This intense cold lasted till the 15th of August, without, however, passing the degree of Fahrenheit¹ already mentioned. When the atmosphere was calm, the low temperature was easily borne, but when the wind blew, the poor settlers, insufficiently² clothed, felt it severely³. Pencroft regretted that Lincoln Island was not the home of a few families of bears rather than of so many foxes and seals.

"Bears," said he, "are generally very well dressed, and I ask no more than to borrow for the winter the warm cloaks which they have on their backs."

"But," replied Neb, laughing, "perhaps the bears would not consent to give you their cloaks, Pencroft. These beasts are not St. Martins."

"We would make them do it, Neb, we would make them," replied Pencroft, in quite an authoritative⁴ tone.

But these formidable carnivora did not exist in the island, or at any rate they had not yet shown themselves.

In the meanwhile, Herbert, Pencroft, and the reporter occupied themselves with making traps on Prospect⁵ Heights and at the border of the forest.

According to the sailor, any animal, whatever it was, would be a lawful⁶ prize, and the rodents⁷ or carnivora which might get into the new snares⁸ would be well received at Granite⁹ House.

The traps were besides extremely simple; being pits dug in the ground, a platform of branches and grass above, which concealed¹⁰ the opening, and at the bottom some bait, the scent¹¹ of which would attract animals. It must be mentioned also, that they had not been dug at random¹², but at certain places where numerous footprints showed that quadrupeds frequented the ground. They were visited every day, and at three different times, during the first days, specimens¹³ of those Antarctic foxes which they had already seen on the right bank of the Mercy were found in them.

"Why, there are nothing but foxes in this country!" cried Pencroft, when for the third time he drew one of the animals out of the pit. Looking at it in great disgust, he added, "beasts which are good for nothing!"

"Yes," said Gideon Spilett, "they are good for something!"

"And what is that?"

"To make bait to attract other creatures!"

The reporter was right, and the traps were henceforward baited with the foxes carcasses.

The sailor had also made snares from the long tough fibers¹⁴ of a certain plant, and they were even more successful than the traps. Rarely a day passed without some rabbits from the warren being caught. It was always rabbit, but Neb knew how to vary his sauces and the settlers did not think of complaining.

However, once or twice in the second week of August, the traps supplied the hunters with other animals more useful than foxes, namely, several of those small wild boars which had already been seen to the north of the lake. Pencroft had no need to ask if these beasts were eatable. He could see that by their resemblance to the pig of America and Europe.

"But these are not pigs," said Herbert to him, "I warn you of that, Pencroft."

"My boy," replied the sailor, bending over the trap and drawing out one of these representatives of the family of sus by the little appendage¹⁵ which served it as a tail. "Let me believe that these are pigs."

"Why?"

"Because that pleases me!"

"Are you very fond of pig then, Pencroft?"

"I am very fond of pig," replied the sailor, "particularly of its feet, and if it had eight instead of four, I should like it twice as much!"

As to the animals in question, they were peccaries belonging to one of the four species which are included in the family, and they were also of the species of Tajacu, recognizable by their deep color and the absence of those long teeth with which the mouths of their congeners are armed. These peccaries generally live in herds¹⁶, and it was probable that they abounded¹⁷ in the woody parts of the island.

At any rate, they were eatable from head to foot, and Pencroft did not ask more from them.

Towards the 15th of August, the state of the atmosphere was suddenly moderated by the wind shifting to the northwest. The temperature rose some degrees, and the accumulated vapor¹⁸ in the air was not long in resolving into snow. All the island was covered with a sheet of white, and showed itself to its inhabitants under a new aspect. The snow fell abundantly for several days, and it soon reached a thickness of two feet.

The wind also blew with great violence, and at the height of Granite House the sea could be heard thundering against the reefs. In some places, the wind, eddying¹⁹ round the corners, formed the snow into tall whirling columns, resembling those waterspouts which turn round on their base, and which vessels²⁰ attack with a shot from a gun. However, the storm, coming from the northwest, blew across the island, and the position of Granite House preserved it from a direct attack.

But in the midst of this snow-storm, as terrible as if it had been produced in some polar country, neither Cyrus Harding nor his companions could, notwithstanding their wish for it, venture forth²¹, and they remained shut up for five days, from the 20th to the 25th of August. They could hear the tempest raging in Jacamar Wood, which would surely suffer from it. Many of the trees would no doubt be torn up by the roots, but Pencroft consoled himself by thinking that he would not have the trouble of cutting them down.

"The wind is turning woodman, let it alone," he repeated.

Besides, there was no way of stopping it, if they had wished to do so.

How grateful the inhabitants of Granite House then were to Heaven for having prepared for them this solid and immovable retreat! Cyrus Harding had also his legitimate²² share of thanks, but after all, it was Nature who had hollowed out this vast cavern²³, and he had only discovered it. There all were in safety, and the tempest could not reach them. If they had constructed a house of bricks and wood on Prospect Heights, it certainly would not have resisted the fury of this storm. As to the Chimneys, it must have been absolutely uninhabitable, for the sea, passing over the islet, would beat furiously against it. But here, in Granite House, in the middle of a solid mass, over which neither the sea nor air had any influence, there was nothing to fear.

