Part 17

After this Skirmish we doubled our Diligence or our Preservation; we were still in Dread of our conquer'd Enemy, because we apprehended that in time they would be wiser; but we never saw them afterwards, nor heard any thing of 'em any more than of our two Comrades, whom to be sure the Villains murder'd and devour'd.

Now you mention eating, _said I_, methinks 'tis time to talk of laying the Cloth. If you'll be rul'd by me, we will dine first, and then see what we have to say to one another more. Since that time, said _Normand_, nothing happen'd worth your Notice. Are you all living still? I ask'd him. No verily, _said he_, four died two Years ago, and there's another very ill, but perhaps the Sight of you will contribute to his Recovery; at least I am persuaded, that both he and others will be transported to see you. I beg let us go to them, we have time enough before us, else the poor Fellows will not know what's become of us. Tho' we were not yet recover'd of the Fatigues of the preceding Days, yet after having taken a Bit without Loss of Time, we travell'd away.

The Sun had been set a long while when we came to our Journey's End, but the Sky was clear; and the Moon almost at Full. I could not help laughing when we came about 100 Paces from the Fort, to hear one cry, _Who goes there?_ and to hear _Normand_ say, _A Friend_. Yet this was not all; you were but two when you went, said the Centinel, but I see more. Officers! Guard! At these Words, _Le Grand_ came out with a Gun in his Hand to take a View of us. I was very well pleas'd with this good Guard, especially at that time when I was come from a Country where they knew not what a Guard meant. _Normand_ stepp'd before us, and discover'd who we were, at which they came upon us all at once, and had like to have smother'd us with Embraces. Here we were oblig'd to give another Narrative of our Adventures, and to hear ourselves bitterly reproach'd for not having improv'd our Fortunes.

_Le Grand_ said, why Friends, do you seek for Treasures and Empires? What need have we of any thing but plain Food and Raiment? You were in a Place where you enjoy'd these two Advantages at once, where all Persons are upon a Level, except here and there a few to whom the others pay a small voluntary Deference on Account of their Virtues, and the Care they take to administer Justice. You were also familiar with the King, who nourish'd you with the Fat of a plentiful fruitful Country, a Land of Blessing and Peace, from whence Soldiers are banish'd as much as Hangmen, and where humane Blood is sacred and safe from the Rage and Tyranny of great Men? I pray, what would you have more? Go where you please, you will never find so much again elsewhere. But 'tis the Foible of most Men, they seldom are contented with what they enjoy, and in whatsoever State and Place they are, they always think that to be happy they must change it.

All this moralizing, reply'd _La Foret_, is to no Purpose, we are come away, and we will not go back again were we to want Bread elsewhere. He is in the right, _said I_, when Errors are committed, 'tis needless to think any more of 'em, unless it be to be a Warning to us at another Time. If ever such good Luck should happen to us again, perhaps we shall know better how to improve it.

Next Day we went to fetch the remainder of the Baggage which we had left near the River, and came hither with it, designing to live and die here with the rest of our Company.

I was mightily pleas'd to see the good Order which _Le Grand_ kept in this Fort with Respect to Manners. The least immodest Word was forbid on Pain of public Correction. He read Prayers every Morning and Evening at which they all attended, for tho' they were for most part Catholics, yet they liv'd together as if they had been all of one Religion. They all profess'd to love God and their Neighbour, as much as themselves; every one took his Turn to go and fetch in Provisions, to dress the Victuals, to mount the Guard, and so of the rest, while others walk'd Abroad for the Air, or employed themselves in what they pleas'd. It was an easy Matter for us to accommodate ourselves to the Maxims of this petty Republick. The sick Person I found there was cur'd, so that our Company consisted of 12 Persons.

