The rabbit-warren still continued to supply the larder of Granite House. As fortunately it was situated on the other side of Creek Glycerine, its inhabitants could not reach the plateau nor ravage the newly-made plantation. The oyster-bed among the rocks was frequently renewed, and furnished excellent molluscs. Besides that, the fishing, either in the lake or the Mercy, was very profitable, for Pencroft had made some lines, armed with iron hooks, with which they frequently caught fine trout, and a species of fish whose silvery sides were speckled with yellow, and which were also extremely savoury. Master Neb, who was skilled in the culinary art, knew how to vary agreeably the bill of fare. Bread alone was wanting at the table of the settlers, and as has been said, they felt this privation greatly. The settlers hunted too the turtles which frequented the shores of Cape Mandible. At this place the beach was covered with little mounds, concealing perfectly spherical turtles' eggs, with white hard shells, the albumen of which does not coagulate as that of birds' eggs. They were hatched by the sun, and their number was naturally considerable, as each turtle can lay annually two hundred and fifty. "A regular egg-field," observed Gideon Spilett, "and we have nothing to do but to pick them up." But not being contented with simply the produce, they made chase after the producers, the result of which was that they were able to bring back to Granite House a dozen of these chelonians, which were really valuable in an alimentary point of view. The turtle soup, flavoured with aromatic herbs, often gained well-merited praises for its preparer, Neb. We must here mention another fortunate circumstance by which new stores for the winter were laid in. Shoals of salmon entered the Mercy, and ascended the country for several miles. It was the time at which the females, going to find suitable places in which to spawn, precede the males and make a great noise through the fresh water. A thousand of these fish, which measured about two feet and a half in length, came up the river, and a large quantity were retained by fixing dams across the stream. More than a hundred were thus taken, which were salted and stored for the time when winter, freezing up the streams, would render fishing impracticable. By this time the intelligent Jup was raised to the duty of valet. He had been dressed in a jacket, white linen breeches, and an apron, the pockets of which were his delight. The clever orang had been marvellously trained by Neb, and any one would have said that the negro and the ape understood each other when they talked together. Jup had besides a real affection for Neb, and Neb returned it. When his services were not required, either for carrying wood or for climbing to the top of some tree, Jup passed the greatest part of his time in the kitchen, where he endeavoured to imitate Neb in all that he saw him do. The black showed the greatest patience and even extreme zeal in instructing his pupil, and the pupil exhibited remarkable intelligence in profiting by the lessons he received from his master. Judge then of the pleasure Master Jup gave to the inhabitants of Granite House when, without their having had any idea of it, he appeared one day, napkin on his arm, ready to wait at table. Quick, attentive, he acquitted himself perfectly, changing the plates, bringing dishes, pouring out water, all with a gravity which gave intense amusement to the settlers, and which enraptured Pencroft. "Jup, some soup!" "Jup, a little agouti!" "Jup, a plate!" "Jup! Good Jup! Honest Jup!" Nothing was heard but that, and Jup without ever being disconcerted, replied to every one, watched for everything, and he shook his head in a knowing way when Pencroft, referring to his joke of the first day, said to him,-- "Decidedly, Jup, your wages must be doubled." It is useless to say that the orang was now thoroughly domesticated at Granite House, and that he often accompanied his masters to the forest without showing any wish to leave them. It was most amusing to see him walking with a stick which Pencroft had given him, and which he carried on his shoulder like a gun. If they wished to gather some fruit from the summit of a tree, how quickly he climbed for it! If the wheel of the cart, stuck in the mud, with what energy did Jup with a single heave of his shoulder put it right again. "What a jolly fellow he is!" cried Pencroft often. "If he was as mischievous as he is good, there would be no doing any thing with him!" It was towards the end of January the colonists began their labours in the centre of the island. It had been decided that a corral should be established near the sources of the Red Creek, at the foot of Mount Franklin, destined to contain the ruminants, whose presence would have been troublesome at Granite House, and especially for the musmons, who were to supply the wool for the settlers' winter garments. Each morning, the colony, sometimes entire, but more often represented only by Harding, Herbert, and Pencroft, proceeded to the sources of the Creek, a distance of not more than five miles, by the newly beaten road to which the name of Corral Road had been given. [Illustration: JUP PASSED MOST OF HIS TIME IN THE KITCHEN, TRYING TO IMITATE NEB] There a site was chosen, at the back of the southern ridge of the mountain. It was a meadow land, dotted here and there with clumps of trees, and watered by a little stream, which sprung from the slopes which closed it in on one side. The grass was fresh, and it was not too much shaded by the trees which grew about it. This meadow was to be surrounded by a palisade, high enough to prevent even the most agile animals from leaping over. This enclosure would be large enough to contain a hundred musmons and wild goats, with all the young ones they might produce. The perimeter of the corral was then traced by the engineer, and they would then have proceeded to fell the trees necessary for the construction of the palisade, but as the opening up of the road had already necessitated the sacrifice of a considerable number, those were brought and supplied a hundred stakes, which were firmly fixed in the ground. At the front of the palisade a large entrance was reserved, and closed with strong folding-doors. The construction of this corral did not take less than three weeks, for besides the palisade, Cyrus Harding built large sheds, in which the animals could take shelter. These buildings had also to be made very strong, for musmons are powerful animals, and their first fury was to be feared. The stakes, sharpened at their upper end and hardened by fire, had been fixed by means of cross-bars, and at regular distances props assured the solidity