L'île mystérieuse. English

by Jules Verne

  Chapter 19

  The next day, the 22nd of May, the arrangement of their new dwellingwas commenced. In fact, the settlers longed to exchange the insufficientshelter of the Chimneys for this large and healthy retreat, in the midstof solid rock, and sheltered from the water both of the sea and sky.Their former dwelling was not, however, to be entirely abandoned, forthe engineer intended to make a manufactory of it for important works.Cyrus Harding's first care was to find out the position of the front ofGranite House from the outside. He went to the beach, and as thepickaxe when it escaped from the hands of the reporter must have fallenperpendicularly to the foot of the cliff, the finding it would besufficient to show the place where the hole had been pierced in thegranite.

  The pickaxe was easily found, and the hole could be seen in aperpendicular line above the spot where it was stuck in the sand. Somerock pigeons were already flying in and out of the narrow opening; theyevidently thought that Granite House had been discovered on purpose forthem. It was the engineer's intention to divide the right portion of thecavern into several rooms, preceded by an entrance passage, and to lightit by means of five windows and a door, pierced in the front. Pencroftwas much pleased with the five windows, but he could not understand theuse of the door, since the passage offered a natural staircase, throughwhich it would always be easy to enter Granite House.

  "My friend," replied Harding, "if it is easy for us to reach ourdwelling by this passage, it will be equally easy for others besidesus. I mean, on the contrary, to block up that opening, to seal ithermetically, and, if it is necessary, to completely hide the entranceby making a dam, and thus causing the water of the lake to rise."

  "And how shall we get in?" asked the sailor.

  "By an outside ladder," replied Cyrus Harding, "a rope ladder, which,once drawn up, will render access to our dwelling impossible."

  "But why so many precautions?" asked Pencroft. "As yet we have seen nodangerous animals. As to our island being inhabited by natives, I don'tbelieve it!"

  "Are you quite sure of that, Pencroft?" asked the engineer, looking atthe sailor.

  "Of course we shall not be quite sure, till we have explored it in everydirection," replied Pencroft.

  "Yes," said Harding, "for we know only a small portion of it as yet. Butat any rate, if we have no enemies in the interior, they may come fromthe exterior, for parts of the Pacific are very dangerous. We must beprovided against every contingency."

  Cyrus Harding spoke wisely; and without making any further objection,Pencroft prepared to execute his orders.

  The front of Granite House was then to be lighted by five windows and adoor, besides a large bay window and some smaller oval ones, which wouldadmit plenty of light to enter into the marvelous nave which was to betheir chief room. This facade, situated at a height of eighty feet abovethe ground, was exposed to the east, and the rising sun saluted it withits first rays. It was found to be just at that part of the cliff whichwas between the projection at the mouth of the Mercy and a perpendicularline traced above the heap of rocks which formed the Chimneys. Thusthe winds from the northeast would only strike it obliquely, for it wasprotected by the projection. Besides, until the window-frames were made,the engineer meant to close the openings with thick shutters, whichwould prevent either wind or rain from entering, and which could beconcealed in need.

  The first work was to make the openings. This would have taken too longwith the pickaxe alone, and it is known that Harding was an ingeniousman. He had still a quantity of nitro-glycerine at his disposal, and heemployed it usefully. By means of this explosive substance the rock wasbroken open at the very places chosen by the engineer. Then, with thepickaxe and spade, the windows and doors were properly shaped, thejagged edges were smoothed off, and a few days after the beginning ofthe work, Granite House was abundantly lighted by the rising sun,whose rays penetrated into its most secret recesses. Following theplan proposed by Cyrus Harding, the space was to be divided into fivecompartments looking out on the sea; to the right, an entry with adoor, which would meet the ladder; then a kitchen, thirty feet long; adining-room, measuring forty feet; a sleeping-room, of equal size; andlastly, a "Visitor's room," petitioned for by Pencroft, and which wasnext to the great hall. These rooms, or rather this suite of rooms,would not occupy all the depth of the cave. There would be also acorridor and a storehouse, in which their tools, provisions, and storeswould be kept. All the productions of the island, the flora as well asthe fauna, were to be there in the best possible state of preservation,and completely sheltered from the damp. There was no want of space, sothat each object could be methodically arranged. Besides, the colonistshad still at their disposal the little grotto above the great cavern,which was like the garret of the new dwelling.

  This plan settled, it had only to be put into execution. The minersbecame brickmakers again, then the bricks were brought to the foot ofGranite House. Till then, Harding and his companions had only enteredthe cavern by the long passage. This mode of communication obliged themfirst to climb Prospect Heights, making a detour by the river's bank,and then to descend two hundred feet through the passage, having toclimb as far when they wished to return to the plateau. This was a greatloss of time, and was also very fatiguing. Cyrus Harding, therefore,resolved to proceed without any further delay to the fabrication ofa strong rope ladder, which, once raised, would render Granite Housecompletely inaccessible.

