Chapter 32 chapter Ten

As long as Pencroft decides to do a thing, he will never give up until it is completed.Now he wanted to go to Bao Island, and sailing needed a rather big boat, so he decided to build one. What kind of wood should be used?Both elms and firs are plentiful on the island.They decided on fir because it was easy to cut down and was no less waterproof than elm. After deciding on the details, since there was still half a year until the sunny season, it was decided to draw only Cyrus.Smith and Pencroft built a ship.Ji Ding.Spilett and Herbert went on hunting, and Neb and his assistant, little Japp, went about their chores.

They picked out the trees at once, felled them, debraked them, and sawn them into boards, as no real woodsawman could have done better than that.A week later a shipyard was erected in a place between the grotto and the cliff; a keel thirty-five feet long lay in the sand, with the stern timbers aft and the forward bow material. Cyrus.When Smith embarked on this new endeavor, he was not groping blindly.His knowledge of shipbuilding is not inferior to other aspects. He first draws the blueprint of the ship on paper.Besides, he had Pencroft, who had had some practical experience in shipbuilding for some years in the shipyards of Brooklyn, as his capable assistant.After some precise calculation and careful consideration, they put the ribs on the keel.

Pencroft's anxiety to carry out his new project was understandable, and he did not want to leave his work for a moment. It was a great thing that one incident should have caused him to leave the shipyard, but only for one day.That was the second wheat harvest on April 15th.The harvest this time was as good as the first time, and the harvest volume reached the expected figure. Five bushels, Mr. Smith.said Pencroft, after carefully measuring his treasure. Five bushels, said the engineer, 130,000 grains per bushel, so we have six hundred and fifty thousand grains in all. Well, let's plant it all this time, said the sailor, and leave only a little.

Yes, Pencroft, if the next harvest is like this, we shall have four thousand bushels. Will we be able to eat bread then? can eat. But we have to have a mill. We can make a plate. This time the area of ​​the wheat field was larger than the previous two. They plowed the land carefully and sprinkled the precious seeds.When it was over, Pencroft returned to his work. Meanwhile Spilett and Herbert hunted nearby, venturing far into unexplored parts of the forests of the Far West, their guns loaded just in case.It was a large and beautifully wooded forest, with trees crowded together as if there wasn't enough room.It is extremely difficult to explore in such a dense forest. The correspondents always carry a compass with them every time they come here, because the branches and leaves are so dense that almost no sunlight can penetrate it. It is not easy to go back along the original path.Generally speaking, in this small place, there are usually fewer birds and animals, because they have no room to move around. However, in the second half of April, two or three large herbivores were still shot.Residents have already seen this kind of animal on the north shore of Grant Lake. They are koalas. They hide among the dense branches and wait for death. The koala belts are brought back to the Granite Palace, and they can be used as long as they are tanned with sulfuric acid. up.

On the thirtieth of April the two hunters advanced further into the Far West Woods; and the correspondent, ahead of Herbert, came to a clearing where the foliage was thinner and the sun streamed in streaks.There are several plants with round and straight stems, clusters of grape-like flowers, bearing small seeds, and emitting fragrance around, Gideon.After Spilett smelled it, he felt a little strange.He broke off one or two stems and came back and asked the young man: What is this, Herbert? Where did you find it, Monsieur Spilett? Right there, in that vacant lot, there are as many as you want.

Ah, Monsieur Spilett, said Herbert, Pencroft will never forget your kindness in acquiring such a treasure. Is it tobacco? Yes, not first class, but at least tobacco! O good Pencroft!He is going to be happy!We can't let him enjoy it alone, he should also keep our own! I have an idea, Monsieur Spilett, said Herbert, that we will not tell Pencroft for the time being, but we will finish the tobacco, and we will give him a full pipe some day! Well, Herbert, when that day comes our good friend will be content to want nothing more. Returning to Granite Palace, the correspondent and the boy, who collected a large quantity of this precious plant, slipped in with the utmost care and stealth, as if Pencroft were the most alert and severe customs inspector.

They did not hide Cyrus.Smith and Neb, the sailors never doubted that it was a considerable period of time, for the small pieces of tobacco had to be dried in the sun, then chopped finely, and then cured on hot stones.It took two months, but everything went on so smoothly that Pencroft, quite unbeknownst to him, was busy building the ship, and came home only when he slept. On the 1st of May, a fishing opportunity presented itself, and all men had to go out. However, he had to give up his beloved job. For some days they had seen a gigantic creature haunting the water two or three miles off Lincoln Island.This is a huge whale, and it can be seen that it is the Cape of Good Hope whale in the south.

