by a
+piston. It was evident that the crust of earth was subjected in this
+place to a frightful pressure. The atmosphere was saturated with gases
+and aqueous vapors. Smith felt the volcanic tufa, the pulverulent
+cinders hardened by time, trembling beneath him, but he did not yet see
+any traces of fresh lava.
+
+It was the same with the western slope of the mountain. Smoke and
+flames escaped from the crater; a hail of scoriæ fell upon the soil;
+but no lava flowed from the gullet of the crater, which was another
+proof that the volcanic matter had not attained the upper orifice of
+the central chimney.
+
+“And I would be better satisfied if they had!” said Smith to himself.
+“At least I would be certain that the lavas had taken their accustomed
+route. Who knows if they may not burst forth from some new mouth? But
+that is not the danger! Captain Nemo has well foreseen it! No! the
+danger is not there!”
+
+Smith went forward as far as the enormous causeway, whose prolongation
+enframed Shark Gulf. Here he was able to examine the ancient lava
+marks. There could be no doubt that the last eruption had been at a far
+distant epoch.
+
+Then he returned, listening to the subterranean rumblings, which
+sounded like continuous thunder, and by 9 o’clock he was at the corral.
+
+Ayrton was waiting for him.
+
+“The animals are attended to, sir,” said he.
+
+“All right, Ayrton.”
+
+“They seem to be restless, Mr. Smith.”
+
+“Yes, it is their instinct, which does not mislead them.”
+
+“When you are ready—”
+
+“Take a lantern and tinder, Ayrton, and let us go.”
+
+Ayrton did as he was told. The onagers had been unharnessed and placed
+in the corral, and Smith, leading, took the route to the coast.
+
+They walked over a soil covered with the pulverulent matter which had
+fallen from the clouds. No animal appeared. Even the birds had flown
+away. Sometimes a breeze passed laden with cinders, and the two
+colonists, caught in the cloud, were unable to see. They had to place
+handkerchiefs over their eyes and nostrils or they would have been
+blinded and suffocated.
+
+Under these circumstances they could not march rapidly. The air was
+heavy, as if all the oxygen had been burned out of it, making it unfit
+to breathe. Every now and then they had to stop, and it was after 10
+o’clock when the engineer and his companion reached the summit of the
+enormous heap of basaltic and porphyrytic rocks which formed the
+northwest coast of the island.
+
+They began to go down this abrupt descent, following the detestable
+road, which, during that stormy night had led them to Crypt Dakkar. By
+daylight this descent was less perilous, and, moreover, the covering of
+cinders gave a firmer foothold to the slippery rocks.
+
+The projection was soon attained, and, as the tide was low, Smith and
+Ayrton found the opening to the crypt without any difficulty.
+
+“Is the boat there?” asked the engineer.
+
+“Yes, sir,” answered Ayrton, drawing the boat towards him.
+
+“Let us get in, then, Ayrton,” said the engineer.
+
+The two embarked in the boat. Ayrton lit the lantern, and, placing it
+in the bow of the boat, took the oars, and Smith, taking the tiller,
+steered into the darkness.
+
+The Nautilus was no longer here to illuminate this sombre cavern.
+Perhaps the electric irradiation still shone under the waters, but no
+light came from the abyss where Captain Nemo reposed.
+
+The light of the lantern was barely sufficient to permit the engineer
+to advance, following the right hand wall of the crypt. A sepulchral
+silence reigned in this portion of the vault, but soon Smith heard
+distinctly the mutterings which came from the interior of the earth.
+
+“It is the volcano,” he said.
+
+Soon, with this noise, the chemical combinations betrayed themselves by
+a strong odor, and sulphurous vapors choked the engineer and his
+companion.
+
+“It is as Captain Nemo feared,” murmured Smith, growing pale. “We must
+go on to the end.”
+
+Twenty-five minutes after having left the opening the two reached the
+terminal wall and stopped.
+
+Smith standing on the seat, moved the lantern about over this wall,
+which separated the crypt from the central chimney of the volcano. How
+thick was it? Whether 100 feet or but 10 could not be determined. But
+the subterranean noises were too plainly heard for it to be very thick.
+
+The engineer, after having explored the wall along a horizontal line,
+fixed the lantern to the end of an oar and went over it again at a
+greater height.
+
+There, through scarcely visible cracks, came a pungent smoke, which
+infected the air of the cavern. The wall was striped with these
+fractures, and some of the larger ones came to within a few feet of the
+water.
+
+At first, Smith rested thoughtful. Then he murmured these words:—
+
+“Yes! Captain Nemo was right! There is the danger, and it is terrible!”
+
+Ayrton said nothing, but, on a sign from the engineer, he took up the
+oars, and, a half hour later, he and Smith came out of Crypt Dakkar.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER LXI
+
+
+SMITH’S RECITAL—HASTENING THE WORK—A LAST VISIT TO THE CORRAL—THE
+COMBAT BETWEEN THE FIRE AND THE WATER—THE ASPECT OF THE ISLAND—THEY
+DECIDE TO LAUNCH THE SHIP—THE NIGHT OF THE 8TH OF MARCH.
+
+
+The next morning, the 8th of January, after a day and night passed at
+the corral, Smith and Ayrton returned to Granite House.
+
+Then the engineer assembled his companions, and told them that Lincoln
+Island was in fearful danger—a danger which no human power could
+prevent.
+
+“My friends,” said he,—and his voice betrayed great emotion,—“Lincoln
+Island is doomed to destruction sooner or later; the cause is in itself
+and there is no means of removing it!”
