Chapter 31 Chapter nine

The first week of March saw a change in the weather.At the beginning of the month, the moon was still very round and the weather was very hot.The atmosphere seemed to be full of thunder and lightning, and a storm could be foreseen. Sure enough, on March 2, there was rumbling thunder, strong winds were blowing from the east, and hailstones hit the Granite Palace like a burst of grape bombs. They closed the doors and windows quickly, or else Everything in the room was getting wet.Seeing these hailstones, about the size of pigeon eggs, Pencroft thought at once that his corn-fields were about to suffer.

Immediately he ran into the field, and the green tips of the ears were already visible, and he covered the crops with a large cloth.He didn't complain at all because the wheat ears were not hit by the hail. This bad weather lasted for a week, during which time the thunder kept ringing aloft. Between the two storms there was a constant rumble of thunder in the sky.The storm struck again, lightning flashed in the sky, and several trees on the island were struck down by lightning.The big pine tree by the lake by the forest was also knocked down to the ground.Two or three times lightning struck the sand and melted it into a crystalline substance of glass.After the engineer discovered these glass substances, he thought it could be used to install thick and strong glass on the window; so that he no longer has to worry about the invasion of wind, frost, rain and snow.

They had no pressing need of going out and doing something, so they took advantage of the bad weather to do something in Granite Palace, and the arrangement of the house was getting better day by day.The engineer built a lathe, and made several toilet and kitchen articles, especially buttons, which they now felt very much in need of.A gun-rack for firearms was also made, which he kept with the utmost care; besides, neither table nor cupboards were lacking.They sawed, planed, filed, and drilled; in the past few days when the weather was bad, they could only hear the sound of the tool lathe, echoing with the thunder.

Little Japp was not forgotten, and they kept him in a room at the back near the storehouse, which was like a ship's cabin, with a bunk in it, which was always covered with hay, to his liking. Japp was so kind that he never answered, and Pencroft used to repeat it, and he never protested!What a servant, Neb, what a servant! Now, of course, Japp is well served.He washed the clothes, roasted the meat, waited on the table, swept the floor, gathered wood, and, in one of the most wonderful tasks, Pencroft was particularly pleased that he never waited on the venerable sailor until he was in bed, and went to bed first.

As for the health of the squad members, it doesn't matter if they're bipeds or two-handed, quadrupeds or quadrupeds.Life in the open air, hygienic surroundings, a temperate climate, mental and physical exertion, under such conditions they could never think of falling ill. Indeed, everyone is very healthy.Over the course of a year, Herbert grew two inches taller.His body is gradually developing, and he is more like an adult. He is determined to become an all-round development talent with both ability and political integrity, and a strong body.He studied on his own whenever he had time after work, he read books he found in boxes, he acquired practical knowledge from everyday life at any time and anywhere, and besides, he learned science from engineers and languages ​​from correspondents. He is very willing to educate him as an adult.

The engineer was to teach Herbert all he knew, and he not only told him, but showed him.At the same time, Herbert is also very good at applying the knowledge taught to him by engineers to practice. If I die, Cyrus.Smith thought so, and it was Herbert who replaced me! On March 9th the storm passed, but in this last month of summer the sky is always overcast.The atmosphere, violently shaken by thunder and lightning, had not yet regained its original tranquility, and except for a few hunting trips on three or four clear days, it was hardly raining or foggy.At this time, the female donkey gave birth, and the newborn female donkey grew very fast.The mouflon flock in the corral was also increased, and some lambs were already bleating in the stable, to the great delight of Neb and Herbert, who, among the new flock, Each has his own beloved lamb.In addition, the residents also tried to domesticate wild boars, and the results were also very successful.

A new pigpen was set up near the poultry farm, and soon there were several piglets in it, and their personalities gradually changed, that is to say, they became fatter and fatter under Neb's feeding.Little Japp is very enthusiastic to give them feed and leftovers in the kitchen every day.Sometimes it likes to pull the tails of those little piglets to play, but this is just mischievous, and naturally it cannot be said to be cruel. Its nature is the same as that of children, and it regards these curvy little tails as toys.One day in March, while talking to the engineer, Pencroft reminded Cyrus.Smith had a task he had promised to complete but hadn't had time to do yet.

Captain, you once said that a machine could be used to replace the ladders of the Granite Palace. He said, can you find a time to do it? Do you mean a lift?Cyrus.Smith said. Say what you want!We will call it the lift, and the sailor replied that it does not matter what it is called, as long as it enables us to go up and down the Granite Palace with ease. It couldn't be easier, but does it really work? Of course it works, Mr. Smith.After I have this thing, I think it will be much more comfortable.Of course, for people, you can think of it as ostentation, but when it comes to moving things, this is necessary.What an inconvenience to climb a long ladder with a heavy load!

