Part 2 - Abandoned: Chapter 19

by Jules Verne

　　Two years already! and for two years the colonists had had no communicationwith their fellow-creatures! They were without news from the civilizedworld, lost on this island, as completely as if they had been on the mostminute star of the celestial hemisphere!

　　What was now happening in their country? The picture of their native landwas always before their eyes, the land torn by civil war at the time theyleft it, and which the Southern rebellion was perhaps still staining withblood! It was a great sorrow to them, and they often talked together ofthese things, without ever doubting however that the cause of the Northmust triumph, for the honor of the American Confederation.

　　During these two years not a vessel had passed in sight of the island;or, at least, not a sail had been seen. It was evident that Lincoln Islandwas out of the usual track, and also that it was unknown,--as was besidesproved by the maps,--for though there was no port, vessels might havevisited it for the purpose of renewing their store of water. But thesurrounding ocean was deserted as far as the eye could reach, and thecolonists must rely on themselves for regaining their native land.

　　However, one chance of rescue existed, and this chance was discussed oneday on the first week of April, when the colonists were gathered togetherin the dining-room of Granite House.

　　They had been talking of America, of their native country, which they hadso little hope of ever seeing again.

　　"Decidedly we have only one way, said Spilett, "one single way forleaving Lincoln Island, and that is, to build a vessel large enough to sailseveral hundred miles. It appears to me, that when one has built a boat itis just as easy to build a ship!"

　　"And in which we might go to the Pomoutous," added Herbert, "just aseasily as we went to Tabor Island."

　　"I do not say no," replied Pencroft, who had always the casting vote inmaritime questions; "I do not say no, although it is not exactly the samething to make a long as a short voyage! If our little craft had been caughtin any heavy gale of wind during the voyage to Tabor Island, we should haveknown that land was at no great distance either way; but twelve hundredmiles is a pretty long way, and the nearest land is at least thatdistance!"

　　"Would you not, in that case, Pencroft, attempt the adventure?" asked thereporter.

　　"I will attempt anything that is desired, Mr. Spilett," answered thesailor, "and you know well that I am not a man to flinch!"

　　"Remember, besides, that we number another sailor amongst us now,"remarked Neb.

　　"Who is that?" asked Pencroft.

　　"Ayrton."

　　"If he will consent to come," said Pencroft.

　　"Nonsense!" returned the reporter; "do you think that if Lord Glenarvan'syacht had appeared at Tabor Island, while he was still living there, Ayrtonwould have refused to depart?"

　　"You forget, my friends," then said Cyrus Harding, "that Ayrton was notin possession of his reason during the last years of his stay there. Butthat is not the question. The point is to know if we may count among ourchances of being rescued, the return of the Scotch vessel. Now, LordGlenarvan promised Ayrton that he would return to take him off from TaborIsland when he considered that his crimes were expiated, and I believe thathe will return."

　　"Yes," said the reporter, "and I will add that he will return soon, forit is twelve years since Ayrton was abandoned."

　　"Well!" answered Pencroft, "I agree with you that the nobleman willreturn, and soon too. But where will he touch? At Tabor Island, and not atLincoln Island."

　　"That is the more certain," replied Herbert, "as Lincoln Island is noteven marked on the map."

　　"Therefore, my friends," said the engineer, "we ought to take thenecessary precautions for making our presence and that of Ayrton on LincolnIsland known at Tabor Island."

　　"Certainly," answered the reporter, "and nothing is easier than to placein the hut, which was Captain Grant's and Ayrton's dwelling, a notice whichLord Glenarvan and his crew cannot help finding, giving the position of ourisland."

　　"It is a pity," remarked the sailor, "that we forgot to take thatprecaution on our first visit to Tabor Island."

　　"And why should we have done it?" asked Herbert. "At that time we did notknow Ayrton's history; we did not know that any one was likely to come someday to fetch him, and when we did know his history, the season was tooadvanced to allow us to return then to Tabor Island."