How nice it would be if we could catch it!With a fit boat and a good harpoon, cried the sailor, I'll give the chase, and it's worth the trouble! Pencroft, Keating.Spilett said, I should like to see you use the harpoon.It must be interesting. Fun is fun, but dangerous!Now that there's no way to catch it, the engineer says, the distraction isn't necessary. I don't understand, said the correspondent, that whales can be seen here at such a low latitude. What, Monsieur Spilett?Herbert replied that the whale fields that British and American whalers often talk about in the Pacific Ocean are here. In the ocean between New Zealand and South America, whales in the southern hemisphere are most likely to be encountered.

Indeed, said Pencroft, I am surprised to see only one.But anyway, we can't get close to it, and it's the same if it's more or less. Pencroft sighed deeply, and went back to work. Sailors are born fishermen. If the pleasure of fishing is proportional to the size of the fish, then the mood of the whaler when he sees a large whale is completely understandable.If only for fun!But they could never forget the benefits this priceless treasure would bring to the team, because whale oil, whale meat and bones were of great use. The whale didn't seem to want to leave the waters of the deserted island now.So, Herbert and Gideon.When Spilett was not hunting, and when Neb was not cooking, he was always watching its every move with a telescope from the window of the Granite Palace or on the Prospect Heights.When the whale entered Union Bay, it stirred up a turbulent sea from the angle of the jawbone to the angle of the claw. Its body was supported by its huge and powerful tail, and it advanced by the tail at a speed of nearly twelve knots an hour.Sometimes it swims to the surface of the sea very close to the shore, and can be seen very clearly.It was a southern whale, all black, with a slightly flattened head than the northern whale.

They also saw a high puff of vapor, perhaps water, from its blowholes; this seems strange, and zoologists and whalers are not in agreement on this point.Is it air or water that comes out?It is generally considered to be water vapor, and after a sudden cold, it turns into water droplets and falls down again. The appearance of this mammal almost made the residents dreamy and in a trance.Especially Pencroft, who was constantly thinking about it, even while working.In the end he was fascinated like a child who wants something and can't get it.That's what he said in his sleep, and if he had the means to hunt and the boat was fit for the sea, he wouldn't hesitate to go after it.

