Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1891-08-07
TWO YEARS VAcA THO n.
BY JULES VERNE,
eAor Of The Tour Of the World - -
Dops." 40, 900 Leagues Under
the Seas" Etc


van.
Gordon came up barely in time to pre-
vent the quarrel from leading 10 blows
He declared Donovan TO be in the wrong,
and the latter was obliged to submit and
sulkily return to the cave but there was
good reason to fear that this incident
would lead to further trouble between the
two rivals.
The snow continued to fall for two days,
and to amuse the little fellows, Service
and Garnett made huge snowman with
@ big head, an enormous nose, and an ap
palling mouth very like that of a croco-
ollie; and though Dole and Costar were
bold enough TO pelt him with snow-balls
during the day, it must be admitted that
they regarded him with secret terror
when they beheld his gigantic figure in
the dark.
"Oh, what cowardsr cried Iverson and
Jenkins, with pretended valor, though in
reality they were not much Drawer than
their younger comrades.
BY the last of June they were obliged to
abandon all such amusements, as the
depth of the snow, winch now averaged
three or four feet, rendered walking we'll
nigh impossible. Indeed, if they ventured
at the imminent risk of never returning to
It,
The young colonists were kept close
prisoners for fortnght-that is, until the
middle of July; but their studies progress
ed all the better on that account The
daily routine was strictly observed; the
debating society held its meeting on the
appointed days, and the proceedings proved
nppnuun hninO "a nnpnf
speaker and a very clever student, took q
prominent part in the discussions, and &C
Quilted himself very creditably. Still this
did not Justify his evident pride in his at.
I inments. 1t was unfortunate, indeed,
that his really brilliant talents should be
marred by his intense arrogance.
Though the hours of recreation were ne,
cessarily spent indoors, the general health
of the lads did not suffer-thanks to the
excellent ventilation which had been in.
sured. This question of health was one OF
paramount Importance, for if one of theiI
number should fall i'll, how could they
give him the necessary medical atten.
ton? Merry fortunately the only maladies
with which they had been obliged to con.
tend were few colds and cases of sore
throat, which readily yielded to the re.
storing influences of rest and warm drinks
Another important question now arose
The needful supply of water had hereto
fore been procured from the river, but
when that stream became thickly frozen
over, this supply would be cut Off. Cor
don consequently held a consultation with
Baxter, his chief engineer; and Baxter, at.
ter considerable reflection, proposed that
they should conduct the water in q pipe
from the river to the kitchen or store
room, burying the pipe deep enough below
the surface of the ground to prevent any
possibility of freezing. 1t was difficult
task, and one that Baxter would never
have accomplished if he had not had at his
disposal one of the lead pipes that supplied
the bathrooms on the "Sloughi" with
water; but at last, after several unsuccess'
full attempts a supply Of water was as
sured. AS for lights, they still had sutii.
cient oil for the lanterns, but by the end
of winter they would be obliged to obtain
fresh supply, or at least manufacture
some candles out of the grease that Moko
carefully saved.
Still another cause of anxiety was the
providing of food for the little colOny-as
both hunting and fishing were now out OF
the question. The only animals that
showed themselves in the immediate vi
cinity of the cave were the jackals. One
day they made their appearance en- mdSSe
about twenty of them-and it became
necessary to barricade the doors of the
hall and store-room. An attack by these
animals, rendered ferOCious by hunger,
would have been no laughing matter; but
Fan, having given timely notice of their
approach, they were unable to gain an en-
trance into the cave.
Under these circumstances, Moko was
obliged to draw upon the stock of provis-
ions taken from the yacht: and though the
utmost economy was practiced, Gordon's
heart sunk within him as he saw the long
list of outgoes while the receipts remained
stationary. Still they had quite large
supply of duck and wild turkey, which Mo
ko had sealed up in barrels after partially
cooking them. They used these as well az
the fish they had sailed down for their win
ter's need; nevertheless, the reader must
not forget that there were fifteen mouths
to feed, and appetites of eight and four
teen years to satisfy.
Still they were never wholly destitute
of fresh meat during the winter for VII.
cox, who was an expert in the manufac,
ture OF all sorts of traps, managed in this
way to secure some feathered game quite
often.
The food for the ostrich could, of course,
be obtained only at the cost Of much time
and trouble. The animals education did
not progress very rapidly, it must be con.
fessed, in srite of the assurances Of Ser
vice, who took entire charge of his train.
ing.
what fine racer he will maker he
repeated again and again, though it seemed
very unlikely that his trainers expecta-
lions would ever be fulfilled.
Meanwhile-the ostrich, not being car
nivorous animal-Service was obliged TO
search for his daily supply of roots and
herbs under two or three feet of snow: but
what sacrifice would he not have made to
secure food for his peti And though the
ostrich lost some flesh during this long
and dreary winter, this certainly was not
the fault of his faithful keeper, who fond
" hoped that his beloved charge would
regain its natural plumpness on the return
of spring.
Early on the morning Of the 9th Of July,
Brian, on stepping out Of the cave. noticed
that tho wind h al Suddaplv ypprad Ia the