Well, Pencroft, we can satisfy you.Cyrus.Smith said. But you don't have a machine with you. We can make one. Make a steam engine? No, make a hydraulic press. Engineers, indeed, have the power of nature ready at hand, and can without difficulty put it into service with their machines.This can be achieved by increasing the flow of water that supplies the interior of the Granite Palace.He enlarged the gap between the stones and the grass, causing a swift waterfall at the bottom of the tunnel. After the water in the tunnel overflowed, it was discharged from the underground well.Below the waterfall the engineer installed a cylinder with a propeller; on the outside there was a wheel, to which was wound a strong rope attached to the propeller, from which hung a gondola.In this way, they use a long rope dragged to the ground to adjust the power, and they can sit in the basket and rise to the gate of the Granite Palace.

The elevator was used on March 17, and everyone was unanimously satisfied with the results.Henceforth, it replaced the original ladder, and all the heavy loads, including wood, coal, grain, and themselves, all went up and down from this simple device.Predictably, no one was dissatisfied with this innovation.Top was even more fascinated by him, because he could not, and could never have, the skill of climbing ladders like little Jup, and he often had to climb on Neb's back, and sometimes even on the back of the orangutan. Upper Granite Palace.Also at this time, Cyrus.Smith intended to make glass, and he put the old clay stove to this new use.There were many difficulties, several trials were fruitless, but at last he had equipped a glass factory, from which his old assistants, Spilett and Herbert, did not leave for several days.Glass is made from simple ingredients, including sand, chalk, and sodium carbonate or sulfate.There is sand in the beach, chalk in the lime, baking soda in the seaweed, sulfuric acid in the pyrite, and coal in the earth, which can be heated to the necessary temperature by clay stoves.Cyrus.Smith will have everything right away, just waiting to get to work.

