CHAPTER VIII
Linen -- Shoes of Seal-leather -- Manufacture of Pyroxyle -- Gardening -- Fishing -- Turtle-eggs -- Improvement of Master Jup -- The Corral -- Musmon Hunt -- New Animal and Vegetable Possessions -- Recollections of their Native Land.
The first week of January was devoted to the manufacture of the linengarments required by the colony. The needles found in the box wereused by sturdy if not delicate fingers, and we may be sure that whatwas sewn was sewn firmly.
There was no lack of thread, thanks to Cyrus Harding's idea ofre-employing that which had been already used in the covering of theballoon. This with admirable patience was all unpicked by GideonSpilett and Herbert, for Pencroft had been obliged to give this workup, as it irritated him beyond measure; but he had no equal in thesewing part of the business. Indeed, everybody knows that sailors havea remarkable aptitude for tailoring.
The cloth of which the balloon-case was made was then cleaned by meansof soda and potash, obtained by the incineration of plants, in such away that the cotton, having got rid of the varnish, resumed itsnatural softness and elasticity; then, exposed to the action of theatmosphere, it soon became perfectly white. Some dozen shirts andsocks--the latter not knitted of course, but made of cotton--were thusmanufactured. What a comfort it was to the settlers to clothethemselves again in clean linen, which was doubtless rather rough, butthey were not troubled about that! and then to go to sleep betweensheets, which made the couches at Granite House into quite comfortablebeds!
It was about this time also that they made boots of seal-leather,which were greatly needed to replace the shoes and boots brought fromAmerica. We may be sure that these new shoes were large enough andnever pinched the feet of the wearers.
With the beginning of the year 1866 the heat was very great, but thehunting in the forests did not stand still. Agoutis, peccaries,capybaras, kangaroos, game of all sorts, actually swarmed there, andSpilett and Herbert were too good marksmen ever to throw away theirshot uselessly.
Cyrus Harding still recommended them to husband the ammunition, and hetook measures to replace the powder and shot which had been found inthe box, and which he wished to reserve for the future. How did heknow where chance might one day cast his companions and himself in theevent of their leaving their domain? They should, then, prepare forthe unknown future by husbanding their ammunition and by substitutingfor it some easily renewable substance.
To replace lead, of which Harding had found no traces in the island,he employed granulated iron, which was easy to manufacture. Thesebullets, not having the weight of leaden bullets, were made larger,and each charge contained less, but the skill of the sportsmen made upthis deficiency. As to powder, Cyrus Harding would have been able tomake that also, for he had at his disposal saltpetre, sulphur, andcoal; but this preparation requires extreme care, and without specialtools it is difficult to produce it of a good quality. Hardingpreferred, therefore, to manufacture pyroxyle, that is to saygun-cotton, a substance in which cotton is not indispensable, as theelementary tissue of vegetables may be used, and this is found in analmost pure state, not only in cotton, but in the textile fibres ofhemp and flax, in paper, the pith of the elder, etc. Now, the elderabounded in the island towards the mouth of Red Creek, and thecolonists had already made coffee of the berries of these shrubs,which belong to the family of the caprifoliaceae.
THE SETTLERS' NEW SHIRTS]
The only thing to be collected, therefore, was elder-pith, for as tothe other substance necessary for the manufacture of pyroxyle, it wasonly fuming azotic acid. Now, Harding having sulphuric acid at hisdisposal, had already been easily able to produce azotic acid byattacking the saltpetre with which nature supplied him. He accordinglyresolved to manufacture and employ pyroxyle, although it has someinconveniences, that is to say, a great inequality of effect, anexcessive inflammability, since it takes fire at one hundred andseventy degrees instead of two hundred and forty, and lastly, aninstantaneous deflagration which might damage the firearms. On theother hand, the advantages of pyroxyle consist in this, that it is notinjured 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 azoticacid for a quarter of an hour, then washed in cold water and dried.Nothing could be more simple.
Cyrus Harding had only at his disposal the ordinary azotic acid andnot the fuming or monohydrate azotic acid, that is to say, acid whichemits white vapours when it comes in contact with damp air; but bysubstituting for the latter ordinary azotic acid, mixed, in theproportion of from three to five volumes of concentrated sulphuricacid, the engineer obtained the same result. The sportsmen of theisland therefore soon had a perfectly prepared substance, which,employed discreetly, produced admirable results.
About this time the settlers cleared three acres of the plateau, andthe rest was preserved in a wild state, for the benefit of the onagas.Several excursions were made into the Jacamar woods and forests of theFar West, and they brought back from thence a large collection of wildvegetables, spinage, cress, radishes, and turnips, which carefulculture would soon improve, and which would temper the regimen onwhich the settlers had till then subsisted. Supplies of wood and coalwere also carted. Each excursion was at the same time a means ofimproving the roads, which gradually became smoother under the wheelsof the cart.
