AN EXCITING TRIP TO THE FALLS
The food supply was now the first thing to consider, as all necessaries
in the way of vegetables, as well as meats, had been exhausted when they
started on the last trip, and a new lot had to be laid in. The matter of
butter was always a hard problem to take care of, and George referred to
this difficulty, and before they sailed away the Professor told him
that, on their return, the first thing to do would be the construction
of a machine which would simplify the production of the butter.
"As we are going to use more butter, I think it would be a good thing to
start in on our cream separator," said George, who, while he was not an
adept, like Harry, to devise the things required, was always ready to
suggest things that could be made to advantage.
"I know that Harry will be very glad to set to work on that, so we might
as well commence," answered the Professor.
"What is the principle of the separator that causes the cream to break
away from the milk?"
"Centrifugal motion is employed to bring it about."
"But how does that motion affect it?"
"When you put a ball on an elastic and swing it about your head in a
circle, the elastic stretches in proportion to the speed at which you
swing it. You have probably seen it done. It is stretched in proportion
to its weight, also. These two things, therefore, are properties of
centrifugal motion. Cream is the fatty portion of the milk. It is
contained in little globules, and when the milk is allowed to stand, the
milk surrounding the globules, being heavier than the cream, forces its
way to the bottom, and the cream by that means goes to the top. The
inventor has taken advantage of this fact by making a machine which will
take the milk and impart to it a very high centrifugal motion, and in
doing so the milk particles, on account of their greater weight, force
their way outwardly and the cream inwardly. The machine is also so
arranged that the cream and milk are drawn from it at separate points,
and this operation is a continuous one."
Harry quickly understood the machine from the drawing made for his
guidance, and in Figure 28 a sketch is made, showing how it was
constructed.
[Illustration: _Fig. 28. Cream Separator._]
A frame was made which had a base (A) and two standards or uprights (B,
B), and between these uprights were a pair of horizontal bars (C, C).
These bars served as supports for a vertical tube (D), the tube being
journaled in the center of the cross bars, so that it extended above and
below the bars, and had a small pulley (E) between them.
Below the lower cross bar the vertical tube has two radiating tubes (F,
F), closed at their outer ends, but communicating with the bore (G) of
the tube (D) by means of two orifices (H, H). The bore (G) extends down
to a point a little below the orifices (H, H), and a small tube (I) runs
through the tube D, within the tubes F, F, the ends of the tube being
open. A duct (J) centrally through the tubular piece (D) communicates
with the bore of the tube I. One each side of the tube D is a little
tube (K), which communicates with the inner end of each tube (F). A
receptacle (L) is attached to the tube D below each tube (K), to catch
the cream.
The operation of the machine is as follows: When milk is poured into the
top of the tube D, and the latter is set to rotate at a high speed, it
passes down and out through the ducts (H, H), into the horizontal tubes
(F, F), with the result that the cream is prevented by the heavier milk
from reaching the outer open ends of the tube I. As a result, only the
milk passes inwardly through the inner tube, and is discharged
downwardly through the duct (J), whereas the cream passes out through
the small tubes (K).
The quest for a supply of vegetables was now a part of the daily
occupation of some in the colony, as the garden had not yet advanced to
that stage where anything could be gotten from it. One morning John was
missing, and there was a great deal of speculation as to his
disappearance.
Before noon he reappeared, carrying in his arms as large a quantity of
vegetables as he could carry. Harry was the first to see and welcome
him. He recognized beets and was delighted to find that John understood
what they were after. When the Professor was informed, he gave a hearty
welcome, and John seemed to recognize that his efforts were appreciated.
"Ah! I see you have some onions," he said, as he beamed on him.
"Onions!"
"Yes; the wild onion, the progenitor of all the onions. One variety of
this is a species called chives, used as a salad, and is known
throughout Europe under that name."
"But this beet is very small; is it also wild?"
"There are four varieties of the beet. This is the most common of them
all, and grows in a wild state in many parts of the world. The
Mangelwurzel is a larger beet, and coarser, and is much used for cattle
feed. If you want to give your cows a treat, this would be the food to
give them. Then there is a kind called the chard, also a good variety.
If possible, we should try and get John to show us where he found them.
Undoubtedly it was along the sandy part of the island."
The first real surprise manifested by John was when the yaks were
hitched up and he was invited to join them on a trip. His eyes seemed to
show some glimmer of intelligence when he slowly crawled up into the
wagon. Their course was directed toward the forest to the west, and the
trip there, which occupied nearly two hours, was a constant source of
pleasure to all.
On the way the animals were stopped at intervals to allow the Professor
and George to collect specimens of plants and to seek for ores. And here
occurred the first real symptoms of returning consciousness on the part
of John. As the Professor was moving toward a hill, with a small pick,
he was seen to pick up one of the little hammers and follow.
Without seeming to notice either of the party, he undertook to explore
on his own account, moving here and there along the hillside and
occasionally stopping to examine and chip off samples, which he
carefully laid down, but when this was done, entirely forgot to collect
them. The act of procuring the samples seemed to be the absorbing
element. He thus went on, never returning to the places where they were
deposited.
"That action on his part shows a remarkable phase of his malady. Notice
how carefully he puts them down and how uniformly he forgets that he has
done so. The mind, in his condition, is so disordered that it cannot
reason with any degree of sequence. He recalls only one thing at a time;
but if I am not mistaken, he is a man of culture, and his every act
shows that he was a man of broad intellect. I hope we shall be able to
restore him to his normal condition."
