THE WONDERFUL PORTABLE FORT
On the return of the party to their home that evening the events of the
day were discussed to the exclusion of everything else, and now was the
opportunity for the boys to learn something about the other cave, of
which John had given a meager account.
"Would you object to telling us what the wonderful things were which you
saw in the cave at the western part of the island?" was Tom's inquiry.
"Not in the least. The ship on which we sailed from San Francisco
contained the charts of several caves, one of which was that of the cave
I referred to. I saw the treasure there with my own eyes, and I can
direct you to it, because, notwithstanding the stress of my
surroundings, I took the bearings, on the following day, and it will not
be difficult to locate it."
"Did you remember the circumstances of the visit to the place where we
were being pursued by the savages?"
John looked at the Professor, and then at the boys. "I do not remember
such an occurrence," he answered.
"But I would like to ask the Professor a question," exclaimed George.
"What was it that made you give us that quick advice to leave the mouth
of the cave when we wanted it as a hiding place?"
"I saw from the carefully hidden, but trodden, path, that some one must
have used it as a place of refuge, and concluded that as it was so near
the village it might have been some of the clans of the tribe, either as
a place of concealment from their enemies, in case of attack, or by some
of the so-called religious communities which many of the tribes have."
"In what way did you discover that this cave had been charted?"
"First by the peculiarity, that it had two entrances, on opposite sides
of a hill, and secondly, by the singular internal arrangement, which
stated that within the corridors and the chambers constituted a cross,
and the treasures were to be found at the extremities of the cross
limbs, within the two large chambers."
"Then you knew of the existence of this island, before you sailed?"
"No; the chart merely described the characteristics of the caverns, but
stated they were located on islands in the South Seas."
"Do you think our cave here is one of them?"
"I do not think so, as I do not recall any description which would fit
this cave, except the two entrances, and that is not uncommon."
"The chart stated that there was another cave fifteen leagues to the
southeast of that cave, which also contained treasure, and that was the
principal reason why I traveled in that direction, and thus found myself
in the savage-inhabited part of the island."
"Fifteen leagues? How far would that be?"
"Forty-five miles."
Nothing more was needed as a stimulus for the boys. They had truly been
thrown on an island of wonder.
"Why is it," asked Ralph, "that so much of the treasure of the world was
hidden in these out-of-the-way places by the pirates?"
"I imagine," replied John, "that they didn't have much confidence in the
rest of the world. The manner in which they got most of the money was by
acts of piracy on the high seas, and it was necessary to hide the
proceeds of the robberies as fast as acquired, because if they should be
captured, its possession would at once seal their doom. These hidden
treasures are distributed over every part of the world. As to the other
part of your question, the vast hoards of gold and silver so
distributed, formed a very small part of the wealth of the old world. It
is not known how vast a sum Pizarro took from the Inca in Peru, but it
is estimated variously at from twelve to twenty tons."
The boys opened their eyes in astonishment.
"How much would that be worth in money?"
"Counting it at the present value of gold, every pennyweight would be
worth a dollar."
"Let me see; twenty pennyweights in an ounce, and twelve ounces in a
pound; that would be two hundred and forty dollars in a pound."
"That is right."
"And then twenty tons would be 40,000 pounds. And multiplying that by
240 would make $9,600,000. My, what a lot of money!"
"Cortez, at about the same time, conquered Mexico, and secured a much
greater amount. All over the western hemisphere, from northern Mexico
down to Peru, untold millions of gold and silver were looted by the
Spanish and Portuguese navigators, and taken to Europe, and it is
estimated that as much more was disposed of in these hidden recesses,
and those who deposited them were swept off the seas, and all knowledge
of the caches were lost."
"During what times was most of this money deposited?"
"The pirates which infested the coasts of Spanish America and the West
Indies, flourished in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.
Originally the French and English during the wars against Spain used the
expedition against her ships, as acts of war, but later on, after peace
was established in Europe, the buccaneers continued in their
depredations, and it was made unlawful by all the great nations."
From that day there was no cessation on the part of the entire working
force to prepare the necessary ammunition required for a campaign
against the savages. It should be stated that by this time Chief had
learned many things, and John took particular pains to teach him daily,
until he could pronounce many words very distinctly, and understood the
meaning of them.
It was surprising to see how quickly his mind grasped the association of
a verb with some name, and the simplest and most common verbs of action
were taught. In this way it became apparent that all should be cautious
about talking of the proposed expedition in his presence. Nevertheless
all were anxious to enlist him in the enterprise.
