CHAPTER FIVE.
THE ENGINEER'S DECLARATION--PENCROFT'S GRAND HYPOTHESIS--AN AERIALBATTERY--THE FOUR CANNONS--THE SURVIVING CONVICTS--AYRTON'S HESITATION--CYRUS HARDING'S GENEROUS SENTIMENTS--PENCROFT'S REGRET.
So, then, all was explained by the submarine explosion of this torpedo.Cyrus Harding could not be mistaken, as, during the war of the Union, hehad had occasion to try these terrible engines of destruction. It wasunder the action of this cylinder, charged with some explosivesubstance, nitro-glycerine, picrate, or some other material of the samenature, that the water of the channel had been raised like a dome, thebottom of the brig crushed in, and she had sunk instantly, the damagedone to her hull being so considerable that it was impossible to refloather. The _Speedy_ had not been able to withstand a torpedo that wouldhave destroyed an ironclad as easily as a fishing-boat!
Yes! all was explained, everything--except the presence of the torpedoin the waters of the channel!
"My friends, then," said Cyrus Harding, "we can no longer be in doubt asto the presence of a mysterious being, a castaway like us, perhaps,abandoned on our island, and I say this in order that Ayrton may beacquainted with all the strange events which have occurred during thesetwo years. Who this beneficent stranger is, whose intervention has, sofortunately for us, been manifested on many occasions, I cannot imagine.What his object can be in acting thus, in concealing himself afterrendering us so many services, I cannot understand. But his servicesare not the less real, and are of such a nature that only a manpossessed of prodigious power, could render them. Ayrton is indebted tohim as much as we are, for, if it was the stranger who saved me from thewaves after the fall from the balloon, evidently it was he who wrote thedocument, who placed the bottle in the channel, and who has made knownto us the situation of our companion. I will add that it was he whoguided that chest, provided with everything we wanted, and stranded iton Flotsam Point; that it was he who lighted that fire on the heights ofthe island, which permitted you to land; that it was he who fired thatbullet found in the body of the peccary; that it was he who immersedthat torpedo in the channel, which destroyed the brig; in a word, thatall those inexplicable events, for which we could not assign a reason,are due to this mysterious being. Therefore, whoever he may be, whethershipwrecked, or exiled on our island, we shall be ungrateful, if wethink ourselves freed from gratitude towards him. We have contracted adebt, and I hope that we shall one day pay it."
"You are right in speaking thus, my dear Cyrus," replied Gideon Spilett."Yes, there is an almost all-powerful being, hidden in some part of theisland, and whose influence has been singularly useful to our colony. Iwill add that the unknown appears to possess means of action whichborder on the supernatural if, in the events of practical life, thesupernatural were recognisable. Is it he who is in secret communicationwith us by the well in Granite House, and has he thus a knowledge of allour plans? Was it he who threw us that bottle, when the vessel made herfirst cruise? Was it he who threw Top out of the lake, and killed thedugong? Was it he, who as everything leads us to believe, saved youfrom the waves, and that under circumstances in which any one else wouldnot have been able to act? If it was he, he possesses a power whichrenders him master of the elements."
The reporter's reasoning was just, and every one felt it to be so.
"Yes," rejoined Cyrus Harding, "if the intervention of a human being isnot more questionable for us, I agree that he has at his disposal meansof action beyond those possessed by humanity. There is a mystery still,but if we discover the man, the mystery will be discovered also. Thequestion, then, is, ought we to respect the _incognito_ of this generousbeing, or ought we to do everything to find him out? What is youropinion on the matter?"
"My opinion," said Pencroft, "is that, whoever he may be, he is a braveman, and he has my esteem!"
"Be it so," answered Harding, "but that is not an answer, Pencroft."
"Master," then said Neb, "my idea is, that we may search as long as welike for this gentleman whom you are talking about, but that we shallnot discover him till he pleases."
"That's not bad, what you say, Neb," observed Pencroft.
"I am of Neb's opinion," said Gideon Spilett, "but that is no reason fornot attempting the adventure. Whether we find this mysterious being ornot, we shall at least have fulfilled our duty towards him."
"And you, my boy, give us your opinion," said the engineer, turning toHerbert.
"Oh," cried Herbert, his countenance full of animation, "how I shouldlike to thank him, he who saved you first, and who has now saved us!"
"Of course, my boy," replied Pencroft, "so would I and all of us. I amnot inquisitive, but I would give one of my eyes to see this individualface to face! It seems to me that he must be handsome, tall, strong,with a splendid beard, radiant hair, and that he must be seated on theclouds, a great ball in his hands!"
"But, Pencroft," answered Spilett, "you are describing a picture of theCreator."
"Possibly, Mr Spilett," replied the sailor, "but that is how I imaginehim!"
