The Mysterious Island Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Captain Grant's Children

Chapter 131 The Mysterious Island (16)
The giant animal rushed towards the dog, who appeared to have noticed this and was swimming towards the shore to avoid it.Its owner was anxious on the bank, but could do nothing to save him, before Jardine Splane or Harbert thought of using their bows to help Top.Top was caught by the dugong and quickly disappeared on the water.

Neb, holding an iron-clad spear in his hand, wanted to rush to save the dog, and planned to attack the dugong in the waters where the dugong lived.

"Don't go, Neb," said the engineer, stopping his valiant servant.

At this time, a struggle was going on underwater, which was obviously inexplicable.Because, in that environment, Top was clearly no match for the dugong.The bubbles under the water kept popping up violently, from which we can know that this must be a very fierce struggle.Everyone agreed that the fight would eventually end with the dog's death!When everyone was worried, suddenly, surrounded by a circle of bubbles, Top appeared in front of everyone again.It seemed as if it had been thrown by some great force, rose ten feet into the air above the lake, and then fell again into the water, which had been muddied by the fighting.After a while, Top swam to the shore smoothly and came back miraculously.Top was found to have suffered only a slight injury.

Cyrus Harding and his companions had been watching all this with bewilderment.What happened, everything is still unexplained!There are still bubbles popping out of the water, and it can be seen that the struggle under the water is still going on.The dugong may have been wrestling with some powerful animal.After letting the dog go, he may now be fighting for his own good.

The fluctuation of the water surface did not last long, and the blood emerged from the bottom of the water bit by bit.The water in this part of the lake was stained red with blood, and the motionless body of the dugong floated out of the expanse of scarlet blood, and was quickly washed to the small sandy beach at the southern corner of the lake.

Everyone run there quickly.As expected, the dugong is dead.This should be regarded as a huge animal, about fifteen feet in length, and about three thousand to four thousand pounds in weight.To everyone's surprise, there was a wound on the dugong's neck, which seemed to be cut open by a sharp knife.

What kind of amphibian should be able to kill the huge and terrifying dugong in such a violent way?No one can figure it out.Cyrus Harding and his companions returned to the Chimney full of doubts.

bang

The next day, May 5th, Neb stayed to prepare lunch, and Cyrus Harding and Jardine Splane climbed Prospect Heights, where Harbert and Pencroft were walking along the river And up, restock the firewood you need.

Engineers and journalists also quickly arrived at this small sandy beach in the Sha Spit of Hunan Province, where the dugong was stranded.An unknown flock of birds was already feasting on the pile of meat.They stoned away the flock of birds, which were eating with gusto, for Cyrus Harding wanted to preserve the fat of the dugong, which he might use to supply the public in case of need.Dugong meat itself is a high-quality food, and it is also a noble food.In Malaya, it was once reserved for the local monarchs.Use it to make delicious food, which is what Naboo will do.

At this moment, Cyrus Harding's mind was still spinning, and many things appeared in his mind.What happened the day before was still clearly in his mind, and it kept haunting him.He really wanted to know the secret of the underwater fight, and also wanted to know what kind of animal it was, a mastodon or some other water monster, that caused such a strange wound to the dugong.

So, he stood silently by the lake watching and observing.The calm lake still glistened blindingly in the rising sun, but he saw nothing.

The small beach where the dugong body was taken over was not very deep, but from here, the bottom of the lake gradually dropped, getting deeper and deeper. It should be in the middle of the lake, where the water is the deepest.This lake is like a huge water pan filled with red river water.

"Hey, Cyrus," asked the reporter, "I don't think there's anything suspicious about this lake?"

"No, my dear Spline," replied the engineer, "but I really don't know how to explain yesterday's events!"

Jardine Splane added: "I admit that the wounds on the dead amphibian are very strange, and what I can't explain is how it was possible to throw Top high with such force. The surface of the water? It was as if a mighty arm had thrown Top out, and it was this arm that had killed the dugong with a dagger!"

The engineer replied, "Yes." He thought for a moment, and then added, "There is one thing I still don't understand. But have you figured it out, my dear Spline, how I was saved, how I got out of danger Get out of the waves and be sent to the safe dunes? Why do I feel that this is not real? So, I think there must be a secret in it, but maybe someday we will find out the secret. Let's keep an eye on it, Don't always mention these strange things in front of your partners. If you have any ideas, keep them in your heart first, and let's continue to work."

It is known that the engineer had not yet discovered where the excess water was drained, but he had not found any evidence of past flooding, and concluded that there must be a drain somewhere.But at this very moment Cyrus Harding was surprised to hear a very loud rush of water.The sound is so real that it feels like the current is nearby.He threw a few small pieces of wood.Following the current, the pieces of wood floated towards the south corner.He walked on the shore of the lake along the current and came to the sand spit on the south side of the lake.

There, the lake suddenly sank, as if entering some invisible crack in the ground.

