第214章

It was not a moment too soon.The liquefied substances soon after reached the bottom of the barrier.The stream of lava swelled like a river about to overflow its banks, and threatened to demolish the sole obstacle which could prevent it from overrunning the whole Far West.But the dam held firm, and after a moment of terrible suspense the torrent precipitated itself into Grant Lake from a height of twenty feet.

The colonists, without moving or uttering a word, breathlessly regarded this strife of the two elements.

What a spectacle was this conflict between water and fare! What pen could describe the marvelous horror of this scene--what pencil could depict it?

The water hissed as it evaporated by contact with the boiling lava.The vapor whirled in the air to an immeasurable height, as if the valves of an immense boiler had been suddenly opened.But, however considerable might be the volume of water contained in the lake, it must eventually be absorbed, because it was not replenished, while the stream of lava, fed from an inexhaustible source, rolled on without ceasing new waves of incandescent matter.

The first waves of lava which fell in the lake immediately solidified and accumulated so as speedily to emerge from it.Upon their surface fell other waves, which in their turn became stone, but a step nearer the center of the lake.In this manner was formed a pier which threatened to gradually fill up the lake, which could not overflow, the water displaced by the lava being evaporated.The hissing of the water rent the air with a deafening sound, and the vapor, blown by the wind, fell in rain upon the sea.The pier became longer and longer, and the blocks of lava piled themselves one on another.Where formerly stretched the calm waters of the lake now appeared an enormous mass of smoking rocks, as if an upheaving of the soil had formed immense shoals.Imagine the waters of the lake aroused by a hurricane, then suddenly solidified by an intense frost, and some conception may be formed of the aspect of the lake three hours alter the eruption of this irresistible torrent of lava.

This time water would be vanquished by fire.

Nevertheless it was a fortunate circumstance for the colonists that the effusion of lava should have been in the direction of Lake Grant.They had before them some days' respite.The plateau of Prospect Heights, Granite House, and the dockyard were for the moment preserved.And these few days it was necessary to employ in planking and carefully calking the vessel, and launching her.The colonists would then take refuge on board the vessel, content to rig her after she should be afloat on the waters.With the danger of an explosion which threatened to destroy the island there could be no security on shore.The walls of Granite House, once so sure a retreat, might at any moment fall in upon them.

During the six following days, from the 25th to the 30th of January, the colonists accomplished as much of the construction of their vessel as twenty men could have done.They hardly allowed themselves a moment's repose, and the glare of the flames which shot from the crater enabled them to work night and day.The flow of lava continued, but perhaps less abundantly.This was fortunate, for Lake Grant was almost entirely choked up, and if more lava should accumulate it would inevitably spread over the plateau of Prospect Heights, and thence upon the beach.

But if the island was thus partially protected on this side, it was not so with the western part.

In fact, the second stream of lava, which had followed the valley of Falls River, a valley of great extent, the land on both sides of the creek being flat, met with no obstacle.The burning liquid had then spread through the forest of the Far West.At this period of the year, when the trees were dried up by a tropical heat, the forest caught fire instantaneously, in such a manner that the conflagration extended itself both by the trunks of the trees and by their higher branches, whose interlacement favored its progress.It even appeared that the current of flame spread more rapidly among the summits of the trees than the current of lava at their bases.

Thus it happened that the wild animals, jaguars, wild boars, capybaras, koalas, and game of every kind, mad with terror, had fled to the banks of the Mercy and to the Tadorn Marsh, beyond the road to Port Balloon.But the colonists were too much occupied with their task to pay any attention to even the most formidable of these animals.They had abandoned Granite House, and would not even take shelter at the Chimneys, but encamped under a tent, near the mouth of the Mercy.

Each day Cyrus Harding and Gideon Spilett ascended the plateau of Prospect Heights.Sometimes Herbert accompanied them, but never Pencroft, who could not bear to look upon the prospect of the island now so utterly devastated.