"And you, Ayrton?" asked the engineer.
"Captain Harding," replied Ayrton, "I can give you no better advice inthis matter. Whatever you do will be best, when you wish me to join youin your researches, I am ready to follow you."
"I thank you, Ayrton," answered Cyrus Harding, "but I should like a moredirect answer to the question I put to you. You are our companion; youhave already endangered your life several times for us, and you, as wellas the rest, ought to be consulted in the matter of any importantdecision. Speak, therefore."
"Captain Harding," replied Ayrton, "I think that we ought to doeverything to discover this unknown benefactor. Perhaps he is alone.Perhaps he is suffering. Perhaps he has a life to be renewed. I, too,as you said, have a debt of gratitude to pay him. It was he, it couldbe only he who must have come to Tabor Island, who found there thewretch you knew, and who made known to you that there was an unfortunateman there to be saved! Therefore it is, thanks to him, that I havebecome a man again. No, I will never forget him!"
"That is settled, then," said Cyrus Harding. "We will begin ourresearches as soon as possible. We will not leave a corner of theisland unexplored. We will search into its most secret recesses, andwill hope that our unknown friend will pardon us in consideration of ourintentions!"
For several days the colonists were actively employed in haymaking andharvest. Before putting their project of exploring the yet unknownparts of the island into execution, they wished to get all possible workfinished. It was also the time for collecting the various vegetablesfrom the Tabor Island plants. All was stowed away, and happily therewas no want of room in Granite House, in which they might have housedall the treasures of the island. The products of the colony were there,methodically arranged, and in a safe place, as may be believed,sheltered as much from animals as from man.
There was no fear of damp in the middle of that thick mass of granite.Many natural excavations situated in the upper passage were enlargedeither by pick-axe or mine, and Granite House thus became a generalwarehouse, containing all the provisions, arms, tools, and spareutensils--in a word, all the stores of the colony.
As to the guns obtained from the brig, they were pretty pieces ofordnance, which, at Pencroft's entreaty, were hoisted by means of tackleand pulleys, right up into Granite House; embrasures were made betweenthe windows, and the shining muzzles of the guns could soon be seenthrough the granite cliff. From this height they commanded all UnionBay. It was like a little Gibraltar, and any vessel anchored off theislet would inevitably be exposed to the fire of this aerial battery.
"Captain," said Pencroft one day, it was the 8th of November, "now thatour fortifications are finished, it would be a good thing if we triedthe range of our guns."
"Do you think that is useful?" asked the engineer.
"It is more than useful, it is necessary! Without that how are we toknow to what distance we can send one of those pretty shot with which weare provided?"
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"Try them, Pencroft," replied the engineer. "However, I think that inmaking the experiment, we ought to employ, not the ordinary powder, thesupply of which, I think, should remain untouched, but the pyroxilewhich will never fail us."
"Can the cannon support the shock of the pyroxile?" asked the reporter,who was not less anxious than Pencroft to try the artillery of GraniteHouse.
"I believe so. However," added the engineer, "we will be prudent."
The engineer was right in thinking that the guns were of excellent make.Made of forged steel, and breech-loaders, they ought consequently to beable to bear a considerable charge, and also have an enormous range. Infact, as regards practical effect, the transit described by the ballought to be as extended as possible, and this tension could only beobtained under the condition that the projectile should be impelled witha very great initial velocity.
"Now," said Harding to his companions, "the initial velocity is inproportion to the quantity of powder used. In the fabrication of thesepieces, everything depends on employing a metal with the highestpossible power of resistance, and steel is incontestably that metal ofall others which resists the best. I have, therefore, reason to believethat our guns will bear without risk the expansion of the pyroxile gas,and will give excellent results."
"We shall be a great deal more certain of that when we have tried them!"answered Pencroft.
It is unnecessary to say that the four cannons were in perfect order.Since they had been taken from the water, the sailor had bestowed greatcare upon them. How many hours he had spent, in rubbing, greasing, andpolishing them, and in cleaning the mechanism! And now the pieces wereas brilliant as if they had been on board a frigate of the UnitedStates' Navy.
On this day, therefore, in presence of all the members of the colony,including Master Jup and Top, the four cannon were successively tried.They were charged with pyroxile, taking into consideration its explosivepower, which, as has been said, is four times that of ordinary powder:the projectile to be fired was cylindro-conic.
Pencroft, holding the end of the quick-match, stood ready to fire.
At Harding's signal, he fired. The shot, passing over the islet, fellinto the sea at a distance which could not be calculated withexactitude.
The second gun was pointed at the rocks at the end of Flotsam Point, andthe shot, striking a sharp rock nearly three miles from Granite House,made it fly into splinters. It was Herbert who had pointed this gun andfired it, and very proud he was of his first shot. Pencroft only wasprouder than he! Such a shot, the honour of which belonged to his dearboy.
