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Activity 20 ORGANIC MODELS AND ISOMERISM 245
Construction and study of several molecular models of organic compounds develops
concepts of hybridization, multiple bonding and isomerism.

Experiment 21 ACIDS AND BASES: REACTIONS AND STANDARDIZATIONM 255

Reactions of acids, bases and indicators are studied. A sodium hydroxide solution is
prepared and standardized by titration. Four unlabeled bottles containing acids and bases
are identified.

Experiment 22 ACIDS AND BASES: ANALYSISM 265

Standardized sodium hydroxide solution is used to determine the mass percent of acetic
acid in vinegar and the molecular mass of an unknown acid by titration.

Experiment 23 ACIDS AND BASES: pH, pKa MEASUREMENTS 271

A pH meter is used to determine acid dissociation constants and to study hydrolysis,
buffers and titration curves.

Experiment 24 EQUILIBRIUM - SOLUBILITY PRODUCTC 289

The solubility product of potassium hydrogen tartrate is determined at several
temperatures and the enthalpy, entropy and free energy of the process are calculated.

Experiment 25 EQUILIBRIUM - DETERMINATION OF Keq 303

The equilibrium constant for the reaction of iodide and iodine to produce triiodide is
determined using near uv spectroscopy at several temperatures and the enthalpy, entropy
and free energy of the process are calculated.

Experiment 26 COMPLEXES 313

A series of reactions involving possible complex formation is studied and observations
are compared to predictions calculated from complex formation constants. A set of seven
unlabeled bottles are identified by comparison of experimental observations with a
prediction matrix. A qualitative analysis scheme is developed and tested on an unknown.

Experiment 27 RATES AND MECHANISMS OF REACTIONS - 329

VISUAL AND/OR SPECTROSCOPIC MONITORING
Reaction rates are examined at different concentrations and temperatures. The rate
expression and mechanism of a reaction are determined by following the reaction using
a visual clock and/or by using a spectroscopic technique.

Experiment 28 SYNTHESIS OF COPPER(II) GLYCINATEC 351

Copper(II) glycinate is synthesized and then analyzed in the Experiment 30.

Experiment 29 STANDARDIZATION OF THIOSULFATEM 359

A thiosulfate solution is prepared and standardized by titration for use in Experiment 30.

Experiment 30 ANALYSIS OF BLEACH AND COPPER(II) GLYCINATEM 365

Previously standardized thiosulfate is used by titration to determine the percent of sodium
hypochlorite in bleach and the percent of copper in copper(II) glycinate.

Experiment 31 REDOX REACTIONS 375

Reduction potentials will be used to predict the outcome of several redox reactions and
the predictions will be compared to experimental observations.

Copyright 2013 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part.
Experiment 32 ELECTROCHEMISTRYM 387
Electrochemical cells and batteries are studied and Avogadro's number is determined.

Experiment 33 SPECTROSCOPIC ANALYSIS OF ASPIRINC 395

The saponification product of aspirin is complexed with iron(III) ion and analyzed
spectroscopically. An optional experiment is the determination of the complex constant.

Experiment 34 POLYMER PROPERTIES AND SELECTION 407

A demonstration of nylon synthesis is performed and some polymers are crosslinked and
their new properties studied. Materials for specific applications are selected with the
assistance of an Internet site. An oscillating clock reaction is performed.

Activity 35 ADDITIONAL CHALLENGES AND EXPERIMENTS 415

Intended to serve as a review and extension, a series of problems, Internet searches on
relevant chemistry related issues and extensions to experiments are presented.

Activity 36 GRAPHING QUANTITATIVE RELATIONSHIPS 421

Several exercises have been designed to develop graphing skills.

Appendix 1 PROPERTIES OF SUBSTANCES 433

Appendix 2 COMMON IONS BY CHARGE 435

Appendix 3 SOLUBILITIES OF IONIC COMPOUNDS 437

Appendix 4 SOLUTIONS TO STARRED PRELABORATORY PROBLEMS 439

C
indicates that a centigram balance will suffice for this experiment.
M
indicates that a milligram balance is recommended for this experiment.

vi

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 EXPERIMENTS IN GENERAL CHEMISTRY
PREFACE
A collection of the best short works of the late, great physicist, Richard Feynman, is entitled The
Pleasure of Finding Things Out. The goal of this text is to give students the opportunity to experience the
pleasure of finding things out. Curiosity is a wonderful attribute that motivates humans to use creative talents
to probe, explore and explain the mysteries of our universe. The search for explanations for the mysteries
provides an adventure that helps to make life exciting and rewarding. The pathways to the solutions often
lead to valuable insights and unexpected significant discoveries. This text has been designed to provide a
stimulating environment that will promote curiosity and motivate students to seek solutions to chemical
mysteries. To accomplish this goal, an extensive effort has been made to develop experiments that maximize
an inquiry or discovery oriented approach and minimize personal hazards and ecological impact.
Simulating a research environment within the constraints imposed by a college course is a demanding
challenge. Time limits, safety, chemical toxicity, chemical disposal, chemical costs and equipment costs are
a few of the constraints. The preparation of this text has involved a serious effort to overcome these
constraints.

In addition to having a positive attitude towards the laboratory portion of the chemistry course, it is
very important that the student understands the role of the experience. There is a tendency for students to
treat each experiment as a separate unit without sufficient consideration of the connections it makes to other
experiments or to the chemical principles being introduced in the lecture portion of the course. During the
preparation of this sixth edition, a strong effort has been made to enable students to understand the reason for
each experiment's place in the lab and how it adds to the sum of the student’s chemical experiences. To help
students understand the reasons for doing each experiment and to place the experiments into a broader
perspective, this text includes Prelaboratory Problems with answers to some of the questions, some
Postlaboratory Problems and a set of review exercises in Activity 35. Most chemistry laboratory courses do
not have final exams so the review exercises and Postlaboratory Problems strive at having the students reflect
upon the course and organize the techniques and principles according to applicability and limitations.

A correlation chart between the experiments in this book and concepts in Cengage general chemistry
books has been prepared and follows this preface. It should be noted that the sequence of experiments can
be changed without an interruption in continuity with a few exceptions. The vanillin prepared in Experiment
2 is used in Experiment 3. The absorption spectrum of triiodide is determined in Experiment 25 and used
again in one of the options in Experiment 27. Copper(II) glycinate is synthesized in Experiment 28 and
analyzed in Experiment 30.