　　"Yes," replied Harding, "it was too late, and we must put off the voyageuntil next spring."

　　"But suppose the Scotch yacht comes before that," said Pencroft.

　　"That is not probable," replied the engineer, "for Lord Glenarvan wouldnot choose the winter season to venture into these seas. Either he hasalready returned to Tabor Island, since Ayrton has been with us, that is tosay, during the last five months and has left again; or he will not cometill later, and it will be time enough in the first fine October days to goto Tabor Island, and leave a notice there."

　　"We must allow," said Neb, "that it will be very unfortunate if the'Duncan' has returned to these parts only a few months ago!"

　　"I hope that it is not so," replied Cyrus Harding, "and that Heaven hasnot deprived us of the best chance which remains to us."

　　"I think," observed the reporter, "that at any rate we shall know what wehave to depend on when we have been to Tabor Island, for if the yacht hasreturned there, they will necessarily have left some traces of theirvisit."

　　"That is evident," answered the engineer. "So then, my friends, since wehave this chance of returning to our country, we must wait patiently, andif it is taken from us we shall see what will be best to do."

　　"At any rate," remarked Pencroft, "it is well understood that if we doleave Lincoln Island, it will not be because we were uncomfortable there!"

　　"No, Pencroft," replied the engineer, "it will be because we are far fromall that a man holds dearest in the world, his family, his friends, hisnative land!"

　　Matters being thus decided, the building of a vessel large enough to saileither to the Archipelagoes in the north, or to New Zealand in the west, wasno longer talked of, and they busied themselves in their accustomedoccupations, with a view to wintering a third time in Granite House.

　　However, it was agreed that before the stormy weather came on, theirlittle vessel should be employed in making a voyage round the island. Acomplete survey of the coast had not yet been made, and the colonists hadbut an imperfect idea of the shore to the west and north, from the mouth ofFalls River to the Mandible Capes, as well as of the narrow bay betweenthem, which opened like a shark's jaws.

　　The plan of this excursion was proposed by Pencroft, and Cyrus Hardingfully acquiesced in it, for he himself wished to see this part of hisdomain.

　　The weather was variable, but the barometer did not fluctuate by suddenmovements, and they could therefore count on tolerable weather. However,during the first week of April, after a sudden barometrical fall, a renewedrise was marked by a heavy gale of wind, lasting five or six days; then theneedle of the instrument remained stationary at a height of twenty-nineinches and nine-tenths, and the weather appeared propitious for anexcursion.

　　The departure was fixed for the 16th of April, and the 'Bonadventure,"anchored in Port Balloon, was provisioned for a voyage which might be ofsome duration.

　　Cyrus Harding informed Ayrton of the projected expedition, and proposedthat he should take part in it, but Ayrton preferring to remain on shore,it was decided that he should come to Granite House during the absence ofhis companions. Master Jup was ordered to keep him company, and made noremonstrance.

　　On the morning of the 16th of April all the colonists, including Top,embarked. A fine breeze blew from the south-west, and the 'Bonadventure"tacked on leaving Port Balloon so as to reach Reptile End. Of the ninetymiles which the perimeter of the island measured, twenty included the southcoast between the port and the promontory. The wind being right ahead itwas necessary to hug the shore.

　　It took the whole day to reach the promontory, for the vessel on leavingpon had only two hours of ebb tide and had therefore to make way for sixhours against the flood. It was nightfall before the promontory wasdoubled.

　　The sailor then proposed to the engineer that they should continuesailing slowly with two reefs in the sail. But Harding preferred to anchora few cable-lengths from the shore, so as to survey that part of the coastduring the day. It was agreed also that as they were anxious for a minuteexploration of the coast they should not sail during the night, but wouldalways, when the weather permitted it, be at anchor near the shore.

