First Trial of the Canoe -- A Wreck on the Coast -- Towing --
Flotsam Point -- Inventory of the Case: Tools, Weapons,
Instruments, Clothes, Books, Utensils -- What Pencroft misses
-- The Gospel -- A Verse from the Sacred Book.
On the 9th of October the bark canoe was entirely finished. Pencroft
had kept his promise, and a light boat, the shell of which was joined
together by the flexible twigs of the crejimba, had been constructed
in five days. A seat in the stern, a second seat in the middle to
preserve the equilibrium, a third seat in the bows, rowlocks for the
two oars, a scull to steer with, completed the little craft, which was
twelve feet long, and did not weigh more than 200 pounds.
The operation of launching it was extremely simple. The canoe was
carried to the beach and laid on the sand before Granite House, and
the rising tide floated it. Pencroft, who leapt in directly,
manoeuvred it with the scull and declared it to be just the thing for
the purpose to which they wished to put it.
"Hurrah!" cried the sailor, who did not disdain to celebrate thus his
own triumph. "With this we could go round--"
"The world?" asked Gideon Spilett.
"No, the island. Some stones for ballast, a mast, and a sail, which
the captain will make for us some day, and we shall go splendidly!
Well, captain--and you, Mr. Spilett; and you, Herbert; and you,
Neb--aren't you coming to try our new vessel? Come along! we must see
if it will carry all five of us!"
This was certainly a trial which ought to be made. Pencroft soon
brought the canoe to the shore by a narrow passage among the rocks,
and it was agreed that they should make a trial of the boat that day
by following the shore as far as the first point at which the rocks of
the south ended.
As they embarked, Neb cried,--
"But your boat leaks rather, Pencroft."
"That's nothing, Neb," replied the sailor; "the wood will get
seasoned. In two days there won't be a single leak, and our boat will
have no more water in her than there is in the stomach of a drunkard.
Jump in!"
They were soon all seated, and Pencroft shoved off. The weather was
magnificent, the sea as calm as if its waters were contained within
the narrow limits of a lake. Thus the boat could proceed with as much
security as if it was ascending the tranquil current of the Mercy.
Neb took one of the oars, Herbert the other, and Pencroft remained in
the stern in order to use the skull.
The sailor first crossed the channel, and steered close to the
southern point of the islet. A light breeze blew from the south. No
roughness was found either in the channel or the green sea. A long
swell, which the canoe scarcely felt, as it was heavily laden, rolled
regularly over the surface of the water. They pulled out about half a
mile distant from the shore, that they might have a good view of Mount
Franklin.
Pencroft afterwards returned towards the mouth of the river. The boat
then skirted the shore, which, extending to the extreme point, hid all
Tadorn's Fens.
This point, of which the distance was increased by the irregularity of
the coast, was nearly three miles from the Mercy. The settlers
resolved to go to its extremity, and only go beyond it as much as was
necessary to take a rapid survey of the coast as far as Claw Cape.
The canoe followed the windings of the shore, avoiding the rocks which
fringed it, and which the rising tide began to cover. The cliff
gradually sloped away from the mouth of the river to the point. This
was formed of granite rocks, capriciously distributed, very different
from the cliff at Prospect Heights, and of an extremely wild aspect.
It might have been said that an immense cartload of rocks had been
emptied out there. There was no vegetation on this sharp promontory,
which projected two miles from the forest, and it thus represented a
giant's arm stretched out from a leafy sleeve.
The canoe, impelled by the two oars, advanced without difficulty.
Gideon Spilett, pencil in one hand and note-book in the other,
sketched the coast in bold strokes. Neb, Herbert, and Pencroft
chatted, whilst examining this part of their domain, which was new to
them, and, in proportion as the canoe proceeded towards the south, the
two Mandible Capes appeared to move, and surround Union Bay more
closely.
As to Cyrus Harding, he did not speak; he simply gazed, and by the
mistrust which his look expressed, it appeared that he was examining
some strange country.