New features. Because there are many good general chemistry laboratory texts available and an
even greater number of in-house texts, this text has made a strong effort to offer many experiments and
experiences that are not available in other sources. The use of chromates and lead, barium, mercury and
nickel salts has been avoided and less toxic alternatives have been used. Not only does this decrease the
exposure of students to hazards, costly disposal costs are minimized. Instead of the commonly encountered
titration of chloride with silver, a novel and interesting titration of ferricyanide with zinc is used that includes
a determination of the stoichiometry of the reaction. Other unique experiments involving complexes, redox
reactions and a study of the triodide - iodine equilibrium have been included because of their educational and
technique values. Many instructors do not include organic chemistry in the general chemistry course but most
students do not go on to take organic chemistry. Thus it is very important that students gain some experience
with distillation, recrystallization and chromatography. Distillation is not commonly included in general
chemistry laboratory texts but the distillation of water is included here because of the importance of distillation.
As many students have easy access to the Internet, several questions and an improved Activity 13 have been
included to familiarize the students with the vast number of resources available at their finger tips. Since

vii

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laboratory experimentation is not included in Activity 13 along with 15 (molecular models) and 20 (organic
modeling), the title Experiment has been replaced with the word Activity. Activitiy 13 can certainly be done
as an out of class exercise. 15 and 20 could also be performed outside of class if the students have model
kits available. Like many experiments in the text, the molecular modeling experiments include strong efforts
to enable the students to gain valuable insight into chemistry. The process of teaching the development of
insight deserves more attention in the way chemistry is taught. To improve the amount of insight gained by
the students, questions have been added to the Prelaboratory sections and Activities 35 and 36 have been
reformated or added to this edition. Activity 35 adds many challenges and projects for students that put more
of the responsibility on the students. A carbonate analysis that was Experiment 24 in the 5th edition has been
removed and inserted into Activity 35 as an independent project for students. Activity 36 is a unique
graphing exercise that should develop graphing techniques. Finally, an Internet site developed specifically
for use with this text has been recently posted at: http://murov.info/exptsgenchem.htm .

Selection of experiments has been based on a search for strengths such as promoting insight. While
two experiments (9, 26) introduce approaches to qualitative analysis concepts and techniques, this text does
not cover the classical qualitative analysis scheme. The cursory coverage that would have been afforded to
the scheme due to page limitations would have been weak. However, we do find that students learn the
important concepts of qualitative analysis by performing Experiments 9 and 26. Whenever possible,
unknowns have been incorporated to promote interest and a research environment. As part of the
responsibility of the laboratory portion of the course is to teach technique, most commonly used techniques
are studied and applied including organic chemistry techniques such as distillation, recrystallization, and
vacuum filtration.

The experiments have been written assuming that a milligram balance will be standard equipment
for the course. Experiments 2, 3, 4, 12, 14, 17, 18, 19, 24, 28 and 33 can be performed with a centigram
balance without significant loss of information. However, use of anything less than a milligram balance for
Experiments 5, 7, 11, 21, 22, 29, 30 and 32 will result in a decrease in the ability to interpret the results.

This text is designed for the instructor who takes the laboratory portion of the course seriously.
Because of the exploratory nature of many of the experiments, students will frequently need guidance.
Students may also need to have some of the techniques demonstrated and the discussion extended. Chemistry
has been described as "the central science" and the laboratory is the center of chemistry. Students need to
approach the laboratory with a positive attitude and be curious, alert observers who are prepared for the
unexpected and willing to use their imaginations to seek insights into the mysteries of our universe.

Acknowledgments. I thank my editors, Brendan Killion, Krista Mastroianni, Peter McGahey and
Chris Simpson, for giving me the opportunity to further improve this general chemistry laboratory text. My
coauthor on another lab text, Brian Stedjee, was the original developer of many of the experiments included
here and I am grateful for his willingness to test the experiments, proofread this document and prepare the
accompanying instructor's manual. I would also like to thank the many Modesto Junior College students who
often had to test primitive forms of the experiments. Many of the images in the 6th edition in the upper right
hand corner of each experiment were obtained from clipart that was purchased for the 5th edition from the site:
http://www.scs-intl.com/trader/. You might want to challenge yourself to determine the connection between
the image and the experiment. My wife, Carolyn Ann Murov, sacrificed valuable time to prepare the figures
for this text and for several months approximately every three years has to listen to me cursing at the
computer while a new edition is prepared. Finally, I want to thank my four young grandchildren, Dylan (11
in 2013), Hope (11), Carson (9) and Mylee (3) for continually reminding me of the importance of curiosity
and the pleasure of finding things out. I sincerely hope students will learn from their chemical laboratory
experience and more importantly open their minds to the mysterious and explore it.

Steven L. Murov, Professor Emeritus of Chemistry, Modesto Junior College

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 Textbook Correlation Table

Murov Key Concepts Key Techniques Kotz1, Masterton2, Moore3, Whitten4, Zumdahl5
Expt. et. al., et. al., et. al., et. al., et.al.,
# Chap. Chap. Chap. Chap. Chap.

1 scientific method observation, glassworking 1 1 1 1 1

2 separation of mixtures evaporation, filtration, 1, 13 1,9 1, 11 1, 13 1, 10

recrystallization

3 measurements, sig. determination of melting 1 1 1 1 1

figs., points, densities
density

4 accuracy, precision, density determination, 1 1 1 1 1

density graphing, pipteting

5 mole, empirical pyrolysis, flame tests 2, 3 3 3, 4 2 3

formulas

6 classification of observation of chemical 3, 4 3, 4 4, 5 3, 6 4

chemical reactions, reactions
stoichiometry

7 stoichiometry synthesis, filtration 4 3, 4 4 3 4

8 conductivity, measurement of electrical 2, 3, 4, 7, 9 3, 5 6, 7, 21 2, 4, 8

electrolytes, bonding conductivity 5, 8

9 double replacements, qualitative analysis 3 4 5 6 4

net ionic equations

10 single replacements, observational skills 3, 20 4, 17 5, 19 6, 21 4, 18

activities

11 concentrations, titration 4 3, 4 5, 7 3, 11 4
stoichiometry

12 specific heat, enthalpy, calorimetry 5 8 6 15 6

Hess’s law

13 periodicity, LD50 navigating Internet 7 6 7 5 7

14 spectroscopy dilutions, spectroscopy 4, 6 3, 6 7 3, 4 4, 7, App. 3

15 Lewis structures modeling 8, 9 7 8, 9 7, 8, 9 8, 9

16 polarity, chromatography 8 7 9 7 8
chromatography

17 gas laws data analysis, graphing 11 5 10 12 5, App. 1

18 phase changes cooling curves 12, 13 9 11 13 10

19 stoichiometry distillation, titration 4, 10, 1, 4, 14 5, 12 11, 13 4, 10

18

ix

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Murov Key Concepts Key Techniques Kotz1, Masterton2, Moore3, Whitten4, Zumdahl5,
Expt. et. al., et. al., et. al., et. al., et. al.,
# Chap. Chap. Chap. Chap. Chap.

