Таинственный остров

           Buthoweverdeepthedarknesswas,itwouldnotpreventthemfromfindingthefamiliarroadtothecorral.

           TheyascendedtheleftbankoftheMercy,reachedtheplateau,passedthebridgeoverCreekGlycerine,andadvancedthroughtheforest.

           Theywalkedatagoodpace,apreytotheliveliestemotions.Therewasnodoubtbutthattheywerenowgoingtolearnthelong-searched-foranswertotheenigma,thenameofthatmysteriousbeing,sodeeplyconcernedintheirlife,sogenerousinhisinfluence,sopowerfulinhisaction!Mustnotthisstrangerhaveindeedmingledwiththeirexistence,haveknownthesmallestdetails,haveheardallthatwassaidinGraniteHouse,tohavebeenablealwaystoactintheverynickoftime?

           Everyone,wrappedupinhisownreflections,pressedforward.Underthearchoftreesthedarknesswassuchthateventheedgeoftheroadcouldnotbeseen.Notasoundintheforest.Bothanimalsandbirds,influencedbytheheavinessoftheatmosphere,remainedmotionlessandsilent.Notabreathdisturbedtheleaves.Thefootstepsofthecolonistsaloneresoundedonthehardenedground.

           DuringthefirstquarterofanhourthesilencewasonlyinterruptedbythisremarkfromPencroft:—

           "Weoughttohavebroughtatorch."

           Andbythisreplyfromtheengineer:—

           "Weshallfindoneatthecorral."

           HardingandhiscompanionshadleftGraniteHouseattwelveminutespastnine.Atforty-sevenminutespastninetheyhadtraversedthreeoutofthefivemileswhichseparatedthemouthoftheMercyfromthecorral.