THE SECRET OF THE ISLAND 367 ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ But there were only two ways to realize this dream: either a vessel would show itself some day in the waters of Lincoln Island or the colonists would themselves construct a boat large enough to take to sea and reach the nearest land. "Unless," said Pencroff, "our genie himself furnishes us with the means to repatriate ourselves." And truly if someone told Pencroff and Neb that a vessel of three hundred tons was waiting for them in Shark Gulf or at Port Balloon, they would not even have shown any surprise. In their state of mind they expected anything. But Cyrus Smith, being less confident, advised them to return to reality by proposing that they construct a boat, a truly urgent task, since they must bring a document to Tabor Island as soon as possible which would indicate Ayrton's new residence. The Bonadventure no longer existed. Six months at least would be necessary for the construction of a new vessel. Now, with winter coming on, the voyage could not be made before next spring. "We therefore have time to prepare for the fine season," said the engineer, who chatted about these things with Pencroff. "I therefore think, my friend, that since we have to make a boat again, it would be best to give it larger dimensions. The arrival of the Scotch yacht at Lincoln Island is very problematic. Perhaps it even came in the last few months and left again after having vainly looked for some trace of Ayrton. Would it not therefore be appropriate to construct a vessel which, if need be, could carry us to the Polynesian archipelagoes or to New Zealand? What do you think?" "I think, Mister Cyrus," replied the sailor, "I think that you are just as capable of making a large boat as a small one. Neither the wood nor the tools are lacking. It is only a question of time." "And how much time would be required for the construction of a vessel of two hundred fifty to three hundred tons?" asked Cyrus Smith. "Seven or eight months at least," replied Pencroff. "But let's not forget that when winter comes, wood is difficult to work in the frost. Let's therefore count on a few idle weeks and if our boat is ready by next November, we should consider ourselves lucky." "Well," replied Cyrus Smith, "that will be the best time to undertake a crossing of some importance either to Tabor Island or to a further land." "In fact, Mister Cyrus," replied the sailor, "make your plans, the workers are ready and I imagine that Ayrton will lend us a helping hand in these circumstances." The colonists were consulted and approved of the engineer's project and in truth, it was the best thing to do. It is true that the construction of a vessel of two to three hundred tons was a large undertaking but the colonists had a confidence in themselves justified by the successes already obtained. 368 THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ Cyrus Smith therefore occupied himself with making the plans for the vessel. During this time, his companions were employed in felling and carting the trees which would provide the curved wood, the ribs and the planking. It was the Forest of the Far West which gave the best species of oaks and elms. They profited from the path already made at the time of the last excursion to open a practical route which took the name of Route of the Far West. The trees were transported to the Chimneys where a shipyard was established. As to the route in question, it was traced out capriciously. It was a little the choice of wood which determined the path but it facilitated access to a large portion of Serpentine Peninsula. It was important that the wood be promptly cut up and sawed because they could not use it while it was still green and time must be left for it to harden. The carpenters therefore worked with ardor during the month of April, which was troubled only by a few rather violent equinoxial windstorms. Master Jup helped them skillfully either by climbing to the top of a tree in order to attach the felling ropes or by using his robust shoulders to carry the lopped off trunks. All of this wood was piled up under a large shed which was constructed near the Chimneys and there it remained until it would be put to use. The month of April was rather fine, as the month of October often is in the northern zone. At the same time, the agricultural work was actively carried on and soon all trace of the devastation had disappeared from Grand View Plateau. The mill was rebuilt and new buildings rose where the poultry yard had been. It seemed necessary to construct it to larger dimensions because the avian population had increased considerably. The stables now housed five onagers, four who were vigorous and well trained for harness or riding, and a young one recently born. The colony's equipment was increased with a plow. The onagers were employed to pull it, like true oxen from Yorkshire or from Kentucky. Each of the colonists shared in the work and no hands were idle. The laborers were in fine health and in fine humor. They animated the evenings at Granite House by forming a thousand plans for the future. It goes without saying that Ayrton completely shared in the common existence and there no longer was any question about his going to live at the corral. Nevertheless he was always sad, not very communicative, and joined in the work rather than in the pleasures of his companions. But he was a rugged laborer at his tasks, vigorous, skilful, ingenious and intelligent. He was esteemed and loved by everyone and he could not but be aware of it. The corral, however, was not abandoned. Every two days one of the colonists, taking the cart or riding one of the onagers, went to look after the flock of sheep or goats and carry back milk for Neb's pantry. At the same time, these THE SECRET OF THE ISLAND 369 ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ excursions were occasions for hunting. Herbert and Gideon Spilett - with Top in front - took to the road to the corral more often than any of their companions, and with their excellent weapons, capybara, agouti, kangaroo, wild boar and wild pig for the large game and duck, grouse, heath fowl, jacamar and snipe for the small game, were never lacking at home. The products of the warren, those of the oyster bed, some turtles which were prized, a new catch of excellent salmon which still came to swarm in the waters of the Mercy, the vegetables from Grand View Plateau, the natural fruits from the forest, it was riches upon riches and Neb, the master cook, could barely cope with storing it. It goes without saying that the telegraphic wire thrown between the corral and Granite House was repaired and that it was used whenever one or another of the colonists found himself at the corral and judged it necessary to pass the night there. Besides, the island was secure now and no aggression was to be feared - at least on the part of men. However what had happened once could happen again. A descent of pirates and even of escaped convicts was always to be feared. It was possible that some companions and accomplices of Bob Harvey, still detained at Norfolk, were in on his secret plans and would attempt to imitate him. The colonists examined the approaches to the island every day and their telescope swept the large horizon which enclosed Union Bay and Washington Bay. When they went to the corral, they examined with no less care the western part of the ocean and by climbing the buttress, their gaze could cover a rather large sector of the western horizon. Nothing suspicious appeared but still they must always be on their guard. One evening the engineer told his friends about his plans to fortify the corral. It seemed prudent to him to increase the height of the palisaded enclosure and to flank it with a sort of blockhouse in which, if need be, they could hold out against an enemy troop. Granite House could be considered impregnable by its very position. The corral with its structures, its reserves and the animals it enclosed, would always be the objective of pirates, whoever they were, who would land on the island, and if the colonists were forced to enclose themselves there, they could hold out without being at a disadvantage. This was a project to ripen because they were forced to hold off its execution until the coming spring. Around the 15th of May, the keel of the new vessel stretched out over the shipyard and soon the stem and the sternpost, squared at each end, were erected almost perpendicularly. This keel, of good oak, measured one hundred ten feet in length, giving the main beam a width of twenty five feet. But this was all the carpenters could do before the arrival of the frost and the bad weather. During the following week they put the first rear frames in place; then they had to suspend work. 370 THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ During the final days of the month the weather was very bad. The wind blew from the east, at times with the violence of a storm. The engineer had some uneasiness about the sheds at the shipyard - which, by the way, they could not establish at any other place near Granite House - because the islet protected the shore only imperfectly against the furies of the sea and during major storms the waves beat directly at the foot of the granite wall. But, very fortunately, these fears were not realized. The wind blew more often from the southeast and under these conditions the Granite House shore was completely protected by the salient at Flotsom Point. Pencroff and Ayrton, the two most zealous workers on the new boat, pursued their labors as long as they could. They were not men to be inconvenienced by the wind which twisted their hair, nor by the rain which seemed to penetrate to their very bones, and a blow from a hammer is worth as much in bad as in good weather. But when a very vivid frost succeeded this wet period, the wood, whose fibers acquired the hardness of iron, became extremely difficult to work and around the 10th of June they had to definitely abandon the construction of the boat. Cyrus Smith and his companions noticed that the temperature was severe during the winters at Lincoln Island. The cold was comparable to that felt in the New England States, situated at very nearly the same distance from the equator. If, in the northern hemisphere, or at least in the part occupied by Canada and the north of the United States, this phenomenon can be explained by the smooth topography of the territories which border on the pole so that no obstructions oppose the wintry winds from the extreme north, no such explanation would suffice here as regards to Lincoln Island. "One can even observe," Cyrus Smith said one day to his companions, "that at similar latitudes, islands and coastal regions are less subject to the cold than Mediterranean countries. I have often heard it said that the winters of Lombardy, for example, are more vigorous than those of Scotland, which is due to the fact that during the winter, the sea restores the heat that it has received during the summer. Islands are in the best position to benefit from this restitution." "But then, Mister Cyrus," asked Herbert, "why does Lincoln Island escape the usual rule?" "That is difficult to explain," replied the engineer. "However I am inclined to admit that this singularity is due to the position of the island in the southern hemisphere which as you know, my child, is colder than the northern hemisphere." "In fact", said Herbert, "floating ice is encountered under lower latitudes in the South Pacific than in the north." "That is true," replied Pencroff, "and when I worked as a whaler, I saw icebergs at Cape Horn." THE SECRET OF THE ISLAND 371 ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ "That could then perhaps explain," said Gideon Spilett, "the rigorous cold which strikes Lincoln Island, because of the nearby ice floes." "In fact, your opinion is very admissible, my dear Spilett," replied Cyrus Smith, "and it is evident that we owe our rigorous winters to the proximity of the ice pack. I will also note a physical cause which renders the southern hemisphere colder than the northern hemisphere. In fact, since the sun is nearer to this hemisphere in the summer, it is necessarily further during the winter. This therefore explains the extremes of temperature in two senses and if we find the winters very cold at Lincoln Island, let us not forget that the summers, on the contrary, are very warm." "But why then, Mister Smith, if you please," asked Pencroff frowning, "why is our hemisphere, as you said, treated so badly? That isn't fair." "Friend Pencroff," replied the engineer smiling, "fair or not, we must submit to the situation, and this is why this particularity comes about. The earth does not describe a circle around the sun but rather an ellipse, according to the laws of rational mechanics. The sun occupies one of the foci of the ellipse. As