of the whole. The corral finished, a raid had to be made on the pastures frequented by the ruminants. This was done on the 7th of February, on a beautiful summer's day, and every one took part in it. The onagas, already well trained, were ridden by Spilett and Herbert, and were of great use. The manoeuvre consisted simply in surrounding the musmons and goats, and gradually narrowing the circle around them. Cyrus Harding, Pencroft, Neb, and Jup, posted themselves in different parts of the wood, whilst the two cavaliers and Top galloped in a radius of half a mile round the corral. The musmons were very numerous in this part of the island. These fine animals were as large as deer; their horns were stronger than those of the ram, and their grey-coloured fleece was mixed with long hair. This hunting day was very fatiguing. Such going and coming, and running and riding and shouting! Of a hundred musmons which had been surrounded, more than two-thirds escaped, but at last, thirty of these animals and ten wild goats were gradually driven back towards the corral, the open door of which appearing to offer a means of escape, they rushed in and were prisoners. In short, the result was satisfactory, and the settlers had no reason to complain. There was no doubt that the flock would prosper, and that at no distant time not only wool but hides would be abundant. That evening the hunters returned to Granite House quite exhausted. However, notwithstanding their fatigue, they returned the next day to visit the corral. The prisoners had been trying to overthrow the palisade, but of course had not succeeded, and were not long in becoming more tranquil. During the month of February, no event of any importance occurred. The daily labours were pursued methodically, and, as well as improving the roads to the corral and to Port Balloon, a third was commenced, which, starting from the enclosure, proceeded towards the western coast. The yet unknown portion of Lincoln Island was that of the wood-covered Serpentine Peninsula, which sheltered the wild beasts, from which Gideon Spilett was so anxious to clear their domain. Before the cold season should appear the most assiduous care was given to the cultivation of the wild plants which had been transplanted from the forest to Prospect Heights. Herbert never returned from an excursion without bringing home some useful vegetable. One day, it was some specimens of the chicory tribe, the seeds of which by pressure yield an excellent oil; another, it was some common sorrel, whose anti-scorbutic qualities were not to be despised; then, some of those precious tubers, which have at all times been cultivated in South America, potatoes, of which more than two hundred species are now known. The kitchen garden, now well stocked and carefully defended from the birds, was divided into small beds, where grew lettuces, kidney potatoes, sorrel, turnips, radishes, and other cruciferæ. The soil on the plateau was particularly fertile, and it was hoped that the harvests would be abundant. They had also a variety of different beverages, and so long as they did not demand wine, the most hard to please would have had no reason to complain. To the Oswego tea, and the fermented liquor extracted from the roots of the dragonnier, Harding had added a regular beer, made from the young shoots of the spruce-fir, which, after having been boiled and fermented, made that agreeable drink, called by the Anglo-Americans spring-beer. Towards the end of the summer, the poultry-yard was possessed of a couple of fine bustards, which belonged to the houbara species, characterised by a sort of feathery mantle; a dozen shovellers, whose upper mandible was prolonged on each side by a membraneous appendage; and also some magnificent cocks, similar to the Mozambique cocks, the comb, caruncle and epidermis being black. So far, everything had succeeded, thanks to the activity of these courageous and intelligent men. Nature did much for them, doubtless; but faithful to the great precept, they made a right use of what a bountiful Providence gave them. After the heat of these warm summer days, in the evening when their work was finished and the sea breeze began to blow, they liked to sit on the edge of Prospect Heights, in a sort of verandah, covered with creepers, which Neb had made with his own hands. There they talked, they instructed each other, they made plans, and the rough good-humour of the sailor always amused this little world, in which the most perfect harmony had never ceased to reign. They often spoke of their country, of their dear and great America. What was the result of the War of Secession? It could not have been greatly prolonged, Richmond had doubtless soon fallen into the hands of General Grant. The taking of the capital of the Confederates must have been the last action of this terrible struggle. Now the North had triumphed in the good cause, how welcome would have been a newspaper to the exiles in Lincoln Island! For eleven months all communication between them and the rest of their fellow-creatures had been interrupted, and in a short time the 24th of March would arrive, the anniversary of the day on which the balloon had thrown them on this unknown coast. They were then mere castaways, not even knowing how they should preserve their miserable lives from the fury of the elements! And now, thanks to the knowledge of their captain, and their own intelligence, they were regular colonists, furnished with arms, tools, and instruments; they had been able to turn to their profit the animals, plants, and minerals of the island, that is to say, the three kingdoms of Nature. Yes; they often talked of all these things and formed still more plans for the future. As to Cyrus Harding he was for the most part silent, and listened to his companions more often than he spoke to them. Sometimes he smiled at Herbert's ideas or Pencroft's nonsense, but always and everywhere he pondered over those inexplicable facts, that strange enigma, of which the secret still escaped him! CHAPTER IX Bad Weather -- The Hydraulic Lift -- Manufacture of Glass-ware -- The Bread-tree -- Frequent Visits to the Corral -- Increase of the Flock -- The Reporter's Question -- Exact Position of Lincoln Island -- Pencroft's Proposal. The weather changed during the first week of March. There had been a full moon at the commencement of the month, and the heat was still excessive. The atmosphere was felt to be full of electricity, and a period of some length of tempestuous weather was to be feared. Indeed, on the 2nd, peals of thunder were heard, the wind blew from the east, and hail rattled against the façade of Granite House like volleys of grape-shot. The door and windows were