Cyrus Harding put his ear to the surface of the lake and listened carefully, when he heard the very distinct sound of an underground waterfall.

"I found it, here it is," he stood up and said loudly, "the discharge of the lake water is here, and the lake water may have flowed into the sea through an underground pipe in the granite plateau, through caves we don't know yet. And those The cave is just right for us to use! Great, I'll figure it out!"

The engineer cut down a long branch, removed the leaves, and thrust the branch into the corner between the two banks.He soon discerned that there was a big hole just a foot below the surface of the water. This was the drain that they had been looking for but could not find before.It appeared that the force of the current was so strong that the branch was quickly swept away from the engineer's hands and disappeared in no time.

"It is now certain," repeated Cyrus Harding, "that there is the drain we are looking for, and I will find a way to bring it out."

Jardin Splane asks: "What do we do now?"

"Lower the water three feet."

"How can it be lowered?"

"Also open up a larger outlet than this."

"Cyrus, where is it?"

"It could be on that part of the lake that is closest to the shore."

"But that's an extremely hard granite lakeshore!" said the reporter.

"That won't trouble us," replied Cyrus Harding, "I'll blow it open, so that the lake will be lowered as the water runs away, and the outlet will be exposed..."

The reporter added: "And when the lake water falls on the beach, it will form a waterfall."

"A waterfall that works for us!" replied Cyrus, "come, come!"

The engineer led away his companion, who had the utmost admiration and confidence in Cyrus Harding.He had no doubts that his approach would succeed.But how to blast this hard granite shore?How can these rocks be disintegrated without explosives and without the necessary tools?This is definitely a big project that is beyond the engineer's ability and killed him.

When Cyrus Harding and the reporter returned to the Chimney, they saw Harbert and Pencroft busy unloading the rafts.

"The woodcutters are finishing their work, Mr. Cyrus!" laughed the sailor. "When you need a plasterer..."

Before the sailor finished speaking, the engineer took over: "Plasterers are not needed, but chemists are needed."

"Yeah," the reporter added, "we're going to blow up the island..."

"Island bombing!" cried Pencroft.

Jardin Splain chimed in, "At least some of it must be blown up!"

"Listen, my friends!" said the engineer, and he told them what he had observed.According to his observation, there may be a cave of variable size in the granite pile carrying "Prospect Hill", and he is going to drill into it to see if it can provide convenience for everyone to live in.Therefore, it was first necessary to reveal the opening of the hole, from which the water drained.In this way, another larger outlet has to be opened, and the water is also released from the other outlet, so that the water level can be lowered.So it was necessary to create an explosive that would open a large drain on another part of the lakeshore.This is exactly what Cyrus Harding wanted to do.He wants to use the minerals that nature has prepared for him to complete his ideas.

To the great cheer of all--Pencroft especially--the plan was unanimously approved.Take a decisive step, and blast the granite to form a waterfall, which is exactly what Pencroft likes!He could be a good bricklayer or a shoemaker, and this time, he might be a good chemist too, since engineers need chemists.He would do what he was asked to do, "even as a teacher of dancing and etiquette," he told Neb, if need be.

At this time, the first thing Neb and Pencroft needed to do was to extract the fat of the dugong, and to preserve its meat for everyone to eat.The others set off immediately, not even understanding what the engineer was thinking.Because, they trust engineers.

Not long after they had gone, Cyrus Harding, Harbert, and Jardine Splain, dragging baskets, up the river towards the coal seams, where there were rich deposits of flaked pyrite. mine.Indeed, the most recently formed transitional strata have these things.And Cyrus Harding had brought back a sample.

It took a whole day to transport the pyrite to the "chimney" one by one.By night, there were several tons of pyrite there.

After this day, May 5, engineers began to experiment with making explosives.The shape of pyrite is flaky, and its main components are coal, silica, oxide anchor and iron sulfide - because the content of iron sulfide is too much, it must be separated first and converted into iron sulfate as soon as possible to obtain sulfuric acid After iron, the sulfuric acid can be extracted.

At this point, the goal has actually been achieved.The level of a country's industrial development can be measured from its consumption of sulfuric acid.Because, sulfuric acid is one of the most commonly used substances.In the future, this substance will be extremely useful to everyone, and can be used to tan leather and make candles, etc.Right now, the engineer wants to save it for another use.

Behind the "chimney," Cyrus Harding selected a site and carefully leveled it.He placed a pile of twigs and split firewood on the leveled ground, and placed some flake pyrite on the pile, and made them support each other so that they would not collapse; There is a thin layer of pyrite on top, and these pyrites have been smashed into small pieces the size of walnuts in advance.

Immediately afterwards, several layers of smashed pyrite were placed, thus forming a large pile, and the outside was covered with soil and grass, and a few ventilation holes were left, just like burning charcoal.When this was done, the wood was lit, and the heat of the fire spread to the slate.The slate also burned because it contained coal and sulphur.

