Chapter 33 Chapter Eleven

Winter is coming, and June here is equivalent to December in the northern hemisphere. The big thing now is to make warm and strong clothes. They had already sheared the wool from the mouflon sheep in the corral, and now needed to weave this precious textile raw material into wool. Cyrus.Smith had neither a brushing machine, a carding machine, a polishing machine, a stretcher, a skeining machine, a weaving machine, nor an automatic spinning wheel and a loom, so he had to use a simpler method to replace the weaving process.He intends to use the characteristic of wool fiber that under strong pressure, this wool fiber will stick together to make felt in a simple way.Felt is very simple to make, and the tighter the wool is compressed, the more warm it will be.The short wool of mouflon sheep is very suitable for felting.

The engineer, assisted by his companions, had to put aside the shipbuilding again and begin the preparatory process, which was to remove the fat and oil, that is, tallow, which had penetrated the wool.The cleaning process is as follows: first put the wool in a large bucket filled with water, keep the temperature at 70 degrees, soak it for 24 hours, then take it out and wash it thoroughly in the baking soda solution, and wait for it to squeeze out. When dried to a certain extent, it can be squeezed, that is to say, it can be used to produce a kind of strong wool. Of course, this kind of wool is rough, and it is not worth a penny in the industrial centers of Europe and America, but in the market of Lincoln Island In fact, it is very much valued.

This method of making wool must have been used a long time ago; in fact, the most primitive wool was made by the method that Smith now intends to use.In making the machine for pressing wool, Smith turned to his engineering skills; he knew how to make clever use of the mechanical power of the waterfalls on the beach, a power which until now had not been used to power a hydraulic press. It doesn't get any simpler than this.Putting the wool in the middle of the grooves and pounding them alternately with a heavy mallet, that's the machine they do.People have been using this machine for centuries, until the invention of the roller, people began to move away from beating, and adopted the method of regular rolling.

This work is in Cyrus.Under the correct instructions of Smith, they achieved complete success by soaking the wool in soapy water beforehand, to facilitate the interweaving, pressing, and softness of the wool, and to prevent the wool from shrinking after beating, and to wait for the wool to grow. After coming out of the press, it becomes thick felt.The raw material of wool is very rough, but due to the fine interweaving, the resulting wool is not only suitable for making clothes, but also suitable for making blankets.Of course, it was neither merino, woolen, cashmere, tweed, spun silk, satin, woolen, camel hair, woolen cloth, nor flannel.This is Lincoln felt, an industrial product from Lincoln Island.The residents now had warm clothes and thick quilts, and they could face the winter of 1866-1867 without worry.

On the 20th of June, the severe cold set in, and Pencroft, who intended to finish the shipbuilding work before the spring, was obliged to suspend it, much to his regret. The greatest desire of the sailors was to reach the Isle of Bow and make an expedition, but Smith disapproved of sailing out of sheer curiosity, since it was evidently impossible to find anything on such a barren rock.Such a ship was a little too small for such a ship. A 150-mile voyage in an unfamiliar ocean could not but make him a little apprehensive.What if their ship cannot reach Dabao Island after entering the sea, and they cannot come back.So what to do in this disaster-ridden Pacific?

Smith and Pencroft often talked of this plan, and he found Pencroft's desire for the voyage urgent, but he could not give a good reason. You see, my friend, the engineer said to him one day, on the one hand, you speak so much of Lincoln Island, and how you will be sad when you must leave here, and on the other hand, you are the first to think of leaving Lincoln. island. Just a few days away from here, answered Pencroft, just a few days, Mr. Smith.Come back as soon as you go, and see what that small island looks like! But it is not as good as Lincoln Island. I already knew that. So why venture there?

Go find out. There's nothing there, and there can't be anything. Then who dares to say! What if you had a hurricane? In fair weather there is no need to worry about that, said Pencroft; but, Mr. Smith, as we are taking precautions, I ask that Herbert and I should go together. Pencroft, said the engineer, patted the sailor on the shoulder, and if you or Herbert don't forget, he just happens to be our child, and if any misfortune happens, it's too late for us to regret it! Mr. Smith, Pencroft's confidence remains unshakable, and we shall not trouble you.Let's talk about sailing when the future comes.I think, when you see our boat ready, and when you see us sailing in her, and we're going together, I dare say, to the desert islands that surround us, you won't hesitate to let me go.To tell you the truth, your ship must be first class.

Let us speak of our ship, Pencroft.The engineer replied, conceding for the time being.The talk came to an end here, and neither the sailor nor the engineer convinced the other, and they all waited to continue the talk later. Near the end of June, the first snow fell.A large amount of feed has been prepared in advance in the corral, so it is not necessary to go there every day. They decided to send someone there at least once a week. They laid traps again, and Smith's contraptions were tested.After bending the whalebone, they covered it with a layer of ice, and then coated it with thick fat, and placed it on the edge of the forest where the beasts often pass by when they go to the lake.