In the meanwhile, after a voyage of three quarters of an hour, the
canoe reached the extremity of the point, and Pencroft was preparing
to return, when Herbert, rising, pointed to a black object, saying,--
"What do I see down there on the beach?"
All eyes turned towards the point indicated.
"Why," said the reporter, "there is something. It looks like part of a
wreck half buried in the sand."
"Ah!" cried Pencroft, "I see what it is!"
"What?" asked Neb.
"Barrels, barrels, which perhaps are full," replied the sailor.
"Pull to the shore, Pencroft!" said Cyrus.
A few strokes of the oar brought the canoe into a little creek, and
its passengers leapt on shore.
Pencroft was not mistaken. Two barrels were there, half buried in the
sand, but still firmly attached to a large chest, which, sustained by
them, had floated to the moment when it stranded on the beach.
"There has been a wreck, then, in some part of the island," said
Herbert.
"Evidently," replied Spilett.
"But what's in this chest?" cried Pencroft, with very natural
impatience. "What's in this chest? It is shut up, and nothing to open
it with! Well, perhaps a stone--"
And the sailor, raising a heavy block, was about to break in one of
the sides of the chest, when the engineer arrested his hand.
"Pencroft," said he, "can you restrain your impatience for one hour
only?"
"But, captain, just think! Perhaps there is everything we want in
there!"
"We shall find that out, Pencroft," replied the engineer; "but trust
to me, and do not break the chest, which may be useful to us. We must
convey it to Granite House, where we can open it easily and without
breaking it. It is quite prepared for a voyage, and, since it has
floated here, it may just as well float to the mouth of the river."
"You are right, captain, and I was wrong, as usual," replied the
sailor.
The engineer's advice was good. In fact, the canoe probably would not
have been able to contain the articles possibly enclosed in the chest,
which doubtless was heavy, since two empty barrels were required to
buoy it up. It was, therefore, much better to tow it to the beach at
Granite House.
And now, whence had this chest come? That was the important question
Cyrus Harding and his companions looked attentively around them, and
examined the shore for several hundred steps. No other articles or
pieces of wreck could be found. Herbert and Neb climbed a high rock to
survey the sea, but there was nothing in sight--neither a dismasted
vessel nor a ship under sail.
However, there was no doubt that there had been a wreck Perhaps this
incident was connected with that of the bullet? Perhaps strangers had
landed on another part of the island? Perhaps they were still there?
But the thought which came naturally to the settlers was, that these
strangers could not be Malay pirates, for the chest was evidently of
American or European make.
All the party returned to the chest, which was of an unusually large
size. It was made of oak wood, very carefully closed and covered with
a thick hide, which was secured by copper nails. The two great
barrels, hermetically sealed, but which sounded hollow and empty, were
fastened to its sides by strong ropes knotted with a skill which
Pencroft directly pronounced sailors alone could exhibit. It appeared
to be in a perfect state of preservation, which was explained by the
fact that it had stranded on a sandy beach, and not among rocks. They
had no doubt whatever, on examining it carefully, that it had not been
long in the water, and that its arrival on this coast was recent. The
water did not appear to have penetrated to the inside, and the
articles which it contained were no doubt uninjured.
[Illustration: FLOTSAM AND JETSAM]
It was evident that this chest had been thrown overboard from some
dismasted vessel driven towards the island, and that, in the hope that
it would reach the land, where they might afterwards find it, the
passengers had taken the precaution to buoy it up by means of this
floating apparatus.
"We will tow this chest to Granite House," said the engineer, "where
we can make an inventory of its contents, then, if we discover any of
the survivors from the supposed wreck, we can return it to those to
whom it belongs. If we find no one--"
"We will keep it for ourselves!" cried Pencroft "But what in the world
can there be in it?"
