Chapter 19 Chapter Nineteen

The next day was May 22, they began to decorate the new house.Indeed, since the grottoes were not enough, the inhabitants wanted to move earlier to this spacious and sanitary dwelling, hidden in solid rock, impervious to sea water or rain.They did not completely abandon the former residence, however, and the engineers intended to turn it into a workshop for important work.Cyrus.Smith first wanted to find the facade of Granite Palace from the outside.When he came to the beach, the pickax thrown by the correspondent must have fallen straight down from the cliff. If he found the pickaxe, he could find the place to cut through the granite rock.

They found the pickaxe in no time.The pickaxe had been stuck in the mud since it fell.They looked up from this point and found the gap.A few feral pigeons had already flown in and out of the little opening, evidently thinking that Granite House was reserved for them.The engineer proposed to divide the right part of the cave into several rooms, leave an aisle in front, and open five windows and a door on the front for light transmission.Pencroft was very much in favor of opening the five windows, but he did not understand the purpose of the doors. He considered the passage to be the natural staircase of the Granite Palace, from which there would be no difficulty in getting out and in.

My friend, said Smith, if we enter the house through the passage for convenience, it is also convenient for other people to enter.I mean the opposite of yours, to block up that entrance, and, if necessary, to make another dike, to raise the lake again, and to completely submerge the entrance. So how do we get in?asked the sailor. Go up by the ladder from outside, Cyrus.Smith replied, use a rope to make a ladder, as long as it is hung up, no one can enter our house. Why are you so timid?asked Pencroft, We have hitherto seen no beast of prey.If there are natives on our island, I don't believe it!

Are you sure, Pencroft?asked the engineer, looking at the sailor. We haven't searched all over the island yet, so we can't be absolutely sure.said Pencroft. Yes, Smith said, we only understand a small part of it so far.Besides, even if there were no enemies inside our island, there might still be enemies outside, because certain parts of the Pacific Ocean are very dangerous.We must guard against all accidents. Cyrus.Smith's words are very wise.Pencroft made no further objections, but was ready to carry out his order. It was therefore unanimously agreed that five windows and one door should be opened in the front of the Granite Palace, and in addition, a large protruding window and several smaller oval windows should be opened to let in a large amount of light.It was thus contemplated that this marvelous nave should be the principal room, with the front of the Granite Palace raised eighty feet above the ground, facing due east, and would be the first to illuminate it as soon as the sun rose.They found that if a vertical line were drawn from the pile of rocks which formed the grotto to the ground, the position of the Palace of Granite on the cliff was exactly halfway between this line and the point where the cliff jutted out from the mouth of the Mercy.Due to the shelter of the protruding cliffs, the northeast wind can only blow from the side.In addition, the engineer intends to install thick shutters before the window frames are completed, so as to block the window openings, protect the interior from wind and rain, and, if necessary, conceal these shutters.

The first step is to drill the hole.If you rely on a pickaxe alone, you don't know how long it will take to complete it.Fortunately, everyone knows that Smith is shrewd and capable, and he still has some nitroglycerin that has not been used up, which just played its role in this job.Engineers use this explosive to accurately blast selected places on the stone wall.Then the doors and windows were chiseled to shape with picks and shovels, and the rough edges were smoothed away.After working like this for a few days, the morning sunlight penetrated into the Granite Palace in large quantities, illuminating even the most hidden corners.According to Cyrus.Smith's plan, the next step should be to divide the cave into five empty rooms facing the ocean; open a door on the far right as the entrance, and install a ladder outside the door; then there is a 30-foot-long kitchen and a 40-foot-long dining room. and a bedroom of the same size; there is also a drawing room, which was made at Pencroft's request; and further to the left is the hall.These rooms are actually a set of rooms and do not take up the entire cave.So they also planned to have a corridor and a storehouse where their tools, provisions and supplies could be hidden.This is a great place to keep things.All kinds of products, animals and plants on the island are completely protected from moisture.There is a lot of space here, so everything can be kept in one place in an orderly manner.Moreover, in addition to this big cave, there is also a small cave above which they can use casually; this small cave seems to be the attic of the new house.

After the plan is drawn up, it's just waiting to be implemented.The sappers became brickmakers again.After the bricks were fired, they were moved under the Granite Palace.Until now, Smith and his partners have entered the cave through a narrow corridor.They had to climb Prospect Heights, round the river bank, then descend two hundred feet in the passage, and climb the same distance up to get back to the plateau.This not only wastes a lot of time, but is also very laborious.So Cyrus.Smith decided not to procrastinate, and immediately began building strong rope ladders.In the future, as long as the ladder is pulled up, there will be no way to go to the Granite Palace.

