The Wonder Island Boys: Conquest of the Savages Part 28

"That is going a little too far," said Will. "I can understand why sounds can be sent, but power is another thing, it seems to me."

"I am afraid that is not a very logical conclusion," interposed the Professor. "What is the difference between sound and power?"

"I should say that sound is a motion in the air," replied Will, "and that power is motion----"

"In the air, too," continued the Professor. "That is not a very good definition of the matter. Let us try and make it clear. Sound is produced by vibration; the lowest number of vibrations the ear can distinguish, is sixteen per second, which is known as the low ba.s.s notes of an organ. The highest are, approximately, 12,000 per second. These vibrations require power to produce them."

"Do you mean to say that all vibrations require power?"

"Yes; nature speaks to us only in the form of motion, or vibrations of some sort. Light, heat, electricity, are merely different forms of motion. Taste and smell, as well as sound, are merely modes of motion.

The beating heart; the winking of the eyelids; the rhythmic breathing of the body; the swinging of the pendulum; the movement of the sap in trees and the unfolding of the leaves; the light mists which go up and the rains which bring the particles back again; the winds and the waves; and the giant swings of the planets through s.p.a.ce, all show how nature performs her work through unceasing movement; and all these require power."

"I remember," remarked Ralph, "about reading of a Hindoo fakir in India, who claimed that he could bring to him an object ten thousand miles away, in ten minutes of time. As that was motion it must have taken considerable power to do it."

"That is easily determined," answered the Professor. "Ten thousand miles would be 16.6 miles, per second, at that velocity. If the article should be only one inch square it would take 18,000,000 horsepower to transport it that distance in the time given. This calculation is sufficient to show the absurdity of the Hindoo's statement."

Considering that the new community was one which had been recruited from a people which had no ambition in life, except merely to live, the work going on in every quarter was more remarkable every day. Tom came to the Professor and remarked: "It would do you good to go down on street B and see how the Saboros have fixed up their places."

This was a sufficient hint for him, and busy as he was, he sauntered in that direction.

What he saw was, really, a surprise. Taking the hint from the sodding operation which the women had noticed around the boys' quarters, he found that they had actually borrowed the wheelbarrows and made some nice lawns.

The Professor called in at the places, and congratulated them on the beautiful appearances, and the nice manner in which the work was done What a wonderful thing that was to those poor women, to see the Great Chief take such notice of their work.

He went into the cottages, and examined every room, and suggested many changes, and offered advice in the manner of keeping the houses clean, and in taking care of the children. This work of beautifying their homes was, of course, crude, but it had a remarkable stimulus to the others.

On every hand this was taken up. It was a spirit of emulation that was worth encouraging.

When John left with the forces, the Professor consulted Blakely, and ordered the erection of three larger and more pretentious cottages. Each of these had five rooms, all plain, but arranged in good taste, and the furniture was also being made, and the large number employed enabled them to complete the buildings ready for furnishing before John's party returned.

The working force was now ready to put up a still larger building. "Do you know what this is for?" asked Ralph, as the timber was being taken to the new location.

"I suppose this is to be the Town Hall," replied Will.

"No, indeed; it is the schoolhouse." And the boys laughed at the idea.

But it was an idea that was well considered and determined on, long before John left on the expedition.

But the town was growing beyond all comprehension. Daily new families arrived, and Blakely was the busiest man in the place, in his efforts to find work for them, while the Professor and the boys were often at their wits' end to know how and where they would house them. The Saboros were the most numerous, followed by the Berees and Osagas. But now the Kurabus were coming in--the families of the warriors with John.

The Chief Oroto saw and marveled at the sights. During the entire time he had been there, he had never suggested the idea of returning. The Kurabu medicine men who had been brought down with him, were still under the charge of the Professor, and one day one of them accosted Ralph in broken English.

He looked up in surprise. It was the first inkling that the so-called wise men were being taught the language. Ralph had quite a conversation with him, and reported the information to the boys.

How was this change brought about? The first step of the Professor was to show the wise (?) men some of the mysterious things which the white men could do. The battery, which the boys had made at Cataract, was one of the instruments. Then he showed them the simple experiments in chemistry; how ores were treated and metals extracted and tempered.

