L'île mystérieuse. English

by Jules Verne

  Chapter 10

  When Pencroft had once got a plan in his head, he had no peace till itwas executed. Now he wished to visit Tabor Island, and as a boat of acertain size was necessary for this voyage, he determined to build one.

  What wood should he employ? Elm or fir, both of which abounded in theisland? They decided for the fir, as being easy to work, but whichstands water as well as the elm.

  These details settled, it was agreed that since the fine season wouldnot return before six months, Cyrus Harding and Pencroft should workalone at the boat. Gideon Spilett and Herbert were to continue tohunt, and neither Neb nor Master Jup, his assistant, were to leave thedomestic duties which had devolved upon them.

  Directly the trees were chosen, they were felled, stripped of theirbranches, and sawn into planks as well as sawyers would have been ableto do it. A week after, in the recess between the Chimneys and thecliff, a dockyard was prepared, and a keel five-and-thirty feet long,furnished with a stern-post at the stern and a stem at the bows, layalong the sand.

  Cyrus Harding was not working in the dark at this new trade. He knew asmuch about ship-building as about nearly everything else, and he hadat first drawn the model of his ship on paper. Besides, he was ablyseconded by Pencroft, who, having worked for several years in a dockyardin Brooklyn, knew the practical part of the trade. It was not untilafter careful calculation and deep thought that the timbers were laid onthe keel.

  Pencroft, as may be believed, was all eagerness to carry out his newenterprise, and would not leave his work for an instant.

  A single thing had the honor of drawing him, but for one day only, fromhis dockyard. This was the second wheat-harvest, which was gathered inon the 15th of April. It was as much a success as the first, and yieldedthe number of grains which had been predicted.

  "Five bushels, captain," said Pencroft, after having scrupulouslymeasured his treasure.

  "Five bushels," replied the engineer; "and a hundred and thirty thousandgrains a bushel will make six hundred and fifty thousand grains."

  "Well, we will sow them all this time," said the sailor, "except alittle in reserve."

  "Yes, Pencroft, and if the next crop gives a proportionate yield, weshall have four thousand bushels."

  "And shall we eat bread?"

  "We shall eat bread."

  "But we must have a mill.

  "We will make one."

  The third corn-field was very much larger than the two first, and thesoil, prepared with extreme care, received the precious seed. That done,Pencroft returned to his work.

  During this time Spilett and Herbert hunted in the neighborhood, andthey ventured deep into the still unknown parts of the Far West, theirguns loaded with ball, ready for any dangerous emergency. It was a vastthicket of magnificent trees, crowded together as if pressed for room.The exploration of these dense masses of wood was difficult inthe extreme, and the reporter never ventured there without thepocket-compass, for the sun scarcely pierced through the thick foliageand it would have been very difficult for them to retrace their way.It naturally happened that game was more rare in those situations wherethere was hardly sufficient room to move; two or three large herbivorousanimals were however killed during the last fortnight of April. Thesewere koalas, specimens of which the settlers had already seen to thenorth of the lake, and which stupidly allowed themselves to be killedamong the thick branches of the trees in which they took refuge. Theirskins were brought back to Granite House, and there, by the help ofsulphuric acid, they were subjected to a sort of tanning process whichrendered them capable of being used.

  On the 30th of April, the two sportsmen were in the depth of the FarWest, when the reporter, preceding Herbert a few paces, arrived ina sort of clearing, into which the trees more sparsely scattered hadpermitted a few rays to penetrate. Gideon Spilett was at first surprisedat the odor which exhaled from certain plants with straight stalks,round and branchy, bearing grape-like clusters of flowers and very smallberries. The reporter broke off one or two of these stalks and returnedto the lad, to whom he said,--

  "What can this be, Herbert?"

  "Well, Mr. Spilett," said Herbert, "this is a treasure which will secureyou Pencroft's gratitude forever."

  "Is it tobacco?"

  "Yes, and though it may not be of the first quality, it is none the lesstobacco!"

  "Oh, good old Pencroft! Won't he be pleased! But we must not let himsmoke it all, he must give us our share."

  "Ah! an idea occurs to me, Mr. Spilett," replied Herbert. "Don't let ussay anything to Pencroft yet; we will prepare these leaves, and one fineday we will present him with a pipe already filled!"

  "All right, Herbert, and on that day our worthy companion will havenothing left to wish for in this world."

  The reporter and the lad secured a good store of the precious plant, andthen returned to Granite House, where they smuggled it in with as muchprecaution as if Pencroft had been the most vigilant and severe ofcustom-house officers.