The soft ladder is very well made, and the side of the ladder is made of the tough fiber of a climbing vine, which is almost as strong as a thick rope.The rungs are made of redwood branches, which are both light and strong. This set of equipment was made by Pencroft, an expert in rope ladders. In addition, they weaved some ropes with plant fibers, tied a pulley to the door, and installed a tool similar to a crane.This allowed the bricks to be transported to the Granite Palace without any difficulty.Since the transportation of materials is simplified, interior renovation work can begin immediately.They had plenty of lime; bricks were stored in the thousands and ready to use.The blanks of the compartments were erected at once; at first they seemed very crude, but before long the caverns were divided into rooms and storehouses exactly according to the approved plan.

The engineer himself took the lead with hammer and scraper, and the work went on very quickly.There was no job he would not do, and he always led by example, setting a good example for his intelligent and enthusiastic associates.They are confident in their work and a joy to do it.Pencroft was always fond of telling jokes, he was now a carpenter, now a roper, and now a mason, always making jokes for this little world.He admired the engineer so much that nothing could change his faith.He believes that an engineer is a doctor who can do anything.Clothing (a serious problem indeed), lighting the interior in winter, making use of the fertile land of the island, and converting wild plants into cultivated ones, all seemed easy to him, with Cyrus.With Smith's help, everything will work out then.He also dreamed of opening several canals to transport the rich products of the island; opening mines and making various industrial machinery; building railways; yes, railways!It is safe to say that the railroad network on Lincoln Island will one day be as dense as a spider's web.

The engineer left Pencroft to talk to himself.He didn't disappoint the Warrior.He knew that confidence was contagious; he even smiled as he listened to him, never mentioning the difficulties he thought he would face later.In fact, in the Pacific beyond this route, they may never get assistance from people for their entire lives.The residents can only rely on themselves, and can't get anything else, because Lincoln Island is far away from any other island, and they can't make good boats. Too dangerous. But, as the sailors say, Robinson miraculously got everything, and we got the upper hand on Robinson.

In fact, their energy is so high that they can succeed in a place where idlers must die. Herbert is very prominent in this period of work.He is bright and lively, quick to learn, and well done, Cyrus.Smith grew fond of the teenager.Herbert also had a warm and respectful love for engineers.Pencroft saw their nearness without jealousy.Neb was still the same as usual, always showing the good qualities of bravery, enthusiasm, loyalty and selflessness.He admired his master as much as Pencroft, but with less enthusiasm.Whenever Pencroft was in high spirits, Neb always had an expression which seemed to say that there was nothing strange about it.But Pencroft and he were good friends, and they soon called each other by you.

