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

Chapter 133 The Mysterious Island (18)
At this time, most of everyone's wishes have been realized.Very fortunate, relying on the sagacity and foresight of their leader, with the help of nature.At last they had a huge cavern at their disposal, whose capacity they could not yet estimate because of the lack of light from the torches, and if they built some partitions with bricks, they would surely be able to divide it into several rooms, although it could not yet be called It's a real house, but it could count as a spacious dwelling.The lake has been completely drained and will not come back.The place was vacated.

In this way, two more problems appeared: first, to find a way to make the cave formed in the whole solid rock bright; second, it must be easier to enter and exit.As for lighting, don't try to do it from overhead, because the granite on the roof of the cave is so thick that it may be able to cut through the front, facing the sea.Cyrus Harding, as he went down, made a rough estimate of the slope of the tunnel, and also of its length, so that there was good reason to think that the thickness of the rock in the front part was not great.If the lighting problem can be solved in this way, the access problem can also be solved.It is as easy to chisel a door as it is to chisel several windows.Likewise, setting up a ladder outside is easy.

Cyrus Harding told the big guys what he thought.

"Well, then, my dear Mr. Cyrus Harding, let us do it. My pickaxe is quite capable of chipping through the wall and letting in the sunlight. But where shall we start?"

The engineer replied: "From here." As the engineer said, he pointed out a large-scale depression on the rock wall to the strong sailor. It is estimated that the rock wall in this depression must be thinner.

Pencroft began to hew the granite, and in the dim light of the torches flitted about him in fragments of the hewn granite, and the rocks burst into sparks under the impact of the pickaxe.Nab replaced him, and Jardine Sbrian replaced Nab.

After two hours of work, they were worrying about what to do if the wall was thicker than the pickaxe.Suddenly, with Jardin Splain's final push, the tool went through the rock wall and fell outside.

Pencroft exclaimed happily: "Very good! Very good!".

It turned out that the rock wall at that place was only three feet thick.

Cyrus Harding came, and put his eyes on the opening, and looked out.The hole was eighty feet off the ground.What unfolded before him was the edge of the coast and small islands, and beyond that was the vast sea.

The hole is still quite large, and the rock has been visibly weathered.There was a great deal of light coming in, filling the wide cavern, and a magical effect was created!The hole is noticeably brighter, and it is now possible to observe it carefully.The part on the left is not more than thirty feet high and wide, and one hundred feet long; the part on the right, on the contrary, has a great space, and the height of the vault is more than eighty feet.In several places irregular granite pillars supported the keystones of the vaults, and those keystones looked like the naves of a cathedral.The vault on the other side resting on the side arches, descends here in an arc, rises there to reach the top of the arches, and then disappears again between the dark beam intervals, which, even in the Their oddly shaped arches can also be vaguely seen in the shadows.These arches are decorated with a large number of protrusions, and these protrusions seem to form as many corners.Human beings with great wisdom have built buildings in Byzantine, Roman and Gothic styles, and this vault is a magical fusion of all these styles.But here, all this is a masterpiece of nature!It is it who excavated this fairyland-like Velhabra Palace alone in this granite highland during the long years. The Arabic original meaning is the Red Palace. It is a famous Islamic architectural monument in medieval Spain. man's palace. !
Everyone was amazed by this.They thought it would be nice to find a narrow cave, but they found a magical palace far beyond people's expectations.Neb took off his hat, as if he were in a solemn temple!
Everyone raved about it.The whole cave echoed with applause, causing bursts of echoes, and finally disappeared at the end of the dark hall.

Cyrus Harding said aloud: "My dear friends, when the interior of this height is sufficiently lighted and less damp, we may arrange the bedrooms, storehouses, and pantries in the left part, and the rest of the Magnificent caves that we can transform into our study rooms and museums!"

Hubbert asked, "Then what shall we call it?"

"Granite House," replied Cyrus Harding, and again the cheers of his companions arose from the delightful name.

At this time, almost all the torches have been burned out. If you want to go back, you must go up the tunnel to get back to the top of the highland.So, everyone decided to tidy up the new house tomorrow.

Before leaving, Cyrus Harding stooped again to observe the dark well which fell straight down to the level of the sea, and listened intently for a while.But he heard nothing, not even the sound of water, the occasional heaving and heaving of the depths.Another burning branch was dropped.

The wall of the well was illuminated for a moment, this time it was still the same as last time, and nothing suspicious was revealed.If there was a certain water monster that was suddenly startled by the retreat of the lake, it would have returned to the sea by now through the underground passage extending into the sea.It was through that underground channel that the overfilled lake flowed away before the new outlet was created.

However, the engineer remained motionless, his ears pricked up, his eyes were fixed on the depths of the well, and he did not say a word.

The sailor went up to him, touched him with his arm, and said, "Mr. Cyrus?"

At this time, the engineer replied as if awakened from a dream: "What's the matter, friend?"

"The torches are about to go out."

Cyrus Harding replied, "Come on!"

