Part 1 - Dropped from the Clouds: Chapter 10

by Jules Verne

　　In a few minutes the three hunters were before a crackling fire. Thecaptain and the reporter were there. Pencroft looked from one to the other,his capybara in his hand, without saying a word.

　　"Well, yes, my brave fellow," cried the reporter.

　　"Fire, real fire, which will roast this splendid pig perfectly, and wewill have a feast presently!"

　　"But who lighted it?" asked Pencroft.

　　"The sun!"

　　Gideon Spilett was quite right in his reply. It was the sun which hadfurnished the heat which so astonished Pencroft. The sailor could scarcelybelieve his eyes, and he was so amazed that he did not think of questioningthe engineer.

　　"Had you a burning-glass, sir?" asked Herbert of Harding.

　　"No, my boy," replied he, "but I made one."

　　And he showed the apparatus which served for a burning-glass. It wassimply two glasses which he had taken from his own and the reporter'swatches. Having filled them with water and rendered their edges adhesive bymeans of a little clay, he thus fabricated a regular burning-glass, which,concentrating the solar rays on some very dry moss, soon caused it toblaze.

　　The sailor considered the apparatus; then he gazed at the engineerwithout saying a word, only a look plainly expressed his opinion that ifCyrus Harding was not a magician, he was certainly no ordinary man. At lastspeech returned to him, and he cried,--

　　"Note that, Mr. Spilett, note that down on your paper!"

　　"It is noted," replied the reporter.

　　Then, Neb helping him, the seaman arranged the spit, and the capybara,properly cleaned, was soon roasting like a suckling-pig before a clear,crackling fire.

　　The Chimneys had again become more habitable, not only because thepassages were warmed by the fire, but because the partitions of wood andmud had been re-established.

　　It was evident that the engineer and his companions had employed theirday well. Cyrus Harding had almost entirely recovered his strength, and hadproved it by climbing to the upper plateau. From this point his eye,accustomed to estimate heights and distances, was fixed for a long time onthe cone, the summit of which he wished to reach the next day. Themountain, situated about six miles to the northwest, appeared to him tomeasure 3,500 feet above the level of the sea. Consequently the gaze of anobserver posted on its summit would extend over a radius of at least fiftymiles. Therefore it was probable that Harding could easily solve thequestion of "island or continent," to which he attached so much importance.

　　They supped capitally. The flesh of the capybara was declared excellent.The sargassum and the almonds of the stone-pine completed the repast,during which the engineer spoke little. He was preoccupied with projectsfor the next day.

　　Once or twice Pencroft gave forth some ideas upon what it would be bestto do; but Cyrus Harding, who was evidently of a methodical mind, onlyshook his head without uttering a word.

　　"To-morrow," he repeated, "we shall know what we have to depend upon, andwe will act accordingly."

　　The meal ended, fresh armfuls of wood were thrown on the fire, and theinhabitants of the Chimneys, including the faithful Top, were soon buriedin a deep sleep.

　　No incident disturbed this peaceful night, and the next day, the 29th ofMarch, fresh and active they awoke, ready to undertake the excursion whichmust determine their fate.

　　All was ready for the start. The remains of the capybara would be enoughto sustain Harding and his companions for at least twenty-four hours.