The third shot, aimed this time at the downs forming the upper side ofUnion Bay, struck the sand at a distance of four miles, then havingricocheted, was lost in the sea in a cloud of spray.
For the fourth piece Cyrus Harding slightly increased the charge, so asto try its extreme range. Then, all standing aside for fear of itsbursting, the match was lighted by means of a long cord.
A tremendous report was heard, but the piece had held good, and thecolonists rushing to the windows, saw the shot graze the rocks ofMandible Cape, nearly five miles from Granite House, and disappear inShark Gulf.
"Well, captain," exclaimed Pencroft, whose cheers might have rivalledthe reports themselves, "what do you say of our battery? All thepirates in the Pacific have only to present themselves before GraniteHouse! Not one can land there now without our permission!"
"Believe me, Pencroft," replied the engineer, "it would be better not tohave to make the experiment."
"Well," said the sailor, "what ought to be done with regard to those sixvillains who are roaming about the island? Are we to leave them tooverrun our forests, our fields, our plantations. These pirates areregular jaguars, and it seems to me we ought not to hesitate to treatthem as such! What do you think, Ayrton?" added Pencroft, turning tohis companion.
Ayrton hesitated at first to reply, and Cyrus Harding regretted thatPencroft had so thoughtlessly put this question. And he was much movedwhen Ayrton replied in a humble tone--
"I have been one of those jaguars, Mr Pencroft. I have no right tospeak."
And with a slow step he walked away.
Pencroft understood.
"What a brute I am!" he exclaimed. "Poor Ayrton! He has as much rightto speak here as any one!"
"Yes," said Gideon Spilett, "but his reserve does him honour, and it isright to respect the feeling which he has about his sad past."
"Certainly, Mr Spilett," answered the sailor, "and there is no fear ofmy doing so again. I would rather bite my tongue off than cause Ayrtonany pain! But to return to the question. It seems to me that theseruffians have no right to any pity, and that we ought to rid the islandof them as soon as possible."
"Is that your opinion, Pencroft?" asked the engineer.
"Quite my opinion."
"And before hunting them mercilessly, you would not wait until they hadcommitted some fresh act of hostility against us?"
"Isn't what they have done already enough?" asked Pencroft, who did notunderstand these scruples.
"They may adopt other sentiments!" said Harding, "and perhaps repent."
"They repent!" exclaimed the sailor, shrugging his shoulders.
"Pencroft, think of Ayrton!" said Herbert, taking the sailor's hand."He became an honest man again!"
Pencroft looked at his companions one after the other. He had neverthought of his proposal being met with any objection. His rough naturecould not allow that they ought to come to terms with the rascals whohad landed on the island with Bob Harvey's accomplices, the murderers ofthe crew of the _Speedy_; and he looked upon them as wild beasts whichought to be destroyed without delay and without remorse.
"Come!" said he. "Everybody is against me! You wish to be generous tothose villains! Very well; I hope we mayn't repent it!"
"What danger shall we run," said Herbert, "if we take care to be alwayson our guard!"
"Hum!" observed the reporter, who had not given any decided opinion."They are six and well-armed. If they each lay hid in a corner, andeach fired at one of us, they would soon be masters of the colony!"
"Why have they not done so?" said Herbert. "No doubt because it was nottheir interest to do it. Besides, we are six also."
"Well, well!" replied Pencroft, whom no reasoning could have convinced."Let us leave these good people to do what they like, and don't thinkanything more about them!"
"Come, Pencroft," said Neb, "don't make yourself out so bad as all that!Suppose one of these unfortunate men were here before you, within goodrange of your gun, you would not fire."
"I would fire on him as I would on a mad dog, Neb," replied Pencroftcoldly.
"Pencroft," said the engineer, "you have always shown much deference tomy advice; will you, in this matter, yield to me?"
"I will do as you please, Captain Harding," answered the sailor, who wasnot at all convinced.
"Very well, wait, and we will not attack them unless we are attackedfirst."
Thus their behaviour towards the pirates was agreed upon, althoughPencroft augured nothing good from it. They were not to attack them,but were to be on their guard. After all, the island was large andfertile. If any sentiment of honesty yet remained in the bottom oftheir hearts, these wretches might perhaps be reclaimed. Was it nottheir interest in the situation in which they found themselves to begina new life? At any rate, for humanity's sake alone, it would be rightto wait. The colonists would no longer, as before, be able to go andcome without fear. Hitherto they had only wild beasts to guard against,and now six convicts of the worst description, perhaps, were roamingover their island. It was serious, certainly, and to less brave men, itwould have been security lost! No matter! At present, the colonistshad reason on their side against Pencroft. Would they be right in thefuture? That remained to be seen.