Ji Ding.Sailors were always amazed at the fact that Spilett shared the toil in the common enterprise, and did it with a skill no less than that of his companions.This journalist is not only good at analyzing problems, but also so capable in doing things. The ladder was finally installed on May 28th.There are at least a hundred steps at a vertical height of eighty feet.It was also luck, forty feet above the ground, there was a protrusion on the cliff, which Smith used to split the ladder in two.With pickaxes they carefully chipped away the ledge to form a platform from which the first rung of the ladder was fastened, so that the swaying was reduced by half, and the ladder could be hoisted up to Granite Palace by a rope. .The lower end of the second ladder is fixed on the platform, and the upper end is tied to the gate of the Granite Palace.All in all, it's much easier to go up now.In addition, Cyrus.Smith also intends to install a hydraulic machine in the future, when the time and effort of the residents of Granite Palace will be completely unnecessary. The residents quickly got used to using the ladder to get up and down.It is true that their arms and legs were very flexible, but this was inseparable from Pencroft's guidance, for he was a sailor, and was accustomed to climb masts and rigging.Top is even more obligatory.Logically speaking, this poor four-legged dog is really not suitable for this kind of training.But after Pencroft's zealous teaching, Top was finally able to climb reluctantly, and soon his skill in climbing stairs was comparable to that of his kind in the circus.Needless to say, the sailor was very proud to have such an apprentice.However, Pencroft sometimes climbed with it on his back, and Top certainly did not refuse. It must be said that when the above work was in full swing, everyone did not forget to eat because the cold season was approaching.The correspondent and Herbert were nominated to be the food-purchasers of the squad, and they spent several hours each day in hunting, which so far had been restricted to the woodpecker woods and the left bank of the river, where bridges and boats were wanting. , they can't cross the Mercy River yet.The vast dense forest named Far West has also not been explored.This important expedition is planned to be carried out after the beginning of spring when the weather turns warmer. However, the woodpecker forest is a place where birds and animals gather. There are kangaroos and wild boars here. a lot of.In addition, Herbert also found a natural rabbit farm in the southwest of the lake. This is a slightly damp grassland, with willow branches swaying everywhere, and various herbs exude a burst of fragrance, including thyme, Basil, savory, and various other aromatic plants of the Labiatae family are particularly popular with rabbits. The reporter thought that since this meadow was a rabbit farm, it would be strange if there were no rabbits, so the two hunters searched carefully.Many precious plants grow here. For naturalists, it is an excellent opportunity to study the varieties of the plant kingdom here.Herbert collected several buds of basil, rosemary, peppermint, coriander, etc. They each have their own medicinal uses, some can cure lung disease, some can be used as an astringent, and some can be used as an antipyretic medicaments, and others to prevent cramps or rheumatism.Pencroft asked what use these grasses could be obtained. Make medicine, the boy replied, and save it for when you are sick. There are no doctors on the island, so why should we get sick?asked Pencroft gravely. The boy didn't answer this question, but continued to collect. The people in Huagangyan Palace welcomed this matter very much.In addition to these medicinal herbs, the boy brought back a kind of North American mint tea, which can be brewed into a very delicious drink. After a thorough search, the hunters finally found the real rabbit farm.There are holes all over the place, like a sieve. It's time for the rabbit's hometown!cried Herbert. Yes, said the correspondent, I think so. But are they at home? That's hard to say. The question was answered at once, and before the words were finished, thousands of little rabbit-like creatures fled in all directions, at such a speed that even Top could not overtake them.The hunters and dogs chased them away for a while, and the rodents easily escaped.But the correspondent did not give up, and decided to catch at least half a dozen before leaving.He intends to catch them first to enrich their pantry, and then to domesticate them later when he has time.It is not difficult to catch them, just lay a few traps at the entrance of the cave.However, there is no trap in front of him, and there is nothing to make.They were obliged to search every hole, stick sticks in and stir a while, and since nothing else worked, they had to wait patiently. After half an hour, they finally caught four rabbits in the hole.This rodent is similar to the European species and is generally called the American rabbit. They took the rabbits they caught back to Granite Palace, and at dinner they served them as the main course.No one despises the American rabbit, the resident of the rabbit farm, because it tastes delicious.It's a valuable resource for the squad, and one that never seems to run out. On May 31st, the work on the compartment was completed.All that was left to do was to add some furniture to the room, a job that was to be done during the long winter.They used the first room as a kitchen and built a chimney in it.Amateur brickmakers found it difficult to build chimneys that carried the smoke outside.Smith thought that it was impossible to cut an exit to the high ground above, and the easiest way was to build a chimney with bricks; so he made a small hole above the kitchen window, and the chimney was like the pipe of an iron furnace. Get out of the hole.If there had been a blowing wind, the chimney might have blown smoke, but there was very little blowing wind, and Neb, the cook, was not very particular about it. After the interior decoration was completed, the engineer went to block the original outlet of the lake, so that no one could enter by this road.They rolled large blocks of rock to the entrance and built them firmly together.Cyrus.Instead of embanking the original plan, Smith would restore the lake to its original height to flood the opening.He just planted some weeds and shrubs between the rock crevices. By next spring, these grasses and trees will grow very densely, and the clogged places will not be visible at all.In addition, he also wants to use the waterfall to bring fresh water to the new house.A small ditch was dug in the ground, and the project was completed, and the water brought in from the lake was very clear, and it would never run out. The daily water delivery was between twenty-five and thirty gallons. There will be no water to use.Now, everything was arranged, and the work was done just in time, because the cold season was coming soon.The facing windows had thick shutters that closed tightly, waiting for the engineers to have time to do the glazing someday. Ji Ding.Spilett decorated all kinds of plants and many long floating grasses on the protruding rocks around the window in a very artistic way. The window seemed to be set in a beautiful green frame, which looked cool and pleasing to the eye. Those who live in this solid, comfortable and secure home cannot help but be intoxicated with their own accomplishments.From the window there was a vast horizon, terminating in the two parts of Jawbone Cape on the north, and Cape Claw on the south.Standing in front of the window, you can see the whole Union Bay.Indeed, we brave inhabitants were not without reason to be content, and Pencroft was full of praise for their dwelling, which he humorously called an apartment on the fifth floor!