We liv'd 27 Months together without any considerable Accident among us, but then one of our Comrades died, whose Name was _Gascagnet_, a Native of the _Cevennes_. He had been sadly afflicted with an _Asthma_ for several Years, which had made him as lean as a Rake. When he was dead, I begg'd Leave to open him, which was readily granted. For this Operation I made use of some sorry Rasors and Scissors which my Comrades had sav'd. I found his Lungs contracted, and dry as a Spunge. The Trachian Artery or Pipe of the Lungs was hard, inflexible, and wide enough to put an Egg into it. The Liver was green, one of its Parts was gritty, and the other which seem'd perfectly ulcerated, stuck to his Kidneys. I found 4 Stones as big as Prune-Stones in the Bladder of the Gall, which was as yellow as Wax. As to the Heart, it seem'd in as good Order to outward Appearance as one could wish, but when I open'd it, I found a Hole in the _Septum Medium_ of the Size of a Silver Penny, edg'd with a Membrane which without doubt was form'd there to hinder its closing up.

I confess that this surpriz'd me, but after a little Consideration I guess'd that the Deceased having always labour'd under a Difficulty of Breathing, and his Lungs by consequence wanting to be sufficiently cool'd, Nature was willing to provide a Remedy, as it does, tho' by other Means, for Infants in their Mother's Womb, and which indeed do not breathe at all, inasmuch as the Blood is circulated in them in a very different Manner from what it is when they are born. For, whereas in this Case, the Blood which is contain'd in the Veins, and push'd from the Extremities of the Body towards the Heart, which it enters thro' the _Vena Cava_, discharges itself into the right Cavity from whence it passes into the Arterious Vein, afterwards into the _Arteria Venosa_, and from thence into the left Cavity of the Heart, from whence it is push'd to the Extremities of the Animal by the _Aorta_, which communicates by its Branches with those of the _Vena Cava_; in the other case on the contrary, the Blood which issues from the Right Cavity passes immediately from the Trunk of the Arterious Vein into the _Aorta_, at the same time that it also flows immediately from the _Vena Cava_ into the Trunk of the Veinous Artery, which from thence enters and dilates it self in the Left Cavity of the Heart.

I observ'd nothing extraordinary in the Intestines. The Ureters and Kidneys were full of Gravel, so that no wonder the poor Man was always complaining, and that he died in the flower of his Age when he was but 34 Years old. We bury'd him in the Counterscarp.

'Twas scarce six Weeks after, that we had a horrid Earthquake, which was follow'd with as furious a Tempest as I ever saw in my Life. The Mountain to the West of our Fort, rent in twain from Top to Bottom, and at the same time there gush'd out a Torrent of muddy Water with extraordinary Impetuosity. By good Luck it did not come down directly upon us, otherwise our Works would have run a very great Risque. This Inundation lasted 'till next Day. All our Valley was under Water, and we were three Days without being able to get Abroad. When the bad Weather was over, and our Meadows dry, we ascended the Mountain to see part of the Damage done by it. We found that the Cleft made in the Mountain was at least 120 Foot wide below, and above 50 towards the Top. There was a Fountain near the Top of it, which after this was never more seen, and I was the first who observ'd that it was gone. This surpriz'd us all, but what astonish'd us more, was that half of the Forest which was below on the other Side, was swallow'd up, and that instead of Trees which were there before, there appear'd a very great Lake. These prodigious Events gave us Occasion to admire the Works of Providence.

_Le Grand_ was sorry for the Loss of this Fountain, because we often went that Way to divert ourselves, and were very fond of its Water, which was wonderfully fine and clear. He could not comprehend what Relation this Fountain had with the cleaving of the Rock, and the others were even more astonish'd at it than he. Don't you see, _said I_, that there could not have been such a Gap in this great Body, unless the Particles of which 'tis compos'd had met together, and that consequently the Channels thro' which the Water pass'd that form'd the Fountain were stopp'd up, just in the same manner as the Pores of a Spunge close in Proportion as 'tis squeez'd. I am not sure whether you don't banter, _said one of 'em_, one would think so by your Looks, tho' what you say seems probable enough. No doubt I banter, _said I_, for there's a Natural and Physical Reason for what you admire, which they are not ignorant of who have the least Notion of Philosophy. We know nothing of Philosophy, said _Le Grand_, but if you think we are capable of understanding you, it will be a Pleasure to us to philosophize with us concerning our Fountain. I will, _said I_, with all my Heart, because we have nothing else to do now, provided you won't think me a Pedant.