  This ladder was manufactured with extreme care, and its uprights, formedof the twisted fibers of a species of cane, had the strength of a thickcable. As to the rounds, they were made of a sort of red cedar, withlight, strong branches; and this apparatus was wrought by the masterlyhand of Pencroft.

  Other ropes were made with vegetable fibers, and a sort of crane with atackle was fixed at the door. In this way bricks could easily beraised into Granite House. The transport of the materials being thussimplified, the arrangement of the interior could begin immediately.There was no want of lime, and some thousands of bricks were thereready to be used. The framework of the partitions was soon raised, veryroughly at first, and in a short time, the cave was divided into roomsand storehouses, according to the plan agreed upon.

  These different works progressed rapidly under the direction of theengineer, who himself handled the hammer and the trowel. No labor cameamiss to Cyrus Harding, who thus set an example to his intelligent andzealous companions. They worked with confidence, even gaily, Pencroftalways having some joke to crack, sometimes carpenter, sometimesrope-maker, sometimes mason, while he communicated his good humor toall the members of their little world. His faith in the engineerwas complete; nothing could disturb it. He believed him capable ofundertaking anything and succeeding in everything. The question of bootsand clothes--assuredly a serious question,--that of light during thewinter months, utilizing the fertile parts of the island, transformingthe wild flora into cultivated flora, it all appeared easy to him; CyrusHarding helping, everything would be done in time. He dreamed of canalsfacilitating the transport of the riches of the ground; workingsof quarries and mines; machines for every industrial manufacture;railroads; yes, railroads! of which a network would certainly one daycover Lincoln Island.

  The engineer let Pencroft talk. He did not put down the aspirations ofthis brave heart. He knew how communicable confidence is; he even smiledto hear him speak, and said nothing of the uneasiness for the futurewhich he felt. In fact, in that part of the Pacific, out of the courseof vessels, it was to be feared that no help would ever come to them. Itwas on themselves, on themselves alone, that the settlers must depend,for the distance of Lincoln Island from all other land was such, thatto hazard themselves in a boat, of a necessarily inferior construction,would be a serious and perilous thing.

  "But," as the sailor said, "they quite took the wind out of the sails ofthe Robinsons, for whom everything was done by a miracle."

  In fact, they were energetic; an energetic man will succeed where anindolent one would vegetate and inevitably perish.

  Herbert
distinguished himself in these works. He was intelligent andactive; understanding quickly, he performed well; and Cyrus Hardingbecame more and more attached to the boy. Herbert had a lively andreverent love for the engineer. Pencroft saw the close sympathy whichexisted between the two, but he was not in the least jealous. Nebwas Neb: he was what he would be always, courage, zeal, devotion,self-denial personified. He had the same faith in his master thatPencroft had, but he showed it less vehemently. When the sailor wasenthusiastic, Neb always looked as if he would say, "Nothing could bemore natural." Pencroft and he were great friends.

  As to Gideon Spilett, he took part in the common work, and was not lessskilful in it than his companions, which always rather astonishedthe sailor. A "journalist," clever, not only in understanding, but inperforming everything.

  The ladder was finally fixed on the 28th of May. There were not lessthan a hundred rounds in this perpendicular height of eighty feet.Harding had been able, fortunately, to divide it in two parts, profitingby an overhanging of the cliff which made a projection forty feet abovethe ground. This projection, carefully leveled by the pickaxe, made asort of platform, to which they fixed the first ladder, of which theoscillation was thus diminished one-half, and a rope permitted it to beraised to the level of Granite House. As to the second ladder, it wassecured both at its lower part, which rested on the projection, and atits upper end, which was fastened to the door. In short the ascent hadbeen made much easier. Besides, Cyrus Harding hoped later to establishan hydraulic apparatus, which would avoid all fatigue and loss of time,for the inhabitants of Granite House.

  The settlers soon became habituated to the use of this ladder. They werelight and active, and Pencroft, as a sailor, accustomed to run upthe masts and shrouds, was able to give them lessons. But it was alsonecessary to give them to Top. The poor dog, with his four paws, wasnot formed for this sort of exercise. But Pencroft was such a zealousmaster, that Top ended by properly performing his ascents, and soonmounted the ladder as readily as his brethren in the circus. It need notbe said that the sailor was proud of his pupil. However, more than oncePencroft hoisted him on his back, which Top never complained of.

