Part 8 (1/2)
”Oh, good old Pencroft! Won't he be pleased? But we ive us our share”
”Ah! an idea occurs toto Pencroft yet; ill prepare these leaves, and one fine day ill present hiht, Herbert, and on that day our worthy co left to wish for in this world”
The reporter and the lad secured a good store of the precious plant, and then returned to Granite House, where they sled it in with as ilant and severe of custo and Neb were taken into confidence, and the sailor suspected nothing during the whole ti, which was required in order to dry the small leaves, chop them up, and subject them to a certain torrefaction on hot stones This took two months; but all these manipulations were successfully carried on unknown to Pencroft, for, occupied with the construction of his boat, he only returned to Granite House at the hour of rest
For some days they had observed an enor around Lincoln Island This was a whale of the largest size, which apparently belonged to the southern species, called the ”Cape Whale”
”What a lucky chance it would be if we could capture it!” cried the sailor ”Ah, if we only had a proper boat and a good harpoon, I would say, 'After the beast,' for he would be orth the trouble of catching!”
”Well, Pencroft,” observed Harding, ”I shoulda harpoon It would be very interesting”
”I am astonished,” said the reporter, ”to see a whale in this coh latitude”
”Why so, Mr Spilett?” replied Herbert ”We are exactly in that part of the Pacific which English and American whalemen call the whale field, and it is here, between New Zealand and South America, that the whales of the southern hereatest numbers”
And Pencroft returned to his work, not without uttering a sigh of regret, for every sailor is a born fisher is in exact proportion to the size of the aniht of a whale And if this had only been for pleasure! But they could not help feeling how valuable such a prize would have been to the colony, for the oil, the fat, and the bones would have been put to many uses
Now it happened that this whale appeared to have no wish to leave the waters of the island Therefore, whether frohts, Herbert and Gideon Spilett, when they were not hunting, or Neb unless presiding over his fires, never left the telescope, but watched all the ani entered far into Union Bay, made rapid furrows across it from Mandible Cape to Claw Cape, propelled by its enormously powerful flukes, on which it supported itself, and h the water at the rate little short of twelve knots an hour Sometimes also it approached so near to the island that it could be clearly distinguished It was the southern whale, which is co more depressed than that of the northern whale
They could also see it throwing up froht, a cloud of vapour, or of water, for, strange as it reed on this subject Is it air or is it water which is thus driven out? It is generally ad suddenly by contact with the cold air, falls again as rain
However, the presence of this mammifer preoccupied the colonists It irritated Pencroft especially as he could think of nothing else while at work He ended by longing for it, like a child for a thing which it has been denied At night he talked about it in his sleep, and certainly if he had had theit, if the sloop had been in a fit state to put to sea, he would not have hesitated to set out in pursuit
But what the colonists could not do for themselves, chance did for them, and on the 3rd of May, shouts from Neb, who had stationed himself at the kitchen , announced that the whale was stranded on the beach of the island
Herbert and Gideon Spilett, ere just about to set out hunting, left their guns, Pencroft thren his axe, and Harding and Neb joining their companions, all rushed towards the scene of action
The stranding had taken place on the beach of Flotsah tide It was therefore probable that the cetacean would not be able to extricate itself easily, at any rate it was best to hasten, so as to cut off its retreat if necessary They ran with pick-axes and iron-tipped poles in their hands, passed over the Mercy bridge, descended the right bank of the river, along the beach, and in less than twenty minutes the settlers were close to the enormous animal, above which flocks of birds already hovered
”What a monster!” cried Neb
And the exclahty feet long, a giant of the species, probably not weighing less than a hundred and fifty thousand pounds!
In the meanwhile, theto regain the water whilst the tide was still high
It was dead, and a harpoon was sticking out of its left side
”There are whalers in these quarters, then?” said Gideon Spilett directly
[Illustration: A VALUABLE PRIZE]
”Oh, Mr Spilett, that doesn't prove anything!” replied Pencroft ”Whales have been known to go thousands of ht even have been struck in the north of the Atlantic and co astonishi+ng”
Pencroft, having torn the harpoon from the animal's side, read this inscription on it:-- ”'MARIA STELLA,' ”VINEYARD”
”A vessel from the Vineyard! A shi+p from my country!” he cried ”The Maria Stella! A fine whaler, 'pon my word; I know her well! Oh, my friends, a vessel from the Vineyard!--a whaler from the Vineyard!”[1]
[1] A port in the State of New York
And the sailor brandishi+ng the harpoon, repeated, not without emotion, the name which he loved so well--the name of his birthplace
But as it could not be expected that the Maria Stella would come to reclai it up before decomposition should commence The birds, who had watched this rich prey for several days, had determined to take possession of it without further delay, and it was necessary to drive the at thee quantity ofto the opinion of the naturalist Duffenbach, ht pass for cow's milk, and, indeed, it differs from it neither in taste, colour, nor density
Pencroft had for-shi+p, and he couldup--a sufficiently disagreeable operation lasting three days, but from which the settlers did not flinch, not even Gideon Spilett, who, as the sailor said, would end by ood castaway”
The blubber, cut in parallel slices of two feet and a half in thickness, then divided into pieces which h about a thousand pounds each, was ht to the spot, for they did not wish to taint the environs of Granite House, and in this fusion it lost nearly a third of its weight
But there was an iue alone yielded six thousand pounds of oil, and the lower lip four thousand Then, besides the fat, which would insure for a long tilycerine, there were still the bones, for which a use could doubtless be found, although there were neither umbrellas nor stays used at Granite House The upper part of the mouth of the cetacean was, indeed, provided on both sides with eight hundred horny blades, very elastic, of a fibrous texture, and fringed at the edge like great co, served to retain the thousands of animalculae, little fish, and molluscs, on which the whale fed
The operation finished, to the great satisfaction of the operators, the remains of the anie of it disappear, and their usual daily occupations were resumed by the in to the dockyard, Cyrus Harding conceived the idea of fabricating certain reatly excited the curiosity of his companions He took a dozen of the whale's bones, cut them into six equal parts, and sharpened their ends
”This machine is not my own invention, and it is frequently employed by the Aleutian hunters in Russian America You see these bones, my friends; well, when it freezes, I will bend them, and then wet them ater till they are entirely covered with ice, which will keep the previously covered thery animal ss one of these baits? Why, the heat of his stoht, will pierce hienious!” said Pencroft
”And it will spare the powder and shot,” rejoined Cyrus Harding
”That will be better than traps!” added Neb
In the ressed, and towards the end of thewas completed It could already be seen that her shape was excellent, and that she would sail well
Pencroft worked with unparalleled ardour, and only a sturdy fraue; but his co in secret a reward for his labours, and on the 31st of May he was to reatest joy's of his life
On that day, after dinner, just as he was about to leave the table, Pencroft felt a hand on his shoulder
It was the hand of Gideon Spilett, who said,-- ”One moment, Master Pencroft, you otten your dessert”
”Thank you, Mr Spilett,” replied the sailor, ”I a back to my work”
”Well a cup of coffee,more”
”A pipe, then?”