The ship-building continued, and towards the end of the month the little vessel was half-finished. Pencroff worked almost too hard, but his companions were secretly preparing a recompense for all his toil, and the 31st of May was destined to be one of the happiest times in his life. After dinner on that day, just as he was leaving table, Pencroff felt a hand on his shoulder and heard Spilett saying to him:— “Don’t go yet awhile, Pencroff. You forget the dessert.” “Thank you, Spilett, but I must get back to work.” “Oh, well, have a cup of coffee.” “Not any.” “Well, then, a pipe?” Pencroff started up quickly, and when he saw the reporter holding him a pipe full of tobacco, and Herbert with a light, his honest, homely face grew pale, and he could not say a word; but taking the pipe, he placed it to his lips, lit it, and drew five or six long puffs, one after the other. A fragrant, blueish-colored smoke filled the air, and from the depths of this cloud came a voice, delirious with joy, repeating, “Tobacco! real tobacco!” “Yes, Pencroff,” answered Smith, “and good tobacco at that.” “Heaven be praised!” ejaculated the sailor. “Nothing now is wanting in our island. And he puffed and puffed and puffed. “Who found it?” he asked, at length. “It was you, Herbert, I suppose?” “No, Pencroff, it was Mr. Spilett.” “Mr. Spilett!” cried the sailor, hugging the reporter, who had never been treated that way before. “Yes, Pencroff,”—taking advantage of a cessation in the embrace to get his breath—“But include in your thanksgiving Herbert, who recognized the plant, Mr. Smith, who prepared it, and Neb, who has found it hard to keep the secret.” “Well, my friends, I will repay you for this some day! Meanwhile I am eternally grateful!.” CHAPTER XXXIII WINTER—FULLING CLOTH—THE MILL —PENCROFF’S FIXED PURPOSE—THE WHALEBONES—THE USE OF AN ALBATROSS —TOP AND JUP—STORMS—DAMAGE TO THE POULTRY-YARD—AN EXCURSION TO THE MARSH—SMITH ALONE—EXPLORATION OF THE PITS. Winter came with June, and the principal work was the making of strong warm clothing. The moufflons had been clipped, and the question was how to transform the wool into cloth. Smith, not having any mill machinery, was obliged to proceed in the simplest manner, in order to economize the spinning and weaving. Therefore he proposed to make use of the property possessed by the filaments of wool of binding themselves together under pressure, and making by their mere entanglement the substance known as felt. This felt can be obtained by a simple fulling, an operation which, while it diminishes the suppleness of the stuff, greatly augments its heat-preserving qualities; and as the moufflons’ wool was very short it was in good condition for felting.