　　Besides, they hoped to find more food on the way. As the glasses had beenreturned to the watches of the engineer and reporter, Pencroft burned alittle linen to serve as tinder. As to flint, that would not be wanting inthese regions of Plutonic origin. It was half-past seven in the morningwhen the explorers, armed with sticks, left the Chimneys. FollowingPencroft's advice, it appeared best to take the road already traversedthrough the forest, and to return by another route. It was also the mostdirect way to reach the mountain. They turned the south angle and followedthe left bank of the river, which was abandoned at the point where itformed an elbow towards the southwest. The path, already trodden under theevergreen trees, was found, and at nine o'clock Cyrus Harding and hiscompanions had reached the western border of the forest. The ground, tillthen, very little undulated, boggy at first, dry and sandy afterwards, hada gentle slope, which ascended from the shore towards the interior of thecountry. A few very timid animals were seen under the forest-trees. Topquickly started them, but his master soon called him back, for the time hadnot come to commence hunting; that would be attended to later. The engineerwas not a man who would allow himself to be diverted from his fixed idea.It might even have been said that he did not observe the country at all,either in its configuration or in its natural productions, his great aimbeing to climb the mountain before him, and therefore straight towards ithe went. At ten o'clock a halt of a few minutes was made. On leaving theforest, the mountain system of the country appeared before the explorers.The mountain was composed of two cones; the first, truncated at a height ofabout two thousand five hundred feet, was sustained by buttresses, whichappeared to branch out like the talons of an immense claw set on theground. Between these were narrow valleys, bristling with trees, the lastclumps of which rose to the top of the lowest cone. There appeared to beless vegetation on that side of the mountain which was exposed to thenortheast, and deep fissures could be seen which, no doubt, werewatercourses.

　　On the first cone rested a second, slightly rounded, and placed a littleon one side, like a great round hat cocked over the ear. A Scotchman wouldhave said, "His bonnet was a thocht ajee." It appeared formed of bareearth, here and there pierced by reddish rocks.

　　They wished to reach the second cone, and proceeding along the ridge ofthe spurs seemed to be the best way by which to gain it.

　　"We are on volcanic ground," Cyrus Harding had said, and his companionsfollowing him began to ascend by degrees on the back of a spur, which, by awinding and consequently more accessible path, joined the first plateau.

　　The ground had evidently been convulsed by subterranean force. Here andthere stray blocks, numerous debris of basalt and pumice-stone, were metwith. In isolated groups rose fir-trees, which, some hundred feet lower, atthe bottom of the narrow gorges, formed massive shades almost impenetrableto the sun's rays.

　　During the first part of the ascent, Herbert remarked on the footprintswhich indicated the recent passage of large animals.

　　"Perhaps these beasts will not let us pass by willingly," said Pencroft.

　　"Well," replied the reporter, who had already hunted the tiger in India,and the lion in Africa, "we shall soon learn how successfully to encounterthem. But in the meantime we must be upon our guard!"

　　They ascended but slowly.

　　The distance, increased by detours and obstacles which could not besurmounted directly, was long. Sometimes, too, the ground suddenly fell,and they found themselves on the edge of a deep chasm which they had to goround. Thus, in retracing their steps so as to find some practicable path,much time was employed and fatigue undergone for nothing. At twelveo'clock, when the small band of adventurers halted for breakfast at thefoot of a large group of firs, near a little stream which fell in cascades,they found themselves still half way from the first plateau, which mostprobably they would not reach till nightfall. From this point the view ofthe sea was much extended, but on the right the high promontory preventedtheir seeing whether there was land beyond it. On the left, the sightextended several miles to the north; but, on the northwest, at the pointoccupied by the explorers, it was cut short by the ridge of afantastically-shaped spur, which formed a powerful support of the centralcone.

　　At one o'clock the ascent was continued. They slanted more towards thesouthwest and again entered among thick bushes. There under the shade ofthe trees fluttered several couples of gallinaceae belonging to thepheasant species. They were tragopans, ornamented by a pendant skin whichhangs over their throats, and by two small, round horns, planted behind theeyes. Among these birds, which were about the size of a fowl, the femalewas uniformly brown, while the male was gorgeous in his red plumage,decorated with white spots. Gideon Spilett, with a stone cleverly andvigorously thrown, killed one of these tragopans, on which Pencroft, madehungry by the fresh air, had cast greedy eyes.