The rabbit-warren still continued to supply the larder of GraniteHouse. As fortunately it was situated on the other side of CreekGlycerine, its inhabitants could not reach the plateau nor ravage thenewly-made plantation. The oyster-bed among the rocks was frequentlyrenewed, and furnished excellent molluscs. Besides that, the fishing,either in the lake or the Mercy, was very profitable, for Pencroft hadmade some lines, armed with iron hooks, with which they frequentlycaught fine trout, and a species of fish whose silvery sides werespeckled with yellow, and which were also extremely savoury. MasterNeb, who was skilled in the culinary art, knew how to vary agreeablythe bill of fare. Bread alone was wanting at the table of thesettlers, and as has been said, they felt this privation greatly.
The settlers hunted too the turtles which frequented the shores ofCape Mandible. At this place the beach was covered with little mounds,concealing perfectly spherical turtles' eggs, with white hard shells,the albumen of which does not coagulate as that of birds' eggs. Theywere hatched by the sun, and their number was naturally considerable,as each turtle can lay annually two hundred and fifty.
"A regular egg-field," observed Gideon Spilett, "and we have nothingto do 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 bringback to Granite House a dozen of these chelonians, which were reallyvaluable in an alimentary point of view. The turtle soup, flavouredwith aromatic herbs, often gained well-merited praises for itspreparer, Neb.
We must here mention another fortunate circumstance by which newstores for the winter were laid in. Shoals of salmon entered theMercy, and ascended the country for several miles. It was the time atwhich the females, going to find suitable places in which to spawn,precede the males and make a great noise through the fresh water. Athousand of these fish, which measured about two feet and a half inlength, came up the river, and a large quantity were retained byfixing dams across the stream. More than a hundred were thus taken,which were salted and stored for the time when winter, freezing up thestreams, would render fishing impracticable. By this time theintelligent Jup was raised to the duty of valet. He had been dressedin a jacket, white linen breeches, and an apron, the pockets of whichwere his delight. The clever orang had been marvellously trained byNeb, and any one would have said that the negro and the ape understoodeach other when they talked together. Jup had besides a real affectionfor Neb, and Neb returned it. When his services were not required,either for carrying wood or for climbing to the top of some tree, Juppassed the greatest part of his time in the kitchen, where heendeavoured t
o imitate Neb in all that he saw him do. The black showedthe greatest patience and even extreme zeal in instructing his pupil,and the pupil exhibited remarkable intelligence in profiting by thelessons he received from his master.
Judge then of the pleasure Master Jup gave to the inhabitants ofGranite House when, without their having had any idea of it, heappeared one day, napkin on his arm, ready to wait at table. Quick,attentive, he acquitted himself perfectly, changing the plates,bringing dishes, pouring out water, all with a gravity which gaveintense amusement to the settlers, and which enraptured 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 ina knowing way when Pencroft, referring to his joke of the first day,said to him,--
"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 hecarried on his shoulder like a gun. If they wished to gather somefruit from the summit of a tree, how quickly he climbed for it! If thewheel of the cart, stuck in the mud, with what energy did Jup with asingle heave of his shoulder 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 any thing withhim!"
It was towards the end of January the colonists began their labours inthe centre 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 havebeen troublesome at Granite House, and especially for the musmons, whowere to supply 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 ofthe Creek, a distance of not more than five miles, by the newly beatenroad to which the name of Corral Road had been given.
JUP PASSED MOST OF HIS TIME IN THE KITCHEN, TRYING TOIMITATE NEB]
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 oftrees, and watered by a little stream, which sprung from the slopeswhich closed it in on one side. The grass was fresh, and it was nottoo much shaded by the trees which grew about it. This meadow was tobe surrounded by a palisade, high enough to prevent even the mostagile animals from leaping over. This enclosure would be large enoughto contain a hundred musmons and wild goats, with all the young onesthey might produce.
The perimeter of the corral was then traced by the engineer, and theywould then have proceeded to fell the trees necessary for theconstruction of the palisade, but as the opening up of the road hadalready necessitated the sacrifice of a considerable number, thosewere brought and supplied a hundred stakes, which were firmly fixed inthe ground.
At the front of the palisade a large entrance was reserved, and closedwith strong folding-doors.
The construction of this corral did not take less than three weeks,for besides the palisade, Cyrus Harding built large sheds, in whichthe animals could take shelter. These buildings had also to be madevery strong, for musmons are powerful animals, and their first furywas to be feared. The stakes, sharpened at their upper end andhardened by fire, had been fixed by means of cross-bars, and atregular distances props assured the solidity of the whole.