20 organic compounds modeling 10 22 12 23, 24 22

21 acid and base reactions, reactions, titration 17, 18 13, 14 16, 17 18, 19 14, 15
stoichiometry

22 acid and base titration 17, 18 13, 14 16, 17 18, 19 14, 15

stoichiometry

23 pH, pKa pH meter, titration curves 17, 18 13, 14 16, 17 18, 19 14, 15

24 solubility product, free data analysis 18, 19 15, 16 15, 17, 17, 20 16, 17
energy 18

25 equilibrium constant spectroscopy, data 18, 19 14, 15 14, 18 17, 20 13, 16

analysis

26 complex formation qualitative analysis 18 15 17 20, 25 16

27 kinetics, mechanisms data analysis, 15 11 13 16 12, App. 3

spectroscopy

28 coordination synthesis 22 19 22 25 21
compounds

29 redox, stoichiometry titration 3, 20 4, 17 5,19 6, 11 4, 18

30 redox, stoichiometry titration 3, 20 4, 17 5, 19 6, 11 4, 18

31 reduction potentials observational skills 20 17 19 21 18, App. 5

32 electrochemistry electrochemical techniques 20 17 19 21 18

33 complex formation spectroscopy 18 15, 19 17, 22 20, 25 16, App. 3

34 polymers, material observational skills 10 23 11, 12 24, 27 22

selection

35 review, application

36 graphing 1 App. 1

1. Kotz, J. C.; Treichel, Jr.; P., Townsend, J. Chemistry and Chemical Reactivity, 8th ed., Cengage, 2012.

2. Masterton, W. L.; Hurley, C. N.; Neth, E. Chemistry: Principles and Reactions, Cengage, 7th ed., 2012.

3. Moore, J. W.; Stanitski, C. L.; Jurs, P. C., Chemistry: The Molecular Science, 4th ed., Cengage, 2011.

4. Whitten, K. W.; Davis, R. E.; Peck, M. L., Stanley, G. G., General Chemistry, 10th ed., Cengage, 2014.

5. Zumdahl, S. S.; Zumdahl, S. A. Chemistry, 9th ed., Cengage, 2014.

Copyright 2013 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part.
 Chemistry Resources
References can generally be divided into two categories, primary sources and secondary sources. The
primary literature references are most commonly the journals that contain the direct reports of the research
scientists such as the Journal of the American Chemical Society. Searches of information from primary
journals usually involves use of an abstracting service such as Chemical Abstracts. Chemical Abstracts is
generally available in university libraries but is very expensive and not usually available in community
college libraries. Online access to Chemical Abstracts is also expensive. In this course, most of your
literature searches will be in secondary sources such as the Handbook of Chemistry and Physics or the
Aldrich Chemical Catalog and many valuable sites on the Internet. Secondary sources compile data from
primary sources into condensed formats and handier tables. In some cases, especially for Internet sites, it is
possible that the reference should be considered a tertiary source as the data has been collected from
secondary sources. In any event and most importantly, whenever you are writing research articles, most
citations should be to primary sources as there are occasional errors made whenever data is compiled.

Compilations of Properties. In some of the experiments you will perform in this course, you might
want to look up information on the properties of substances. One starting place is Appendix 1 of this text.
College libraries usually will have some of the secondary references listed below. Note that most chemistry
books are catalogued in the QD section (or 500 in the Dewey decimal system) of the library although a few
are in the physics QC section. It is worth your time to browse the QD part of your library’s reference section
to give you an idea of which references are available. For each of these references, you will have to learn the
fastest way to find data. It is sometimes difficult to figure out what to look for in the index for the Handbook
of Chemistry and Physics. An alternative is to use the Aldrich Chemical Catalog. This commercial catalog
includes the physical properties of the organic compounds sold by the company. Ask your instructor if there
is an Aldrich Chemical Catalog available to put in your laboratory. The references listed below are among
the best sources of secondary data.

Handbook of Chemistry and Physics, CRC Press, Boca Raton.

Handbook of Chemistry, McGraw-Hill, New York.
Dictionary of Organic Compounds, Chapman and Hall, London.
Merck Index, Merck, N.J.
Aldrich Chemical Catalog, Aldrich, Milwaukee.

While you probably do not own one of the above references, chances are that you have access to a
computer with online access. The Internet has many sites that contain physical properties of substances.
Some present the data directly when you input the name of the compound. In addition, many sites contain
hotlinks to MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet). The MSDS usually contains property data in the 9th section
on physical properties. For toxicity data, the Chemidplus site is often the most convenient resource.

Direct links to the sites in the lists on the next page have been included in a site that has been
specially prepared for use with this text. In addition, many other useful sites are also included. It is
recommended that you visit this site and notice what is available as this site might save you substantial time
in your searches for information. The first section of the site contains suggested links arranged by experiment
number. The most useful sites for locating properties are included in a section on the site as well as on the
next page.

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 Experiments in General Chemistry web site:
http://murov.info/exptsgenchem.htm

1.Tabulation + MSDS

Acros - http://www.acros.com/portal/alias__Rainbow/lang__en/tabID__21/DesktopDefault.aspx
Aldrich, Sigma - http://www.sigmaaldrich.com/
Alpha Chemical - http://www.alfa.com/alf/laboratory_chemical_suppliers.htm
ChemicalBook - http://www.chemicalbook.com/
ChemExper Chem. Directory - http://www.chemexper.com/
ChemFinder Web Server - http://chemfinder.cambridgesoft.com/
Chemidplus - http://chem.sis.nlm.nih.gov/chemidplus/
or http://chem.sis.nlm.nih.gov/chemidplus/chemidlite.jsp
Chemspider - http://www.chemspider.com/
EMD Chemicals - http://www.emdchemicals.com/corporate/emd_corporate.asp
Fisher - https://new.fishersci.com/wps/portal/HOME
TCI America - http://www.tciamerica.com/brochure/catalog.html
Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_organic_compounds
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_inorganic_compounds

2. MSDS

JT Baker & Mallinckrodt (primarily inorganic chemicals) -

http://www.mallbaker.com/Americas/catalog/default.asp
MSDSprovider - http://www.msdsprovider.com/
MSDS Solutions - http://www.msds.com/
Vermont Safety Information Resources, Inc. - http://hazard.com/msds/

3. Tabulation

Chemblink - http://www.chemblink.com/
Chemfate - http://www.syrres.com/esc/chemfate.htm
Chemical Database - http://ull.chemistry.uakron.edu/erd/
Chemland 21 - http://www.chemicalland21.com/listaz01.htm
CIS - http://www.ilo.org/legacy/english/protection/safework/cis/products/icsc/dtasht/index.htm
Datalog - http://www.syrres.com/esc/datalog.htm
Knovel Critical Tables (free registration required) -
http://www.knovel.com/web/portal/browse/display?_EXT_KNOVEL_DISPLAY_bookid=761
Select the Table for Basic Physical Properties of Chemical Compounds and register.
Use the sort by ascending or descending order capability for any parameter and also the filter
capability.
LookChem - http://www.lookchem.com/
National Physical Laboratory - http://www.kayelaby.npl.co.uk/chemistry/3_3/3_3.html
WolframAlpha - http://www.wolframalpha.com/

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 Chemistry experiments employing the use of chemicals and
laboratory equipment and can be dangerous, and misuse may cause
serious bodily injury. Cengage Learning encourages you to speak
with your instructor and/or laboratory manager and become
acquainted with your school’s laboratory safety regulations before
attempting any experiments. Cengage Learning has provided, for
your convenience only, safety information intended to serve as a
starting point for good practices. Cengage Learning makes no
guarantee or representations as to the accuracy or sufficiency of
such information and/or instructions.