During these days of seclusion²⁴ the settlers did not remain inactive.

There was no want of wood, cut up into planks²⁵, in the storeroom, and little by little they completed their furnishing; constructing the most solid of tables and chairs, for material was not spared. Neb and Pencroft were very proud of this rather heavy furniture, which they would not have changed on any account.

Then the carpenters became basket-makers, and they did not succeed badly in this new manufacture. At the point of the lake which projected to the north, they had discovered an osier-bed in which grew a large number of purple osiers. Before the rainy season, Pencroft and Herbert had cut down these useful shrubs²⁶, and their branches, well prepared, could now be effectively employed. The first attempts were somewhat crude, but in consequence of the cleverness and intelligence of the workmen, by consulting, and recalling the models which they had seen, and by emulating²⁷ each other, the possessions of the colony were soon increased by several baskets of different sizes. The storeroom was provided with them, and in special baskets Neb placed his collection of rhizomes, stone-pine almonds, etc.

During the last week of the month of August the weather moderated again. The temperature fell a little, and the tempest abated²⁸. The colonists²⁹ sallied out directly. There was certainly two feet of snow on the shore, but they were able to walk without much difficulty on the hardened surface. Cyrus Harding and his companions climbed Prospect Heights.

What a change! The woods, which they had left green, especially in the part at which the firs predominated, had disappeared under a uniform color. All was white, from the summit of Mount Franklin to the shore, the forests, the plains, the lake, the river. The waters of the Mercy flowed under a roof of ice, which, at each rising and ebbing³⁰ of the tide, broke up with loud crashes. Numerous birds fluttered over the frozen surface of the lake. Ducks and snipe, teal and guillemots were assembled in thousands. The rocks among which the cascade³¹ flowed were bristling³² with icicles. One might have said that the water escaped by a monstrous³³ gargoyle³⁴, shaped with all the imagination of an artist of the Renaissance³⁵. As to the damage caused by the storm in the forest, that could not as yet be ascertained³⁶; they would have to wait till the snowy covering was dissipated.

Gideon Spilett, Pencroft, and Herbert did not miss this opportunity of going to visit their traps. They did not find them easily, under the snow with which they were covered. They had also to be careful not to fall into one or other of them, which would have been both dangerous and humiliating; to be taken in their own snares! But happily they avoided this unpleasantness, and found their traps perfectly³⁷ intact. No animal had fallen into them, and yet the footprints in the neighborhood were very numerous, among others, certain very clear marks of claws. Herbert did not hesitate to affirm that some animal of the feline³⁸ species had passed there, which justified³⁹ the engineer's opinion that dangerous beasts existed in Lincoln Island. These animals doubtless generally lived in the forests of the Far West, but pressed by hunger, they had ventured as far as Prospect Heights. Perhaps they had smelled out the inhabitants of Granite House. "Now, what are these feline creatures?" asked Pencroft. "They are tigers," replied Herbert. "I thought those beasts were only found in hot countries?"

"On the new continent," replied the lad, "they are found from Mexico to the Pampas of Buenos Aires. Now, as Lincoln Island is nearly under the same latitude⁴⁰ as the provinces of La Plata, it is not surprising that tigers are to be met with in it."

"Well, we must look out for them," replied Pencroft.

However, the snow soon disappeared, quickly dissolving under the influence of the rising temperature. Rain fell, and the sheet of white soon vanished. Notwithstanding the bad weather, the settlers renewed their stores of different things, stone-pine almonds, rhizomes, syrup⁴¹ from the maple⁴²-tree, for the vegetable part; rabbits from the warren, agouties, and kangaroos for the animal part. This necessitated⁴³ several excursions into the forest, and they found that a great number of trees had been blown down by the last hurricane. Pencroft and Neb also pushed with the cart as far as the vein⁴⁴ of coal, and brought back several tons of fuel. They saw in passing that the pottery⁴⁵ kiln⁴⁶ had been severely damaged by the wind, at least six feet of it having been blown off.

At the same time as the coal, the store of wood was renewed at Granite House, and they profited by the current of the Mercy having again become free, to float down several rafts. They could see that the cold period was not ended.

A visit was also paid to the Chimneys, and the settlers could not but congratulate themselves on not having been living there during the hurricane. The sea had left unquestionable traces of its ravages⁴⁷. Sweeping⁴⁸ over the islet, it had furiously assailed⁴⁹ the passages, half filling them with sand, while thick beds of seaweed covered the rocks. While Neb, Herbert, and Pencroft hunted or collected wood, Cyrus Harding and Gideon Spilett busied themselves in putting the Chimneys to rights, and they found the forge and the bellows⁵⁰ almost unhurt, protected as they had been from the first by the heaps of sand.

The store of fuel had not been made uselessly. The settlers had not done with the rigorous cold. It is known that, in the Northern Hemisphere, the month of February is principally distinguished⁵¹ by rapid fallings of the temperature. It is the same in the Southern Hemisphere, and the end of the month of August, which is the February of North America, does not escape this climatic law.