　　The night was passed under the promontory, and the wind having fallen,nothing disturbed the silence. The passengers, with the exception of thesailor, scarcely slept as well on board the "Bonadventure" as they wouldhave done in their rooms at Granite House, but they did sleep however.Pencroft set sail at break of day, and by going on the larboard tack theycould keep close to the shore.

　　The colonists knew this beautiful wooded coast, since they had alreadyexplored it on foot, and yet it again excited their admiration. Theycoasted along as close in as possible, so as to notice everything, avoidingalways the trunks of trees which floated here and there. Several times alsothey anchored, and Gideon Spilett took photographs of the superb scenery.

　　About noon the 'Bonadventure" arrived at the mouth of Falls River.Beyond, on the left bank, a few scattered trees appeared, and three milesfurther even these dwindled into solitary groups among the western spurs ofthe mountain, whose arid ridge sloped down to the shore.

　　What a contrast between the northern and southern part of the coast! Inproportion as one was woody and fertile so was the other rugged and barren!It might have been designated as one of those iron coasts, as they arecalled in some countries, and its wild confusion appeared to indicate thata sudden crystallization had been produced in the yet liquid basalt of somedistant geological sea. These stupendous masses would have terrified thesettlers if they had been cast at first on this part of the island! Theyhad not been able to perceive the sinister aspect of this shore from thesummit of Mount Franklin, for they overlooked it from too great a height,but viewed from the sea it presented a wild appearance which could notperhaps be equaled in any corner of the globe.

　　The "Bonadventure" sailed along this coast for the distance of half amile. It was easy to see that it was composed of blocks of all sizes, fromtwenty to three hundred feet in height, and of all shapes, round liketowers, prismatic like steeples, pyramidal like obelisks, conical likefactory chimneys. An iceberg of the Polar seas could not have been morecapricious in its terrible sublimity! Here, bridges were thrown from onerock to another; there, arches like those of a wave, into the depths ofwhich the eye could not penetrate; in one place, large vaulted excavationspresented a monumental aspect; in another, a crowd of columns, spires, andarches, such as no Gothic cathedral ever possessed. Every caprice ofnature, still more varied than those of the imagination, appeared on thisgrand coast, which extended over a length of eight or nine miles.

　　Cyrus Harding and his companions gazed, with a feeling of surprisebordering on stupefaction. But, although they remained silent, Top, notbeing troubled with feelings of this sort, uttered barks which wererepeated by the thousand echoes of the basaltic cliff. The engineer evenobserved that these barks had something strange in them, like those whichthe dog had uttered at the mouth of the well in Granite House.

　　"Let us go close in," said he.

　　And the "Bonadventure" sailed as near as possible to the rocky shore.Perhaps some cave, which it would be advisable to explore, existed there?But Harding saw nothing, not a cavern, not a cleft which could serve as aretreat to any being whatever, for the foot of the cliff was washed by thesurf. Soon Top's barks ceased, and the vessel continued her course at a fewcables-length from the coast.

　　In the northwest part of the island the shore became again flat andsandy. A few trees here and there rose above a low, marshy ground, whichthe colonists had already surveyed, and in violent contrast to the otherdesert shore, life was again manifested by the presence of myriads ofwater-fowl. That evening the "Bonadventure" anchored in a small bay to thenorth of the island, near the land, such was the depth of water there. Thenight passed quietly, for the breeze died away with the last light of day,and only rose again with the first streaks of dawn.

　　As it was easy to land, the usual hunters of the colony, that is to say,Herbert and Gideon Spilett, went for a ramble of two hours or so, andreturned with several strings of wild duck and snipe. Top had done wonders,and not a bird had been lost, thanks to his zeal and cleverness.

　　At eight o'clock in the morning the "Bonadventure" set sail, and ranrapidly towards North Mandible Cape, for the wind was right astern andfreshening rapidly.

　　"However," observed Pencroft, "I should not be surprised if a gale cameup from the west. Yesterday the sun set in a very red-looking horizon, andnow, this morning, those mares-tails don't forbode anything good."

