Part 2 - Abandoned: Chapter 8

by Jules Verne

　　The first week of January was devoted to the manufacture of the linengarments required by the colony. The needles found in the box were used bysturdy if not delicate fingers, and we may be sure that what was sewn wassewn firmly.

　　There was no lack of thread, thanks to Cyrus Harding's idea of re-employing that which had been already used in the covering of the balloon.This with admirable patience was all unpicked by Gideon Spilett andHerbert, for Pencroft had been obliged to give this work up, as itirritated him beyond measure; but he had no equal in the sewing part of thebusiness. Indeed, everybody knows that sailors have a remarkable aptitudefor tailoring.

　　The cloth of which the balloon-case was made was then cleaned by means ofsoda and potash, obtained by the incineration of plants, in such a way thatthe cotton, having got rid of the varnish, resumed its natural softness andelasticity; then, exposed to the action of the atmosphere, it soon becameperfectly white. Some dozen shirts and sock--the latter not knitted, ofcourse, but made of cotton--were thus manufactured. What a comfort it wasto the settlers to clothe themselves again in clean linen, which wasdoubtless rather rough, but they were not troubled about that! and then togo to sleep between sheets, which made the couches at Granite House intoquite comfortable beds!

　　It was about this time also that they made boots of seal-leather, whichwere greatly needed to replace the shoes and boots brought from America. Wemay be sure that these new shoes were large enough and never pinched thefeet of the wearers.

　　With the beginning of the year 1866 the heat was very great, but thehunting in the forests did not stand still. Agouties, peccaries, capybaras,kangaroos, game of all sorts, actually swarmed there, and Spilett andHerbert were too good marksmen ever to throw away their shot uselessly.

　　Cyrus Harding still recommended them to husband the ammunition, and hetook measures to replace the powder and shot which had been found in thebox, and which he wished to reserve for the future. How did he know wherechance might one day cast his companions and himself in the event of theirleaving their domain? They should, then, prepare for the unknown future byhusbanding their ammunition and by substituting for it some easilyrenewable substance.

　　To replace lead, of which Harding had found no traces in the island, heemployed granulated iron, which was easy to manufacture. These bullets, nothaving the weight of leaden bullets, were made larger, and each chargecontained less, but the skill of the sportsmen made up this deficiency. Asto powder, Cyrus Harding would have been able to make that also, for he hadat his disposal saltpeter, sulphur, and coal; but this preparation requiresextreme care, and without special tools it is difficult to produce it of agood quality. Harding preferred, therefore, to manufacture pyroxyle, thatis to say gun-cotton, a substance in which cotton is not indispensable, asthe elementary tissue of vegetables may be used, and this is found in analmost pure state, not only in cotton, but in the textile fiber of hemp andflax, in paper, the pith of the elder, etc. Now, the elder abounded in theisland towards the mouth of Red Creek, and the colonists had already madecoffee of the berries of these shrubs, which belong to the family of thecaprifoliaceae.

　　The only thing to be collected, therefore, was elder-pith, for as to theother substance necessary for the manufacture of pyroxyle, it was onlyfuming azotic acid. Now, Harding having sulphuric acid at his disposal, hadalready been easily able to produce azotic acid by attacking the saltpeterwith which nature supplied him. He accordingly resolved to manufacture andemploy pyroxyle, although it has some inconveniences, that is to say, agreat inequality of effect, an excessive inflammability, since it takesfire at one hundred and seventy degrees instead of two hundred and forty,and lastly, an instantaneous deflagration which might damage the firearms.On the other hand, the advantages of pyroxyle consist in this, that it isnot injured by damp, that it does not make the gun-barrels dirty, and thatits force is four times that of ordinary powder.

　　To make pyroxyle, the cotton must be immersed in the fuming azotic acidfor a quarter of an hour, then washed in cold water and dried. Nothingcould be more simple.

　　Cyrus Harding had only at his disposal the ordinary azotic acid and notthe fuming or monohydrate azotic acid, that is to say, acid which emitswhite vapors when it comes in contact with damp air; but by substitutingfor the latter ordinary azotic acid, mixed, in the proportion of from threeto five volumes of concentrated sulphuric acid, the engineer obtained thesame result. The sportsmen of the island therefore soon had a perfectlyprepared substance, which, employed discreetly, produced admirable results.

　　About this time the settlers cleared three acres of the plateau, and therest was preserved in a wild state, for the benefit of the onagers. Severalexcursions were made into the Jacamar Wood and the forests of the Far West,and they brought back from thence a large collection of wild vegetables,spinach, cress, radishes, and turnips, which careful culture would soonimprove, and which would temper the regimen on which the settlers had tillthen subsisted. Supplies of wood and coal were also carted. Each excursionwas at the same time a means of improving the roads, which gradually becamesmoother under the wheels of the cart.