About the 25th, after another change from snow to rain, the wind shifted to the southeast, and the cold became, suddenly, very severe. According to the engineer's calculation, the mercurial⁵² column of a Fahrenheit thermometer would not have marked less than eight degrees below zero, and this intense cold, rendered still more painful by a sharp gale⁵³, lasted for several days. The colonists were again shut up in Granite House, and as it was necessary to hermetically seal all the openings of the facade⁵⁴, only leaving a narrow passage for renewing the air, the consumption of candles was considerable. To economize⁵⁵ them, the cavern was often only lighted by the blazing hearths⁵⁶, on which fuel was not spared. Several times, one or other of the settlers descended⁵⁷ to the beach in the midst of ice which the waves heaped up at each tide, but they soon climbed up again to Granite House, and it was not without pain and difficulty that their hands could hold to the rounds of the ladder. In consequence of the intense cold, their fingers felt as if burned when they touched the rounds. To occupy the leisure hours, which the tenants⁵⁸ of Granite House now had at their disposal, Cyrus Harding undertook an operation which could be performed indoors.

We know that the settlers had no other sugar at their disposal than the liquid substance which they drew from the maple, by making deep incisions⁵⁹ in the tree. They contented⁶⁰ themselves with collecting this liquor in jars and employing it in this state for different culinary purposes, and the more so, as on growing old, this liquid began to become white and to be of a syrupy consistence.

But there was something better to be made of it, and one day Cyrus Harding announced that they were going to turn into refiners.

"Refiners!" replied Pencroft. "That is rather a warm trade, I think."

"Very warm," answered the engineer.

"Then it will be seasonable!" said the sailor.

This word refining need not awake in the mind thoughts of an elaborate manufactory with apparatus⁶¹ and numerous workmen. No! to crystallize this liquor, only an extremely easy operation is required. Placed on the fire in large earthen pots, it was simply subjected to evaporation⁶², and soon a scum arose to its surface. As soon as this began to thicken, Neb carefully removed it with a wooden spatula⁶³; this accelerated the evaporation, and at the same time prevented it from contracting an empyreumatic flavor.

After boiling for several hours on a hot fire, which did as much good to the operators as the substance operated upon, the latter was transformed into a thick syrup. This syrup was poured into clay molds, previously⁶⁴ fabricated in the kitchen stove, and to which they had given various shapes. The next day this syrup had become cold, and formed cakes and tablets. This was sugar of rather a reddish color, but nearly transparent⁶⁵ and of a delicious taste.

The cold continued to the middle of September, and the prisoners in Granite House began to find their captivity⁶⁶ rather tedious. Nearly every day they attempted sorties which they could not prolong. They constantly worked at the improvement of their dwelling⁶⁷. They talked while working. Harding instructed his companions in many things, principally explaining to them the practical applications of science. The colonists had no library at their disposal; but the engineer was a book which was always at hand, always open at the page which one wanted, a book which answered all their questions, and which they often consulted. The time thus passed away pleasantly, these brave men not appearing to have any fears for the future.

However, all were anxious to see, if not the fine season, at least the cessation of the insupportable cold. If only they had been clothed in a way to meet it, how many excursions they would have attempted, either to the downs or to Tadorn's Fens⁶⁸! Game would have been easily approached, and the chase would certainly have been most productive. But Cyrus Harding considered it of importance that no one should injure his health, for he had need of all his hands, and his advice was followed.

But it must be said, that the one who was most impatient of this imprisonment⁶⁹, after Pencroft perhaps, was Top. The faithful dog found Granite House very narrow. He ran backwards⁷⁰ and forwards from one room to another, showing in his way how weary he was of being shut up. Harding often remarked that when he approached the dark well which communicated with the sea, and of which the orifice opened at the back of the storeroom, Top uttered singular growlings. He ran round and round this hole, which had been covered with a wooden lid. Sometimes even he tried to put his paws under the lid, as if he wished to raise it. He then yelped⁷¹ in a peculiar⁷² way, which showed at once anger and uneasiness.

The engineer observed this maneuver⁷³ several times.

What could there be in this abyss to make such an impression on the intelligent animal? The well led to the sea, that was certain. Could narrow passages spread from it through the foundations of the island? Did some marine⁷⁴ monster come from time to time, to breathe at the bottom of this well? The engineer did not know what to think, and could not refrain from dreaming of many strange improbabilities. Accustomed to go far into the regions of scientific reality, he would not allow himself to be drawn⁷⁵ into the regions of the strange and almost of the supernatural; but yet how to explain why Top, one of those sensible dogs who never waste their time in barking at the moon, should persist in trying with scent and hearing to fathom⁷⁶ this abyss, if there was nothing there to cause his uneasiness? Top's conduct puzzled Cyrus Harding even more than he cared to acknowledge to himself.

At all events, the engineer only communicated his impressions to Gideon Spilett, for he thought it useless to explain to his companions the suspicions which arose from what perhaps was only Top's fancy.

