style="font-size:15px;"> “Well,” said Herbert, “I will look for a cave in these rocks.”
“Right,” said Pencroff. “Let us start at once.”
They walked along the base of the rocky wall. But instead of going northwards, they turned to the south. Pencroff had noticed a narrow inlet in the coast. Now it was important to pitch the camp near the fresh water; in that part of the island, too, Smith could be found.
The rock rose 300 feet, smooth and massive. It was a sturdy wall of the hardest granite. About the summit hovered a host of aquatic birds, with long, narrow, pointed beaks.
Meanwhile Herbert noticed some rocks. On them lay hosts of bivalves. Herbert called to Pencroff, who came running to him.
“Ah, they are mussels,” said the sailor.
“They are not mussels,” said Herbert, examining the mollusks carefully, “they are lithodomes[24].”
“Can we eat them?” said Pencroff.
“Certainly.”
“Then let us eat some lithodomes.”
These lithodomes were oblong shell-fish[25], adhering in clusters to the rocks. They tasted like oysters; Pencroff and Herbert made a good meal of them.
Their hunger was allayed for the moment, but their thirst was increased by the spicy flavor of the mollusks. The thing now was to find fresh water. Two hundred feet further on Pencroff and Herbert reached the inlet, through which a little river was flowing with full current.
“Here is water,” said Pencroff, “and over there is wood. Well, Herbert, now all we need is a house.”
The river water was clear. Pencroff and Herbert went down between the rocks, into sandy corridors.
“This is just what we want,” said Pencroff. “These Chimneys will be our house. But first we must get together some firing.”
Herbert and Pencroff left the Chimneys, and walked up the left bank of the river. After a quarter of an hour’s walk, the two reached the elbow which the river made in turning to the left. From this point they saw a forest of magnificent trees.
“Good,” said the sailor, “I may not know the name of these trees, but I know they will help us to make a fire, and that’s the main thing for us.”
It was easy to gather the firewood; plenty of dead branches lay at their feet. The dry wood would burn rapidly. Herbert asked, how could two men carry such a load to the Chimneys.
“My boy,” said the sailor, “there’s a way to do everything. If we had a car or a boat it would be too easy.”
“We have the river,” suggested Herbert.
“Exactly,” said Pencroff. “The river will be our road and our carrier, too.”
They looked at the ocean. The sea was a watery desert. The coast, too, was desolate. Neither Neb, nor the reporter could be seen.
“Something tells me,” said Herbert, “that a person so energetic as Mr. Smith could not be drowned like an ordinary man. He got to the shore; don’t you think so, Pencroff?”
The sailor shook his head sadly. He never thought to see Smith again; but he left Herbert a hope.
“No doubt,” said he, “our engineer saved himself.”
As Pencroff and Herbert walked towards the west, their looks fell on the snowcapped mountain, which rose six or seven miles away. They saw a forest. Then from the edge of this forest to the coast stretched a plateau.
“Are we upon an island?” muttered the sailor.
“It is big enough,” said the boy.
“An island’s an island, no matter how big,” said Pencroff.
Chapter V
The first care of Pencroff was to make the Chimneys habitable. One narrow, winding passage was arranged to carry out the smoke and to quicken the draught of the fire. The Chimneys were divided into three or four chambers. They were dry, and one could stand up in them, or at least in the principal one, which was in the centre. The floor was covered with sand. While working, Herbert and Pencroff chatted together.
“Perhaps,” said the boy, “our companions found a better place than ours.”
“It is possible,” answered the sailor, “but, until we know, don’t let us stop. Better have two houses than none at all!”
“Oh,” said Herbert, “if they can only find Mr. Smith, and bring him back with them, how thankful we will be!”
“Yes,” murmured Pencroff. “He was a good man.”
“Was!” said Herbert. “Do you think we will not see him again?”
“Heaven forbid![26]” replied the sailor.
Once the work was accomplished, Pencroff declared himself satisfied.
“Now,” said he, “our friends may return, and they will find a good shelter.”
It was 5 o’clock when they returned again to the Chimneys. Towards 6 o’clock, just as the sun was disappearing behind the high land in the west, Herbert, who was walking back and forth upon the shore, announced the return of Neb and Gideon Spilett. They came back alone. The sailor was right: they could not find the engineer.
The reporter, when he came up, seated himself upon a rock, without speaking. Fainting from fatigue, half dead with hunger, he was unable to utter a word. Neb’s reddened eyes showed that he was weeping and lost all hope.
The reporter gave the history of their search. Neb and he had followed the coast for more than eight miles. The shore was deserted. Not a trace upon the sand, not a footprint, was upon the shore. It was evident that nobody inhabited that portion of the island.
At that moment Neb raised his head, and exclaimed:
“No, he is not dead! It is impossible! He is a man who can get out of anything!”
Herbert ran to him and cried:
“Neb, we will find him; God will give him back to us; but please eat something.”
And the lad offered the poor servant a handful of shell-fish. But Neb refused them. Poor fellow! Deprived of his master, he wished no longer to live.
As to Gideon Spilett, he devoured the mollusks, and then laid down upon the sand at the foot of a rock. He was exhausted, but calm. Herbert, approaching him, took his hand.
“Mr. Spilett,” said he, “we have discovered a shelter where you will be more comfortable. The night is coming on; so come and rest there. Tomorrow we will see.”
The reporter rose, and, guided by the lad, proceeded towards the Chimneys.
Pencroff took the match and
lithodomes – литодомы
shell-fish – ракушки
Heaven forbid! – Боже упаси!