The Aleutian fisherman's invention worked so well that the engineer was delighted.They got a dozen foxes, some wild boars, and even a jaguar; the animals were dead on the ground, their stomachs pierced by stretched whalebone. One thing must be mentioned, not only because it is interesting in itself, but because it is their first attempt to connect with the outside world. Ji Ding.Spilett had thought about it many times, but was not sure, whether to put a letter in a bottle and throw it in the sea, maybe the sea would wash them to an inhabited coast, or to use pigeons to carry the letter?

But their island is 1,200 miles away from the outside world. How can they succeed if they only hope that pigeons or bottles can travel across the ocean!It's just a joke. On the thirtieth of June Herbert shot an albatross, slightly wounding it in the leg, and they managed to catch it.It was a very beautiful bird, with wings spread ten feet long, it could fly across the Pacific Ocean. Herbert wished very much to keep this flamboyant and majestic bird, whose wounds would heal quickly, and which he thought might be domesticated, but Spilett explained to him that they should not miss Opportunity to use this emissary to get in touch with the Pacific Rim.If the albatross had come from an inhabited place, it would have returned there immediately after it had been released.

Ji Ding.Spilett was a journalist worthy of his name, and perhaps he was eager to find an opportunity to write a thrilling report of their adventures on Lincoln Island and send it to the outside world.If only this newsletter could reach our venerable editor, John.What a success for Spilett, the reporter of the New York Herald, and for the paper that published the newsletter! So Ji Ding.Spilett wrote a simple report and put it in an impermeable bag with a few words written on it, begging whoever found it to send it to the New York Herald.Knowing that the bird is used to resting on the surface of the sea, they fastened the little sack around the albatross's neck instead of his feet; Flying to the hazy west until it was out of sight, everyone was very excited. Where is it going?asked Pencroft. Flew to New Zealand.replied Herbert. I wish you all the best!exclaimed the sailor, he himself did not have much hope for this means of communication. As winter came on, they began to work again in Granite Palace, some sewing or doing other things, and others making sails out of the inexhaustible supply of the balloons. It was very cold in July, but they had no shortage of wood and coal.Cyrus.Smith installed a second fireplace in the dining room, where they whiled away the long winter evenings.They talked while working, and read aloud when they were free. Everyone benefited a lot during this period of time. After dinner, the candles were brightly lit in the house, and people roasted warm fires, drank steaming elderberry coffee, listened to the howling wind outside, and smelled the fragrance from their pipes. enjoy.If exiled and isolated people can have fun, they are fun at its best.They often talked about the country and long-lost friends, and the greatness of the United States of America. Her strength will grow day by day; Cyrus.Smith is very concerned about national affairs, he talked a lot about the past, personal views and views on the future, and his partners listened with gusto. One day Spilett happened to say: My dear Cyrus, you prophesy that all those industries and commerces will continue to grow, but will they not, sooner or later, come to a crisis of complete stagnation? Stagnation!Why? For lack of coal, which, to be fair, is the most valuable mineral. Yes, coal is indeed the most valuable, the engineer replied, and diamonds are actually just crystallizations of carbon, and it seems that nature produces diamonds to prove the value of coal. Do you mean, Mr. Smith, interrupted Pencroft, that we burn diamonds like coal in our furnaces? no, friend.Smith replied. Anyway, Gideon.Spilett went on to say that one day the coal will run out, you can't deny it? well!There are still a lot of coal deposits, 100,000 miners only extract 100,000,000 cwt a year, and it is still too early to run out of coal. As the consumption of coal increases day by day, Keating.Spilett said that we can expect that the 100,000 miners will soon increase to 200,000 miners, and the mining volume will double. Of course, the coal mines in Europe will soon be mined with new machines, but after the coal mines in Europe have been mined, the coal mines in America and Australia can still maintain industrial consumption for a long period of time. How long can it last?asked the correspondent. It can last at least 250 to 300 years. Our generation can rest assured, but the future of our descendants is terrible!said Pencroft. People will find something else.Herbert said. Let it be so, said Spilett, for without coal there would be no machinery, and without machinery there would be no trains, ships, factories, and all that is indispensable to civilization! But what could they discover?asked Pencroft, Can you guess it, Mr. Smith? You can probably guess it, my friend. What did they use instead of coal? water.Smith replied. water!Water for steamers and engines, cried Pencroft, and water for boiling water! Yes, but water is broken down to its elements, Cyrus.Smith said, of course, electricity is used to decompose water. At that time, water will become a powerful and freely manipulable force. All great discoveries are based on an incredible law, consistent with each other, and gradually perfected at the same time.Yes, friends, I believe that one day water will become a fuel, and the hydrogen and oxygen that make up water may be separated or combined, and it will become an endless source of heat and light. Its power is greater than that of coal. of.In the future, the coal storage room of the ship and the tender car of the train will no longer be filled with coal, but these two compressed gases. When these two gases are burned in the furnace, they will generate great heat energy.So we don't have to worry.As long as the earth exists, it will supply the needs of human beings; as long as we do not lack the three realms of animals, plants and minerals, we will not lack light and heat.I believe that when coal runs out we will have to use water for heat and warmth.Water is the coal of the future. I wish I could see it with my own eyes.said