Part 1 - Dropped from the Clouds: Chapter 15

by Jules Verne

　　The next day, the 17th of April, the sailor's first words were addressed toGideon Spilett.

　　"Well, sir," he asked, "what shall we do to-day?"

　　"What the captain pleases," replied the reporter.

　　Till then the engineer's companions had been brickmakers and potters,now they were to become metallurgists.

　　The day before, after breakfast, they had explored as far as the point ofMandible Cape, seven miles distant from the Chimneys. There, the longseries of downs ended, and the soil had a volcanic appearance. There wereno longer high cliffs as at Prospect Heights, but a strange and capriciousborder which surrounded the narrow gulf between the two capes, formed ofmineral matter, thrown up by the volcano. Arrived at this point thesettlers retraced their steps, and at nightfall entered the Chimneys; butthey did not sleep before the question of knowing whether they could thinkof leaving Lincoln Island or not was definitely settled.

　　The twelve hundred miles which separated the island from the PomoutousIsland was a considerable distance. A boat could not cross it, especiallyat the approach of the bad season. Pencroft had expressly declared this.Now, to construct a simple boat even with the necessary tools, was adifficult work, and the colonists not having tools they must begin bymaking hammers, axes, adzes, saws, augers, planes, etc., which would takesome time. It was decided, therefore, that they would winter at LincolnIsland, and that they would look for a more comfortable dwelling than theChimneys, in which to pass the winter months.

　　Before anything else could be done it was necessary to make the iron ore,of which the engineer had observed some traces in the northwest part of theisland, fit for use by converting it either into iron or into steel.

　　Metals are not generally found in the ground in a pure state. For themost part they are combined with oxygen or sulphur. Such was the case withthe two specimens which Cyrus Harding had brought back, one of magneticiron, not carbonated, the other a pyrite, also called sulphuret of iron. Itwas, therefore the first, the oxide of iron, which they must reduce withcoal, that is to say, get rid of the oxygen, to obtain it in a pure state.This reduction is made by subjecting the ore with coal to a hightemperature, either by the rapid and easy Catalan method, which has theadvantage of transforming the ore into iron in a single operation, or bythe blast furnace, which first smelts the ore, then changes it into iron,by carrying away the three to four per cent. of coal, which is combinedwith it.

　　Now Cyrus Harding wanted iron, and he wished to obtain it as soon aspossible. The ore which he had picked up was in itself very pure and rich.It was the oxydulous iron, which is found in confused masses of a deep graycolor; it gives a black dust, crystallized in the form of the regularoctahedron. Native lodestones consist of this ore, and iron of the firstquality is made in Europe from that with which Sweden and Norway are soabundantly supplied. Not far from this vein was the vein of coal alreadymade use of by the settlers. The ingredients for the manufacture beingclose together would greatly facilitate the treatment of the ore. This isthe cause of the wealth of the mines in Great Britain, where the coal aidsthe manufacture of the metal extracted from the same soil at the same timeas itself.

　　"Then, captain," said Pencroft, "we are going to work iron ore?"

　　"Yes, my friend," replied the engineer, "and for that--something whichwill please you--we must begin by having a seal hunt on the islet."

　　"A seal hunt!" cried the sailor, turning towards Gideon Spilett. "Areseals needed to make iron?"

　　"Since Cyrus has said so!" replied the reporter.

　　But the engineer had already left the Chimneys, and Pencroft prepared forthe seal hunt, without having received any other explanation.

　　Cyrus Harding, Herbert, Gideon Spilett, Neb, and the sailor were sooncollected on the shore, at a place where the channel left a ford passableat low tide. The hunters could therefore traverse it without getting wethigher than the knee.

　　Harding then put his foot on the islet for the first, and his companionsfor the second time.

　　On their landing some hundreds of penguins looked fearlessly at them. Thehunters, armed with sticks, could have killed them easily, but they werenot guilty of such useless massacre, as it was important not to frightenthe seals, who were lying on the sand several cable lengths off. They alsorespected certain innocent-looking birds, whose wings were reduced to thestate of stumps, spread out like fins, ornamented with feathers of a scalyappearance. The settlers, therefore, prudently advanced towards the northpoint, walking over ground riddled with little holes, which formed nestsfor the sea-birds. Towards the extremity of the islet appeared great blackheads floating just above the water, having exactly the appearance of rocksin motion.

　　These were the seals which were to be captured. It was necessary,however, first to allow them to land, for with their close, short hair, andtheir fusiform conformation, being excellent swimmers, it is difficult tocatch them in the sea, while on land their short, webbed feet prevent theirhaving more than a slow, waddling movement.