immediately closed, or everything in the rooms would have been drenched. On seeing these hailstones, some of which were the size of a pigeon's egg, Pencroft's first thought was that his cornfield was in serious danger. He directly rushed to his field, where little green heads were already appearing, and, by means of a great cloth, he managed to protect his crop. This bad weather lasted a week, during which time the thunder rolled without cessation in the depths of the sky. The colonists, not having any pressing work out of doors, profited by the bad weather to work at the interior of Granite House, the arrangement of which was becoming more complete from day to day. The engineer made a turning-lathe, with which he turned several articles both for the toilet and the kitchen, particularly buttons, the want of which was greatly felt. A gun-rack had been made for the firearms, which were kept with extreme care, and neither tables nor cupboards were left incomplete. They sawed, they planed, they filed, they turned: and during the whole of this bad season, nothing was heard but the grinding of tools or the humming of the turning-lathe which responded to the growling of the thunder. [Illustration: PENCROFT TO THE RESCUE] Master Jup had not been forgotten, and he occupied a room at the back, near the storeroom, a sort of cabin with a cot always full of good litter, which perfectly suited his taste. "With good old Jup there is never any quarrelling," often repeated Pencroft, "never any improper reply! What a servant, Neb, what a servant!" Of course Jup was now well used to service. He brushed their clothes, he turned the spit, he waited at table, he swept the rooms, he gathered wood, and he performed another admirable piece of service which delighted Pencroft--he never went to sleep without first coming to tuck up the worthy sailor in his bed. As to the health of the members of the colony, bipeds or bimana, quadrumana or quadrupeds, it left nothing to be desired. With their life in the open air, on this salubrious soil, under that temperate zone, working both with head and hands, they could not suppose that illness would ever attack them. All were indeed wonderfully well. Herbert had already grown two inches in the year. His figure was forming and becoming more manly, and he promised to be an accomplished man, physically as well as morally. Besides, he improved himself during the leisure hours which manual occupations left to him; he read the books found in the case; and after the practical lessons which were taught by the very necessity of their position, he found in the engineer for science, and the reporter for languages, masters who were delighted to complete his education. The tempest ended about the 9th of March, but the sky remained covered with clouds during the whole of this last summer month. The atmosphere, violently agitated by the electric commotions, could not recover its former purity, and there was almost invariably rain and fog, except for three or four fine days on which several excursions were made. About this time the female onaga gave birth to a young one which belonged to the same sex as its mother, and which throve capitally. In the corral, the flock of musmons had also increased, and several lambs already bleated in the sheds, to the great delight of Neb and Herbert, who had each their favourite among these new-comers. An attempt was also made for the domestication of the peccaries, which succeeded well. A sty was constructed near the poultry-yard, and soon contained several young ones in the way to become civilised, that is to say, to become fat under Neb's care. Master Jup, entrusted with carrying them their daily nourishment, leavings from the kitchen, etc., acquitted himself conscientiously of his task. He sometimes amused himself at the expense of his little pensioners by tweaking their tails; but this was mischief, and not wickedness, for these little twisted tails amused him like a plaything, and his instinct was that of a child. One day in this month of March, Pencroft, talking to the engineer, reminded Cyrus Harding of a promise which the latter had not as yet had time to fulfil. "You once spoke of an apparatus which would take the place of the long ladders at Granite House, captain," said he; "won't you make it some day?" "Nothing will be easier; but is this a really useful thing?" "Certainly, captain. After we have given ourselves necessaries, let us think a little of luxury. For us it may be luxury, if you like, but for things it is necessary. It isn't very convenient to climb up a long ladder when one is heavily loaded." "Well, Pencroft, we will try to please you," replied Cyrus Harding. "But you have no machine at your disposal." "We will make one." "A steam machine?" "No, a water machine." And, indeed, to work his apparatus there was already a natural force at the disposal of the engineer which could be used without great difficulty. For this, it was enough to augment the flow of the little stream which supplied the interior of Granite House with water. The opening among the stones and grass was then increased, thus producing a strong fall at the bottom of the passage, the overflow from which escaped by the inner well. Below this fall the engineer fixed a cylinder with paddles, which was joined on the exterior with a strong cable rolled on a wheel, supporting a basket. In this way, by means of a long rope reaching to the ground, which enabled them to regulate the motive power, they could rise in the basket to the door of Granite House. It was on the 17th of March that the lift acted for the first time, and gave universal satisfaction. Henceforward all the loads, wood, coal, provisions, and even the settlers themselves, were hoisted by this simple system, which replaced the primitive ladder, and, as may be supposed, no one thought of regretting the change. Top particularly was enchanted with this improvement, for he had not, and never could have possessed Master Jup's skill in climbing ladders, and often it was on Neb's back, or even on that of the orang, that he had been obliged to make the ascent to Granite House. About this time, too, Cyrus Harding attempted to manufacture glass and he at first put the old pottery-kiln to this new use. There were some difficulties to be encountered, but after several fruitless attempts, he succeeded in setting up a glass manufactory, which Gideon Spilett and Herbert, his usual assistants did not leave for several days. As to the substances used in the composition of glass, they are simply sand, chalk and soda, either carbonate or sulphate. Now the beach supplied sand, lime supplied chalk, sea weeds supplied soda, pyrites supplied sulphuric acid and the ground supplied