+
+The colonists looked at each other. They did not understand him.
+
+“Explain yourself, Cyrus,” said Spilett.
+
+“I will, or rather I will give you the explanation which Captain Nemo
+gave me, when I was alone with him.”
+
+“Captain Nemo!” cried the colonists.
+
+“Yes; it was the last service he rendered us before he died.”
+
+“The last service!” cried Pencroff. “The last service! You think,
+because he is dead, that he will help us no more!”
+
+“What did he say?” asked the reporter.
+
+“This, my friends,” answered the engineer. “Lincoln Island is not like
+the other islands of the Pacific, and a particular event, made known to
+me by Captain Nemo, will cause, sooner or later, the destruction of its
+submarine framework.”
+
+“Destruction of Lincoln Island! What an idea!” cried Pencroff, who, in
+spite of his respect for Smith, could not help shrugging his shoulders.
+
+“Listen to me, Pencroff,” continued the engineer. “This is what Captain
+Nemo ascertained and what I verified yesterday In Crypt Dakkar. The
+crypt extends under the island as far as the volcano, and is only
+separated from the central chimney by the wall. Now this wall is seamed
+with fractures and cracks, through which the sulphurous gas is already
+escaping.”
+
+“Well?” asked Pencroff, wrinkling his forehead.
+
+“Well, I have ascertained that these fractures are widening under the
+pressure from within, that the basalt wall la gradually bursting open,
+and that, sooner or later, it will give a passage to the waters of the
+sea.”
+
+“That’s all right!” exclaimed Pencroff, trying still to make light of
+the subject. “That’s all right! The sea will put out the volcano, and
+that will be the end of it.”
+
+“Yes, that will be the end of it!” answered Smith. “On the day that the
+sea rushes through the wall and penetrates by the central chimney to
+the bowels of the island, where the eruptive matter is boiling, on that
+day, Pencroff, Lincoln Island will go up, as Sicily would go up, if the
+Mediterranean was emptied into Aetna!”
+
+The colonists made no reply. They understood the threatened danger.
+
+It was no longer doubtful that the island was menaced by a frightful
+explosion. That it would last only as long as the wall to Crypt Dakkar
+remained intact. This was not a question of months, nor of weeks, bat
+of days, of hours, perhaps!
+
+The first sensation the colonists experienced was one of profound
+sorrow. They did not think of the peril which menaced them directly,
+but of the destruction of that land which had given them asylum, of
+that island which they had cultivated, which they loved, which they
+wished to render so prosperous some day! All their labor uselessly
+employed, all their work lost!
+
+Pencroff did not attempt to hide the tears which rolled down his
+cheeks.
+
+They talked for some little time longer. The chances which they might
+count upon were discussed; but, in conclusion, they realized that not
+an hour was to be lost; that the ship must be completed as soon as
+possible, as, now, it was the only chance of safety left, to the
+inhabitants of Lincoln Island!
+
+All hands were required. Where was the use, now, of sowing, or
+harvesting, of hunting or increasing the reserve at Granite House? The
+present contents of the magazine were sufficient to provision the ship
+for as long a voyage as she could make! What was necessary was that
+these should be at
+
+the disposal of the colonists before the accomplishment of the
+inevitable catastrophe.
+
+The work was undertaken with feverish eagerness. By the 23d of January
+the ship was half planked. Up to this time there had been no change in
+the volcano. It was always the vapors, the smoke mixed with flames and
+pierced by incandescent stones, which escaped from the crater. But
+during the night of the 23d the upper cone, which formed the cap of the
+volcano, was lifted off by the pressure of the lava, which had reached
+the level of the lower cone. A terrible noise was heard. The colonists,
+believing that the island was going to pieces, rushed out of Granite
+House.
+
+It was 2 o’clock in the morning. The heavens were on fire. The upper
+cone—a mass a thousand feet high, and weighing thousands of millions of
+pounds—had been thrown upon the island, making the earth tremble.
+Happily, this cone leaned to the north, and it fell upon the plain of
+sand and tufa which lay between the volcano and the sea. The crater, by
+this means greatly widened, threw towards the sky a light so intense,
+that, by the simple effect of reverberation, the atmosphere seemed to
+be incandescent. At the same time a torrent of lava swelled up over
+this new summit, falling in long streams, like water escaping from an
+overflowing vase, and a thousand fiery serpents writhed upon the talus
+of the volcano.
+
+“The corral! The corral!” cried Ayrton.
+
+It was, indeed, towards the corral that the lava took their way,
+following the slope of the new crater, and, consequently, the fertile
+parts of the island. The sources of Red Creek, and Jacamar Wood were
+threatened with immediate destruction.
+
+At the cry of Ayrton, the colonists had rushed towards the stable of
+the onagers, and harnessed the animals. All had but one thought. To fly
+to the corral and let loose the beasts confined there.
+
+Before 3 o’clock they were there. Frightful cries indicated the terror
+of the moufflons and goats. Already a torrent of incandescent matter,
+of liquified minerals, fell over the mountain spur upon the plain,
+destroying that side of the palisade. The gate was hastily opened by
+Ayrton, and the animals, wild with terror, escaped in every direction.
+
+An hour later the boiling lava filled the corral, volatilizing the
+water of the little brook which traversed it, firing the house, which
+burned like a bit of stubble, devouring to the last stake the
+surrounding palisade. Nothing was left of the corral.