　　Pencroft knew the habits of these creatures, and he advised waiting tillthey were stretched on the sand, when the sun, before long, would send themto sleep. They must then manage to cut off their retreat and knock them onthe head.

　　The hunters, having concealed themselves behind the rocks, waitedsilently.

　　An hour passed before the seals came to play on the sand. They couldcount half a dozen. Pencroft and Herbert then went round the point of theislet, so as to take them in the rear, and cut off their retreat. Duringthis time Cyrus Harding, Spilett, and Neb, crawling behind the rocks,glided towards the future scene of combat.

　　All at once the tall figure of the sailor appeared. Pencroft shouted. Theengineer and his two companions threw themselves between the sea and theseals. Two of the animals soon lay dead on the sand, but the rest regainedthe sea in safety.

　　"Here are the seals required, captain!" said the sailor, advancingtowards the engineer.

　　"Capital," replied Harding. "We will make bellows of them!"

　　"Bellows!" cried Pencroft. "Well! these are lucky seals!"

　　It was, in fact, a blowing-machine, necessary for the treatment of theore that the engineer wished to manufacture with the skins of theamphibious creatures. They were of a medium size, for their length did notexceed six feet. They resembled a dog about the head.

　　As it was useless to burden themselves with the weight of both theanimals, Neb and Pencroft resolved to skin them on the spot, while CyrusHarding and the reporter continued to explore the islet.

　　The sailor and the Negro cleverly performed the operation, and threehours afterwards Cyrus Harding had at his disposal two seals' skins, whichhe intended to use in this state, without subjecting them to any tanningprocess.

　　The settlers waited till the tide was again low, and crossing the channelthey entered the Chimneys.

　　The skins had then to be stretched on a frame of wood and sewn by meansof fibers so as to preserve the air without allowing too much to escape.Cyrus Harding had nothing but the two steel blades from Top's collar, andyet he was so clever, and his companions aided him with so muchintelligence, that three days afterwards the little colony's stock of toolswas augmented by a blowing-machine, destined to inject the air into themidst of the ore when it should be subjected to heat--an indispensablecondition to the success of the operation.

　　On the morning of the 20th of April began the "metallic period," as thereporter called it in his notes. The engineer had decided, as has beensaid, to operate near the veins both of coal and ore. Now, according to hisobservations, these veins were situated at the foot of the northeast spursof Mount Franklin, that is to say, a distance of six miles from their home.It was impossible, therefore, to return every day to the Chimneys, and itwas agreed that the little colony should camp under a hut of branches, sothat the important operation could be followed night and day.

　　This settled, they set out in the morning. Neb and Pencroft dragged thebellows on a hurdle; also a quantity of vegetables and animals, which theybesides could renew on the way.

　　The road led through Jacamar Wood, which they traversed obliquely fromsoutheast to northwest, and in the thickest part. It was necessary to beata path, which would in the future form the most direct road to ProspectHeights and Mount Franklin. The trees, belonging to the species alreadydiscovered, were magnificent. Herbert found some new ones, among otherssome which Pencroft called "sham leeks"; for, in spite of their size, theywere of the same liliaceous family as the onion, chive, shallot, orasparagus. These trees produce ligneous roots which, when cooked, areexcellent; from them, by fermentation, a very agreeable liquor is made.They therefore made a good store of the roots.

　　The journey through the wood was long; it lasted the whole day, and soallowed plenty of time for examining the flora and fauna. Top, who tookspecial charge of the fauna, ran through the grass and brushwood, puttingup all sorts of game. Herbert and Gideon Spilett killed two kangaroos withbows and arrows, and also an animal which strongly resembled both ahedgehog and an ant-eater. It was like the first because it rolled itselfinto a ball, and bristled with spines, and the second because it had sharpclaws, a long slender snout which terminated in a bird's beak, and anextendible tongue, covered with little thorns which served to hold theinsects.

　　"And when it is in the pot," asked Pencroft naturally, "what will it belike?"

　　"An excellent piece of beef," replied Herbert.

　　"We will not ask more from it," replied the sailor,

　　During this excursion they saw several wild boars, which however, did notoffer to attack the little band, and it appeared as if they would not meetwith any dangerous beasts; when, in a thick part of the wood, the reporterthought he saw, some paces from him, among the lower branches of a tree, ananimal which he took for a bear, and which he very tranquilly began todraw. Happily for Gideon Spilett, the animal in question did not belong tothe redoubtable family of the plantigrades. It was only a koala, betterknown under the name of the sloth, being about the size of a large dog, andhaving stiff hair of a dirty color, the paws armed with strong claws, whichenabled it to climb trees and feed on the leaves. Having identified theanimal, which they did not disturb, Gideon Spilett erased "bear" from thetitle of his sketch, putting koala in its place, and the journey wasresumed.