He never inquired about the gun barrels, and curiously enough seemed to
take no interest in any of the weapons but the spears and arrows. He was
a fine archer. This was demonstrated on several occasions, the only
difficulty being that the bows which the boys had were too small.
Chief selected his own branches, for the bows, and showed the boys how
to hold the arrows, and the distance he could propel them was marvelous.
They were not by any manner of means a match, by comparison, with the
guns, but they would be dangerous missiles if attacked in the open, and
of this fact the boys had learned several lessons.
The wagon, which was constructed before the first trip across the
island, had been through some tough places, and the wheels and axles
were in bad condition. These needed replacing, and that was a task which
would occupy some time.
One day, at the evening meal, the boys asked about Chief. He had not
been noticed by anyone since noon.
He was usually at work with Harry, who was asked concerning him.
"The last I saw of him was right after lunch, and he was going in the
direction of the clay bank. As he was in the habit of going there quite
frequently I paid no attention to him."
"Did he have anything with him, that you noticed?"
"Nothing but the bolo and the bow and arrows that he always took."
"Possibly he is on some mission," replied the Professor. "It does not
seem likely that he has determined to desert us; but it may be he has
grown tired of this existence. It is a curious phase of these matters,
however, which, I believe, will apply in his case, that when he goes
back he will find his old life a very disquieting one to him, and I
predict he will be here again within a month."
"By that time we will be on our way toward his section, and I hope we
shall have the opportunity of meeting him," responded John.
What required more attention than any part of the equipment, aside from
the ammunition, was the structure of the wagon. This had to be a fort
for them, and so arranged that it could be put up to meet an attack from
any quarter.
But this, unfortunately, left the yaks exposed to the assaults of the
spears and arrows, and John suggested a novel addition to the wagon
equipment.
"My idea is this: As we are all pretty strong, excepting the Professor,
to stand the march on foot, I would convert our wagon into a vehicle
which would carry the fort with us, and this fort, whenever we camped,
could be set up so that the yaks would be inside, and thus protected as
well as ourselves.
"To effect this the more readily, my plan would be to make three
sections of boards, in the form of a fence, each section to be six feet
high and ten feet long. These should be either folded together in the
middle lengthwise, so they could be nested together and swung below the
axles between the wheels, and set up to form a square at one side of the
wagon.
"One side of the wagon body could be made to be let down, so as to form
a protection below the body of the wagon. Within that enclosure the yaks
could be stationed, if we should be attacked, and for the purpose of
defense, four of us would be within the enclosure and two in the wagon
to protect it from that side.
[Illustration: _Fig. 33. The Portable Fort._]
"The sketch which I have made shows these features, in which you will
see (Fig. 33), the side boards (A) hinged along the middle line, as at
B. These would be held at the outer corners by posts C. In the sketch
the side board of the wagon body has been let down, so access can be
had to the wagon."
The plan, so ingeniously contrived, pleased the fancy of the boys.
"I imagine," said Harry, "this will be the first time people ever
carried their fort with them. It will be fun to meet the savages with
that kind of an outfit."
"You must not think, however," continued John, "that this is all we
shall need. We must take in the wagon sufficient food for the yaks to
withstand a siege, so that with our own provisions, guns and ammunition,
we shall have a pretty good load."
"How heavy will the three sections of fence weigh?"
"I estimate that, as we shall want the boards made of good wood, the
weight will be thirty pounds per cubic foot, and as all the boards will
take fourteen cubic feet of lumber, the total weight, including the
posts, can be brought within 450 pounds, and I do not think our other
material will weigh much over 500 more."
"That would not be a hard load," observed the Professor, "as we have
often hauled a ton, but it would be well to make a new set of wheels,
and we can then take with us an extra wheel for the front and rear."
"I think we should take tools along also," said Tom, "because we can
always make our own repairs, in that event."
"I am glad you referred to that. It is certainly a suggestion in the
right direction. Are there any more observations from any of the other
army engineers?"
"I may be wrong," answered Harry, "but it seems to me that one of the
folding fences should be put on each side of the wagon body, and the
third under the wagon."
"What is your reason for that?" asked Tom.
"Because we may want to put up the fort in a big hurry some time, and by
having them at the three places, and have it understood who are to take
out each section, it would be the work of a few moments only to set it
up, because each set of workers could handle his section without
interference from the others."
"That is really a stroke of genius. Certainly, that is the sensible
way," responded John.
