Chapter 7
The settlers in Lincoln Island had now regained their dwelling, withouthaving been obliged to reach it by the old opening, and were thereforespared the trouble of mason's work. It was certainly lucky, that at themoment they were about to set out to do so, the apes had been seizedwith that terror, no less sudden than inexplicable, which had driventhem out of Granite House. Had the animals discovered that theywere about to be attacked from another direction? This was the onlyexplanation of their sudden retreat.
During the day the bodies of the apes were carried into the wood, wherethey were buried; then the settlers busied themselves in repairing thedisorder caused by the intruders, disorder but not damage, for althoughthey had turned everything in the rooms topsy-turvy, yet they had brokennothing. Neb relighted his stove, and the stores in the larder furnisheda substantial repast, to which all did ample justice.
Jup was not forgotten, and he ate with relish some stonepine almondsand rhizome roots, with which he was abundantly supplied. Pencroft hadunfastened his arms, but judged it best to have his legs tied until theywere more sure of his submission.
Then, before retiring to rest, Harding and his companions seated roundtheir table, discussed those plans, the execution of which was mostpressing. The most important and most urgent was the establishment of abridge over the Mercy, so as to form a communication with the southernpart of the island and Granite House; then the making of an enclosurefor the musmons or other woolly animals which they wished to capture.
These two projects would help to solve the difficulty as to theirclothing, which was now serious. The bridge would render easy thetransport of the balloon case, which would furnish them with linen, andthe inhabitants of the enclosure would yield wool which would supplythem with winter clothes.
As to the enclosure, it was Cyrus Harding's intention to establish it atthe sources of the Red Creek, where the ruminants would find fresh andabundant pasture. The road between Prospect Heights and the sources ofthe stream was already partly beaten, and with a better cart than thefirst, the material could be easily conveyed to the spot, especially ifthey could manage to capture some animals to draw it.
But though there might be no inconvenience in the enclosure being so farfrom Granite House, it would not be the same with the poultry-yard, towhich Neb called the attention of the colonists. It was indeed necessarythat the birds should be close within reach of the cook, and no placeappeared more favorable for the establishment of the said poultry-yardthan that portion of the banks of the lake which was close to the oldopening.
Water-birds would prosper there as well as others, and the coupleof tinamous taken in their last excursion would be the first to bedomesticated.
The next day, the 3rd of November, the new works were begun by theconstruction of the bridge, and all hands were required for thisimportant task. Saws, hatchets, and hammers were shouldered by thesettlers, who, now transformed into carpenters, descended to the shore.
There Pencroft observed,--
"Suppose, that during our absence, Master Jup takes it into his head todraw up the ladder which he so politely returned to us yesterday?"
"Let us tie its lower end down firmly," replied Cyrus Harding.
This was done by means of two stakes securely fixed in the sand. Thenthe settlers, ascending the left bank of the Mercy, soon arrived at theangle formed by the river.
There they halted, in order to ascertain if the bridge could be thrownacross. The place appeared suitable.
In fact, from this spot, to Port Balloon, discovered the day before onthe southern coast, there was only a distance of three miles and ahalf, and from the bridge to the Port, it would be easy to make a goodcart-road which would render the communication between Granite House andthe south of the island extremely easy.
Cyrus Harding now imparted to his companions a scheme for completelyisolating Prospect Heights so as to shelter it from the attacks both ofquadrupeds and quadrumana. In this way, Granite House, the Chimneys, thepoultry-yard, and all the upper part of the plateau which was to be usedfor cultivation, would be protected against the depredations of animals.Nothing could be easier than to execute this project, and this is howthe engineer intended to set to work.
The plateau was already defended on three sides by water-courses, eitherartificial or natural. On the northwest, by the shores of Lake Grant,from the entrance of the passage to the breach made in the banks of thelake for the escape of the water.
On the north, from this breach to the sea, by the new water-course whichhad hollowed out a bed for itself across the plateau and shore, aboveand below the fall, and it would be enough to dig the bed of this creeka little deeper to make it impracticable for animals, on all the easternborder by the sea itself, from the mouth of the aforesaid creek to themouth of the Mercy.
Lastly, on the south, from the mouth to the turn of the Mercy where thebridge was to be established.
The western border of the plateau now remained between the turn of theriver and the southern angle of the lake, a distance of about a mile,which was open to all comers. But nothing could be easier than to dig abroad deep ditch, which could be filled from the lake, and the overflowof which would throw itself by a rapid fall into the bed of the Mercy.The level of the lake would, no doubt, be somewhat lowered by this freshdischarge of its waters, but Cyrus Harding had ascertained that thevolume of water in the Red Creek was considerable enough to allow of theexecution of this project.