coal to heat the kiln to the wished-for temperature. Cyrus Harding thus soon had every thing ready for setting to work. The tool, the manufacture of which presented the most difficulty, was the pipe of the glass maker, an iron tube, five or six feet long, which collects on one end the material in a state of fusion. But by means of a long, thin piece of iron rolled up like the barrel of a gun, Pencroft succeeded in making a tube soon ready for use. On the 28th of March the tube was heated. A hundred parts of sand thirty-five of chalk, forty of sulphate of soda, mixed with two or three parts of powered coal, composed the substance which was placed in crucibles. When the high temperature of the oven had reduced it to a liquid, or rather a pasty state, Cyrus Harding collected with the tube a quantity of the paste, he turned it about on a metal plate previously arranged so as to give it a form suitable for blowing, then he passed the tube to Herbert, telling him to blow at the other extremity. [Illustration: THE GLASS-BLOWERS] And Herbert, swelling out his cheeks, blew so much and so well into the tube--taking care to twirl it round at the same time--that his breath dilated the glassy mass. Other quantities of the substance in a state of fusion were added to the first, and in a short time the result was a bubble which measured a foot in diameter. Harding then took the tube out of Herbert's hands, and, giving to it a pendulous motion, he ended by lengthening the malleable bubble so as to give it a cylindro-conic shape. The blowing operation had given a cylinder of glass terminated by two hemispheric caps, which were easily detached by means of a sharp iron dipped in cold water; then, by the same proceeding, this cylinder was cut lengthways, and after having been rendered malleable by a second heating, it was extended on a plate and spread out with a wooden roller. The first pane was thus manufactured, and they had only to perform this operation fifty times to have fifty panes. The windows at Granite House were soon furnished with panes; not very white, perhaps, but still sufficiently transparent. As to bottles and tumblers, that was only play. They were satisfied with them, besides, just as they came from the end of the tube. Pencroft had asked to be allowed to "blow" in his turn, and it was great fun for him; but he blew so hard that his productions took the most ridiculous shapes, which he admired immensely. Cyrus Harding and Herbert, whilst hunting one day, had entered the forest of the Far West, on the left bank of the Mercy, and, as usual, the lad was asking a thousand questions of the engineer, who answered them heartily. Now, as Harding was not a sportsman, and as, on the other side, Herbert was talking chemistry and natural philosophy, numbers of kangaroos, capybaras, and agoutis came within range, which, however, escaped the lad's gun; the consequence was that the day was already advanced, and the two hunters were in danger of having made a useless excursion, when Herbert, stopping, and uttering a cry of joy, exclaimed,-- "Oh, Captain Harding, do you see that tree?" and he pointed to a shrub, rather than a tree, for it was composed of a single stem, covered with a scaly bark, which bore leaves streaked with little parallel veins. "And what is this tree which resembles a little palm?" asked Harding. "It is a 'cycas revoluta,' of which I have a picture in our dictionary of Natural History!" said Herbert. "But I can't see any fruit on this shrub!" observed his companion. "No, captain," replied Herbert; "but its stem contains a flour with which nature has provided us all ready ground." "It is, then, the bread-tree?" "Yes, the bread-tree." "Well, my boy," replied the engineer, "this is a valuable discovery, since our wheat harvest is not yet ripe; I hope that you are not mistaken!" Herbert was not mistaken: he broke the stem of a cycas, which was composed of a glandulous tissue, containing a quantity of floury pith, traversed with woody fibre, separated by rings of the same substance, arranged concentrically. With this fecula was mingled a mucilaginous juice of disagreeable flavour, but which it would be easy to get rid of by pressure. This cellular substance was regular flour of a superior quality, extremely nourishing; its exportation was formerly forbidden by the Japanese laws. Cyrus Harding and Herbert, after having examined that part of the Far West where the cycas grew, took their bearings, and returned to Granite House, where they made known their discovery. The next day the settlers went to collect some and returned to Granite House with an ample supply of cycas stems. The engineer constructed a press, with which to extract the mucilaginous juice mingled with the fecula, and he obtained a large quantity of flour, which Neb soon transformed into cakes and puddings. This was not quite real wheaten bread, but it was very like it. Now, too, the onaga, the goats, and the sheep in the corral furnished daily the milk necessary to the colony. The cart, or rather a sort of light carriole which had replaced it, made frequent journeys to the corral, and when it was Pencroft's turn to go he took Jup, and let him drive, and Jup, cracking his whip, acquitted himself with his customary intelligence. Everything prospered, as well in the corral as in Granite House and certainly the settlers, if it had not been that they were so far from their native land, had no reason to complain. They were so well suited to this life, and were, besides, so accustomed to the island, that they could not have left its hospitable soil without regret! And yet so deeply is the love of his country implanted in the heart of man, that if a ship had unexpectedly come in sight of the island, the colonists would have made signals, would have attracted her attention, and would have departed! It was the 1st of April, a Sunday, Easter Day, which Harding and his companions sanctified by rest and prayer. The day was fine, such as an October day in the northern hemisphere might be. All, towards the evening after dinner, were seated under the verandah on the edge of Prospect Heights, and they were watching the darkness creeping up from the horizon. Some cups of the infusion of elder berries, which took the place of coffee, had been served by Neb. They were speaking of the island and of its isolated situation in the Pacific, which led Gideon Spilett to say,-- "My dear Cyrus, have you ever, since you possessed the sextant found in the case, again taken the position of our island?" "No," replied the engineer "But it would perhaps be a good thing to do it with this instrument, which is more perfect than that which you before used." "What is the good?" said Pencroft. "The