Таємничий острів

           Besidesmentalpower,healsopossessedgreatmanualdexterity. Hismusclesexhibitedremarkableproofsoftenacity. Amanofactionaswellasamanofthought,allhedidwaswithoutefforttooneofhisvigorousandsanguinetemperament. Learned,clear-headed,andpractical,hefulfilledinallemergenciesthosethreeconditionswhichunitedoughttoinsurehumansuccess—activityofmindandbody,impetuouswishes,andpowerfulwill. HemighthavetakenforhismottothatofWilliamofOrangeinthe17thcentury:"Icanundertakeandpersevereevenwithouthopeofsuccess." CyrusHardingwascouragepersonified. Hehadbeeninallthebattlesofthatwar. AfterhavingbegunasavolunteeratIllinois,underUlyssesGrant,hefoughtatPaducah,Belmont,PittsburgLanding,atthesiegeofCorinth,PortGibson,BlackRiver,Chattanooga,theWilderness,onthePotomac,everywhereandvaliantly,asoldierworthyofthegeneralwhosaid, "Inevercountmydead! "AndhundredsoftimesCaptainHardinghadalmostbeenamongthosewhowerenotcountedbytheterribleGrant; butinthesecombatswhereheneversparedhimself,fortunefavoredhimtillthemomentwhenhewaswoundedandtakenprisoneronthefieldofbattlenearRichmond. AtthesametimeandonthesamedayanotherimportantpersonagefellintothehandsoftheSoutherners. ThiswasnootherthanGideonSpilen,areporterfortheNewYorkHerald,whohadbeenorderedtofollowthechangesofthewarinthemidstoftheNorthernarmies. 

           GideonSpilettwasoneofthatraceofindomitableEnglishorAmericanchroniclers,likeStanleyandothers,whostopatnothingtoobtainexactinformation,andtransmitittotheirjournalintheshortestpossibletime.ThenewspapersoftheUnion,suchastheNewYorkHerald,aregenuinepowers,andtheirreportersarementobereckonedwith.