a consequence, at a certain point in its orbit, the earth is at its apogee, that is to say at its greatest distance from the sun, and at another point, its perigee, it is at its shortest distance. Now it so happens that it is precisely during the winter in the southern countries that the earth is at its greatest distance from the sun and consequently in the condition required for these regions to be subject to a colder frost. Nothing can be done about that, Pencroff, and men, however learned they may be, will never be able to change the cosmological order established by God Himself." "Nevertheless," added Pencroff, who was slow to resign himself, "the world is well informed! What a big book one could make, Mister Cyrus, with all that is known." "And what a still larger book with what is not known," replied Cyrus Smith. Finally, for one reason or another, the month of June again brought frost with its usual violence and the colonists were often confined to Granite House. Ah! This imprisonment seemed to be hard on everyone and perhaps more particularly on Gideon Spilett. "See here," he said one day to Neb, "by the act of a notary, I would give you all the inheritances that would come to me one day if you would be a good fellow and go, never mind where, and subscribe to any journal whatsoever. Decidedly, what I miss most for my well being is to know every morning what has happened the previous day besides here." Neb laughed. "My word," he replied, "my daily tasks are all that concern me." The truth was that, inside or outside, there was no lack of work. 372 THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ The colony of Lincoln Island then found itself at the height of its prosperity and three years of work had made it such. The incident of the destroyed brig had been a new source of riches. Without mentioning the complete rigging which would be used for the vessel under construction, utensils and tools of all sorts, arms and munitions, clothing and instruments now crowded the storerooms of Granite House. It was no longer even necessary to have recourse to making the crude felt material. If the colonists had suffered from the cold during their first winter, now the bad season could come without the need to dread its rigors. Linen was also abundant and besides, they took good care of it. From sodium chloride, which is nothing more than sea salt, Cyrus Smith had easily extracted the soda and the chlorine. The soda, which was easy to transformed into sodium carbonate, and the chlorine which was made into bleaching powder, was employed for many domestic uses in particular for bleaching linen. Moreover, they had wash days no more than four times a year, as was formerly practiced by families of long ago, and one may be permitted to add that Pencroff and Gideon Spilett, while waiting for the postman to bring him his journal, showed themselves to be distinguished launderers. So passed the winter months, June, July and August. They were very rigorous and the average temperature reading did not give more than 8øF (13.33øC below zero). It was less than the temperature of the preceding winter. What warm fires burned incessantly in the Granite House fireplaces, with the smoke making long black stripes on the granite walls. They spared no fuel, which could be found in a natural state a short distance away. Besides, the excess from the wood intended for the construction of the vessel allowed them to economize the coal whose transportation was more troublesome. Men and animals were in good health. It was agreed that Master Jup was a little chilly. That was perhaps his only shortcoming and they had to make him a well padded dressing gown. But with such domesticity, skill, zeal, strength, discretion and silence, they could rightly propose him as a model for all his biped colleagues of the old and new worlds. "After all," said Pencroff, "when someone has four hands to work with, we can expect him to find work more suitable." And, as a matter of fact, the intelligent quadrumane did it well. During the seven months which had passed since the last search conducted around the mountain and during the month of September, which brought back the fine weather, there was no question about the genie of the island. His action did not manifest itself in any event. It is true that it would have been useless, since no incident occurred to put the colonists in a troublesome position. Cyrus Smith even observed that if, by chance, communications between the stranger and the hosts of Granite House had ever been established through the granite mass, and if Top's instincts indicated forebodings, so to speak, it was THE SECRET OF THE ISLAND 373 ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ no longer so during this period. The dog's growling had ceased completely, as well as the orang's uneasiness. The two friends - because such they were - no longer prowled around the orifice of the inside well and they did not bark nor groan in this strange way which had put the engineer on the alert at the beginning. But could he be sure that the last word had been said about this riddle and that they would never have the answer? Could he say that some combination of events would not occur to bring the mysterious personage into action? Who could tell what was in store for the future? Finally winter ended; but an event whose consequences could be serious, occurred precisely during the first days which marked the return of spring. On the 7th of September, Cyrus Smith, looking at the top of Mount Franklin, saw smoke twirling above the crater with its first vapors projecting into the atmosphere. CHAPTER XV The awakening of the volcano - The fine season - Resuming work - The evening of the 15th of October - A telegram - A request - A response - Departure for the corral - The note - The supplementary wire - Basalt coast - High tide - Low tide - The cavern - A dazzling light. The colonists, notified by the engineer, stopped working and looked in silence at the top of Mount Franklin. The volcano had awakened and the vapors had pierced the mineral layer piled up at the bottom of the crater. But would the subterranean fires provoke some violent eruption? That was the eventuality which they could not foretell. However, even admitting the hypothesis of an eruption, it was probable that Lincoln Island would not suffer from it in its entirety. The outpouring of volcanic material is not always disastrous. The island had already been subjected to this experience, as evidenced by the lava flows which streaked the northern slopes of the mountain. Besides the form of the crater, the break in its upper fringe would project the vomited material to the side opposite the fertile portions of the island. Nevertheless, the past does not necessarily speak for the future. Often, at the top of volcanos, old craters close and new ones open. The event has occurred in both worlds, at Etna, at Popocatepetl and at Orizaba. At the brink of an eruption there is everything to fear. On the whole, it may result from an earthquake - a phenomenon which sometimes accompanies volcanic outpourings - which changes the interior disposition of the mountain and blazes new paths for the incandescent lava. Cyrus Smith explained these things to his companions and without exaggerating the situation, he let them know what they 374 THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ were up against. After all, they could do nothing about it. Granite House at least, did not seem to be menaced from an earthquake. But there was everything to fear with regards to the corral if some new crater should open in the southern wall of Mount Franklin. From this day on, the vapors did not cease to pour out from the top of the mountain and they even saw it gain in height and thickness without any flames mixing with the thick spirals. The phenomenon was still concentrated in the lower part of the central chimney. However, with the good weather, work was resumed. They pressed on as much as possible with the construction of the vessel and by means of the waterfall on the beach, Cyrus Smith succeeded in making a hydraulic saw which cut up the tree trunks more rapidly into boards and planks. The mechanism of this apparatus was as simple as that used in the country saws of Norway. A horizontal movement is first imparted to the wood, a vertical movement is then given to the saw, that is all that is needed, and the engineer succeeded in making it by means of a wheel, two cylinders and pulleys suitably arranged. Toward the end of the month of September, the frame of the vessel, which would be rigged as a schooner, rose up over the shipyard. The ribs were almost completely finished and with all these timbers being supported in a temporary arch, they could already appreciate its shape. This schooner, slender in front and with a streamlined shape rearward, would evidently be appropriate for a rather long voyage if need be; but the layout of the bulwarks, the inner planking and the deck, would still require considerable time. Very fortunately, the ironwork from the old brig had been saved after the underwater explosion. From the planks and the mutilated ribs, Pencroff and Ayrton had extracted bolts and a large quantity of copper nails. It was a good economy for the forgers but the carpenters had much to do. The construction activity had to be interrupted for a week for the harvesting of hay and the various crops which abounded on Grand View Plateau. This task ended, every moment was henceforth devoted to the completion of the schooner. When night arrived, the laborers were truly exhausted. In order to lose no time they changed their mealtimes: they dined at noon and supped only when there no longer was any daylight. Then they ascended to Granite House, hurrying off to sleep. Sometimes however, when the conversation concerned some interesting subject, they delayed a little in going to sleep. The colonists allowed themselves to speak of the future and they willingly chatted about the changes that a voyage with the schooner to the nearest land would bring about in their situation. But these plans were always dominated by the thought of a subsequent return to Lincoln Island. Never would they abandon this colony, founded with so much pain and success, and to which communications with America would give a new development. Pencroff and Neb especially hoped to end their days here. THE SECRET OF THE ISLAND 375 ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ "Herbert," the sailor would say, "will you never abandon Lincoln Island?" "Never, Pencroff, and especially if you resolve to remain here!" "At any price, my boy," Pencroff would reply. "I will wait for you. You will bring me your wife and your children and I will make jolly fellows of them!" "That is my intention," replied Herbert, smiling and blushing at the same time. "And you, Mister Cyrus," resumed Pencroff enthusiastically, "you will always be the governor of the island. Now then, how many inhabitants can it support? Ten thousand at least!" They chatted in this way, allowing Pencroff to run on and on and, with one thing leading to another, the reporter ended by founding a journal, the New Lincoln Herald! Such is the heart of man. The need to do something which endures, which survives him, is the sign of his superiority over all he sees before him. This is the foundation of his domination and which justifies it over the entire world. After all, who knows if Top and Jup did not themselves also have some small dream of the future. Ayrton, silent, said to himself that he would like to see Lord Glenarvan again and show himself rehabilitated. One evening, the 15th of October, the conversation was directed along these lines and prolonged more than usual. It was nine o'clock in the evening. Already poorly concealed yawns sounded bedtime and Pencroff was about to go to his bed when the electric bell, placed in the room, suddenly rang. All were there, Cyrus Smith, Gideon Spilett, Herbert, Ayrton, Pencroff and Neb. None of the colonists were at the corral. Cyrus Smith got up. His companions looked at each other, thinking that they had not heard correctly. "What is that thing trying to tell us?" shouted Neb. "Is it the devil who rang?" No one replied. "The weather is stormy," noted Herbert. "Couldn't the influence of the electricity..." Herbert did not finish his sentence. The engineer, to whom all eyes were turned, shook his head negatively. "Let us wait," Gideon Spilett then said. "If it is a signal, whoever made it will renew it." "But who could it be?" shouted Neb. "But," replied Pencroff, "the one who..." The sailor's sentence was cut short by a new vibration of the bell. Cyrus Smith went toward the apparatus and throwing a current across the wire, he sent this request to the corral: "What do you wish?" A few moments later the needle moved across the alphabetical dial and gave this response to the hosts of Granite