《The Mysterious Island 神秘岛》Book 1 Chapter 20（在线收听）

The winter season set in with the month of June, which corresponds with the month of December in the Northern Hemisphere. It began with showers and squalls, which succeeded each other without intermission. The tenants of Granite House could appreciate the advantages of a dwelling which sheltered them from the inclement weather. The Chimneys would have been quite insufficient to protect them against the rigor of winter, and it was to be feared that the high tides would make another irruption. Cyrus Harding had taken precautions against this contingency, so as to preserve as much as possible the forge and furnace which were established there.

During the whole of the month of June the time was employed in different occupations, which excluded neither hunting nor fishing, the larder being, therefore, abundantly supplied. Pencroft, so soon as he had leisure, proposed to set some traps, from which he expected great results. He soon made some snares with creepers, by the aid of which the warren henceforth every day furnished its quota of rodents. Neb employed nearly all his time in salting or smoking meat, which insured their always having plenty of provisions. The question of clothes was now seriously discussed, the settlers having no other garments than those they wore when the balloon threw them on the island. These clothes were warm and good; they had taken great care of them as well as of their linen, and they were perfectly whole, but they would soon need to be replaced. Moreover, if the winter was severe, the settlers would suffer greatly from cold.

On this subject the ingenuity of Harding was at fault. They must provide for their most pressing wants, settle their dwelling, and lay in a store of food; thus the cold might come upon them before the question of clothes had been settled. They must therefore make up their minds to pass this first winter without additional clothing. When the fine season came round again, they would regularly hunt those musmons which had been seen on the expedition to Mount Franklin, and the wool once collected, the engineer would know how to make it into strong warm stuff.... How? He would consider.

"Well, we are free to roast ourselves at Granite House!" said Pencroft. "There are heaps of fuel, and no reason for sparing it."

"Besides," added Gideon Spilett, "Lincoln Island is not situated under a very high latitude, and probably the winters here are not severe. Did you not say, Cyrus, that this thirty-fifth parallel corresponded to that of Spain in the other hemisphere?"

"Doubtless," replied the engineer, "but some winters in Spain are very cold! No want of snow and ice; and perhaps Lincoln Island is just as rigourously tried. However, it is an island, and as such, I hope that the temperature will be more moderate."

"Why, captain?" asked Herbert.

"Because the sea, my boy, may be considered as an immense reservoir, in which is stored the heat of the summer. When winter comes, it restores this heat, which insures for the regions near the ocean a medium temperature, less high in summer, but less low in winter."

"We shall prove that," replied Pencroft. "But I don't want to bother myself about whether it will be cold or not. One thing is certain, that is that the days are already short, and the evenings long. Suppose we talk about the question of light."

"Nothing is easier," replied Harding.

"To talk about?" asked the sailor.

"To settle."

"And when shall we begin?"

"To-morrow, by having a seal hunt."

"To make candles?"

"Yes."

Such was the engineer's project; and it was quite feasible, since he had lime and sulphuric acid, while the amphibians of the islet would furnish the fat necessary for the manufacture.

They were now at the 4th of June. It was Whit Sunday and they agreed to observe this feast. All work was suspended, and prayers were offered to Heaven. But these prayers were now thanksgivings. The settlers in Lincoln Island were no longer the miserable castaways thrown on the islet. They asked for nothing more--they gave thanks. The next day, the 5th of June, in rather uncertain weather, they set out for the islet. They had to profit by the low tide to cross the Channel, and it was agreed that they would construct, for this purpose, as well as they could, a boat which would render communication so much easier, and would also permit them to ascend the Mercy, at the time of their grand exploration of the southwest of the island, which was put off till the first fine days.

The seals were numerous, and the hunters, armed with their iron-tipped spears, easily killed half-a-dozen. Neb and Pencroft skinned them, and only brought back to Granite House their fat and skin, this skin being intended for the manufacture of boots.

The result of the hunt was this: nearly three hundred pounds of fat, all to be employed in the fabrication of candles.