At last the cold ceased. There had been rain, squalls mingled⁷⁷ with snow, hailstorms, gusts⁷⁸ of wind, but these inclemencies did not last. The ice melted, the snow disappeared; the shore, the plateau, the banks of the Mercy, the forest, again became practicable. This return of spring delighted the tenants of Granite House, and they soon only passed it in the hours necessary for eating and sleeping.

They hunted much in the second part of September, which led Pencroft to again entreat⁷⁹ for the firearms, which he asserted had been promised by Cyrus Harding. The latter, knowing well that without special tools it would be nearly impossible for him to manufacture a gun which would be of any use, still drew back and put off the operation to some future time, observing in his usual dry way, that Herbert and Spilett had become very skilful⁸⁰ archers⁸¹, so that many sorts of excellent animals, agouties, kangaroos, capybaras, pigeons, bustards, wild ducks, snipes, in short, game both with fur and feathers, fell victims to their arrows, and that, consequently, they could wait. But the obstinate⁸² sailor would listen to nothing of this, and he would give the engineer no peace till he promised to satisfy his desire. Gideon Spilett, however, supported Pencroft.

"If, which may be doubted," said he, "the island is inhabited by wild beasts, we must think how to fight with and exterminate⁸³ them. A time may come when this will be our first duty."

But at this period, it was not the question of firearms which occupied Harding, but that of clothes. Those which the settlers wore had passed this winter, but they would not last until next winter. Skins of carnivora or the wool of ruminants must be procured⁸⁴ at any price, and since there were plenty of musmons, it was agreed to consult on the means of forming a flock which might be brought up for the use of the colony. An enclosure for the domestic animals, a poultry-yard for the birds, in a word to establish a sort of farm in the island, such were the two important projects for the fine season.

In consequence and in view of these future establishments, it became of much importance that they should penetrate⁸⁵ into all the yet unknown parts of Lincoln Island, that is to say, through that thick forest which extended on the right bank of the Mercy, from its mouth to the extremity⁸⁶ of the Serpentine⁸⁷ Peninsula, as well as on the whole of its western side. But this needed settled weather, and a month must pass before this exploration could be profitably undertaken.

They therefore waited with some impatience⁸⁸, when an incident occurred which increased the desire the settlers had to visit the whole of their domain⁸⁹.

It was the 24th of October. On this day, Pencroft had gone to visit his traps, which he always kept properly baited. In one of them he found three animals which would be very welcome for the larder⁹⁰. They were a female peccary and her two young ones.

Pencroft then returned to Granite House, enchanted⁹¹ with his capture, and, as usual, he made a great show of his game.

"Come, we shall have a grand feast, captain!" he exclaimed. "And you too, Mr. Spilett, you will eat some!"

"I shall be very happy," replied the reporter; "but what is it that I am going to eat?"

"Suckling-pig."

"Oh, indeed, suckling-pig, Pencroft? To hear you, I thought that you were bringing back a young partridge stuffed with truffles!"

"What?" cried Pencroft. "Do you mean to say that you turn up your nose at suckling-pig?'

"No," replied Gideon Spilett, without showing any enthusiasm; "provided one doesn't eat too much"

"That's right, that's right," returned the sailor, who was not pleased whenever he heard his chase made light of. "You like to make objections. Seven months ago, when we landed on the island, you would have been only too glad to have met with such game!"

"Well, well," replied the reporter, "man is never perfect, nor contented."

"Now," said Pencroft, "I hope that Neb will distinguish himself. Look here! These two little peccaries are not more than three months old! They will be as tender as quails⁹²! Come along, Neb, come! I will look after the cooking myself."

And the sailor, followed by Neb, entered the kitchen, where they were soon absorbed in their culinary labors⁹³.

They were allowed to do it in their own way. Neb, therefore, prepared a magnificent repast--the two little peccaries, kangaroo soup, a smoked ham, stone-pine almonds, Oswego tea; in fact, all the best that they had, but among all the dishes figured in the first rank the savory⁹⁴ peccaries.

At five o'clock dinner was served in the dining-room of Granite House. The kangaroo soup was smoking on the table. They found it excellent.

To the soup succeeded the peccaries, which Pencroft insisted on carving⁹⁵ himself, and of which he served out monstrous portions to each of the guests.

These suckling-pigs were really delicious, and Pencroft was devouring⁹⁶ his share with great gusto, when all at once a cry and an oath escaped him.

"What's the matter?" asked Cyrus Harding.

"The matter? the matter is that I have just broken a tooth!" replied the sailor.

"What, are there pebbles⁹⁷ in your peccaries?" said Gideon Spilett.

"I suppose so," replied Pencroft, drawing from his lips the object which had cost him a grinder!--

It was not a pebble--it was a leaden bullet.

严寒一直继续到8月15日，可是并没有比前面说过的华氏温度再低下去。在天气晴朗的时候，温度即使低一些，也还受得了，一旦刮起风来，可怜的居民们由于穿得太少，就要受尽苦楚了。潘克洛夫感到遗憾的是：林肯岛上住着许多狐狸和海豹，却没有一只熊。如果有熊的话，用它们的皮做衣服，多么好呢?

