"Why not?"
"Because it is in what is called a sulphide form. Do you remember what a sulphide is?"
"Yes; it is where it is in combination with something."
"That is a fairly good definition. More or less sulphur is found in all metals, but when found in large quantities the ore is called a sulphide."
"How can we get rid of the sulphur?"
"We can cook it and drive it off like steam. Lead melts at a low temperature, comparatively, about 600 degrees Fahrenheit, so that with our furnaces it will be a very easy matter to get a pure lead."
During the rest of the day all were in the laboratory, superintending the preparation for the work, and at the Professor's suggestion the boys took the team in the morning and brought in over a hundred pounds of galena to be treated.
Before noon they had forty pounds of a very fine quality lead, and the work of making molds for the bullets was begun. The Professor, however, suggested that the boys should devote their time to the construction of the boat and guns, and it was difficult to decide what was the proper thing to do first.
The Professor saw the dilemma and had a very earnest conference on the subject.
"You must not, by any means, be carried away with undue eagerness and a desire for haste. The first essential of good business is to do everything in order. It is better to plan carefully every step in advance, so that you will know just when your energies will be required for the next step. An eminent engineer, on one occasion, in answer to a question as to why he was always prepared for an emergency, laid down this rule: Whenever you have a problem to solve, work it out in more ways than one. If one fails, you can apply the other immediately. This can be done without a moment's delay. Therein lies the answer—preparedness."