The corral finished, a raid had to be made on the pastures frequentedby the ruminants. This was done on the 7th of February, on a beautifulsummer's day, and every one took part in it. The onagas, already welltrained, were ridden by Spilett and Herbert, and were of great use.
The manoeuvre consisted simply in surrounding the musmons and goats,and gradually narrowing the circle around them. Cyrus Harding,Pencroft, Neb, and Jup, posted themselves in different parts of thewood, whilst the two cavaliers and Top galloped in a radius of half amile 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 ofthe ram, and their grey-coloured fleece was mixed with long hair.
This hunting day was very fatiguing. Such going and coming, andrunning and riding and shouting! Of a hundred musmons which had beensurrounded, more than two-thirds escaped, but at last, thirty of theseanimals and ten wild goats were gradually driven back towards thecorral, the open door of which appearing to offer a means of escape,they rushed in and were prisoners.
In short, the result was satisfactory, and the settlers had no reasonto complain. There was no doubt that the flock would prosper, and thatat no distant 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 tovisit the corral. The prisoners had been trying to overthrow thepalisade, but of course had not succeeded, and were not long inbecoming more tranquil.
During the month of February, no event of any importance occurred. Thedaily labours were pursued methodically, and, as well as improving theroads to the corral and to Port Balloon, a third was commenced, which,starting from the enclosure, proceeded towards the western coast. Theyet unknown portion of Lincoln Island was that of the wood-coveredSerpentine Peninsula, which sheltered the wild beasts, from whichGideon Spilett was so anxious to clear their domain.
Before the cold season should appear the most assiduous care was givento the cultivation of the wild plants which had been transplanted fromthe forest to Prospect Heights. Herbert never returned from anexcursion without bringing home some useful vegetable. One day, it wassome specimens of the chicory tribe, the seeds of which by pressureyield an excellent oil; another, it was some common sorrel, whoseanti-scorbutic qualities were not to be despised; then, some of thoseprecious tubers, which have at all times been cultivated in SouthAmerica, potatoes, of which more than two hundred species are nowknown. The kitchen garden, now well stocked and carefully defendedfrom the birds, was divided into small beds, where grew lettuces,kidney potatoes, sorrel, turnips, radishes, and other cruciferae. Thesoil on the plateau was particularly fertile, and it was hoped thatthe harvests would be abundant.
They had also a variety of different beverages, and so long as theydid not demand wine, the most hard to please would have had no reasonto complain. To the Oswego tea, and the fermented liquor extractedfrom the roots of the dragonnier, Harding had added a regular beer,made from the young shoots of the spruce-fir, which, after having beenboiled and fermented, made that agreeable drink, called by theAnglo-Americans spring-beer.
Towards the end of the summer, the poultry-yard was possessed of acouple of fine bustards, which belonged to the houbara species,characterised by a sort of feathery mantle; a dozen shovellers, whoseupper mandible was prolonged on each side by a membraneous appendage;and also some magnificent cocks, similar to the Mozambique cocks, thecomb, caruncle and epidermis being black. So far, everything hadsucceeded, thanks to the activity of these courageous and intelligentmen. Nature did much for them, doubtless; but faithful to the greatprecept, they made a right use of what a bountiful Providence gavethem.
After the heat of these warm summer days, in the evening when theirwork was finished and the sea breeze began to blow, they liked to siton the edge of Prospect Heights, in a sort of verandah, covered withcreepers, which Neb had made with his own hands. There they talked,they instructed each other, they made plans, and the rough good-humourof the sailor always amused this little world, in which the mostperfect harmony had never ceased to reign.
They often spoke of their country, of their dear and great America.What was the result of the War of Secession? It could not have beengreatly prolonged, Richmond had doubtles
s soon fallen into the handsof General Grant. The taking of the capital of the Confederates musthave been the last action of this terrible struggle. Now the North hadtriumphed in the good cause, how welcome would have been a newspaperto the exiles in Lincoln Island! For eleven months all communicationbetween them and the rest of their fellow-creatures had beeninterrupted, and in a short time the 24th of March would arrive, theanniversary of the day on which the balloon had thrown them on thisunknown coast. They were then mere castaways, not even knowing howthey should preserve their miserable lives from the fury of theelements! And now, thanks to the knowledge of their captain, and theirown intelligence, they were regular colonists, furnished with arms,tools, and instruments; they had been able to turn to their profit theanimals, plants, and minerals of the island, that is to say, the threekingdoms of Nature.
Yes; they often talked of all these things and formed still more plansfor the future.
As to Cyrus Harding he was for the most part silent, and listened tohis companions more often than he spoke to them. Sometimes he smiledat Herbert's ideas or Pencroft's nonsense, but always and everywherehe pondered over those inexplicable facts, that strange enigma, ofwhich the secret still escaped him!