Таємничий острів

           Havingidentifiedtheanimal,whichtheydidnotdisturb,GideonSpiletterased"bear"fromthetitleofhissketch,puttingkoalainitsplace,andthejourneywasresumed.

           Atfiveo’clockintheevening,CyrusHardinggavethesignaltohalt.Theywerenowoutsidetheforest,atthebeginningofthepowerfulspurswhichsupportedMountFranklintowardsthewest.AtadistanceofsomehundredfeetflowedtheRedCreek,andconsequentlyplentyoffreshwaterwaswithintheirreach.

           Thecampwassoonorganized.Inlessthananhour,ontheedgeoftheforest,amongthetrees,ahutofbranchesinterlacedwithcreepers,andpastedoverwithclay,offeredatolerableshelter.Theirgeologicalresearcheswereputofftillthenextday.Supperwasprepared,agoodfireblazedbeforethehut,theroastturned,andateighto’clock,whileoneofthesettlerswatchedtokeepupthefire,incaseanywildbeastsshouldprowlintheneighborhood,theotherssleptsoundly.

           Thenextday,the21stofApril,CyrusHardingaccompaniedbyHerbert,wenttolookforthesoilofancientformation,onwhichhehadalreadydiscoveredaspecimenofore.Theyfoundtheveinaboveground,nearthesourceofthecreek,atthefootofoneofthenortheasternspurs.Thisore,veryrichiniron,enclosedinitsfusibleveinstone,wasperfectlysuitedtothemodeofreductionwhichtheengineerintendedtoemploy;thatis,theCatalanmethod,butsimplified,asitisusedinCorsica.