Таємничий острів

           Duringthefirstpartoftheascent,Herbertremarkedonthefootprintswhichindicatedtherecentpassageoflargeanimals.

           "Perhapsthesebeastswillnotletuspassbywillingly,"saidPencroft.

           "Well,"repliedthereporter,whohadalreadyhuntedthetigerinIndia,andthelioninAfrica,"weshallsoonlearnhowsuccessfullytoencounterthem.Butinthemeantimewemustbeuponourguard!"

           Theyascendedbutslowly.

           Thedistance,increasedbydetoursandobstacleswhichcouldnotbesurmounteddirectly,waslong.Sometimes,too,thegroundsuddenlyfell,andtheyfoundthemselvesontheedgeofadeepchasmwhichtheyhadtogoround.Thus,inretracingtheirstepssoastofindsomepracticablepath,muchtimewasemployedandfatigueundergonefornothing.Attwelveo’clock,whenthesmallbandofadventurershaltedforbreakfastatthefootofalargegroupoffirs,nearalittlestreamwhichfellincascades,theyfoundthemselvesstillhalfwayfromthefirstplateau,whichmostprobablytheywouldnotreachtillnightfall.Fromthispointtheviewoftheseawasmuchextended,butontherightthehighpromontorypreventedtheirseeingwhethertherewaslandbeyondit.Ontheleft,thesightextendedseveralmilestothenorth;but,onthenorthwest,atthepointoccupiedbytheexplorers,itwascutshortbytheridgeofafantastically-shapedspur,whichformedapowerfulsupportofthecentralcone.

           Atoneo’clocktheascentwascontinued.Theyslantedmoretowardsthesouthwestandagainenteredamongthickbushes.Thereundertheshadeofthetreesflutteredseveralcouplesofgallinaceaebelongingtothepheasantspecies.