　　At five o'clock in the evening, Cyrus Harding gave the signal to halt.They were now outside the forest, at the beginning of the powerful spurswhich supported Mount Franklin towards the west. At a distance of somehundred feet flowed the Red Creek, and consequently plenty of fresh waterwas within their reach.

　　The camp was soon organized. In less than an hour, on the edge of theforest, among the trees, a hut of branches interlaced with creepers, andpasted over with clay, offered a tolerable shelter. Their geologicalresearches were put off till the next day. Supper was prepared, a good fireblazed before the hut, the roast turned, and at eight o'clock, while one ofthe settlers watched to keep up the fire, in case any wild beasts shouldprowl in the neighborhood, the others slept soundly.

　　The next day, the 21st of April, Cyrus Harding accompanied by Herbert,went to look for the soil of ancient formation, on which he had alreadydiscovered a specimen of ore. They found the vein above ground, near thesource of the creek, at the foot of one of the northeastern spurs. Thisore, very rich in iron, enclosed in its fusible veinstone, was perfectlysuited to the mode of reduction which the engineer intended to employ; thatis, the Catalan method, but simplified, as it is used in Corsica. In fact,the Catalan method, properly so called, requires the construction of kilnsand crucibles, in which the ore and the coal, placed in alternate layers,are transformed and reduced, But Cyrus Harding intended to economize theseconstructions, and wished simply to form, with the ore and the coal, acubic mass, to the center of which he would direct the wind from hisbellows. Doubtless, it was the proceeding employed by Tubalcain, and thefirst metallurgists of the inhabited world. Now that which had succeededwith the grandson of Adam, and which still yielded good results incountries which in ore and fuel, could not but succeed with the settlers inLincoln Island.

　　The coal, as well as the ore, was collected without trouble on thesurface of the ground. They first broke the ore into little pieces, andcleansed them with the hand from the impurities which soiled their surface.Then coal and ore were arranged in heaps and in successive layers, as thecharcoal-burner does with the wood which he wishes to carbonize. In thisway, under the influence of the air projected by the blowing-machine, thecoal would be transformed into carbonic acid, then into oxide of carbon,its use being to reduce the oxide of iron, that is to say, to rid it of theoxygen.

　　Thus the engineer proceeded. The bellows of sealskin, furnished at itsextremity with a nozzle of clay, which had been previously fabricated inthe pottery kiln, was established near the heap of ore. Using the mechanismwhich consisted of a frame, cords of fiber and counterpoise, he threw intothe mass an abundance of air, which by raising the temperature alsoconcurred with the chemical transformation to produce in time pure iron.

　　The operation was difficult. All the patience, all the ingenuity of thesettlers was needed; but at last it succeeded, and the result was a lump ofiron, reduced to a spongy state, which it was necessary to shingle andfagot, that is to say, to forge so as to expel from it the liquefiedveinstone. These amateur smiths had, of course, no hammer; but they were inno worse a situation than the first metallurgist, and therefore did what,no doubt, he had to do.

　　A handle was fixed to the first lump, and was used as a hammer to forgethe second on a granite anvil, and thus they obtained a coarse but usefulmetal. At length, after many trials and much fatigue, on the 25th of Aprilseveral bars of iron were forged, and transformed into tools, crowbars,pincers, pickaxes, spades, etc., which Pencroft and Neb declared to be realjewels. But the metal was not yet in its most serviceable state, that is,of steel. Now steel is a combination of iron and coal, which is extracted,either from the liquid ore, by taking from it the excess of coal, or fromthe iron by adding to it the coal which was wanting. The first, obtained bythe decarburation of the metal, gives natural or puddled steel; the second,produced by the carburation of the iron, gives steel of cementation.

　　It was the last which Cyrus Harding intended to forge, as he possessediron in a pure state. He succeeded by heating the metal with powdered coalin a crucible which had previously been manufactured from clay suitable forthe purpose.

　　He then worked this steel, which is malleable both when hot or cold, withthe hammer. Neb and Pencroft, cleverly directed, made hatchets, which,heated red-hot, and plunged suddenly into cold water, acquired an excellenttemper.

　　Other instruments, of course roughly fashioned, were also manufactured;blades for planes, axes, hatchets, pieces of steel to be transformed intosaws, chisels; then iron for spades, pickaxes, hammers, nails, etc. Atlast, on the 5th of May, the metallic period ended, the smiths returned tothe Chimneys, and new work would soon authorize them to take a fresh title.