　　These mares-tails are cirrus clouds, scattered in the zenith, theirheight from the sea being less than five thousand feet. They look likelight pieces of cotton wool, and their presence usually announces somesudden change in the weather.

　　"Well," said Harding, "let us carry as much sail as possible, and run forshelter into Shark Gulf. I think that the 'Bonadventure' will be safethere."

　　"Perfectly," replied Pencroft, "and besides, the north coast is merelysand, very uninteresting to look at."

　　"I shall not be sorry," resumed the engineer, "to pass not only to-nightbut to-morrow in that bay, which is worth being carefully explored."

　　"I think that we shall be obliged to do so, whether we like it or not,"answered Pencroft, "for the sky looks very threatening towards the west.Dirty weather is coming on!"

　　"At any rate we have a favorable wind for reaching Cape Mandible,"observed the reporter.

　　"A very fine wind," replied the sailor; "but we must tack to enter thegulf, and I should like to see my way clear in these unknown quarters."

　　"Quarters which appear to be filled with rocks," added Herbert, "if wejudge by what we saw on the south coast of Shark Gulf."

　　"Pencroft," said Cyrus Harding, "do as you think best, we will leave itto you."

　　"Don't make your mind uneasy, captain," replied the sailor, "I shall notexpose myself needlessly! I would rather a knife were run into my ribs thana sharp rock into those of my 'Bonadventure!'"

　　That which Pencroft called ribs was the pan of his vessel under water,and he valued it more than his own skin.

　　"What o'clock is it?" asked Pencroft.

　　"Ten o'clock," replied Gideon Spilett.

　　"And what distance is it to the Cape, captain?"

　　"About fifteen miles," replied the engineer.

　　"That's a matter of two hours and a half," said the sailor, "and we shallbe off the Cape between twelve and one o'clock. Unluckily, the tide will beturning at that moment, and will be ebbing out of the gulf. I am afraidthat it will be very difficult to get in, having both wind and tide againstus."

　　"And the more so that it is a full moon to-day," remarked Herbert, "andthese April tides are very strong."

　　"Well, Pencroft," asked Harding, "can you not anchor off the Cape?"

　　"Anchor near land, with bad weather coming on!" exclaimed the sailor."What are you thinking of, captain? We should run aground, of a certainty!"

　　"What will you do then?"

　　"I shall try to keep in the offing until the flood, that is to say, tillabout seven in the evening, and if there is still light enough I will tryto enter the gulf; if not, we must stand off and on during the night, andwe will enter to-morrow at sunrise."

　　"As I told you, Pencroft, we will leave it to you," answered Harding.

　　"Ah!" said Pencroft, "if there was only a lighthouse on the coast, itwould be much more convenient for sailors."

　　"Yes," replied Herbert, "and this time we shall have no obliging engineerto light a fire to guide us into port!"

　　"Why, indeed, my dear Cyrus," said Spilett, "we have never thanked you;but frankly, without that fire we should never have been able--"

　　"A fire?" asked Harding, much astonished at the reporter's words.

　　"We mean, captain," answered Pencroft, "that on board the 'Bonadventure'we were very anxious during the few hours before our return, and we shouldhave passed to windward of the island, if it had not been for theprecaution you took of lighting a fire the night of the 19th of October, onProspect Heights.

　　"Yes, yes! That was a lucky idea of mine!" replied the engineer.

　　"And this time," continued the sailor. "unless the idea occurs to Ayrton,there will be no one to do us that little service!"

　　"No! No one!" answered Cyrus Harding.

　　A few minutes after, finding himself alone in the bows of the vessel,with the reporter, the engineer bent down and whispered,--

　　"If there is one thing certain in this world, Spilett, it is that I neverlighted any fire during the night of the 19th of October, neither onProspect Heights nor on any other part of the island!"