The Globe we inhabit, _said I_, is compos'd of an infinite Number of various Particles, the chief of which are Terrestrial and Aqueous. This compound Body turns in 24 Hours round its proper Center. What, said _Le Grand_, does the Earth turn round? Yes, yes, reply'd _La Foret_, I heard him explain this Phœnomenon before so clearly, that there's no room to doubt of it. Let him explain it ever so clearly, said _Le Grand_, I will never believe any thing contrary to my Senses and the Holy Scriptures, in which there are a great many plain Passages that positively contradict what you advance. That your Senses often deceive you is very easy to prove, continued I, and as to the Scriptures, 'tis certain that the Design of the Holy Ghost was never to make us Mathematicians and Philosophers, or else he would have taken care to explain those Passages of _Genesis_ concerning the Creation, which puzzle a great many People, and which a Priest of the Country where _La Foret_ and I have been, observ'd that he had heard talk of. Nor would he have fail'd to have told us the true Proportion of the Circumference of a Circle to its Diameter, when he treats of the Sea of Copper which _Solomon_ caus'd to be plac'd in his stately Temple, and which is pretended according to the Vulgar Opinion to be from 30 to 10, or from 21 to 7, whereas it is as from 22 to 7, or at least there does not want much of it, as is demonstrable from the Mathematics. God, in order to render himself intelligible, condescends to talk with us in our own Jargon, and accommodates himself to our Phrase; for when he speaks after his own Manner, 'tis impossible for us to understand him, and what he says is mysterious beyond our Penetration. Now all this is easy to be comprehended, and is liable to no Objection.

Granting therefore that the Earth turns, the Parts of it which are in greatest Agitation must be those which are farthest from its Centre, as is easy to prove from several curious Experiments. This being so, the Water which besides the Motion of the whole Body wherewith it is carry'd, has a particular one that renders it liquid, must by consequence lead the Van. Then comes the Air which is another Liquid compos'd of Parts much more subtle, and more agitated than those of the Water, which also makes it go before it, and form a sort of Down round the terrestrial Globe, which composes our Atmosphere, and extends about 2 Leagues distance round the Surface of the Earth; and 'tis in this Atmosphere, by the Way, in which are form'd Rain, Snow, Lightning, Thunder, and all the Meteors in general.

Hold, said _Le Grand_, according to your Philosophy the Bodies that have the least Motion must be the nearest to the Center of our Globe: Now the Aqueous Parts move faster than the Terrestrial, therefore the Water must consequently cover the whole Surface of the Earth, and we should have a perpetual Flood, which is not the Case.

The Objection is good, _said I_, and 'tis certainly true, that if God by his Almighty Power should level the Mountains, and lay all the Hills in general even with the Valleys, there would be no Appearance of dry Land. 'Tis an Argument which perhaps might very well be made use of also to favour the Notion of the universal Deluge, were it not that the Scripture speaks of Mountains before and after. But you ought to consider that Nature cannot always have its free Course, by reason of Obstacles which hinder it. The Water of a River ought according to the Laws which are prescrib'd it, to follow the Course of its Channel, yet it often happens that an impetuous Wind stops it, and drives it back even to its Source. The Mountains and Rocks form'd by Providence are Barriers which the Ocean cannot go over, just as Liquor which is in a Vessel cannot surpass the Brims, but bring the Brims lower, as I said just now of Mountains, and you will see it quickly run over.

I return therefore to my Subject, and say that there being no Vacuum in the World; No Vacuum in the World! said _Le Grand_, interrupting me. Alas! I submit, _said I_. No, _reply'd he_, I am in the wrong to interrupt you so often: Go on, I beg; you did well to check me, for I am sensible I should have talk'd idly; from this time I won't speak a Word more. The Moment, _continued I_, that any Particles of Air or Fire more subtile and agitated than others rise, an equivalent Portion of others must necessarily descend at the same time to supply their Place. Now you must know that most Mountains are hollow towards the Bottom as you see this is now 'tis open, and for as much as the Earth is porous, and full of Crevices and Channels, it happens that the Sea forces into those Passages, and fills those hollow Mountains to the same height as the Ocean.