The sea was already approaching the chest, and the high tide would
evidently float it. One of the ropes which fastened the barrels was
partly unlashed and used as a cable to unite the floating apparatus
with the canoe. Pencroft and Neb then dug away the sand with their
oars, so as to facilitate the moving of the chest, towing which the
boat soon began to double the point to which the name of Flotsam Point
was given.
The chest was heavy, and the barrels were scarcely sufficient to keep
it above water. The sailor also feared every instant that it would get
loose and sink to the bottom of the sea. But happily his fears were
not realised, and an hour and a half after they set out--all that time
had been taken up in going a distance of three miles--the boat touched
the beach below Granite House.
Canoe and chest were then hauled up on the sand, and as the tide was
then going out, they were soon left high and dry. Neb, hurrying home,
brought back some tools with which to open the chest in such a way
that it might be injured as little as possible, and they proceeded to
its inventory. Pencroft did not try to hide that he was greatly
excited.
The sailor began by detaching the two barrels, which, being in good
condition, would of course be of use. Then the locks were forced with
a cold chisel and hammer, and the lid thrown back. A second casing of
zinc lined the interior of the chest, which had been evidently
arranged that the articles which it enclosed might under any
circumstances be sheltered from damp.
"Oh!" cried Neb, "suppose it's jam!".
[Illustration: UNPACKING THE MARVELLOUS CHEST]
"I hope not," replied the reporter.
"If only there was--" said the sailor in a low voice.
"What?" asked Neb, who overheard him.
"Nothing!"
The covering of zinc was torn off and thrown back over the sides of
the chest, and by degrees numerous articles of very varied character
were produced and strewn about on the sand. At each new object
Pencroft uttered fresh hurrahs, Herbert clapped his hands, and Neb
danced--like a nigger. There were books which made Herbert wild with
joy, and cooking utensils which Neb covered with kisses!
In short, the colonists had reason to be extremely satisfied, for this
chest contained tools, weapons, instruments, clothes, books; and this
is the exact list of them as stated in Gideon Spilett's note-book:--
Tools:--3 knives with several blades, 2 woodmen's axes, 2 carpenter's
hatchets, 3 planes, 2 adzes, 1 twibil or mattock, 6 chisels, 2 files,
3 hammers, 3 gimlets, 2 augers, 10 bags of nails and screws, 3 saws of
different sizes, 2 boxes of needles.
Weapons:--2 flint-lock guns, 2 for percussion caps, 2 breech-loader
carbines, 5 boarding cutlasses, 4 sabres, 2 barrels of powder, each
containing twenty-five pounds; 12 boxes of percussion caps.
Instruments:--1 sextant, 1 double opera-glass, 1 telescope, 1 box of
mathematical instruments, 1 mariner's compass, 1 Fahrenheit
thermometer, 1 aneroid barometer, 1 box containing a photographic
apparatus, object-glass, plates, chemicals, etc.
Clothes:--2 dozen shirts of a peculiar material resembling wool, but
evidently of a vegetable origin; 3 dozen stockings of the same
material.
Utensils:--1 iron pot, 6 copper saucepans, 3 iron dishes, 10 metal
plates, 2 kettles, 1 portable stove, 6 table-knives.
Books:--1 Bible, 1 atlas, 1 dictionary of the different Polynesian
idioms, 1 dictionary of natural science, in six volumes; 3 reams of
white paper, 2 books with blank pages.
"It must be allowed," said the reporter, after the inventory had been
made, "that the owner of this chest was a practical man! Tools,
weapons, instruments, clothes, utensils, books--nothing is wanting! It
might really be said that he expected to be wrecked, and had prepared
for it beforehand."
"Nothing is wanting, indeed," murmured Cyrus Harding thoughtfully.
"And for a certainty," added Herbert, "the vessel which carried this
chest and its owner was not a Malay pirate!"
"Unless," said Pencroft, "the owner had been taken prisoner by
pirates--"
"That is not admissible," replied the reporter. "It is more probable
that an American or European vessel has been driven into this quarter,
and that her passengers, wishing to save necessaries at least,
prepared this chest and threw it overboard."