House: 376 THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ "Come to the corral with all possible speed." "At last," shouted Cyrus Smith. Yes! At last! The mystery was about to be revealed! Before this immense interest which was driving the colonists toward the corral, all fatigue had disappeared, all need for sleep had ceased. Without saying a word they left Granite House and in a few moments they found themselves on the beach. Only Top and Jup remained behind. They could do without them. The night was black. The moon, new that very day, had disappeared at the same time as the sun. As Herbert had noted, large storm clouds formed a low heavy canopy which hid the light from the stars. A few glows from a distant storm lit up the horizon. It was possible that a few hours later the lightning would strike the island itself. It was a menacing night. But the obscurity, as deep as it was, could not hinder these men who were familiar with the route to the corral. They ascended the left bank of the Mercy, reached the plateau, passed the bridge over Glycerin Creek and advanced through the forest. They moved at a good clip, prey to vivid emotions. They had no doubt that they were going to discover the long sought answer to the enigma, the name of the mysterious being, so deeply intertwined in their lives, so generous in his influence, so powerful in his action! Was it not a fact that the stranger had been involved with their lives, that he knew the smallest details, that he had listened to all that was said at Granite House in order to be able to act in the nick of time? Each, lost in his thoughts, pressed on. Under the cover of the trees, the obscurity was such that they could not even see the edge of the road. Besides, there was no sound from the forest. Quadrupeds and birds, influenced by the heaviness of the atmosphere, were still and silent. No wind ruffled the leaves. Only the colonists' footsteps sounded in the darkness on the hard ground. During the first quarter hour of their trip, the silence was interrupted by this observation from Pencroff. "We should have taken a lantern." And by this response from the engineer: "We will find it at the corral." Cyrus Smith and his companions had left Granite House at twelve minutes after nine o'clock. At forty seven minutes after nine, they had travelled three of the five miles which separated the mouth of the Mercy from the corral. At this moment, large white flashes of lightning brightened the sky over the island and delineated the black border of the foliage. These intense bursts were dazzling and blinding. Evidently the storm could not be long in letting loose. Little by little, the flashes of lightning became more frequent and brighter. There were distant rumblings in the depths of the sky. The air was stifling. THE SECRET OF THE ISLAND 377 ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ The colonists pushed forward as if propelled by some irresistible force. At a quarter past ten a vivid flash of lightning showed them the palisaded enclosure and they had not passed the door when thunder burst forth with a formidable violence. In an instant the corral was crossed and Cyrus Smith found himself in front of the house. It was possible that the house was occupied by the stranger since it was from the house itself that the telegram must have been sent. Nevertheless no light appeared in the window. The engineer knocked on the door. There was no response. Cyrus Smith opened the door and the colonists entered the room which was very dark. Neb struck a light and an instant later a lantern was lit and directed toward every corner of the room... No one was there. Things were exactly as they had left them. "Have we been duped by an illusion?" murmured Cyrus Smith. No! It was not possible! The telegram had clearly said: "Come to the corral with all possible speed." They approached the table used especially for the telegraph. Everything was in place, the battery and the box which housed it, as well as the receiver and the transmitter. "Who was here last?" asked the engineer. "I, Mister Smith," replied Ayrton. "And that was?..." "Four days ago." "Ah! a note!" shouted Herbert, pointing to a sheet of paper on the table. On this sheet were written these words in English: "Follow the new wire." "Forward!" shouted Cyrus Smith, who understood that the dispatch had not been sent from the corral but rather from the mysterious retreat, using a supplementary wire attached to the old wire and communicating directly with Granite House. Neb took the lighted lantern and they all left the corral. The storm then let loose with extreme violence. The interval which separated each flash of lightning and each clap of thunder sensibly diminished. Before long, the weather dominated Mount Franklin and the entire island. During the intermittent flashes they could see the summit of the volcano pouring out vapors. There was no telegraphic communication in all of the portion of the corral which separated the house from the palisaded enclosure. But after passing the door, the engineer, going straight to the first post, saw by the light of a flash that a new wire went from the insulator to the ground. "There it is!" he said. This wire was stretched out on the ground but along its entire length it was surrounded with an insulating material as 378 THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ is done with submarine cables to assure the free transmission of the current. From its direction it seemed to be going across the woods and the southern buttresses of the mountain and consequently it ran to the west. "Let us follow it!" said Cyrus Smith. And either by the light from the lantern or from the lightning, the colonists rushed along the route traced out by the wire. The thunder was then continuous and its violence such that no word could be heard. Besides, they were using their strength not to speak but to go forward. Cyrus Smith and those with him first went to the buttress which rose up between the valley of the corral and that of Falls River, which they crossed in its narrowest part. The wire, sometimes spread out on the lower tree branches, sometimes lying on the ground, guided them surely. The engineer had supposed that the wire would perhaps end at the bottom of the valley and that the unknown retreat would be there. There was nothing of the sort. They had to reascend the southwest buttress and redescend onto the arid plateau which was terminated by this wall of basalts piled up so strangely. From time to time one or another of the colonists got down to feel the wire with his hand and to rectify the direction if need be. But there was no longer any doubt that this wire was running directly to the sea. There doubtless, in some depth of the igneous rocks, was hollowed out the dwelling so vainly sought until then. The sky was on fire. One flash did not wait for the other. A few struck the top of the volcano and fell into the crater amidst the thick fumes. A few times they thought that the mountain projected flames. A few minutes before eleven o'clock, the colonists arrived at the high border which overlooked the ocean to the west. The wind was high. The surf was roaring five hundred feet below. Cyrus Smith calculated that his companions and he had travelled a distance of a mile and a half from the corral. At this point the wire went in among the rocks, following a rather steep slope into a narrow and capriciously traced ravine. The colonists went there at the risk of provoking some cavein of the poorly balanced rocks and being thrown into the sea. The descent was extremely perilous but they were not concerned with the danger. They were no longer masters of themselves and an irresistible attraction drew them toward this mysterious point like a magnet attracts iron. Almost unconsciously, they descended this ravine which even in full daylight would have been impractical so to say. The stones rolled over and glistened like enflamed bolides. Cyrus Smith was at the head. Ayrton was at the rear. Here they went step by step; there they slipped on a smooth rock; then they got up again and continued on their way. THE SECRET OF THE ISLAND 379 ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ Finally the wire, turning a sharp corner, touched the rocks on shore, rocks which were scattered about the reefs and battered by the high tides. The colonists had reached the lower limit of the basaltic wall. There they found a narrow shoulder which ran horizontally and parallel to the sea. The wire followed it and the colonists went along. They had not gone a hundred feet when the shoulder, inclined at a moderate slope, reached the very level of the waves. The engineer seized the wire and he saw that it ran into the sea. His companions, stopping near him, were stupefied. A cry of disappointment, nearly a cry of desperation, escaped them. Must they then throw themselves under the waves to find some submarine cavern there? In the overexcited moral and physical state that they found themselves in, they would not have hesitated to do it. A thought from the engineer stopped them. Cyrus Smith led his companions to one of the hollows among the rocks and there: "Let us wait," he said. "The tide is high. At low tide the pathway will open up." "But what makes you think?..." asked Pencroff. "He would not have called for us if there were no means for getting to him!" Cyrus Smith spoke with such conviction that no objection was raised. Besides, his observation was logical. They had to admit that an opening, practical at low tide but covered by the waves at the moment, would open up at the foot of the wall. There were a few hours to wait. The colonists therefore remained silently crouched under a sort of deep porch cut into the rock. The rain then began to fall which soon became torrents condensed from the clouds and wrenched loose by the thunderbolts. The echoes reverberated the roar of the thunder and gave it a grandiose sound. The colonists' emotion was extreme. A thousand strange supernatural thoughts crossed their minds and they evoked some grand and superhuman apparition which alone could correspond to the image that they had of the mysterious genie of the island. At midnight Cyrus Smith, carrying the lantern, descended to beach level in order to observe the disposition of the rocks. It was already two hours into low tide. The engineer had not been mistaken. The arch of a vast excavation began to appear above the water. The wire, bending at a right angle, went into this gaping mouth. Cyrus Smith returned to his companions and simply said to them: "In an hour the opening will be practical." "It exists then?" asked Pencroff. "Did you doubt it?" replied Cyrus Smith. "But this cavern will be filled with water to a certain height," noted Herbert. 380 THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ "Either the cavern will be completely dry," replied Cyrus Smith, "and in that case we will proceed on foot, or it will not be dry and some means of transportation will be at our disposal." An hour passed. Everyone descended in the rain to the level of the sea. In three hours the sea had dropped fifteen feet. The top of the arc traced out by the arch was at least eight feet high. It was like the arch of a bridge under which water passes, mixed with foam. Leaning over, the engineer saw a black object floating on the surface of the sea. He drew it toward him. It was a boat moored by a cord to some interior projection of the wall. The boat was made of riveted sheet iron. The oars were below, under the seats. "Let us get in," said Cyrus Smith. A moment later, the colonists were in the boat. Neb and Ayrton took the oars, with Pencroff at the rudder. Cyrus Smith was up front, with the lantern placed on the stern, lighting up the way. The arch was very low when the boat first passed under it. Then it rose sharply; but it was very dark and the light from the lantern was insufficient for them to recognize the extent of this cavern, its length, its height, its depth. In the midst of this basaltic substructure, there reigned an imposing silence. No sound from the outside could penetrate here and the flashes of lightning could not pierce its thick walls. These immense caverns exist in several parts of the world. They are sort of natural crypts which date from geological times. Some are invaded by the waters of the sea; others contain entire lakes within their sides. Such is Fingal's Cave on the island of Staffa, one of the Hebrides, such are the caves of Morgat, on the bay of Douarnenez in Brittany, the caves of Bonifacio in Corsica, those of Lyse-Fjord in Norway, such is the immense cavern of Mommoth in Kentucky, five hundred feet high and more than twenty miles long. At several points of the globe, nature has hollowed out these crypts and preserved them for the admiration of man. As to this cavern which the colonists were now exploring, did it extend to the center