L'île mystérieuse. English

  Chapter 1

  It was now exactly seven months since the balloon voyagers had beenthrown on Lincoln Island. During that time, notwithstanding theresearches they had made, no human being had been discovered. No smokeeven had betrayed the presence of man on the surface of the island. Novestiges of his handiwork showed that either at an early or at a lateperiod had man lived there. Not only did it now appear to be uninhabitedby any but themselves, but the colonists were compelled to believe thatit never had been inhabited. And now, all this scaffolding of reasoningsfell before a simple ball of metal, found in the body of an inoffensiverodent! In fact, this bullet must have issued from a firearm, and whobut a human being could have used such a weapon?

  When Pencroft had placed the bullet on the table, his companions lookedat it with intense astonishment. All the consequences likely to resultfrom this incident, notwithstanding its apparent insignificance,immediately took possession of their minds. The sudden apparition of asupernatural being could not have startled them more completely.

  Cyrus Harding did not hesitate to give utterance to the suggestionswhich this fact, at once surprising and unexpected, could not fail toraise in his mind. He took the bullet, turned it over and over, rolledit between his finger and thumb; then, turning to Pencroft, he asked,--

  "Are you sure that the peccary wounded by this bullet was not more thanthree months old?"

  "Not more, captain," replied Pencroft. "It was still sucking its motherwhen I found it in the trap."

  "Well," said the engineer, "that proves that within three months agun-shot was fired in Lincoln Island."

  "And that a bullet," added Gideon Spilett, "wounded, though notmortally, this little animal."

  "That is unquestionable," said Cyrus Harding, "and these are thedeductions which must be drawn from this incident: that the island wasinhabited before our arrival, or that men have landed here within threemonths. Did these men arrive here voluntarily or involuntarily, bydisembarking on the shore or by being wrecked? This point can only becleared up later. As to what they were, Europeans or Malays, enemies orfriends of our race, we cannot possibly guess; and if they still inhabitthe island, or if they have left it, we know not. But these questionsare of too much importance to be allowed to remain long unsettled."

  "No! a hundred times no! a thousand times no!" cried the sailor,springing up from the table. "There are no other men than ourselves onLincoln Island! By my faith! The island isn't large and if it had beeninhabited, we should have seen some of the inhabitants long beforethis!"

  "In fact, the contrary would be very astonishing," said Herbert.

  "But it would be much more astonishing, I should think," observed thereporter, "if this peccary had been born with a bullet in its inside!"

  "At least," said Neb seriously, "if Pencroft has not had--"

  "Look here, Neb," burst out Pencroft. "Do you think I could have abullet in my jaw for five or six months without finding it out?Where could it be hidden?" he asked, opening his mouth to show thetwo-and-thirty teeth with which it was furnished. "Look well, Neb, andif you find one hollow tooth in this set, I will let you pull out half adozen!"

  "Neb's supposition is certainly inadmissible," replied Harding, who,notwithstanding the gravity of his thoughts, could not restrain a smile."It is certain that a gun has been fired in the island, within threemonths at most. But I am inclined to think that the people who landedon this coast were only here a very short time ago, or that they justtouched here; for if, when we surveyed the island from the summit ofMount Franklin, it had been inhabited, we should have seen them or weshould have been seen ourselves. It is therefore, probable that withinonly a few weeks castaways have been thrown by a storm on some part ofthe coast. However that may be, it is of consequence to us to have thispoint settled."

  "I think that we should act with caution," said the reporter.

  "Such is my advice," replied Cyrus Harding, "for it is to be feared thatMalay pirates have landed on the island!"

  "Captain," asked the sailor, "would it not be a good plan, beforesetting out, to build a canoe in which we could either ascend theriver, or, if we liked, coast round the inland? It will not do to beunprovided."

  "Your idea is good, Pencroft," replied the engineer, "but we cannot waitfor that. It would take at least a month to build a boat."

  "Yes, a real boat," replied the sailor; "but we do not want one for asea voyage, and in five days at the most, I will undertake to constructa canoe fit to navigate the Mercy."

  "Five days," cried Neb, "to build a boat?"

  "Yes, Neb; a boat in the Indian fashion."

  "Of wood?" asked the Negro, looking still unconvinced.

  "Of wood," replied Pencroft, "or rather of bark. I repeat, captain, thatin five days the work will be finished!"

  "In five days, then, be it," replied the engineer.

  "But till that time we must be very watchful," said Herbert.

  "Very watchful indeed, my friends," replied Harding; "and I beg you toconfine your hunting excursions to the neighborhood of Granite House."

  The dinner ended less gaily than Pencroft had hoped.

  So, then, the island was, or had been, inhabited by others than thesettlers. Proved as it was by the incident of the bullet, it washereafter an unquestionable fact, and such a discovery could not butcause great uneasiness among the colonists.

