Chapter 17

THE WONDERFUL PORTABLE FORT

On the return of the party to their home that evening the events of the day were discussed to the exclusion of everything else, and now was the opportunity for the boys to learn something about the other cave, of which John had given a meager account.

"Would you object to telling us what the wonderful things were which you saw in the cave at the western part of the island?" was Tom's inquiry.

"Not in the least. The ship on which we sailed from San Francisco contained the charts of several caves, one of which was that of the cave I referred to. I saw the treasure there with my own eyes, and I can direct you to it, because, notwithstanding the stress of my surroundings, I took the bearings, on the following day, and it will not be difficult to locate it."

"Did you remember the circumstances of the visit to the place where we were being pursued by the savages?"

John looked at the Professor, and then at the boys. "I do not remember such an occurrence," he answered.

"But I would like to ask the Professor a question," exclaimed George. "What was it that made you give us that quick advice to leave the mouth of the cave when we wanted it as a hiding place?"

"I saw from the carefully hidden, but trodden, path, that some one must have used it as a place of refuge, and concluded that as it was so near the village it might have been some of the clans of the tribe, either as a place of concealment from their enemies, in case of attack, or by some of the so-called religious communities which many of the tribes have."

"In what way did you discover that this cave had been charted?"

"First by the peculiarity, that it had two entrances, on opposite sides of a hill, and secondly, by the singular internal arrangement, which stated that within the corridors and the chambers constituted a cross, and the treasures were to be found at the extremities of the cross limbs, within the two large chambers."

"Then you knew of the existence of this island, before you sailed?"

"No; the chart merely described the characteristics of the caverns, but stated they were located on islands in the South Seas."

"Do you think our cave here is one of them?"

"I do not think so, as I do not recall any description which would fit this cave, except the two entrances, and that is not uncommon."

"The chart stated that there was another cave fifteen leagues to the southeast of that cave, which also contained treasure, and that was the principal reason why I traveled in that direction, and thus found myself in the savage-inhabited part of the island."

"Fifteen leagues? How far would that be?"

"Forty-five miles."

Nothing more was needed as a stimulus for the boys. They had truly been thrown on an island of wonder.

"Why is it," asked Ralph, "that so much of the treasure of the world was hidden in these out-of-the-way places by the pirates?"

"I imagine," replied John, "that they didn't have much confidence in the rest of the world. The manner in which they got most of the money was by acts of piracy on the high seas, and it was necessary to hide the proceeds of the robberies as fast as acquired, because if they should be captured, its possession would at once seal their doom. These hidden treasures are distributed over every part of the world. As to the other part of your question, the vast hoards of gold and silver so distributed, formed a very small part of the wealth of the old world. It is not known how vast a sum Pizarro took from the Inca in Peru, but it is estimated variously at from twelve to twenty tons."

The boys opened their eyes in astonishment.

"How much would that be worth in money?"

"Counting it at the present value of gold, every pennyweight would be worth a dollar."

"Let me see; twenty pennyweights in an ounce, and twelve ounces in a pound; that would be two hundred and forty dollars in a pound."

"That is right."

"And then twenty tons would be 40,000 pounds. And multiplying that by 240 would make $9,600,000. My, what a lot of money!"

"Cortez, at about the same time, conquered Mexico, and secured a much greater amount. All over the western hemisphere, from northern Mexico down to Peru, untold millions of gold and silver were looted by the Spanish and Portuguese navigators, and taken to Europe, and it is estimated that as much more was disposed of in these hidden recesses, and those who deposited them were swept off the seas, and all knowledge of the caches were lost."

"During what times was most of this money deposited?"

"The pirates which infested the coasts of Spanish America and the West Indies, flourished in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Originally the French and English during the wars against Spain used the expedition against her ships, as acts of war, but later on, after peace was established in Europe, the buccaneers continued in their depredations, and it was made unlawful by all the great nations."

From that day there was no cessation on the part of the entire working force to prepare the necessary ammunition required for a campaign against the savages. It should be stated that by this time Chief had learned many things, and John took particular pains to teach him daily, until he could pronounce many words very distinctly, and understood the meaning of them.

It was surprising to see how quickly his mind grasped the association of a verb with some name, and the simplest and most common verbs of action were taught. In this way it became apparent that all should be cautious about talking of the proposed expedition in his presence. Nevertheless all were anxious to enlist him in the enterprise.