of the island? For a quarter of an hour the boat advanced, making such detours as the engineer briefly indicated to Pencroff, when at a certain moment: "More to the right," he commanded. The boat, changing its direction, went at once along the right wall. The engineer wanted, with justification, to determine if the wire was still running along this wall. The wire was there, hanging from the projections in the rocks. "Forward!" said Cyrus Smith. The two oars plunged into the dark waters, moving the boat. The boat advanced for another quarter of an hour and they must have crossed a distance of half a mile from the cavern opening when Cyrus Smith's voice was heard anew. THE SECRET OF THE ISLAND 381 ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ "Stop!" he said. The boat stopped and the colonists saw a vivid light which illuminated the enormous crypt so deeply hollowed out into the bowels of the island. It was then possible to examine this cavern whose existence there had been no reason to suspect. One arch, rounded out at a height of a hundred feet, was supported on basalt columns which seemed to have been cast from the same mold. Irregular arches and capricious ribs were supported by columns which nature had erected by the thousands during the first eras of the formation of the globe. The basaltic sections, enmeshed in one another, measured forty to fifty feet in height and the peaceful waters washed their base in spite of the outside agitation. The glare from the source of illumination, pointed out by the engineer, seized each prismatic edge and, sharpening it to points of light, penetrated so to speak the walls as if they had been transparent, and changed the smallest projections of this structure into brilliant reflectors. As a result of the phenomenon of reflection, the water reproduced these various glares on its surface so that the boat seemed to float between two sparkling zones. There was no mistake about the nature of the radiation emanating from the central luminary whose straight clear rays struck all corners and all filets of the crypt. This light came from an electric source and its white color betrayed its origin. It was the sun of this cavern and it filled it completely. On a sign from Cyrus Smith, the oars were dipped in again, producing a real rain of carbuncles, and the boat moved toward the luminous focus. It soon was less than half a cable from it. At this point, the width of the sheet of water measured about three hundred fifty feet and they could see, beyond the central brilliance, an enormous basaltic wall which shut off any exit on this side. The cavern was considerably enlarged and the sea formed a small lake here. But the arch, the lateral partitions, the rear wall, all these prisms, cylinders and cones were bathed in this electrical fluid to the point that the radiancy seemed to be their own and one could say that these stones, sharpened to facets like expensive diamonds, oozed with light. At the center of the lake, a long spindle shaped object floated on the surface of the water, silent and still. The radiation escaped from its sides like two openings from a furnace which has been heated to a white heat. This object, which looked like the body of an enormous whale, was about two hundred fifty feet long and rose from ten to twelve feet above the level of the sea. The boat approached it slowly. In front, Cyrus Smith was standing. He looked, a prey to a violent agitation. Then he suddenly seized the reporter's arms. 382 THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ "But it is he! It can only be he!" he shouted, "he!..." Then he fell back on his seat, murmuring a name that only Gideon Spilett heard. Doubtless the reporter recognized this name because it had a prodigious effect on him and he replied in a hollow voice: "He! An outlawed man!" "He!" said Cyrus Smith. On the engineer's order, the boat approached this strange floating apparatus. The boat came alongside the left quarter from which a beam of light escaped through a thick glass. Cyrus Smith and his companions climbed on to the platform. An open hatchway was there. All rushed into the opening. At the base of the ladder there was an interior gangway lighted by electricity. At the end of this gangway was a door pushed open by Cyrus Smith. A richly ornamented room, which was quickly crossed by the colonists, contained a library with a ceiling that poured out a torrent of light. At the rear of the library a large door, also closed, was opened by the engineer. A vast salon, a sort of museum crowded with all the mineral treasures of nature, works of art and marvels of industry, appeared before the colonists' eyes which led them to believe that they were magically carried into the world of dreams. Extended on a costly divan they saw a man who did not seem to be aware of their presence. Then Cyrus Smith raised his voice and to the extreme surprise of his companions, he pronounced these words: "Captain Nemo, you have asked for us. We are here." CHAPTER XVI Captain Nemo - His first words - The story of one of the heros of independence - Hatred of the invaders - His companions - Submarine life - Alone - The last refuge of the "Nautilus" at Lincoln Island - The mysterious genie of the island. At these words the reclining man lifted himself up and his face appeared in full light: a magnificent head, high forehead, fiery look, white beard, hair abundant and thrown back. This man supported himself with his hands against the back of the divan. He was calm. One could see that some lingering illness was undermining him little by little but his voice still seemed strong when he said in English and in a tone which expressed extreme surprise: "I have no name, sir." "I know you," replied Cyrus Smith. THE SECRET OF THE ISLAND 383 ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ Captain Nemo fixed an ardent gaze on the engineer as if he wished to annihilate him. Then he fell back on the pillows of the divan. "It doesn't matter after all," he murmured, "I am going to die!" Cyrus Smith approached Captain Nemo and Gideon Spilett took his hand, which he found to be burning. Ayrton, Pencroff, Herbert and Neb respectfully stood to one side in a corner of this magnificent salon whose air was saturated with electrical radiation. However Captain Nemo immediately removed his hand and with a sign he begged the engineer and the reporter to be seated. All looked at him with true emotion. Here was the person they called the "genie of the island", the powerful being whose intervention under so many circumstances had been so effective, this benefactor to whom they were so much indebted. Before their eyes there was only a man where Pencroff and Neb thought they would find a near god and this man was ready to die. But how was it that Cyrus Smith knew Captain Nemo? Why had the latter gotten up so vividly on hearing this name pronounced which he thought the world was ignorant of?... The captain resumed his place on the divan and, supported by his arms, he looked at the engineer seated next to him. "You know the name which I had, sir?" he asked. "I know it," replied Cyrus Smith, "just as I know the name of this admirable submarine apparatus." "The Nautilus?" said the captain, half smiling. "The Nautilus." "But do you know... do you know who I am?" "I know that." "Nevertheless it has been thirty years since I have had any communication with the inhabited world, thirty years during which I lived in the depths of the sea, the only place where I found independence! Who then could have betrayed my secret?" "A man who never pledged loyalty to you, Captain Nemo, and who consequently cannot be accused of treason." "The Frenchman who was cast on board by chance sixteen years ago?" "The same." "This man and his companions then did not perish in the maelstrom in which the Nautilus was entangled?" "They did not perish and a book has appeared under the title of 'Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea' which contains your story." "The story of a few months only, sir!" replied the captain vividly. "It is true," replied Cyrus Smith, "but several months of this strange life have sufficed to make you known..." "As a master criminal doubtless?" replied Captain Nemo, allowing a haughty smile to pass his lips. "Yes, a rebel, banned perhaps by humanity!" The engineer did not reply. 384 THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ "Well, sir?" "I have not judged Captain Nemo," replied Cyrus Smith, "at least as it concerns his past life. I am ignorant, as is all the world, of what have been the motives for this strange existence and I cannot judge the effects without knowing the causes; but this much I know, that a helping hand has always been extended to us since our arrival on Lincoln Island. We all owe our lives to a good, generous, powerful being and this powerful, generous, good being is you, Captain Nemo!" The captain simply replied, "It is I." The engineer and the reporter got up. Their companions approached and the gratitude which was overflowing from their hearts was translated by gestures, by words... Captain Nemo stopped them with a sign and with a voice doubtless more emotional than he had intended: "Wait until you have heard me," he said. (1) And the captain, in a few clear and urgent sentences, made his entire life known. His story was brief and yet he had to concentrate all his remaining energy to say it. It was evident that he was battling against an extreme weakness. Several times Cyrus Smith suggested that he take some rest but he shook his head, like a man who has no tomorrow, and when the reporter offered him some attention: "It is useless," he said, "my hours are numbered." Captain Nemo was an Indian, Prince Dakkar, the son of a rajah of the then independent territory of Bundelkund and a nephew of the Indian hero, Tippo-Sa‹b. His father sent him to Europe when he was ten years old in order that he receive a complete education with the secret intention that he would fight one day with equal arms against those whom he considered to be the oppressors of his country. From the ages of ten to thirty, Prince Dakkar, who was superiorly endowed and of a noble heart and spirit, pursued his studies far and wide in all things, including the sciences, the letters and the arts. Prince Dakkar travelled throughout Europe. His noble birth and his fortune made him sought after but the temptations of the world never had any attraction for him. Young and handsome, he remained serious, gloomy, ravenous in his thirst for knowledge, and having an implacable resentment riveted to his heart. Prince Dakkar hated. He hated the only country where he never wished to set foot, the only nation whose overtures he constantly refused: he hated England and the more so because up to a point he admired it. ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ (1) Captain Nemo's story has in fact been published under the title of "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas". The same observation applies here that was made on the subject of Ayrton's adventures as it relates to the discrepancy of several dates. Readers may wish to refer to the note already published on this matter. (Editor's note) THE SECRET OF THE ISLAND 385 ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ So it was that this Indian typified in himself all the fierce hatred of the vanquished against the conqueror. The invader would not find mercy in the invaded land. The son of one of those sovereigns from whom the United Kingdom could only expect nominal obedience, this prince from the family of Tippo- Sa‹b, raised on the ideas of vindication and of vengeance, having an irresistible love for his poetic country burdened by English chains, never wanted to set foot on this cursed land to which India owed its enslavement. Prince Dakkar became an artist nobly impressed with the marvels of art, a scientist who was no stranger to advanced science, a statesman trained amongst European courts. To those who observed him casually he passed perhaps as one of those cosmopolitans, curious about knowledge, but scorning action, one of those opulent travellers with a fiery and platonic spirit who move about the world incessantly and are of no country. This was not the case. This artist, this scientist, this man had remained Indian in his heart, Indian by his desire for vengeance, Indian by his hope of one day reclaiming the rights of his country by driving out the foreigner and restoring its independence. Consequently Prince Dakkar returned to Bundelkund in the year 1849. He married a noble Indian woman whose heart bled as his did at her country's misfortunes. He had two children whom he cherished. But his domestic happiness could not make him forget India's enslavement. He waited for an occasion. It presented itself. The English yoke weighed heavily on the Hindu population. Prince Dakkar became the spokesman for the malcontents. He