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Copyright 2013 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part.
 1

SAFETY FIRST
and Prudent Laboratory Practice

While many people think that the chemical industry must rank high on a list of frequency
of accidents, the reverse is actually true. The days lost per person due to accidents in the chemical
industry is one of the lowest for all professions. This is not because of fewer potential hazards. To
the contrary, the chemical laboratory is full of accidents waiting to happen. However, proper
precautions and patience prevent the accidents from happening.

1. Come to the laboratory prepared. Read the experiment and study it. Think about
manipulations where special care is needed.

2. Wear eye protection at all times. Your eyes are a very valuable part of your body but are
also one of the most vulnerable parts. And don't forget, you are not the only student in the
lab. Sometimes chemical accidents spread chemicals throughout the lab.

3. Do not perform unauthorized experiments. Sometimes there is a strong temptation to just

mix chemicals together. Do not succumb to this temptation. On the other hand, exploration
is strongly encouraged. If you want to try your own experiment, first try to predict its
outcome. Then discuss it with the instructor and obtain his/her approval and guidance.
Finally for previously untested reactions, use very small quantities and run the reaction in
the hood behind a safety shield.

4. When you first enter the laboratory, memorize the locations of the fire extinguishers, eye
wash, safety shower, first aid kit and exits from the laboratory. The instructor should discuss
the use of each type of safety equipment. If, despite your eye protection, something should
get into your eye, thoroughly wash your eyes for several minutes with the eye wash. Don't
stop after a brief rinsing.

5. Conduct all experiments that evolve gases or unpleasant odors in the hood and make sure
the hood is on and functioning.

6. Never take food or drinks into the laboratory.

7. Do inform the instructor of all accidents, even the most minor of cuts or burns.

8. Pay special attention to the names and concentrations of chemicals and read bottle labels
carefully. If an experiment calls for addition of hydrogen peroxide to bleach to generate
oxygen and hydrochloric acid is added instead, lethal chlorine gas will be generated that can
endanger the lives of the whole class.

Copyright 2013 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part.
2

9. Treat glass tubing with great respect. Chemical accidents such as the one described in #8
above fortunately seldom occur but minor accidents with glass tubing occur too frequently.
In Experiment 1, be very patient and let the hot glass cool before you touch it. Firepolish
the ends of all pieces of glass tubing to avoid cuts. Most important, when inserting a piece
of glass tubing through a hole in a rubber stopper:

a. lubricate the hole or glass tubing

b. hold the tubing very close (within 1 cm) to the part of the tubing that is about to enter
the stopper
c. wrap the tubing in a cloth towel
d. push slowly while slowly rotating and be patient.

10. If you touch a lab reagent bottle and find that it is wet, put it down and wash your hands.

11. Be sure whenever you are working in the lab that another person familiar with lab safety
guidelines is present and that the instructor is within shouting distance.

12. Wear appropriate clothing that covers most of your body. A lab apron is also helpful. Do
not wear floppy, loose clothing such as neckties or scarves. Do not wear sandals or open
toed shoes.

13. Do not ever leave a heated experiment unattended and do not ever heat a closed system such
as a stoppered flask or test tube. Never heat very volatile liquids such as ether or pentane
with a flame and in fact don't even use them in rooms with flames burning.

14. Keep your section of the lab clean and treat all equipment, especially the balance as though
it is part of your very own Porsche.

15. Carefully clean up all spills and breakages. If you break a mercury thermometer or spill a
corrosive chemical, inform your instructor immediately.

16. Keep your books away from sinks especially those that are equipped with aspirators.
Occasionally drain hoses jump out of sinks and drench everything near the sink.

17. Do not put chemicals into the sink without first obtaining the instructor's permission.

18. When taking a chemical from a bottle, try not to take more than you need. If you exceed
your need, do not return it to the bottle. Give it to another student or properly dispose of it.

19. Do not put spatulas, stirring rods, droppers or pipets into chemical bottles. Transfer the
chemical to your own container first. If the chemical will not pour out, seek help from the
instructor.

20. Do not put bottle stoppers down on the desk top. This could contaminate the contents of the
bottle.

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 3

21. If, when using a reagent bottle, you get the bottle wet, rinse off its outside and dry the bottle.

22. Remember that all chemicals have some degree of toxicity. Every effort has been made in
the design of this lab text to use chemicals that minimize toxicity and disposal problems.
Recognize, however, that the chemicals included here are toxic and need to be treated with
care and respect.

23. Do wear eye protection, think, be patient, explore, learn, enjoy and show your enthusiasm.

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4

Copyright 2013 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part.
 5

Experiment 1

EARLY EXPLORATIONS
AND TERMINOLOGY
Learning Objectives 1865 Bunsen burner

Upon completion of this experiment, students will have experienced:

1. Practice with techniques of observation and the scientific method.
2. The use of the Bunsen burner.
3. Basic glassworking.
4. Some basic chemistry terminology.

Text Topics
Scientific method, physical properties, chemical reactions (for correlation to some
textbooks, see page ix).

Notes to Students and Instructor

This experiment will probably take more than one laboratory period. It can be
started on the first lab day which usually includes check-in procedures and a safety
presentation and then finished on the second lab day. Alternatively, selection of only
certain sections should shorten the experiment. Most sections of this experiment
should be thoroughly discussed in class after completion of the experiment.

Discussion
Pretend for a moment that it is a very hot day. Use your imagination to visualize a glass of
ice water. Have you noticed that the ice is floating in the water and not resting on the bottom of the
glass? Has this observation ever puzzled you? Observation and imagination are two of the keys
to good science. Mysteries that arise from inconsistencies between expectations and observations
often contain clues that lead to exciting and wonderful discoveries.

Consider the ice-water system. What should happen to the density (mass/volume) of a liquid
as it is cooled? We might expect a contraction of volume and an increase in density as the
temperature decreases (resulting in sinking). And yet, contrary to this expectation, the ice is less
dense than liquid water and floats. Included in the observation of the ice-water system then should
be the unexpected floating of the ice and questions about why the ice floats and if it is common for
the solid phase of a substance to float in its liquid.

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6

Learn to make careful, complete and unbiased observations and include as part of these
observations, questions on any inconsistencies that arise from them. Ideally observations should not
depend on the observer as we are trying to record facts in an understandable way for other
people. It is important that scientific observations be reproducible. The observation section of a
report should not include interpretations or explanations because explanations might differ from one
observer to the next and there may even be more than one possible conclusion. Ice sometimes forms
with small air bubbles and in these cases one should record that there are air bubbles in the ice. But
to say that the ice floats because of air bubbles is not an observation but in this case an inadequate
explanation.

It is very important to record all observations as the act of disregarding or ignoring is actually
a conclusion that an observation is not important. Some very important observations have been
overlooked only to be found by later investigators to have significance (penicillin and nuclear fission
are two examples). Discoveries of teflon and aspartame were made serendipitously by careful
observers who did not overlook the unexpected. When doing science, pay heed to the words of
Ralph Waldo Emerson, "God hides things by putting them near us.," and Louis Pasteur, "In the
fields of observation, chance favors only the mind that is prepared."

