SMITH’S PLAN—THE FRONT OF GRANITE HOUSE—THE ROPE LADDER—PENCROFF’S
IDEAS—THE AROMATIC HERBS—A NATURAL WARREN—GETTING WATER—THE VIEW FROM
THE WINDOWS OF GRANITE HOUSE.
On the next day, May 22, the colonists proceeded to take possession of
their new abode. They longed to exchange their insufficient shelter for
the vast retreat in the rock, impenetrable to wind and wave. Still they
did not intend altogether to abandon the Chimneys, but to make a
workshop of it.
Smith’s first care was to ascertain exactly over what point rose the
face of Granite House. He went down on the shore to the foot of the
immense wall, and, as the pickaxe, which slipped from the reporter’s
hands, must have fallen perpendicularly, he could ascertain, by finding
this pickaxe, the place where the granite had been pierced. And, in
fact, when the implement was found, half buried in the sand, the hole
in the rock could be seen eighty feet above it, in a straight line.
Rock pigeons were already fluttering in and out by this narrow opening.
They evidently thought Granite House had been discovered for their
benefit.
The engineer intended to divide the right portion of the cavern into
several chambers opening upon an entrance-corridor, and lighted by five
windows and a door cut in the face of the rock. Pencroff agreed with
him as to the window, but could not understand the use of the door,
since the old weir furnished a natural staircase to Granite House.
“My friend,” said Smith, “if we could get to our abode by the weir, so
can others. I want to block up this passage at its month, to seal it
hermetically, and even, if necessary, to conceal the entrance by
damming up the lake.”
“And how shall we get in?” said the sailor.
“By a rope ladder from the outside,” answered Smith, “which we can pull
up after us.”
“But why take so many precautions?” said Pencroff. “So far, the animals
we have found here have not been formidable; and there are certainly no
natives.”
“Are you so sure, Pencroff?” said the engineer, looking steadily at the
sailor.
“Of course we shall not be perfectly sure till we have explored every
part.”
“Yes,” said Smith, “for we know as yet only a small portion. But even
if there are no enemies upon the island, they may come from the
outside, for this part of the Pacific is a dangerous region. We must
take every precaution.”
So the facade of Granite House was lighted with five windows, and with
a door opening upon the “apartments,” and admitting plenty of light
into that wonderful nave which was to serve as their principal
hallroom. This facade, eighty feet above the ground, was turned to the
east, and caught the first rays of the morning sun. It was protected by
the slope of the rock from the piercing northeast wind. In the
meantime, while the sashes of the windows were being made, the engineer
meant to close the openings with thick shutters, which would keep out
wind and rain, and which could be readily concealed. The first work was
to hollow out these windows. But the pickaxe was at a disadvantage
among these hard rocks, and Smith again had recourse to the
nitro-glycerine, which, used in small quantities, had the desired
effect. Then the work was finished by the pick and mattock—the five
ogive windows, the bay, the bull’s-eyes, and the door—and, some days
after the work was begun, the sun shone in upon the innermost recesses
of Granite House.
According to Smith’s plan, the space had been divided into five
compartments looking out upon the sea; upon the right was the hall,
opposite to the door from which the ladder was to hang, then a kitchen
thirty feet long, a dining-room forty feet long, a sleeping-room of the
same size, and last a “guest chamber,” claimed by Pencroff; and
bordering on the great hall.
These rooms, or rather this suite of rooms, in which they were to live,
did not occupy the full depth of the cave. They opened upon a corridor
which ran between them and a long storehouse, where were kept their
utensils and provisions. All the products of the island, animal and
vegetable, could be kept there in good condition and free from damp.
They had room enough, and there was a place for everything. Moreover,
the colonists still had at their disposal the little grotto above the
large cavern, which would serve them as a sort of attic. This plan
agreed upon, they became brickmakers again, and brought their bricks to
the foot of Granite House.
Until that time the colonists had had access to the cavern only by the
old weir. This mode of communication compelled them first to climb up
Prospect Plateau, going round by the river, to descend 200 feet through
the passage, and then to ascend the same distance when they wanted to
regain the plateau. This involved fatigue and loss of time. Smith
resolved to begin at once the construction of a strong rope ladder,
which, once drawn up after them, would render the entrance to Granite
House absolutely inaccessible. This ladder was made with the greatest
care, and its sides were twisted of fibres by means of a shuttle. Thus
constructed, it had the strength of a cable. The rungs were made of a
kind of red cedar, with light and durable branches; and the whole was
put together by the practised hand of Pencroff.
Another kind of tackle was made of vegetable fibre, and a sort of
derrick was setup at the door of Granite House. In this way the bricks
could easily be carried to the level of Granite House; and when some
thousands of them were on the spot, with abundance of lime, they began
work on the interior. They easily set up the wood partitions, and in a
short time the space was divided into chambers and a store-house,
according to the plan agreed upon.
These labors went on quickly under the direction of the engineer, who
himself wielded hammer and trowel. They worked confidently and gaily.
Pencroff, whether carpenter, ropemaker, or mason, always had a joke
ready, and all shared in his good humor. His confidence in the engineer
was absolute. All their wants would be supplied in Smith’s own time. He
dreamed of canals, of quarries, of mines, of machinery, even of
railroads, one day, to cover the island. The engineer let Pencroff
talk. He knew how contagious is confidence; he smiled to hear him, and
said nothing of his own inquietude. But in his heart he feared that no
help could come from the outside. In that part of the Pacific, out of
the track of ships, and at such a distance from other land that no boat
could dare put out to sea, they had only themselves to rely upon.
But, as the sailor said, they were far ahead of the Swiss Family
Robinson, for whom miracles were always being wrought. In truth they
knew Nature; and he who knows Nature will succeed when others would lie
down to die.