instilled them with all the hatred which he felt against the foreigner. He scoured not only the still independent areas on the Indian Peninsula but also the regions directly subject to English administration. He remembered the great days of Tippo-Sa‹b who died heroically at Seringapatam in the defense of his country. In 1857, the great Sepoy revolt erupted. Prince Dakkar was its soul. He organized the immense upheaval. He put his talents and his riches to the service of this cause. He sacrificed himself. He fought in the front lines, he risked his life like the humblest of those heros who had risen up to free their country; he was wounded ten times in twenty encounters but could not find death when the last soldiers of the fight for independence fell under English bullets. Never had the English power in India been subject to such danger, and if, as they had hoped, the Sepoys had received help from the outside, it would perhaps have altered the influence and domination of the United Kingdom in Asia. The name of Prince Dakkar was then illustrious. The heroes who supported him did not hide but fought openly. A price was put on his head and if he had not encountered a traitor to whom he entrusted his father, his mother, his wife 386 THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ and his children who would suffer before he realized the dangers he had caused them to undergo... This time again, might made right. But civilization never goes backward and it seems to follow a necessary course. The Sepoys were vanquished and the land of the ancient rajahs again fell under the stricter domination of England. Prince Dakkar, who could not find death, returned to the mountains of Bundelkund. There, henceforth alone, he was filled with disgust against all who carried the name of man, having a hatred and a horror of the civilized world and wanting to flee from it forever. He gathered the remains of his fortune, united with about twenty of his most trustworthy companions and one day they all disappeared. Where then had Prince Dakkar gone to find this independence which the inhabited world refused him? Under the water, in the depths of the sea, where none could follow him. The man of war became the scientist. On a deserted island in the Pacific he built a shipyard and there a submarine vessel was constructed based on his plans. By means which will one day be known, he used the incomparable force of electricity, which he drew from inexhaustible sources, for all the necessities of his floating apparatus, for movement, for lighting, and for heating. The sea, with its infinite treasures, its myriads of fish, its harvest of seaweed and sargassum, its enormous mammals, and not only everything put there by nature but also everything that mankind had lost there, would suffice amply for the needs of the prince and his crew. This was the accomplishment of his most vivid desire since he no longer wished to have any communication with the world. He named his submarine apparatus the Nautilus, he called himself Captain Nemo, and he disappeared beneath the seas. For many years the captain visited all the oceans from one pole to the other. An outcast from the inhabited world, he gathered up admirable treasures from unknown worlds. The millions lost in the Bay of Vigo in 1702 by the Spanish galleons furnished him with an inexhaustible mine of riches which he always disposed anonymously in favor of those people who fought for the independence of their country. (1) He was for a long time without any communication with his fellow beings when three men were thrown on board during the night of the 6th of November 1866. They were a French professor, his servant and a Canadian fisherman. These three men had been cast into the sea during a collision between the Nautilus and the United States frigate, the Abraham Lincoln, which was chasing it. Captain Nemo learned from the professor that the Nautilus, sometimes taken as a giant mammal of the cetacean family, sometimes for a submarine apparatus containing a crew of pirates, was being pursued across all the seas. ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ (1) He was involved with the uprising of the Candiots who were in fact helped by Captain Nemo under these conditions. THE SECRET OF THE ISLAND 387 ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ Captain Nemo could have thrown back into the ocean these three men that chance had thrown across the path of his mysterious existence. He did not do that but kept them as prisoners and for seven months they were able to contemplate all the marvels of a voyage which covered twenty thousand leagues under the seas. One day, the 22nd of June, 1867, these three men, who knew nothing of Captain Nemo's past, succeeded in escaping after having gotten hold of the Nautilus' boat. But since at that moment the Nautilus was trapped in a whirling maelstrom off the Norwegian coast, the captain assumed that the fugitives had drowned in the frightful eddy, finding death at the bottom of the whirlpool. He was ignorant then that the Frenchman and his two companions had been miraculously thrown on shore, that fishermen from the Lofoten Islands had saved them and that the professor, on his return to France, had published a book relating the seven months of this strange and adventurous journey of the Nautilus, indulging the public's curiosity. Captain Nemo still continued to live this way for a long time, following the seas. But little by little his companions died and went to their rest in their coral cemetery at the bottom of the Pacific. The Nautilus became empty and finally Captain Nemo alone remained of all those who had taken refuge with him in the depths of the ocean. Captain Nemo was then sixty years old. Alone he succeeded in bringing his Nautilus to one of the submarine ports which he used at times. One of these ports was hollowed out under Lincoln Island and it was this one which was now giving asylum to the Nautilus. For six years the captain remained there, no longer navigating, awaiting death, that is to say the moment when he would be reunited with his companions when by chance he was present at the collapse of the balloon which was carrying the Southern prisoners. Putting on his diving suit, he walked under the water a few cables from shore when the engineer was thrown into the sea. On a generous impulse, the captain saved Cyrus Smith. At first he wanted to run from these five castaways but his port of refuge was closed and as a consequence of a movement of the basalt produced by volcanic action, he could no longer pass through the entrance to the crypt. There was still enough water for a small boat to pass but no longer enough for the Nautilus which had a considerable displacement. Captain Nemo therefore remained to observe these men, thrown without resources on a deserted island but he did not wish to be seen. Little by little, as he saw their honesty, energy and their fraternal devotion to one another, he became interested in their efforts. In spite of himself, he learned all the secrets of their existence. By means of the diving suit it was easy for him to reach the bottom of the inside well of Granite House and climb up to the upper opening, using the 388 THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ projections in the rock. He overheard the colonists telling about their past and discussing the present and the future. From them he learned of the immense effort to abolish slavery with American fighting American. Yes! These were men worthy of Captain Nemo's reconciliation with the well represented humanity on the island. Captain Nemo had saved Cyrus Smith. It was also he who brought the dog to the Chimneys, who threw Top out of the waters of the lake, who stranded at Flotsom Point this case which contained so many things useful to the colonists, who put the canoe back into the Mercy's current, who threw down the cord from the top of Granite House when the apes attacked it, who made Ayrton's presence on Tabor Island known by means of the document enclosed in the bottle, who capsized the brig with the explosion of a torpedo placed at the bottom of the channel, who saved Herbert from a certain death by bringing the sulphate of quinine and finally who killed the convicts with these secret electrical bullets which he used for submarine hunting. This then explained these many incidents which seemed supernatural, all of which attested to the generosity and the power of the captain. However, the noble misanthrope still yearned to do good. There remained some useful information for him to impart to his proteges and in addition, with death approaching, he yielded to the dictates of his heart and summoned the colonists of Granite House, as we know, by means of the wire linking the corral to the Nautilus which had an alphabetical apparatus... Perhaps he would not have done it if he had known that Cyrus Smith knew enough of his history to address him by the name of Nemo. The captain ended the story of his life. Cyrus Smith then spoke; he recalled all the incidents which had exerted such beneficial influences on the colony and in the name of his companions as well as himself, he thanked the generous being to whom they owed so much. But Captain Nemo had no thought of putting a price on the services which he had rendered. One last thought was on his mind and before shaking the hand that the engineer presented to him: "Now, sir," he said, "now that you know my life, what is your judgement?" In so speaking the captain was evidently alluding to a serious incident which had been witnessed by the three strangers thrown on board - an incident which the French professor had necessarily related in his book. The memory of it was terrible. In fact, a few days before the professor and his two companions escaped, the Nautilus, being pursued by a frigate in the North Atlantic, had rushed against it like a battering ram and sunk it without mercy. Cyrus Smith understood the illusion and remained silent. THE SECRET OF THE ISLAND 389 ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ "It was an English frigate, sir," Captain Nemo shouted, again becoming Prince Dakkar for a moment, "an English frigate, do you hear me? It attacked me! I was restricted to a narrow shallow bay... I had to pass, and... I passed. " Then, in a calmer voice: "I had justice and right on my side," he added. "I always showed mercy when I could but did harm when I had to. In all fairness, isn't that pardonable?" A few moments of silence followed this response and Captain Nemo again asked: "What do you think of me, gentlemen?" Cyrus Smith held out his hand to the captain and, as requested, he replied in a solemn voice: "Captain, your error was in believing that you could bring back the past and you have opposed necessary progress. It was one of those errors that some admire and others blame but which God alone can judge and which rational mankind must forgive. We may oppose someone who is mistaken in his good intentions, but we should not cease to esteem him. Your error is not one of those that excludes admiration and your name has nothing to fear from the judgement of history. History loves heroic madness while condemning its consequences." Captain Nemo's chest heaved and he pointed to heaven. "Was I wrong, was I right?" he murmured. Cyrus Smith replied: "All great deeds return to God from whence they came! The honest men here, whom you have saved, will always mourn you, Captain Nemo!" Herbert approached the captain. He bent his knees, took his hand and knelt. A tear glistened from the eyes of the dying man. "My child," he said, "bless you!..." CHAPTER XVII Captain Nemo's last hours - The wishes of the dying man - A souvenir to his friends of a day - Captain Nemo's coffin - Some advice to the colonists - The supreme moment - At the bottom of the sea. Day returned. No rays of light penetrated into this deep crypt. High tide obstructed the opening at the moment. But the artificial light which escaped in a long beam over the sides of the Nautilus was not feeble and the sheet of water around the floating apparatus was always aglow. An extreme fatigue then overcame Captain Nemo and he fell back on the divan. There was no thought of carrying him to Granite House because he had declared his desire to remain among the Nautilus' marvels which millions could not pay for, awaiting death which would not be long in coming. 