Part 3 - The Secret of the Island: Chapter 4

by Jules Verne

　　"She has blown up!" cried Herbert.

　　"Yes! blown up, just as if Ayrton had set fire to the powder!" returnedPencroft, throwing himself into the lift together with Neb and the lad.

　　"But what has happened?" asked Gideon Spilett, quite stunned by thisunexpected catastrophe.

　　"Oh! this time, we shall know--" answered the engineer quickly.

　　"What shall we know?--"

　　"Later! later! Come, Spilett. The main point is that these pirates havebeen exterminated!"

　　And Cyrus Harding, hurrying away the reporter and Ayrton, joinedPencroft, Neb, and Herbert on the beach.

　　Nothing could be seen of the brig, not even her masts. After having beenraised by the water-spout, she had fallen on her side, and had sunk in thatposition, doubtless in consequence of some enormous leak. But as in thatplace the channel was not more than twenty feet in depth, it was certainthat the sides of the submerged brig would reappear at low water.

　　A few things from the wreck floated on the surface of the water, a raftcould be seen consisting of spare spars, coops of poultry with theiroccupants still living, boxes and barrels, which gradually came to thesurface, after having escaped through the hatchways, but no pieces of thewreck appeared, neither planks from the deck, nor timber from the hull,--which rendered the sudden disappearance of the "Speedy" perfectlyinexplicable.

　　However, the two masts, which had been broken and escaped from theshrouds and stays came up, and with their sails, some furled and the othersspread. But it was not necessary to wait for the tide to bring up theseriches, and Ayrton and Pencroft jumped into the boat with the intention oftowing the pieces of wreck either to the beach or to the islet. But just asthey were shoving off, an observation from Gideon Spilett arrested them.

　　"What about those six convicts who disembarked on the right bank of theMercy?" said he.

　　In fact, it would not do to forget that the six men whose boat had goneto pieces on the rocks had landed at Flotsam Point.

　　They looked in that direction. None of the fugitives were visible. It wasprobable that, having seen their vessel engulfed in the channel, they hadfled into the interior of the island.

　　"We will deal with them later," said Harding. "As they are armed, theywill still be dangerous; but as it is six against six, the chances areequal. To the most pressing business first."

　　Ayrton and Pencroft pulled vigorously towards the wreck.

　　The sea was calm and the tide very high, as there had been a new moon buttwo days before. A whole hour at least would elapse before the hull of thebrig could emerge from the water of the channel.

　　Ayrton and Pencroft were able to fasten the masts and spars by means ofropes, the ends of which were carried to the beach. There, by the unitedefforts of the settlers the pieces of wreck were hauled up. Then the boatpicked up all that was floating, coops, barrels, and boxes, which wereimmediately carried to the Chimneys.

　　Several bodies floated also. Among them, Ayrton recognized that of BobHarvey, which he pointed out to his companion, saying with some emotion,--

　　"That is what I have been, Pencroft."

　　"But what you are no longer, brave Ayrton!" returned the sailor warmly.

　　It was singular enough that so few bodies floated. Only five or six werecounted, which were already being carried by the current towards the opensea. Very probably the convicts had not had time to escape, and the shiplying over on her side, the greater number of them had remained below. Nowthe current, by carrying the bodies of these miserable men out to sea,would spare the colonists the sad task of burying them in some corner oftheir island.

　　For two hours, Cyrus Harding and his companions were solely occupied inhauling up the spars on to the sand, and then in spreading the sails whichwere perfectly uninjured, to dry. They spoke little, for they were absorbedin their work, but what thoughts occupied their minds!

　　The possession of this brig, or rather all that she contained, was aperfect mine of wealth. In fact, a ship is like a little world inminiature, and the stores of the colony would be increased by a largenumber of useful articles. It would be, on a large scale, equivalent to thechest found at Flotsam Point.

　　"And besides," thought Pencroft, "why should it be impossible to refloatthe brig? If she has only a leak, that may be stopped up; a vessel fromthree to four hundred tons, why she is a regular ship compared to our'Bonadventure'! And we could go a long distance in her! We could goanywhere we liked! Captain Harding, Ayrton and I must examine her! Shewould be well worth the trouble!"

　　In fact, if the brig was still fit to navigate, the colonists' chances ofreturning to their native land were singularly increased. But, to decidethis important question, it was necessary to wait until the tide was quitelow, so that every part of the brig's hull might be examined.