Herbert especially distinguished himself in the work. He understood at
a word and was prompt in execution. Smith grew fonder of him every day
and Herbert was devoted to the engineer. Pencroff saw the growing
friendship, but the honest sailor was not jealous. Neb was courage,
zeal, and self-denial in person. He relied on his master as absolutely
as Pencroff, but his enthusiasm was not so noisy. The sailor and he
were great friends. As to Spilett, his skill and efficiency were a
daily wonder to Pencroff. He was the model of a newspaper man—quick
alike to understand and to perform.
The ladder was put in place May 28. It was eighty feet high, and
consisted of 100 rungs; and, profiting by a projection in the face of
the cliff, about forty feet up, Smith had divided it into two parts.
This projection served as a sort of landing-place for the head of the
lower ladder, shortening it, and thus lessening its swing. They
fastened it with a cord so that it could easily be raised to the level
of Granite House. The upper ladder they fastened at top and bottom. In
this way the ascent was much more easy. Besides, Smith counted upon
putting up at some future time a hydraulic elevator, which would save
his companions much fatigue and loss of time.
The colonists rapidly accustomed themselves to the use of this ladder.
The sailor, who was used to shrouds and ratlines, was their teacher.
The great trouble was with Top, whose four feet were not intended for
ladders. But Pencroff was persevering, and Top at last learned to run
up and down as nimbly as his brothers of the circus. We cannot say
whether the sailor was proud of this pupil, but he sometimes carried
Top up on his back, and Top made no complaints.
All this time, the question of provisions was not neglected. Every day
Herbert and the reporter spent some hours in the chase. They hunted
only through Jacamar Woods, on the left of the river, for, in the
absence of boat or bridge, they had not yet crossed the Mercy. The
immense woody tracts which they had named the Forests of the Far West
were entirely unexplored. This important excursion was set apart for
the first five days of the coming spring. But Jacamar Woods were not
wanting in game; kangaroos and boars were plenty there, and the
iron-tipped spears, the bows and arrows of the hunters did wonders.
More than this, Herbert discovered, at the southwest corner of, the
lagoon, a natural warren, a sort of moist meadow covered with willows
and aromatic herbs, which perfumed the air, such as thyme, basil, and
all sorts of mint, of which rabbits are so fond. The reporter said that
when the feast was spread for them it would be strange if the rabbits
did not come; and the hunters explored the warren carefully. At all
events, it produced an abundance of useful plants, and would give a
naturalist plenty of work. Herbert gathered a quantity of plants
possessing different medicinal properties, pectoral, astringent,
febrifuge, anti-rheumatic. When Pencroff asked of what good were all
this collection of herbs:—
“To cure us when we are sick,” answered the boy.
“Why should we be sick, since there are no doctors on the island?” said
Pencroff, quite seriously.
To this no reply could be made, but the lad went on gathering his
bundle, which was warmly welcomed at Granite House; especially as he
had found some Mountain Mint, known in North America as “Oswego Tea,”
which produces a pleasant beverage.
That day the hunters, in their search, reached the site of the warren.
The ground was perforated with little holes like a colander.
“Burrows!” cried Herbert.
“But are they inhabited?”
“That is the question.”
A question which was quickly resolved. Almost immediately, hundreds of
little animals, like rabbits, took to flight in every direction, with
such rapidity that Top himself was distanced. But the reporter was
determined not to quit the place till he had captured half a dozen of
the little beasts. He wanted them now for the kitchen: domestication
would come later. With a few snares laid at the mouth of the burrows,
the affair would be easy; but there were no snares, nor materials for
snares; so they patiently rummaged every form with their sticks, until
four rodents were taken.
They were rabbits, much like their European congeners, and commonly
known as “American hares.” They were brought back to Granite Home, and
figured in that evening’s meal. Delicious eating they were; and the
warren bade fair to be a most valuable reserve for the colonists.
On May 31, the partitions were finished, and nothing remained but to
furnish the rooms, which would occupy the long days of winter. A
chimney was built in the room which served as a kitchen. The
construction of the stove-pipe gave them a good deal of trouble. The
simplest material was clay; and as they did not wish to have any outlet
on the upper plateau, they pierced a hole above the kitchen window, and
conducted the pipe obliquely to this hole. No doubt during an eastern
gale the pipe would smoke, but the wind rarely blew from that quarter,
and head-cook Neb was not particular
When these domestic arrangements had been made, the engineer proceeded
to block up the mouth of the old weir by the lake, so as to prevent any
approach from that quarter. Great square blocks were rolled to the
opening, and strongly cemented together. Smith did not yet attempt to
put in execution his project of damming up the waters of the lake so as
to conceal this weir; he was satisfied with concealing the obstruction
he had placed there by means of grass, shrubs, and thistles, which were
planted in the interstices of the rocks, and which by the next spring
would sprout up luxuriantly. Meanwhile he utilized the weir in
conducting to their new abode a little stream of fresh water from the
lake. A little drain, constructed just below its level, had the effect
of supplying them with twenty-five or thirty gallons a day; so there
was likely to be no want of water at Granite House.
At last, all was finished, just in time for the tempestuous season.
They closed the windows with thick shutters till Smith should have time
to make glass from the sand. In the rocky projections around the
windows Spilett had arranged, very artistically, plants of various
kinds and long floating grasses, and thus the windows were framed
picturesquely in green. The denizens of this safe and solid dwelling
could but be delighted with their work. The windows opened upon a
limitless horizon, shut in only by the two Mandible Capes on the north
and by Claw Cape at the south. Union Bay spread magnificently before
them. They had reason enough to be satisfied, and Pencroff did not
spare his praises of what he called “his suite on the fifth floor.”