Observation is the first part of a process commonly called the scientific method. Although
its emphasis in some textbooks sometimes gives the misleading impression that scientists operate
according to a schedule, the scientific method does describe the process that occurs in scientific
exploration. It starts with the puzzling observation and resulting questions. Next with the use of
imagination, explanations (or hypotheses) are suggested. Fortunately in science (and this is what
makes science easier than most fields), explanations are testable. If experiments support an
explanation, the explanation becomes a theory. The theory is always subject to further testing which
can result in modification or even discarding of the theory.

As you do your laboratory experiments, remember to stay alert and record all observations
including questions about anything curious to you. Be sure that your records are written clearly and
concisely in a way that can be understood and tested by others.

Procedure
This exercise has been designed to help you develop your observational skills, distinguish
between observations and explanations, and to learn to carefully record all observations. Remember
that complete observations often lead to questions.

A. The meniscus. Add water to about the half way point of a 50 mL graduated cylinder and
study the features of the water surface. Describe and draw your observations. The phenomenon that
you observe is called a meniscus. Write down a question about the meniscus. [Comment:
Volumetric glassware has been calibrated to give correct volume measurements when you read the
very bottom of the meniscus.]

B. The candle flame. Light a candle and study the flame. Write down all your observations
and questions about the flame. Try to include observations on states of matter and physical and
chemical properties and changes. Be very careful to distinguish observations from explanations.

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Experiment 1 7

What do you think is actually burning? Write your answer down before you read or experiment
further. You will not lose points for an incorrect answer.

Be sure to record observations from the following tests. Put a beaker over the burning candle
almost but not all the way down and carefully observe the inside of the beaker. Blow the candle out
and immediately put a glass stirring rod on top of the extinguished wick in the region where the
flame had been. Inspect the rod. Relight the candle, and, with a burning match in one hand, again
blow the candle out. Immediately bring the burning match to the region where the flame had been,
moving the match slowly towards the wick for the last 2 cm. Save the candle for Part L.

C. The Bunsen burner. One of the important tools of the

laboratory chemist is the Bunsen burner. This exercise has been designed
to familiarize you with the burner and introduce you to glassworking.
Study Figure 1-1 and compare it to your Bunsen burner.

[Comment: The instructor should demonstrate use of the burner.]

Close the air control and make sure the gas valve is off. Turn the gas
valve on the bench on full, light a match, open the burner gas valve and
light the gas. What color is it? Increase the gas flow until the flame is
about 4 cm. high and open the air control until the yellow color is gone.
Draw and describe the flame. What do you think is the hottest region?
Take a wood splint and insert it quickly into the flame right over the top
of the burner (Figure 1-2). Hold it there until it ignites and observe
where it burns. Now hold a wire gauze vertically in the flame so that
about 1 cm. of the gauze extends beyond the far edge of the burner
(Figure 1-3). Heat it until it glows and record your observations about the position and pattern of
glow. If significant amounts of colored flame leap from the gauze, rinse the corner of the gauze that
you are heating with deionized water and repeat the test.

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8

Glassworking. Take a file and make a deep scratch on a piece of 6 mm glass tubing 20 cm
from the end. Be sure not to make more than one groove. Holding the scratch away from you with
thumbs on either side of the scratch, push your thumbs forward, pulling the two pieces apart (Figure
1-4). With a decent scratch, the glass will almost split by itself. However, the ends will still be
sharp enough to cut you. Anytime glass tubing is cut, the ends should be firepolished to round off
the sharp edges.

Firepolishing. Following Figure 1-5, hold the tubing at about 30 o to the horizontal in the
hottest part of the flame. Rotate the tubing and observe it carefully. As it approaches its melting
point, a bright sodium flame will be observed. Continue to rotate it until it barely melts. Too much
melting will begin to constrict the tube opening. Put the tubing down on a wire gauze until it has
cooled and firepolish the other end (Caution: One of the most common lab accidents is the
burning of fingers and hands on glass that has been picked up without sufficient cooling.)

Bending tubing. Chemists often have to make their own specialized pieces of glassware and
it is very useful to have some experience with bending glass. Turn off the Bunsen burner and insert
the flame spreader (often called a wing tip). Relight just as you did without the flame spreader and
adjust the flame as in Figure 1-6. Hold both ends of the tube, place it in the hot region of the flame
and rotate rapidly. A relatively even yellow glow indicates even heating. After the tube has
softened, remove it from the flame, bend it to a right angle and hold it steady for a few seconds.
Place it on the gauze for cooling. Do not be disappointed if your bend is not too aesthetically
appealing as good glassworking takes many hours of practice.

Copyright 2013 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part.
 Another Random Document on
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The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Pillar of
Light
 This ebook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United
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Title: The Pillar of Light

Author: Louis Tracy

Release date: October 2, 2012 [eBook #40912]

Most recently updated: October 23, 2024

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*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE PILLAR OF

LIGHT ***
The Pillar of Light
 By Louis Tracy
Author of "The Wings of the Morning"
"And the rain descended,
and the
floods came, and the winds
blew,
and beat upon that house;
and
it fell not; for it was
founded
upon a rock."
Matth
e
w
v
i
i
:
2
5

New York
EDWARD J. CLODE
156 Fifth Avenue
1904
Copyright 1904, by Edward J. Clode
All rights reserved
May, 1904
 Plimpton Press Norwood Mass.