　　After leaving the region of bushes, the party, assisted by resting oneach other's shoulders, climbed for about a hundred feet up a steepacclivity and reached a level place, with very few trees, where the soilappeared volcanic. It was necessary to ascend by zigzags to make the slopemore easy, for it was very steep, and the footing being exceedinglyprecarious required the greatest caution. Neb and Herbert took the lead,Pencroft the rear, the captain and the reporter between them. The animalswhich frequented these heights--and there were numerous traces of them--must necessarily belong to those races of sure foot and supple spine,chamois or goat. Several were seen, but this was not the name Pencroft gavethem, for all of a sudden--"Sheep!" he shouted.

　　All stopped about fifty feet from half-a-dozen animals of a large size,with strong horns bent back and flattened towards the point, with a woollyfleece, hidden under long silky hair of a tawny color.

　　They were not ordinary sheep, but a species usually found in themountainous regions of the temperate zone, to which Herbert gave the nameof the musmon.

　　"Have they legs and chops?" asked the sailor.

　　"Yes," replied Herbert.

　　"Well, then, they are sheep!" said Pencroft.

　　The animals, motionless among the blocks of basalt, gazed with anastonished eye, as if they saw human bipeds for the first time. Then theirfears suddenly aroused, they disappeared, bounding over the rocks.

　　"Good-bye, till we meet again," cried Pencroft, as he watched them, insuch a comical tone that Cyrus Harding, Gideon Spilett, Herbert, and Nebcould not help laughing.

　　The ascent was continued. Here and there were traces of lava. Sulphursprings sometimes stopped their way, and they had to go round them. In someplaces the sulphur had formed crystals among other substances, such aswhitish cinders made of an infinity of little feldspar crystals.

　　In approaching the first plateau formed by the truncating of the lowercone, the difficulties of the ascent were very great. Towards four o'clockthe extreme zone of the trees had been passed. There only remained here andthere a few twisted, stunted pines, which must have had a hard life inresisting at this altitude the high winds from the open sea. Happily forthe engineer and his companions the weather was beautiful, the atmospheretranquil; for a high breeze at an elevation of three thousand feet wouldhave hindered their proceedings. The purity of the sky at the zenith wasfelt through the transparent air. A perfect calm reigned around them. Theycould not see the sun, then hid by the vast screen of the upper cone, whichmasked the half-horizon of the west, and whose enormous shadow stretchingto the shore increased as the radiant luminary sank in its diurnal course.Vapor--mist rather than clouds--began to appear in the east, and assume allthe prismatic colors under the influence of the solar rays.

　　Five hundred feet only separated the explorers from the plateau, whichthey wished to reach so as to establish there an encampment for the night,but these five hundred feet were increased to more than two miles by thezigzags which they had to describe. The soil, as it were, slid under theirfeet.

　　The slope often presented such an angle that they slipped when the stonesworn by the air did not give a sufficient support. Evening came on bydegrees, and it was almost night when Cyrus Harding and his companions,much fatigued by an ascent of seven hours, arrived at the plateau of thefirst cone. It was then necessary to prepare an encampment, and to restoretheir strength by eating first and sleeping afterwards. This second stageof the mountain rose on a base of rocks, among which it would be easy tofind a retreat. Fuel was not abundant. However, a fire could be made bymeans of the moss and dry brushwood, which covered certain parts of theplateau. While the sailor was preparing his hearth with stones which he putto this use, Neb and Herbert occupied themselves with getting a supply offuel. They soon returned with a load of brushwood. The steel was struck,the burnt linen caught the sparks of flint, and, under Neb's breath, acrackling fire showed itself in a few minutes under the shelter of therocks. Their object in lighting a fire was only to enable them to withstandthe cold temperature of the night, as it was not employed in cooking thebird, which Neb kept for the next day. The remains of the capybara and somedozens of the stone-pine almonds formed their supper. It was not half-pastsix when all was finished.