These things were so much more important and wonderful than anything they could do or ever dreamed of, that when he told them they could do those things, he had the most willing pupils. Hour after hour they would perform some task, until they began to crave for new things. Then began the work of instilling knowledge of the language as a part of their education. They were taught how to communicate ideas by signs in the English language, and thus the alphabet was taught.

A spirit of rivalry was exhibited among them, and it was so intense that they had no further time for idleness or useless wanderings about the place. It was no wonder that the boys saw so little of them when the spirit once took possession of their energies.

Two of the men referred to had an undoubted apt.i.tude for chemical experiments, one of them, Talala, being exceptionally bright and quick to grasp the meaning of an experiment. He usually accompanied the Professor on all his rounds visiting the sick, because this was now an imperative daily task on his part.

The thermometer was in frequent use and Talala understood its meaning.

Only the simplest remedies were used and administered, and the gathering of the vegetables necessary for the making up of the remedies was a part of the work of each. In this the natives had a pretty good knowledge, but they knew nothing of making the extracts, or how to concentrate the compounds.

Cinchona, the Peruvian bark, and calisaya, its sister, which furnish the quinine of commerce, were well known to them, but they did not know how the white man made it so more efficient than the crude product as used by them.

He explained that by the use of an acid, like that furnished by sulphur, a chemical change could be produced, whereby a single grain would be more efficient than a dozen grains in the way they used it. This was labeled "Sulphate of Quinine," and so on along the whole line of remedies, he gave a term which they learned, and the reasons for it.

When John saw the wagon approaching he rushed out, followed by Uraso and Muro. The rescued captives were in the wagon. Pending their arrival a number of the warriors had cleaned out the large building--the one with the Doric columns, which stood at right angles to the chief's house.

This structure appeared to be in the best state of preservation.

Another lot of the warriors took the wagon, and with their bolos gathered a large quant.i.ty of the sweet gra.s.s from the hillside, and this was brought to the building and arranged for the use of the chiefs and John, and for the boys when they returned.

George was eager to tell of their adventure, and of the prisoners they had brought with them. "We got three of the boys, but two of them are very weak. We have a friend of yours, also."

"Who is it?" exclaimed John, just as eager as the boys could be.

"Wright; Gustave Wright."

John bounded into the wagon. Wright saw John, and feebly extended his hand.

"I knew I would find you sooner or later," said John, as he put his arm around him. "But we got you soon enough to save you. All you need is something good to eat." And Wright smiled.

"Yes," he answered. "They haven't permitted me to take much so far; but I guess they are all right. What a fine set of boys you have!"

"The finest in the world. Wait until you know them! But never mind about talking now. And these are the boys? Poor fellows! What an experience they must have had! Come on, men; get them out and make them as comfortable as possible."

There were willing hands for every job. Muro was delighted at the rescue of his friend. He was one of the most skillful and powerful warriors, but he did not look like it at this time.

Inside the patients were ranged about the place, and the cooking stove brought in from the wagon.

"I suppose I shall have to take charge of the kitchen," said George, as he ordered it arranged in place and directed them where to put the various articles. Before long the savory odor of the vegetables and game reached the famished ones, and they begged for some of it.

"A little at a time," said George, soothingly. "I am doctor and cook, and there is plenty here, of the best kind."

"Oh, doesn't that smell good!" exclaimed Min, joyously.

"That's the way I like to hear you talk," said Harry. "Your voice doesn't seem starved. You'll be out in a couple of days, and be better than ever."

"How long have you been in that place?" asked John.

"In that particular place, only about a month; but we were in a worse place, still farther south, for about three months."

"Starving all the time?"

"Yes."

"I was moved to say that starving is a good thing, in its way, but it has its limits, and four months is a little too long for either comfort or health. You will find, however," continued John, "that you will be much healthier for the experience, particularly if you have ever had stomach troubles, as my friend Wright here has had all his life. Isn't that so, Wright?"

"Do you think I have been to a health cure?" he asked.