390 THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ During the rather long prostration which kept him nearly unconscious, Cyrus Smith and Gideon Spilett carefully observed the patient's condition. It was obvious that the captain was slowly dying. There was no strength left in this formerly robust body, now the frail envelope of a soul about to escape. All life was concentrated in the heart and in the head. The engineer and the reporter spoke in low tones. Was there something they could do for the dying man? Could they, if not save him, at least prolong his life for a few days? He himself had said that there was no remedy and he quietly waited for the death which he did not fear. "Can we do nothing?" said Gideon Spilett. "But what is he dying of?" asked Pencroff. "He is expiring," replied the reporter. "However," replied the sailor, "if we carry him to the open air in full sunlight, perhaps he will revive?" "No, Pencroff," replied the engineer, "we must not try anything! Besides, Captain Nemo would not consent to leave his vessel. He has lived on board the Nautilus for thirty years and it is on the Nautilus that he wishes to die." Doubtless Captain Nemo heard Cyrus Smith's reply because he got up a little and in a feeble but ever intelligent voice: "You are right, sir," he said. "I must and I wish to die here. Also I have a favor to ask of you." Cyrus Smith and his companions drew close to the divan and arranged the cushions so as to best support the dying man. They could see that his attention was directed toward all the marvels of the salon, lighted by the electric rays which softened the arabesques of an illuminated ceiling. He looked, one after the other, at the paintings hanging from the splendid wall tapestries, these masterpieces of the Italian, Flemish, French and Spanish masters, the miniatures of marble and of bronze which were mounted on their pedestals, the magnificent organ against the rear wall, then the glass cases arranged around a central fountain in which were blooming the most admirable products of the sea, marine plants, zoophytes and strings of pearl of priceless value. Finally he looked at the motto inscribed on the fronton of this museum, the motto of the Nautilus: ÉÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍ» º MOBILIS IN MOBILI º ÈÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍͼ It seemed that for one last time he wanted to caress with his eyes these masterpieces of art and of nature which had limited his horizon for so many years in the abyss of the seas. Cyrus Smith respected Captain Nemo's silence. He waited for the dying man to speak again. After a few moments during which he doubtless reviewed his entire life, Captain Nemo turned toward the colonists and said to them: THE SECRET OF THE ISLAND 391 ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ "You feel, gentlemen, that you are indebted to me?..." "Captain, we would give our lives to prolong yours!" "Good," replied Captain Nemo, "good!... Promise me that you will carry out my last wishes and I will be repaid for all that I have done for you." "We promise you that," replied Cyrus Smith. And with this promise he was obligating his companions as well as himself. "Gentlemen," replied the captain, "tomorrow I will die." With a sign, he stopped Herbert, who wanted to protest. "Tomorrow I will die and I desire to have no other tomb than that of the Nautilus. For me it is my coffin. All my friends repose at the bottom of the sea. I wish to repose there also." Captain Nemo's words were received in deep silence. "Here me well, gentlemen," he continued. "The Nautilus is imprisoned in this grotto whose entrance has been raised. But if it cannot leave its prison, it can at least be swallowed up by the abyss which will cover and protect my mortal remains." The colonists listened religiously to the words of the dying man. "Tomorrow after my death, Mister Smith," continued the captain, "you and your companions, you will leave the Nautilus because all the riches which it contains must disappear with me. One souvenir only will remain for you of Prince Dakkar whose history you now know. This chest... there... contains several millions in diamonds, for the most part souvenirs from a time when, as father and husband, I almost believed in happiness, and it contains a collection of pearls gathered by my friends and myself from the bottom of the sea. With this treasure, you will be able to do good deeds one day. In the hands of people like you and your companions, Mr. Smith, money will not be a danger. I will be up there, associated with your deeds, and I have no fears about that." After resting a few moments because of his extreme weakness, the captain continued in these terms: "Tomorrow you will take this chest, you will leave the salon and close the door; then you will climb up to the platform of the Nautilus and you will push down the hood which you will fasten by means of its bolts." "We will do that, Captain," replied Cyrus Smith. "Good. You will then get into the boat that brought you here. But before abandoning the Nautilus, go to the rear and there open two large watercocks which are on the water line. The water will penetrate into the reservoirs and the Nautilus will sink little by little under the water and come to rest at the bottom of the abyss." And, on a gesture from Cyrus Smith, the captain added: "Fear nothing! You will only be burying a dead man!" Neither Cyrus Smith nor any of his companions thought of saying anything to Captain Nemo. He had made his last wishes known and they would carry them out. 392 THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ "I have your promise, gentlemen?" added Captain Nemo. "You have it, Captain," replied the engineer. The captain made a sign of thanks and asked the colonists to leave him alone for a few hours. Gideon Spilett wanted to remain by his side in case a crisis came on, but the dying man refused, saying: "I will live until tomorrow, sir." All left the salon, crossed the library and the dining room, and went forward to the engine room where the electrical apparatus was installed which furnished the mechanical force for the Nautilus as well as its heat and light. The Nautilus was a masterpiece which contained masterpieces and the engineer was amazed. The colonists climbed to the platform which was seven or eight feet above the water. There they stretched out near a thick double convex lens which sealed a sort of large eye from which a shower of light shot out. Behind this eye was a cabin which housed the wheel of the helm from whence the helmsman steered the Nautilus through the waters, with the electric rays lighting the way for a considerable distance. Cyrus Smith and his companions remained silent at first because they were vividly impressed with all they had seen and heard and their hearts were touched when they thought of him whose hands had helped them so many times, that this protector whom they had barely known for a few hours would be dead the next day. What judgement would be pronounced by posterity on the acts of this person who was, so to speak, extra-human. Prince Dakkar would always remain one of those strange people who could not be forgotten. "That is a man!" said Pencroff. "Did he really live this way at the bottom of the ocean! And I think that perhaps he did not find any more tranquillity there than elsewhere." "The Nautilus," Ayrton then noted, "could perhaps enable us to leave Lincoln Island and reach some inhabited land." "Curses!" shouted Pencroff, "I would never risk a trip in such a boat. Sail on the seas, good! but under the seas, no!" "I think," replied the reporter, "that it would be very easy to maneuver a submarine device such as the Nautilus, Pencroff, and that you would soon get used to it. No storms or collisions to fear. A few feet below the surface of the ocean the water is as calm as in a lake." "Possibly," retorted the sailor, "but I much prefer a good wind aboard a well rigged vessel. A boat is made to sail on the seas, not under it." "My friends," replied the engineer, "it is useless, at least as it concerns the Nautilus, to discuss this question of submarine vessels. The Nautilus is not ours and we have no right to use it. Besides, it could not serve us in any case. It cannot leave this cavern whose entrance is now blocked by a rise in the basaltic rocks. Captain Nemo wants it to sink with him after his death. His will is explicit and we will execute it." THE SECRET OF THE ISLAND 393 ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ Cyrus Smith and his companions, after a conversation which was prolonged a while longer, again descended inside the Nautilus. There they took some nourishment and again entered the salon. Captain Nemo had come out of this prostration that had overwhelmed him and his eyes had regained their brilliance. They saw something of a smile on his lips. The colonists approached him. "Gentlemen," the captain said to them, "you are courageous men, honest and good. You are all devoted, without reservation, to your common goal. I have often observed you. I like you, I like you!... Your hand, Mister Smith!" Cyrus Smith offered his hand to the captain who seized it affectionately. "That is good!" he murmured. Then, continuing: "But enough about me! I must speak about you and about Lincoln Island on which you have found refuge... You count on leaving it?" "To return to it, captain," Pencroff vividly replied. "To return to it?... In fact, Pencroff," replied the captain smiling, "I know how much you love this island. It has been changed by your cares and it truly belongs to you." "Our plan, captain," Cyrus Smith then said, "would be to turn it over to the United States and to establish a port of call here for our navy, which fortunately is situated in this part of the Pacific." "You think of your country, gentlemen," replied the captain. "You work for its prosperity, for its glory. You are right. One's land!... It is there that one must return! It is there that one should die!... And I, I die far from all that I have loved!" "Do you have some last wish to convey," asked the engineer vividly, "some souvenir to give to friends that you have left in the mountains of India?" "No, Mister Smith. I no longer have friends! I am the last of my race... and I die long after all those I have known... But to return to you. Solitude and isolation are sad things, beyond human endurance... I die for having believed that one could live alone!... You must then do everything to leave Lincoln Island and see your native land again. I know that those wretches destroyed the boat that you made..." "We are building a vessel," said Gideon Spilett, "a vessel large enough to take us to the nearest lands; but if we succeed in leaving sooner or later, we will return to Lincoln Island. Too many memories bind us here to ever forget it!" "It is here that we have known Captain Nemo," said Cyrus Smith. "It is here that we will find your memory intact!" added Herbert. "And it is here that I will rest in eternal sleep if...," replied the captain. 394 THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ He hesitated and instead of finishing his sentence he was content to say: "Mister Smith, I wish to speak to you... to you alone!" The engineer's companions, respecting this desire of the dying man, withdrew. Cyrus Smith remained alone with Captain Nemo for only a few minutes and he soon called his friends back but he said nothing to them of the secret things which the dying man had wished to confide in him. Gideon Spilett then observed the patient carefully. It was evident that the captain was no longer sustained by his moral energy which soon would not react against his physical weakness. The day ended without any change manifesting itself. The colonists did not leave the Nautilus for an instant. Night came on, although it was impossible to know it in this crypt. Captain Nemo did not suffer but was weakening. His noble figure, pale at the approach of death, was calm. At times nearly imperceptible words escaped his lips, recalling various incidents of his strange existence. They felt life leaving his body little by little. His extremities were already cold. He still spoke once or twice to the colonists gathered near him and he smiled at them with the last smile that continues just into death. Finally, a little after midnight, Captain Nemo made a supreme movement and he succeeded in crossing his arms on his chest as if he wanted to die in this position. About one o'clock in the morning, all life was concentrated only in his look. One last flash shown under these pupils from whence so many flames had formerly spouted. Then, murmuring these words: "God and country!" he quietly expired. Cyrus Smith then leaned over and closed the eyes of he who had been Prince Dakkar and who was no longer even Captain Nemo. Herbert and Pencroff cried. Ayrton furtively wiped away a tear. Neb was on his knees near the reporter, transformed into a statue. Cyrus Smith, raising his hand above the dead man's head: "May God receive his soul!" he said, and turning again to his friends, he added: "Let us pray for him whom we have lost!" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A few hours later the colonists fulfilled the promise made to the captain. They carried out the last wishes of the dying man. Cyrus Smith and his companions left the Nautilus after taking the only souvenir which their benefactor had bequeathed to them, this coffer which enclosed a hundred fortunes. The marvelous salon, always flooded with light, was carefully closed. The iron plate door of the hatchway was then bolted so that not a drop of water could penetrate into the interior rooms of the Nautilus. THE SECRET OF THE ISLAND 395 ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ Then the colonists descended to the boat which was moored to the side of the submarine vessel. The boat was moved to the rear. There, at the water line, were two large cocks which were associated with the reservoirs designed to control the immersion of the apparatus. These cocks were opened, the reservoirs were filled and the Nautilus, sinking little by little, disappeared under the surface of the water. But the colonists could still follow it through the deep layers. Its powerful beam lit up the transparent water while the crypt began to grow dark. Then this huge outpouring of electrical radiation finally died out and soon the Nautilus became the coffin of Captain Nemo and reposed at the bottom of the sea. CHAPTER XVIII Everyone's thoughts - Resuming construction activity - The 1st of January 1868 - A trail of smoke at the top of the volcano - First symptoms of an eruption - Ayrton and Cyrus Smith at the corral - Exploration of Dakkar Crypt - What Captain Nemo told the engineer. At the break of day, the colonists silently reached the entrance of the cavern to which they gave the name "Dakkar Crypt," in memory of Captain Nemo. The tide was then low and they easily passed under the arcade as the waves beat against the basaltic pier. The sheet iron boat remained here sheltered from the waves. As an added precaution, Pencroff, Neb and Ayrton hauled it onto a small beach bordering one of the sides of the crypt where it would run no danger. The storm had abated during the night. The last rumblings of thunder faded away in the west. It was no longer raining but the sky was still cloudy. In short, this month of October, the start of the southern spring, was not beginning in a satisfactory way. The wind had a tendency to skip from one point of the compass to another which would not allow them to count on fine weather. On leaving Dakkar Crypt, Cyrus Smith and his companions followed the corral road. On the way Neb and Herbert took care to pull up the wire which the captain had put down between the corral and the crypt, which they could use later. While walking, the colonists spoke little. The various incidents of the night of the 15th to the 16th of October vividly impressed them. This stranger, whose influence protected them so effectively, this man whom their imagination made into a genie, Captain Nemo was no longer alive. His Nautilus and he were buried at the bottom of an abyss. It seemed to everyone that they were more isolated than ever. 396 THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ They were, so to speak, accustomed to count on this powerful intervention which was lacking today and even Gideon Spilett and Cyrus Smith could not escape this impression. All kept a deep silence while following the corral road. About nine o'clock in the morning the colonists re-entered Granite House. It had been agreed that the construction of the vessel would be actively pursued and Cyrus Smith gave it his time and attention more than ever. They did not know what was in store for the future. It was a guaranty for the colonists to have a sturdy boat which could take to the sea even in bad weather and which was large enough to attempt a trip of some duration if need be. If, with the boat finished, the colonists still decided not to leave Lincoln Island and reach either some Polynesian archipelago of the Pacific or the coast of New Zealand, they could at least go to Tabor Island as soon as possible in order to leave a note there regarding Ayrton. This was an indispensable precaution to take in the event the Scotch yacht returned to these waters. Nothing must interfere with this task. The activity was thus resumed. Cyrus Smith, Pencroff and Ayrton, aided by Neb, by Gideon Spilett and by Herbert, worked without respite whenever no other pressing task claimed them. It was necessary that the new boat should be ready in five months, that is to say at the beginning of March, if they wanted to visit Tabor Island before the equinoxial wind storms would render this crossing impractical. The carpenters did not lose a moment. Besides, they did not need to make any rigging because that from the Speedy had been completely saved. Thus the hull of the vessel had to be finished before anything else. The end of the year 1868 passed in the midst of these important activities, to the exclusion of nearly all others. At the end of two and a half months, the frame had been put in place and the planking begun. They could already see that Cyrus Smith's design was an excellent one and that the vessel would take well to the sea. Pencroff carried on this work ravenously and he did not hesitate to complain when one or another put down the carpenter's saw for the hunter's gun. It was best however to keep up the Granite House reserves in view of the coming winter. But that was not important. The worthy sailor was not content when there was a lack of workmen at the shipyard. On these occasions, while grumbling, he did, in fury, the work of six men. All of the summer season was bad. For a few days the heat was overpowering and the air, saturated with electricity, would then discharge itself through violent storms which disturbed all levels of the atmosphere. It was rare when they did not hear a distant thunder. It was like a constant muffled murmur which occurs in the equatorial regions of the globe. The first of January, 1869, was even ushered in by a storm of extreme violence and lightning struck the island several times. Some large trees were hit and broken, among others THE SECRET OF THE ISLAND 397 ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ one of those enormous nettle trees which shaded the poultry yard at the southern end of the lake. Did this weather have some relation to the activity that was going on in the bowels of the earth? Did some connection exist between the disturbances in the air and the disturbances in the interior portions of the globe? Cyrus Smith was led to believe this because the development of these storms was marked by a renewed outbreak of volcanic symptoms. It was the 3rd of January that Herbert, having ascended to Grand View Plateau at daybreak to saddle one of the onagers, saw an enormous trail of smoke spreading out above the top of the volcano. Herbert immediately told the colonists who came running to look at the top of Mount Franklin. "Ah!" shouted Pencroff, "it is not vapor this time! It seems to me that the giant is no longer content to breathe but to smoke!" This image, used by the sailor, correctly indicated the change that had taken place at the mouth of the volcano. For the last three months, the crater had already emitted more or less intense vapors which still only originated from the interior boiling of the mineral material. This time there was a thick smoke in addition to the vapors, rising in a grayish column more than three hundred feet long at its base and spreading out like a huge mushroom to a height of seven or eight hundred feet above the top of the mountain. "The fire is in the chimney," said Gideon Spilett. "And we cannot extinguish it!" replied Herbert. "One should be able to sweep out volcanos," noted Neb, who seemed to speak as if he were serious. "Good, Neb," shouted Pencroff. "And will you take on this cleanup?" And Pencroff laughed heartily. Cyrus Smith carefully observed this thick smoke coming out of Mount Franklin and he even cocked his ear as if he expected to detect some distant rumbling. Then returning to his companions whom he had left a short distance away: "In fact, my friends, an important change has occurred which cannot remain hidden. The volcanic materials are no longer only in a boiling state, they have caught fire and very certainly we are menaced by an approaching eruption." "Well, Mister Smith, an eruption, we will see about that," shouted Pencroff, "and if it succeeds, we will applaud it! I do not think that we need concern ourselves with it!" "No, Pencroff," replied Cyrus Smith, "because the old lava path is always open and thanks to its inclination, the crater has poured out to the north until now. And yet..." "And yet, since there is no benefit to be derived from an eruption, it would be better if it did not take place," said the reporter. "Who knows?" replied the sailor. "There may perhaps be in this volcano some useful and precious material which it will obligingly vomit out and which we can put to good use." 398 THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ Cyrus Smith shook his head like a man who expected nothing good from this phenomenon whose development was so sudden. He did not view the consequences of an eruption as lightly as Pencroff did. If the lava, as a consequence of the orientation of the crater, did not directly menace the wooded and cultivated parts of the island, other complications could present themselves. In fact it is not rare for eruptions to be accompanied by earthquakes and an island of the nature of Lincoln Island, formed of such diverse materials, basalts on one side, granite on the other, lava to the north, soft soil in the middle, materials which in consequence could not be firmly held together, would run the risk of breaking up. If hence, the overflow of volcanic substances did not constitute a very serious danger, any movement of the terrestrial shell which would shake the island could produce extremely serious consequences. "It seems to me," said Ayrton, who had put his ear to the ground, "It seems to me that I hear some muffled rumblings like a cart loaded with iron bars." The colonists listened carefully and could affirm that Ayrton was not mistaken. At times a whistling sound was mixed with the rumblings, forming a sort of "rinforzando" dying out little by little as if some violent wind had passed through the depths of the globe. But no detonation, properly called, was heard as yet. They could thus conclude that the vapor and the smoke found a free passage through the central chimney and since the valve was rather large, no dislocation would be produced and no explosion was to be feared. "So!" Pencroff then said, "shall we return to work? Let Mount Franklin smoke, brawl, groan and vomit fire and flames as much as it pleases, that is no reason to be idle! Come Ayrton, Neb, Herbert, Mister Cyrus, Mister Spilett, everyone must be at work today! We are ready to put the wales in place and a dozen hands will not be too many. Before two months are over I want our new 'Bonadventure' - because we will use this name, is that not so - to float on the waters of Port Balloon! So there is not an hour to lose." All the colonists, whose hands were requisitioned by Pencroff, descended to the shipyard and proceeded to put in place the wales, which are thick planks that form a belt around a boat and firmly tie together the timbers of its frame. It was a long and arduous task in which everyone had to take part. They worked industriously during the entire day of the 3rd of January without concerning themselves with the volcano, which besides they could not see from the Granite House beach. But once or twice large clouds veiled the sun which, in describing its daily path in an extremely pure sky, indicated that a thick haze of smoke passed between its disk and the island. The wind, blowing in the open, carried all these vapors westward. Cyrus Smith and Gideon Spilett took good note of these passing clouds and during several rest breaks they talked about the progress which the volcanic phenomenon was THE SECRET OF THE ISLAND 399 ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ evidently making, but the work was not interrupted. It was besides, in their best interest from all points of view, that the boat be finished with the briefest delay. Considering the many things that could occur, the security of the colonists could not be better guaranteed. Who could say if the vessel would not one day be their only refuge? That evening, after supper, Cyrus Smith, Gideon Spilett and Herbert again ascended Grand View Plateau. Night had already come on and the darkness would permit them to determine if the vapors and the smoke accumulating at the mouth of the crater were mixed either with flames or with incandescent material thrown out by the volcano. "The crater is on fire," shouted Herbert who, being more nimble than his companions, was the first to reach the plateau. Mount Franklin, about six miles away, appeared then like a gigantic torch on top of which some fuliginous flames were twirling about. There was so much smoke and slag and ashes perhaps mixed in, that their very feeble glare did not keenly affect the darkness of the night. But a sort of fawn colored glimmer diffused over the island and the nearby woods vaguely stood out. An immense cloud covered the sky through which several stars twinkled. "The progress is rapid!" said the engineer. "That is not astonishing," replied the reporter. "The awakening of the volcano has already been going on for some time. You will recall, Cyrus, that the first vapors appeared about the time we were searching the buttresses of the mountain to discover Captain Nemo's retreat. That was, if I am not mistaken, about the 15th of October." "Yes!" replied Herbert, "which is already two and a half months!" "The subterranean fires have thus been incubating for ten weeks," continued Gideon Spilett, "and it is not astonishing that they are now so violent." "Don't you feel certain vibrations in the ground?" asked Cyrus Smith. "Quite so," replied Gideon Spilett, "but that will not lead to an earthquake..." "I do not say that we are menaced by an earthquake," replied Cyrus Smith, "and may God save us from that! No. These vibrations are due to the agitation of the central fire. The terrestrial shell is nothing more than the wall of a boiler and you know that the wall of a boiler, under gas pressure, vibrates like a sounding board. It is this effect which is produced at this moment." "What magnificent sprays of fire!" shouted Herbert. At this moment, a sort of cluster of fireworks spurt out from the crater which the vapors could not conceal. Thousands of luminous fragments and fiery sparks went in all directions. Some reached above the smoke, bursting in sudden sprays and leaving behind them a real incandescent cloud. This illumination was accompanied by successive detonations, like the splitting noise from an artillery battery. 