Chapter 15
The next day, the 17th of April, the sailor's first words were addressedto Gideon Spilett.
"Well, sir," he asked, "what shall we do to-day?"
"What the captain pleases," replied the reporter.
Till then the engineer's companions had been brickmakers and potters,now they were to become metallurgists.
The day before, after breakfast, they had explored as far as the pointof Mandible Cape, seven miles distant from the Chimneys. There, the longseries of downs ended, and the soil had a volcanic appearance. Therewere no longer high cliffs as at Prospect Heights, but a strange andcapricious border which surrounded the narrow gulf between the twocapes, formed of mineral matter, thrown up by the volcano. Arrived atthis point the settlers retraced their steps, and at nightfall enteredthe Chimneys; but they did not sleep before the question of knowingwhether they could think of leaving Lincoln Island or not was definitelysettled.
The twelve hundred miles which separated the island from the PomoutousIsland was a considerable distance. A boat could not cross it,especially at the approach of the bad season. Pencroft had expresslydeclared this. Now, to construct a simple boat even with the necessarytools, was a difficult work, and the colonists not having tools theymust begin by making hammers, axes, adzes, saws, augers, planes, etc.,which would take some time. It was decided, therefore, that theywould winter at Lincoln Island, and that they would look for a morecomfortable dwelling than the Chimneys, in which to pass the wintermonths.
Before anything else could be done it was necessary to make the ironore, of which the engineer had observed some traces in the northwestpart of the island, fit for use by converting it either into iron orinto steel.
Metals are not generally found in the ground in a pure state. For themost part they are combined with oxygen or sulphur. Such was the casewith the two specimens which Cyrus Harding had brought back, one ofmagnetic iron, not carbonated, the other a pyrite, also called sulphuretof iron. It was, therefore the first, the oxide of iron, which they mustreduce with coal, that is to say, get rid of the oxygen, to obtain it ina pure state. This reduction is made by subjecting the ore with coal toa high temperature, either by the rapid and easy Catalan method,which has the advantage of transforming the ore into iron in a singleoperation, or by the blast furnace, which first smelts the ore, thenchanges it into iron, by carrying away the three to four per cent. ofcoal, which is combined with it.
Now Cyrus Harding wanted iron, and he wished to obtain it as soon aspossible. The ore which he had picked up was in itself very pure andrich. It was the oxydulous iron, which is found in confused masses of adeep gray color; it gives a black dust, crystallized in the form of theregular octahedron. Native lodestones consist of this ore, and ironof the first quality is made in Europe from that with which Sweden andNorway are so abundantly supplied. Not far from this vein was the veinof coal already made use of by the settlers. The ingredients for themanufacture being close together would greatly facilitate the treatmentof the ore. This is the cause of the wealth of the mines in GreatBritain, where the coal aids the manufacture of the metal extracted fromthe same soil at the same time as itself.
"Then, captain," said Pencroft, "we are going to work iron ore?"
"Yes, my friend," replied the engineer, "and for that--something whichwill please you--we must begin by having a seal hunt on the islet."
"A seal hunt!" cried the sailor, turning towards Gideon Spilett. "Areseals needed to make iron?"
"Since Cyrus has said so!" replied the reporter.
But the engineer had already left the Chimneys, and Pencroft preparedfor the seal hunt, without having received any other explanation.
Cyrus Harding, Herbert, Gideon Spilett, Neb, and the sailor weresoon collected on the shore, at a place where the channel left a fordpassable at low tide. The hunters could therefore traverse it withoutgetting wet higher than the knee.
Harding then put his foot on the islet for the first, and his companionsfor the second time.
On their landing some hundreds of penguins looked fearlessly at them.The hunters, armed with sticks, could have killed them easily, but theywere not guilty of such useless massacre, as it was important not tofrighten the seals, who were lying on the sand several cable lengthsoff. They also respected certain innocent-looking birds, whose wingswere reduced to the state of stumps, spread out like fins, ornamentedwith feathers of a scaly appearance. The settlers, therefore, prudentlyadvanced towards the north point, walking over ground riddled withlittle holes, which formed nests for the sea-birds. Towards theextremity of the islet appeared great black heads floating just abovethe water, having exactly the appearance of rocks in motion.
These were the seals which were to be captured. It was necessary,however, first to allow them to land, for with their close, shorthair, and their fusiform conformation, being excellent swimmers, it isdifficult to catch them in the sea, while on land their short, webbedfeet prevent their having more than a slow, waddling movement.
