Таємничий острів

           "Why?Theislandisnotinhabited,"saidthereporter.

           "Thatisprobable,"repliedtheengineer,"althoughwehavenotyetexploredtheinterior;butifnohumanbeingsarefound,Ifearthatdangerousanimalsmayabound.Itisnecessarytoguardagainstapossibleattack,sothatweshallnotbeobligedtowatcheverynight,ortokeepupafire.Andthen,myfriends,wemustforeseeeverything.WearehereinapartofthePacificoftenfrequentedbyMalaypirates—"

           "What!"saidHerbert,"atsuchadistancefromland?"

           "Yes,myboy,"repliedtheengineer."Thesepiratesareboldsailorsaswellasformidableenemies,andwemusttakemeasuresaccordingly."

           "Well,"repliedPencroft,"wewillfortifyourselvesagainstsavageswithtwolegsaswellasagainstsavageswithfour.But,captain,willitnotbebesttoexploreeverypartoftheislandbeforeundertakinganythingelse?"

           "Thatwouldbebest,"addedGideonSpilett.

           "Whoknowsifwemightnotfindontheoppositesideoneofthecavernswhichwehavesearchedforinvainhere?"

           "Thatistrue,"repliedtheengineer,"butyouforget,myfriends,thatitwillbenecessarytoestablishourselvesintheneighborhoodofawatercourse,andthat,fromthesummitofMountFranklin,wecouldnotseetowardsthewest,eitherstreamorriver.Here,onthecontrary,weareplacedbetweentheMercyandLakeGrant,anadvantagewhichmustnotbeneglected.