island is quite comfortable where it is!" "Well, who knows," returned the reporter, "who knows but that we may be much nearer inhabited land than we think?" "We shall know to morrow," replied Cyrus Harding, "and if it had not been for the occupations which left me no leisure, we should have known it already." "Good!" said Pencroft. "The captain is too good an observer to be mistaken, and, if it has not moved from its place, the island is just where he put it." "We shall see." [Illustration: THE VERANDAH ON THE EDGE OF PROSPECT HEIGHTS] On the next day, therefore, by means of the sextant, the engineer made the necessary observations to verify the position which he had already obtained, and this was the result of his operation. His first observation had given him for the situation of Lincoln Island,-- In west longitude: from 150° to 155°; In south latitude: from 30° to 35°. The second gave exactly: In longitude: 150° 30´; In south latitude: 34° 57´. So then, notwithstanding the imperfection of his apparatus, Cyrus Harding had operated with so much skill that his error did not exceed five degrees. "Now," said Gideon Spilett, "since we possess an atlas as well as a sextant, let us see, my dear Cyrus, the exact position which Lincoln Island occupies in the Pacific." Herbert fetched the atlas, and the map of the Pacific was opened, and the engineer, compass in hand, prepared to determine their position. Suddenly the compasses stopped, and he exclaimed,-- "But an island exists in this part of the Pacific already!" "An island?" cried Pencroft. "Tabor Island." "An important island?" "No, an islet lost in the Pacific, and which perhaps has never been visited." "Well, we will visit it," said Pencroft. "We?" "Yes, captain. We will build a decked boat, and I will undertake to steer her. At what distance are we from this Tabor Island?" "About a hundred and fifty miles to the north-east," replied Harding. "A hundred and fifty miles! And what's that?" returned Pencroft. "In forty-eight hours, with a good wind, we should sight it!" And, on this reply, it was decided that a vessel should be constructed in time to be launched towards the month of next October, on the return of the fine season. CHAPTER X Boat-building -- Second Crop of Corn -- Hunting Koalas -- A new Plant, more Pleasant than Useful -- Whale in Sight -- A Harpoon from the Vineyard -- Cutting up the Whale -- Use for the Bones -- End of the Month of May -- Pencroft has nothing left to wish for. When Pencroft had once got a plan into his head, he had no peace till it was executed. Now he wished to visit Tabor Island, and as a boat of a certain size was necessary for this voyage, he determined to build one. What wood should be employed? Elm or fir, both of which abounded in the island? They decided for the fir, as being easy to work, but which stands water as well as the elm. These details settled, it was agreed that since the fine season would not return before six months, Cyrus Harding and Pencroft should work alone at the boat. Gideon Spilett and Herbert were to continue to hunt, and neither Neb nor Master Jup his assistant were to leave the domestic duties which had devolved upon them. Directly the trees were chosen, they were felled, stripped of their branches, and sawn into planks as well as sawyers would have been able to do it. A week after, in the recess between the Chimneys and the cliff, a dockyard was prepared, and a keel five-and-thirty feet long, furnished with a stern-post at the stern and a stem at the bows, lay along the sand. Cyrus Harding was not working in the dark at this new trade. He knew as much about ship-building as about nearly everything else, and he had at first drawn the model of his ship on paper. Besides, he was ably seconded by Pencroft, who, having worked for several years in a dockyard at Brooklyn, knew the practical part of the trade. It was not until after careful calculation and deep thought that the timbers were laid on the keel. Pencroft, as may be believed, was all eagerness to carry out his new enterprise, and would not leave his work for an instant. A single thing had the honour of drawing him, but for one day only, from his dockyard. This was the second wheat-harvest, which was gathered in on the 15th of April. It was as much a success as the first, and yielded the number of grains which had been predicted. "Five bushels, captain," said Pencroft, after having scrupulously measured his treasure. "Five bushels," replied the engineer; "and a hundred and thirty thousand grains a bushel will make six hundred and fifty thousand grains." "Well, we will sow them all this time," said the sailor, "except a little in reserve." "Yes, Pencroft, and if the next crop gives a proportionate yield, we shall have four thousand bushels." "And shall we eat bread?" "We shall eat bread." "But we must have a mill." "We will make one." The third cornfield was very much larger than the two first, and the soil, prepared with extreme care, received the precious seed. That done, Pencroft returned to his work. During this time Spilett and Herbert hunted in the neighbourhood, and they ventured deep into the still unknown parts of the Far West, their guns loaded with ball, ready for any dangerous emergency. It was a vast thicket of magnificent trees, crowded together as if pressed for room. The exploration of these dense masses of wood was difficult in the extreme, and the reporter never ventured there without the pocket-compass, for the sun scarcely pierced through the thick foliage, and it would have been very difficult for them to retrace their way. It naturally happened that game was more rare in those situations where there was hardly sufficient room to move; two or three large herbivorous animals were however killed during the last fortnight of April. These were koalas, specimens of which the settlers had already seen to the north of the lake, and which stupidly allowed themselves to be killed among the thick branches of the trees in which they took refuge. Their skins were brought back to Granite House, and there, by the help of sulphuric acid, they were subjected to a sort of tanning process which rendered them capable of being used. [Illustration: THE DOCKYARD] On the 30th of April, the two sportsmen were in the depth of the Far West, when the reporter, preceding Herbert a few paces, arrived in a sort of clearing, into which the trees more sparsely scattered had permitted a few rays to penetrate. Gideon Spilett was at first surprised at the odour which exhaled from certain plants with straight stalks, round and branchy, bearing grape-like clusters of flowers and very small berries. The reporter broke off one or two of these stalks and returned to the lad, to whom he