He never inquired about the gun barrels, and curiously enough seemed to take no interest in any of the weapons but the spears and arrows. He was a fine archer. This was demonstrated on several occasions, the only difficulty being that the bows which the boys had were too small.

Chief selected his own branches, for the bows, and showed the boys how to hold the arrows, and the distance he could propel them was marvelous. They were not by any manner of means a match, by comparison, with the guns, but they would be dangerous missiles if attacked in the open, and of this fact the boys had learned several lessons.

The wagon, which was constructed before the first trip across the island, had been through some tough places, and the wheels and axles were in bad condition. These needed replacing, and that was a task which would occupy some time.

One day, at the evening meal, the boys asked about Chief. He had not been noticed by anyone since noon.

He was usually at work with Harry, who was asked concerning him.

"The last I saw of him was right after lunch, and he was going in the direction of the clay bank. As he was in the habit of going there quite frequently I paid no attention to him."

"Did he have anything with him, that you noticed?"

"Nothing but the bolo and the bow and arrows that he always took."

"Possibly he is on some mission," replied the Professor. "It does not seem likely that he has determined to desert us; but it may be he has grown tired of this existence. It is a curious phase of these matters, however, which, I believe, will apply in his case, that when he goes back he will find his old life a very disquieting one to him, and I predict he will be here again within a month."

"By that time we will be on our way toward his section, and I hope we shall have the opportunity of meeting him," responded John.

What required more attention than any part of the equipment, aside from the ammunition, was the structure of the wagon. This had to be a fort for them, and so arranged that it could be put up to meet an attack from any quarter.

But this, unfortunately, left the yaks exposed to the assaults of the spears and arrows, and John suggested a novel addition to the wagon equipment.

"My idea is this: As we are all pretty strong, excepting the Professor, to stand the march on foot, I would convert our wagon into a vehicle which would carry the fort with us, and this fort, whenever we camped, could be set up so that the yaks would be inside, and thus protected as well as ourselves.

"To effect this the more readily, my plan would be to make three sections of boards, in the form of a fence, each section to be six feet high and ten feet long. These should be either folded together in the middle lengthwise, so they could be nested together and swung below the axles between the wheels, and set up to form a square at one side of the wagon.

"One side of the wagon body could be made to be let down, so as to form a protection below the body of the wagon. Within that enclosure the yaks could be stationed, if we should be attacked, and for the purpose of defense, four of us would be within the enclosure and two in the wagon to protect it from that side.

"The sketch which I have made shows these features, in which you will see (Fig. 33), the side boards (A) hinged along the middle line, as at B. These would be held at the outer corners by posts C. In the sketch the side board of the wagon body has been let down, so access can be had to the wagon."

The plan, so ingeniously contrived, pleased the fancy of the boys.

"I imagine," said Harry, "this will be the first time people ever carried their fort with them. It will be fun to meet the savages with that kind of an outfit."

"You must not think, however," continued John, "that this is all we shall need. We must take in the wagon sufficient food for the yaks to withstand a siege, so that with our own provisions, guns and ammunition, we shall have a pretty good load."

"How heavy will the three sections of fence weigh?"

"I estimate that, as we shall want the boards made of good wood, the weight will be thirty pounds per cubic foot, and as all the boards will take fourteen cubic feet of lumber, the total weight, including the posts, can be brought within 450 pounds, and I do not think our other material will weigh much over 500 more."

"That would not be a hard load," observed the Professor, "as we have often hauled a ton, but it would be well to make a new set of wheels, and we can then take with us an extra wheel for the front and rear."

"I think we should take tools along also," said Tom, "because we can always make our own repairs, in that event."

"I am glad you referred to that. It is certainly a suggestion in the right direction. Are there any more observations from any of the other army engineers?"

"I may be wrong," answered Harry, "but it seems to me that one of the folding fences should be put on each side of the wagon body, and the third under the wagon."

"What is your reason for that?" asked Tom.

"Because we may want to put up the fort in a big hurry some time, and by having them at the three places, and have it understood who are to take out each section, it would be the work of a few moments only to set it up, because each set of workers could handle his section without interference from the others."

"That is really a stroke of genius. Certainly, that is the sensible way," responded John.