LOW WATER—THE REEF

THE GULF ROCK LIGHTHOUSE SECTION

 CONTENTS
I Flotsam 1
II A Christening 19
III The Signal 37
IV The Voice of the Reef 57
V The Hurricane 72
VI The Middle Watch 92
VII The Lottery 110
VIII An Interlude 124
IX Mrs. Vansittart 141
X Pyne's Progress 156
XI Mrs. Vansittart's Fear 172
XII Preparations 188
XIII Before the Dawn 206
XIV The Way They Have in The Navy 223
XV Enid's New Name 241
XVI Stephen Brand Explains 258
XVII Mrs. Vansittart Goes Home 281
XVIII Enid Wears an Old Ornament 301
XIX The House that Stood Upon a Rock 319
 CHAPTER I
FLOTSAM
All night long the great bell of the lighthouse, slung to a stout beam
projecting seaward beneath the outer platform, had tolled its
warning through the fog. The monotonous ticking of the clockwork
attachment that governed it, the sharp and livelier click of the
occulting hood's machinery, were the only sounds which alternated
with its deep boom. The tremendous clang sent a thrill through the
giant column itself and pealed away into the murky void with a
tremolo of profound diminutions.
Overhead, the magnificent lantern, its eight-ringed circle of flame
burning at full pressure, illumined the drifting vapor with an intensity
that seemed to be born of the sturdy granite pillar of which it was
the fitting diadem. Hard and strong externally as the everlasting rock
on which it stood,—replete within with burnished steel and polished
brass, great cylinders and powerful pumps,—the lighthouse thrust its
glowing torch beyond the reach of the most daring wave. Cold, dour,
defiant it looked. Yet its superhuman eye sought to pierce the very
heart of the fog, and the furnace-white glare, concentrated ten
thousand-fold by the encircling hive of the dioptric lens, flung far
into the gloom a silvery cloak of moon-like majesty.
At last an irresistible ally sprang to the assistance of the
unconquerable light. About the close of the middle watch a gentle
breeze from the Atlantic followed the tide and swept the shivering
wraith landward to the northeast, whilst the first beams of a June
sun completed the destruction of the routed specter.
So, once more, as on the dawn of the third day, the waters under
the heaven were gathered into one place, and the dry land
appeared, and behold, it was good.
On the horizon, the turquoise rim of the sea lay with the sheen of
folded silk against the softer canopy of the sky. Towards the west a
group of islands, to which drifting banks of mist clung in melting
despair, were etched in shadows of dreamy purple. Over the nearer
sea-floor the quickly dying vapor spread a hazy pall of opal tints.
Across the face of the waters glistening bands of emerald green and
serene blue quivered in fairy lights. The slanting rays of the sun
threw broadcast a golden mirage and gilded all things with the dumb
gladness of an English summer's day.
A man, pacing the narrow gallery beneath the lantern, halted for a
moment to flood his soul afresh with a beauty made entrancing by
the knowledge that a few brief minutes would resolve it into maturer
and more familiar charms.
He was engaged, it is true, in the unromantic action of filling his
pipe,—a simple thing, beloved alike of poets and navvies,—yet his
eyes drank in the mute glory of the scene, and, captive to the spell
of the hour, he murmured aloud:

"Floating on waves of music and of light,

Behold the chariot of the Fairy Queen!
Celestial coursers paw the unyielding air;
Their filmy pennons at her word they furl,
And stop obedient to the reins of light."

The small door beneath the glass fane was open. The worker within,
busily cleaning an eight-inch burner, ceased for an instant and
popped his head out.
"Did you hail me?" he inquired.
The matter-of-fact words awoke the dreamer. He turned with a
pleasant smile.
"To be exact, Jim, I did hail somebody, but it was Aurora, Spirit of
the Dawn, not a hard-bitten sailor-man like you."
"Oh, that's all right, cap'n. I thought I heard you singin' out for a
light."
The other man bent his head to shield a match from a puff of wind,
thus concealing from his companion the gleam of amusement in his
eyes. His mate sniffed the fragrant odor of the tobacco longingly, but
the Elder Brethren of the Trinity maintain strict discipline, and he
vanished to his task without a thought of broken rules.
He left a piece of good advice behind him.
"If I was you, cap'n," he said, "I'd turn in. Jones is feelin' Al this
mornin'. He comes on at eight. You ought to be dead beat after your
double spell of the last two days. I'll keep breakfast back until three
bells (9.30 A.M.), an' there's fresh eggs an' haddick."
"Just a couple of whiffs, Jim. Then I'll go below."
Both men wore the uniform of assistant-keepers, yet it needed not
their manner of speech to reveal that one was a gentleman, born
and bred, and the other a bluff, good-natured, horny-handed A.B., to
whom new-laid eggs and recently cured fish appealed far more
potently than Shelley and a summer dawn at sea.
He who had involuntarily quoted "Queen Mab" turned his gaze
seaward again. Each moment the scene was becoming more brilliant
yet nearer to earth. The far-off islands sent splashes of gray, brown
and green through the purple. The rose flush on the horizon was
assuming a yellower tinge and the blue of sky and water was
deepening. Twenty miles away to the southwest the smoke of a
steamer heralded the advent of an Atlantic liner, and the last shreds
of white mist were curling forlornly above the waves.
The presence of the steamship, a tiny dull spot on the glowing
picture, peopled the void with life and banished poetry with the
thinly sheeted ghosts of the fog. In a little more than an hour she
would be abreast of the Gulf Rock Light. The watcher believed—was
almost certain, in fact—that she was the Princess Royal, homeward
bound from New York to Southampton. From her saloon deck those
enthusiasts who had risen early enough to catch a first glimpse of
the English coast were already scanning the trimly rugged outlines of
the Scilly Isles, and searching with their glasses for the Land's End
and the Lizard.
In a few hours they would be in Southampton; that afternoon in
London—London, the Mecca of the world, from which, two years
ago, he fled with a loathing akin to terror. The big ship out there,
panting and straining as if she were beginning, not ending, her
ocean race of three thousand miles, was carrying eager hundreds to
the pleasures and follies of the great city. Yet he, the man smoking
and silently staring at the growing bank of smoke,—a young man,
too; handsome, erect, with the clean, smooth profile of the
aristocrat,—had turned his back on it all, and sought, and found,
peace here in the gaunt pillar on a lonely rock.
Strange, how differently men are constituted. And women! Bah! A
hard look came into his eyes. His mouth set in a stern contempt. For
a little while his face bore a steely expression which would have
amazed the man within the lantern, now singing lustily as he
worked.
But as the harp of David caused the evil spirit to depart from Saul,
so did the music of the morning chase away the lurking devil of
memory which sprang upon the lighthouse-keeper with the sight of
the vessel.
He smiled again, a trifle bitterly perhaps. Behind him the singer
roared genially:

"Soon we'll be in London Town,

Sing, my lads, yeo ho-o,
And see the King in his golden crown,
Sing, my lads, yeo ho."
The man on the platform seemed to be aroused from a painful
reverie by the jingle so curiously à propos to his thoughts. He
tapped his pipe on the iron railing, and was about to enter the
lantern—and so to the region of sleep beneath—when suddenly his
glance, trained to an acuteness not dreamed of by folk ashore,
rested on some object seemingly distant a mile or less, and drifting
slowly nearer with the tide.
At this hour a two-knot current swept to the east around and over
the treacherous reef whose sunken fangs were marked by the
lighthouse. In calm weather, such as prevailed just then, it was
difficult enough to effect a landing at the base of the rock, but this
same smiling water-race became an awful, raging, tearing fury when
the waves were lashed into a storm.
He pocketed his pipe and stood with hands clenched on the rail,
gazing intently at a white-painted ship's life-boat, with a broken
mast and a sail trailing over the stern. Its color, with the sun shining
on it, no less than the vaporous eddies fading down to the surface of
the sea, had prevented him from seeing it earlier. Perhaps he would
not have noticed it at all were it not for the flashing wings of several
sea-birds which accompanied the craft in aërial escort.
Even yet a landsman would have stared insolently in that direction
and declared that there was naught else in sight save the steamer,
whose tall masts and two black funnels were now distinctly visible.
But the lighthouse keeper knew he was not mistaken. Here was a
boat adrift, forlorn, deserted. Its contour told him that it was no
local craft straying adventurously from island or mainland. Its
unexpected presence, wafted thus strangely from ocean wilds, the
broken spar and tumbled canvas, betokened an accident, perchance
a tragedy.
"Jim!" he cried.
His mate, engaged in shrouding the gleaming lenses from the sun's
rays, came at the call. He was lame—the result of a wound received
in the Egyptian campaign: nevertheless, he was quick on his feet.
"What do you make of that?"
The sailor required no more than a gesture. He shaded his eyes with
his right hand, a mere shipboard trick of concentrating vision and
brain, for the rising sun was almost behind him.
"Ship's boat," he answered, laconically. "Collision, I expect. There's
bin no blow to speak of for days. But they're gone. Knocked
overboard when she was took aback by a squall. Unless them birds
—"
He spoke in a species of verbal shorthand, but his meaning was
clear enough, even to the sentence left unfinished. The craft was
under no control. She would drift steadily into the Bay until the tide
turned, wander in an aimless circle for half an hour thereafter, and
then, when the ebb restored direction and force to the current,
voyage forth again to the fabled realm of Lyonnesse.
For a little while they stood together in silence. Jim suddenly quitted
his companion and came back with a glass. He poised it with the
precision of a Bisley marksman, and began to speak again, jerkily:
"Stove in forrard, above the water-line. Wouldn't live two minutes in
a sea. Somethin' lyin' in the bows. Can't make it out. And there's a
couple of cormorants perched on the gunwale. But she'll pass within
two hundred yards on her present course, an' the tide'll hold long
enough for that."
The other man looked around. From that elevated perch, one
hundred and thirty feet above high-water mark, he could survey a
vast area of sea. Excepting the approaching steamer—which would
flit past a mile away to the south—and a few distant brown specks
which betokened a shoal of Penzance fishing-smacks making the
best of the tide eastward—there was not a sail in sight.
"I think we should try and get hold of her," he said.
Jim kept his eye glued to the telescope.
"'Tain't worth it, cap'n. The salvage'll only be a pound or two, not but
what an extry suvrin comes in useful, an' we might tie her up to the
buoy on the off chance until the relief comes or we signal a smack.
But what's the good o' talkin'? We've got no boat, an' nobody'd be
such a fool as to swim to her."
"That is what I had in mind."
Jim lowered the glass.
"That's the fust time I've ever heard you say a d——d silly thing,
Stephen Brand."
There was no wavering judgment in his voice now. He was angry,
and slightly alarmed.
"Why is it so emphatically silly, Jim?" was the smiling query.
"How d'ye know what's aboard of her? What's them fowl after?
What's under that sail? What's that lyin' crumpled up forrard? Dead
men, mebbe. If they are, she's convoyed by sharks."
"Sharks! This is not the Red Sea. I am not afraid of any odd prowler.
Once—Anyhow, I am going to ask Jones."
"Jones won't hear of it."
"That is precisely what he will do, within the next minute. Now, don't
be vexed, Jim. Stand by and sing out directions if needful when I am
in the water. Have no fear. I am more than equal to Leander in a sea
like this."
Jim, who trusted to the head-keeper's veto,—awed, too, by the
reference to Leander, whom he hazily associated with Captain Webb,
—made no rejoinder.
He focused the telescope again, gave a moment's scrutiny to the
steamer, and then re-examined the boat. The stillness of the
morning was solemn. Beyond the lazy splash of the sea against the
Gulf Rock itself, and an occasional heavy surge as the swell revealed
and instantly smothered some dark tooth of the reef, he heard no
sound save the ring of Stephen Brand's boots on the iron stairs as
he descended through the oil-room, the library and office, to the first
bedroom, in the lower bunk of which lay Mr. Jones, keeper and chief,
recovering from a sharp attack of sciatica.
During one fearful night in the March equinox, when the fierce heat
of the lamp within and the icy blast of the gale without had
temporarily deranged the occulting machinery, Jones experienced an
anxious watch. Not for an instant could he forego attendance on the
lamp. Owing to the sleet it was necessary to keep the light at full
pressure. The surplus oil, driven up from the tanks by weights
weighing half a ton, must flow copiously over the brass shaft of the
burner, or the metal might yield to the fervent power of the column
of flame.
The occulting hood, too, must be helped when the warning click
came, or it would jam and fail to fall periodically, thus changing the
character of the light, to the bewilderment and grave peril of any
unhappy vessel striving against the exterior turmoil of wind and
wave.
So Jones passed four hours with his head and shoulders in the
temperature of a Turkish bath and the lower part of his body chilled
to the bone.
He thought nothing of it at the time. This was duty. But at intervals,
throughout the rest of his life, the sciatic nerve would remind him of
that lonely watch. This morning he was convalescent after a painful
immobility of two days.
Watching the boat, Jim centered her in the telescopic field, and
looked anxiously for a sharp arrow-shaped ripple on the surface of
the sea. The breeze which had vanquished the fog now kissed the
smiling water into dimples, and his keen sight was perplexed by the
myriad wavelets.
Each minute the condition of affairs on board became more defined.
Beneath some oars ranged along the starboard side he could see
several tins, such as contain biscuits and compressed beef. The
shapeless mass in the bows puzzled him. It was partly covered with
broken planks from the damaged portion of the upper works, and it
might be a jib-sail fallen there when the mast broke. The birds were
busy and excited. He did not like that.
Nearly half an hour passed. The Princess Royal, a fine vessel of
yacht-like proportions, sprinting for the afternoon train, was about
eight miles away, sou'west by west. According to present indications
steamer and derelict would be abreast of the Gulf Rock Light
simultaneously, but the big ship, of course, would give a wide berth
to a rock-strewn shoal.
At last the lighthouse-keeper heard ascending footsteps. This was
not Stephen Brand, but Jones. Jim, whose rare irritated moods found
safety in stolid silence, neither spoke nor looked around when his
chief joined him, binoculars in hand.
Jones, a man of whitewash, polish, and rigid adherence to framed
rules, found the boat instantly, and recapitulated Jim's inventory,
eliciting grunts of agreement as each item was ticked off.
A clang of metal beneath caught their ears—the opening of the stout
doors, forty feet above high-water mark, from which a series of iron
rungs, sunk in the granite wall, led to the rocky base.
"Brand's goin' to swim out. It's hardly worth while signalin' to the
Land's End," commented Jones.
No answer. Jim leaned well over and saw their associate, stripped to