Pencroft knew the habits of these creatures, and he advised waiting tillthey were stretched on the sand, when the sun, before long, would sendthem to sleep. They must then manage to cut off their retreat and knockthem on the head.
The hunters, having concealed themselves behind the rocks, waitedsilently.
An hour passed before the seals came to play on the sand. They couldcount half a dozen. Pencroft and Herbert then went round the point ofthe islet, so as to take them in the rear, and cut off their retreat.During this time Cyrus Harding, Spilett, and Neb, crawling behind therocks, glided towards the future scene of combat.
All at once the tall figure of the sailor appeared. Pencroft shouted.The engineer and his two companions threw themselves between the sea andthe seals. Two of the animals soon lay dead on the sand, but the restregained the sea in safety.
"Here are the seals required, captain!" said the sailor, advancingtowards the engineer.
"Capital," replied Harding. "We will make bellows of them!"
"Bellows!" cried Pencroft. "Well! these are lucky seals!"
It was, in fact, a blowing-machine, necessary for the treatment ofthe ore that the engineer wished to manufacture with the skins of theamphibious creatures. They were of a medium size, for their length didnot exceed six feet. They resembled a dog about the head.
As it was useless to burden themselves with the weight of both theanimals, Neb and Pencroft resolved to skin them on the spot, while CyrusHarding and the reporter continued to explore the islet.
The sailor and the Negro cleverly performed the operation, and threehours afterwards Cyrus Harding had at his disposal two seals' skins,which he intended to use in this state, without subjecting them to anytanning process.
The settlers waited till the tide was again low, and crossing thechannel they entered the Chimneys.
The skins had then to be stretched on a frame of wood and sewn by meansof fibers so as to preserve the air without allowing too much to escape.Cyrus Harding had nothing but the two steel blades from Top's collar,and yet he was so clever, and his companions aided him with so muchintelligence, that three days afterwards the little colony's stock oftools was augmented by a blowing-machine, destined to inject the airinto the midst of the ore when it should be subjected to heat--anindispensable condition to the success of the operation.
On the morning of the 20th of April began the "metallic period," as thereporter called it in his notes. The engineer had decided, as has beensaid, to operate near the veins both of coal and ore. Now, according tohis observations, these veins were situated at the foot of the northeastspurs of Mount Franklin, that is to say, a distance of six miles fromtheir home. It was impossible, therefore, to return every day to theChimneys, and it was agreed that the little colony should camp under ahut of branches, so that the important operation could be followed nightand day.
This settled, they set out in the morning. Neb and Pencroft dragged thebellows on a hurdle; also a quantity of vegetables and animals, whichthey besi
des could renew on the way.
The road led through Jacamar Wood, which they traversed obliquely fromsoutheast to northwest, and in the thickest part. It was necessary tobeat a path, which would in the future form the most direct road toProspect Heights and Mount Franklin. The trees, belonging to the speciesalready discovered, were magnificent. Herbert found some new ones, amongothers some which Pencroft called "sham leeks"; for, in spite of theirsize, they were of the same liliaceous family as the onion, chive,shallot, or asparagus. These trees produce ligneous roots which, whencooked, are excellent; from them, by fermentation, a very agreeableliquor is made. They therefore made a good store of the roots.
The journey through the wood was long; it lasted the whole day, and soallowed plenty of time for examining the flora and fauna. Top, whotook special charge of the fauna, ran through the grass and brushwood,putting up all sorts of game. Herbert and Gideon Spilett killed twokangaroos with bows and arrows, and also an animal which stronglyresembled both a hedgehog and an ant-eater. It was like the firstbecause it rolled itself into a ball, and bristled with spines, and thesecond because it had sharp claws, a long slender snout which terminatedin a bird's beak, and an extendible tongue, covered with little thornswhich served to hold the insects.
"And when it is in the pot," asked Pencroft naturally, "what will it belike?"
"An excellent piece of beef," replied Herbert.
"We will not ask more from it," replied the sailor.
During this excursion they saw several wild boars, which however, didnot offer to attack the little band, and it appeared as if they wouldnot meet with any dangerous beasts; when, in a thick part of the wood,the reporter thought he saw, some paces from him, among the lowerbranches of a tree, an animal which he took for a bear, and which hevery tranquilly began to draw. Happily for Gideon Spilett, the animal inquestion did not belong to the redoubtable family of the plantigrades.It was only a koala, better known under the name of the sloth, beingabout the size of a large dog, and having stiff hair of a dirty color,the paws armed with strong claws, which enabled it to climb trees andfeed on the leaves. Having identified the animal, which they did notdisturb, Gideon Spilett erased "bear" from the title of his sketch,putting koala in its place, and the journey was resumed.