+
+The colonists wanted to struggle against this invasion; they had tried
+it, but foolishly and uselessly: man is helpless before these grand
+cataclysms.
+
+The morning of the 24th arrived. Smith and his companions, before
+returning to Granite House, wished to observe the definite direction
+which this inundation of lava would take. The general slope of the
+ground from Mount Franklin was towards the east coast, and it was to be
+feared that, notwithstanding the thick Jacamar Woods, the torrent would
+extend to Prospect Plateau.
+
+“The lake will protect us,” said Spilett.
+
+“I hope so,” answered Smith. But that was all he said.
+
+The colonists would have liked to have advanced as far as the place on
+which the upper cone of Mount Franklin abutted, but their passage was
+barred by the lavas, which followed, on the one hand, the valley of Red
+Creek, and, on the other, the course of Fall River, vaporizing these
+two streams in their passage. There was no possible way of crossing
+this stream; it was necessary, on the contrary, to fly before it. The
+flattened volcano was no longer recognizable. A sort of smooth slab
+terminated it, replacing the old crater. Two outlets, broken in the
+south and east sides, poured forth unceasing streams of lava, which
+formed two distinct currents. Above the new crater, a cloud of smoke
+and cinders mixed with the vapors of the sky, and hung over the island.
+Peals of thunder mingled with the rumbling of the mountain. Burning
+rocks were thrown up thousands of feet, bursting in the sky and
+scattering like grape-shot. The heavens answered with lightning-flashes
+the eruption of the volcano.
+
+By 7 o’clock the colonists were no longer able to keep their position
+on the edge of Jacamar Wood. Not only did the projectiles begin to fall
+about them, but the lavas, overflowing the bed of Red Creek, threatened
+to cut off the road from the corral. The first ranks of trees took
+fire, and their sap, vaporized, made them explode like fire-crackers;
+while others, less humid, remained intact in the midst of the
+inundation.
+
+The colonists started back. The torrent, owing to the slope of the
+land, gained eastward rapidly, and as the lower layers of lava
+hardened, others, boiling, covered them.
+
+Meantime the principal current in the Red Creek Valley became more and
+more threatening. All that part of the forest was surrounded, and
+enormous clouds of smoke rolled above the trees, whose roots were
+already in the lava.
+
+The colonists stopped at the lake shore, half a mile from the mouth of
+Red Creek. A question of life or death was about to be decided for
+them. Smith, accustomed to think and reason in the presence of danger,
+and aware that he was speaking to men who could face the truth,
+whatever it might be, said to them:—
+
+“Either the lake will arrest this current, and a part of the island
+will be preserved from complete devastation, or the current will invade
+the forests of the Far West, and not a tree, not a plant will be left
+upon the face of the ground. We will have, upon these rocks stripped of
+life, the prospect of a death which the explosion of the island may
+anticipate!
+
+“Then,” cried Pencroff, crossing his arms and stamping his foot on the
+ground, “it is useless to work on the ship! Isn’t that so?”
+
+“Pencroff,” answered Smith, “it is necessary to do one’s duty to the
+end.”
+
+At this moment, the flood of lava, after having eaten its way through
+the splendid trees of the forest, neared the lake. There was a certain
+depression in the ground, which, if it had been larger, might, perhaps,
+suffice to hold the torrent.
+
+“Let us try!” cried Smith.
+
+The idea of the engineer was instantly understood by all. It was
+necessary to dam, so to speak, this torrent and force it into the lake.
+
+The colonists ran to the shipyard and brought back from there shovels,
+picks, and hatchets, and by means of earthworks and hewn trees they
+succeeded, in a few hours, in raising a barrier three feet high and
+some hundreds of feet long. It seemed to them, when they had finished,
+that they had not worked more than a few minutes!
+
+It was time. The liquified matter already reached the extremity of the
+barrier. The flood spread like a swollen river seeking to overflow its
+banks and threatening to break down the only obstacle which could
+prevent its devastating all the Far West. But the barrier was
+sufficient to withstand it, and, after one terrible moment of
+hesitation, it precipitated itself into Lake Grant by a fall twenty
+feet high.
+
+The colonists, breathless, without a word, without a gesture, looked
+upon this struggle of the elements.
+
+What a sight was this, the combat between fire and water! What pen can
+describe this scene of marvellous horror; what pencil can portray it?
+The water hissed and steamed at the contact of the boiling lavas. The
+steam was thrown, whirling, to an immeasurable height in the air, as if
+the valves of an immense boiler had been suddenly opened. But, great as
+was the mass of water contained in the lake, it must, finally, be
+absorbed, since it was not renewed, while the torrent, fed from an
+inexhaustible source, was ceaselessly pouring in fresh floods of
+incandescent matter.
+
+The first lavas which fell into the lake solidified at once, and
+accumulated in such a manner as soon to emerge above the surface. Over
+these slid other lavas, which in their turn became stone, forming a
+breakwater, which threatened to fill up the lake, which could not
+overflow, as its surplus water was carried off in steam. Hissings and
+shrivellings filled the air with a stunning noise, and the steam,
+carried off by the wind, fell to the ground in rain. The jetty spread,
+and where formerly had been peaceable waters appeared an enormous heap
+of smoking rocks, as if some upheaval of the ground had raised these
+thousands of reefs. If one can imagine these waters tossed about by a
+storm, and then suddenly solidified by cold, he will have the
+appearance of the lake three hours after the irresistible torrent had
+poured into it.
+
+This time the water had been overcome by the fire.