"So then," added the engineer, "Prospect Heights will become a regularisland, being surrounded with water on all sides, and only communicatingwith the rest of our domain by the bridge which we are about to throwacross the Mercy, the two little bridges already established above andbelow the fall; and, lastly, two other little bridges which must beconstructed, one over the canal which I propose to dig, the other acrossto the left bank of the Mercy. Now, if these bridges can be raised atwill, Prospect Heights will be guarded from any surprise."
The bridge was the most urgent work. Trees were selected, cut down,stripped of their branches, and cut into beams, joists, and planks. Theend of the bridge which rested on the right bank of the Mercy was to befirm, but the other end on the left bank was to be movable, so that itmight be raised by means of a counterpoise, as some canal bridges aremanaged.
This was certainly a considerable work, and though it was skillfullyconducted, it took some time, for the Mercy at this place was eightyfeet wide. It was therefore necessary to fix piles in the bed ofthe river so as to sustain the floor of the bridge and establish apile-driver to act on the tops of these piles, which would thus form twoarches and allow the bridge to support heavy loads.
Happily there was no want of tools with which to shape the wood, norof iron-work to make it firm, nor of the ingenuity of a man who had amarvelous knowledge of the work, nor lastly, the zeal of his companions,who in seven months had necessarily acquired great skill in the use oftheir tools; and it must be said that not the least skilful was GideonSpilett, who in dexterity almost equaled the sailor himself. "Who wouldever have expected so much from a newspaper man!" thought Pencroft.
The construction of the Mercy bridge lasted three weeks of regularhard work. They even breakfasted on the scene of their labors, and theweather being magnificent, they only returned to Granite House to sleep.
During this period it may be stated that Master Jup grew more accustomedto his new masters, whose movements he always watched with veryinquisitive eyes. However, as a precautionary measure, Pencroft did notas yet allow him complete liberty, rightly wishing to wait until thelimits of the plateau should be settled by the projected works. Topand Jup were good friends and played willingly together, but Jup dideverything solemnly.
On the 20th of November the bridge was finished. The movable part,balanced by the counterpoise, swung easily, and only a slight effort wasneeded to raise it; between its hinge and the last cross-bar on whichit rested when closed, there existed a space of twenty feet, which wassufficiently wide to prevent any an
imals from crossing.
The settlers now began to talk of fetching the balloon-case, which theywere anxious to place in perfect security; but to bring it, it would benecessary to take a cart to Port Balloon, and consequently, necessary tobeat a road through the dense forests of the Far West. This would takesome time. Also, Neb and Pencroft having gone to examine into the stateof things at Port Balloon, and reported that the stock of cloth wouldsuffer no damage in the grotto where it was stored, it was decided thatthe work at Prospect Heights should not be discontinued.
"That," observed Pencroft, "will enable us to establish our poultry-yardunder better conditions, since we need have no fear of visits from foxesnor the attacks of other beasts."
"Then," added Neb, "we can clear the plateau, and transplant wild plantsto it."
"And prepare our second corn-field!" cried the sailor with a triumphantair.
In fact, the first corn-field sown with a single grain had prosperedadmirably, thanks to Pencroft's care. It had produced the ten earsforetold by the engineer, and each ear containing eighty grains, thecolony found itself in possession of eight hundred grains, in sixmonths, which promised a double harvest each year.
These eight hundred grains, except fifty, which were prudently reserved,were to be sown in a new field, but with no less care than was bestowedon the single grain.
The field was prepared, then surrounded with a strong palisade, high andpointed, which quadrupeds would have found difficulty in leaping. As tobirds, some scarecrows, due to Pencroft's ingenious brain, were enoughto frighten them. The seven hundred and fifty grains deposited in veryregular furrows were then left for nature to do the rest.
On the 21st of November, Cyrus Harding began to plan the canal which wasto close the plateau on the west, from the south angle of Lake Grant tothe angle of the Mercy. There was there two or three feet of vegetableearth, and below that granite. It was therefore necessary to manufacturesome more nitro-glycerine, and the nitro-glycerine did its accustomedwork. In less than a fortnight a ditch, twelve feet wide and six deep,was dug out in the hard ground of the plateau. A new trench was made bythe same means in the rocky border of the lake, forming a small stream,to which they gave the name of Creek Glycerine, and which was thus anaffluent of the Mercy. As the engineer had predicted, the level of thelake was lowered, though very slightly. To complete the enclosure thebed of the stream on the beach was considerably enlarged, and the sandsupported by means of stakes.
By the end of the first fortnight of December these works were finished,and Prospect Heights--that is to say, a sort of irregular pentagon,having a perimeter of nearly four miles, surrounded by a liquidbelt--was completely protected from depredators of every description.
During the month of December, the heat was very great. In spite of it,however, the settlers continued their work, and as they were anxious topossess a poultry-yard they forthwith commenced it.
It is useless to say that since the enclosing of the plateau had beencompleted, Master Jup had been set at liberty. He did not leave hismasters, and evinced no wish to escape. He was a gentle animal, thoughvery powerful and wonderfully active. He was already taught to makehimself useful by drawing loads of wood and carting away the stoneswhich were extracted from the bed of Creek Glycerine.
