第55章

The next day, the 7th of May, Harding and Gideon Spilett, leaving Neb to prepare breakfast, climbed Prospect Heights, while Herbert and Pencroft ascended by the river, to renew their store of wood.

The engineer and the reporter soon reached the little beach on which the dugong had been stranded.Already flocks of birds had attacked the mass of flesh, and had to be driven away with stones, for Cyrus wished to keep the fat for the use of the colony.As to the animal's flesh it would furnish excellent food, for in the islands of the Malay Archipelago and elsewhere, it is especially reserved for the table of the native princes.But that was Neb's affair.

At this moment Cyrus Harding had other thoughts.He was much interested in the incident of the day before.He wished to penetrate the mystery of that submarine combat, and to ascertain what monster could have given the dugong so strange a wound.He remained at the edge of the lake, looking, observing; but nothing appeared under the tranquil waters, which sparkled in the first rays of the rising sun.

At the beach, on which lay the body of the dugong, the water was tolerably shallow, but from this point the bottom of the lake sloped gradually, and it was probable that the depth was considerable in the center.The lake might be considered as a large center basin, which was filled by the water from the Red Creek.

"Well, Cyrus," said the reporter, "there seems to be nothing suspicious in this water.""No, my dear Spilett," replied the engineer, "and I really do not know how to account for the incident of yesterday.""I acknowledge," returned Spilett, "that the wound given this creature is, at least, very strange, and I cannot explain either how Top was so vigorously cast up out of the water.One could have thought that a powerful arm hurled him up, and that the same arm with a dagger killed the dugong!""Yes," replied the engineer, who had become thoughtful; "there is something there that I cannot understand.But do you better understand either, my dear Spilett, in what way I was saved myself--how I was drawn from the waves, and carried to the downs? No! Is it not true? Now, I feel sure that there is some mystery there, which, doubtless, we shall discover some day.Let us observe, but do not dwell on these singular incidents before our companions.Let us keep our remarks to ourselves, and continue our work."It will be remembered that the engineer had not as yet been able to discover the place where the surplus water escaped, but he knew it must exist somewhere.He was much surprised to see a strong current at this place.By throwing in some bits of wood he found that it set towards the southern angle.He followed the current, and arrived at the south point of the lake.

There was there a sort of depression in the water, as if it was suddenly lost in some fissure in the ground.

Harding listened; placing his ear to the level of the lake, he very distinctly heard the noise of a subterranean fall.

"There," said he, rising, "is the discharge of the water; there, doubtless, by a passage in the granite cliff, it joins the sea, through cavities which we can use to our profit.Well, I can find it!"The engineer cut a long branch, stripped it of its leaves, and plunging it into the angle between the two banks, he found that there was a large hole one foot only beneath the surface of the water.This hole was the opening so long looked for in vain, and the force of the current was such that the branch was torn from the engineer's hands and disappeared.

"There is no doubt about it now," repeated Harding."There is the outlet, and I will lay it open to view!""How?" asked Gideon Spilett.

"By lowering the level of the water of the lake three feet." "And how will you lower the level?""By opening another outlet larger than this.""At what place, Cyrus?"

"At the part of the bank nearest the coast.""But it is a mass of granite!" observed Spilett.

"Well," replied Cyrus Harding, "I will blow up the granite, and the water escaping, will subside, so as to lay bare this opening--""And make a waterfall, by falling on to the beach," added the reporter.

"A fall that we shall make use of!" replied Cyrus."Come, come!"The engineer hurried away his companion, whose confidence in Harding was such that he did not doubt the enterprise would succeed.And yet, how was this granite wall to be opened without powder, and with imperfect instruments? Was not this work upon which the engineer was so bent above their strength?

When Harding and the reporter entered the Chimneys, they found Herbert and Pencroft unloading their raft of wood.

"The woodmen have just finished, captain." said the sailor, laughing, "and when you want masons--""Masons,--no, but chemists," replied the engineer.

"Yes," added the reporter, "we are going to blow up the island--""Blow up the island?" cried Pencroft.

"Part of it, at least," replied Spilett.

"Listen to me, my friends," said the engineer.And he made known to them the result of his observations.

According to him, a cavity, more or less considerable, must exist in the mass of granite which supported Prospect Heights, and he intended to penetrate into it.To do this, the opening through which the water rushed must first be cleared, and the level lowered by making a larger outlet.

Therefore an explosive substance must be manufactured, which would make a deep trench in some other part of the shore.This was what Harding was going to attempt with the minerals which nature placed at his disposal.

It is useless to say with what enthusiasm all, especially Pencroft, received this project.To employ great means, open the granite, create a cascade, that suited the sailor.And he would just as soon be a chemist as a mason or bootmaker, since the engineer wanted chemicals.He would be all that they liked, "even a professor of dancing and deportment," said he to Neb, if that was ever necessary.