Part 3 (2/2)
”That is,” rejoined Pencroft, ”it is not erous than a hare!”
”And now,” said Gideon Spilett, ”since the jaguar has left its abode, I do not see, my friends, e should not take possession of it for the night”
”But others ht a fire at the entrance of the cavern,” said the reporter, ”and no wild beasts will dare to cross the threshold”
”Into the jaguar's house, then!” replied the sailor, dragging after hiuar, his companions collected an abundant supply of dry wood from the forest, which they heaped up at the cave
Cyrus Harding, seeing the cluled with the other fuel
This done, they entered the grotto, of which the floor was streith bones, the guns were carefully loaded, in case of a sudden attack, they had supper, and then just before they lay down to rest, the heap of wood piled at the entrance was set fire to Iular explosion, or rather, a series of reports, broke the silence! The noise was caused, by the bamboos, which, as the flah to terrify even the boldest of wild beasts
It was not the engineer who had invented this way of causing loud explosions, for, according to Marco Polo, the Tartars have employed it for many centuries to drive away from their encampments the formidable wild beasts of Central Asia
CHAPTER V
Proposal to return by the Southern Shore -- Configuration of the Coast -- Searching for the supposed Wreck -- A Wreck in the Air -- Discovery of a sht on the Banks of the Mercy -- The Canoe Adrift
Cyrus Harding and his couar had so politely left at their disposal
At sunrise all were on the shore at the extreaze was directed towards the horizon, of which two-thirds of the circuineer could ascertain that not a sail nor the wreck of a shi+p was on the sea, and even with the telescope nothing suspicious could be discovered
There was nothing either on the shore, at least, in the straight line of three miles which for ground hid the rest of the coast, and even from the extremity of the Serpentine Peninsula Cape Claw could not be seen
The southern coast of the island still remained to be explored Now should they undertake it immediately, and devote this day to it?
This was not included in their first plan In fact, when the boat was abandoned at the sources of the Mercy, it had been agreed that after having surveyed the west coast, they should go back to it, and return to Granite House by the Mercy Harding then thought that the western coast would have offered refuge, either to a shi+p in distress, or to a vessel in her regular course; but now, as he saw that this coast presented no good anchorage, he wished to seek on the south what they had not been able to find on the west
Gideon Spilett proposed to continue the exploration, that the question of the supposed wreck ht be coht be from the extremity of the peninsula
”About thirty ineer, ”if we take into consideration the curvings of the coast”
”Thirtyday's march Nevertheless, I think that we should return to Granite House by the south coast”
”But,” observed Herbert, ”from Claw Cape to Granite House there must be at least another ten ineer, ”and do not hesitate to do it At least we should survey the unknown shore, and then we shall not have to begin the exploration again”
”Very good,” said Pencroft ”But the boat?”
”The boat has remained by itself for one day at the sources of the Mercy,” replied Gideon Spilett; ”it may just as well stay there two days! As yet, we have had no reason to think that the island is infested by thieves!”
”Yet,” said the sailor, ”when I remember the history of the turtle, I am far from confident of that”
”The turtle! the turtle!” replied the reporter ”Don't you know that the sea turned it over?”
”Who knows?” ineer
”But--” said Neb
Neb had evidently so to say, for he opened his
”What do you want to say, Neb?” asked the engineer
”If we return by the shore to Claw Cape,” replied Neb, ”after having doubled the Cape, we shall be stopped--”
”By the Mercy! of course,” replied Herbert, ”and we shall have neither bridge nor boat by which to cross”
”But, captain,” added Pencroft, ”with a few floating trunks we shall have no difficulty in crossing the river”
”Never e if ish to have an easy access to the Far West!”
”A bridge!” cried Pencroft ”Well, is not the captain the best engineer in his profession? He willyou this evening to the other side of the Mercy, and that without wetting one thread of your clothes, I will take care of that We have provisions for another day, and besides we can get plenty of galy seconded by the sailor, received general approbation, for each wished to have their doubts set at rest, and by returning by Claw Cape the exploration would be ended But there was not an hour to lose, for fortymarch, and they could not hope to reach Granite House before night
At six o'clock in the uns were loaded with ball, and Top, who led the van, received orders to beat about the edge of the forest
From the extremity of the promontory which formed the tail of the peninsula the coast was rounded for a distance of five miles, which was rapidly passed over, without even the ht the least trace of any old or recent landings; no debris, no mark of an encampment, no cinders of a fire, nor even a footprint!
From the point of the peninsula on which the settlers noere their gaze could extend along the south-west Twenty-five miles off the coast terh the e, appeared as if suspended between land and water
Between the place occupied by the colonists and the other side of the immense bay, the shore was coround by trees; then the shore beca sharp points into the sea, and finally ended in the black rocks which, accumulated in picturesque disorder, formed Claw Cape
Such was the development of this part of the island, which the settlers took in at a glance, whilst stopping for an instant
”If a vessel ran in here,” said Pencroft, ”she would certainly be lost Sandbanks and reefs everywhere! Bad quarters!”
”But at least so would be left of the shi+p,” observed the reporter
”Thereon the sands,” replied the sailor
”Why?”
”Because the sands are stillthat is thrown on them In a few days the hull of a shi+p of several hundred tons would disappear entirely in there!”
”So, Pencroft,” asked the engineer, ”if a shi+p has been wrecked on these banks, is it not astonishi+ng that there is now no trace of her re?”
”No, captain, with the aid of ti, even in this case, that some of the masts or spars should not have been thrown on the beach, out of reach of the waves”
”Let us go on with our search, then,” returned Cyrus Harding