+
+Nevertheless, it was a fortunate thing for the colonists that the lavas
+had been turned into the lake. It gave them some days’ respite.
+Prospect Plateau, Granite House, and the ship-yard were safe for the
+moment. In these few days they must plank and caulk the vessel, launch
+it, and take refuge upon it, rigging it after it was on the sea. With
+the fear of the explosion menacing the destruction of the island, it
+was no longer safe to remain on land. Granite House, so safe a retreat
+up to this time, might, at any moment, fall!
+
+During the next six days, the colonists worked on the ship with all
+their might. Sleeping but little, the light of the flames from the
+volcano permitted them to work by night as well as by day. The eruption
+continued without cessation, but, perhaps, less abundantly. A fortunate
+circumstance, since Lake Grant was nearly full; and if fresh lavas had
+slid over the surface of the former layers, they would inevitably have
+spread over Prospect Plateau and from there to the shore.
+
+But while this part of the island was partially protected it was
+otherwise with the west coast.
+
+The second current of lava, following the valley of Fall River, met
+with no obstacle. The ground on either side of the bank was low, and
+the incandescent liquid was spread through the forest of the Far West.
+At this season of the year the trees were dried by the warmth of the
+summer and took fire instantly, and the high interlacing branches
+hastened the progress of the conflagration. It seemed as if the current
+of flame traversed the surface of the forest more swiftly than the
+current of lavas its depths.
+
+The beasts and birds of the woods sought refuge on the shore of the
+Mercy and in the marshes of Tadorn’s Fens. But the colonists were too
+busy to pay any attention to these animals. They had, moreover,
+abandoned Granite House; they had not even sought refuge in the
+Chimneys, but they camped in a tent near the mouth of the Mercy.
+
+Every day Smith and Spilett climbed up to Prospect Plateau. Sometimes
+Herbert went with them, but Pencroff never. The sailor did not wish to
+look upon the island in its present condition of devastation.
+
+It was, indeed, a desolate spectacle. All its wooded part was now
+denuded. One single group of green trees remained on the extremity of
+Serpentine Peninsula. Here and there appeared some blackened stumps.
+The site of the forests was more desolate than Tadorn’s Fens. The
+invasion of the lavas had been complete. Where formerly had been a
+pleasant verdure, was now nothing but a waste covered with volcanic
+tufa. The valleys of Fall River and Red Creek contained no water, and
+if Lake Grant had been completely filled up, the colonists would have
+had no means to slack their thirst. But fortunately its southern
+extremity had been spared, and formed a sort of pool, which held all
+the fresh water remaining on the island. To the northwest the spurs of
+the mountain, in jagged outline, looked like a gigantic claw grasping
+the ground. What a doleful spectacle! What a frightful aspect! How
+grevious for the colonists, who, from a domain, fertile, wooded,
+
+traversed by water-courses, enriched by harvests, found themselves, in
+an instant, reduced to a devastated rock, upon which, without their
+stores, they would not have had the means of living.
+
+“It is heart-breaking!” said the reporter.
+
+“Yes, Spilett,” answered the engineer. And pray heaven that we are
+given time to finish the ship, which is now our sole refuge!”
+
+“Does it not seem to you, Cyrus, that the volcano is subsiding? It
+still vomits lava, but, I think, less freely!”
+
+“It matters little,” answered Smith. “The fire is still fierce in the
+bowels of the mountain, and the sea may rush in there at any moment. We
+are like persons on a ship devoured by a fire which they cannot
+control, who know that sooner or later the flames will reach the powder
+magazine. Come, Spilett, come, we have not an hour to lose!”
+
+For eight days longer, that is to say until the 8th of February, the
+lavas continued to flow, but the eruption confined itself to the limits
+described. Smith feared more than anything else an overflow of the
+lavas on to the beach, in which case the ship-yard would be destroyed.
+But about this time the colonists felt vibrations in the ground which
+gave them the greatest uneasiness.
+
+The 20th of February arrived. A month longer was necessary to fit the
+ship for sea. Would the island last that long? It was Smith’s intention
+to launch her as soon as her hull should be sufficiently caulked. The
+deck, lining, arranging the interior, and the rigging could be done
+afterwards, but the important thing was to secure a refuge off the
+island. Perhaps it would be better to take the vessel round to Balloon
+Harbor, the point farthest from the eruptive centre, as, at the mouth
+of the Mercy, between the islet and the granite wall, she ran the risk
+of being crushed, in case of a breaking up of the island. Therefore,
+all the efforts of the workmen were directed to completing the hull.
+
+On the 3d of March they were able to calculate that the ship could be
+launched in twelve days.
+
+Hope returned to the hearts of these colonists, who had been so sorely
+tried during this fourth year of their sojourn on Lincoln Island! Even
+Pencroff was roused from the taciturnity into which he had been plunged
+by the ruin and devastation of his domain. He thought of nothing else
+but the ship, on which he concentrated all his hopes.
+
+“We will finish her!” he said to the engineer, “we will finish her, Mr.
+Smith, and it is high time, for you see how far advanced the season is,
+and it will soon be the equinox. Well, if it is necessary, we will
+winter at Tabor Island! But Tabor Island after Lincoln Island! Alas!
+how unlucky I am! To think that I should live to see such a thing as
+this!”
+
+“Let us make haste!” was the invariable answer of the engineer.
+
+And every one worked unceasingly.
+
+“Master,” asked Neb, some days later, “if Captain Nemo had been alive,
+do you think this would have happened?”
+
+“Yes, Neb,” answered the engineer.