  It must be mentioned here, that during these works, which were activelyconducted, for the bad season was approaching, the alimentary questionwas not neglected. Every day, the reporter and Herbert, who had beenvoted purveyors to the colony, devoted some hours to the chase. As yet,they only hunted in Jacamar Wood, on the left of the river, because, forwant of a bridge or boat, the Mercy had not yet been crossed. All theimmense woods, to which the name of the Forests of the Far West had beengiven, were not explored. They reserved this important excursion for thefirst fine days of the next spring. But Jacamar Wood was full of game;kangaroos and boars abounded, and the hunters' iron-tipped spears andbows and arrows did wonders. Besides, Herbert discovered towards thesouthwest point of the lagoon a natural warren, a slightly damp meadow,covered with willows and aromatic herbs which scented the air, suchas thyme, basil, savory, all the sweet-scented species of the labiatedplants, which the rabbits appeared to be particularly fond of.

  On the reporter observing that since the table was spread for therabbits, it was strange that the rabbits themselves should be wanting,the two sportsmen carefully explored the warren. At any rate, itproduced an abundance of useful plants, and a naturalist would have hada good opportunity of studying many specimens of the vegetable kingdom.Herbert gathered several shoots of the basil, rosemary, balm, betony,etc., which possess different medicinal properties, some pectoral,astringent, febrifuge, others anti-spasmodic, or anti-rheumatic. When,afterwards, Pencroft asked the use of this collection of herbs,--

  "For medicine," replied the lad, "to treat us when we are ill."

  "Why should we be ill, since there are no doctors in the island?" askedPencroft quite seriously.

  There was no reply to be made to that, but the lad went on with hiscollection all the same, and it was well received at Granite House.Besides these medicinal herbs, he added a plant known in North Americaas "Oswego tea," which made an excellent beverage.

  At last, by searching thoroughly, the hunters arrived at the real siteof the warren. There the ground was perforated like a sieve.

  "Here are the burrows!" cried Herbert.

  "Yes," replied the reporter, "so I see."

  "But are they inhabited?"

  "That is the question."

  This was soon answered. Almost immediately, hundreds of little animals,similar to rabbits, fled in every direction, with such rapidity thateven Top could not overtake them. Hunters and dog ran in vain; theserodents escaped them easily. But the reporter resolved not to leave theplace, until he had captured at least half-a-dozen of the quadrupeds.He wished to stock their larder first, and domesticate those which theymight take later. It would not have been difficult to do this, with afew snares stretched at the openings of the burrows. But at this momentthey had neither snares, nor anything to make them of. They must,therefore, be satisfied with visiting each hole, and rummaging in itwith a stick, hoping by dint of patience to do what could not be done inany other way.

  At last, after half an hour, four rodents were taken in their holes.They were similar to their European brethren, and are commonly known bythe name of American rabbits.

  This produce of the chase was brought back to Granite House, and figuredat the evening repast. The tenants of the warren were not at all to bedespised, for they were delicious. It was a valuable resource of thecolony, and it appeared to be inexhaustible.

  On the 31st of May the partitions were finished. The rooms had now onlyto be furnished, and this would be work for the long winter days. Achimney was established in the first room, which served as a kitchen.The pipe destined to conduct the smoke outside gave some trouble tothese amateur bricklayers. It appeared simplest to Harding to make it ofbrick clay; as creating an outlet for it to the upper plateau was not tobe thought of, a hole was pierced in the granite above the window ofthe kitchen, and the pipe met it like that of an iron stove. Perhapsthe winds which blew directly against the facade would make the chimneysmoke, but these winds were rare, and besides, Master Neb, the cook, wasnot so very particular about that.

  When these interior arrangements were finished, the engineer occupiedhimself in blocking up the outlet by the lake, so as to prevent anyaccess by that way. Masses of rock were rolled to the entrance andstrongly cemented together. Cyrus Harding did not yet realize his planof drowning this opening under the waters of the lake, by restoringthem to their former level by means of a dam. He contented himself withhiding the obstruction with grass and shrubs, which were planted in theinterstices of the rocks, and which next spring would sprout thickly.However, he used the waterfall so as to lead a small stream of freshwater to the new dwelling. A little trench, made below their level,produced this result; and this derivation from a pure and inexhaustiblesource yielded twenty-five or thirty gallons a day. There would never beany want of water at Granite House. At last all was finished, and it wastime, for the bad season was near. Thick shutters closed the windows ofthe facade, until the engineer had time to make glass.

  Gideon Spilett had very artistically arranged on the rocky projectionsaround the windows plants of different kinds, as well as long streaminggrass, so that the openings were picturesquely framed in green, whichhad a pleasing effect.

  The inhabitants of this solid, healthy, and secure dwelling, could notbut be charmed with their work. The view from the windows extended overa boundless horizon, which was closed by the two Mandible Capes on thenorth, and Claw Cape on the south. All Union Bay was spread before them.Yes, our brave settlers had reason to be satisfied, and Pencroft waslavish in his praise of what he humorously called, "his apartments onthe fifth floor above the ground!"