CHAPTER VI.
Build fireplace. Make knife and spear from anchor. Build tower of stones for perpetual lamps. Resolve to explore the island.
I slept soundly and pleasantly all night, and jumped out of bed in theearly morning light, ran to the beach, and had a nice plunge in thesmooth and sparkling waters. Just as I was about to leave the water Iespied two or three quite large dog-fish sharks, which were four orfive feet in length, and, although I had no fears of them as concernedmyself, they immediately gave me an idea of how I could utilize themcould I succeed in capturing them. I ran back to the bank, got into myclothes, and, you may be well sure, knew that the fire was all righteven before I started to bathe; ran again to the seaside and dug a fewclams, and filled the bailer with salt water, and soon had my usualmeal of boiled eggs and roast clams under way. Whilst my breakfastwas cooking I commenced building, and completed a superior kind offireplace, with nice, strong sides of stone, set up on edge, and justwide enough apart to sustain my condenser. After having eaten mybreakfast, quenched my thirst, and had a good, quiet smoke, I set thefresh-water apparatus to work again, and commenced to apply myself tothe task of the day. With my clam-shell I cut the manilla warp fromthe anchor, and the latter lay before me under my fixed gaze. I sawthat the stock, which was of iron also, was passed through a hole inthe solid iron forming the shank of the anchor, and was retained by ashoulder on one side and a large ball at the extremity of its arm onthe other. My first attempt was to unship this iron stock or arm fromthe rest of the anchor, and release it from the hole through whichit was rove and kept in place. To effect this I set up in the sand alarge stone, with quite a flat, smooth top, as my anvil, and procuredanother, of an oblong, irregular shape, which I could grasp with myright hand, and with which I could strike quite a powerful blow, as myhammer. Thus equipped, I started a nice fire in my new fireplace andput the condenser on that, leaving me the open fire for my blacksmith'sshop. I next went to the beach and got a piece of kelp, and with myclam-shell cut it into suitable lengths for my purpose, and, thrustingthe ball at the end of the anchor-stock into the fire, I commencedoperations.
To increase the heat of the fire I piled on the sort of semi-charcoalthat had been formed by the wood covered in the ashes the night before,and sprinkled the same carefully with a little water, and to stillfurther promote affairs I thrust one end of my pieces of kelp under thewarm ashes, towards the bottom and centre of the fire, and by puttingthe other end to my lips I forced a blast of air through the flamesas nicely as if I had had a pair of bellows. The iron soon becamered-hot, and, snatching it out of the fire and on to my anvil, I, by afew well-directed blows, soon had the ball reduced so as to be able tounship the stock from the rest of the anchor, and held in my hand a barof iron about an inch in diameter and three feet long; quite a weaponin itself, but not sufficient for such a mechanic as I was.
I took this bar of iron, and, putting the end again in the fire,commenced upon my kelp bellows, and soon pulled it out, quite hot andmalleable. Suffice it to say that in not a very long space of time,and by repeated beatings and hammerings, I had fashioned out quite arespectable knife, of about eight inches in length and at least quarterof an inch thick in the back; and although the sides were a littlewavy and irregular, I knew that grinding would nearly take that out.Whilst the knife that I had made was still fastened to the original barof iron I drew it down to a long, thin point, and by grasping it andbending it to the right and left soon had it free.
My next task was to temper this piece of metal, and by repeatedlyplunging it into water and back into the fire I soon got it quitehard, and fit for my present purposes. I sought out a coarse-grainedstone, and with my tin of water sat down to moisten it and grind myknife to an edge. I passed several hours at this work, but in the endfound myself possessed of quite a good-looking knife, with a goodsharp point and fair edge. I picked up a suitable piece of wood for ahandle, and soon had it in shape, and, slightly heating the pointed,unfinished end, I drove it home with a stone firmly into the handle,and my knife was done. Pleased enough was I with my success; but I didnot stop here. The hole in the shank of the anchor, whence I had drawnthe stock, fascinated me. I saw before me a hammer of iron, all readymade to my hand. I thrust the anchor into the fire just below thishole, towards the flukes, and set my kelp bellows to work with a will.After repeated heatings and poundings I had brought the iron down to sosmall a size that I was able, as before, to part it from the originalbar, by bending it backward and forward till the crystallization of theiron was destroyed, exactly as you break off a nail by hitting it witha hammer a few times in opposite directions. I had to get the ring offat the end of the anchor in the same manner, and then found myself inpossession of a piece of iron almost exactly like what we sailors calla top-maul, a flat-headed hammer with a long end. I speedily fittedthis with a good, strong handle, and, after beating it and temperingit to the best of my ability, put it into use at once. Taking the barfrom which I had made my knife I soon made it take the shape of a kindof spear, or rather harpoon, with a sharp, flat head, similar to thosearrows always printed on charts to show the direction of currents orwinds.
This, when finished, tempered, ground, and lashed firmly to a smoothstaff of wood, some two inches in diameter and eight feet in length,was really a formidable weapon, either for offence or defence.
Armed with my harpoon and knife, I made my way to the seaside, havingstill another project in my head. Proud, indeed, was I of my weapons,and my natural courage was increased. I took off my clothes and wadedquietly into the water, and had not long to wait till I saw some ofmy friends the dog-sharks, and picking out one that suited me,--forI had no difficulty in approaching them, they showing no fear ofme,--I thrust my harpoon into him, and dragged him ashore, cut himopen with my knife, took out his liver, and dragged back the carcaseinto the sea. I served three of them in this manner. From the lastone--which was the largest and had a beautiful skin--I cut a largestrip, out of which to make a case for my knife, which I did whilst itwas green, fitting it nicely, and also a small tip to cover the barbsof my harpoon when not in use. I sewed these up, or, rather, fastenedthem by means of a bradawl sharpened in the fire from one of the boatnails, tempered and fitted with a handle, and nice, strong thread madefrom my manilla rope. I brought back with me to the fireplace quitea good-sized flounder, that I had also speared without the slightesttrouble, and it was soon cut up and broiling away for my dinner, itbeing now about noon. I hung my shark livers in the sun, upon a tree, alittle distant from my camp, where they would not offend me, and placedmyself at table, the fish being now cooked, and plenty of cold boiledeggs on hand.