靶埽彼担白苁谴┑檬媸娣模冶鸬囊膊灰幌氚阉撬哪切┡偷亩放窠杓讣垂！?

“可是，”纳布笑道，“也许熊不会答应把自己的斗篷借给你的，潘克洛夫，它们并不是圣.马丁。”

“我们可以使它肯借的，纳布，可以使它肯借的。”潘克洛夫信心十足他说。

然而岛上并没有这种凶猛的食肉动物，至少到目前为止，还没有看见过。

在这期间，赫伯特、潘克洛夫和通讯记者在眺望岗和森林边缘布置着陷阶。

根据水手的看法，任何一种动物，被人猎捕都是合理合法的，不管它是啮齿动物还是食肉动物，只要跑进新做好的圈套里，就应该把它请到“花岗石宫”里来款待一番。

陷阱的构造非常简单，在地上挖好坑，上面蒙上一层树枝和野草，把洞口遮蔽起来，坑底放一些食饵，食饵发出香味，就会把野兽吸引过去了。应该说明，这些陷阱并不是随便乱挖的，而是必须布置在一定的地点，什么地方野兽的脚印多，就说明野兽经常到这一带来。居民们每天都来探看陷阱，在最初几天内，陷阱里一连三次捉住了在慈悲河右岸已经见过的白狐。

“怎么，这里尽是狐狸！”潘克洛夫第三次把一只白狐扔到陷阱外边来的时候说。他非常厌恶地着了它一眼，然后补充道，“这种野兽一点用处也没有！”

“不对，”吉丁.史佩莱说，“它们是有一些用处的！”

“有什么用？”

“拿它做引诱其他动物的食饵！”

通讯记者的意见很对，从此以后，陷阱里的食饵就改用死狐狸了。

水手又用一种树木的长而结实的纤维做了几个圈套，效果甚至比陷阱还要好。每天总要有几只养兔场的兔子来上圈套。捉来的虽然只有兔子一种，然而纳布的烹调花样很多，因此居民们百吃不厌。

在8月份的第二周，猎人们终于有一两次从陷阱里捉到胜过狐狸的东西了，那就是在湖的北边见过的小野猪。潘克洛夫不问也知道这种野兽是好吃的，因为它们很象美洲和欧洲的家猪。

“可是这并不是家猪，”赫伯特对他说，“我要警告你，潘克洛夫。”

“孩子，”水手一面说，一面俯身到陷阱口去，一手揪住短尾巴，提了一只野猪出来，“我还是把它当做猪吧！”

“为什么？”

“我高兴这样！”

“那么，你很喜欢猪吗，潘克洛夫？”

“我很喜欢猪，”水手答道，“特别是猪腿；假如它的腿不是四只，而是八只，那我就加倍地喜欢它！”

野猪科一共有四种，上面所说的这只动物，就是其中的一种，叫做西瑞，特点是颜色根深，没有同类嘴部所生的长牙。西瑞一般都群居的，海岛的森林地带可能很多。

总之，这种动物从头到尾都可以吃，潘克洛夫对它们也提不出别的要求了。

八月将过一半的时候，风向转往西北，气候也突然变了。温度上升了几度，空气里的水汽不久却变成了雪。整个的海岛都覆盖了一层白皑皑的银甲，居民们顿时觉得海岛的面貌焕然一新。一连下了好几天大雪，地上很快就积了两英尺厚。

风也刮得很猛，在巍峨的“花岗石宫”里，可以听见海水撞在礁石上，发出轰隆的响声，地势弯曲的地方，旋风把雪花吹得滴溜溜地转，形成一根根高大的柱子，恰象齐根盘旋的水柱——船只在海里遇到这样的水柱，是要开炮轰击的。暴风雪从西北吹来，横扫海岛，因此“花岗石宫”没有遭到正面的袭击。

可是在这些日子里，风雪怒号，和在某些寒带地区所见到的景况一样可怕。赛勒斯.史密斯和他的伙伴们尽管想出去，也只好耐着住子躲在家里，从8月20日到25日，一连困守了五天。他们听见风雪在啄木鸟林里耀武扬威，那里肯定受到了它的蹂躏。一定有许多树木被连根拔起来了，可是潘克洛夫却拿省得他去砍伐来安慰自己。

“风变成樵夫了，让它去刮吧。”他重复着。

事实上，即使他们想要阻止，也是办不到的。

这时候“花岗石宫”里的居民们多么感谢上苍为他们安排了这个铁桶一般的住所啊！他们也向赛勒斯.史密斯表示了应有的谢意，可是这个巨大的石洞毕竟还是自然界造出来的，不过是工程师发现的罢了。暴风雪侵犯不到他们，每个人都很安全。如果用砖头和木料在眺望岗上盖一所房子，肯定地说，是经不住这场风暴的。“石窟”一定完全不能居住了，因为海水漫过小岛以后，就会排山倒海地向它冲去。只有“花岗石宫”坐落在磐石的中心，风吹不到，浪打不着，完全不必担优。