the sailor. You were born too early, Pencroft.Nab said that was all he said in the discussion. However, it was not Neb who interrupted the conversation, but Top, who suddenly cried out strangely, which surprised the engineer on the previous occasion.At the end of the inner passage there was a well, and now Top yelled and ran round the mouth of the well. Why did Top call it that way?asked Pencroft. Why is Japp yelling too?Herbert added. True, the chimpanzees, like the dogs, were markedly disturbed, and, strangely enough, the two animals grew increasingly irritable and angry. Obviously, Gideon.Spilett said that the well was directly connected to the sea, and it is likely that marine animals often came to the bottom of the well to breathe. Yes, there will be no other reason.Pencroft, turning to the dog, said, Don't bark, Top!And you, Japp, to your own room! The chimpanzee and dog were quiet, and Jup went back to sleep, while Top remained in the room, growling low at intervals that night.They didn't discuss the matter further, but the engineer kept frowning over it. The rest of July was either frost or rain.The temperature is not as low as last winter, and the coldest time is only eight degrees Fahrenheit.Although this winter was not too cold, there was a lot of wind and snow. In addition, the sea tide often threatened the safety of the grotto.There are often monstrous huge waves on the sea, which seem to be lifted up by the undercurrent, and hit the stone wall of the Granite Palace, making a loud noise. The inhabitants, leaning at their windows, could not help admiring the splendor of the sight of the billowing water crashing down upon the rocks and being smashed to pieces, apparently helpless by the angry tide.The waves rushed with dazzling foam, and the whole beach was lost in the fury, and the cliffs seemed to float in the air more than a hundred feet above the waves. It was difficult, even dangerous, to venture out in such a storm, as large trees were often brought down, but the residents made sure to go to the corral at least once a week.Fortunately, this enclosure has the southeastern branch of Mount Franklin as a barrier, so it is not affected by the hurricane. The trees, sheds and fences are all preserved. Wind, the damage is considerable.The roof of the dovecote was blown off twice and the fence was blown down.These will all need to be rebuilt, and should be stronger than before, for Lincoln Island is evidently in one of the most dangerous regions of the Pacific.It seemed to be in the center of a great whirlwind, and the winds were constantly attacking it from all sides, like a whip beating a top, except that the top remained still and the whip revolved around it.For the first week of August, the weather was more normal and the atmosphere regained the tranquility it seemed to have lost forever.But once it calmed down, the weather turned bitterly cold again, with the thermometer dropping to minus eight degrees Fahrenheit (equivalent to twenty-two degrees below freezing in Celsius). On August 3, they went to the southeast of the deserted island to hunt in a place close to the marsh. They had planned this hunt for several days.The hunters were envious when they saw some waterfowl that came here for the winter.There are countless wild ducks, sandpipers, and teals here, and everyone agreed to spend a day dedicated to hunting these birds. Not only Ji Ding.Spilett and Herbert, and even Pencroft and Neb joined the hunt.Only Cyrus.Smith tweeted that he had work to do and didn't attend, leaving him at home alone. The hunters promised to be back in the evening, and then they set out for Balloon Harbor and headed straight for the Flooded Marshes.Top and Jup went with them.They had just crossed the Mercy when the engineer pulled up the drawbridge and headed home, intending to do something alone. He wanted to take a closer look at the inside of the well. The head of the well was on the same level as the passageway of the Granite Palace. It led all the way to the sea, and it used to be the aqueduct of Grant Lake. Why did Top always run around the wellhead?Why does it make such strange noises?Maybe something disturbed it and attracted it to the well?Why did Japp look as restless as Top?Does this well have any branches besides the sea?Could it lead to the rest of the desert island?This is Cyrus.Smith wanted to know.He was determined to explore the well while his companions were away, and now the time had come. As long as there is a rope ladder, it is easy to go down to the bottom of the well.Since the elevator was introduced, the rope ladder has been put there and not used.The engineer took the ladder to the head of the well, which was nearly six feet in diameter, and fastened the upper end of the ladder securely, and lowered the other end all the way into the well.Then he lit a lamp, took a revolver, stuck a machete at his side, and started down the well. The well is empty, and there are many protruding sharp stones around it. Nimble animals can climb to the entrance of the cave along these protruding sharp stones. The engineer noticed this, and examined the sharp stones carefully by the light, but he found no marks or breaks to suggest that they had been recently or formerly used as steps.Cyrus.Smith went down a few more stops, and he raised his lamp and looked around. He didn't see anything suspicious. When the engineer stepped into the last gear, he reached the surface, and the water was very calm at this time.Neither above the water nor elsewhere in the well, there are no openings leading to the interior of the cliff.Smith tapped the stone wall a few times with the handle of the knife, and there was a solid sound on the wall.This is solid granite, and no creature can carve a way through it.Under the rocky subsoil of the beach, there is a channel connecting the sea with the bottom of the well; to get from the sea to the bottom of the well, and then to climb to the mouth of the well, one must pass through this channel, which only animals in the water can do. .As to where this channel led, at what point on the coast, and how deep the water was there, no one could answer. Cyrus.After Smith finished his inspection, he came up. He pulled up the ladder and covered the mouth of the well.When he returned to the dining-room, he was still meditating and saying to himself: Didn't see anything, but there must be something there!