Chapter XXXVII

How had it happened? Who had killed the convicts? Ayrton? No, since the moment before he had feared their return! The colonists, terribly excited, remained all night in the house. The next morning Ayrton awoke from his sleep, and his companions demonstrated to him their joy.

Then Ayrton related in a few words all that had happened.

The day after his return to the corral, the 10th of November, just at nightfall, the convicts, who had climbed over the fence, caught him. He was tied and gagged and taken to a dark cavern at the foot of Mount Franklin.

He was to be killed the following day, when one of the convicts recognized him and called him Ben Joyce. The pirates counted upon him to take Granite House, to enter that inaccessible dwelling, and to become masters of the island.

Ayrton resisted. For four months, fastened, gagged, watched, he had remained in this cavern.

Meanwhile the convicts lived upon the stock in the corral, but did not inhabit the place. On the 11th of November, two of these bandits fired on Herbert, and one of them returned.

The bad treatment of Ayrton was redoubled. Each moment he expected to be killed. This was the third week in February. The convicts rarely left their retreat. Ayrton had no news of his friends, and no hopes of seeing them again.

Finally, enfeebled by bad treatment, he fell in a profound prostration in which he neither saw nor heard anything. From this moment, he could not say what had happened.

“But, Mr. Smith,” he added, “how is it that I am here?”

“How is that the convicts are lying there, dead, in the middle of the corral?” answered the engineer.

“Dead!” cried Ayrton.

Ayrton was astounded. Then, at a sign from Smith, Neb and Pencroff examined the bodies. Not a wound was visible upon them. Only after minute search, Pencroff perceived on the forehead of one, on the breast of another, on this one’s back, and on the shoulder of a fourth, a small red mark, made by some unknown instrument.

“And who killed them?” asked Pencroff.

“The ruler of the island,” answered Smith, “he who does for us what we are unable to do for ourselves, and who then hides from us.”

“Let us search for him!” cried Pencroff.

“Yes, we will search,” replied Smith; “but where?”

From this time, this search was the single endeavor of the inhabitants of Lincoln Island. All tried to discover the answer to this enigma.

“Let us search all the mazes of Mount Franklin,” said Spilett. “Let us leave no cavity, no hole unexplored!”

“And we will not return to Granite House,” said Herbert, “until we have found our benefactor.”

“But,” said Smith, “we will not find him till he wills it.”

“Will we stay here at the corral?” asked Pencroff.

“Yes,” replied the engineer, “let us remain here. Provisions are abundant, and we are in the centre of our circle of investigation, and, moreover, if it is necessary, the wagon can go quickly to Granite House.”

“All right,” said Pencroff. “Only one thing.”

“What is that?”

“Why, the fine weather is here, and we must not forget that we have a voyage to make.”

“A voyage?” asked Spilett.

“Yes, to Tabor Island. We most put up a notice, indicating our island, in case the Scotch yacht returns.”

“But, Pencroff,” asked Ayrton, “how do you propose to make this voyage?”

“Why, on our boat!”

“Our boat!” cried Ayrton. “It’s gone!”

“Gone!” shouted Pencroff, springing to his feet.

“Yes. The convicts discovered where the sloop lay, and, a week ago, they put out to sea in her, and they ran it upon the rocks, and it broke all to pieces!”

“Oh! The wretches! The pirates! The devils!” exclaimed the sailor.

“Pencroff,” said Herbert, taking his hand, “we will build another, a larger boat.”

“But, do you realize,” answered Pencroff, “that it will take at least five or six months to build a new vessel?”

“We must make the best of it, Pencroff,” said the engineer, “and I hope that will not be prejudicial to us.”

“My poor ship! My poor boat!” exclaimed the sailor.

One month later, they celebrated the third anniversary of their arrival on Lincoln Island.

Chapter XXXVIII

Three years had passed since the prisoners had fled from Richmond. They had no doubt that the war was ended. The colonists had no knowledge when they would be able to see their country again.

On the 7th of September, Smith, looking towards Mount Franklin, saw a smoke rising and curling above the crater. The volcano had certainly awakened, and its vapors had penetrated the mineral matter of the crater.

They hastened the construction of the ship, and Smith established a saw-mill at the waterfall, which cut the timber much more rapidly. Towards the end of September the frame of the ship was so far completed that its shape could be recognized. The schooner was well adapted for a long voyage, in case of necessity.

Often, after the day’s work was ended, the colonists sat late into the night, conversing together of the future. But in discussing these projects they always planned to return to Lincoln Island. Pencroff and Neb, indeed, hoped to end their days here.

“Herbert,” asked the sailor, “you would never abandon Lincoln Island?”

“Never, Pencroff, especially if you decide to remain.”

“Then, it’s agreed, my boy. I will expect you! You will bring your wife and children here, and I will make a jolly playmate for the babies!”

“Agreed,” answered Herbert, laughing and blushing at the same time.

“And you, Mr. Smith,” continued the sailor, enthusiastically, “you will always remain governor of the island! And, by the way, how many inhabitants can the island support? Ten thousand, I am sure!”

