by Mayne Reid
CHAPTER FIFTY SEVEN.
A VERY GRAND OBSTACLE.
The good ship _Inca_, then, was like most others built to the merchants'order. She was "pigeon-breasted," and bulged out along the sides insuch a fashion, that her hold was far wider than her beam; and, lookingup from the bottom of the hold, the sides appeared to curve towards eachother, and converge over you like a roof. I knew that this was theshape of the _Inca_, for it was then the universal shape of merchantvessels, and I was somewhat used to noticing ships of all kinds thatcame into our bay.
I have said that, while trying through the slits of the top of the boxwith my knife, I felt something soft, which I took to be a bale oflinen; but I had also noticed that it did not extend over the whole lid.On the contrary, there was about a foot at the end--that end contiguousto the ship's timbers--where I could feel nothing. There were twoslits, and I had run my blade through each without touching anysubstance, either hard or soft. I concluded, therefore, that there wasnothing there, and that about a foot of space behind the bale of linenwas empty.
This was easily explained. The bale standing on the two largecloth-cases, was at that height where the side of the ship began tocurve inwards; and as its top would lie in contact with the timbershigher up, the bottom angle would evidently be thrown out from them tothe distance of a foot or so, thus leaving a three-cornered space quiteempty, being only large enough to hold small packages of goods.
I reasoned, therefore, that if I were to proceed vertically upward, Ishould soon come in contact with the side timbers of the ship,constantly curving inward as high as the deck itself, and that I shouldmeet with many obstacles, such as small packages, which I knew would bemore difficult to deal with than large cases and boxes. For thisreason, then, but more for the others already assigned, I came to thedetermination to make my next move in a horizontal direction.
You will perhaps wonder that I should have taken so much pains todetermine this point; but when you reflect upon the time and labourwhich it required to cut through the side of a box, and then through theadjacent side of the next--in short, to make a "stage" in advance--whenyou reflect that a _whole day_ might be so occupied, you will thenperceive how important it was not to act rashly, but, if possible, toproceed in the right direction.
After all, I was not quite so long in choosing which way to go, as Ihave here been in narrating my reflections about it. It only required afew minutes for me to make up my mind; but I was so pleased at beingonce more on my legs, that I remained standing for nearly half an hour.
When sufficiently rested by this, I placed my arms inside the uppercase; and then, drawing myself up, prepared to go on with my work.
I experienced a thrill of joy as I found myself in this upper box. Iwas now in the _second tier_ of the packages, and more than six feetfrom the bottom of the hold. I was full three feet higher than I hadyet been; three feet nearer to the deck and the sky--to myfellow-creatures--to liberty!
On minutely examining the end of the case through which I intended tomake an aperture, I was further joyed to find that this part of my workwould not be difficult. One board was already loose--the loosenesshaving been caused by my tearing out the large piece at the bottom.Moreover, the blade of my knife told me that the object that was beyond,did not stand close up to the case, but was several inches from it. Infact, I could only just reach it with the tip of the blade. This was amanifest advantage. I should be able, by a strong push or kick, tostart the board outward, and then dispose of it on one side or the otherbetween the two packages.
And this I finally succeeded in doing. Booted for the purpose, I laidmyself back, and then commenced beating a tattoo with my heels.
In a short while the "scranching" sound announced that the hoops andnails were giving way; and after another kick or two the board flew out,and slipped down between the boxes quite out of my reach.
I was not slow in thrusting my hands through the aperture thus made, andendeavouring to ascertain what sort of an article was to come next; butthough I could feel a broad surface of rough plank, I was unable to makeout what sort of a package it was.
I knocked out another piece from the end of the cloth-case, and then athird--which was all there was of it--so that I had now the whole endopen before me.
This gave me a fine opportunity to explore beyond, and I continued myexamination. To my surprise, I found that the broad surface of roughdeal extended in every direction beyond my reach. It rose vertically,like a wall, not only covering the whole end of the cloth-case, butstretching beyond it, upward and on both sides--how far I could nottell, but so far that, after thrusting my arms up to the elbows, I couldfeel neither edge nor corner.
This, then, was certainly a case of different shape and size from any Ihad yet encountered; but what kind of goods it contained, I had not theslightest idea. Cloth it was not likely to be, else it would haveresembled the other cases; nor yet linen--and there was somegratification in knowing it could not be this.
In order to ascertain what it really was, I inserted my blade throughthe slits of the rough deal. I felt something like paper; but I couldperceive that this was only an outside covering, for immediately underit a hard substance resisted the point of my blade, almost as hard andsmooth as marble. By pressing the knife forcibly, however, I could feelthat it was not stone, but wood, some kind that was very hard, and thatappeared to be polished finely on the surface. When I struck suddenlyagainst it, it gave out an odd echo--a sort of ringing sound, or"twang," but for all this, I could not imagine what it was.
There was no help for it but to cut into the case, and then perhaps Ishould become better acquainted with the contents.
I followed a plan I had tried already. I selected one of the boards, ofwhich the great case was made, and with my knife cut it across themiddle. It was nearly twelve inches in width, and the work occupied mefor many long hours. My knife had become as "dull as a beetle," andthis added to the difficulty of the task.
The section was completed, at length; and, laying aside the knife, Icontrived to draw one end of the cut plank outwards. The space betweenthe two cases gave me room to move the board upward and downward, tillat length the nails at the end were twisted out, and the board fell downalong with the others.
The second half was displaced in a similar manner; and I had now made anopening in the great case, large enough to enable me to examine itscontents.
There were sheets of paper spread over the surface of something hard andsmooth. These I dragged outwards, and laid the surface bare; and then Iran my fingers over it. I perceived that it was some kind of wood, butpolished till it was as slippery as glass. It felt to the touch justlike the surface of a mahogany table; and I might have mistaken it forone, but on rapping it with my knuckles, it gave forth that same ringinghollow sound I had already noticed. Striking it with still greaterviolence, I could hear a prolonged musical vibration, that reminded meof an Eolian harp.
But I had now become aware of the nature of this huge object. It was a_Pianoforte_. I had seen one like it before. One used to stand in thecorner of our little parlour, upon which my mother often made mostbeautiful music. Yes, the object whose broad smooth surface now barredmy way, was neither more nor less than a _Piano_.