"Is that your opinion, captain?" asked Herbert.
"Yes, my boy," replied the engineer, "that may have been the case. It
is possible that at the moment, or in expectation of a wreck, they
collected into this chest different articles of the greatest use in
hopes of finding it again on the coast--"
"Even the photographic box!" exclaimed the sailor incredulously.
"As to that apparatus," replied Harding, "I do not quite see the use
of it; and a more complete supply of clothes or more abundant
ammunition would have been more valuable to us as well as to any other
castaways!"
"But isn't there any mark or direction on these instruments, tools, or
books, which would tell us something about them?" asked Gideon
Spilett.
That might be ascertained. Each article was carefully examined,
especially the books, instruments and weapons. Neither the weapons nor
the instruments, contrary to the usual custom, bore the name of the
maker; they were, besides, in a perfect state, and did not appear to
have been used. The same peculiarity marked the tools and utensils;
all were new, which proved that the articles had not been taken by
chance and thrown into the chest, but, on the contrary, that the
choice of the things had been well considered and arranged with care.
This was also indicated by a second case of metal which had preserved
them from damp, and which could not have been soldered in a moment of
haste.
As to the dictionaries of natural science and Polynesian idioms, both
were English, but they neither bore the name of the publisher nor the
date of publication.
The same with the Bible printed in English, in quarto, remarkable in a
typographical point of view, and which appeared to have been often
used.
The atlas was a magnificent work, comprising maps of every country in
the world, and several planispheres arranged upon Mercator's
projection, aid of which the nomenclature was in French--but which
also bore neither date nor name of publisher.
There was nothing, therefore, on these different articles by which
they could be traced and nothing consequently of a nature to show the
nationality of the vessel which must have recently passed these
shores.
But, wherever the chest might have come from, it was a treasure to the
settlers on Lincoln Island. Till then, by making use of the
productions of nature, they had created everything for themselves,
and, thanks to their intelligence, they had managed without
difficulty. But did it not appear as if Providence had wished to
reward them by sending them these productions of human industry? Their
thanks rose unanimously to Heaven.
However, one of them was not quite satisfied: it was Pencroft. It
appeared that the chest did not contain some thing which he evidently
held in great esteem, for in proportion as they approached the bottom
of the box, his hurrahs diminished in heartiness, and, the inventory
finished, he was heard to mutter these words--
"That's all very fine, but you can see that there is nothing for me in
that box!"
This led Neb to say,--
"Why, friend Pencroft, what more do you expect?"
"Half a pound of tobacco," replied Pencroft seriously, "and nothing
would have been wanting to complete my happiness."
No one could help laughing at this speech of the sailor's.
[Illustration: PENCROFT'S SUPERSTITION]
But the result of this discovery of the chest was, that it was more
than ever necessary to explore the island thoroughly. It was therefore
agreed that the next morning at break of day they should set out, by
ascending the Mercy so as to reach the western shore. If any castaways
had landed on the coast, it was to be feared they were without
resources, and it was therefore the more necessary to carry help to
them without delay.
During the day the different articles were carried to Granite House,
where they were methodically arranged in the great hall.
This day--the 29th of October--happened to be a Sunday, and, before
going to bed, Herbert asked the engineer if he would not read them
something from the Gospel.
"Willingly," replied Cyrus Harding.
He took the sacred volume, and was about to open it, when Pencroft
stopped him, saying,--
"Captain, I am superstitious. Open at random and read the first verse
which your eye falls upon. We will see if it applies to our
situation."
Cyrus Harding smiled at the sailor's idea, and, yielding to his wish,
he opened exactly at a place where the leaves were separated by a
marker.
Immediately his eyes were attracted by a cross which, made with a
pencil, was placed against the eighth verse of the seventh chapter of
the Gospel of St. Matthew. He read the verse, which was this:--
"For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth."