Chapter 61 Chapter Nineteen

Cyrus.Smith and Ayrton stayed a day and a night in the corral, having everything in order, and returned to Granite Palace the next day, January 8th. The engineer immediately summoned all his companions, and told them that the danger of Lincoln Island was imminent, and that no one could save them from this danger. My friends, his voice is very excited. Our island is not an island that can coexist with the earth.It will be destroyed sooner or later, and the reason for the destruction is hidden in the island, which is irreparable. Immigrants, you look at me, I look at you, and then I look at engineers.They didn't quite understand what he meant.

Explain it, Cyrus!Ji Ding.Spilett said. I will explain, Cyrus.In other words, said Smith, I want to convey to you what Captain Nemo told me in the few minutes of private conversation he had with me. Captain Nemo!cried the residents. Yes, this is the last duty he is going to do to us before he dies! One last duty!cried Pencroft, one last duty!You will see in the future that although he is dead, he will perform other duties for us! What did the captain say?asked the correspondent. I will tell you, my friends, said the engineer, that Lincoln Island is not like any other island in the Pacific, and Captain Nemo told me that sooner or later its foundations will crumble.

This is nothing!Lincoln Island would never be like that!cried Pencroft.Although he respected Cyrus.Smith, but at this point, he couldn't help shrugging his shoulders. Listen, Pencroft, continued the engineer, I will tell you what Captain Nemo told me.I explored the Dhaka Caves yesterday and have personally confirmed his words.This cave stretches all the way to the bottom of the volcano under the deserted island, and there is only a layer of stone wall at the bottom of the cave between the central pipe of the volcano and the cave.There are many cracks and holes in this stone wall, and now the sulfur gas from the interior of the volcano has leaked out through the gaps.

how?said Pencroft, frowning suddenly. I later found out that the gaps had widened due to internal pressure.The basalt wall gradually cracked, and sooner or later it would open a wide opening, allowing the volcanic pipe to communicate with the cave filled with sea water. Hurrah!Pencroft jokingly said, let the sea drown the volcano, and then everything will be fine! Not at all!Cyrus.Smith said that when the sea water pours into the cave, passes through the central pipe and enters the boiling magma inside the deserted island, then Lincoln Island will explode into the sky. If the sea water of the Mediterranean Sea pours into Mount Etna, so will Sicily. This happens.

After listening to the engineer's words about the seriousness of the situation, the residents did not answer.They now understood the danger they were about to encounter. A note should be added, Cyrus.Smith does not in any way exaggerate the dangers to be feared.The location of the volcano is almost always by the sea or by the lake; many people think that the volcano can be extinguished simply by opening a channel and pouring water into it.But they were unaware of the danger that this would cause a local explosion of the earth, just as the gas in a boiler suddenly expands when exposed to high heat.The temperature in the cave inside the volcano is several thousand degrees high, and the water will be converted into gas immediately after pouring in, thus generating a sudden energy that cannot be stopped by any barrier.

And so, terrible upheavals to come threaten the deserted island.There is no doubt that Lincoln Island can only last as long as the walls of Dhaka Cave can last.It's not a matter of months or weeks, it's a matter of days, maybe even hours. The mood of the inhabitants was above all one of extreme melancholy.They didn't think too much about the danger they were about to encounter, but they thought about the destruction of the desert island that had always depended on it for survival.They developed this deserted island, they love this land, they want to make it extremely prosperous.However, countless painstaking efforts were wasted in vain.Much labor is wasted.

Pencroft could not help weeping big tears, and he did not want to hide his grief. Other cases are now discussed further.Immigrants researched opportunities that also worked in their favour.In the end, everyone agreed that not an hour should be wasted, and that all efforts should be made to speed up the construction and assembly of new ships, because this was the only way out for the residents of Lincoln Island to obtain safety. So, everyone took part in the shipbuilding work.What was the use of sowing, reaping, hunting, and replenishing the stores of Granite Palace now?No matter how long the voyage will be at sea, the existing supplies in the warehouse and the outer room are sufficient for the needs of the ship.But the point is this: the ship must be built so that it will be at their disposal before the inevitable disaster.

Now they are working enthusiastically.Around January 23rd, the ship's decks were half covered.So far, no new changes have occurred on the summit of the volcano.The crater also spews steam, fireworks and white-hot rock.But on the night of the 23rd, the magma reached the surface of the volcano's first layer, and the cap-shaped cone covering another cone disappeared.There was only a sound of heaven falling and earth cracking. At first, the residents thought that the desert island had exploded, so they ran out of the Granite Palace in a hurry. It was about two o'clock in the morning.

The sky seemed to be on fire.The volcanic cone above it is a pile of rocks as high as a thousand feet, weighing about hundreds of millions of catties, and was thrown to the ground, shaking the entire foundation of the deserted island.Fortunately this volcanic cone leaned to the north, and so fell on a plain of sandstone and tuff between the sea and the volcano.As the crater enlarged, the flames that shot into the sky became brighter; the reflected light made the sky red.At the same time a torrent of lava rose from the new summit, cascading down like a long cataract, or overflowing as if a vase had been overfilled with water.Along with the magma, there are thousands of flames rolling down the hillside.

Corral!Corral!cried Ayrton. Yes, the magma is flowing to the corral.The new crater faced east, and the fertile parts of the island, the source of the Red River, and the woodpecker forest were about to be destroyed. When the settlers heard Ayrton's cry, they hurried to the wild donkey's hut.The cart will be ready soon.There was only one thought on everyone's mind, and that was: to get to the corral quickly and free the animals that were shut there. It was nearly three o'clock in the morning when they reached the corral.Frightened mouflon sheep and goats screamed loudly to illustrate their fear.Already there was a stream of burning material and lava pouring from the hillside onto the pasture, right up to the fence.Ayrton opened the gate, and the frightened animals fled in all directions.

An hour later the corral was filled with boiling magma, which vaporized the river that ran through the corral, and the house burned like hay.None of the fence posts remained, and it was impossible to recognize that there had ever been a corral here. To fight this kind of disaster stubbornly is simply a joke, and it can even be said to be crazy.Facing the huge changes in the natural world, people are helpless. It was daylight now, and it was the twenty-fourth of January.Cyrus.Smith and his partners wanted to figure out which direction the overflowing magma was likely to flow before returning to Granite Palace.From Mount Franklin, the terrain gradually slopes down on the east coast. Although it is separated by dense woodpecker forests, the torrent of magma may still rush to the high ground of Prospect Heights. Grant Lake will protect us.Ji Ding.Spilett said. I hope so!Cyrus.Smith replied simply. The inhabitants wanted to reach the plain where the taller cones of Mount Franklin had fallen, but the lava held them back.The magma flows down the Red River Valley and the Falls River Valley in two ways; where it flows, the river water is evaporated.It was impossible to cross the torrent of magma; instead, the inhabitants had to retreat.After the volcano has gone to the top, it is no longer what it used to be.Instead of the ancient crater, there is a flat top, like a tabletop.There is a spout on the south and east sides, from which magma keeps gushing out, clearly forming two torrents.A cloud of ash-laden smoke rose from the new crater, and they mixed with the dense clouds in the atmosphere, covering the entire desert island.The continuous thunder roared, and it was difficult to distinguish whether it was thunder or the rumble of the volcano.The flaming stones shot from the crater more than a thousand feet into the air, and then exploded like a flowering bomb.The lightning bolts are comparable to the volcano. Near seven o'clock in the morning, the residents' positions could no longer be held.So they went to hide on the edge of the woodpecker wood.Not only were projectile stones raining down around them, but lava flowing down the valley of the Red River was about to cut off the Corral Road.The nearest row of trees was on fire.The resin was suddenly vaporized and burst loudly.Other relatively dry trees have not burst in the torrent. Residents took to Corral Road again.They walked slowly, looking back from time to time.Due to the inclination of the ground, the magma quickly flowed to the east. The magma in the lower layer had just solidified, and the boiling magma that followed immediately submerged them again. At this time, the threat posed by the main flood in the Red River valley was growing.This part of the forest was on fire, and plumes of smoke billowed from the treetops, their trunks engulfed in lava. The residents stopped by the lake about a half mile from the mouth of the Red River.Now it's a matter of life and death. Cyrus.Smith was used to thinking about important problems, and he knew that no matter how serious the problem was, his companions could bear it after listening to it.So he said: Now there are two possibilities: one is that the lake water can stop the magma from advancing, so that a part of the deserted island can be preserved and will not be completely destroyed; the other is that the flood floods the entire Far West forest, so that there is no grass or tree left on the ground. If so, we have no other hope but to wait to die on these bare stones. If the desert island explodes, maybe our death will be earlier. In that case, said Pencroft, stamping his feet with arms crossed, what more ships should be built? Pencroft, Cyrus.Smith said, we must do our best! At this moment the torrent of lava engulfed part of the beautiful trees, and a road broke through the forest to the edge of Lake Grant.There is a high hill here, if it is bigger, it can block the way of the torrent. Do it!Cyrus.Smith said aloud. Everyone immediately understood what the engineer meant.They can stop the flood and let it pour into the lake. The inhabitants hurried to the shipyard, and came back with many shovels, shovels, and axes.Using dirt and fallen trees, they built a dike three feet high and several hundred feet long in a matter of hours.By the time the work is done, it seems to them that it is only a few minutes before and after. They did it just in time.The magma soon flowed down to the foot of the embankment.It flooded like a flood over the banks.The magma came fiercely, as if it wanted to overwhelm the only obstacle that could stop it from devouring the entire Far West Forest.But the dikes were strong, and after a tense stand, the torrent fell twenty feet below Grant's Lake. The residents held their breath, without saying a word, just staring blankly at the battle of fire and water. What a majestic spectacle was this struggle between water and fire!How can pen and ink describe this thrilling scene?The boiling magma flowed into the lake, causing the lake water to evaporate into water vapor, making a hissing sound.The steam spiraled straight up in the air, rising to great heights, as if the valve of a great boiler had been suddenly opened.But no matter how much water there is in the lake, it will eventually dry up, because the lake can no longer be replenished, and the magma is constantly flowing into the lake with white-hot substances. Immediately after the first magma flowed into the lake, it solidified.They pile up and quickly rise above the water's surface.New magma poured down on their surfaces, turning into rocks in turn, but the rocks were getting closer and closer to the center of the lake.This creates a jetty, and it looks like they are gradually filling up the lake.The lakes cannot be flooded, because the magma invades their territory, and they evaporate into water vapor.There was a harsh hissing sound everywhere.After the water vapor is blown away by the wind, it falls into the sea like raindrops.The jetties grew longer and longer, and the congealed rocks piled on top of each other.The once placid surface of the lake was now a mass of steaming rocks, like a wide shallow bank of rising land.If one imagined in one's mind that the waters of the lake suddenly froze in the midst of a hurricane, one could roughly imagine the situation three hours after the inexorable torrent poured into the lake. This time, the water will be defeated by the fire. In any case, the magma pouring down in the direction of Grant Lake is still beneficial to the residents.They can live a few more days.The heights of Prospect Heights, Granite Palace, and the shipyard can all be preserved for the time being.Now it is necessary to use these few days to make auxiliary boards, carefully fill up the seams of the ship, and launch the new ship as soon as possible.Residents can then take refuge in the boat and wait until the boat is launched before rigging.If the desert island was destroyed by an explosion, it was impossible to be safe on the shore, and the cave of Granite Palace, although it had always been a safe and reliable hiding place, could now collapse at any time. During the next six days, from January 25th to January 30th, the inhabitants did the equivalent of twenty men in the shipbuilding work.They barely rest for a moment.The flames emanating from the crater enabled them to work day and night.The magma continues to flow out, just maybe less than before.It was a good thing, for Lake Grant was nearly filled, and if more lava came it would have dipped to the plateau of Prospect Heights and thence to the beach. But while this side of the deserted island was partly blocked, the same was not the case on the west side. The second torrent of magma flowed along the valley of the waterfall river. This valley is very wide, and the terrain on both sides is flat, so the torrent encountered no obstacles.Boiling magma poured into the Far West Forest.At this time of the previous year the trees were parched from the extreme heat.The trees caught fire at once, and the fire was so violent that the flames not only spread from trunk to trunk, but even the upper branches became the medium of fire; especially the branches crossed together, and spread more rapidly.The treetop fires seemed to be moving faster than the torrents of magma from the roots. Jaguars, wild boars, capybaras, koalas, and all kinds of animals fled in panic to the wetlands along the Mercy River and beyond the road leading to Port Balloon.The inhabitants are busy with their work, fearing not even the fiercest beasts.They left Granite Palace, and they did not live in the Grotto, but pitched a tent at the mouth of the Mercy, and slept there. Cyrus.Smith and Keating.Spilett went every day to the heights of Prospect Heights.Herbert sometimes followed them, but Pencroft never went, for he could not bear to see the present devastation of the island. It was indeed a harrowing scene.Except for a clump of verdant trees at the end of the Pan Snake Peninsula, there is not a single piece of forest left on the island.Here and there were grotesque stumps, blackened by the smoke and stripped of their branches.The ruined forest in this area is even more desolate than the Flooded Marsh.The invasion of magma can be said to be pervasive.What was once a lush field of greenery is now nothing but bare volcanic tuff.Not a drop of water in the valleys of the Falls and the Mercy reaches the sea any more.If Lake Grant completely dries up, the residents will have no water to drink. Fortunately, the magma has retained a corner of the lake in the south, which is all the fresh water that can be drunk on the island.To the northwest stands a sharply defined, jagged volcanic slope that grips the deserted island from above like a giant claw.What a dreary and terrible sight!The residents have always lived in a fertile land, covered with forests, irrigated with water sources, and harvested abundant products through hard work; now it has suddenly become desolate rocks. The necessities of life are gone; what a pity it is! It really hurts people to death!One day Ji Ding.Spilett said. Yes, Spilett, said the engineer, may God give us time to make this ship, which is now our only refuge! Cyrus.Hasn't the volcano erupted less violently, Smith?If I am not mistaken, the volcano is still spouting lava, but less than before. That doesn't matter much, Cyrus.The problem, Smith said, is that the fire is still burning below the mountain, and the sea could pour in at any moment.We are like a group of passengers on a ship that catches fire, but we cannot put it out, and at the same time know that the fire will definitely go to the powder magazine.Do it, Spilett, do it, don't waste an hour! Eight days later, during these eight days, that is to say, until February 7, the magma was still flooding, but the volcanic eruption was still limited to the original range.Cyrus.Smith was very worried about the magma flooding to the sea, because the shipyard would not be able to keep it.Moreover, at this moment the inhabitants felt the structure of the deserted island vibrate, which greatly alarmed them. This day is February 20th, and it will take another month before the new ship can be completed and launched.Can the desert island last until then?According to Pencroft and Cyrus.What Smith meant was to launch the ship into the water immediately after the hull was completed.The decks, sides, interior woodwork and rigging can all be rebuilt in the future, the main thing being to give the settlers a reliable refuge off the desert island.Perhaps it would be better to take the ship to Balloon Harbor, that is, keep it as far away from the center of the explosion as possible, because their ship was in danger of being smashed in the mouth of the Mercy River between the islet and the granite wall in case of upheaval.So the navigators concentrated their efforts to build the hull. By March 3rd, they estimated that within ten days the new boat could be launched. In their fourth year on Lincoln Island, the residents have endured numerous ordeals.At this time, there was hope in their hearts again.Pencroft, who had always been morose over the ruin and destruction of his dominion, was now somewhat cheerful.True, his hopes were pinned on his ship. We'll make it, he said to the engineer, we'll make it, Mr. Smith, and it's just about time, now that we're transitioning into autumn, and after that the equinox.As a last resort, we anchored our boats on Tabao Island and spent the winter there.But compare Tabo Island with Lincoln Island.Ah, what a pity!Who would have thought such a thing would happen? Let's get on with it.Engineers always say that. So they seized every minute of their time and continued to work. Master, after a few more days, asked Neb, do you think all this would have happened if Captain Nemo had lived? Of course I will, Neb.Cyrus.Smith said. Take me for example, I don't think so!said Pencroft into Neb's ear. I also have this opinion!said Neb seriously. In the first week of March, things turned sinister again.Tens of thousands of strands of glass-like magma rained down on the deserted island.The magma in the crater boiled again and flowed all over the ridge.The torrent flowed along the solidified tuff surface and destroyed the few dry tree trunks that survived the first eruption.This time the torrent did not come toward the southwestern shore of Lake Grant, but continued to flow across the Glycerin River and encroach on the plateau of Prospect Heights.Its final blow to the cause of the immigrants was rather dire.The mill, the buildings of the inner courtyard and the sheds were destroyed.Frightened poultry fled in all directions.Top and Japp looked very frightened, as if their instincts had told them that disaster was imminent.At the time of the first volcanic eruption, many wild animals had died on the desert island.Those who survived found no other place to live, and all hid in the Flooded Moor, and only a few of the beasts fled to the high ground of Prospect Heights, which was their sanctuary.But now even the last shelters do not allow them to take refuge.A torrent of magma cascades down the edge of the granite rocks and down the beach, forming a fiery waterfall.It is indescribable to describe the thrilling scene.At night, it can only be compared to a magmatic Niagara Falls, with white-hot steam above and seething matter below. The inhabitants were driven to the last stronghold.Although the topside gaps of the new boat were not yet filled, they decided to launch it immediately. They decided to launch the new boat the next morning, March 9th.Pencroft and Ayrton made the necessary preparations. But, on the night of March 8, a jet of steam rose from the crater, rising like a gigantic column to a height of more than three thousand feet, with an earth-shattering explosion.Apparently what happened was that the stone walls of Dhaka Cave were cracked by the pressure of the gas, and the seawater was poured into the fire pit through the central pipe, and immediately evaporated into water vapor, but the crater could not discharge all the steam, so a turmoil occurred Big explosion of air.The sound of this explosion could be heard even a hundred miles away.Fragments of the rock flew into the Pacific Ocean, and in a few minutes the water was over where Lincoln Island had been.