I understand you, said _Le Grand_, you need say no more, you mean that the Sea being as high as the highest Mountains, which all the World acknowledges, and is easy to perceive when one is upon the Coast, the Air which presses the Water upon the Ocean, forces it to pass thro' the low Conduits of the Earth, and to rise to the Top of the Rocks, from whence it runs out by Streams, which form the Fountains or Springs, just as the Liquor which is pour'd into a Vessel where there's a Pipe or an Arm, rises in that Arm to the same Height as it is in the Vessel, and there runs out of it if there be the least Hole. This is reasoning exactly like a Philosopher, _said I_, your Conclusion is very good, 'tis pity that your Principles are bad. For 'tis not true, that the Sea is so high as the Shore, if it were, we should soon be drown'd; so that 'tis a vulgar Error, the Reason of which is very well known to those who have only learnt the first Elements of Opticks. But the Case is thus.

When the Water comes to the Foot of those hollow Mountains, 'tis heated by the Sun-Beams, and rises in Vapours to the Roofs, which when collected like the Water of a boiling Pot against the Lid, form Drops, and those Drops, Streams which run out at the first Out-let they meet with, and form what we call Springs, as several Springs form a Brook, and several Brooks a River, which carries back to the Sea the Water that came from it, and by consequence only circulates it like the Blood in the Veins of a living Animal.

There! said _La Foret_, what d'ye say to that? yet this is nothing. The Explanation as clear as it is, depends on the Knowlege of other Things which I have heard him relate elsewhere, and which you must needs be acquainted with in order to understand the Matter throughly. Be that as it will, reply'd _Le Grand_, I think all this is very good, and I wish that our Doctor would entertain us in the same Manner on the Formation of Meteors, which must needs be a most diverting Subject. I had rather, _said I_, give you some Notion of the Mathematics, of which I have learnt something. 'Tis a Science which perhaps may be of Service to you if ever we go from hence, at least it will help to pass away the Time. They all consented to my Proposal with Joy, only _Le Grand_, who was fond of the Sciences, shook his Head. You have put in a Clause for Natural Philosophy, _said he_, which is not displeasing to me at all; I dearly love to treat of the Works of Nature, nevertheless we must not require too much at the Hands of our Matters: Be so good only before we conclude this agreeable Conversation, to tell us what your Opinion is with regard to the Deluge; for in the Manner you talk'd just now, I fancy you are of the Vulgar Opinion: Tell us freely whether you think it was Universal or Partial.

As Salvation is not at all concern'd in the Question, _said I_, which way soever it be determin'd, I came without any Scruple into the Opinion of one of the Regents of my College, who publickly declared, that it was impossible for all the Water in the World to cover the whole Earth to such a Height as the Scripture seems to mention. But is not God Omnipotent, said _Le Grand_, and besides, is it not said that the Flood-Gates of Heaven were open'd? Undoubtedly, _said I_, but the Divines don't pretend to make this a Miracle; if they did, I should not have one Word to say. I don't deny but he who created the Universe can create new Bodies of Water when he will, but I affirm that if he made new Waters for that Purpose, he afterwards annihilated them. And as for the Flood-Gates of Heaven, 'tis a poetical and metaphorical Expression us'd by the Author to dignify his Subject.

How comes it to pass, _said another_, that as there is a Region of Fire, there might not as well be a Region of Water, which Providence might make use of upon Occasion, as an inexhaustible Magazine, either to moisten the Earth in a Time of Drought, or to lay certain Countries under Water? That, reply'd _Le Grand_, is a meer Trifle. The first is a Fiction of the ancient Philosophers: The second a _Chimæra_ of Children, which nevertheless I have heard urg'd by Persons of Sense. For in short, where should a watery Region be plac'd? If above the Firmament, it would have no Correspondence with the Earth; if under, 'tis impossible we should see the Fix'd Stars, because the least Mist deprives us of the Light of the Sun. But without going so much out of the way for a Remedy, let it only be consider'd, that when it has rain'd 8 or 10 Days together in any one Place, there is a Flood; now, suppose it only to rain every where with the same Violence for forty Days together, and then the Thing does not seem to me to be attended with so much Difficulty.