  Cyrus Harding and Gideon Spilett, before sleeping, conversed long aboutthe matter. They asked themselves if by chance this incident might nothave some connection with the inexplicable way in which the engineer hadbeen saved, and the other peculiar circumstances which had struck themat different times. However, Cyrus Harding, after having discussed thepros and cons of the question, ended by saying,--

  "In short, would you like to know my opinion, my dear Spilett?"

  "Yes, Cyrus."

  "Well, then, it is this: however minutely we explore the island, weshall find nothing."

  The next day Pencroft set to work. He did not mean to build a boat withboards and planking, but simply a flat-bottomed canoe, which would bewell suited for navigating the Mercy--above all, for approaching itssource, where the water would naturally be shallow. Pieces of bark,fastened one to the other, would form a light boat; and in case ofnatural obstacles, which would render a portage necessary, it would beeasily carried. Pencroft intended to secure the pieces of bark by meansof nails, to insure the canoe being water-tight.

  It was first necessary to select the trees which would afford a strongand supple bark for the work. Now the last storm had brought down anumber of large birch-trees, the bark of which would be perfectly suitedfor their purpose. Some of these trees lay on the ground, and they hadonly to be barked, which was the most difficult thing of all, owing tothe imperfect tools which the settlers possessed. However, they overcameall difficulties.

  While the sailor, seconded by the engineer, thus occupied himselfwithout losing an hour, Gideon Spilett and Herbert were not idle.

  They were made purveyors to the colony. The reporter could not butadmire the boy, who had acquired great skill in handling the bow andspear. Herbert also showed great courage and much of that presence ofmind which may justly be called "the reasoning of bravery." These twocompanions of the chase, remembering Cyrus Harding's recommendations,did not go beyond a radius of two miles round Granite House; butthe borders of the forest furnished a sufficient tribute of agoutis,capybaras, kangaroos, peccaries, etc.; and if the result from the trapswas less than during the cold, still the warren yielded its accustomedquota, which might have fed all the colony in Lincoln Island.

  Often during these excursions, Herbert talked with Gideon Spilett on theincident of the bullet, and the deductions which the engineer drew fromit, and one day--it was the 26th of October--he said--"But, Mr. Spilett,do you not think it very extraordinary that, if any castaways havelanded on the island, they have not yet shown themselves near GraniteHouse?"

  "Very astonishing if they are still here," replied the reporter, "butnot astonis
hing at all if they are here no longer!"

  "So you think that these people have already quitted the island?"returned Herbert.

  "It is more than probable, my boy; for if their stay was prolonged, andabove all, if they were still here, some accident would have at lastbetrayed their presence."

  "But if they were able to go away," observed the lad, "they could nothave been castaways."

  "No, Herbert; or, at least, they were what might be called provisionalcastaways. It is very possible that a storm may have driven them to theisland without destroying their vessel, and that, the storm over, theywent away again."

  "I must acknowledge one thing," said Herbert, "it is that CaptainHarding appears rather to fear than desire the presence of human beingson our island."

  "In short," responded the reporter, "there are only Malays who frequentthese seas, and those fellows are ruffians which it is best to avoid."

  "It is not impossible, Mr. Spilett," said Herbert, "that some day orother we may find traces of their landing."

  "I do not say no, my boy. A deserted camp, the ashes of a fire, wouldput us on the track, and this is what we will look for in our nextexpedition."

  The day on which the hunters spoke thus, they were in a part of theforest near the Mercy, remarkable for its beautiful trees. There, amongothers, rose, to a height of nearly 200 feet above the ground, some ofthose superb coniferae, to which, in New Zealand, the natives give thename of Kauris.

  "I have an idea, Mr. Spilett," said Herbert. "If I were to climb to thetop of one of these kauris, I could survey the country for an immensedistance round."

  "The idea is good," replied the reporter; "but could you climb to thetop of those giants?"

  "I can at least try," replied Herbert.

  The light and active boy then sprang on the first branches, thearrangement of which made the ascent of the kauri easy, and in a fewminutes he arrived at the summit, which emerged from the immense plainof verdure.

  From this elevated situation his gaze extended over all the southernportion of the island, from Claw Cape on the southeast, to Reptile Endon the southwest. To the northwest rose Mount Franklin, which concealeda great part of the horizon.

  But Herbert, from the height of his observatory, could examine all theyet unknown portion of the island, which might have given shelter to thestrangers whose presence they suspected.

  The lad looked attentively. There was nothing in sight on the sea, nota sail, neither on the horizon nor near the island. However, as the bankof trees hid the shore, it was possible that a vessel, especially ifdeprived of her masts, might lie close to the land and thus be invisibleto Herbert.

  Neither in the forests of the Far West was anything to be seen. The woodformed an impenetrable screen, measuring several square miles, without abreak or an opening. It was impossible even to follow the course of theMercy, or to ascertain in what part of the mountain it took its source.Perhaps other creeks also ran towards the west, but they could not beseen.