+
+“I don’t think so!” whispered Pencroff to the negro.
+
+“Nor I!” replied Neb.
+
+During the first week in March Mount Franklin became again threatening.
+Thousands of threads of glass, made by the fluid lavas, fell like rain
+to the ground. The crater gave forth fresh torrents of lava that flowed
+down every side of the volcano. These torrents flowed over the surface
+of hardened lava, and destroyed the last vestiges of the trees which
+had survived the first eruption. The current, this time following the
+southwest shore of Lake Grant, flowed along Glycerine Creek and invaded
+Prospect Plateau. This last calamity was a terrible blow to the
+colonists; of the mill, the poultry-yard, the stables, nothing
+remained. The frightened inhabitants of these places fled in every
+direction. Top and Jup gave signs of the utmost terror, and their
+instinct warned them of an impending disaster. A large number of
+animals had perished in the first eruption, and those which survived
+had found their only refuge in Tadorn’s Fens, and on Prospect Plateau.
+But this last retreat was now closed from them, and the torrent of lava
+having reached the edge of the granite wall, began to fall over on to
+the shore in cataracts of fire. The sublime horror of this spectacle
+passes all description. At night it looked like a Niagara of molten
+matter, with its incandescent spray rising on high and its boiling
+masses below!
+
+The colonists were driven to their last refuge, and, although the upper
+seams were uncaulked, they resolved to launch their ship into the sea!
+
+Pencroff and Ayrton made the preparations for this event, which was to
+take place on the morning of the next day, the 9th of March.
+
+But, during that night, an enormous column of steam escaped from the
+crater, rising in the midst of terrific detonations to a height of more
+than 3,000 feet. The wall of Crypt Dakkar had given way under the
+pressure of the gas, and the sea, pouring
+
+through the central chimney into the burning gulf, was turned into
+steam!
+
+The crater was not a sufficient vent for this vapor!
+
+An explosion, which could have been heard a hundred miles away, shook
+the very heavens! Fragments of the mountain fell into the Pacific, and,
+in a few minutes, the ocean covered the place where Lincoln Island had
+been!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER LXII.
+
+
+AN ISOLATED ROCK IN THE PACIFIC—THE LAST REFUGE OF THE COLONISTS—THE
+PROSPECT OF DEATH—UNEXPECTED SUCCOR—HOW AND WHY IT CAME—THE LAST GOOD
+ACTION—AN ISLAND ON TERRA FIRMA-THE TOMB OF CAPTAIN NEMO.
+
+
+An isolated rock, thirty feet long, fifteen feet wide, rising ten feet
+above the surface of the water, this was the sole solid point which had
+not vanished beneath the waves of the Pacific.
+
+It was all that remained of Granite House! The wall had been thrown
+over, then broken to pieces, and some of the rocks of the great hall
+had been so heaped together as to form this culminating point. All else
+had disappeared in the surrounding abyss: the lower cone of Mount
+Franklin, torn to pieces by the explosion; the lava jaws of Shark Gulf;
+Prospect Plateau, Safety Islet, the granite of Balloon Harbor; the
+basalt of Crypt Dakkar; Serpentine Peninsula—had been precipitated into
+the eruptive centre! All that remained of Lincoln Island was this rock,
+the refuge of the six colonists and their dog Top.
+
+All the animals had perished in the catastrophe. The birds as well as
+the beasts, all were crashed or drowned, and poor Jup, alas! had been
+swallowed up in some crevasse in the ground!
+
+Smith, Spilett, Herbert, Pencroff, Neb, and Ayrton had survived,
+because, being gathered together in their tent, they had been thrown
+into the sea, at the moment when the debris of the island rained down
+upon the water.
+
+When they came again to the surface they saw nothing but this rock,
+half a cable length away, to which they swam.
+
+They had been here nine days! Some provisions, brought from the
+magazine of Granite House before the catastrophe, a little soft water
+left by the rain in the crevice of the rock—this was all that the
+unfortunates possessed. Their last hope, their ship, had been broken to
+pieces. They had no means of leaving this reef. No fire, nor anything
+with which to make it. They were doomed to perish!
+
+This day, the 18th of March, there remained a supply of food, which,
+with the strictest care, could last but forty-eight hours longer. All
+their knowledge, all their skill, could avail them nothing now. They
+were entirely at God’s mercy.
+
+Smith was calm, Spilett somewhat nervous, and Pencroff, ready to throw
+himself into the sea. Herbert never left the engineer; and gazed upon
+him, as if demanding the succor which he could not give. Neb and Ayrton
+were resigned after their manner.
+
+“Oh, misery! misery!” repeated Pencroff. “If we had but a walnut-shell
+to take us to Tabor Island! But nothing; not a thing!”
+
+“And Captain Nemo is dead!” said Neb.
+
+During the five days which followed, Smith and his companions ate just
+enough of the supply of food to keep them from famishing. Their
+feebleness was extreme. Herbert and Neb began to show signs of
+delirium.
+
+In this situation had they a shadow of hope? No! What was their sole
+chance? That a ship would pass in sight of the rock? They knew, by
+experience, that ships never visited this part of the Pacific. Could
+they count, then, by a coincidence which would be truly providential,
+upon the Scotch yacht coming just at this time to search for Ayrton at
+Tabor Island? It was not probable. And, moreover, supposing that it
+came, since the colonists had placed no notice there indicating the
+place where Ayrton was to be found, the captain of the yacht, after a
+fruitless search of the island, would proceed at once to regain the
+lower latitudes.