The guns had been taken along, as usual, in order to do some hunting,
and while the Professor and John were engaged in prospecting, the boys
were after game, in which they were more than ordinarily successful, the
bag for the first hour being a half dozen pheasants and several
squirrels.
When the Professor returned to the wagon with several loads of samples
which the two had gathered, George insisted on penetrating the forest
still farther, their direction being toward the falls in South River.
Before long they came across the trail which had been taken by the yaks
when they made their flight some three months before. They were now not
to exceed two miles from the falls.
Angel, who was with them, now began one of his peculiar chattering
exhibitions which betokened alarm, and the yaks exhibited a restless
disposition. Harry moved forward to ascertain the cause, and before he
had gone two hundred feet, saw the cause of the disturbance. It was one
of the largest bears which they had so far seen, standing alongside of a
large fallen tree and vigorously working his immense paws.
He ran back to the party and gave the information, and the Professor
seized a gun, but John instinctively, as it were, grasped one of the
spears and darted forward in the direction Harry had taken. The bear
paid no attention to the party, and when the Professor came up, he said:
"How fortunate it is that we shall be under obligations to the bears for
our second treat of honey. I do not think we ought to attack him after
rendering us this service."
John was restrained from going forward, and he cast a peculiar glance
toward the Professor. "If there is honey there," replied George,
eagerly, "let us drive him away, at any rate."
But Bruin would not be driven away. He sprang down from the log,
growling and pacing back and forth. Occasionally he would leap back on
the log. It was plain, that he was after the honey and regarded it as
his special property.
"Well, George, suppose you give him a shot as a reminder that we need
some of that honey?"
He needed no urging, and taking a rest alongside a sapling, fired a shot
with one of the long guns. The shot was answered by a terrific growl,
which ended in a prolonged roar. Without waiting for another summons, he
made a line for George, who ran back. This was more than John could
stand, who now ran directly to the bear with his sole weapon, the spear.
Neither of them could restrain him, but all sprang after him. It was a
challenge the bear sought, and John did not in the least check himself
until within ten feet of the animal, when, with a light spring to one
side, he directed the spear against the side of the bear as he passed in
his rush. While the spear entered the animal, it did not reach a vital
spot.
Harry was about to fire, but the Professor held up a hand. "Have a care,
unless you are able to control yourself well. You are likely to hit
John." The bear turned, but John made no motion to avoid him, and again
the bear charged. This time John did not jump aside to exceed two feet,
and again plunged the spear forward, and as the bear's lumbering body
moved forward fully ten feet or more before he could bring himself to a
halt, they saw that the spear had broken off, and the terrific growl of
the animal showed how badly he had been wounded.
John made no effort to escape, although he plainly saw the broken end of
the weapon, and the Professor, surprising as it may seem, did not
encourage a shot. The effect of the last stab was apparent, however, as
Bruin did not turn after the last attack, but, with an expiring growl,
sank down.
He was a magnificent specimen. The Professor went up to John and held
out his hand in recognition of his wonderful feat, and he seemed to
realize the nature of the commendation bestowed on him.
The work of skinning the animal was participated in by all. John seemed
to enjoy it, and by his actions showed that he was at home in this sort
of work. You may be sure that his actions throughout the day were such
as to give him a warm place in their hearts, and they recognized what a
valuable ally had come to them.
The excitement made them forget the honey tree. They were recalled to
that by Angel. He had made his way there after the battle ended, and was
now in the seventh heaven of delight, and when George arrived to take
possession, Angel was covered with a mass of the delicious sweet and
fairly gorging himself.
As no provision had been made for carrying the honey home, the boys
remembered the first attempt at conveying it, and after the skin had
been removed, it was taken to the hive, and it was a pleasure to all to
remove the comb and every part of the coveted treasure. A luncheon was
prepared, and for the first time in two months the use of their sugar
was dispensed with.
"As we are so near the falls, why not go there, and possibly the sight
of it may recall something to John?"
George and Harry looked at the Professor for an inkling of his reason
for the remark, but he appeared not to notice them.
As the distance was not great, the course was directed along the very
trail that the runaway yaks had taken from the river some months before.
The moment the river was reached, John sprang from the wagon and made
his way to the shore and stood there gazing, and as his eyes turned to
the right and he saw the falls, he slowly turned to the Professor, as
though he was about to say something, but there the quest of his eyes
ended, and all recollection seemed to leave him.
George could not restrain himself any longer. "Why did you make the
remark that it would be well to bring John here to see whether or not he
would be able to remember anything?"
"I was anxious to see if he would recognize the stream, and possibly
recall the boat."
"What boat?"
"The boat we left here."
"And do you think John took the boat?"
"It is my opinion he took the boat, and then forgot it. During that
lapse it was washed down to the sea by the flood."
"But how do you account for the oars and the rope which we found in it?"
"He must have put them there."
"Where do you suppose he got the oars and the rope?"
"That is the peculiar part of the problem. The rope, if you will
remember, looked as though it was made by savages. At any rate, it was
not a regulation rope; but the oars were undoubtedly taken from the
_Investigator's_ lifeboat."
This was interesting news to the boys. It did seem probable, after all,
that John had something to do with the lifeboat as well as their own
boat.