Page:The crater; or, Vulcan's peak.djvu/121

 OR, VULCAN S PEAK. 115 Previously to laying the keel of the pinnace, Mark named it the Neshamony, after a creek that was nearly opposite to the Rancocus, another inlet of the Delaware, that had given its name to the ship from the circumstance that Friend Abraham White had been born on its low banks. The means of averting the pains and penalties of working in the sun, were also attended to, as indeed the great pre liminary measure in this new enterprise. To this end, the raft was again put in requisition ; an old main-course was got out of the sail-room, and lowered upon the raft ; spare spars were cut to the necessary length, and thrown into the water, to be towed down in company ; ropes, &/c., were provided, and Bob sailed anew on this voyage. It was a work of a good deal of labour to get the raft to windward, towing having been resorted to as the easiest process, but a trip to leeward was soon made. In twenty minutes after this cargo had left the ship, it reached its point of desti nation. The only time when our men could work at even their awning, were two hours early in the morning, and as many after the sun had got very low, or had absolutely set. Eight holes had to be drilled into the lava, to a depth of two feet each. Gunpowder, in very small quantities, was used, or these holes could riot have been made in a twelvemonth. But by drilling with a crowbar a foot or two into the rock, and charging the cavity with a very small portion of pow der, the lava was cracked, when the stones rather easily were raised by means of the picks and crows. Some idea may be formed of the amount of labour that was expended on this, the first step in the new task, by the circumstance that a month was passed in setting those eight awning-posts alone. When up, however, they perfectly answered the purpose, everything having been done in a thorough, sea- rnan-like manner. At the top of each post, itself a portion of solid spar, a watch-tackle was lashed, by means of which the sail was bowsed up to its place. To prevent the bag ging unavoidable in an awning of that size, several up rights were set in the centre, on end, answering their pur pose sufficiently without boring into the rocks. B )b was in raptures with the new ship-yard. It was as large as the mainsail of a ship of four hundred tons,