Cyrus Harding and his companions, on leaving Dakkar Grotto, had taken the road to the corral.  On their way Neb and Herbert were careful to preserve the wire which had been laid down by the captain between the corral and the grotto, and which might at a future time be of service.

The colonists spoke but little on the road.  The various incidents of the night of October 15th had left a profound impression on their minds.  The unknown being whose influence had so effectually protected them, the man whom their imagination had endowed with supernatural powers, Captain Nemo, was no more.  His “Nautilus” and he were buried in the depths of the abyss.  To each one of them their existence seemed even more isolated than before.  They had been accustomed to count upon the intervention of that power which existed no longer, and Gideon Spilett, and even Cyrus Harding, could not escape this impression.  Thus they maintained a profound silence during their journey to the corral.

Towards nine in the morning the colonists arrived at Granite House.

It had been agreed that the construction of the vessel should be actively pushed forward, and Cyrus Harding more than ever devoted his time and labor to this object.  It was impossible to divine what future lay before them.  Evidently the advantage to the colonists would be great of having at their disposal a substantial vessel, capable of keeping the sea even in heavy weather, and large enough to attempt, in case of need, a voyage of some duration.  Even if, when their vessel should be completed, the colonists should not resolve to leave Lincoln Island as yet, in order to gain either one of the Polynesian Archipelagoes of the Pacific or the shores of New Zealand, they might at least, sooner or later, proceed to Tabor Island, to leave there the notice relating to Ayrton.  This was a precaution rendered indispensable by the possibility of the Scotch yacht reappearing in those seas, and it was of the highest importance that nothing should be neglected on this point.

The works were then resumed.  Cyrus Harding, Pencroft, and Ayrton, assisted by Neb, Gideon Spilett, and Herbert, except when unavoidably called off by other necessary occupations, worked without cessation.  It was important that the new vessel should be ready in five months—­that is to say, by the beginning of March—­if they wished to visit Tabor Island before the equinoctial gales rendered the voyage impracticable.  Therefore the carpenters lost not a moment.  Moreover, it was unnecessary to manufacture rigging, that of the “Speedy” having been saved entire, so that the hull only of the vessel needed to be constructed.

The end of the year 1868 found them occupied by these important labors, to the exclusion of almost all others.  At the expiration of two months and a half the ribs had been set up and the first planks adjusted.  It was already evident that the plans made by Cyrus Harding were admirable, and that the vessel would behave well at sea.