The operation was extremely simple, and if it did not yield absolutely perfect results, they were at least very useful. Cyrus Harding would only have had at his disposal sulphuric acid, but by heating this acid with the neutral fatty bodies he could separate the glycerine; then from this new combination, he easily separated the olein, the margarin, and the stearin, by employing boiling water. But to simplify the operation, he preferred to saponify the fat by means of lime. By this he obtained a calcareous soap, easy to decompose by sulphuric acid, which precipitated the lime into the state of sulphate, and liberated the fatty acids.

From these three acids-oleic, margaric, and stearic-the first, being liquid, was driven out by a sufficient pressure. As to the two others, they formed the very substance of which the candles were to be molded.

This operation did not last more than four and twenty hours. The wicks, after several trials, were made of vegetable fibers, and dipped in the liquefied substance, they formed regular stearic candles, molded by the hand, which only wanted whiteness and polish. They would not doubtless have the advantages of the wicks which are impregnated with boracic acid, and which vitrify as they burn and are entirely consumed, but Cyrus Harding having manufactured a beautiful pair of snuffers, these candles would be greatly appreciated during the long evenings in Granite House.

During this month there was no want of work in the interior of their new dwelling. The joiners had plenty to do. They improved their tools, which were very rough, and added others also.

Scissors were made among other things, and the settlers were at last able to cut their hair, and also to shave, or at least trim their beards. Herbert had none, Neb but little, but their companions were bristling in a way which justified the making of the said scissors.

The manufacture of a hand-saw cost infinite trouble, but at last an instrument was obtained which, when vigorously handled, could divide the ligneous fibers of the wood. They then made tables, seats, cupboards, to furnish the principal rooms, and bedsteads, of which all the bedding consisted of grass mattresses. The kitchen, with its shelves, on which rested the cooking utensils, its brick stove, looked very well, and Neb worked away there as earnestly as if he was in a chemist's laboratory.

But the joiners had soon to be replaced by carpenters. In fact, the waterfall created by the explosion rendered the construction of two bridges necessary, one on Prospect Heights, the other on the shore. Now the plateau and the shore were transversely divided by a watercourse, which had to be crossed to reach the northern part of the island. To avoid it the colonists had been obliged to make a considerable detour, by climbing up to the source of the Red Creek. The simplest thing was to establish on the plateau, and on the shore, two bridges from twenty to five and twenty feet in length. All the carpenter's work that was needed was to clear some trees of their branches: this was a business of some days. Directly the bridges were established, Neb and Pencroft profited by them to go to the oyster-bed which had been discovered near the downs. They dragged with them a sort of rough cart, which replaced the former inconvenient hurdle, and brought back some thousands of oysters, which soon increased among the rocks and formed a bed at the mouth of the Mercy. These molluscs were of excellent quality, and the colonists consumed some daily.

It has been seen that Lincoln Island, although its inhabitants had as yet only explored a small portion of it, already contributed to almost all their wants. It was probable that if they hunted into its most secret recesses, in all the wooded part between the Mercy and Reptile Point, they would find new treasures.

The settlers in Lincoln Island had still one privation. There was no want of meat, nor of vegetable products; those ligneous roots which they had found, when subjected to fermentation, gave them an acid drink, which was preferable to cold water; they also made sugar, without canes or beet- roots, by collecting the liquor which distils from the "acer saceharinum," a son of maple-tree, which flourishes in all the temperate zones, and of which the island possessed a great number; they made a very agreeable tea by employing the herbs brought from the warren; lastly, they had an abundance of salt, the only mineral which is used in food . . . but bread was wanting.

Perhaps in time the settlers could replace this want by some equivalent, it was possible that they might find the sago or the breadfruit tree among the forests of the south, but they had not as yet met with these precious trees. However, Providence came directly to their aid, in an infinitesimal proportion it is true, but Cyrus Harding, with all his intelligence, all his ingenuity, would never have been able to produce that which, by the greatest chance, Herbert one day found in the lining of his waistcoat, which he was occupied in setting to rights.

On this day, as it was raining in torrents, the settlers were assembled in the great hall in Granite House, when the lad cried out all at once,--

"Look here, captain--A grain of corn!"

And he showed his companions a grain--a single grain--which from a hole in his pocket had got into the lining of his waistcoat.

The presence of this grain was explained by the fact that Herbert, when at Richmond, used to feed some pigeons, of which Pencroft had made him a present.

"A grain of corn?" said the engineer quickly.

