Clever, intelligent, indefatigable, robust, with iron health, he knew a little about the work of the forge, and could not fail to be very useful in the colony.
As to Pencroft, he had sailed over every sea, a carpenter in the dockyards in Brooklyn, assistant tailor in the vessels of the state, gardener, cultivator, during his holidays, etc., and like all seamen, fit for anything, he knew how to do everything.
It would have been difficult to unite five men, better fitted to struggle against fate, more certain to triumph over it.
"At the beginning," Cyrus Harding had said.

Now this beginning of which the engineer spoke was the construction of an apparatus which would serve to transform the natural substances.

The part which heat plays in these transformations is known.

Now fuel, wood or coal, was ready for immediate use, an oven must be built to use it.
"What is this oven for ?" asked Pencroft.
"To make the pottery which we have need of," replied Harding.
"And of what shall we make the oven ?" "With bricks." "And the bricks ?" "With clay.

Let us start, my friends.