在隐居的这几天里，居民们并没有闲着。

仓库里原来存放着许多木材，他们把木材锯成木板，逐渐就把家具凑齐了。由于不吝惜木料，做成的桌椅都非常结实。纳布和潘克洛夫对这些笨重的家具非常满意，不论谁拿什么东西来，他们也不肯换的。

不久，木工们又学会编篮子了。他们在这项新的工作里，成绩也不错。湖的北部有一处凸出的地方，他们在那里发现一片柳林，生长着许多紫红色的绢柳。在雨季以前，潘克洛夫和赫伯特就把这些有用的灌木砍下来，经过加工以后，枝条就可以有效地利用了，开始试编的时候没有经验，可是由于工人们的聪明和智慧，再经过研究和回想过去见过的篮子的形状，经过互相竞赛，小队里很快就添了几个大小不一的篮子了。他们把篮子放在仓库里，纳布还挑选了几个专门存放他收集来的块茎和南欧松子等等。

8月的最后一个星期，天气又变了。温度下降了一些，暴风雪也平息下来。移民们立刻作了一次旅行。岸边的积雪肯定有二英尺厚，然而地面冻得挺硬，他们走起来倒也并不感到困难。赛勒斯.史密斯和他的伙伴们爬上了眺望岗。

多么大的变化啊！森林里的树木，特别是那些主要生长着枞树的地方，上次看见的时候还是一片苍翠，现在什么都没有了，只看见一色白。从富兰克林山山巅直到海边，森林、平原、湖泊、河流连成了白茫茫的一片。慈悲河的河水在冰檐下流过，每当涨潮和落潮的时候，就会把冰胀破，发出很大的响声。封冻的湖面上有无数的飞鸟在振翼飞翔。鸭子和鹬、水鸭和海鸠都成千地聚在一起。岩石丛中流出瀑布的地方倒接着许多冰柱，乍一看以为瀑布是从一个奇形怪状的漏斗里泻出来的，它的样子非常特别，好象是一件文艺复兴时代艺术家的作品。暴风雪在森林里所造成的破坏到底有多大，他们暂时还没法肯定；必须等到表面的冰雪融化以后才能知道。

吉丁.史佩莱、潘克洛夫和赫伯特并没有错过这个机会去看他们的陷阱，陷阱被积雪盖住了，好容易才找到。他们还必须十分小心，以防掉到里面去，要是落在自己布置的陷阱里，那不但危险，而且也太丢脸了！幸而他们没有倒楣，找到了他们原封未动的陷阱。里面没有动物，然而附近却有很多脚印，其中有许多爪印很清楚。赫伯特毫不犹豫地肯定曾经有猫科食肉兽类从这里走过，由此可见工程师说得对，林肯岛上是有凶猛的野兽的。毫无疑问，这些动物一定是住在远西森林里的，因为受饥饿的逼迫，才冒险到眺望岗来。也许它们已经嗅出“花岗石宫”里有人居住了。

“那么，这些猫科食肉兽类是些什么兽呢？”潘克洛夫问道。

“是老虎。”赫伯特回答说。

“不是只有热带才有老虎吗？”

“在新大陆上，”少年说，“从墨西哥一直到布宜诺斯艾利斯的判帕草原一带都有。既然林肯岛的纬度和拉巴拉他附近差不多，那么在这里遇到老虎也就并不奇怪了。”

“好吧，我们得提防着它们。”潘克洛夫答道。

由于温度的上升，积雪不久就融化了。经过一场雨以后，大地披的银甲顿时消失得无影无踪。尽管天气很坏，居民们还是照常补充了各种各样的东西，植物方面的有南欧松子、块茎和枫树的糖浆，动物方面的有养兔场的兔子、刺鼠和袋鼠。为了取得这些东西，他们到森林里去了几次，发现有很多树木都被风暴刮倒了。潘克洛夫和纳布还推着大车一直到远处的煤层那里去，运了好几吨燃料回来。路上他们看见烧陶器的土窑遭到大风严重的损坏，至少有六英尺长的一段烟囱被刮掉了。

他们要给“花岗石宫”补充大批的木材和煤炭，正好慈悲河又畅通了，于是他们就利用河水输送了好几木筏的燃料。然而他们可以看得出来，寒冷的季节井没有到头。

居民们也到“石窟”去了一趟，他们在暴风雪的日子里没有住在那里，不能不感到运气。现在留下的迹象可以说明，大海一定在这里显过威风。怒潮漫过小岛，闯进了通道，使里面灌满了泥沙，岩石上布满了一层厚厚的海藻。当纳布、赫伯特和潘克洛夫去打猎或是砍柴的时候，赛勒斯.史密斯和吉丁.史佩莱就忙着整顿“石窟”，他们发现炼铁工具和风箱几乎一点也没有损坏，还是和原来用沙子保藏着的时候一样。

贮藏的煤起了很大的作用，居民们有了它才没有受到严寒的威胁。大家都知道，北半球二月主要的特点是温度骤然下降。南半球也是一样，这里的八月底相当于北美洲的二月，也逃不出气候的一般规律。

