My next operation was to put all the biscuits back into the box, for
strewed loosely about as they were, they interfered seriously with the
accommodation of my cabin, which by their bulk was diminished more than
half. In fact, I had scarce room to turn myself in, so long as they
remained outside the case, and I therefore lost no time in restoring
them to their former place of deposit. To make the box hold them all, I
was obliged to pack them in regular rows, as they had been before; with
this difference, that the case having been tilted on its side, the
biscuits had been lying with their edges in a horizontal position,
whereas I now built them vertically--the proper mode of packing such
goods, and the way in which they had been placed when they came from the
stores of the baker. Of course, it mattered not which way, as regards
the space they would take up. On the flat side, or on their edges, it
was all the same; and when I counted in the thirty-one dozen and four
odd, the box was full, with only a little empty space in the corner,
which the eight missing biscuits had formerly occupied.
So, then, I had taken stock of my larder, and now knew the exact amount
of provision I had to depend upon. With two biscuits _per diem_ I could
stand siege for a little better than six months. It would not be high
living, yet I resolved to do with even less, for I could not feel
certain that six months would be the full period of my privations. I
formed the resolution to make two a day the rule, and never to exceed
that number; and on such days as I felt best able to bear hunger, I
should stint my measure a quarter or half a biscuit, or even a whole
one, if I found it possible. This economic purpose, if successfully
carried out, would throw forward the day of absolute want to a much
longer period than six months.
My food being thus rationed out, it appeared equally necessary that I
should know the quantity of water I might use each day. To ascertain
this, at first appeared to be beyond my power. Apparently I had no
means of measuring what remained in the butt. It was an old wine or
spirit cask--for such are the vessels generally used on board ships to
carry water for their crews--but what kind of wine-cask I could not
tell, and therefore I could not even guess at the quantity it might have
contained when full. Could I only have established this point, I should
then have been able to make a rough calculation as to what had been
already spent; rough, but perhaps sufficiently precise for my purpose.
I remembered well the _table of liquid measure_--I had good reason to
remember it--the most difficult of all the tables to commit to memory.
I had received many a smart rodding, before I was able to repeat it
over; but I at length succeeded in getting it _pit-pat_.
I knew that wine-casks are of very different dimensions, according to
the sort of wine they contain: that under the different names of
"pipes", "butts", "hogsheads", "puncheons", "tuns," and "pieces," they
hold more or less, from the hogshead of hock of thirty gallons to the
great tun of wine containing 252. That the spirits--brandy, whiskey,
rum, gin; and the wines--sherry, Port, Madeira, Teneriffe, Malaga, and
many other sorts, are transported in casks of different capacity, but
usually containing about 100 gallons. I even remembered the number of
gallons of each, so well had my teacher--a great statistician--drilled
me in "liquid measure;" and could I only have known what sort of wine
had once been carried inside of my water-butt, I could have told its
measure in a moment. I fancied there was the "bouquet" of sherry about
it, and that would have made it a "pipe" of 108 gallons; but it might
have been a Madeira pipe, which holds only 92, or Cape, or Marsala,
which are about the same size. It might have been Port, which would
have stretched its capacity to 115, or a puncheon of Scotch whiskey,
some of which contain 120 gallons. I did not think it had been this
last, else I should have known the peculiar "twang" which Scotch whiskey
gives to water, however diluted it may be. Certainly, there was a
perceptible flavour of some liquor, but I was too young to be
experienced in drinks, and I learnt nothing from this. No doubt a
wine-taster could have told in an instant what sort had formerly filled
the barrel, for an old wine-cask will retain the particular "bouquet" of
the wine it had carried after performing several voyages as a
water-butt.
I drew out the stopper, and tasted the water. I had not thought of
noticing its flavour before. It appeared to me to be sherry; but as I
have said, it might be Madeira, which would make a difference of sixteen
gallons--an important item in a calculation such as I was desirous of
making. I therefore could not trust to my judgment to make this the
basis of a computation, and I had to think of some other device.
Fortunately in my school arithmetic there were a few hints upon
mensuration, and the good master had instructed us in these.
I have often wondered that the simple but useful problems of this
branch, of science are so much neglected, while the most useless and
irrational rhymes are hammered into the heads of poor unfortunate boys.
I have no hesitation in giving my opinion, that a knowledge of simple
mensuration, which may be obtained in a week's study, is of more value
to an individual--or to the whole human race, if you will--than a
perfect scholarship in all the dead languages of the world. Greek and
Latin! These have been very barriers to the advancement of knowledge!
Well, I was saying that my old teacher had taught me a few simple
problems in mensuration; and fortunately I still held them in my memory.
I could tell the solid contents of a cube, of a parallelopipedon, of a
pyramid, of a globe (nearly), of a cylinder, and of a cone. The last
was the figure that now interested me.
I knew that a barrel was a pair of cones--that is, truncated cones or
_frustums_--with the bases resting against each other. Of course, when
I was taught how to measure a cone, I was also instructed to do the same
with the frustum of one.
To ascertain the capacity of my butt, therefore, it was only necessary
for me to know its length--or its half-length would do as well--its
circumference at either end, and also its circumference around the
thickest part or "swell." These three measurements given me, I could
tell to a quart how much water would fill it--in other words, I could
calculate how many cubic inches of water it should contain. Knowing
this, I should simply have to divide by 69 and a small fraction over,
and this would give me the number of quarts, which another simple
division of 4 would reduce to gallons, if I required to use this
standard.
I perceived, therefore, that if I could get the three measurements, I
could soon tell the capacity of my butt; but therein lay the difficulty.
How were these measurements to be obtained?
I might have obtained the length, for that was before me from end to
end; but how should I get the circumference either of the middle or of
either end? I could not reach over the top, nor around the ends. Both
directions were blocked up against me.
Another difficulty stared me in the face. I had nothing wherewith to
measure them--neither rule nor tape--no standard by which I could
determine the number of feet or inches; so that even had all sides been
free to me, I should still have been in a dilemma.
I was determined, however, not to yield the point until I had given it a
good thinking. The occupation would help me to pass the time; and, as I
have already hinted, this was a matter of primary importance. Besides,
that faithful old schoolmaster had many a time impressed upon us the
valuable truth, that perseverance often finds success where success
appears impossible. Remembering this bit of admonition, I resolved not
to regard the thing as impracticable, until I had exhausted all my
powers of contrivance.
I persevered, therefore, and in less time than I must take in describing
it, I hit upon a plan for "gauging" the butt.