said,-- "What can this be, Herbert?" "Well, Mr. Spilett," said Herbert, "this is a treasure which will secure you Pencroft's gratitude for ever." "Is it tobacco?" "Yes, and though it may not be of the first quality, it is none the less tobacco!" "Oh, good old Pencroft! Won't he be pleased? But we must not let him smoke it all, he must give us our share." "Ah! an idea occurs to me, Mr. Spilett," replied Herbert. "Don't let us say anything to Pencroft yet; we will prepare these leaves, and one fine day we will present him with a pipe already filled!" "All right, Herbert, and on that day our worthy companion will have nothing left to wish for in this world." The reporter and the lad secured a good store of the precious plant, and then returned to Granite House, where they smuggled it in with as much precaution as if Pencroft had been the most vigilant and severe of custom-house officers. Cyrus Harding and Neb were taken into confidence, and the sailor suspected nothing during the whole time, necessarily somewhat long, which was required in order to dry the small leaves, chop them up, and subject them to a certain torrefaction on hot stones. This took two months; but all these manipulations were successfully carried on unknown to Pencroft, for, occupied with the construction of his boat, he only returned to Granite House at the hour of rest. For some days they had observed an enormous animal two or three miles out in the open sea swimming around Lincoln Island. This was a whale of the largest size, which apparently belonged to the southern species, called the "Cape Whale." "What a lucky chance it would be if we could capture it!" cried the sailor. "Ah, if we only had a proper boat and a good harpoon, I would say, 'After the beast,' for he would be well worth the trouble of catching!" "Well, Pencroft," observed Harding, "I should much like to watch you handling a harpoon. It would be very interesting." "I am astonished," said the reporter, "to see a whale in this comparatively high latitude." "Why so, Mr. Spilett?" replied Herbert. "We are exactly in that part of the Pacific which English and American whalemen call the whale field, and it is here, between New Zealand and South America, that the whales of the southern hemisphere are met with in the greatest numbers." And Pencroft returned to his work, not without uttering a sigh of regret, for every sailor is a born fisherman, and if the pleasure of fishing is in exact proportion to the size of the animal, one can judge how a whaler feels in sight of a whale. And if this had only been for pleasure! But they could not help feeling how valuable such a prize would have been to the colony, for the oil, the fat, and the bones would have been put to many uses. Now it happened that this whale appeared to have no wish to leave the waters of the island. Therefore, whether from the windows of Granite House, or from Prospect Heights, Herbert and Gideon Spilett, when they were not hunting, or Neb unless presiding over his fires, never left the telescope, but watched all the animal's movements. The cetacean, having entered far into Union Bay, made rapid furrows across it from Mandible Cape to Claw Cape, propelled by its enormously powerful flukes, on which it supported itself, and making its way through the water at the rate little short of twelve knots an hour. Sometimes also it approached so near to the island that it could be clearly distinguished. It was the southern whale, which is completely black, the head being more depressed than that of the northern whale. They could also see it throwing up from its air-holes to a great height, a cloud of vapour, or of water, for, strange as it may appear, naturalists and whalers are not agreed on this subject. Is it air or is it water which is thus driven out? It is generally admitted to be vapour, which, condensing suddenly by contact with the cold air, falls again as rain. However, the presence of this mammifer preoccupied the colonists. It irritated Pencroft especially as he could think of nothing else while at work. He ended by longing for it, like a child for a thing which it has been denied. At night he talked about it in his sleep, and certainly if he had had the means of attacking it, if the sloop had been in a fit state to put to sea, he would not have hesitated to set out in pursuit. But what the colonists could not do for themselves, chance did for them, and on the 3rd of May, shouts from Neb, who had stationed himself at the kitchen window, announced that the whale was stranded on the beach of the island. Herbert and Gideon Spilett, who were just about to set out hunting, left their guns, Pencroft threw down his axe, and Harding and Neb joining their companions, all rushed towards the scene of action. The stranding had taken place on the beach of Flotsam Point, three miles from Granite House, and at high tide. It was therefore probable that the cetacean would not be able to extricate itself easily, at any rate it was best to hasten, so as to cut off its retreat if necessary. They ran with pick-axes and iron-tipped poles in their hands, passed over the Mercy bridge, descended the right bank of the river, along the beach, and in less than twenty minutes the settlers were close to the enormous animal, above which flocks of birds already hovered. "What a monster!" cried Neb. And the exclamation was natural, for it was a southern whale, eighty feet long, a giant of the species, probably not weighing less than a hundred and fifty thousand pounds! In the meanwhile, the monster thus stranded did not move, nor attempt by struggling to regain the water whilst the tide was still high. It was dead, and a harpoon was sticking out of its left side. "There are whalers in these quarters, then?" said Gideon Spilett directly. [Illustration: A VALUABLE PRIZE] "Oh, Mr Spilett, that doesn't prove anything!" replied Pencroft. "Whales have been known to go thousands of miles with a harpoon in the side, and this one might even have been struck in the north of the Atlantic and come to die in the south of the Pacific, and it would be nothing astonishing." Pencroft, having torn the harpoon from the animal's side, read this inscription on it:-- "'MARIA STELLA,' "VINEYARD." "A vessel from the Vineyard! A ship from my country!" he cried. "The -Maria Stella-! A fine whaler, 'pon my word; I know her well! Oh, my friends, a vessel from the Vineyard!--a whaler from the Vineyard!"