But if he is there! cried Neb, pointing towards the ocean.
Well, let us call again.
And all together, uniting their voices, they uttered a vigorous cry, but without response. They waited, and tried once more. And again there was no answer.
Then they turned back, following the opposite side of the promontory over ground equally sandy and rocky. However, Pencroff observed that the shore was bold there, and the birds were less numerous.
But by following this direction they were walking towards the south, which was going away from that place where Smith had landed. Soon they found themselves again arrested by the sea, upon a high promontory of slippery rocks.
We are on an island, exclaimed Pencroff.
The words of the sailor were true. The castaways had been thrown, not upon a continent, but upon an island not more than two miles long.
This desert isle, covered with stones, without vegetation, desolate refuge of sea-birds, did it belong to a more important archipelago? They could not tell. It was necessary to wait until the next day to search for the engineer; who, alas! had made no cry to signal his presence.
The silence of Cyrus proves nothing, said the reporter. He may be wounded, and unable to reply, but we will not despair.
The reporter then offered to light a fire upon the point of the island, which would serve as a signal for the engineer. But they searched in vain for wood or dry branches. Sand and stones were all they found.
One can understand the grief of Neb and his companions, who were strongly attached to their comrade. It was too evident that they could not help him now, and that they must wait till day. Either the engineer had escaped, and was already safe upon the land, or he was lost forever. The hours were long and dreadful, the cold was intense. But the castaways did not think of sleep. They moved back and forth upon that arid island, constantly returning to the northern end, where they would be closest to the place of the catastrophe. They listened, they shouted, they tried to catch some call.
Once the cry of Neb was answered by an echo; and Herbert said:
That proves that there is land not far to the west.
The sailor nodded; he knew his eyes could not deceive him. He thought he had seen land, and it must be there. Meanwhile the sky was clearing slowly.
The night passed; and towards 5 oclock in the morning the heavens began to brighten, though the horizon remained obscure.
I feel the land, said Pencroff, it is there!
The fog soon rose. A clear sun warmed the upper. At half past 6, the mist was nearly gone. The sea appeared, limitless towards the east, but bounded on the west by a high and abrupt coast.
Yes, the land was there! The island and the main land were separated by a channel half a mile wide. Into this current one of the party, without saying a word or consulting with his companions, precipitated himself. It was Neb. Pencroff called to him in vain. The reporter prepared to follow, but the sailor ran to him, exclaiming:
Do you want to cross this channel?
Yes, I do, replied Spilett.
Well, then, listen to me a moment. Neb can rescue his master alone. If we throw ourselves into the channel we are in danger: this strong current can carry us out to sea by. You see the tide is going out. Wait, just wait a little.
You are right, answered the reporter; we will keep together as much as possible.
Meantime, Neb was swimming vigorously in a diagonal direction, against the current. He was gaining towards the other shore. It took him more than half an hour to cross the half mile which separated the isle from the mainland.
Neb landed at the base of a high rocky wall, and clambered quickly up its side, and then disappeared behind a rock.
Nebs companions fixed their eyes upon that land from which they were going to demand refuge. They ate some of the shellfish which they found upon the sands; it was a poor meal, but it was better than nothing.
The opposite coast formed an immense bay, terminated to the south by a sharp point. This point at its junction with the shore was abutted by high granite rocks. Towards the north, on the contrary, the bay widened, with a shore more rounded, extending from the southwest to the northeast, and ending in a narrow cape. Between these two points, the distance was about eight miles. A half mile from the shore the island, like an enormous whale, lay upon the sea. Its width was not greater than a quarter of a mile.
Before the Island, the shore began with a sandy beach strewn with black rocks. Beyond this rose, like a curtain, a perpendicular granite wall, at least 300 feet high and terminated by a ragged edge. This extended for about three miles, ending abruptly on the right, as if cut by the hand of man.
Upon the upper level of the coast not a tree was visible. To the right, however, and back of the smooth face of rock, some verdure appeared. Finally, distant towards the northwest about seven miles, shone a white summit, reflecting the suns rays. It was the snowy cap of some lofty mountain.
It was not possible to say whether this land was an island or a part of a continent. Gideon Spilett, Pencroff, and Herbert looked earnestly upon this land where they were to live, perhaps for long years.
Well, demanded Herbert, what do you think of it, Pencroff?
Well, replied the sailor, theres good and bad in it, as with everything else. But we will soon see. In three hours we can reach that shore, and we will see what we can do to find Mr. Smith.
Pencroff was not wrong in his predictions. Three hours later, at low tide, Spilett and his two companions waded through the water, which was nowhere more than five feet deep. Herbert, where the water was too deep, swam like a fish; and all arrived without difficulty at the other shore.
Chapter IV
The reporter walked along the coast in the direction which Neb had taken some hours before, and disappeared quickly around a turn in the shore. Herbert wished to go with him.
Stay, my boy, said the sailor. We must pitch our camp for the night, and try to find something more satisfying to eat than shellfish. Our friends will need food when they come back.
I am ready, Pencroff, said Herbert.
Good, said the sailor. We are tired, cold, and hungry; we need shelter, fire, and food. There is plenty of wood in the forest, and we can get eggs from the nests; but we must find a house.
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 hours 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 thats 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, theres 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; dont 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 islands 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, dont 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 oclock when they returned again to the Chimneys. Towards 6 oclock, 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. Nebs 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 made some fire. Two dozen eggs were brought by Herbert, and the reporter, seated in a corner, watched them without speaking. Did Cyrus still live? If alive, where was he?
In a few minutes the food was ready, and the sailor invited the reporter to take part in the supper. This was the first meal of the castaways upon this unknown coast. The hard eggs were excellent.
Thus passed the 25th of March. The reporter had retired to a dark corner. Herbert fell asleep at once. The sailor passed the night by the fire. Neb wandered upon the sands calling for his master.
Chapter VI
The castaways had nothing but the clothes they wore in the balloon. Spilett had a watch and a note-book; but there were no firearms and no tools, not even a pocket knife. They had thrown everything overboard to lighten the balloon. The castaways could rely on Providence only, and on their own hands.
It seemed to Pencroff that it was better to wait a few days before undertaking an exploration. They had to try to procure more satisfying food than eggs and shellfish. It was decided then to wait a few days at the Chimneys, and to prepare for an expedition either along the coast or into the interior of the land.
This plan was especially agreeable to Neb, who did not believe that Smith was dead. Upon the morning of the 26th of March, at daybreak, Neb started along the coast northward.
For breakfast that morning they had only eggs and lithodomes, with salt which Herbert had found in the cavities of the rocks. When the meal was over they divided forces. The reporter stayed behind to keep up the fire, while Herbert and Pencroff went into the forest.
We will go hunting, Herbert, said the sailor. We will cut our guns in the forest.
At 9 oclock the weather was threatening and the breeze blew from the southeast. When Herbert and Pencroff reached the forest, Pencroff broke from a tree two thick branches which he made into cudgels. The sailor carefully observed the character and peculiarities of the region. On this left bank the surface was flat, rising insensibly towards the interior. Sometimes it was moist and swampy. The opposite bank was more undulating, and the valley was more clearly defined[27]. The hill, covered with trees, rising in terraces, intercepted the vision. They could hardly walk along the right bank, for the descent was steep, and the trees were only sustained by their roots. It is needless to say that both forest and shore seemed a virgin wilderness. They even saw fresh traces of animals whose species was unknown to them.