apapiu/simple_text_files · Datasets at Hugging Face

"Probably ten months or more."

The boys looked at each other. "Ten months? That is as long as we have been here."

"That is one of the reasons why I said ten months."

The boys knew what that meant. This was, very likely, one of the Investigator's boats, and the skeleton the remains of one of their shipmates.

"Probably it was one of the boys," was George's inquiry.

"I do not think so," said the Professor. "The skeleton shows that of an individual past middle age."

"Why do you think so?"

"Principally, from my examination, so far, on account of the condition of the skull. You see, these saw teeth lines, which cross the top portion. These are called the sutures, and in infancy they are not joined. Before the third period of life these joints grow together, so as to form an undivided skull. But wait; here is another indication. The teeth seem to be greatly worn, showing that the person must have been close to the sixth period of life."

This discovery was the cause of very conflicting emotions in the boys. They reverently gathered the bones, and at Harry's suggestion the boys went to the Cataract for the team. The Professor volunteered to remain.

We may well imagine the feelings of the boys as they went on their mission. Here was mute evidence that others of the ill-fated ship had met disaster. They had often speculated on the fate of their companions. How many had been left to tell the tale!

The yaks were yoked, and taking with them a rude box, which had been put together, as the Professor suggested, they shortly returned.

"Have you found anything new?" was George's first question.

"The poor fellow was undoubtedly killed when he landed, and I think he was a sailor."

"Have you found anything which makes you think so?"

"Nothing but what you see before you. That break in the skull was, in my opinion, made by contact with a rock; furthermore, several of the bones were broken, as you see, at the time he met with his calamity; and one of the legs shows where it was broken before his death, and had mended."

It was a remarkable funeral cortege which wended its way slowly back over the hills to their home. They felt it was paying a tribute to a friend and companion. All doubts on their part had been dispelled. He had been one of their companions on that terrible night when the explosion had sent their ship to the bottom, and had cast them adrift on a sea which welcomed them in raging fury.

"What shall we do with the skeleton?"

The Professor was silent a long time before he answered. "I do not know what to advise. Perhaps, in the future fate may be kind enough to restore us to our homes and friends, and if it should be that we are the only ones so rescued, the skeleton would be a positive means of enabling us to ascertain whether or not he was one of our companions, and also to advise his friends."

A stone sarcophagus was built, in which the remains were deposited after a funeral service at which the Professor presided.

This event had a most depressing influence on the boys, as well it might, during the entire day, and it was the principal topic of their conversation while together. During the two days following only brief references were made to the Professor, but the second evening George's inquisitive nature could not hold in any longer.

"When we were on the rocks examining the skeleton, you referred to the fourth and the sixth ages of man."

"Yes; in point of growth man has seven ages. The first is infancy, which ends at the second year; second, the age which ends at the seventh year; third, at the end of fourteen years; fourth, at the end of twenty-two years; fifth, at the end of forty-seven years; sixth, at the end of sixty-five years; and seventh, which ends at death. These divisions vary somewhat between males and females, and I have given you merely the average between the two sexes."

"I can't help feeling sad, when I think of the things that have happened, and at the thought that all our friends may have been lost."

"Sadness is a natural feeling under the circumstances, but after all, why should it be so? Why should the sight of the skeleton bring sorrow to you? Probably the Egyptians had the right idea when they always had a skeleton at the feast."

"Skeleton at the feast? What was that for?"

"As a reminder of death?"

"There is one thing I could never make myself understand. Why is death necessary? Why couldn't man have been made so he could live always?" was Harry's query.

"You have asked a very broad question. It is one which has a great many answers. At this time I shall give only one of the reasons. The earth would not be big enough to hold the people. I do not know the population of the globe to-day. It is about 1,000,000,000; and if we take the age of the earth at only 5,000 years, we should have in that time 125 generations, counting each generation as 40 years. Do you know what that would mean in population at this time? You could not comprehend the figures. Let us take the United States alone, as an example. Assuming that the population is 90,000,000 at the present time, and that the natural rate of increase is only double in each forty years. This is how it figures out: In forty years we would have 270,000,000; in eighty years, 810,000,000; in one hundred and twenty years, 2,430,000,000; and in one hundred and sixty years, 7,290,000,000. At that rate New York City would have 480,000,000 of people and its boundaries would take in the whole of the State of New Jersey and nearly half of the entire State of New York, as thickly settled as that city now is."

Chapter XII

The Distant Ship And Its Disappearance

"What is that weed you have, Professor? The root looks like a parsnip."

"It may be something we can drink."

"It looks just like a weed that grows all over our farm at home."

"I have no doubt of it. This is the endive, as it is known in the States, but it is really chicory."

"I have heard of chicory; isn't it used as a substitute for coffee?"

"Principally on account of the bitterness in it. The French make the greatest use of it, because they claim it gives strength to coffee."

"What part of it is used?"

"The root; the bulb you see here, and they have a curious way of preparing it. The root is dug up before the plant shoots into flower, and is washed, sliced and dried! it is then roasted until it is of a chocolate color. Two pounds of lard are roasted with each hundredweight; and afterwards, when ground and exposed to the air, it becomes moist and clammy, increases in weight, and smells like licorice. When put into cold water it gives a sweetish bitter taste, not unlike coffee."

"Let me try some of it, and don't say anything about it to Harry. And now, while I think about it, why couldn't we make some crocks out of our clay, so we can use them for our milk. We can't put them in the copper vessels and the iron is just as bad."

"That is a splendid idea; and you might as well vitrify them."

"What do you mean by vitrifying them?"

"Putting the glaze on them, just like the common crocks have."

"That would be simply fine."

The Professor explained the process, which consisted in making the crocks out of the best clay available, and then burning them. Afterwards an intense heat must be made in the furnace, and after soaking the crocks in a strong solution of salt brine, they must be put in and burned again; the greater the heat, the better.

The boys started at this with a will, and when they had arranged to make the crocks they found it most difficult to put them into a round and uniform shape.

"I would suggest that you make a potter's wheel for that purpose."

"A potter's wheel? What is it like?"

"It is the simplest thing imaginable. Do you think, Harry, you could turn out a wooden vessel just the size of the outside of an ordinary milk crock, and turn it with a central stem below, and also have a little pulley on that stem?"