"Yes, captain; but one, only one!"

"Well, my boy," said Pencroft, laughing, "we're getting on capitally, upon my word! What shall we make with one grain of corn?"

"We will make bread of it," replied Cyrus Harding.

"Bread, cakes, tarts!" replied the sailor. "Come, the bread that this grain of corn will make won't choke us very soon!"

Herbert, not attaching much importance to his discovery, was going to throw away the grain in question; but Harding took it, examined it, found that it was in good condition, and looking the sailor full in the face-- "Pencroft," he asked quietly, "do you know how many ears one grain of corn can produce?"

"One, I suppose!" replied the sailor, surprised at the question.

"Ten, Pencroft! And do you know how many grains one ear bears?"

"No, upon my word."

"About eighty!" said Cyrus Harding. "Then, if we plant this grain, at the first crop we shall reap eight hundred grains which at the second will produce six hundred and forty thousand; at the third, five hundred and twelve millions; at the fourth, more than four hundred thousands of millions! There is the proportion."

Harding's companions listened without answering. These numbers astonished them. They were exact, however.

"Yes, my friends," continued the engineer, "such are the arithmetical progressions of prolific nature; and yet what is this multiplication of the grain of corn, of which the ear only bears eight hundred grains, compared to the poppy-plant, which bears thirty-two thousand seeds; to the tobacco- plant, which produces three hundred and sixty thousand? In a few years, without the numerous causes of destruction, which arrests their fecundity, these plants would overrun the earth."

But the engineer had not finished his lecture.

"And now, Pencroft," he continued, "do you know how many bushels four hundred thousand millions of grains would make?"

"No," replied the sailor; "but what I do know is, that I am nothing better than a fool!"

"Well, they would make more than three millions, at a hundred and thirty thousand a bushel, Pencroft."

"Three millions!" cried Pencroft.

"Three millions."

"In four years?"

"In four years," replied Cyrus Harding, "and even in two years, if, as I hope, in this latitude we can obtain two crops a year."

At that, according to his usual custom, Pencroft could not reply otherwise than by a tremendous hurrah.

"So, Herbert," added the engineer, "you have made a discovery of great importance to us. Everything, my friends, everything can serve us in the condition in which we are. Do not forget that, I beg of you."

"No, captain, no, we shan't forget it," replied Pencroft; "and if ever I find one of those tobacco-seeds, which multiply by three hundred and sixty thousand, I assure you I won't throw it away! And now, what must we do?"

"We must plant this grain," replied Herbert.

"Yes," added Gideon Spilett, "and with every possible care, for it bears in itself our future harvests."

"Provided it grows!" cried the sailor.

"It will grow," replied Cyrus Harding.

This was the 20th of June. The time was then propitious for sowing this single precious grain of corn. It was first proposed to plant it in a pot, but upon reflection it was decided to leave it to nature, and confide it to the earth. This was done that very day, and it is needless to add, that every precaution was taken that the experiment might succeed.

The weather having cleared, the settlers climbed the height above Granite House. There, on the plateau, they chose a spot, well sheltered from the wind, and exposed to all the heat of the midday sun. The place was cleared, carefully weeded, and searched for insects and worms; then a bed of good earth, improved with a little lime, was made; it was surrounded by a railing; and the grain was buried in the damp earth.

Did it not seem as if the settlers were laying the first stone of some edifice? It recalled to Pencroft the day on which he lighted his only match, and all the anxiety of the operation. But this time the thing was more serious. In fact, the castaways would have been always able to procure fire, in some mode or other, but no human power could supply another grain of corn, if unfortunately this should be lost!

从六月份开始，进入冬季了，这时候相当于北半球的十二月，入冬以后，不是狂风就是暴雨，一直没有间歇。有“花岗石宫”的庇护，居民们可以高枕无忧，对这种险恶的天气丝毫不必担心。“石窟”却不同，那里是抵挡不住严寒的侵袭的，并且汹涌的潮水恐怕还会再灌进来。赛勒斯·史密斯已经料到这种可能发生的意外，因此他做了许多防御工作，尽量保护已经在那里安置好的炼铁工具和熔炉。