The poultry-yard occupied an area of two hundred square yards, on thesoutheastern bank of the lake. It was surrounded by a palisade, andin it were constructed various shelters for the birds which were topopulate it. These were simply built of branches and divided intocompartments, made ready for the expected guests.
The first were the two tinamous, which were not long in having a numberof young ones; they had for companions half a dozen ducks, accustomed tothe borders of the lake. Some belonged to the Chinese species, of whichthe wings open like a fan, and which by the brilliancy of their plumagerival the golden pheasants. A few days afterwards, Herbert snared acouple of gallinaceae, with spreading tails composed of long feathers,magnificent alectors, which soon became tame. As to pelicans,kingfishers, water-hens, they came of themselves to the shores of thepoultry-yard, and this little community, after some disputes, cooing,screaming, clucking, ended by settling down peacefully, and increased inencouraging proportion for the future use of the colony.
Cyrus Harding, wishing to complete his performance, established apigeon-house in a corner of the poultry-yard. There he lodged a dozenof those pigeons which frequented the rocks of the plateau. These birdssoon became accustomed to returning every evening to their new dwelling,and showed more disposition to domesticate themselves than theircongeners, the wood-pigeons.
Lastly, the time had come for turning the balloon-case to use, bycutting it up to make shirts and other articles; for as to keeping it inits present form, and risking themselves in a balloon filled with gas,above a sea of the limits of which they had no idea, it was not to bethought of.
It was necessary to bring the case to Granite House, and the colonistsemployed themselves in rendering their heavy cart lighter and moremanageable. But though they had a vehicle, the moving power was yet tobe found.
But did there not exist in the island some animal which might supply theplace of the horse, ass, or ox? That was the question.
"Certainly," said Pencroft, "a beast of burden would be very useful tous until the captain has made a steam cart, or even an engine, for someday we shall have a railroad from Granite House to Port Balloon, with abranch line to Mount Franklin!"
One day, the 23rd of December, Neb and Top were heard shouting andbarking, each apparently trying to see who could make the most noise.The settlers, who were busy at the Chimneys, ran, fearing some vexatiousincident.
What did they see? Two fine animals of a large size that had imprudentlyventured on the plateau, when the bridges were open. One would have saidthey were horses, or at least donkeys, male and female, of a fine shape,dove-colored, the legs and tail white, striped with black on the headand neck. They advanced quietly without showing any uneasiness, andgazed at the men, in whom they could not as yet recognize their futuremasters.
"These are onagers!" cried Herbert, "animals something between the zebraand the quagga!"
"Why not donkeys?" asked Neb.
"Because they have not long ears, and their shape is more graceful!"
"Donkeys or horses," interrupted Pencroft, "they are 'moving powers,' asthe captain would say, and as such must be captured!"
The sailor, without frightening the animals, crept through the grassto the bridge over Creek Glycerine, lowered it, and the onagers wereprisoners.
Now, should they seize them with violence and master them by force? No.It was decided that for a few days they should be allowed to roamfreely about the plateau, where there was an abundance of grass, and theengineer immediately began to prepare a stable near the poultry-yard,in which the onagers might find food, with a good litter, and shelterduring the night.
This done, the movements of the two magnificent creatures were leftentirely free, and the settlers avoided even approaching them so as toterrify them. Several times, however, the onagers appeared to wish toleave the plateau, too confined for animals accustomed to the plainsand forests. They were then seen following the water-barrier whicheverywhere presented itself before them, uttering short neighs, thengalloping through the grass, and becoming calmer, they would remainentire hours gazing at the woods, from which they were cut off for ever!
In the meantime harness of vegetable fiber had been manufactured, andsome days after the capture of the onagers, not only the cart was ready,but a straight road, or rather a cutting, had been made through theforests of the Far West, from the angle of the Mercy to Port Balloon.The cart might then be driven there, and towards the end of Decemberthey tried the onagers for the first time.
Pencroft had already coaxed the animals to come and eat out of his hand,and they allowed him to approach without making any difficulty, but onceharnessed they reared and could with difficulty be held in. However, itwas not long before they submitted to this new se
rvice, for the onager,being less refractory than the zebra, is frequently put in harnessin the mountainous regions of Southern Africa, and it has even beenacclimatized in Europe, under zones of a relative coolness.
On this day all the colony, except Pencroft who walked at the animals'heads, mounted the cart, and set out on the road to Port Balloon.
Of course they were jolted over the somewhat rough road, but the vehiclearrived without any accident, and was soon loaded with the case andrigging of the balloon.
At eight o'clock that evening the cart, after passing over the Mercybridge, descended the left bank of the river, and stopped on the beach.The onagers being unharnessed, were thence led to their stable, andPencroft before going to sleep gave vent to his feelings in a deep sighof satisfaction that awoke all the echoes of Granite House.