Part 11 (1/2)
During the first part of the day the Bonadventure was still in sight of the southern coast of Lincoln Island, which soon appeared just like a green basket, with Mount Franklin rising frohts, diminished by distance, did not present an appearance likely to tempt vessels to touch there Reptile End was passed in about an hour, though at a distance of about ten er possible to distinguish anything of the Western Coast, which stretched away to the ridges of Mount Franklin, and three hours after the last of Lincoln Island sank below the horizon
The Bonadventure behaved capitally Bounding over the waves she proceeded rapidly on her course Pencroft had hoisted the foresail, and steering by the compass followed a rectilinear direction From time to time Herbert relieved him at the helm, and the lad's hand was so firm that the sailor had not a point to find fault with
Gideon Spilett chatted sometimes with one, sometimes with the other, if wanted he lent a hand with the ropes, and Captain Pencroft was perfectly satisfied with his crew
[Illustration: THE DEPARTURE]
In the evening the crescent moon, which would not be in its first quarter until the 16th, appeared in the twilight and soon set again The night was dark but starry, and the next day again promised to be fine
Pencroft prudently lowered the foresail, not wishi+ng to be caught by a sudden gust while carrying too much canvas; it was perhaps an unnecessary precaution on such a calht, but Pencroft was a prudent sailor and cannot be blaht Pencroft and Herbert took turns for a spell of two hours each at the helm The sailor trusted Herbert as he would himself, and his confidence was justified by the coolness and judgave him his directions as a commander to his steersman, and Herbert never allowed the Bonadventure to swerve even a point The night passed quietly, as did the day of the 12th of October A south-easterly direction was strictly maintained, unless the Bonadventure fell in with soht of Tabor Island
As to the sea over which the vessel was then sailing, it was absolutely deserted Now and then a great albatross or frigate bird passed within gun-shot, and Gideon Spilett wondered if it was to one of them that he had confided his last letter addressed to the New York Herald These birds were the only beings that appeared to frequent this part of the ocean between Tabor and Lincoln Island
”And yet,” observed Herbert, ”this is the time that whalers usually proceed towards the southern part of the Pacific Indeed I do not think there could be a more deserted sea than this”
”It is not quite so deserted as all that,” replied Pencroft
”What do you mean,” asked the reporter
”We are on it Do you take our vessel for a wreck and us for porpoises?”
And Pencroft laughed at his joke
By the evening, according to calculation, it was thought that the Bonadventure had accomplished a distance of a hundred and twenty miles since her departure from Lincoln Island, that is to say in thirty-six hours, which would give her a speed of between three and four knots an hour The breeze was very slight and ether However it was hoped that the nextby break of day, if the calculation had been correct and the course true, they would sight Tabor Island
Neither Gideon Spilett, Herbert, nor Pencroft slept that night In the expectation of the next day they could not but feel some emotion There was so much uncertainty in their enterprise! Were they near Tabor Island? Was the island still inhabited by the castaway to whose succour they had come Who was this man? Would not his presence disturb the little colony till then so united? Besides, would he be content to exchange his prison for another? All these questions, which would no doubt be answered the next day, kept theaze on the western horizon
”Land!” shouted Pencroft at about six o'clock in the
And it was impossible that Pencroft should be ine the joy of the little crew of the Bonadventure In a few hours they would land on the beach of the island!
The low coast of Tabor Island, scarcely e from the sea, was not more than fifteen miles distant
The head of the Bonadventure, which was a little to the south of the island, was set directly towards it, and as the sun mounted in the east, his rays fell upon one or two headlands
”This is a much less important isle than Lincoln Island,” observed Herbert, ”and is probably due like ours to some submarine convulsion”
At eleven o'clock the Bonadventure was notfor a suitable place at which to land, proceeded very cautiously through the unknoaters The whole of the island could now be surveyed, and on it could be seen groups of gu on Lincoln Island But the astonishi+ng thing was that no snal appeared on any point of the shore whatever!
And yet the docuh; there was a castaway, and this castaway should have been on the watch
In thethe reefs, and Pencroft observed every turn with extre hi the water, whilst he held the halliard in his hand, ready to lower the sail at a erly scanned the shore, though without perceiving anything
However at about twelve o'clock the keel of the Bonadventure grated on the bottoo, the sails furled, and the crew of the little vessel landed
And there was no reason to doubt that this was Tabor Island, since according to the most recent charts there was no island in this part of the Pacific between New Zealand and the American coast
The vessel was securelycarried away by the receding tide; then Pencroft and his coain an elevation of about two hundred and fifty or three hundred feet which rose at a distance of half a mile
”From the summit of that hill,” said Spilett, ”we can no doubt obtain a coreatly facilitate our search”
”So as to do here,” replied Herbert, ”that which Captain Harding did the very first thing on Lincoln Island, by cli Mount Franklin”
”Exactly so,” answered the reporter; ”and it is the best plan of proceeding”
Whilst thus talking the explorers had advanced along a clearing which tereons and sea-ss, similar to those of Lincoln Island, fluttered around thelade on the left they could hear the bushes rustling and see the grass waving, which indicated the presence of ti to show that the island was inhabited
Arrived at the foot of the hill, Pencroft, Spilett, and Herbert cliazed anxiously round the horizon
[Illustration: NEARING THE ISLAND]
They were on an islet which did not measure more than six miles in circumference, its shape nota lengthened oval All around, the lonely sea extended to the liht
This woody islet did not offer the varied aspects of Lincoln Island, arid and wild in one part, but fertile and rich in the other On the contrary this was a uniform mass of verdure, out of which rose two or three hills of no great height Obliquely to the oval of the island ran a strea into the sea on the west by a narrow mouth
”The domain is limited,” said Herbert
”Yes,” rejoined Pencroft ”It would have been too small for us”
”And moreover,” said the reporter, ”it appears to be uninhabited”
”Indeed,” answered Herbert, ”nothing here betrays the presence of o down,” said Pencroft, ”and search”
The sailor and his two companions returned to the shore, to the place where they had left the Bonadventure
They had decided tothe interior, so that not a spot should escape their investigations The beach was easy to follow, and only in soe rocks, which, however, they easily passed round The explorers proceeded towards the south, disturbing numerous flocks of sea-birds and herds of seals, which threw theers at a distance
”Those beasts yonder,” observed the reporter, ”do not see men for the first time They fear them, therefore they must know them”
An hour after their departure they arrived on the southern point of the islet, ter the western coast, equally forround bordered with thick woods
There was not a trace of a habitation in any part, not the print of a human foot on the shore of the island, which after four hours' walking had been gone completely round
It was to say the least very extraordinary, and they were coer inhabited Perhaps, after all, the document was already several months or several years old, and it was possible in this case, either that the castaway had been enabled to return to his country, or that he had died ofmore or less probable conjectures, dined rapidly on board the Bonadventure, so as to be able to continue their excursion until nightfall This was done at five o'clock in the evening, at which hour they entered the wood
Nu principally, one s, which it was easy to see belonged to European species