在整个六月里，他们做了些杂活，没有出去打猎，也没有出去钓鱼，因为食品室里已经储备了很多食物。潘克洛夫闲下来就提议做几个捕兽机，他在这上面寄予极大的希望。不久他就用爬藤做了几个圈套，从此以后，没有一天养兔场不供应一定数量的啮齿动物。纳布几乎整大都忙着腌肉和熏肉，保证大家永远吃到美味的食品。然而居民们除了从气球上落到海岛上来的时候随身所穿的衣服以外，再也没有其他的衣服了。因此他们认真地讨论起穿衣的问题来。原有的衣服固然够暖和，也很结实，他们穿得非常省，甚至他们的衬衣也一点没有坏；可是马上就该换装了。再说，如果到了严寒的冬天，居民们就更要冷得吃不消了。

聪明的史密斯正在这个问题上为难。目前他们已经解决了最迫切的需要：安居下来，储存了大量的食物；可是这么一来，恐怕等不及解决穿衣问题天气就要转冷了。因此他们只好设法在不添衣服的情况下度过第一个冬季。他们上次到富兰克林山去探险的时候，曾经看见摩弗仑羊，以后等到天气转暖，他们就可以经常猎捕它们。一旦有了羊毛，工程师就能够把它们织成既暖和又结实的衣料了……怎么织呢？他在考虑。

“我们就在‘花岗石宫’里象烤肉似的尽量烤我们自己好了，”潘克洛夫说。“反正这里有的是燃料，用不着节省。”

“并且，”吉丁·史佩莱补充道，“林肯岛又不是在纬度很高的地方，这里的冬天大概不会太冷的。赛勒斯，你不是说三十五度相当于北半球的西班牙吗？”

“那当然没有问题，”工程师答道，“可是西班牙的冬天有时候也很冷，冰和雪都不少，林肯岛可能也会冷得那么厉害。不过，这是一个海岛，我想这里的气候会温暖一些的。”

“为什么，史密斯先生？”赫伯特问道。

“因为大海就好比是一个巨大的贮藏器，它把夏天的热都存起来了。一到冬天，它就把热放出来，能保证沿海一带温度适中，比夏天低，可是比普通地方的冬天却要高。”

“这一点我们到时候就可以知道，不必谈了，”潘克洛夫说，“其实我倒不管它冷不冷。有一点是肯定的，现在白天已经短了，夜晚很长。我们谈谈照明的问题吧。”

“那再容易也没有了。”史密斯答道。

“容易谈吗？”水手问道。

“容易解决。”

“我们什么时候开始解决呢？”

“明天，先去打海豹。”

“做蜡烛吗？”

“对了。”

这就是工程师的计划，这个办法完全可以行得通，因为石灰和硫酸是现成的，而小岛上的两栖动物又可以供给他足够制造蜡烛的脂肪。

现在是6月4日。这一天正是圣灵降临节的星期日。大家都同意按照习惯休息一天。所有的工作都停下来了，他们还对天做了祷告，说了些感恩的话。现在林肯岛上的居民已经和当初掉在小岛上的可怜的遇难人大不相同了。他们不再祈求什么——他们只是感谢上苍。第二天，6月5日，天气有些靠不住，但他们还是向小岛出发了。目前他们只能在退潮的时候才可以跨过海峡，因此大家决定要造一只小船，并且要尽量造得好，有了船以后，交通就便利得多了，将来往海岛西南部去进行大规模探险的时候，还能用它沿慈悲河往上游航行，这探险工作，他们决定等到天气好转以后就立刻进行。

海豹的数目很多，猎人利用标枪，毫不费力就刺死了六只。纳布和潘克洛夫就在那里剥皮，单把皮和脂肪带回“花岗石宫”，海豹皮是用来做皮靴的。

打猎的结果得到将近三百磅的脂肪，全部都将用在制造蜡烛上。

制造蜡烛非常简单，即使不能做得十全十美，至少可以非常实用。赛勒斯·史密斯手里只有硫酸，然而把硫酸和中性脂肪一起加热，就可以分离出甘油；然后，他又从这种新的化合物里，用开水很容易地分离出油脂、人造奶油和硬脂来，为了使工序简单化，他用石灰碱化了脂肪。这样他就得到一种石灰质的肥皂，这种肥皂很容易被硫酸分解，硫酸使石灰沉淀为硫酸盐，游离出脂酸来。