I could spare no time for much dinner. My condenser had been taken offlong ago in the forenoon, my two meat-cans being full of water. Afterdinner I stopped to take a few whiffs at my pipe, and then to workagain, for I had much to do ere the setting of the sun. In the firstplace I proceeded to the right of my camp a short distance, and had nodifficulty in picking up as many large shells as I desired, some ofthem being fully a foot in circumference, and beautiful enough, withtheir pink, open mouths, to ornament the table of any lady. I gatheredtogether some fifteen or twenty of these, and transported them to theseaside, and thence to my camp, having washed them out carefully, andascertaining that they would each hold about a quart or more of water.I then set my condenser hard at work, determined to get a supply aheadof any contingency.
For my next task I got hold of the breaker that contained my books andcharts, and by means of my hammer soon had the hoops off and the headout. But I was mortified to see that a little water had worked into thecask, and that the motion of the boat had caused the books, in movingto and fro, to completely destroy the chart, and, with the little waterthat had entered, reduced it to a pulp and beyond recognition andrepair. Tears started into my eyes at this cruel blow of fate, and itwas with the greatest anxiety that I seized upon the books and examinedthem. Their strong canvas covers had preserved them, and althoughbattered, chafed, and damp they
seemed intact,--all except the NauticalAlmanac, which had suffered somewhat in different portions, to whatextent I had now no time to examine minutely. My Compendium of UsefulArts and Sciences, and Bowditch's Navigator, were, at least, saved,and these were a library and tower of strength in themselves. I putthe three books carefully in the sun, where they might dry, and, afterheading up the breaker again and setting on the hoops strongly andfirmly, I went back to where I had gathered my shells and fastened onto one that I had before discovered, that would hold many gallons,--itis called, I think, sometimes, a sea oyster. With this burden Istruggled along to my tree where I had hung the sharks' livers, andplaced this huge basin under them to catch the dripping oil; and, as Idid not expect much result for a day or two, I cut off a portion of oneof the livers and took it to my fireside and carefully tried it out insmall pieces, in numerous clam-shells, and poured the oil thus obtainedinto one of my shell reservoirs.
My next task was to go back into my grass-field and gather some of theclayey earth that I had noticed there, and to bring it in my hat tothe camp, getting a sufficient quantity in two trips. With this clayeyearth I mixed pounded-up clam-shells and a small quantity of seaweed,fine sand, and water. Then, near my cedar-tree, and protected by it, Ibuilt a tower of flat stones, using this material as mortar. I built itin a circular form, of about two feet in diameter, and perhaps threefeet high. At the bottom I left interstices every once in a while,varying in size, but none of them larger than a half inch in diameter.Towards the top I left the same kind of airholes, but rather larger insize. On one side, about half way up, I left two stones so that theycould be taken out by hand and replaced, and when taken out would leavequite a large aperture, large enough to put my arm into and explorethe interior. In the exact centre of this stone circular tower I drovea strong stake, standing at least three feet higher than the walls,and by means of sedge, rushes, manilla twine, and large leaves I madethe pointed top--of which this stake was the apex, and the top of thecircular wall the base--completely waterproof, the sedge projectingbeyond the walls in every direction.
Within this tower I placed my flint-stone, steel, and tinder, andupon four smooth stones that I placed inside I fitted up on each alarge sea-clam shell full of shark's-liver oil, and from milkweed podsprovided each of them with a soft, cottony wick, which I lighted, andthen closed the aperture. By peeping through the interstices I couldsee that my lamps burned splendidly, and by blowing I was unable to getup any current inside. My gigantic lantern was made. If my fire shouldgo out, my flint and steel fail me, here was perpetual light. I placedfour lights within, so that in case the roof should leak a drop in aheavy rain, some one or two of the shells would run a chance of notbeing put out. I did not intend to allow my fire to go out this night,but to burn the lamps as a test only of how much oil they would need,and how they would appear in the morning, so as to know what to expectshould I leave them for any length of time.
Fixing my lamp-tower and pouring the condensed water into the breaker,getting wood for the fire, and my other labors, had made the day a hardone; but as the sun went down, and I supped upon the remains of my fishwarmed up, and the inevitable eggs, and enjoyed my pipe, I could butthink of how far I had advanced even in one twenty-four hours. Weaponsby my side, a breaker full of fresh water, and perpetual light in awaterproof tower beside me. With the deepening shadows came, however,the bitter feelings of desolation and solitude, mingled with theuncertainty of the magnitude of my island, and the impossibility of mybeing able, except by exploration, to prove it uninhabited.
During this day my heart jumped into my mouth many times when I heardthe least unusual noise, or, carelessly glancing up, mistook everytree for a savage. My complete freedom from any annoyance up to thepresent time was in itself satisfactory to my mind, and strong probablereason that the island was unpeopled. Then its unknown position--forI felt convinced that there was no known land where I was nowsitting--improved the probabilities. I foresaw that my next task wouldbe the exploration of the island and a search for fresh water; and,wondering what the future would bring forth, I rolled drowsily overinto my seaweed bed, and dropped asleep in the very act.