Then, you can let the conversion work do it alone.It takes at least ten to twelve days for the sulfur to turn into ferric sulphate and the aluminum oxide to aluminum sulphate, both of which are soluble in water, the rest, like coke, silica and ash, are not .

While this chemical work was done by itself, Cyrus Harding arranged for his companions to do other things.Everyone is full of enthusiasm and energy, and they are all working hard to complete the task.

Neb and Pencroft had stripped Ruliang of the fat, and stored it in great earthen jars.Saponification is required to extract a component of fat, glycerin.However, to achieve this result, it needs to be treated with lime or soda.It is true that any of these two substances can chemically react with fat and separate glycerin to form soap.And this glycerin is what the engineers want.Everyone knows that he has no shortage of lime, but if he uses lime to process it, he may only produce calcium soap, and this soap cannot be dissolved in water, so it is useless at all, and the treatment with soda is just right. Instead, it is possible to create a soap that dissolves in water, which can be used for daily cleaning.Being a practical man, Cyrus Harding would have done his best to get soda.Is the job difficult?not difficult!Because there are a lot of marine plants growing on the beach, such as salicornia, pine leaf bamboo and many carrageenan plants.They form various seaweeds.So they collected many of these plants, first dried them, and then burned them in open pits.Burning continued for several days, which allowed the temperature to be high enough to melt the ashes of the plants.Incineration to get a bunch of things with a tight structure, light gray, this is "natural soda".

Having obtained this "natural soda," engineers used it to treat fats, both to make soluble soap and to make glycerin, a neutral substance.

But these are not enough.For subsequent preparations, Cyrus Harding required another important substance, potassium nitrate, commonly known as saltpeter or nitrate.

Cyrus Harding originally worked with potash to make this substance, which is easily extracted from the ashes of plants by means of nitrates.What he wanted most was nitric acid, which he just didn't have.This creates a vicious circle that he cannot escape.Fortunately, this time nature provided him with saltpeter.He doesn't need to exert any more effort, he can get it by bowing his head.Hubbert discovered a rich seam of saltpeter at the foot of "Franklin Peak" on the north side of the island, and now it was only necessary to purify this salt.

The projects continued like this for a week.Iron sulfide has not been converted into iron sulfate, it is over.In the next few days, everyone still had some time, so they made some refractory pottery pipes with plastic clay, and built a furnace with bricks together. This furnace will have a special purpose. As long as you get iron sulfate, you can It is ready for distillation.All this work was finally completed around May 5, about the same time as the chemical transformation was completed.Jardine Splane, Harbert, Neb, and Pencroft, under the careful direction of the Engineer, were transformed into the most dexterous workmen in the world.Besides, of all teachers, the most needed is the one who can both attract the attention of the students and teach the best.

When the mass of pyrite was completely reduced by the fire, the final remnants—consisting of iron sulfate, aluminum sulfate, silica, cinders, and ash—were placed in a basin filled with water .They stirred the mixture well, allowed it to settle, and finally filtered the liquid, thus obtaining a clearer liquid.This liquid contains iron sulfate and aluminum sulfate, while the other substances remain solid because they are insoluble in water.Then, these liquids are partially vaporized, and crystalline ferric sulfate is deposited, and as the mother liquor, that is, the non-vaporized liquid containing aluminum sulfate, it has no use and is discarded.

Cyrus Harding thus had at his disposal sufficient crystalline iron sulphate to extract sulfuric acid from it.

In actual industrial practice, the production of sulfuric acid requires a complete set of expensive equipment.To build a large-scale factory, purchase special equipment, and also need platinum-made instruments, as well as lead chambers that are not corroded by acid and can be used for chemical reactions, etc. The engineer does not have so many equipment to use, but he understands, Especially in Bohemia, sulfuric acid can be manufactured by some relatively simple methods.Although these methods are crude, they have many advantages and can produce high-concentration sulfuric acid.In this way, the famous Nordhausen sulfuric acid can be produced.

In order to obtain sulfuric acid, such a process must be done: use a sealed crock to obtain crystalline iron sulfate by roasting, so that the sulfuric acid in it can be distilled into steam, and sulfuric acid can be produced after the steam condenses.

Now we can know what the refractory pots are for. They are used to do this. The crystals are placed in them, and the heat of the furnace can distill the iron sulfate into sulfuric acid.The whole operation process was completed very smoothly in this way. On May 5th, that is, No. 20 days after the beginning of this process, the engineer possessed a large number of this substance which he intends to use in various ways in the future.

But why did he make this substance?Very simple, the purpose is to make nitric acid, and now it seems that this is very easy to obtain.The reason is that saltpeter and sulfuric acid can react chemically, and then through distillation, nitric acid can be produced.

But how should he use nitric acid?This is something his companions haven't figured out yet, because he hasn't finished it yet.

But the engineer should reach his goal soon, and the last process also allowed him to obtain the substance that needs to go through so many steps to make.

(End of this chapter)