This would have taken too long with the pickaxe alone, and it is known that Harding was an ingenious man.

He had still a quantity of nitro-glycerine at his disposal, and he employed it usefully.

By means of this explosive substance the rock was broken open at the very places chosen by the engineer.

Then, with the pickaxe and spade, the windows and doors were properly shaped, the jagged edges were smoothed off, and a few days after the beginning of the work, Granite House was abundantly lighted by the rising sun, whose rays penetrated into its most secret recesses.

Following the plan proposed by Cyrus Harding, the space was to be divided into five compartments looking out on the sea; to the right, an entry with a door, which would meet the ladder; then a kitchen, thirty feet long; a dining-room, measuring forty feet; a sleeping-room, of equal size; and lastly, a "Visitor's room," petitioned for by Pencroft, and which was next to the great hall.