At five o'clock in the evening, Cyrus Harding gave the signal to halt.They were now outside the forest, at the beginning of the powerful spurswhich supported Mount Franklin towards the west. At a distance of somehundred feet flowed the Red Creek, and consequently plenty of freshwater was within their reach.
The camp was soon organized. In less than an hour, on the edge of theforest, among the trees, a hut of branches interlaced with creepers,and pasted over with clay, offered a tolerable shelter. Their geologicalresearches were put off till the next day. Supper was prepared, a goodfire blazed before the hut, the roast turned, and at eight o'clock,while one of the settlers watched to keep up the fire, in case any wildbeasts should prowl in the neighborhood, the others slept soundly.
The next day, the 21st of April, Cyrus Harding accompanied by Herbert,went to look for the soil of ancient formation, on which he had alreadydiscovered a specimen of ore. They found the vein above ground, near thesource of the creek, at the foot of one of the northeastern spurs. Thisore, very rich in iron, enclosed in its fusible veinstone, was perfectlysuited to the mode of reduction which the engineer intended to employ;that is, the Catalan method, but simplified, as it is used inCorsica. In fact, the Catalan method, properly so called, requires theconstruction of kilns and crucibles, in which the ore and the coal,placed in alternate layers, are transformed and reduced, But CyrusHarding intended to economize these constructions, and wished simply toform, with the ore and the coal, a cubic mass, to the center of which hewould direct the wind from his bellows. Doubtless, it was the proceedingemployed by Tubalcain, and the first metallurgists of the inhabitedworld. Now that which had succeeded with the grandson of Adam, and whichstill yielded good results in countries rich in ore and fuel, could notbut succeed with the settlers in Lincoln Island.
The coal, as well as the ore, was collected without trouble on thesurface of the ground. They first broke the ore into little pieces,and cleansed them with the hand from the impurities which soiled theirsurface. Then coal and ore were arranged in heaps and in successivelayers, as the charcoal-burner does with the wood which he wishes tocarbonize. In this way, under the influence of the air projected by theblowing-machine, the coal would be transformed into carbonic acid, theninto oxide of carbon, its use being to reduce the oxide of iron, that isto say, to rid it of the oxygen.
Thus the engineer proceeded. The bellows of sealskin, furnished at itsextremity with a nozzle of clay, which had been previously fabricatedin the pottery kiln, was established near the heap of ore. Using themechanism which consisted of a frame, cords of fiber and counterpoise,he threw into the mass an abundance of air, which by raising thetemperature also concurred with the chemical transformation to producein time pure iron.
The operation was difficult. All the patience, all the ingenuity of thesettlers was needed; but at last it succeeded, and the result was a lumpof iron, reduced to a spongy state, which it was necessary to shingleand fagot, that is to say, to forge so as to expel from it the liquefiedveinstone. These amateur smiths had, of course, no hammer; but they werein no worse a situation than the first metallurgist, and therefore didwhat, no doubt, he had to do.
A handle was fixed to the first lump, and was used as a hammer to forgethe second on a granite anvil, and thus they obtained a coarse butuseful metal. At length, after many trials and much fatigue, on the 25thof April several bars of iron were forged, and transformed into tools,crowbars, pincers, pickaxes, spades, etc., which Pencroft and Nebdeclared to be real jewels. But the metal was not yet in its mostserviceable state, that is, of steel. Now steel is a combination of ironand coal, which is extracted, either from the liquid ore, by taking fromit the excess of coal, or from the iron by adding to it the coal whichwas wanting. The first, obtained by the decarburation of the metal,gives natural or puddled steel; the second, produced by the carburationof the iron, gives steel of cementation.
It was the last which Cyrus Harding intended to forge, as he possessediron in a pure state. He succeeded by heating the metal with powderedcoal in a crucible which had previously been manufactured from claysuitable for the purpose.
He then worked this steel, which is malleable both when hot or cold,with the hammer. Neb and Pencroft, cleverly directed, made hatchets,which, heated red-hot, and plunged suddenly into cold water, acquired anexcellent temper.
Other instruments, of course roughly fashioned, were also manufactured;blades for planes, axes, hatchets, pieces of steel to be transformedinto saws, chisels; then iron for spades, pickaxes, hammers, nails,etc. At last, on the 5th of May, the metallic period ended, the smithsreturned to the Chimneys, and new work would soon authorize them to takea fresh title.