[1] [1] A port in the State of New York. And the sailor brandishing the harpoon, repeated, not without emotion, the name which he loved so well--the name of his birthplace. But as it could not be expected that the -Maria Stella- would come to reclaim the animal harpooned by her, they resolved to begin cutting it up before decomposition should commence. The birds, who had watched this rich prey for several days, had determined to take possession of it without further delay, and it was necessary to drive them off by firing at them repeatedly. The whale was a female, and a large quantity of milk was taken from it, which, according to the opinion of the naturalist Duffenbach, might pass for cow's milk, and, indeed, it differs from it neither in taste, colour, nor density. Pencroft had formerly served on board a whaling-ship, and he could methodically direct the operation of cutting up--a sufficiently disagreeable operation lasting three days, but from which the settlers did not flinch, not even Gideon Spilett, who, as the sailor said, would end by making a "real good castaway." The blubber, cut in parallel slices of two feet and a half in thickness, then divided into pieces which might weigh about a thousand pounds each, was melted down in large earthen pots brought to the spot, for they did not wish to taint the environs of Granite House, and in this fusion it lost nearly a third of its weight. But there was an immense quantity of it; the tongue alone yielded six thousand pounds of oil, and the lower lip four thousand. Then, besides the fat, which would insure for a long time a store of stearine and glycerine, there were still the bones, for which a use could doubtless be found, although there were neither umbrellas nor stays used at Granite House. The upper part of the mouth of the cetacean was, indeed, provided on both sides with eight hundred horny blades, very elastic, of a fibrous texture, and fringed at the edge like great combs, of which the teeth, six feet long, served to retain the thousands of animalculæ, little fish, and molluscs, on which the whale fed. The operation finished, to the great satisfaction of the operators, the remains of the animal were left to the birds, who would soon make every vestige of it disappear, and their usual daily occupations were resumed by the inmates of Granite House. However, before returning to the dockyard, Cyrus Harding conceived the idea of fabricating certain machines, which greatly excited the curiosity of his companions. He took a dozen of the whale's bones, cut them into six equal parts, and sharpened their ends. "This machine is not my own invention, and it is frequently employed by the Aleutian hunters in Russian America. You see these bones, my friends; well, when it freezes, I will bend them, and then wet them with water till they are entirely covered with ice, which will keep them bent, and I will strew them on the snow, having previously covered them with fat. Now, what will happen if a hungry animal swallows one of these baits? Why, the heat of his stomach will melt the ice, and the bone, springing straight, will pierce him with its sharp points." "Well! I do call that ingenious!" said Pencroft. "And it will spare the powder and shot," rejoined Cyrus Harding. "That will be better than traps!" added Neb. In the meanwhile the boat-building progressed, and towards the end of the month half the planking was completed. It could already be seen that her shape was excellent, and that she would sail well. Pencroft worked with unparalleled ardour, and only a sturdy frame could have borne such fatigue; but his companions were preparing in secret a reward for his labours, and on the 31st of May he was to meet with one of the greatest joy's of his life. On that day, after dinner, just as he was about to leave the table, Pencroft felt a hand on his shoulder. It was the hand of Gideon Spilett, who said,-- "One moment, Master Pencroft, you mustn't sneak off like that! You've forgotten your dessert." "Thank you, Mr. Spilett," replied the sailor, "I am going back to my work." "Well a cup of coffee, my friend?" "Nothing more." "A pipe, then?" Pencroft jumped up, and his great good-natured face grew pale when he saw the reporter presenting him with a ready-filled pipe, and Herbert with a glowing coal. The sailor endeavoured to speak, but could not get out a word, so, seizing the pipe, he carried it to his lips, then applying the coal, he drew five or six great whiffs. A fragrant blue cloud soon arose, and from its depths a voice was heard repeating excitedly,-- "Tobacco! real tobacco!" "Yes, Pencroft," returned Cyrus Harding, "and very good tobacco too!" "O divine Providence! sacred Author of all things!" cried the sailor. "Nothing more is now wanting to our island." And Pencroft smoked, and smoked, and smoked. "And who made this discovery?" he asked at length. "You, Herbert, no doubt?" "No, Pencroft, it was Mr. Spilett." "Mr Spilett!" exclaimed the sailor seizing the reporter, and clasping him to his breast with such a squeeze that he had never felt anything like it before. "Oh, Pencroft," said Spilett, recovering his breath at last, "a truce for one moment. You must share your gratitude with Herbert, who recognised the plant, with Cyrus, who prepared it, and with Neb who took a great deal of trouble to keep our secret." "Well, my friends, I will repay you some day," replied the sailor. "Now we are friends for life." [Illustration: PENCROFT HAS NOTHING LEFT TO WISH FOR] CHAPTER XI Winter -- Felling Wood -- The Mill -- Pencroft's fixed Idea -- The Bones -- To what Use an Albatross may be put -- Fuel for the Future -- Top and Jup -- Storms -- Damage to the Poultry-yard -- Excursion to the Marsh -- Cyrus Harding alone -- Exploring the Well Winter arrived with the month of June, which is the December of the northern zones, and the great business was the making of warm and solid clothing. The musmons in the corral had been stripped of their wool, and this precious textile material was now to be transformed into stuff. Of course Cyrus Harding, having at his disposal neither carders, combers, polishers, stretchers, twisters, mule-jenny, nor self-acting machine to spin the wool, nor loom to weave it, was obliged to proceed in a simpler way, so as to do without spinning and weaving. And indeed he proposed to make use of the property which the filaments of wool possess when subjected to a powerful pressure of mixing together, and of manufacturing by this simple process the material called felt. This 1 - 2 . 3 , 4 - . - 5 , . , , 6 , , 7 , , 8 , 9 , . 10 , , 11 . 12 , , . 13 14 15 . , 16 ' , , 17 ' . 18 , , 19 . 20 21 " - , " , " 22 . " 23 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 . , 28 , - 29 , . 30 31 32 . 33 , . 34 , , 35 . 36 , 37 , , 38 . , 39 , 40 , . 41 . 42 , , , 43 . 44 , 45 . 46 , . , 47 , 48 , 49 . 50 , 51 52 . 53 54 55 , , 56 , , . , 57 , , , 58 , , 59 , . 60 61 " , ! " 62 63 " , ! " 64 65 " , ! " 66 67 " ! ! ! " 68 69 , , 70 , , 71 , , 72 , - - 73 74 " , , . " 75 76 77 , 78 . 