+
+No! they could entertain no hope of being saved, and a horrible death,
+a death by hunger and thirst, awaited them upon this rock!
+
+Already they lay stretched out, inanimate, unconscious of what was
+going on around them. Only, Ayrton, by a supreme effort, raised his
+head, and cast a despairing look over this desert sea!
+
+But, behold! on this morning of the 24th of March, Ayrton extended his
+arms towards some point in space; he rose up, first to his knees, then
+stood upright; he waved his hand—
+
+A ship was in sight of the island! This ship did not sail these seas at
+hap-hazard. The reef was the point towards which she directed her
+course, crowding on all steam, and the unfortunates would have seen her
+many hours before, had they had the strength to scan the horizon!
+
+“The Duncan!” murmured Ayrton, and then he fell senseless upon the
+rock.
+
+
+When Smith and his companions regained consciousness, thanks to the
+care lavished upon them, they found themselves in the cabin of a
+steamer, unaware of the manner in which they had escaped death.
+
+A word from Ayrton was sufficient to enlighten them.
+
+“It is the Duncan,” he murmured.
+
+“The Duncan!” answered Smith. And then, raising his arms to heaven, he
+exclaimed:—
+
+“Oh, all powerful Providence! thou hast wished that we should be
+saved!”
+
+It was, indeed, the Duncan, Lord Glenarvan’s yacht, at this time
+commanded by Robert, the son of Captain Grant, who had been sent to
+Tabor Island to search for Ayrton and bring him home after twelve years
+of expatriation!
+
+The colonists were saved, they were already on the homeward route!
+
+“Captain Robert,” asked Smith, “what suggested to you the idea, after
+leaving Tabor Island, where you were unable to find Ayrton, to come in
+this direction?”
+
+“It was to search, not only for Ayrton, Mr. Smith, but for you and your
+companions!”
+
+“My companions and myself?”
+
+“Doubtless! On Lincoln Island!”
+
+“Lincoln Island!” cried the others, greatly astonished.
+
+“How did you know of Lincoln Island?” asked Smith. “It is not on the
+maps.”
+
+“I knew of it by the notice which you left on Tabor Island,” answered
+Grant.
+
+“The notice?” cried Spilett.
+
+“Certainly, and here it is,” replied the other, handing him a paper
+indicating the exact position of the Lincoln Island, “the actual
+residence of Ayrton and of five American colonists.”
+
+“Captain Nemo!” said Smith, after having read the notice, and
+recognized that it was in the same handwriting as the paper found at
+the corral.
+
+“Ah!” said Pencroff, “it was he who took our Good Luck, he who ventured
+alone to Tabor Island!”
+
+“To place this notice there!” answered Herbert.
+
+“Then I was right when I said,” cried the sailor, “that he would do us
+a last service even after his death!”
+
+“My friends,” said Smith, in a voice moved by emotion, “may the God of
+sinners receive the soul of Captain Nemo; he was our savior!”
+
+The colonists, uncovering as Smith spake thus, murmured the name of the
+captain.
+
+Then Ayrton, approaching the engineer, said to him, simply:—
+
+“What shall be done with the coffer?”
+
+Ayrton had saved this coffer at the risk of his life, at the moment
+when the island was engulfed. He now faithfully returned it to the
+engineer.
+
+“Ayrton! Ayrton!” exclaimed Smith, greatly affected.
+
+Then addressing Grant:—
+
+“Captain,” he said, “where you left a criminal, you have found a man
+whom expiation has made honest, and to whom I am proud to give my
+hand!”
+
+Thereupon Grant was informed of all the strange history of Captain Nemo
+and the colonists of Lincoln Island. And then, the bearings of this
+remaining reef having been taken, Captain Grant gave the order to go
+about.
+
+Fifteen days later the colonists landed in America, which they found at
+peace after the terrible war which had ended in the triumph of justice
+and right. Of the wealth contained in the coffer, the greater part was
+employed in the purchase of a vast tract of land in Iowa. One single
+pearl, the most beautiful of all, was taken from the treasure and sent
+to Lady Glenarvan in the name of the castaways, who had been rescued by
+the Duncan.
+
+To this domain the colonists invited to labor—that is, to fortune and
+to happiness—all those whom they had counted on receiving at Lincoln
+Island. Here they founded a great colony, to which they gave the name
+of the island which had disappeared in the depths of the Pacific. They
+found here a river which they called the Mercy, a mountain to which
+they gave the name of Franklin, a little lake which they called Lake
+Grant, and forests which became the forests of the Far West. It was
+like an island on terra-firma.
+
+Here, under the skillful hand of the engineer and his companions,
+everything prospered. Not one of the former colonists was missing, for
+they had agreed always to live together, Neb wherever his master was,
+Ayrton always ready to sacrifice himself, Pencroff a better farmer than
+he had been a sailor, Herbert who finished his studies under Smith’s
+direction, Spilett who founded the New Lincoln _Herald_, which was the
+best edited journal in the whole world.
+
+Here Smith and his companions often received visits from Lord and Lady
+Glenarvan, from Captain John Mangles and his wife, sister to Robert
+Grant, from Robert Grant himself, from Major MacNabbs, from all those
+who had been mixed up in the double history of Captain Grant and
+Captain Nemo.
+
+Here, finally, all were happy, united in the present as they had been
+in the past; but never did they forget that island upon which they had
+arrived poor and naked, that island which, for four years, had sufficed
+for all their needs, and of which all that remained was a morsel of
+granite, beaten by the waves of the Pacific, the tomb of him who was
+Captain Nemo!