在这三种酸——油酸、真珠酸和硬脂酸中，第一种是液体，只要施加足够的压力，就可以排出去；其余两种正是制造蜡烛的原料。

这项工作一共花了不到二十四小时。接着又试验了几次。他们用植物纤维做成蜡烛芯，把它放在熔化的蜡油里，用手捏制，就成为道道地地的油脂蜡烛了，所差的只是颜色不够白和外表不够光滑罢了。蜡烛芯如果在硼酸里浸过，就可以在燃烧的过程中半熔化并且随着蜡油烧尽；自然，现在的蜡烛芯还不能具备这个优点，可是赛勒斯·史密斯做了一把巧妙的烛花剪刀。在“花岗石官”的漫长黄昏里，这些蜡烛无疑将要大大受到欢迎。

这一个月他们在新居里有许多工作要做。这些都是细活，他们把粗糙的工具改得精致了，并且还新添了一些。

居民们首先制造了剪刀，直到现在他们才第一次理发，不过刮脸还不行，但至少可以把胡子剪得短一些。赫伯特没有胡子，纳布虽然有，但也很少，另外三个伙伴却都满脸须毛了，可见剪刀还是十分需要的。

要想做一把小锯子非常麻烦，可是最后终于做成了，只要使用的时候用一些力，就可以把木头锯开。于是他们做了许多桌子、凳子、碗柜，放在主要的房间里，此外还有床架，床上铺着草垫当作被褥。厨房里放着食具架，上面摆着烹调用具，另外还有一个砖炉。整个的厨房显得井井有条。纳布经常勤勤恳恳地工作，好象化学家在实验室里一样。

这些做细活的工人很快就必须变成大木匠了。由于爆炸以后产生了瀑布，必须搭两座桥，一座在眺望岗上，一座在岸上。现在有一道水把高地和岸边分隔开了，必须跨过这道水才能到海岛的北部去。移民们为了避免涉水，就不得不爬到红河的发源地，从那里绕道过去。最简单的解决办法就是在眺望岗和岸边各搭一座长二十到二十五英尺的桥梁。在这项工程里，所需要的全部木工就是伐木，这需要几天的时间。桥梁很快就搭好了，纳布和潘克洛夫过了桥到上次在沙丘附近发现的蛤蜊场去。他们用一辆简单而粗糙的大车代替了原来不便使用的筐子，拉了好几千蛤蜊回来，把它们放在慈悲河口。不久它们就在岩石丛中繁殖起来，形成一片新蛤蜊场。这种软体动物非常好吃，移民们每天都要吃一些。

虽然居民们到现在仅仅探索了林肯岛上的一小部分，但是可以看得出来，这一小部分几乎已经完全可以满足他们的需要了。如果他们深入最隐蔽的地方，到慈悲河与爬虫角之间整个的森林区域去打猎，他们还可能发现新的物产。

居民们只有一样不满足。肉类和菜蔬都不缺少；找来的木质树根经过发酵以后，又可以供给他们一种带酸味的饮料，比凉水的味道好得多；他们不用甘蔗和甜菜，就能炼制糖，所用的原料是“酿母枫”里蒸馏出来的液体，这是枫树的一种，各个温带地区都有，这个海岛上也生长着很多；他们再往饮料里加一些从养兔场采来的香草，就成为非常芬芳可口的茶了，最后，他们还有大量的盐，这是食物中唯一的矿物，……可是却没有面包。

也许不久以后居民们可以找到面包的代用品，这完全是可能的，因为在南部的森林里可以找到西米或面包树，不过直到目前，他们还没有发现这种宝贵的树木。然而在这件事情上，上天不久就直接给他们帮助了。的确，它所赐给他们的东西十分渺小，但赛勒斯·史密斯即使绞尽脑汁，使出全部的智慧，也创造不出来，有一天，当赫伯特补坎肩时，无意之中在夹层里有了发现。

这一天外面下着倾盆大雨，居民们都聚在“花岗石宫”的大厅里，突然少年高声大叫起来：

“瞧啊，史密斯先生，……一粒小麦！”