79 , 80 . 81 , ! 82 , , 83 . 84 85 " ! " . " 86 , 87 ! " 88 89 90 . 91 , 92 , , 93 , , 94 ' . 95 96 , , , 97 , , , 98 , , 99 . 100 101 [ : , 102 ] 103 104 , 105 . , 106 , , 107 . , 108 . 109 , 110 . 111 , 112 . 113 114 , 115 116 , 117 , 118 , 119 . 120 121 , 122 - . 123 124 , 125 , , 126 . 127 , , 128 . , 129 , - , 130 . 131 132 , 133 . , 134 ' , . , 135 , , . 136 137 , 138 . , 139 , , , 140 , 141 . 142 143 . 144 ; 145 , - . 146 147 . , 148 ! 149 , - , , 150 151 , , 152 . 153 154 , , 155 . , 156 . 157 158 . 159 , , 160 . 161 , , 162 . 163 164 , . 165 , , 166 , , , 167 , . 168 - 169 , , 170 . 171 172 173 174 . 175 . , 176 , 177 ; , , 178 - ; , 179 , 180 , , 181 . , 182 , , , 183 , , , , . 184 , 185 . 186 187 , 188 , 189 . , 190 , , 191 - , , 192 , , 193 - - . 194 195 , - 196 , , 197 ; , 198 ; 199 , , 200 , . , 201 , 202 . , ; 203 , 204 . 205 206 , 207 , 208 , , 209 , . , 210 , , - 211 , 212 . 213 214 , . 215 ? 216 , 217 . 218 . 219 , 220 ! 221 - 222 , , 223 224 . , 225 226 ! , , 227 , , , 228 , ; 229 , , , , 230 . 231 232 ; 233 . 234 235 , 236 . 237 ' ' , 238 , , 239 ! 240 241 242 243 244 245 246 - - - - 247 - - - - - - 248 - - - - ' - - 249 - - ' . 250 251 252 . 253 , 254 . , 255 . 256 257 , , , 258 , 259 - . , 260 . 261 , ' , ' 262 . 263 264 , 265 , , , 266 . 267 268 , 269 . 270 271 , , 272 , 273 . 274 - , 275 , , 276 . - , 277 , 278 . , , , 279 : , 280 - 281 . 282 283 [ : ] 284 285 , , 286 , 287 , . 288 289 " , " 290 , " ! , , 291 ! " 292 293 . , 294 , , , 295 , 296 - - 297 . 298 299 , , 300 , . 301 , , 302 , , 303 . 304 305 . 306 . , 307 , . 308 , 309 ; ; 310 311 , , 312 , . 313 314 , 315 . 316 , , 317 , 318 , 319 . 320 , 321 . , , 322 , 323 , - . 324 , 325 . - , 326 , 327 , ' . , 328 , , 329 . , . 330 331 ; , , 332 , 333 . , , 334 , 335 . 336 337 " 338 , , " ; " ' 339 ? " 340 341 " ; ? " 342 343 " , . , 344 . , , 345 . ' 346 . " 347 348 " , , , " . 349 350 " . " 351 352 " . " 353 354 " ? " 355 356 " , . " 357 358 , , 359 360 . , 361 . 362 , 363 , 364 . 365 , 366 , . , 367 , 368 , 369 . 370 371 , 372 . , , 373 , , , 374 , , , 375 , . 376 , , 377 ' , 378 ' , , 379 . , , 380 381 - . 382 , , 383 , , 384 . 385 , , 386 , . , 387 , , 388 - 389 . 390 . 391 392 , , 393 , , , 394 . 395 , 396 , . 397 398 . 399 - , , 400 , 401 . 402 , , 403 , 404 , 405 , 406 . 407 408 [ : - ] 409 410 , , 411 - - - - 412 . 413 , 414 . 415 ' , , 416 , 417 - . 418 419 420 , 421 ; , , 422 , 423 , 424 . 425 426 , 427 . 428 ; , , 429 . 430 431 , . 432 , , . 433 " " , 434 ; 435 , . 436 437 , , 438 , , , , 439 , 440 . , , , 441 , , 442 , , , , 443 , ' ; 444 , 445 , , , , 446 , - - 447 448 " , , ? " 449 , , , 450 , 451 . 452 453 " ? " . 454 455 " ' , ' 456 ! " . 457 458 " ' ! " . 459 460 " , , " ; " 461 . " 462 463 " , , - ? " 464 465 " , - . " 466 467 " , , " , " , 468 ; 469 ! " 470 471 : , 472 , , 473 , , 474 . 475 , 476 . 477 , ; 478 . 479 480 , 481 , , 482 , . 483 484 485 . 486 , 487 , , 488 . 489 , . 490 491 , , , , 492 . , 493 , 494 , ' , 495 , , , 496 . 497 498 , 499 , 500 , . 501 , , , , 502 ! 503 504 505 , , 506 , , 507 ! 508 509 , , , 510 . , 511 . 512 513 , , 514 , 515 . 516 , , . 517 518 , , - - 519 520 " , , 521 , ? " 522 523 " , " 524 525 " , 526 . " 527 528 " ? " . " 529 ! " 530 531 " , , " , " 532 ? " 533 534 " , " , " 535 , 536 . " 537 538 " ! " . " 539 , , , 540 . " 541 542 " . " 543 544 [ : ] 545 546 , , , 547 548 , . 549 , - - 550 551 : ; 552 : . 553 554 : 555 556 : ; 557 : . 558 559 , , 560 561 . 562 563 " , " , " 564 , , , 565 . " 566 567 , , 568 , , . 569 570 , , - - 571 572 " ! " 573 574 " ? " . 575 576 " . " 577 578 " ? " 579 580 " , , 581 . " 582 583 " , , " . 584 585 " ? " 586 587 " , . , 588 . ? " 589 590 " - , " . 591 592 " ! ' ? " . " 593 - , , ! " 594 595 , , 596 , 597 . 598 599 600 601 602 603 604 - - - - - - - 605 , - - - - 606 - - - - 607 - - - - 608 . 609 610 611 , 612 . , 613 , 614 . 615 616 ? , 617 ? , , 618 . 619 620 , 621 , 622 . 623 , 624 . 625 626 , , 627 , 628 . , 629 , , - - , 630 - , 631 . 632 633 . 634 - , 635 . , 636 , , 637 , . 638 639 . 640 641 , , 642 , . 643 644 , , 645 . - , 646 . 647 , . 648 649 " , , " , 650 . 651 652 " , " ; " 653 654 . " 655 656 " , , " , " 657 . " 658 659 " , , , 660 . " 661 662 " ? " 663 664 " . " 665 666 " . " 667 668 " . " 669 670 , 671 , , . 672 , . 673 674 , 675 , 676 , . 677 , 678 . 679 , 680 - , 681 , 682 . 683 ; 684 685 . , 686 , 687 688 . , 689 , , 690 . 691 692 [ : ] 693 694 , 695 , , , 696 , 697 . 698 699 , , - 700 . 701 , , - - 702 703 " , ? " 704 705 " , . , " , " 706 ' . " 707 708 " ? " 709 710 " , , 711 ! " 712 713 " , ! ' ? 714 , . " 715 716 " ! , . , " . " ' 717 ; , 718 ! " 719 720 " , , 721 . " 722 723 , 724 , 725 726 - . 727 728 , 729 , , 730 , , 731 . 732 ; 733 , , , 734 . 735 736 737 . 738 , 739 , " . " 740 741 " ! " 742 . " , , 743 , ' , ' 744 ! " 745 746 " , , " , " 747 . . " 748 749 " , " , " 750 . " 751 752 " , . ? " . " 753 754 , , , 755 756 . " 757 758 , 759 , , 760 , 761 . 762 ! 763 , , , 764 . 765 766 767 . , 768 , , , 769 , , 770 , ' . , 771 , 772 , 773 , , 774 . 775 776 . , , 777 . 778 779 - 780 , , , , , 781 . 782 ? 783 , , , 784 . 785 786 , . 787 788 . , 789 . , 790 , 791 , 792 . 793 794 , 795 , , , 796 , 797 . 798 799 , , 800 , , 801 , . 802 803 , 804 , . 805 , 806 , . 807 - - , 808 , , 809 , 810 , . 811 812 " ! " . 813 814 , , 815 , , 816 ! 817 818 , , 819 . 820 821 , . 822 823 " , ? " 824 . 825 826 [ : ] 827 828 " , , ' ! " . 829 " 830 , 831 , 832 . " 833 834 , ' , 835 : - - 836 837 " ' , ' 838 " . " 839 840 " ! ! " . " 841 - - ! , ' ; ! , 842 , ! - - ! " [ ] 843 844 [ ] . 845 846 , , , 847 - - . 848 849 - - 850 , 851 . , 852 , 853 , 854 . 855 856 , 857 , , , 858 ' , , , 859 , , . 860 861 - , 862 - - 863 , 864 , , , , 865 " . " 866 867 , 868 , 869 , 870 , , 871 . 872 873 ; 874 , . , 875 , 876 , , 877 , 878 . , 879 , , 880 , , 881 , , , 882 , , , 883 . 884 885 , , 886 , 887 , 888 . 889 890 , , 891 , 892 . ' , 893 , . 894 895 " , 896 . , 897 ; , , , 898 , 899 , , 900 . , 901 ? , 902 , , , 903 . " 904 905 " ! ! " . 906 907 " , " . 908 909 " ! " . 910 911 - , 912 . 913 , . 914 915 , 916 ; 917 , 918 ' . 919 920 , , , 921 . 922 923 , , - - 924 925 " , , ' ! ' 926 . " 927 928 " , . , " , " 929 . " 930 931 " , ? " 932 933 " . " 934 935 " , ? " 936 937 , - 938 - , 939 . 940 941 , , , 942 , , , 943 . , 944 , - - 945 946 " ! ! " 947 948 " , , " , " ! " 949 950 " ! ! " . 951 " . " 952 953 , , . 954 955 " ? " . " , , 956 ? " 957 958 " , , . . " 959 960 " ! " , 961 962 . 963 964 " , , " , , " 965 . , 966 , , , 967 . " 968 969 " , , , " . 970 " . " 971 972 [ : ] 973 974 975 976 977 978 979 - - - - - - ' 980 - - - - - - 981 - - - - - - 982 - - - - - 983 - - 984 985 986 , 987 , 988 . 989 990 , 991 . 992 993 , , 994 , , , , - , - 995 , , 996 , . 997 998 , 999 . 1000