25日左右，在雪再次变成为雨以后，风向转往东南了，这时候突然变得极度寒冷起来，据工程师估计，温度不会高过华氏零下8度，这次严寒加上刺骨的狂风，更是令人难以忍受，这样一直继续了好几天。移民们二次把自己紧闭在“花岗石宫”里。由于要把上面所有的窟窿都堵严，只留下一条窄缝通风，因此蜡烛的消耗量相当大。为了要节省蜡烛，他们就没有吝惜燃料，常常把烧得很旺的炉火当作石洞里唯一的光源。有时候，也有一两个居民到冰雪——这些冰雪都是由于潮水的一涨一落堆积起来的——包围的海滩上去。可是他们很快就跑回“花岗石宫”来；每当他们用双手握住梯棍向上攀登的时候，他们不但觉得困难，而且感到一阵阵的剧痛。由于严寒的缘故，他们的手指一碰梯棍，就好象燃烧起来似的。为了使“花岗石宫”的居民可以利用自由支配的闲暇，赛勒斯.史密斯选择了一项可以在室内进行的工作。

前面已经说过，居民们吃的糖是枫树的液体。他们把树皮割开一个很深的裂口，让液体流到瓶子里，然后用各种不同方法烹调；经过一定时间，它就开始发白，变成一种很浓的糖浆了。大家对这种东西都感到很满意。

然而，还可以把它做成一种更好的东西。有一天赛勒斯.史密斯告诉伙伴们，他们要当炼糖工人了。

“炼糖工人！”潘克洛夫说。“我认为这个买卖倒不错。”

“是的，很不错。”工程师答道。

“那就合适了！”水手说。

一听“精炼”这个字眼，也许以为需要庞大的工厂、复杂的设备和无数的工人了吧！其实完全不是那么一回事！只要经过一道非常简单的工序，就可以使这种液体成为结晶体了。把糖浆盛在一只巨大的土罐里，在火上熬着，不久表面上就凝了一层碎屑。等这层碎屑逐渐变厚以后，纳布就用一把木刀小心地把它掀起来；这样不但可以加速蒸发，而且还可以避免发焦。

糖浆在旺盛的炉火上熬了几个钟头，不仅熬成了浓缩的蜜糖，而且炼糖工人的身子也暖和了。他们预先在厨房的火炉里制造了一些形状不一的陶土模型，这时候就把蜜糖倒进去。第二天蜜糖冷却了，凝结成许多糖块和糖片。这种糖的颜色微微发红，可是几乎是透明的，味道也很好。

天气一直冷到九月中旬，“花岗石宫”里的“囚徒”们开始感到蹲腻了。几乎每天他们都要想法子突围出去，但是总不能走得恨远。他们不断地改善他们的住宅，一面工作一面谈话。史密斯向他的伙伴们讲了许多事情，主要是向他们讲解科学的实际应用，移民们没有图书馆，可是工程师是一本随时可以参考的百科全书，它老是打开在需要的这一页上，这本书能解决他们所有的问题，他们经常翻阅。时间就这样愉快地度过了，这些勇敢的人好象并不为将来而担忧。

空守在屋内的日子该结束了。人人都在焦急地等待着，即使不盼望美好的季节马上到来，至少也盼望着难以忍受的严寒赶快过去。只要能再多一点衣服，他们的打猎活动就不知道可以进行多少次了，不管是到沙丘也好，到潦凫沼地也好！飞禽走兽是很容易接近的，出去打猎一定可以满载而归。可是赛勒斯.史密斯认为保护大家的健康更要紧，因为人手一个也不能缺，大家都遵照他的意思去做了。

必须说明，最耐不住在房间里困守的，除了潘克洛夫大概就是托普了。这只忠实的狗觉得“花岗石宫”狭小，它从这个房间到那个房间来回乱跑，用种种方法表示关在室内嫌烦闷。史密斯经常注意到，每当托普走近仓库后边通向大海的黑井时，它就奇怪地咆哮起来。井口盖着一个木盖，它绕着井口团团转，有时候甚至把一只爪子伸到盖子底下去，好象要把它掀起来似的。然后它就奇怪地大叫一阵，显得既愤怒又不安。

这种情形工程师看到已经不止一次了。

深渊里究竟有什么东西使这只机灵的畜生忘不了呢？井通向大海是不会错的。可是会不会另外有什么窄道通向海岛的地底呢？会不会与别的小洞相沟通呢？会不会常有海兽到井底来呼吸呢？工程师觉得猜测起来毫无根据，不禁产生了许多荒唐的奇想。他是惯于深入科学的现实领域的，因此不愿意想入非非，更不愿意往迷信方面想，然而托普是一只具有理性的狗，它决不会闲来无事去对着月亮大叫大闹，如果没有原因引起它的不安，它怎么会捕风捉影，坚持要探索这个深渊呢？托普的行动使赛勒斯.史密斯疑惑得不能自信了。