　　Cyrus Harding then thought of exploring in the half-light the largecircular layer which supported the upper cone of the mountain. Beforetaking any rest, he wished to know if it was possible to get round the baseof the cone in the case of its sides being too steep and its summit beinginaccessible. This question preoccupied him, for it was possible that fromthe way the hat inclined, that is to say, towards the north, the plateauwas not practicable. Also, if the summit of the mountain could not bereached on one side, and if, on the other, they could not get round thebase of the cone, it would be impossible to survey the western part of thecountry, and their object in making the ascent would in part be altogetherunattained.

　　The engineer, accordingly, regardless of fatigue, leaving Pencroft andNeb to arrange the beds, and Gideon Spilett to note the incidents of theday, began to follow the edge of the plateau, going towards the north.Herbert accompanied him.

　　The night was beautiful and still, the darkness was not yet deep. CyrusHarding and the boy walked near each other, without speaking. In someplaces the plateau opened before them, and they passed without hindrance.In others, obstructed by rocks, there was only a narrow path, in which twopersons could not walk abreast. After a walk of twenty minutes, CyrusHarding and Herbert were obliged to stop. From this point the slope of thetwo cones became one. No shoulder here separated the two parts of themountain. The slope, being inclined almost seventy degrees, the path becameimpracticable.

　　But if the engineer and the boy were obliged to give up thoughts offollowing a circular direction, in return an opportunity was given forascending the cone.

　　In fact, before them opened a deep hollow. It was the rugged mouth of thecrater, by which the eruptive liquid matter had escaped at the periods whenthe volcano was still in activity. Hardened lava and crusted scoria formeda sort of natural staircase of large steps, which would greatly facilitatethe ascent to the summit of the mountain.

　　Harding took all this in at a glance, and without hesitating, followed bythe lad, he entered the enormous chasm in the midst of an increasingobscurity.

　　There was still a height of a thousand feet to overcome. Would theinterior acclivities of the crater be practicable? It would soon be seen.The persevering engineer resolved to continue his ascent until he wasstopped. Happily these acclivities wound up the interior of the volcano andfavored their ascent.

　　As to the volcano itself, it could not be doubted that it was completelyextinct. No smoke escaped from its sides; not a flame could be seen in thedark hollows; not a roar, not a mutter, no trembling even issued from thisblack well, which perhaps reached far into the bowels of the earth. Theatmosphere inside the crater was filled with no sulphurous vapor. It wasmore than the sleep of a volcano; it was its complete extinction. CyrusHarding's attempt would succeed.

　　Little by little, Herbert and he climbing up the sides of the interior,saw the crater widen above their heads. The radius of this circular portionof the sky, framed by the edge of the cone, increased obviously. At eachstep, as it were, that the explorers made, fresh stars entered the field oftheir vision. The magnificent constellations of the southern sky shoneresplendently. At the zenith glittered the splendid Antares in theScorpion, and not far was Alpha Centauri, which is believed to be thenearest star to the terrestrial globe. Then, as the crater widened,appeared Fomalhaut of the Fish, the Southern Triangle, and lastly, nearlyat the Antarctic Pole, the glittering Southern Cross, which replaces thePolar Star of the Northern Hemisphere.

　　It was nearly eight o'clock when Cyrus Harding and Herbert set foot onthe highest ridge of the mountain at the summit of the cone.

　　It was then perfectly dark, and their gaze could not extend over a radiusof two miles. Did the sea surround this unknown land, or was it connectedin the west with some continent of the Pacific? It could not yet be madeout. Towards the west, a cloudy belt, clearly visible at the horizon,increased the gloom, and the eye could not discover if the sky and waterwere blended together in the same circular line.

　　But at one point of the horizon a vague light suddenly appeared, whichdescended slowly in proportion as the cloud mounted to the zenith.

　　It was the slender crescent moon, already almost disappearing; but itslight was sufficient to show clearly the horizontal line, then detachedfrom the cloud, and the engineer could see its reflection trembling for aninstant on a liquid surface. Cyrus Harding seized the lad's hand, and in agrave voice,--

　　"An island!" said he, at the moment when the lunar crescent disappearedbeneath the waves.