于是他把一粒麦——独一无二的麦粒——给伙伴们看，它是从坎肩口袋的一个窟窿里掉到夹层里去的。

麦粒的来源可以这样解释：在里士满的时候，有一次潘克洛夫送给赫伯特几只鸽子，麦粒就是当时赫伯特用来喂鸽子的。

“一粒小麦？”工程师马上问道。

“是的，史密斯先生，可是只有一粒！”

“呃，孩子，”潘克洛夫笑道，“我们的日子就此越过越好了啦！嗯！一粒小麦能做什么呢？”

“做面包。”赛勒斯·史密斯答道。

“面包，蛋糕，馅饼！”水手说。“哈，这粒麦做成的面包保证不会把我们噎住的！”

赫伯特觉得这个发现没有多大意义，正打算把麦粒扔掉，可是史密斯把麦粒接过来，仔细看了一下，发现麦粒是完整的，一点也没有损伤，于是就对水手严肃而平静地说道：“潘克洛夫，你知道一粒小麦能结多少穗子吗？”

“我想也就是一个吧！”水手听了这个问题觉得很奇怪。

“十个，潘克洛夫！你还知道一个麦穗能结多少粒麦吗？”

“不，这我可不知道。”

“大概八十粒！”赛勒斯·史密斯说。“所以，要是我们把这粒小麦种下去，第一次可以收到八百粒；再把它们种下去，第二次就能有六十四万粒；第三次就有五亿一千二百万粒；第四次就有四千亿粒以上！比例数字就是这样。”

史密斯的伙伴们默默地听着，这些数目使他们惊讶，然而却是实在情况。

“是的，朋友们，”工程师接着说，“这就是一般繁殖的等差级数。可是不要以为小麦每一个穗子结八百颗麦粒就算多了，比起罂粟和烟草来又算得了什么呢？罂粟能结三万二千颗种籽；烟草能结三十六万颗，要是没有种种原因限制它们繁殖，几年之内整个地球就要被这些植物长满了。”

工程师没有继续往下细讲。

“现在，潘克洛夫，”他接着说，“你知道四千亿粒麦合多少蒲式耳吗？”

“不知道，”水手答道，“只知道我是个大傻子！”

“每蒲式耳平均十三万粒，四千亿粒可以合三百万蒲式耳以上，潘克洛夫。”

“三百万！”潘克洛夫叫道。

“三百万。”

“在四年之内吗？”

“在四年之内，”赛勒斯·史密斯答道，“甚至也许只要两年，根据这里的纬度，我想每年是可以收成两次的。”

潘克洛夫还是老脾气，他又禁不住要用大声的欢呼来代替回答了。

“因此，赫伯特，”工程师补充道，“你的发现对我们非常宝贵。每一样东西，朋友们，在我们目前的环境里，每一样东西对我们都是有用的。希望大家不要忘记这一点。”

“不会的，史密斯先生，我们不会忘记的，”潘克洛夫答道；“万一有一天让我找到一粒能结三十六方粒种籽的烟草，我向你保证，决不把它扔掉！现在，我们应该做什么呢？”

“我们把这粒小麦种下去。”赫伯特答道。

“对，”吉丁·史佩莱补充道，“要尽量小心，我们将来的收获全指望它呢。”

“就看它是不是能发芽了！”水手喊道。

“会发芽的。”赛勒斯·史密斯说。

这一天是6月20日。播种这唯一的宝贵麦粒正是时候。最初有人提议把它种在盒子里，经过考虑，最后还是决定种在地里，任凭大自然去安排。当天就把它种下去了。不用说，他们关怀得无微不至，一心要使实验成功。

雨过天晴，居民们爬上了“花岗石宫”的高岗。他们在这块高地上选了一处朝阳而又避风的地方。他们打扫了地面，清除了杂草，消灭了昆虫，做成一个土质优良的苗畦，上面撒上一层石灰，畦的四周围上栏杆，麦粒就埋在滋润土壤里。

居民们的这种景况，不是恰恰象在为一所大厦奠定第了一块基石呜？潘克洛夫不禁想起燃点唯－的火柴那天的情景以及当时的焦急心情来了。这一次情况更严重。火要是灭了，遇难的人总可以想一些其他的办法，然而要是不幸遗失了这粒麦，要想再找一粒就不是人力所能办到的了。