话虽如此，工程师仅仅把他的想法告诉了吉丁.史佩莱，他认为告诉其他的伙伴们也没有用，这些疑团也可能是由于托普的幻觉而产生的。

严寒终于结束了。在这期间也曾经有过雨、风雪、冰雹和狂风，然而这些险恶的天气并没有持续很久。冰雪融化了，海滨、高地、慈悲河的两岸和森林又能够通行了。“花岗石宫”里的居民都为大地回春而感到高兴，再过不久，他们就只有吃饭、睡觉的时候才呆在家里。

九月下旬，他们常常去打猎，这么一来，潘克洛夫又央求着要赛勒斯.史密斯造火器了，他一口咬定史密斯答应过他。工程师很清楚，没有特殊的工具几乎不可能制造一支能用的枪，因此还是没有动手，把这一工作推到将来。他象平时一样淡淡地说，赫伯特和史佩莱已经成了非常熟练的神弓手，许多鲜美的野昧，象刺鼠、袋鼠、水豚、鸽子、鸨、野鸭、鹅，总之，各种飞禽走兽在他们的箭下都休想逃命；因此，他们不妨再等一些日子。然而顽固的水手却不听这一套，他一刻不停地缠着工程师；直到工程师答应满足他的希望时才算完。吉丁.史佩莱对潘克洛夫却是支持的。

“海岛上有没有猛兽现在还不能肯定，”他说，“如果有的话，我们就一定要想法子和它们斗争，把它们消灭掉。迟早有一天这会成为我们的首要任务的。”

可是这时候史密斯所考虑的却不是火器，而是衣服的问题。居民们依靠身上的衣服度过了这个冬天，然而却不能穿到明年冬天。他们必须不借任何代价取得食肉动物的皮或是反刍动物的毛；他们发现过许多摩弗仑羊，于是大家一致同意想法子捉一群来，也许饲养下来可以对小队有用。这就必须先开辟一个养牲畜用的畜栏和一个养鸟类用的家禽场，一句话，要在海岛上建立起饲养场，这是季节好转以后的两件大事。

为了未来的这些工作。他们必须先深入了解林肯岛上所有还没有到过的地方，也就是慈悲河右岸从河口一直绵延到盘蛇半岛尽头的大片密林，以及海岛的西部全境。然而这需要有稳定的天气，要再过一个月才能很好地进行这次远征。

于是他们焦急地等待了一个时期；在这期间突然发生了一件事情，使居民们要探索整个王国的心情更焦急了。

这是10月24日。这一天潘克洛夫去探望他的陷阱。他平时总是把食饵在里面安排得好好的。在一个陷阱里，他发现了三只很适合放在食品室里的动物。那是一只母西瑞和它的两只崽子。

潘克洛夫回“花岗石宫”来了，他捉到这样的野兽觉得非常得意，和往常一样，向大家大肆炫耀了一番。

“来吧，我们可以大吃一顿了，史密斯先生！”他大声说。“还有你，史佩莱先生，也有你一份！”

“我很高兴，”通讯记者答道，“可是你要请我吃什么呢？”

“烤小猪。”

“啊，真的是烤小猪吗，潘克洛夫？听你的口气，我还以为你带回来的是一只塞满松露的小松鸡呢！”

“什么？“潘克洛夫大叫道。“你瞧不起烤小猪吗？”

“不，”吉丁.史佩莱答道，他显得一点也不起劲；“假如不是吃腻了的话……”

“你有理，你有理，”水手回答说，他打来的东西没有受到欢迎，使他很不高兴。“你真难侍候，要是七个月以前刚在岛上登陆的时候让你看见这种野味，你早就要高兴死了！”

“算了，算了，”通讯记者说，“人总是有缺点的，而且也不会满足。”

“现在，”潘克洛夫说，“我希望纳布能拿出他的本事来。你们瞧！这两只小猪还不过三个月！它们简直跟鹌鹑一样嫩！来吧，纳布，来！我要亲自看你烹调。”

于是水手带着纳布到厨房里去了，他们很快就专心地烹调起来。

大家让他们按照自己的主意去烹调。结果纳布做出一顿非常精致的晚餐——两只烤小猪、袋鼠汤、一只熏腿、南欧松子和薄荷茶；的确，他们把最好的食品都拿出来了，然而在所有这些菜肴里，还要数烤小猪最使人满意。

五点钟的时候，晚饭开在“花岗石宫”的餐厅里了。袋鼠汤在桌上冒着热气，他们都认为汤的味道很好。

喝完了汤，接着就是烤小猪了，潘克洛夫坚持要亲自下手分割，他给每个客人都敬了一大块。

烤小猪的确好吃，潘克洛夫狼吞虎咽，正吃得咂咂有声，突然他一声喊叫，接着又骂了一句。

“怎么回事？”赛勒斯.史密斯问道。

“怎么回事？是这么回事，把我的一颗牙给崩了！”水手答道。

“什么，你的烤小猪里有鹅卵石吗？”吉丁.史佩莱说。

“大概是的。”潘克洛夫一面说，一面从唇边把那件东西拿出来，这是他付出一颗牙齿的代价换来的……

那不是鹅卵石——而是一颗铅弹。