The Wonder Island Boys: The Mysteries of the Caverns Part 4

"Why do you think so?"

"You will notice that the end of the board has the marks of the folded paper, showing it must have been in its place of concealment for some time. Furthermore, the paper itself indicates that it has been there for some time, by the discoloration on its outer side."

"How long do you think it may have been there?"

"It is impossible to say; but certainly for several months."

"Doesn't it seem reasonable," Harry inquired, "to think it was some one from the _Investigator_? Otherwise, how is it that they had possession of the boat?"

"That is the problem we shall now have to find out."

Thus, in another direction, was found an evidence that savages were on the island and that others had been wrecked and found a refuge there.

How much of a refuge it was to them they had no means of knowing. They were thankful their own lives had been preserved and had been permitted to accomplish so much during their enforced stay.

"We are now vigorous and strong and have been blessed with energy as well as health. It is our first duty to take up the task of finding our comrades, whatever the cost may be. If that is your view, we should proceed with that determination, but let us prepare for it in the best manner possible. How long will it take to finish the six guns you are now at?" said the Professor, looking at Harry.

"I will try to have them ready within another week," was his reply.

"In the meantime, George and I will prepare a new lot of powder; and for your further information, I will state that I have been busy during the past week in making preparations to extract some lead for bullets."

This announcement was hailed with joy. Heretofore they had to depend on the iron slugs which had been turned out, and they were not at all satisfactory, because they lacked the proper weight.

"Which is the lead?" asked George, who was examining the samples.

"It is this bluish-gray sample of galena, which, as you see, looks like lead itself, and is often mistaken for it; but it is far from being lead of the kind we can work."

"Why not?"

"Because it is in what is called a sulphide form. Do you remember what a sulphide is?"

"Yes; it is where it is in combination with something."

"That is a fairly good definition. More or less sulphur is found in all metals, but when found in large quant.i.ties the ore is called a sulphide."

"How can we get rid of the sulphur?"

"We can cook it and drive it off like steam. Lead melts at a low temperature, comparatively, about 600 degrees Fahrenheit, so that with our furnaces it will be a very easy matter to get a pure lead."

During the rest of the day all were in the laboratory, superintending the preparation for the work, and at the Professor's suggestion the boys took the team in the morning and brought in over a hundred pounds of galena to be treated.

Before noon they had forty pounds of a very fine quality lead, and the work of making molds for the bullets was begun. The Professor, however, suggested that the boys should devote their time to the construction of the boat and guns, and it was difficult to decide what was the proper thing to do first.

The Professor saw the dilemma and had a very earnest conference on the subject.

"You must not, by any means, be carried away with undue eagerness and a desire for haste. The first essential of good business is to do everything in order. It is better to plan carefully every step in advance, so that you will know just when your energies will be required for the next step. An eminent engineer, on one occasion, in answer to a question as to why he was always prepared for an emergency, laid down this rule: Whenever you have a problem to solve, work it out in more ways than one. If one fails, you can apply the other immediately.

This can be done without a moment's delay. Therein lies the answer--preparedness."

The boys readily saw the force of the lesson. From that time on it was not necessary to direct the order of events. Each saw to it that the part allotted to him was carried out in a determined spirit.

CHAPTER IV

THE TERRIBLE MONSOONS

Of the two most urgent articles, namely, weapons or the boat, it was decided that the guns should be completed first. The feeling that the time would come when a visit from the savages might be expected at their home, contributed to this decision.

Six barrels, each eighteen inches long, and with a bore three-eighths of an inch in diameter, had been turned out, and several of the stocks had been made at odd times during the evenings. As Harry had sufficient steel left for four barrels more, two days were devoted to boring them out, in the hope that they would ultimately be able to finish them up.

They would then have a battery of ten guns, and the necessity of having a number arose from the fact that they were muzzle-loaders, and could not be reloaded rapidly.

A sketch of the gun with the firing mechanism is furnished, in which it will be seen that the firing plug travels in a bore formed through the stock; in a line with the barrel. This plug had an upwardly extending finger, so it could be drawn back against the resistance of the spring.

Below the plug was a trigger, with a hook-shaped forward end, in such a position that when the plug was drawn back the hook would catch and hold the plug until the lower right-angled projection of the trigger was pulled back. This would release the plug, and the spring would then be driven forward and explode the cap.

[Ill.u.s.tration: _Fig. 10. THE FIRST GUN_]

"It would be well," said the Professor, "to polish the inside of the bored barrels, and thus make a much better weapon."

"How can we do this?" asked Harry.

"There are several ways, but the better plan would be to take a good polis.h.i.+ng material, in the form of a fine sand or grit, and mix it with oil. This can then be put on a wiper which will snugly fit the bore, and the barrel may then be put in the lathe and rotated at a high rate of speed with the wiper in the bore, and during the rotation the wiper is drawn in and out. This operation should be continued for an hour at least, frequently withdrawing it to add more of the polis.h.i.+ng grit."

"What is the best grit to use?"

"If we can find a sample of the adamantine spar, in sufficient quant.i.ties, it would be the best substance."

"What kind of material is that?"

"It is a substance known as corundum."

"Is that the same as emery?"

"What is known as emery is the more or less impure product from the same source. I think I have stated heretofore that both of these products come from the precious gems; the blue variety is known under the name of sapphire; the red as ruby; the yellow as oriental topaz, and the violet as oriental amethyst."

During that and the following day the Professor spent some time in prospecting for the gems, but if he succeeded in finding any samples he did not make the discovery known.

A few days after this Harry announced that he was ready to lay the keel of the new boat. All the material had been prepared, and was at the beach. Prior to this the island had been visited by a heavy storm. They had been frequent within the past month, but this was not considered unusual.

The Professor insisted that a temporary shed should be erected to cover the material, as moisture would make it very undesirable for the vessel, and a day was occupied in putting up the structure.

An entire week thus pa.s.sed, every hour of which was devoted with the utmost diligence to the various enterprises. The keel was laid and the work of putting on the bottom boards was progressing rapidly. One night, a few days after the laying of the keel, a brisk wind sprang up, which continued during the night, increasing in fury, and in the morning evidences were seen on all sides of the effect of the tempest.

"It seems very singular," was George's observation, "that we should have such terrible winds here."

The Professor had evidently expected the storms. "Do you remember the experience we had less than a year ago? We had five days of this on the ocean."

"I had forgotten that. Do they occur every year?"