  Cyrus Harding and Neb were taken into confidence, and the sailorsuspected nothing during the whole time, necessarily somewhat long,which was required in order to dry the small leaves, chop them up, andsubject them to a certain torrefaction on hot stones. This took twomonths; but all these manipulations were successfully carried on unknownto Pencroft, for, occupied with the construction of his boat, he onlyreturned to Granite House at the hour of rest.

  For some days they had observed an enormous animal two or three milesout in the open sea swimming around Lincoln Island. This was a whaleof the largest size, which apparently belonged to the southern species,called the "Cape Whale."

  "What a lucky chance it would be if we could capture it!" cried thesailor. "Ah! if we only had a proper boat and a good harpoon, I wouldsay 'After the beast,' for he would be well worth the trouble ofcatching!"

  "Well, Pencroft," observed Harding, "I should much like to watch youhandling a harpoon. It would be very interesting."

  "I am astonished," said the reporter, "to see a whale in thiscomparatively high latitude."

  "Why so, Mr. Spilett?" replied Herbert. "We are exactly in that part ofthe Pacific which English and American whalemen call the whale field,and it is here, between New Zealand and South America, that the whalesof the Southern Hemisphere are met with in the greatest numbers."

  And Pencroft returned to his work, not without uttering a sigh ofregret, for every sailor is a born fisherman, and if the pleasure offishing is in exact proportion to the size of the animal, one can judgehow a whaler feels in sight of a whale. And if this had only been forpleasure! But they could not help feeling how valuable such a prizewould have been to the colony, for the oil, fat, and bones would havebeen put to many uses.

  Now it happened that this whale appeared to have no wish to leave thewaters of the island. Therefore, whether from the windows of GraniteHouse, or from Prospect Heights, Herbert and Gideon Spilett, when theywere not hunting, or Neb, unless presiding over his fires, never leftthe telescope, but watched all the animal's movements. The cetacean,having entered far into Union Bay, made rapid furrows across it fromMandible Cape to Claw Cape, propelled by its enormously powerful flukes,on which it supported itself, and making its way through the waterat the rate little short of twelve knots. Sometimes also itapproached so near to the island that it could be clearly distinguished.It was the southern whale, which is completely black, the head beingmore depressed than that of the northern whale.

  They could also see it throwing up from its air-holes to a greatheight a cloud of vapor, or of water, for, strange as it may appear,naturalists and whalers are not agreed on this subject. Is it air or isit water which is thus driven out? It is generally admitted to be vapor,which, condensing suddenly by contact with the cold air, falls again asrain.

  However, the presence of this mammifer preoccupied the colonists. Itirritated Pencroft especially, as he could think of nothing else whileat work. He ended by longing for it, like a child for a thing which ithas been denied. At night he talked
about it in his sleep, and certainlyif he had had the means of attacking it, if the sloop had been in a fitstate to put to sea, he would not have hesitated to set out in pursuit.

  But what the colonists could not do for themselves chance did for them,and on the 3rd of May shouts from Neb, who had stationed himself at thekitchen window, announced that the whale was stranded on the beach ofthe island.

  Herbert and Gideon Spilett, who were just about to set out hunting,left their guns, Pencroft threw down his ax, and Harding and Neb joiningtheir companions, all rushed towards the scene of action.

  The stranding had taken place on the beach of Flotsam Point, three milesfrom Granite House, and at high tide. It was therefore probable that thecetacean would not be able to extricate itself easily; at any rate itwas best to hasten, so as to cut off its retreat if necessary. They ranwith pick-axes and iron-tipped poles in their hands, passed over theMercy bridge, descended the right bank of the river, along the beach,and in less than twenty minutes the settlers were close to the enormousanimal, above which flocks of birds already hovered.

  "What a monster!" cried Neb.

  And the exclamation was natural, for it was a southern whale, eightyfeet long, a giant of the species, probably not weighing less than ahundred and fifty thousand pounds!

  In the meanwhile, the monster thus stranded did not move, nor attempt bystruggling to regain the water while the tide was still high.

  It was dead, and a harpoon was sticking out of its left side.

  "There are whalers in these quarters, then?" said Gideon Spilettdirectly.

  "Oh, Mr. Spilett, that doesn't prove anything!" replied Pencroft."Whales have been known to go thousands of miles with a harpoon inthe side, and this one might even have been struck in the north of theAtlantic and come to die in the south of the Pacific, and it would benothing astonishing."

  Pencroft, having torn the harpoon from the animal's side, read thisinscription on it:

  MARIA STELLA, VINEYARD

  "A vessel from the Vineyard! A ship from my country!" he cried. "The'Maria Stella!' A fine whaler, 'pon my word; I know her well! Oh, myfriends, a vessel from the Vineyard!--a whaler from the Vineyard!"

  And the sailor brandishing the harpoon, repeated, not without emotion,the name which he loved so well--the name of his birthplace.

