Таємничий острів

           Itwasthereporterwhoputthisquestion,towhichafterthecloseexaminationtheyhadjustmade,theanswerseemedtobeinthenegative.

           Nowherecouldtheworkofahumanhandbeperceived.Notagroupofhuts,notasolitarycabin,notafisheryontheshore.Nosmokecurlingintheairbetrayedthepresenceofman.Itistrue,adistanceofnearlythirtymilesseparatedtheobserversfromtheextremepoints,thatis,ofthetailwhichextendedtothesouthwest,anditwouldhavebeendifficult,eventoPencroft’seyes,todiscoverahabitationthere.Neithercouldthecurtainofverdure,whichcoveredthree-quartersoftheisland,beraisedtoseeifitdidnotsheltersomestragglingvillage.ButingeneraltheislandersliveontheshoresofthenarrowspaceswhichemergeabovethewatersofthePacific,andthisshoreappearedtobeanabsolutedesert.

           Untilamorecompleteexploration,itmightbeadmittedthattheislandwasuninhabited.Butwasitfrequented,atleastoccasionally,bythenativesofneighboringislands?Itwasdifficulttoreplytothisquestion.Nolandappearedwithinaradiusoffiftymiles.Butfiftymilescouldbeeasilycrossed,eitherbyMalayproasorbythelargePolynesiancanoes.Everythingdependedonthepositionoftheisland,ofitsisolationinthePacific,orofitsproximitytoarchipelagoes.WouldCyrusHardingbeabletofindouttheirlatitudeandlongitudewithoutinstruments?Itwouldbedifficult.Sincehewasindoubt,itwasbesttotakeprecautionsagainstapossibledescentofneighboringnatives.

           Theexplorationoftheislandwasfinished,itsshapedetermined,itsfeaturesmadeout,itsextentcalculated,thewaterandmountainsystemsascertained.Thedispositionoftheforestsandplainshadbeenmarkedinageneralwayonthereporter’splan.Theyhadnowonlytodescendthemountainslopesagain,andexplorethesoil,inthetriplepointofview,ofitsmineral,vegetable,andanimalresources.