  But at last, if all indication of an encampment escaped Herbert's sightcould he not even catch a glimpse of smoke, the faintest trace of whichwould be easily discernible in the pure atmosphere?

  For an instant Herbert thought he could perceive a slight smoke in thewest, but a more attentive examination showed that he was mistaken. Hestrained his eyes in every direction, and his sight was excellent. No,decidedly there was nothing there.

  Herbert descended to the foot of the kauri, and the two sportsmenreturned to Granite House. There Cyrus Harding listened to the lad'saccount, shook his head and said nothing. It was very evident thatno decided opinion could be pronounced on this question until after acomplete exploration of the island.

  Two days after--the 28th of October--another incident occurred, forwhich an explanation was again required.

  While strolling along the shore about two miles from Granite House,Herbert and Neb were fortunate enough to capture a magnificent specimenof the order of chelonia. It was a turtle of the species Midas, theedible green turtle, so called from the color both of its shell and fat.

  Herbert caught sight of this turtle as it was crawling among the rocksto reach the sea.

  "Help, Neb, help!" he cried.

  Neb ran up.

  "What a fine animal!" said Neb; "but how are we to catch it?"

  "Nothing is easier, Neb," replied Herbert. "We have only to turn theturtle on its back, and it cannot possibly get away. Take your spear anddo as I do."

  The reptile, aware of danger, had retired between its carapace andplastron. They no longer saw its head or feet, and it was motionless asa rock.

  Herbert and Neb then drove their sticks underneath the animal, and bytheir united efforts managed without difficulty to turn it on its back.The turtle, which was three feet in length, would have weighed at leastfour hundred pounds.

  "Capital!" cried Neb; "this is something which will rejoice friendPencroft's heart."

  In fact, the heart of friend Pencroft could not fail to be rejoiced,for the flesh of the turtle, which feeds on wrack-grass, is extremelysavory. At this moment the creature's head could be seen, which wassmall, flat, but widened behind by the large temporal fossae hiddenunder the long roof.

  "And now, what shall we do with our prize?" said Neb. "We can't drag itto Granite House!"

  "Leave it here, since it cannot turn over," replied Herbert, "and wewill come back with the cart to fetch it."

  "That is the best plan."

  However, for greater precaution, Herbert took the trouble, which Nebdeemed superfluous, to wedge up the animal with great stones; afterwhich the two hunters returned to Granite House, following the beach,which the tide had left uncovered. Herbert, wishing to surprisePencroft, said nothing about the "superb specimen of a chelonian" whichthey had turned over on the sand; but, two hours later, he and Nebreturned with the cart to the place where they had left it. The "superbspecimen of a chelonian" was no longer there!

  Neb and Herbert stared at each other first; then they stared about them.It was just at this spot that the turtle had been left. The lad evenfound the stones which he had used, and therefore he was certain of notbeing mistaken.

  "Well!" said Neb, "these beasts can turn themselves over, then?''

  "It appears so," replied Herbert, who could not understand it at all,and was gazing at the stones scattered on the sand.

  "Well, Pencroft will be disgusted!"

  "And Captain Harding will perhaps be very perplexed how to explain thisdisappearance," thought Herbert.

  "Look here," said Neb, who wished to hide his ill-luck, "we won't speakabout it."

  "On the contrary, Neb, we must speak about it," replied Herbert.

  And the two, taking the cart, which there was now no use for, returnedto Granite House.

  Arrived at the dockyard, where the engineer and the sailor were workingtogether, Herbert recounted what had happened.

  "Oh! the stupids!" cried the sailor, "to have let at least fifty mealsescape!"

  "But, Pencroft," replied Neb, "it wasn't our fault that the beast gotaway; as I tell you, we had turned it over on its back!"

  "Then you didn't turn it over enough!" returned the obstinate sailor.

  "Not enough!" cried Herbert.

  And he told how he had taken care to wedge up the turtle with stones.

  "It is a miracle, then!" replied Pencroft.

  "I thought, captain," said Herbert, "that turtles, once placed on theirbacks, could not regain their feet, especially when they are of a largesize?'

  "That is true, my boy," replied Cyrus Harding.

  "Then how did it manage?"

  "At what distance from the sea did you leave this turtle?" askedthe engineer, who, having suspended his work, was reflecting on thisincident.

  "Fifteen feet at the most," replied Herbert.

  "And the tide was low at the time?"

  "Yes, captain."

  "Well," replied the engineer, "what the turtle could not do on the sandit might have been able to do in th
e water. It turned over when the tideovertook it, and then quietly returned to the deep sea."

  "Oh! what stupids we were!" cried Neb.

  "That is precisely what I had the honor of telling you before!" returnedthe sailor.

  Cyrus Harding had given this explanation, which, no doubt, wasadmissible. But was he himself convinced of the accuracy of thisexplanation? It cannot be said that he was.