　　The rabbit-warren still continued to supply the larder of Granite House.As fortunately it was situated on the other side of Creek Glycerine, itsinhabitants could not reach the plateau nor ravage the newly-madeplantation. The oyster-bed among the rocks was frequently renewed andfurnished excellent molluscs. Besides that, the fishing, either in the lakeor the Mercy, was very profitable, for Pencroft had made some lines, armedwith iron hooks, with which they frequently caught fine trout, and aspecies of fish whose silvery sides were speckled with yellow, and whichwere also extremely savory. Master Neb, who was skilled in the culinaryart, knew how to vary agreeably the bill of fare. Bread alone was wantingat the table of the settlers, and as has been said, they felt thisprivation greatly.

　　The settlers hunted too the turtles which frequented the shores of CapeMandible. At this place the beach was covered with little mounds,concealing perfectly spherical turtles' eggs, with white hard shells, thealbumen of which does not coagulate as that of birds' eggs. They werehatched by the sun, and their number was naturally considerable, as eachturtle can lay annually two hundred and fifty.

　　"A regular egg-field," observed Gideon Spilett, "and we have nothing todo but to pick them up."

　　But not being contented with simply the produce, they made chase afterthe producers, the result of which was that they were able to bring back toGranite House a dozen of these chelonians, which were really valuable froman alimentary point of view. The turtle soup, flavored with aromatic herbs,often gained well-merited praises for its preparer, Neb.

　　We must here mention another fortunate circumstance by which new storesfor the winter were laid in. Shoals of salmon entered the Mercy, andascended the country for several miles. It was the time at which thefemales, going to find suitable places in which to spawn, precede the malesand 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, anda large quantity were retained by fixing dams across the stream. More thana hundred were thus taken, which were salted and stored for the time whenwinter, freezing up the streams, would render fishing impracticable. Bythis time the intelligent Jup was raised to the duty of valet. He had beendressed in a jacket, white linen breeches, and an apron, the pockets ofwhich were his delight. The clever orang had been marvelously trained byNeb, and any one would have said that the Negro and the ape understood eachother when they talked together. Jup had besides a real affection for Neb,and Neb returned it. When his services were not required, either forcarrying wood or for climbing to the top of some tree, Jup passed thegreatest part of his time in the kitchen, where he endeavored to imitateNeb in all that he saw him do. The black showed the greatest patience andeven extreme zeal in instructing his pupil, and the pupil exhibitedremarkable intelligence in profiting by the lessons he received from hismaster.

　　Judge then of the pleasure Master Jup gave to the inhabitants of GraniteHouse 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 acquittedhimself perfectly, changing the plates, bringing dishes, pouring out water,all with a gravity which gave intense amusement to the settlers, and whichenraptured 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 aknowing way when Pencroft, referring to his joke of the first day, said tohim,--

　　"Decidedly, Jup, your wages must be doubled."

　　It is useless to say that the orang was now thoroughly domesticated atGranite House, and that he often accompanied his masters to the forestwithout showing any wish to leave them. It was most amusing to see himwalking with a stick which Pencroft had given him, and which he carried onhis shoulder like a gun. If they wished to gather some fruit from thesummit of a tree, how quickly he climbed for it. If the wheel of the cartstuck in the mud, with what energy did Jup with a single heave of hisshoulder put it right again.

　　"What a jolly fellow he is!" cried Pencroft often. "If he was asmischievous as he is good, there would be no doing anything with him!"

　　It was towards the end of January the colonists began their labors in thecenter of the island. It had been decided that a corral should beestablished near the sources of the Red Creek, at the foot of MountFranklin, destined to contain the ruminants, whose presence would have beentroublesome at Granite House, and especially for the musmons, who were tosupply the wool for the settlers' winter garments.

　　Each morning, the colony, sometimes entire, but more often representedonly by Harding, Herbert, and Pencroft, proceeded to the sources of theCreek, a distance of not more than five miles, by the newly beaten road towhich the name of Corral Road had been given.

　　There a site was chosen, at the back of the southern ridge of themountain. 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 closedit in on one side. The grass was fresh, and it was not too much shaded bythe trees which grew about it. This meadow was to be surrounded by apalisade, high enough to prevent even the most agile animals from leapingover. This enclosure would be large enough to contain a hundred musmons andwild goats, with all the young ones they might produce.

　　The perimeter of the corral was then traced by the engineer, and theywould then have proceeded to fell the trees necessary for the constructionof the palisade, but as the opening up of the road had already necessitatedthe sacrifice of a considerable number, those were brought and supplied ahundred stakes, which were firmly fixed in the ground.

　　The construction of this corral did not take less than three weeks, forbesides the palisade, Cyrus Harding built large sheds, in which the animalscould take shelter. These buildings had also to be made very strong, formusmons are powerful animals, and their first fury was to be feared. Thestakes, sharpened at their upper end and hardened by fire, had been fixedby means of cross-bars, and at regular distances props assured the solidityof the whole.