You don't consider, _said I to him_, when there is a great deal of Rain in one Place, there's too great a Drought in another, and that what the Sun exhales in one Part the Clouds carry to another. If it were to rain every where with so much Violence, the whole Ocean as it were must first of all be exhal'd in Vapours, in which Case all that fell would but barely suffice to fill the low Places from whence the Water was drawn to form the Clouds, so that it would require a great many more to cover the whole Globe to the Height of 15 Cubits above the _Alpes_ and the _Peak of Teneriff_; Mountains that are perhaps two Leagues high; which you plainly see is impossible.

Mean time, another Difficulty occurs with respect to the Size of the Ark. My Master, who taught me Mathematics, had the Curiosity to take the Dimensions of this great Vessel, and to calculate the Contents of it; then he examin'd _Pliny_, and consulted all the Books of Voyages in order to make out an exact List of all the various Animals that we have any Knowlege of at this Time. Finally, he computed how much Provision would be necessary for a Year's Subsistence of all those Creatures, and 8 Persons; but when he had collected all this together, he found the Bulk to be so great, that the Vessel could not be big enough by far to contain it, not to mention the Animals which we never heard of, and which are undoubtedly very numerous.

But, said _Le Grand_, have we a right Notion of the Measures mention'd by _Moses_? Yes, said I, the Cubit we read of in the Scripture was a Foot and half long, and that you may not think we talk at random, you must know that the Ancients perceiving that Men are not alike tall and stout, and that consequently their Limbs must be in Proportion very different from one another, agreed, instead of making use of their Elbows for their common Measures in Traffic, to take four Barley-Corns laid flat one by another for the Measure of a Finger's Breadth, four of which made a Hand's Breadth, or three Inches, and twelve Inches or sixteen Fingers Breadths a Foot: One and half of these Feet made a Cubit, and five Feet the Geometrical Pace, whereas the ordinary Pace is but two Foot and half. The Rod was twelve Foot. The Furlong consisted of a hundred and twenty five Foot, and the _Italian_ Mile of eight Furlongs, from whence you perceive that the first Measures that were invented by Mankind, came afterwards to the _Greeks_, _Romans_, and several other Nations. This being so, 'tis natural to conclude that the Deluge related by _Moses_ was not universal with regard to the Earth, but only with regard to Man, The World was then in its Infancy, and its Inhabitants had not had Time enough to multiply and spread. God said that Part of it which was inhabited under Water, it was not necessary for him to drown all the other Parts, accordingly it was enough for _Noah_ to preserve only the Species of Cattle which were in those Countries, in which case the Ark was sufficient to hold more, and consequently all the other Difficulties vanish. For as to the Expression of _the whole World_, 'tis very common for the Sacred Writers to make use of it to signify a Part of it; witness the Passage where 'tis said with respect to _Joseph_ and _Mary_, that all the World should be enroll'd, which every Body knows cannot be understood of more than those Countries which were under the Government of the _Roman_ Emperor.

Upon this all my Companions retir'd with Resolution to dive as far as possible into the Mathematics, and to improve by my Lectures. Accordingly we began next Day with _Euclid_'s Elements. Tho' that Author had not gone thro' my Hands in several Years, I had taken so much Care to revolve the principal Contents of his six first Books often in my Mind that I seldom hesitated in the Demonstrations I made from him. From thence we proceeded to Geometry in which indeed I was not so expert, besides that in order to go through a regular Course of it, we wanted Books and Instruments, which there was no Appearance of recovering where we were; and in fine we concluded with Fortification. I should have been glad also to have taught them a little of Algebra, but _Le Grand_ was the only Person that seem'd inclinable to apply to it, which indeed was but now and then, and he was quite discourag'd from proceeding, as soon as we came to the Cubic Equations.