The most difficult tool to make was the glassblower's blowpipe, an iron pipe five or six feet long into which liquid glass was dipped at one end.Pencroft rolled a thin sheet of iron into the shape of a barrel, and thus made a blowpipe ready for use. On August 28th the blowpipe came into use.They mixed one hundred percent sand, thirty-five percent chalk, and forty percent sodium sulfate with two or three percent coal dust, mixed them together and put them in a crucible.When the high temperature in the furnace makes the raw material into a liquid, it is more appropriate to say that it is the jelly Cyrus.Smith dipped some in the blowpipe, which he rolled on a sheet of metal prepared beforehand to give it a shape suitable for blowing, and then handed the blowpipe to Herbert to teach him to blow on the other end. Like blowing soap bubbles?the boy asked. Yes, exactly the same!said the engineer. Herbert puffed up his mouth and blew into the tube with all his strength, while rotating the blowing tube with both hands, the glass was blown up.They applied another layer of jelly to the half-finished product, and soon had a glass ball a foot in diameter.Then Smith took the blowpipe from Herbert's hand, and, oscillating it continually to and fro, at last stretched the pliable glass ball into a cylinder with pointed ends. After the blowing process, the semicircular caps at both ends are removed to form a glass cylinder.This is very easy to do, as long as a sharp iron piece is soaked in cold water first, the two ends can be removed, and they cut the glass cylinder straight in the same way, and after heating again to soften the glass, it is finished. Lay it on a slab and roll it flat with a piece of log. Thus was the first pane of glass, and they repeated the method fifty times, and fifty panes were made, and the window openings of the Granite Palace were at once glass windows; not quite white, perhaps, but sufficiently transparent. As for making bottles and cups, that's not the same thing.They feel very proud when these things form from the end of the blowpipe.Pencroft begged to try it, and he was made to blow once, which was a great pleasure to him, for he blew so hard that the resulting blows were of strange shapes, which he could not let go of. During a trip during this time, they discovered a tree that added another food source for the inhabitants. One day, Cyrus.Smith and Herbert went hunting and came to the Far West Forest on the left bank of the Mercy River. As usual, the boy asked countless questions, and the engineer answered them all earnestly.Hunting, like any job in the world, cannot be done without concentration.The engineer was not a hunter, and Herbert talked of chemistry and physics to himself, so a great number of kangaroos, capybaras, and agouti came within range, all missed by the boy; He was almost going back empty-handed; at this moment Herbert stopped suddenly, and cried out with joy: Ah, Mr. Smith, do you see that tree?Pointing to a tree, he said, it was more of a shrub than an arbor, for it was just a stalk surrounded by a scaly bark with leaves with parallel veins. It looks like a palm tree, what kind of tree is it?Smith asked. Here is a Pteris pine, such a picture I have seen in our Natural Naturalist Dictionary!Herbert said. But I see no fruit on this tree!said his companion. Yes, Mr. Smith, replied Herbert, but in its trunk there is a kind of flour, which nature has ground for us. So, this is the bread tree? Yes, breadtree. Well, boy, replied the engineer, our wheat is not yet ripe, and that is a rare discovery; I hope you are not mistaken! Herbert was right indeed. He broke off a branch of a Pteris pine. Wood fibers, separated by concentric circles formed by annual rings that are also silty.There is a pungent slime mixed with this starch, but it is easily removed by pressing.This cytoplasmic substance is a real fine flour, very nutritious; formerly, Japanese law prohibited its export. Cyrus.Smith and Herbert, having inspected the country where the bristle-pines grew, made a mark, and returned to Granite House, whereupon they announced their new discovery. The next day, the residents went to collect flour.Pencroft became more and more interested in his island, and asked the engineer: Mr. Cyrus, do you think there are any islands in the world where people died? What do you mean, Pencroft. All right!I tell you what I mean is that there are some islands reserved for wrecks, and those poor souls will always find a way to get over there! this is possible.The engineer laughed. That is certain, sir, said Pencroft; at least Lincoln Island is such a one. The inhabitants brought back to Granite Palace huge quantities of pine stalks.The engineer built a press to remove the pungent slime from the starch, which was processed to yield a large quantity of flour, which Neb immediately made into pastries.It's not real bread yet, but it looks a lot like it. Now, the wild asses, goats and sheep in the corral also supply the squad with the necessary milk every day.The wagon had been disused, and they used to drive to the corral in a light cart for one man; and whenever Pencroft went, he always took Japp with him, and let him drive it, and Japp waved his whip. , as usual deftly carry out their tasks. In the corral, as in Granite Palace, everything was thriving and growing, and they would have had nothing to complain about if they had not been so far away from home and across the sea.They are very used to life here, and they are also familiar with this deserted island. If they want to leave this paradise, they will definitely be reluctant to leave! However, their love for the motherland has not wavered in the slightest. If a ship suddenly enters the sight of the desert island, they will send out a signal to attract its attention, and then leave the desert island by boat.At present, although they lead such a happy life, they are constantly in fear, and always hope that nothing unexpected will happen to interrupt this life. But who dares to boast that he can keep happiness forever and avoid all disasters? In any case, the residents had lived on Lincoln Island for more than a year, and the island was often the stuff of conversation.One day, they made another observation of the position of the island, but this observation has a lot to do with all subsequent encounters. April 1st was Easter Sunday, and Smith and his companions had a day of rest and prayer.The day was bright and clear, much like October in the northern hemisphere. In the evening, after dinner, all sat on the terrace at the edge of Prospect Heights, and they gazed at the darkening horizon.Neb made several cups of elderberry drink instead of coffee.They talked about the desert island and its lonely place in the Pacific Ocean, Keating.Spilett couldn't help saying: Dear Cyrus, have you remeasured the position of our deserted island since the sextant was found in the box? No.replied the engineer. This instrument is much more accurate than the one you used before, maybe it would be better to use it to measure it? What's the use of that?Was not the island still where it was, said Pencroft? right!Ji Ding.However, said Spilett, imprecise instruments would make measurements inaccurate, since accurate results can now be easily obtained You are right, my dear Spilett, said the engineer, although the error may not have been more than five degrees last time, it should be checked early. Well, who knows, replied the correspondent, perhaps we are much closer to the outside world than we think, who knows? We shall find out tomorrow, Cyrus.We would have known, Smith said, if business hadn't kept me busy. good!Pencroft said that a surveyor as good as Mr. Smith was infallible, and that as long as the deserted island did not go elsewhere by itself, it must still be in the place where it was noted last time. Just wait and see. The next day the engineer made the necessary observations with a sextant to confirm the position he had obtained; here is what he found. As a result of the first observation, he knew the location of Lincoln Island: West longitude: 150 degrees to 155 degrees; South Latitude: Thirty degrees to thirty-five degrees. The second number is exact: West longitude: one hundred and fifty degrees and thirty minutes; South Latitude: Thirty-four degrees fifty-seven minutes. Although the equipment was not complete last time, due to Cyrus.Smith's measurements are so precise that he is within five degrees of error. Now, Gideon.Since we have a sextant and a map, said Spilett, my dear Cyrus, let us see the correct position of Lincoln Island in the Pacific Ocean. Herbert ran to get the map. As we all know, this map was published in France. Of course, the place names on the map were all in French. They spread out a map of the Pacific Ocean, and the engineer, compass in hand, prepared to determine where they were. Suddenly, the compass stopped in his hand, and he shouted: There is already an island in this part of the Pacific Ocean! Have an island?asked Pencroft aloud. That must be our island.Spilett said. wrong!Cyrus.Smith said that the island was at 153 degrees west longitude and 37 degrees 11 minutes south latitude.That is, two and a half degrees west of Lincoln Island and two and a half degrees south. What kind of island is this?asked Herbert. Dabao Island. Is it an important island? No, it's a desert island in the Pacific Ocean, maybe no one has ever been to it. Well, here we go.said Pencroft. us? Yes, Mr. Smith.We can build a decked ship and I'll steer it.How far are we from this Tabo Island? It is about 150 nautical miles northeast of our island.Smith replied. One hundred and fifty nautical miles!What is that?According to Pencroft, if the wind is favorable, it will be visible in forty-eight hours! What's the use?asked the correspondent. I don't know now, let's see later! After clarifying this problem, everyone decided to seize the time to build a boat and prepare to set off when the weather turns warmer in October.