The small troop left the cave and began to walk up the dark drain.Top followed, protecting them all, still whimpering strangely.The uphill road is very difficult to walk.Everyone stopped for a short time in the cave above. This cave is located in the middle of the long granite steps and is as flat as a platform.Immediately afterwards, they began to climb.

They soon got a breath of fresh air.Compared with just now, the water droplets on the rock wall have evaporated, no longer shining their light.Because of the long time of lighting, the torch gradually dimmed.The torch in Neb's hand was extinguished, and everyone hastened to avoid risking their way in the dark.

By their swift action, Cyrus Harding and his companions emerged safely from the gutter just before four o'clock, just at the very moment when the sailor's torches were also extinguished.

"Granite Palace"

On May 5, the project to renovate the new house began.Indeed, the condition of The Chimney was so poor that they were eager to change their dwellings, and move as soon as possible to this spacious and clean hiding place, which was set in solid rock and protected them from sea water and rain.But the "chimney" can't be completely abandoned. Smart engineers plan to turn it into a workshop for heavy work.

The first thing that occurred to Cyrus Harding was to find out where the hole had been cut in the front of Granite House.So he went to the beach, and came down to the great cliff, because the pickaxe that came out of the reporter's hand must have fallen vertically, so as long as he found the pickaxe, he could find the hole that had been hewed.

Very easily, the pickaxe was found.It was sticking in the sand, and there was indeed a vertical hole in the spot, about eighty feet from the beach.Now there are a few casual rock pigeons flying in and out of this small hole.As if this "Granite Palace" had been discovered just for them!

The engineer plans to divide the right part of the cave into several more rooms, then set up an entrance and exit corridor in front of the room, and open a door and five windows on the front for lighting.

Pencroft was fully in favor of opening the five windows, but he did not know why the doors should be opened, for the old drain had provided a natural staircase, from which it was also easy to enter and exit Granite House.

Cyrus Harding answered him, "Consider, my friend, that if it seems easy to us to get from the drain to our dwelling, it must be easy to a stranger. That is why I am going to block the drain, Then seal it off. If possible, cover the entrance and exit completely, and build another dam to restore the water level."

Sailor asked: "Then how do we get in and out?"

Cyrus Harding replied, "Put a ladder outside, perhaps a rope-ladder, so that if the rope-ladder is taken away, no one can enter our dwelling."

Said Pencroft: "Why all this caution? The animals have not seemed very terrible to us so far, and besides, no one has ever been found to live on the island!"

"Are you sure, Pencroft?" said the engineer, looking at the sailor.

"No," replied Pencroft, "we can only say so when we have surveyed the island thoroughly."

Cyrus Harding said: "Yes, because we only know a small part of this island. But in any case, even if there are no enemies on the island, there may be enemies from outside the island. After all, the Pacific Ocean is a Treacherous waters. Therefore, we must be prepared for any unexpected situation at any time."

This remark of Cyrus Harding was wise and just.Pencroft raised no further objections, and began to prepare to carry out his orders.

The "Granite Palace" that will be moved into is designed in this way. A door and five windows are cut in the front to provide light for the "Granite Palace" that is no different from the real "suite", and another large window and five beautiful windows are opened. small round window.Then bright light would flood the wondrous nave so that it could be used as a hall.This façade is set eighty feet from the ground, facing east, and is greeted by the first rays of sunlight whenever the red sun rises.It spreads out on a parapet between a corner and a vertical line above the pile of rocks forming the "chimney", which corners the mouth of the "Grateful River".Therefore, the unfavorable wind in the cold, that is, the northeast wind, cannot rush directly, but only comes obliquely, because the orientation of the protruding horn blocks it.In addition, before the window frames are finished, the engineer plans to use thick shutters to block the window openings, which can not only keep out wind and rain, but also cover up the shutters if necessary.

The first job is to cut these window holes.It was obviously too slow to chisel the solid rock with a pickaxe.You must know that Cyrus Harding is a very clever man, and he still has some nitroglycerin for his use.So he made the most of it.Not much explosive force is required, and the explosive substance only needs to act locally.It was successful again, and the granite was pierced at the location chosen by the engineer.The pickaxe and pickaxe then quickly completed five windows, a large window, several small round windows, and a door with a pointed pattern.They then smoothed out the frame, which has almost no shape.A few days later, under the sunlight, the "Granite Palace" became warm and bright.The sun can shine all the way to the deepest part of the Granite Palace.

Put a ladder outside the door.According to plans drawn up by Cyrus Harding, the suite was to be divided into five houses, all facing the sea.The entrance is on the right, with a door at the entrance, and then there is a kitchen room, thirty feet wide, followed by a dining room, forty feet wide, and a sleeping room of the same width, in short a "guest room."It adjoined the hall, which Pencroft had requested.