  But as it could not be expected that the "Maria Stella" would come toreclaim the animal harpooned by her, they resolved to begin cutting itup before decomposition should commence. The birds, who had watchedthis rich prey for several days, had determined to take possession of itwithout further delay, and it was necessary to drive them off by firingat them repeatedly.

  The whale was a female, and a large quantity of milk was taken from it,which, according to the opinion of the naturalist Duffenbach, might passfor cow's milk, and, indeed, it differs from it neither in taste, color,nor density.

  Pencroft had formerly served on board a whaling-ship, and he couldmethodically direct the operation of cutting up, a sufficientlydisagreeable operation lasting three days, but from which the settlersdid not flinch, not even Gideon Spilett, who, as the sailor said, wouldend by making a "real good castaway."

  The blubber, cut in parallel slices of two feet and a half in thickness,then divided into pieces which might weigh about a thousand pounds each,was melted down in large earthen pots brought to the spot, for they didnot wish to taint the environs of Granite House, and in this fusion itlost nearly a third of its weight.

  But there was an immense quantity of it; the tongue alone yielded sixthousand pounds of oil, and the lower lip four thousand. Then, besidesthe fat, which would insure for a long time a store of stearine andglycerine, there were still the bones, for which a use could doubtlessbe found, although there were neither umbrellas nor stays used atGranite House. The upper part of the mouth of the cetacean was, indeed,provided on both sides with eight hundred horny blades, very elastic,of a fibrous texture, and fringed at the edge like great combs, at whichthe teeth, six feet long, served to retain the thousands of animalculae,little fish, and molluscs, on which the whale fed.

  The operation finished, to the great satisfaction of the operators, theremains of the animal were left to the birds, who would soon make everyvestige of it disappear, and their usual daily occupations were resumedby the inmates of Granite House.

  However, before returning to the dockyard, Cyrus Harding conceivedthe idea of fabricating certain machines, which greatly excited thecuriosity of his companions. He took a dozen of the whale's bones, cutthem into six equal parts, and sharpened their ends.

  "This machine is not my own invention, and it is frequently employedby the Aleutian hunters in Russian America. You see these bones, myfriends; well, when it freezes, I will bend them, and then wet themwith water till they are entirely covered with ice, which will keep thembent, and I will strew them on the snow, having previously covered themwith fat. Now, what will happen if a hungry animal swallows one of thesebaits? Why, the heat of his stomach will melt the ice, and the bone,springing straight, will pierce him with its sharp points."

  "Well! I do call that ingenious!" said Pencroft.

  "And it will spare the powder and shot," rejoined Cyrus Harding.

  "That will be better than traps!" added Neb.

  In the meanwhile the boat-building progressed, and towards the end ofthe month half the planking was completed. It could already be seen thather shape was excellent, and that she would sail well.

  Pencroft worked with unparalleled ardor, and only a sturdy frame couldhave borne such fatigue; but his companions were preparing in secret areward for his labors, and on the 31st of May he was to meet with one ofthe greatest joys of his life.

  On that day, after dinner, just as he was about to leave the table,Pencroft felt a hand on his shoulder.

  It was the hand of Gideon Spilett, who said,--

  "One moment, Master Pencroft, you mustn't sneak off like that! You'veforgotten your dessert."

  "Thank you, Mr. Spilett," replied the sailor, "I am going back to mywork."

  "Well, a cup of coffee, my friend?"

  "Nothing more."

  "A pipe, then?"

  Pencroft jumped up, and his great good-natured face grew pale when hesaw the reporter presenting him with a ready-filled pipe, and Herbertwith a glowing coal.

  The sailor endeavored to speak, but could not get out a word; so,seizing the pipe, he carried it to his lips, then applying the coal,he drew five or six great whiffs. A fragrant blue cloud soon arose, andfrom its depths a voice was heard repeating excitedly,--

  "Tobacco! real tobacco!"

  "Yes, Pencroft," returned Cyrus Harding, "and very good tobacco too!"

  "O, divine Providence; sacred Author of all things!" cried the sailor."Nothing more is now wanting to our island."

  And Pencroft smoked, and smoked, and smoked.

  "And who made this discovery?" he asked at length. "You, Herbert, nodoubt?"

  "No, Pencroft, it was Mr. Spilett."

  "Mr. Spilett!" exclaimed the sailor, seizing the reporter, and claspinghim to his breast with such a squeeze that he had never felt anythinglike it before.

  "Oh Pencroft," said Spilett, recovering his breath at last, "a truce forone moment. You must share your gratitude with Herbert, who recognizedthe plant, with Cyrus, who prepared it, and with Neb, who took a greatdeal of trouble to keep our secret."

  "Well, my friends, I will repay you some day," replied the sailor. "Nowwe are friends for life."