"It is simply another illustration," added the Professor, "how men, looking at things from different standpoints, will see the defects in each other's work. That is the story of every great invention."

These conferences were of the greatest value to the boys. It pointed out how men, through force of circumstances, were compelled to devise things for their need.

George had been an intent listener during these discussions. "It does seem that the old statement, 'that necessity is the mother of invention,' is true."

The Professor turned to him smilingly, as he replied: "That may be so in very many eases, it is true, but I imagine that in the vast majority of instances the necessity was in the mind of the inventor to get some money. The thought of that requirement was a more vivid thing to him than the real need of the article as an economic necessity."

"Do you really think that is the case?"

"If my memory is not at fault, the people of England howled with derision when the first locomotive was built; the men who put out the first sewing machine had their stores broken into and the machines smashed; and the telephone when first installed was considered simply as a plaything and curiosity, and not as a useful improvement. It has been the history of every age and of most of the great inventions. After the inventions were completed, and their value shown, the merchant and the manufacturer created the demand, and then the articles became a necessity, and not before. For this reason I think the proverb should be amended to say that 'the necessity of the inventor is the mother of invention.'"

Before starting on the trip the matter of clothing had to be attended to. A quantity of ramie had been cut, and put in water, for the purpose of rotting the woody fiber, and this was taken out of the water as fast as it was ready, and cleaned and combed, and at times worked up into threads, which were placed in the loom, and a coarse cloth thus woven.

This was, necessarily, a slow process, and consumed considerable time. This, together with the making of the percussion caps, was the tedious part of all the preparations. Every energy was put forth to get the different things required. Harry and Tom had made up the fort, and John suggested the idea of having a drill exercise in setting it up, so that the work could be performed without interference.

During the day, when the posts and the fastenings were all ready, the wagon was brought out and the yaks yoked up. The elements of the fort were attached to the wagon, in the manner that they were to be transported. As there were three sections of the fort, one on each side of the wagon body and one below the axles, it was provided that the six should form three divisions; the Professor and Ralph, John and Tom, and Harry and George the couples for setting up the fort.

As Harry and George were the most familiar with the animals, and knew better than the others how to handle them, it was made a part of their duty, when the signal was given, to unyoke and turn the yaks to the proper place at the side of the wagon.

While this was being done, the Professor and Ralph were to detach the section on the side of the wagon where the fort was to be set up, and carry it out at right angles and at the forward end of the wagon. At the same time John and Tom would take the section on the opposite side of the wagon and carry it around to form the end of the fort.

This would then give Harry and George the opportunity to take the part below the wagon and erect it at the rear angle of the wagon, while Tom and Ralph were getting the posts for the outer ends of the fort.

When all was ready, the signal was given, and the various divisions sprang to their allotted work. They marveled at the celerity with which the fort was put up.

"I see a serious defect in the arrangement at one point," said Tom.

"What is that?" was the question from all.

"You see we have the fort ready, but it is adapted for one side of the wagon only. It may be most important to have it arranged so that either side of the wagon can be used for the fort."

"A fine suggestion," answered John. "That change can be made by having both sides of the body so they can be let down."

George also had a good suggestion to make. "According to the calculations we have fourteen cubic feet of material, and it is light wood, at that. Why couldn't the fort be utilized as a raft, so as to save the cutting of green timber, which is so heavy?"

"Well," said the Professor, smiling, "we are developing this at an immense rate. The new idea is the starting point for an invention to so arrange the sections as to make them act as floats. Here is a great opportunity for the genius."

Tom and Harry conferred on this subject for some time, and after luncheon, announced the plan: "It is fortunate that the axles of our wheels project. It will be an easy matter to take the sections from the sides of the body and attach one edge of each section to the projecting ends of the axles, and then the two posts can be used as braces to run up from the outer edges on the sections to the upper edges of the body. The third section can be left under the axles where it now is."

John was delighted at the simple solution of this problem.

"I really believe," said Tom, "that we can adjust the sections in that way while the wagon is moving, as it can be attached without any difficulty."

It is wonderful how one improvement marks the advance stride for the next. Invention is really nothing but a step by step movement; a little addition here, another accretion there, and so on, so that invention has been shown to be, not a matter of quantity, but of quality. The mere bending of a wire, if it produces a new and useful result, is just as much entitled to the dignity of an invention, as a room full of intricate mechanism.