his underclothing, with a leather belt supporting a sheath-knife slung
across his shoulders, climbing down the ladder.
This taciturnity surprised Jones, for Jim was the cheeriest nurse who
ever brought a sufferer a plate of soup.
"It's nothing for a good swimmer, is it?" was the anxious question.
"No. It's no distance to speak of."
"An' the sea's like a mill-pond?"
"Ay, it's smooth enough."
"Don't you think he ought to try it? Every fine mornin' he has a dip
off the rock."
"Well, if it's all right for him an' you it's all right for me."
Jim had urged his plea to the man whom it chiefly concerned. He
was far too sporting a character to obtain the interference of
authority, and Jones, whose maritime experiences were confined to
the hauling in or paying out of a lightship's cable, had not the
slightest suspicion of lurking danger in the blue depths.
A light splash came to them, and, a few seconds later, Brand's head
and shoulders swung into view. After a dozen vigorous breast
strokes he rolled over on to his side, and waved his left hand to the
two men high above him.
With a sweeping side stroke he made rapid progress. Jones,
unencumbered by knowledge, blew through his lips.
"He's a wonderful chap, is Brand," he said, contentedly. "It licks me
what a man like him wants messin' about in the service for. He's
eddicated up to the top notch, an' he has money, too. His lodgin's
cost the whole of his pay, the missus says, an' that kid of his has a
hospital nuss, if you please."
Jones was grateful to his mates for their recent attentions. He was
inclined to genial gossip, but Jim was watching the boat curving
towards the lighthouse. The high spring tide was at the full. So he
only growled:
"You can see with half an eye he has taken on this job for a change.
I wish he was in that blessed boat."
Jones was quite certain now that his subordinate harbored some
secret fear of danger.
"What's up?" he cried. "He'll board her in two ticks."
On no account would the sailor mention sharks. He might be
mistaken, and Jones would guffaw at his "deep-sea" fancies.
Anyhow, it was Brand's affair. A friend might advise; he would never
tattle.
The head-keeper, vaguely excited, peered through his glass. Both
boat and swimmer were in the annular field. Brand had resumed the
breast stroke. The swing of the tide carried the broken bow towards
him. He was not more than the boat's length distant when he dived
suddenly and the cormorants flapped aloft. A black fin darted into
sight, leaving a sharply divided trail in the smooth patch of water
created by the turning of the derelict.
Jones was genuinely startled now.
"My God!" he cried, "what is it?"
"A shark!" yelled Jim. "I knew it. I warned him. Eh, but he's game is
the cap'n."
"Why didn't you tell me?" roared Jones. Under reversed conditions
he would have behaved exactly as Jim did.
But it was no time for words. The men peered at the sudden tragedy
with an intensity which left them gasping for breath. More than two
hundred yards away in reality, the magnifying glasses brought this
horror so close that they could see—they almost thought they could
hear—its tensely dramatic action. The rapidly moving black signal
reached the small eddy caused by the man's disappearance.
Instantly a great sinuous, shining body rose half out of the water,
and a powerful tail struck the side of the boat a resounding whack.
Jim's first expletive died in his throat.
"He's done it!" Jones heard him say. "He's ripped him. Oh, bully! May
the Lord grant there's only one."
For a single instant they saw the dark hair and face of the man
above the surface. The shark whirled about and rushed. Brand sank,
and again the giant man-eater writhed in agonized contortions and
the sea showed masses of froth and dark blotches. The flutterings of
the birds became irregular and alarmed. Their wheeling flights partly
obscured events below. The gulls, screeching their fright, or it might
be interest, kept close to the water, and the cormorants sailed in
circles aloof.
Jones was pallid and streaming with perspiration. "I wouldn't have
had it happen for fifty quid," he groaned.
"I wouldn't ha' missed it for a hundred," yelped Jim. "It's a fight to a
finish, and the cap'n'll win. There ain't another sea-lawyer on the
job, an' Brand knows how to handle this one."
Their mate's head reappeared and Jim relieved the tension by a
mighty shout:
"He'll swim wild now, Brand. Keep out of his track."
Sure enough, the ugly monster began to thrash the water and
career around on the surface in frantic convulsions. The second stab
of the knife had reached a vital part. Brand, who perhaps had seen a
Malay diver handling his life-long enemy, coolly struck out towards
the stern of the boat. The shark, churning the sea into a white foam,
whirled away in blind pursuit of the death which was rending him.
The man, unharmed but somewhat breathless, clambered over the
folds of the sail into the boat.
"Glory be!" quavered Jones, who was a Baptist.
Jim was about to chant his thanks in other terms when his attention
was caught by Brand's curious actions.
In stepping across the after thwart he stopped as though something
had stung him. His hesitation was momentary. Pressing his left hand
to mouth and nose he passed rapidly forward, stooped, caught a
limp body by the belt which every sailor wears, and, with a mighty
effort, slung it into the sea, where it sank instantly. So the shark, like
many a human congener of higher intellect, had only missed his
opportunity by being too precipitate, whilst the cormorants and
gulls, eyeing him ominously, did not know what they had lost.
Then the man returned to the sail and peered beneath. Neither of
the onlookers could distinguish anything of special interest under the
heavy canvas sheet. Whatever it was, Brand apparently resolved to
leave it alone for the moment.
He shipped a pair of oars, and, with two vigorous sweeps, impelled
the derelict away from the charnel-house atmosphere which
evidently clung to it.
Then the shark engaged his attention. It was floating, belly upwards,
its white under-skin glistening in the sunlight. Two long gashes were
revealed, one transverse, the other lengthwise, proving how coolly
and scientifically Brand had done his work. An occasional spasm
revealed that life was not yet extinct, but the furtive attack of a
dogfish, attracted by the scent of blood, which stirs alike the
denizens of air, land and ocean, was unresisted.
The rower stood up again, drove a boat-hook into the cruel jaws,
and lashed the stock to a thorl-pin with a piece of cordage. This
accomplished to his satisfaction, he looked towards the Gulf Rock for
the first time since he drew the knife from its sheath, gave a cheery
hand-wave to the shouting pair on the balcony, and settled down to
pull the recovered craft close to the rock.
Jim closed the telescope with a snap.
"He heaved the dead man overboard," he announced, "so there's a
live one under the sail."
"Why do you think that?" said Jones, whose nerves were badly
shaken.
"Well, you saw what happened to the other pore devil. Either him or
the cap'n had to go. It 'ud be the same if there was a funeral wanted
aft. Them there birds—But come along, boss. Let's give him a hand."
They hurried down to the iron-barred entrance. Jones shot outward
a small crane fitted with a winch, in case it might be needed, whilst
the sailor climbed to the narrow platform of rock into which the
base-blocks of the lighthouse were sunk and bolted.
Affording but little superficial space at low water, there was now not
an inch to spare. Here, at sea-level, the Atlantic swell, even in calm
weather, rendered landing or boarding a boat a matter of activity. At
this stage of the tide each wave lapped some portion of the granite
stones and receded quickly down the slope of the weed-covered
rock.
The gulls and cormorants, filling the air with raucous cries, were
rustling in rapid flight in the wake of the boat, darting ever and anon
at the water or making daring pecks at the floating carcass.
Soon Brand glanced over his shoulder to measure his distance. With
the ease of a practised oarsman he turned his craft to bring her
stern on to the landing-place.
"Lower a basket!" he cried to Jones, and, whilst the others
wondered what the urgency in his voice betokened, there reached
them the deep strong blast of a steam-whistle, blown four times in
quick succession.
Each and all, they had forgotten the Princess Royal. She was close
in, much nearer than mail steamers usually ventured.
At first they gazed at her with surprise, Brand even suspending his
maneuvers for a moment. Then Jim, knowing that a steamship
trumpets the same note to express all sorts of emotion, understood
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