One evening, the 15th of October, at 9 o’clock, the electric bell in the hall rang. Everyone was present, so none of their party could be at the corral. Smith rose.

“Who is it?” cried Neb. “Is it the devil that’s ringing?”

No one replied.

“It is stormy weather,” said Herbert. “Perhaps the electric influence…”

Herbert did not finish the sentence. The engineer shook his head.

“Wait a minute,” said Spilett. “If it is a signal, it will be repeated.”

“But what do you think it is?” asked Neb.

“Perhaps it…”

The sailor’s words were interrupted by another ring. Smith went to the apparatus and telegraphed to the corral:

“What do you want?”

A few minutes an answer came:

“Come to the corral as quickly as possible.”

“At last!” cried Smith.

Yes! At last! Without saying a word, in a few minutes they were out of Granite House and following the shore. Only Top and Jup remained behind.

The night was dark. But the colonists were familiar with the route. All were very much excited, and walked rapidly. The darkness under the trees was such that the route was invisible. There was no sound in the forest. Not a breath of wind moved the leaves.

At a quarter past 9, a sudden flash showed them the outline of the palisade; and scarcely had they passed the gateway when there came a terrible clap of thunder. In a moment the corral was crossed, and Smith stood before the house. But there was no light in the window.

The engineer knocked at the door, but without response. He opened it, and the colonists entered the room, which was in utter darkness.

No one was there, and everything remained undisturbed. Smith went to the table on which the apparatus was arranged. Everything was in place and in order.

“Ah! Here is something!” exclaimed Herbert, pointing to a paper lying on the table.

On the paper were these words, written in English:

Follow the new wire.

“Come on!” cried Smith. The engineer passed the gate and ran to the nearest post, and saw there a new wire fastened to the insulator.

“Here it is!” he cried.

The wire lay along the ground, and was covered with some insulating substance, like the submarine cables.

“Let us follow it,” said Smith.

And the colonists followed the way indicated by the thread. The wire, sometimes hanging on the lower branches of the trees, sometimes trailing along the ground, was a sure guide.

The wire extended over the southwestern spur and descended to the arid plateau. There could be no doubt that it ran directly to the sea.

The colonists followed it. The descent was extremely perilous, but they thought not of the danger. At length, the wire making a sudden turn, touched the shore rocks, which were beaten by the sea. The colonists had reached the base of the granite wall. The engineer seized the wire and saw that it led down into the sea. His companions stood, stupefied, beside him.

Must they throw themselves into the water and search some submarine cavern? The engineer led his companions to the shelter of a pile of rocks and said:

“Let as wait here. At low water the road will be open.”

It was necessary to wait some hours. The colonists rested in silence under their shelter. The rain began. Smith had not been mistaken. The entrance to a vast excavation began to be visible, and the wire, turning at a right angle, entered this yawning mouth.

Smith returned to his companions and said:

“In an hour the opening will be accessible.”

An hour passed. All went down through the rain to the sea. The engineer saw a black object floating on the surface. It was a canoe. It was tied to a rock inside the cavern wall. A pair of oars were under the seats.

“Get in,” said Smith.

The colonists entered the boat, Neb and Ayrton took the oars.

In certain parts of the world there are immense caves, a sort of natural crypts which date back to the geologic epoch. Some are invaded by the sea; others contain large lakes within their walls. This was one of those caves. The wire was fastened to the rock.

“Forward!” said Smith.

The canoe kept on until the colonists saw a brilliant light illuminating the enormous crypt, so profoundly hidden in the bowels of the Earth. A vault, supported on basaltic shafts, rose to a height of 100 feet. Fantastic arches sprung at irregular intervals from these columns, which Nature had placed here by thousands. In this place, the sheet of water measured some 300 feet across, and an enormous basaltic wall, closing all that side, was visible beyond the luminous centre. The sea here formed a little lake.

In the centre of the lake a long object floated on the surface of the water, silent, motionless. The light escaped from its sides. This machine, looking like the body of an enormous whale, was 250 feet long, and rose ten to twelve feet above the water.

The canoe approached softly. In the bows stood Smith. He was greatly excited. Suddenly he seized the arm of the reporter.

“It is he! It can be no other than he!” he cried.

Under the engineer’s direction the canoe approached this floating machine, and came up to it on its left side, from which escaped a gleam of light through a thick glass. Smith and his companions stepped on to the platform. An open hatchway was there, down which all descended.

At the bottom of the ladder appeared the waist of the vessel lit up by electric light. At the end of the waist was a door, which Smith pushed open.

A richly ornamented library, flooded with light, was rapidly crossed by the colonists. Beyond, a large door, also closed, was pushed open by the engineer.

A vast salon, a sort of museum, in which were arranged all the treasures of the mineral world, works of art, marvels of industry, appeared before the eyes of the colonists, who seemed to be transported to the land of dreams.

Upon a rich divan they saw a man, who seemed unaware of their presence. Then Smith raised his voice, and, to the extreme surprise of his companions, pronounced these words:

“Captain Nemo, you have called us. Here we are.”