"It is simply another illustration," added the Professor, "how men,
looking at things from different standpoints, will see the defects in
each other's work. That is the story of every great invention."
These conferences were of the greatest value to the boys. It pointed out
how men, through force of circumstances, were compelled to devise things
for their need.
George had been an intent listener during these discussions. "It does
seem that the old statement, 'that necessity is the mother of
invention,' is true."
The Professor turned to him smilingly, as he replied: "That may be so in
very many eases, it is true, but I imagine that in the vast majority of
instances the necessity was in the mind of the inventor to get some
money. The thought of that requirement was a more vivid thing to him
than the real need of the article as an economic necessity."
"Do you really think that is the case?"
"If my memory is not at fault, the people of England howled with
derision when the first locomotive was built; the men who put out the
first sewing machine had their stores broken into and the machines
smashed; and the telephone when first installed was considered simply as
a plaything and curiosity, and not as a useful improvement. It has been
the history of every age and of most of the great inventions. After the
inventions were completed, and their value shown, the merchant and the
manufacturer created the demand, and then the articles became a
necessity, and not before. For this reason I think the proverb should be
amended to say that 'the necessity of the inventor is the mother of
invention.'"
Before starting on the trip the matter of clothing had to be attended
to. A quantity of ramie had been cut, and put in water, for the purpose
of rotting the woody fiber, and this was taken out of the water as fast
as it was ready, and cleaned and combed, and at times worked up into
threads, which were placed in the loom, and a coarse cloth thus woven.
This was, necessarily, a slow process, and consumed considerable time.
This, together with the making of the percussion caps, was the tedious
part of all the preparations. Every energy was put forth to get the
different things required. Harry and Tom had made up the fort, and John
suggested the idea of having a drill exercise in setting it up, so that
the work could be performed without interference.
During the day, when the posts and the fastenings were all ready, the
wagon was brought out and the yaks yoked up. The elements of the fort
were attached to the wagon, in the manner that they were to be
transported. As there were three sections of the fort, one on each side
of the wagon body and one below the axles, it was provided that the six
should form three divisions; the Professor and Ralph, John and Tom, and
Harry and George the couples for setting up the fort.
As Harry and George were the most familiar with the animals, and knew
better than the others how to handle them, it was made a part of their
duty, when the signal was given, to unyoke and turn the yaks to the
proper place at the side of the wagon.
While this was being done, the Professor and Ralph were to detach the
section on the side of the wagon where the fort was to be set up, and
carry it out at right angles and at the forward end of the wagon. At the
same time John and Tom would take the section on the opposite side of
the wagon and carry it around to form the end of the fort.
This would then give Harry and George the opportunity to take the part
below the wagon and erect it at the rear angle of the wagon, while Tom
and Ralph were getting the posts for the outer ends of the fort.
When all was ready, the signal was given, and the various divisions
sprang to their allotted work. They marveled at the celerity with which
the fort was put up.
"I see a serious defect in the arrangement at one point," said Tom.
"What is that?" was the question from all.
"You see we have the fort ready, but it is adapted for one side of the
wagon only. It may be most important to have it arranged so that either
side of the wagon can be used for the fort."
"A fine suggestion," answered John. "That change can be made by having
both sides of the body so they can be let down."
George also had a good suggestion to make. "According to the
calculations we have fourteen cubic feet of material, and it is light
wood, at that. Why couldn't the fort be utilized as a raft, so as to
save the cutting of green timber, which is so heavy?"
"Well," said the Professor, smiling, "we are developing this at an
immense rate. The new idea is the starting point for an invention to so
arrange the sections as to make them act as floats. Here is a great
opportunity for the genius."
Tom and Harry conferred on this subject for some time, and after
luncheon, announced the plan: "It is fortunate that the axles of our
wheels project. It will be an easy matter to take the sections from the
sides of the body and attach one edge of each section to the projecting
ends of the axles, and then the two posts can be used as braces to run
up from the outer edges on the sections to the upper edges of the body.
The third section can be left under the axles where it now is."
John was delighted at the simple solution of this problem.
"I really believe," said Tom, "that we can adjust the sections in that
way while the wagon is moving, as it can be attached without any
difficulty."
It is wonderful how one improvement marks the advance stride for the
next. Invention is really nothing but a step by step movement; a little
addition here, another accretion there, and so on, so that invention has
been shown to be, not a matter of quantity, but of quality. The mere
bending of a wire, if it produces a new and useful result, is just as
much entitled to the dignity of an invention, as a room full of
intricate mechanism.