But what the residents couldn't do, a chance has fulfilled them.On the 3rd of May Neb suddenly yelled at the kitchen window that the whale had been stranded on the beach of the desert island. Herbert and Keating.Spilett, who was about to go hunting, dropped their guns at the noise.Pencroft also dropped his axe, and Smith and Neb rushed thither with their companions. The Whale ran aground at Relic Point, three miles from Granite Palace, at high tide, so it was not easy to get out, but it was best to hurry up and cut off his return if necessary.Pickaxes and hooks in hand, they crossed the Mercy Bridge, ran down the right bank of the Mercy, and along the waterfront, and in less than twenty minutes they were near the big thing; Birds circled above it. What a monster!cried Neb. This cry was quite natural, for this southern whale was eighty feet long, a gigantic species of whale, weighing no less than 150,000 pounds! At this time the monster lay motionless on the sand, and although the tide was still high, it did not struggle to get into the water. After low tide, the residents walked around the monster.They immediately understood why the whale could not move. It had a harpoon sticking out of its left side and it turned out to be dead. According to this, there are whalers in this area?Ji Ding.Spilett spoke up. why?asked the sailor. Because the Harpoon is still here. Well, Monsieur Spilett, that doesn't mean anything!Pencroft replied that it is not surprising that a whale, which has been known to carry a harpoon at a distance of ten thousand miles, may even have been shot in the northern part of the Atlantic, and die in the southern part of the Pacific. But Keating.Spilett said.Pencroft's words did not satisfy him. It's entirely possible.Cyrus.Let's take a look at the harpoon first, said Smith.It may be customary for the whalers to carve the ship's name on their harpoons. Pencroft drew the harpoon from the whale, and read the words on it: Maria.Stella, Vineyard. A Vineyard Ship!My hometown ship!he called, Maria.It's a scratching whaler, Stella!That's right, I'm familiar with it!Hey, friends, a vineyard boat!Vineyard whalers! The sailor brandished his harpoon, repeating excitedly the beloved name of his homeland. Maria.Naturally, the Stella would not come here to claim the whale it cast, so they decided to cut it up before it rotted.The flock of birds had been following this bountiful treat for several days, wanting to possess it at once, as if they could not wait any longer, and were obliged to drive them away with successive shots. This is a female whale, and the residents obtained a large amount of whale milk. The naturalist Defenbach once thought that it could replace milk. Indeed, there is no difference from milk in terms of taste, color, and concentration. Pencroft had served for some time on a whaling ship, and he was able to lead the meat-cutting in an orderly manner.This work was quite arduous, and it took three full days, but the residents were not intimidated by the work, even Jiding.So it is with Spilett, who, as the sailor says, will at last be a true hero in distress. They first cut the whale oil into cubes about two and a half feet thick, and then divided it into many pieces, each weighing about a thousand catties.They boiled whale oil locally in clay pots, so as not to make it smelly in Granite Palace.During the cooking process, the whale oil loses almost a third of its weight. But there is a lot of whale oil, six thousand catties from the tongue alone, and another four thousand catties from the lower lip.With its fat, a supply of stearin and glycerin was assured for a considerable period, and besides the bones, which were no doubt useful, though umbrellas and braces were not used in the Granite Palace.There are 800 pieces of bone on both sides of the upper part of the whale's mouth. It is a kind of fibrous tissue with great elasticity. The side is like a huge comb with teeth up to six feet long. The whale can use it to hold tens of thousands of small animals, small fish and Molluscs to nourish themselves. Everyone was so satisfied when the work was done that they left the remaining wreckage on the beach, where the birds ate it up in no time.After this incident, the residents of Granite Palace resumed their daily work. Before returning to the shipyard, Cyrus.Smith suddenly wanted to make something, and his partners felt great interest.He took twelve whale bones, cut them into six equal parts, and sharpened the heads. What's the use of this thing, Mr. Smith, asked Herbert, when it's ready? It can kill wolves and foxes, and even animals like leopards.the engineer replied. Is it now? No, not until this winter, when we have ice on hand. I don't know.Herbert said. You will understand later, my child!The engineer said, I did not invent this thing myself, it is used by hunters in the Aleutian Islands of Russian America.These are the bones, my friends, when the weather freezes, soak them in water and bend them over, let them freeze completely into ice, and as they freeze, they will keep their bent shape, and then coat them with oil , and throw them in the snow.What would happen to a hungry beast swallowing one of these baits?The heat of his stomach melted the ice, and the bones snapped straight so that their points would have pierced him. Well, what a genius invention!said Pencroft. This also saves ammo.Cyrus.Smith continued. This is much better than a trap!Nab added. Then we will wait for winter! good!Wait for winter! During this period, the shipbuilding project was still going on, and by the end of the month, the laying process was half completed, and it could already be seen that its appearance was very beautiful and suitable for sailing. Pencroft devoted all his energies to his work with incomparable zeal. Only a strong man can bear such fatigue. His companions secretly prepared gifts for him. On the 31st of May, he met To the greatest joy of my life. Pencroft was about to leave the table after dinner when he felt a hand on his shoulder. It turned out to be Ji Ding.Spilett, just hear him say: Wait a moment, Pencroft, don't sneak away!You forgot your after-dinner pastime. Thank you, Monsieur Spilett, replied the sailor, and I am going to work. Okay, how about a cup of coffee, friend? I don't want anything anymore. So how about smoking a bag of cigarettes? Pencroft sprang up, and his honest and honest face grew pale when he saw the correspondent hand him a filled pipe, and Herbert bring him a red-hot coal. The sailor tried to speak, but he could not utter a word.He snatched the pipe in his mouth, lit it, and took five or six puffs vigorously, and plumes of fragrant blue smoke rose up; only heard him repeat excitedly over and over again in the smoke: cigarette!What a smoke! Yes, Pencroft, Cyrus.Smith said, and it's a good smoke! ah!Oh My God!Lord of all things!Now, cried the sailor, nothing is lacking on our island. Then Pencroft took another draw after another. Who found it?At last he remembered to ask, "It must be you, Herbert?" No, Pencroft, it is M. Spilett. Monsieur Spilett!exclaimed the sailor, hugging the correspondent, and pressing him to his breast, squeezed him so tightly that the correspondent had never tasted it before. Hey, Pencroft, Spilett breathed a sigh of relief and said, forgive me.You should also thank Herbert, who recognized the plant, and Cyrus, who roasted it, and Neb, who took pains to keep our secret. Well, friends, some day I will repay you, said the sailor, and our friendship will last forever.