400 THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ Cyrus Smith, the reporter and the lad, after having passed an hour on Grand View Plateau, redescended to the beach and reached Granite House. The engineer was pensive, even preoccupied to the point that Gideon Spilett felt that he should ask him if he had a foreboding of some approaching danger of which the eruption would be the direct or indirect cause. "Yes and no," replied Cyrus Smith. "Nevertheless," continued the reporter, "isn't the greatest misfortune which could overtake us, an earthquake which would overturn the island? Now I do not feel that this is to be feared since the vapors and the lava have found a free passage to overflow to the outside." "I also," replied Cyrus Smith, "do not fear an earthquake in the sense that is ordinarily given, of convulsions of the ground provoked by the expansion of subterranean vapors. But other causes can bring on great disasters." "Such as, my dear Cyrus?" "I do not know enough... it is necessary that I see... that I visit the mountain... Before a few days are over I will have made up my mind." Gideon Spilett did not insist and soon, in spite of the detonations of the volcano whose intensity increased and were repeated in the echoes of the island, the hosts of Granite House were in a deep sleep. Three days passed, the 4th, 5th and 6th of January. They always worked on the construction of the boat and without otherwise giving any explanation, the engineer accelerated the work with all his power. Mount Franklin was then wrapped in a sinister dark cloud and with the flames it vomited incandescent rocks, some of which fell back into the crater itself. Pencroff only wanted to consider the phenomenon from an amusing point of view and said: "Look! The giant who plays at cup-and-ball! The giant who juggles!" And in fact, the vomited material fell back into the abyss and it did not seem that the lava, pumped up by the interior pressure, was any higher than the orifice of the crater. In any event, the northwest outlet, which was partly visible, did not discharge any torrent on the northern slope of the mountain. However, much as they pressed on with the construction, other cares claimed the presence of the colonists at various places on the island. Before anything else, someone had to go to the corral where the flock of sheep and goats were enclosed, to renew the fodder for these animals. It was therefore agreed that Ayrton would return there the next day, the 7th of January, and since he could do this task by himself as was his custom, Pencroff and the others manifested a certain surprise when they heard the engineer say to Ayrton: "Since you are going to the corral tomorrow, I will accompany you there." THE SECRET OF THE ISLAND 401 ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ "Well, Mister Cyrus," shouted the sailor, "our work days are limited and if you also leave, we will have four hands less!" "We will return the next day," replied Cyrus Smith, "but I must go to the corral... I want to see how the eruption is coming along." "The eruption! The eruption!" replied Pencroff with little satisfaction. "This eruption is of no importance and it hardly concerns me." In spite of what the sailor said, the exploration planned by the engineer was kept for the next day. Herbert wanted to accompany Cyrus Smith but he did not want to go contrary to Pencroff by absenting himself. The next day at dawn, Cyrus Smith and Ayrton climbed into the cart drawn by the two onagers. They took to the corral road at a good trot. Above the forest passed large clouds to which Mount Franklin continually furnished sooty matter. These clouds, which weighed heavily in the sky, were evidently composed of heterogeneous substances. It was not only the smoke from the volcano which made them so strangely opaque and heavy. Slag in the form of dust with pulverized pozzuolana and grey cinders as fine as the finest cereal, were held in suspension in thick spirals. These cinders are so fine that they are sometimes seen in the sky for months. After the eruption in 1783 in Iceland, the atmosphere was so full of volcanic dust that the rays of the sun could barely pierce through for over a year. But most often these pulverized materials fall down and that is what happened on this occasion. Cyrus Smith and Ayrton had barely arrived at the corral when a sort of black snow, resembling a light gun powder, fell and instantly changed the appearance of the ground. Trees, prairies, everything disappeared under a layer measuring several inches in thickness. But very fortunately the wind blew from the northeast and the largest part of the cloud dissolved itself over the sea . "That is strange, Mister Smith," said Ayrton. "That is serious," replied the engineer. "This pozzuolana, these pulverized pumice rocks, all this mineral dust in a word, shows how acute is the turmoil in the lower layers of the volcano." "But is there nothing to be done?" "Nothing but to record the progress of the phenomenon. Occupy yourself then, Ayrton, with the needs of the corral. During this time I will ascend to the sources of Red Creek and I will examine the condition of the mountain on its northern slope. Then..." "Then... Mister Smith." "Then we will pay a visit to Dakkar Crypt... I want to see... In short I will return for you in two hours." Ayrton then went inside the corral and while waiting for the return of the engineer he occupied himself with the sheep 402 THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ and the goats who seemed to experience a certain uneasiness at the first symptoms of an eruption. Cyrus Smith ventured to the top of the eastern buttresses, rounded Red Creek and reached the place where his companions and he had discovered a sulphur source at the time of their first expedition. How things had changed. In place of a single column of smoke, he counted thirteen bursting out of the ground as if they were violently propelled by some piston. It was evident that the terrestrial crust was subject to a frightful pressure at this point of the globe. The atmosphere was saturated with sulphur gas, with hydrogen and with carbonic acid mixed with humid vapors. Cyrus Smith felt vibrations from some volcanic tuffs which were scattered over the plain. They were only pulverulent cinders which in time would become hard blocks, but he still did not see any trace of new lava. The engineer was able to affirm this better when he saw the northern side of Mount Franklin. Eddies of smoke and flame escaped from the crater; a shower of slag fell on the ground; but no overflow of lava was seen from the neck of the crater, which proved that the level of the volcanic materials had still not reached the upper opening of the central chimney. "And I would much prefer that it did!" said Cyrus Smith to himself. "At least I would be certain that the lava had taken its usual path. Who knows if it will not overflow by some new opening? But that is not the danger! Captain Nemo foresaw it well! No! The danger is not there." Cyrus Smith advanced up to the enormous embankment which extended to the border of the narrow Shark Gulf. He could then adequately examine the face of the old streaks of lava. He had no doubt that the last eruption dated back a long time. Then he retraced his steps, listening to the subterranean rumblings which sounded like a continual thunder and from which loud detonations let loose. At nine o'clock in the morning he returned to the corral. Ayrton was waiting for him. "The animals are attended to, Mister Smith," said Ayrton. "Good, Ayrton." "They seem uneasy, Mr. Smith." "Yes, instinct speaks in them, and instinct is not mistaken." "When do you wish..." "Take a lantern and a flint, Ayrton," replied the engineer, "and let us leave." Ayrton did as he was commanded. The onagers were unharnessed and wandered off into the corral. The door was closed from the outside and Cyrus Smith, preceding Ayrton, took the narrow path which led to the western coast. Both walked on soil padded by pulverized material fallen from the clouds. No quadruped appeared in the woods. The birds themselves had fled. At times a passing breeze lifted the layer of cinder and the two colonists, caught in an opaque eddy, could no longer see. They then had to take care to apply a handkerchief to their eyes and their mouths because they then THE SECRET OF THE ISLAND 403 ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ ran the risk of being blinded and suffocated. Under these conditions, Cyrus Smith and Ayrton could not move quickly. Besides, the air was heavy as if its oxygen had been partly burnt and this made breathing difficult. Every hundred feet they had to stop to catch their breath. Thus it was after ten o'clock when the engineer and his companion reached the crest of this enormous heap of basaltic and porphyritic rocks which formed the northwest coast of the island. Ayrton and Cyrus Smith began to descend this abrupt coast following very nearly the difficult road which had led them to Dakkar Crypt during that night of the storm. In full daylight this descent was less perilous and besides, a layer of cinders covered the polished rocks, assuring them a firmer footing on the sloping surfaces. The shoulder which extended along the shore at a height of about forty feet was soon reached. Cyrus Smith remembered that this shoulder descended with a gentle slope to the level of the sea. Although the tide was low at the moment, no beach was visible and the waves, dirtied by the volcanic dust, struck directly against the basalts of the coast. Cyrus Smith and Ayrton again found the opening to Dakkar Crypt without difficulty and they stopped at the last rock which formed the lower floor of the shoulder. "The iron plated boat should be there," said the engineer. "It is there, Mister Smith," replied Ayrton, pulling toward him the light boat which was sheltered under the arch of the arcade. "Let us embark, Ayrton." The two colonists got into the boat. A gentle ondulation of the waves propelled it further under the very low arch of the crypt and there Ayrton struck the flint and lit the lantern. Then he took to the oars. The lantern was placed at the bow of the boat with its rays projecting ahead. Cyrus Smith took the rudder and went into the darkness of the crypt. The Nautilus was no longer there to illuminate this somber cavern with its lights. Perhaps the electrical radiation, constantly nourished by its powerful furnace, was still shining at the bottom of the water but no light left the abyss where Captain Nemo reposed. The light from the lantern, although insufficient, nevertheless permitted the engineer to advance following the right wall of the crypt. A deadly silence reigned under this vault, at least in its anterior portion. But soon Cyrus Smith heard distinct rumblings which came from the bowels of the mountain. "It is the volcano," he said. Soon, with the noise, chemical combinations were betrayed by a vivid odor and the sulphurous vapors seized the engineer and his companion by the throat. "That is what Captain Nemo feared!" murmured Cyrus Smith, whose face paled slightly. Nevertheless he had to go to the end.