+
+THE END.
+
+GLOSSARY.
+
+AGOUTI. A genus of rodent animals, the size of a rabbit, but more like
+the squirrel in appearance, with the exception of the tail, which is a
+short, bare stump. When at rest, they sit upon their haunches, holding
+their food between their fore-paws.
+
+ALBATROSS. A genus of large, web-footed, acquatic birds, possessing
+prodigious powers of flight. Its wings, when extended, sometimes
+measure 15 feet.
+
+ALGAROBA BEANS. The seeds of the algaroba or carob tree. These seeds
+were formerly used by jewellers as weights, and the sweetish honey in
+the seed-pod is supposed by some to be the wild honey upon which St.
+John lived in the wilderness. Animals, especially horses, are fond of
+the bean.
+
+AI. The three-toed sloth. The only animal which can neither walk nor
+stand. It is herbivorous, and lives in trees, moving suspended from a
+branch by its long and powerful arms.
+
+ANTHROPOMORPHI. Animals resembling human beings in form.
+
+APYREXY. The intermission of a fever.
+
+ARADS. An order of plants of which dragon-root, or jack-in-the-pulpit
+is a familiar example. Portland sago is made from the corms of some of
+these plants.
+
+ARGALL. A species of moufflon or wild sheep.
+
+AZOTH. The old name for nitrogen.
+
+BALEEN. The substance called whale-bone.
+
+BALLISTIC. Relating to engines for throwing missiles; such as the
+ancient ballista.
+
+BANKSIA. A genus of plants remarkable for the beauty of their flowers
+and their evergreen foliage. They are sometimes called honey-suckle
+trees.
+
+BUSTARD. A kind of wild turkey inhabiting the open plains of Europe,
+Asia and Africa.
+
+CABIAI. The largest known rodent. _Hystricidæ_. from its aquatic habits
+it is sometimes called a water-hog.
+
+CARAPACE. A thick, solid shell covering some reptiles, as the turtle.
+
+CASAURINÆ. Tropical plants, so named on account of the resemblance
+their leaves bear to the drooping feathers of the cassowary. For this
+reason they are sometimes called cassowary trees.
+
+CASSOWARY. A large, long-legged bird of the ostrich family, famous for
+its speed in running.
+
+CATACLYSM. An inundation or deluge.
+
+CELLULOSE. Called also celluline. A substance which constitutes the
+cellular tissue of all plants.
+
+CEMENTATION. The process of changing the properties of bodies by
+heating them in contact with the powder of other substances.
+
+CETACEA. The name of the genus of marine animals which includes whales,
+dolphins, etc.
+
+CINCHONIA. A vegetable alkali found in the cinchona,—a genus of trees
+found in Peru,—the bark of which is much used as a febrifugal, and is
+known as Peruvian Bark. Cinchonia is not much used in medicine.
+
+COCKATOO. A genus of birds of the parrot family, distinguished from all
+other parrots by a crest of feathers on the head, which the bird can
+raise or depress at pleasure.
+
+CONIFERS. _Coniferæ_. An order of cone-bearing plants, including
+fir-trees, pines, cedars, junipers, etc.
+
+CO-ORDINATES. A system of lines and angles by which the position of any
+point may be determined with reference to a fixed point.
+
+CORM. The solid, underground stem of a plant, like the bulb of a tulip;
+differing, however, from a bulb in being solid.
+
+COUROUCOUS. Birds of the warbler family, which, excepting the humming
+bird family, contains the smallest birds in the world. The Nightingale,
+Wood wren and Golden-crests are familiar examples.
+
+CURASSOW. A gallinaceous bird, about the size of turkeys, and capable
+of domestication.
+
+CYCAS. A genus of trees intermediate between the palms and the ferns,
+cultivated in China, and valued for its pith, which furnishes a kind of
+sago.
+
+DEODAR. The Himalayan cedar. A genus of trees belonging to the order
+_Pinaccæ_; the same order as the cedars of Lebanon, celebrated for its
+beauty, its longevity, its magnitude, and the durability of its timber.
+
+DUGONG. An herbivorous mammal having an elongated body, with flippers
+near the head, and terminated by a crescent-shaped tail. It drags
+itself along the shore and browses on the herbage that grows along the
+banks of the rivers which it frequents.
+
+ECHIDNA. A genus of ovoviparous mammals, which have the general form of
+the ant-eater, but the body is covered with spines like a porcupine;
+hence they are sometimes called porcupine ant-eaters.
+
+EMUE. A species of cassowary found principally in Australia, and
+sometimes called Australian cassowary.
+
+EUCALYPTUS. A genus of plants of the myrtle family, which grow to a
+prodigious height. Its leaves exude a substance resembling manna, which
+falls to the ground in pieces as large as nuts. The trees are sometimes
+called gum trees.
+
+FEBRIFUGE. A medicine to drive away or allay fever.
+
+FECULA. A term applied to the substance obtained from plants; also
+called starch or farina.
+
+FULGURITE. A vitrified sand-tube made by the action of lightning.
+
+FULIGINOUS. Resembling smoke; smokey.
+
+FUSIFORM. Spindle-shaped.
+
+GARGOYLE. A projecting water-spout, often grotesquely carved, attached
+to old gothic buildings.
+
+HYDROGRAPHY. As opposed to orography; the water system of a country.
+
+IZARD. The chamois of the Pyrenees.