To be precise, these rooms are connected to each other to form the suite of "Granite Palace", but they do not reach the depth of the cave.So, they also planned to build a long warehouse there, and then set up an aisle between the room and the warehouse.Store some utensils, food, and supplies in the warehouse.Because the place is very spacious.All the products obtained on the island are put into the warehouse.The preservation environment of the warehouse is very good, whether it is plants or animals, it will not be affected by moisture at all.There is a lot of space and every item is well organized.In addition, there is a small cave above the big cave for everyone to use. This small cave will serve as the top floor of the new house.

The plan has been drawn up and is waiting to be implemented.The miners became brickmakers again this time, and then brought the finished bricks and stacked them under the "Granite Palace".

At that time Cyrus Harding and his companions had entered the cave by the original channel.This way of going in and out is time-consuming and tiring.Because they have to come around from the river bank, climb up to "Looking Heights", and then walk down the tunnel for 200 meters; if they want to return to "Looking Heights", they have to go up the same distance.For this reason Cyrus Harding resolved to make a strong rope-ladder as soon as possible.After everyone goes in, take back all the rope ladders.In this way, people outside the "Granite Palace" will absolutely not be able to enter.

Pencroft was in charge of making the rope ladder.The rope ladder is carefully woven, with white rattan fiber as the side and a small windmill, as strong as a thick cable.The rungs are made of a red cedar whose branches are both strong and light.

In addition, they made other ropes from plant fibers and installed a simple pulley block at the door.With such a tool, the bricks could easily be transported to the height of the "Granite Palace".The workload of material transportation has been greatly reduced, and the real interior decoration in everyone's mind will begin immediately.There is a lot of lime, and there are thousands of bricks waiting to be used.The frame of the partition wall was erected without much effort.Although very crude, it is very useful.In this way, according to the pre-plan, in a short period of time, the suite was divided into several rooms and warehouses.

Under the command of the engineer, the various projects progressed smoothly and quickly.The engineer himself took up the trowel and the hammer, and joined the big guys.Cyrus Harding was good at all these things.He does everything, setting an example for his bright and hard-working peers.They worked with confidence and joy, and there was always something Pencroft said that made everyone laugh.He was a carpenter for a while, a rope worker for a while, and a plasterer for a while, infecting this small group of people with his good mood.He had absolute trust in the engineer and followed the engineer wholeheartedly.He believes he can do anything and succeed in anything.The question of shoes and clothing, no doubt an important one; and the question of the development and utilization of the fertile parts of the island, of lighting for winter nights, of turning wild plants into cultivated ones, all seemed to him sure to be solved.With the help of Cyrus Harding, no problem can be troubled.He dreamed of digging a canal to transport the resources of the land, of mining mines and quarries, of making machines for industrial production, and of building railways.Yes, the railway!Someday there will surely be a railway on "Lincoln Island."

Engineers let him dream.He did not stop the exaggeration of this honest and honest man.Because he understood that faith can deeply infect people.He even smiled when he said it.Although facing the future, he sometimes has a little bit of worry, but he never mentions it to everyone.In fact, this part of the Pacific was out of the way, and he feared they might never get outside help.Because "Lincoln Island" is so far from any other landmass, the big guys are on their own.To venture out in a boat, and certainly to build a boat of lesser quality, would be a tricky and momentous business.

But, as the sailors say, they are better than the Robinsons of old.Because at that time, for Robinson, everything that was achieved was a miracle.

Indeed, they belong to the category of "can" people who are able to survive and succeed in environments where other people will certainly not survive or even die.

When he was working, Hubbert performed well. He was diligent and intelligent, with a high understanding and a good job.Cyrus Harding grew more and more fond of the boy.Hubbert had both admiration and reverence for engineers.The relationship between the two is getting closer and closer.Pencroft saw all this, and was delighted from the bottom of his heart, without the slightest hint of envy.

Neboo is still Neboo.He is still so enthusiastic, brave, loyal, and has a unique spirit of self-denial and selflessness.He trusted his master no less than Pencroft, but he was very low-key and not ostentatious at all.When the sailor couldn't control his excitement, Neb always said to him: "It's normal and nothing unusual." He and Pencroft also liked each other very much, and they got to know each other very quickly, and called each other "you". each other.

As for Jardine Splain, he worked with everyone, but not the clumsiest.This always makes the sailor a little surprised that a "reporter" who can write and draw can understand everything and do everything!

The rope ladder was finally installed on May 5.At a vertical height of eighty feet, the rope ladder has not less than one hundred steps.Cyrus Harding was wise enough to divide it into two parts by taking advantage of the protrusion of the wall, which rose forty feet above the ground.Carefully leveled with a pickaxe, it became a platform on which the first part of the rope ladder was fixed, so that the swing of the rope ladder was reduced by half, and it could be hoisted by a single rope to the level of Granite Palace.The lower end of the second part of the rope ladder is fixed on the protrusion, and the upper end is fixed on the door.In this way, climbing is very easy.Furthermore, Cyrus Harding intended to install a hydraulic lift at a later date.In this way, the residents of "Granite House" will not be at all laborious and time-consuming.

(End of this chapter)