Таємничий острів

           Whensupperwasfinished,beforesleeping,Hardingandhiscompanionswenttotaketheaironthebeach.itwaseighto’clockintheevening;thenightwasmagnificent.Themoon,whichhadbeenfullfivedaysbefore,hadnotyetrisen,butthehorizonwasalreadysilveredbythosesoft,paleshadeswhichmightbecalledthedawnofthemoon.Atthesouthernzenithglitteredthecircumpolarconstellations,andabovealltheSouthernCross,whichsomedaysbeforetheengineerhadgreetedonthesummitofMountFranklin.

           CyrusHardinggazedforsometimeatthissplendidconstellation,whichhasatitssummitandatitsbasetwostarsofthefirstmagnitude,atitsleftarmastarofthesecond,andatitsrightarmastarofthethirdmagnitude.

           Then,aftersomeminutesthought—

           "Herbert,"heaskedofthelad,"isnotthisthe15thofApril?"

           "Yes,captain,"repliedHerbert.

           "Well,ifIamnotmistaken,to-morrowwillbeoneofthefourdaysintheyearinwhichtherealtimeisidenticalwithaveragetime;thatistosay,myboy,thatto-morrow,towithinsomeseconds,thesunwillpassthemeridianjustatmiddaybytheclocks.IftheweatherisfineIthinkthatIshallobtainthelongitudeoftheislandwithanapproximationofsomedegrees."

           "Withoutinstruments,withoutsextant?"askedGideonSpilett.

           "Yes,"repliedtheengineer."Also,sincethenightisclear,Iwilltry,thisveryevening,toobtainourlatitudebycalculatingtheheightoftheSouthernCross,thatis,fromthesouthernpoleabovethehorizon.