　　The corral finished, a raid had to be made on the pastures frequented bythe ruminants. This was done on the 7th of February, on a beautifulsummer's day, and every one took part in it. The onagers, already welltrained, were ridden by Spilett and Herbert, and were of great use.

　　The maneuver consisted simply in surrounding the musmons and goats, andgradually narrowing the circle around them. Cyrus Harding, Pencroft, Neb,and Jup, posted themselves in different parts of the wood, while the twocavaliers 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 fineanimals were as large as deer; their horns were stronger than those of theram, and their gray-colored fleece was mixed with long hair.

　　This hunting day was very fatiguing. Such going and coming, and runningand riding and shouting! Of a hundred musmons which had been surrounded,more than two-thirds escaped, but at last, thirty of these animals and tenwild goats were gradually driven back towards the corral, the open door ofwhich appearing to offer a means of escape, they rushed in and wereprisoners.

　　In short, the result was satisfactory, and the settlers had no reason tocomplain. There was no doubt that the flock would prosper, and that at nodistant 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 visitthe corral. The prisoners had been trying to overthrow the palisade, but ofcourse had not succeeded, and were not long in becoming more tranquil.

　　During the month of February, no event of any importance occurred. Thedaily labors were pursued methodically, and, as well as improving the roadsto the corral and to Port Balloon, a third was commenced, which, startingfrom the enclosure, proceeded towards the western coast. The yet unknownportion of Lincoln Island was that of the wood-covered SerpentinePeninsula, which sheltered the wild beasts, from which Gideon Spilett wasso anxious to clear their domain.

　　Before the cold season should appear the most assiduous care was given tothe cultivation of the wild plants which had been transplanted from theforest to Prospect Heights. Herbert never returned from an excursionwithout bringing home some useful vegetable. One day, it was some specimensof the chicory tribe, the seeds of which by pressure yield an excellentoil; another, it was some common sorrel, whose antiscorbutic qualities werenot to be despised; then, some of those precious tubers, which have at alltimes been cultivated in South America, potatoes, of which more than twohundred species are now known. The kitchen garden, now well stocked andcarefully defended from the birds, was divided into small beds, where grewlettuces, kidney potatoes, sorrel, turnips, radishes, and other coneiferae.The soil on the plateau was particularly fertile, and it was hoped that theharvests would be abundant.

　　They had also a variety of different beverages, and so long as they didnot demand wine, the most hard to please would have had no reason tocomplain. To the Oswego tea, and the fermented liquor extracted from theroots of the dragonnier, Harding had added a regular beer, made from theyoung shoots of the spruce-fir, which, after having been boiled andfermented, made that agreeable drink called by the Anglo-Americans spring-beer.

　　Towards the end of the summer, the poultry-yard was possessed of a coupleof fine bustards, which belonged to the houbara species, characterized by asort of feathery mantle; a dozen shovelers, whose upper mandible wasprolonged on each side by a membraneous appendage; and also somemagnificent cocks, similar to the Mozambique cocks, the comb, caruncle, andepidermis being black. So far, everything had succeeded, thanks to theactivity of these courageous and intelligent men. Nature did much for them,doubtless; but faithful to the great precept, they made a right use of whata bountiful Providence gave them.

　　After the heat of these warm summer days, in the evening when their workwas finished and the sea-breeze began to blow, they liked to sit on theedge of Prospect Heights, in a sort of veranda, covered with creepers,which Neb had made with his own hands. There they talked, they instructedeach other, they made plans, and the rough good-humor of the sailor alwaysamused this little world, in which the most perfect harmony had neverceased to reign.

　　They often spoke of their country, of their dear and great America. Whatwas the result of the War of Secession? It could not have been greatlyprolonged. Richmond had doubtless soon fallen into the hands of GeneralGrant. The taking of the capital of the Confederates must have been thelast action of this terrible struggle. Now the North had triumphed in thegood cause, how welcome would have been a newspaper to the exiles inLincoln Island! For eleven months all communication between them and therest of their fellow-creatures had been interrupted, and in a short timethe 24th of March would arrive, the anniversary of the day on which theballoon had thrown them on this unknown coast. They were then merecastaways, not even knowing how they should preserve their miserable livesfrom the fury of the elements! And now, thanks to the knowledge of theircaptain, and their own intelligence, they were regular colonists, furnishedwith arms, tools, and instruments; they had been able to turn to theirprofit the animals, plants, and minerals of the island, that is to say, thethree kingdoms of Nature.

　　Yes; they often talked of all these things and formed still more plans.

　　As to Cyrus Harding he was for the most part silent, and listened to hiscompanions more often than he spoke to them. Sometimes he smiled atHerbert's ideas or Pencroft's nonsense, but always and everywhere hepondered over those inexplicable facts, that strange enigma, of which thesecret still escaped him!