　　When their treasures had been safely conveyed on shore, Harding and hiscompanions agreed to devote some minutes to breakfast. They were almostfamished; fortunately, the larder was not far off, and Neb was noted forbeing an expeditious cook. They breakfasted, therefore, near the Chimneys,and during their repast, as may be supposed, nothing was talked of but theevent which had so miraculously saved the colony.

　　"Miraculous is the word," repeated Pencroft, "for it must be acknowledgedthat those rascals blew up just at the right moment! Granite House wasbeginning to be uncomfortable as a habitation!"

　　"And can you guess, Pencroft," asked the reporter, "how it happened, orwhat can have occasioned the explosion?"

　　"Oh! Mr. Spilett, nothing is more simple," answered Pencroft. "A convictvessel is not disciplined like a man-of-war! Convicts are not sailors. Ofcourse the powder-magazine was open, and as they were firing incessantly,some careless or clumsy fellow just blew up the vessel!"

　　"Captain Harding," said Herbert, "what astonishes me is that theexplosion has not produced more effect. The report was not loud, andbesides there are so few planks and timbers torn out. It seems as if theship had rather foundered than blown up."

　　"Does that astonish you, my boy?" asked the engineer.

　　"Yes, captain."

　　"And it astonishes me also, Herbert," replied he, "but when we visit thehull of the brig, we shall no doubt find the explanation of the matter."

　　"Why, captain," said Pencroft, "you don't suppose that the 'Speedy'simply foundered like a ship which has struck on a rock?"

　　"Why not," observed Neb, "if there are rocks in the channel?"

　　"Nonsense, Neb," answered Pencroft, "you did not look at the rightmoment. An instant before she sank, the brig, as I saw perfectly well, roseon an enormous wave, and fell back on her larboard side. Now, if she hadonly struck, she would have sunk quietly and gone to the bottom like anhonest vessel."

　　"It was just because she was not an honest vessel!" returned Neb.

　　"Well, we shall soon see, Pencroft," said the engineer.

　　"We shall soon see," rejoined the sailor, "but I would wager my headthere are no rocks in the channel. Look here, captain, to speak candidly,do you mean to say that there is anything marvelous in the occurrence?"

　　Cyrus Harding did not answer.

　　"At any rate," said Gideon Spilett, "whether rock or explosion, you willagree, Pencroft, that it occurred just in the nick of time!"

　　"Yes! yes!" replied the sailor, "but that is not the question. I askCaptain Harding if he sees anything supernatural in all this."

　　"I cannot say, Pencroft," said the engineer. "That is all the answer Ican make."

　　A reply which did not satisfy Pencroft at all. He stuck to "anexplosion," and did not wish to give it up. He would never consent to admitthat in that channel, with its fine sandy bed, just like the beach, whichhe had often crossed at low water, there could be an unknown rock.

　　And besides, at the time the brig foundered, it was high water, that isto say, there was enough water to carry the vessel clear over any rockswhich would not be uncovered at low tide. Therefore, there could not havebeen a collision. Therefore, the vessel had not struck. So she had blownup.

　　And it must be confessed that the sailor's arguments were reasonable.

　　Towards half-past one, the colonists embarked in the boat to visit thewreck. It was to be regretted that the brig's two boats had not been saved;but one, as has been said, had gone to pieces at the mouth of the Mercy,and was absolutely useless; the other had disappeared when the brig wentdown, and had not again been seen, having doubtless been crushed.

　　The hull of the "Speedy" was just beginning to issue from the water. Thebrig was lying right over on her side, for her masts being broken, presseddown by the weight of the ballast displaced by the shock, the keel wasvisible along her whole length. She had been regularly turned over by theinexplicable but frightful submarine action, which had been at the sametime manifested by an enormous water-spout.

　　The settlers rowed round the hull, and in proportion as the tide wentdown, they could ascertain, if not the cause which had occasioned thecatastrophe, at least the effect produced.

　　Towards the bows, on both sides of the keel, seven or eight feet from thebeginning of the stem, the sides of the brig were frightfully torn. Over alength of at least twenty feet there opened two large leaks, which would beimpossible to stop up. Not only had the copper sheathing and the planksdisappeared, reduced, no doubt, to powder, but also the ribs, the ironbolts, and treenalls which united them. From the entire length of the hullto the stern the false keel had been separated with an unaccountableviolence, and the keel itself, torn from the carline in several places, wassplit in all its length.