+
+JACAMAR. A genus of climbing birds, closely allied to the kingfishers,
+that live in forests, feed on insects, and build in low bushes. Their
+plumage has a carious metallic lustre.
+
+JETSAM. Goods coming to land which have been thrown overboard from a
+ship in distress.
+
+KAOLINE. The Chinese name for a kind of porcelain clay.
+
+GLOSSARY.
+
+KOULAS. See Ai.
+
+LARDIZABALACEÆ. An order of twining shrubs, some of which furnish our
+greenhouses with pretty evergreen climbers.
+
+LENTICULAR. Having the form of a double convex lens.
+
+LIANA. A name used to designate the climbing, twining plants which
+abound in tropical forests, often growing to an immense size, and
+forming a perfect network of branches, impenetrable without the aid of
+a hatchet. They are comparatively rare in our climate, but honeysuckles
+may be mentioned as familiar examples.
+
+LILIACKÆ. Plants of the order of amaryllids, growing to an enormous
+size. They are commonly known as the giant Lily. The stem is leafy, 15
+or 20 feet high, and bears at the top a cluster of superb large crimson
+blossoms.
+
+LITHODOMI. Molluscous animals which form holes in the solid rocks, in
+which they lodge themselves. One species (_Lithodomus Lithophagus_) is
+esteemed as an article of food, and is known by the name of the
+_sea-date shell_.
+
+LORIES. Birds belonging to the parrot family, remarkable for their soft
+beaks.
+
+MACAUCO. A genus of four-handed animals, resembling the monkey tribe.
+
+MACRODACTYLS. Long-toed wading birds.
+
+MAGOT. A small species of ape, sometimes called the Barbary ape.
+
+MALACOLOGIST. One who treats of mollusks.
+
+MANNIFERS. A name synonymous with mammals; meaning animals which suckle
+their young.
+
+MANATEE. A marine animal closely related to the dugong. It Is sometimes
+called lamantine or sea-cow.
+
+MARGARINE. A fatty solid matter obtained from oil.
+
+MOUFFLON. _Caprovis Mussimon_. Resembling the mountain sheep of
+Arizona. It is the size of a deer; covered with hair which assumes a
+woolly character in winter.
+
+OLEINE. The fluid portion of fats and oils.
+
+ONAGER. Another name for the wild ass.
+
+OROGRAPHY. As opposed to hydrography; the description of the mountain
+system of a country.
+
+PALMIPEDS. Web-footed fowl.
+
+PECCARY. An animal resembling a hog, sometimes called Mexican hog, or
+_tajacu_.
+
+PELLICAN. A largo aquatic bird, having a long, straight and very strong
+bill. It lives upon fish, which It carries for some time in a pouch or
+bag attached to the lover mandible.
+
+PIROGUE. A canoe, usually formed of a hollowed tree.
+
+POLYPORUS. A genus of fungi, allied to mushrooms, toad-stools,
+sap-balls, etc.; used in Germany to make the tinder called Amadon.
+
+PTEROPODA. A class of mollusks which live In the open sea, and have a
+pair of flippers or wings, by which they pass rapidly through the
+water.
+
+PULP. The common name for marine animals of the genus octopus, such as
+the cuttle-fish. They have eight feet or arms around the head, with
+which they swim, creep, and seize their prey. It is the _Pieuvre_ of
+Victor Hugo.
+
+PUZZOLAN. Fine volcanic ashes, which harden under water, forming a kind
+of cement.
+
+PYROXYLINE. Called also gun-cotton. It burns In the open air with a
+flash, though without smoke or report; but It is violently explosive
+when fired in a confined space.
+
+QUADRUMANA. Animals having four hands, as apes, baboons, etc.
+
+QUININE. The most important of the vegetable alkaloids found In the
+cinchona (see CINCHONIA). It is one of the most valuable antiperiodics
+and febrifuges known.
+
+RECRUDESENCE. The state of becoming sore again.
+
+RINFORDZANDO. A musical sign denoting an Increase of sound. Usually
+expressed by the abbreviation _rf_.
+
+RUMINANT. An animal that chews the cud.
+
+SAGOIN. A species of sapajo. The squirrel monkey; so called on account
+of its hairy tail.
+
+SALICIN. A white and very bitter substance, obtained from the bark of
+the willow and other trees.
+
+SAPAJOS. The proper name for tailed monkeys, as distinguishing them
+from apes, baboons and gorillas, which are tailless.
+
+SEXTANT. An Instrument for measuring angles by reflection.
+
+SPHENISCUS. Penguins; a sub-family of auks. Oceanic birds remarkable
+for their short legs, very short wings—which are useful only In
+swimming; and their upright position when at rest.
+
+STEARINE. The most abundant of the solid constituents of fats and oils.
+Also a popular name for stearic acid, used in candles.
+
+SUCCEDANEOUS. Supplying the place of something else.
+
+TALUS. A sloping heap of fragments accumulated at the foot of a steep
+rock, from the face of which they have been broken off by the action of
+the weather.
+
+TETRA. _Tetraonieda_, or grouse. The bird here described resembles the
+pinated grouse, or prairie-chicken.
+
+TINAMONS. A family of birds belonging to the order _gallinæ_. They are
+about the size of quail.
+
+TOURACO-LORIES. Climbing birds of the parrot family.
+
+TRAGOPANS. A large species of pheasant.
+
+TUFA. A name given to volcanic dust, cemented by the Infiltration of
+water into a porous rock.
+
+[Illustration: Lincoln Island]
+
+END OF TRANSLATION OF THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND
+
+
+
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