　　"I've a notion!" exclaimed Pencroft, "that this vessel will be difficultto get afloat again."

　　"It will be impossible," said Ayrton.

　　"At any rate," observed Gideon Spilett to the sailor, "the explosion, ifthere has been one, has produced singular effects! It has split the lowerpart of the hull, instead of blowing up the deck and topsides! These greatrents appear rather to have been made by a rock than by the explosion of apowder-magazine."

　　"There is not a rock in the channel!" answered the sailor. "I will admitanything you like, except the rock."

　　"Let us try to penetrate into the interior of the brig," said theengineer; "perhaps we shall then know what to think of the cause of herdestruction."

　　This was the best thing to be done, and it was agreed, besides, to takean inventory of all the treasures on board, and to arrange theirpreservation.

　　Access to the interior of the brig was now easy. The tide was still goingdown and the deck was practicable. The ballast, composed of heavy masses ofiron, had broken through in several places. The noise of the sea could beheard as it rushed out at the holes in the hull.

　　Cyrus Harding and his companions, hatchets in hand, advanced along theshattered deck. Cases of all sorts encumbered it, and, as they had been buta very short time in the water, their contents were perhaps uninjured.

　　They then busied themselves in placing all this cargo in safety. Thewater would not return for several hours, and these hours must be employedin the most profitable way. Ayrton and Pencroft had, at the entrance madein the hull, discovered tackle, which would serve to hoist up the barrelsand chests. The boat received them and transported them to the shore. Theytook the articles as they came, intending to sort them afterwards.

　　At any rate, the settlers saw at once, with extreme satisfaction, thatthe brig possessed a very varied cargo--an assortment of all sorts ofarticles, utensils, manufactured goods, and tools--such as the ships whichmake the great coasting-trade of Polynesia are usually laden with. It wasprobable that they would find a little of everything, and they agreed thatit was exactly what was necessary for the colony of Lincoln Island.

　　However-and Cyrus Harding observed it in silent astonishment-not only, ashas been said, had the hull of the brig enormously suffered from the shock,whatever it was, that had occasioned the catastrophe, but the interiorarrangements had been destroyed, especially towards the bows. Partitionsand stanchions were smashed, as if some tremendous shell had burst in theinterior of the brig. The colonists could easily go fore and aft, afterhaving removed the cases as they were extricated. They were not heavybales, which would have been difficult to remove, but simple packages, ofwhich the stowage, besides, was no longer recognizable.

　　The colonists then reached the stern of the brig--the part formerlysurmounted by the poop. It was there that, following Ayrton's directions,they must look for the powder-magazine. Cyrus Harding thought that it hadnot exploded; that it was possible some barrels might be saved, and thatthe powder, which is usually enclosed in metal coverings might not havesuffered from contact with the water.

　　This, in fact, was just what had happened. They extricated from among alarge number of shot twenty barrels, the insides of which were lined withcopper. Pencroft was convinced by the evidence of his own eyes that thedestruction of the "Speedy" could not be attributed to an explosion. Thatpart of the hull in which the magazine was situated was, moreover, thatwhich had suffered least.

　　"It may be so," said the obstinate sailor; "but as to a rock, there isnot one in the channel!"

　　"Then, how did it happen?" asked Herbert.

　　"I don't know," answered Pencroft, "Captain Harding doesn't know, andnobody knows or ever will know!"

　　Several hours had passed during these researches, and the tide began toflow. Work must be suspended for the present. There was no fear of the brigbeing carried away by the sea, for she was already fixed as firmly as ifmoored by her anchors.

　　They could, therefore, without inconvenience, wait until the next day toresume operations; but, as to the vessel itself, she was doomed, and itwould be best to hasten to save the remains of her hull, as she would notbe long in disappearing in the quicksands of the channel.

　　It was now five o'clock in the evening. It had been a hard day's work forthe men. They ate with good appetite, and notwithstanding their fatigue,they could not resist, after dinner, their desire of inspecting the caseswhich composed the cargo of the "Speedy."

　　Most of them contained clothes, which, as may be believed, was wellreceived. There were enough to clothe a whole colony--linen for every one'suse, shoes for every one's feet.

　　"We are too rich!" exclaimed Pencroft, "But what are we going to do withall this?"

　　And every moment burst forth the hurrahs of the delighted sailor when hecaught sight of the barrels of gunpowder, firearms and sidearms, balls ofcotton, implements of husbandry, carpenter's, joiner's, and blacksmith'stools, and boxes of all kinds of seeds, not in the least injured by theirshort sojourn in the water. Ah, two years before, how these things wouldhave been prized! And now, even though the industrious colonists hadprovided themselves with tools, these treasures would find their use.

　　There was no want of space in the store-rooms of Granite House, but thatdaytime would not allow them to stow away the whole. It would not do alsoto forget that the six survivors of the "Speedy's" crew had landed on theisland, for they were in all probability scoundrels of the deepest dye, andit was necessary that the colonists should be on their guard against them.Although the bridges over the Mercy were raised, the convicts would not bestopped by a river or a stream and, rendered desperate, these wretcheswould be capable of anything.

　　They would see later what plan it would be best to follow; but in themeantime it was necessary to mount guard over cases and packages heaped upnear the Chimneys, and thus the settlers employed themselves in turn duringthe night.

　　The morning came, however, without the convicts having attempted anyattack. Master Jup and Top, on guard at the foot of Granite House, wouldhave quickly given the alarm. The three following day--the 19th, 20th, and21st of October--were employed in saving everything of value, or of any usewhatever, either from the cargo or rigging of the brig. At low tide theyoverhauled the hold--at high tide they stowed away the rescued articles. Agreat part of the copper sheathing had been torn from the hull, which everyday sank lower. But before the sand had swallowed the heavy things whichhad fallen through the bottom, Ayrton and Pencroft, diving to the bed ofthe channel, recovered the chains and anchors of the brig, the iron of herballast, and even four guns, which, floated by means of empty casks, werebrought to shore.

　　It may be seen that the arsenal of the colony had gained by the wreck, aswell as the storerooms of Granite House. Pencroft, always enthusiastic inhis projects, already spoke of constructing a battery to command thechannel and the mouth of the river. With four guns, he engaged to preventany fleet, "however powerful it might be," from venturing into the watersof Lincoln Island!

　　In the meantime, when nothing remained of the brig but a useless hulk,bad weather came on, which soon finished her. Cyrus Harding had intended toblow her up, so as to collect the remains on the shore, but a strong galefrom the northeast and a heavy sea compelled him to economize his powder.

　　In fact, on the night of the 23rd, the hull entirely broke up, and someof the wreck was cast up on the beach.

　　As to the papers on board, it is useless to say that, although hecarefully searched the lockers of the poop, Harding did not discover anytrace of them. The pirates had evidently destroyed everything thatconcerned either the captain or the owners of the "Speedy," and, as thename of her port was not painted on her counter, there was nothing whichwould tell them her nationality. However, by the shape of her boats Ayrtonand Pencroft believed that the brig was of English build.

　　A week after the castrophe--or, rather, after the fortunate, thoughinexplicable, event to which the colony owed its preservation--nothing morecould be seen of the vessel, even at low tide. The wreck had disappeared,and Granite House was enriched by nearly all it had contained.

　　However, the mystery which enveloped its strange destruction woulddoubtless never have been cleared away if, on the 30th of November, Neb,strolling on the beach, had not found a piece of a thick iron cylinder,bearing traces of explosion. The edges of this cylinder were twisted andbroken, as if they had been subjected to the action of some explosivesubstance.

　　Neb brought this piece of metal to his master, who was then occupied withhis companions in the workshop of the Chimneys.

　　Cyrus Harding examined the cylinder attentively, then, turning toPencroft,--

　　"You persist, my friend," said he, "in maintaining that the 'Speedy' wasnot lost in consequence of a collision?"

　　"Yes, captain," answered the sailor. "You know as well as I do that thereare no rocks in the channel."

　　"But suppose she had run against this piece of iron?" said the engineer,showing the broken cylinder.

　　"What, that bit of pipe!" exclaimed Pencroft in a tone of perfectincredulity.

　　"My friends," resumed Harding, "you remember that before she founderedthe brig rose on the summit of a regular waterspout?"

　　"Yes, captain," replied Herbert.

　　"Well, would you like to know what occasioned that waterspout? It wasthis," said the engineer, holding up the broken tube.

　　"That?" returned Pencroft.

　　"Yes! This cylinder is all that remains of a torpedo!"

　　"A torpedo!" exclaimed the engineer's companions.

　　"And who put the torpedo there?" demanded Pencroft, who did not like toyield.

　　"All that I can tell you is, that it was not I," answered Cyrus Harding;"but it was there, and you have been able to judge of its incomparablepower!"