Таємничий острів

           Thecastawaysaccordinglyreturned,followingtheoppositesideofthepromontory,overasoilequallysandyandrugged.However,Pencroftobservedthattheshorewasmoreequal,thatthegroundrose,andhedeclaredthatitwasjoinedbyalongslopetoahill,whosemassivefronthethoughtthathecouldseeloomingindistinctlythroughthemist.Thebirdswerelessnumerousonthispartoftheshore;theseawasalsolesstumultuous,andtheyobservedthattheagitationofthewaveswasdiminished.Thenoiseofthesurfwasscarcelyheard.Thissideofthepromontoryevidentlyformedasemicircularbay,whichthesharppointshelteredfromthebreakersoftheopensea.Buttofollowthisdirectionwastogosouth,exactlyoppositetothatpartofthecoastwhereHardingmighthavelanded.Afterawalkofamileandahalf,theshorepresentednocurvewhichwouldpermitthemtoreturntothenorth.Thispromontory,ofwhichtheyhadturnedthepoint,mustbeattachedtothemainland.Thecastaways,althoughtheirstrengthwasnearlyexhausted,stillmarchedcourageouslyforward,hopingeverymomenttomeetwithasuddenanglewhichwouldsettheminthefirstdirection.Whatwastheirdisappointment,when,aftertrudgingnearlytwomiles,havingreachedanelevatedpointcomposedofslipperyrocks,theyfoundthemselvesagainstoppedbythesea.

           "Weareonanislet,"saidPencroft,"andwehavesurveyeditfromoneextremitytotheother."

           Thesailorwasright;theyhadbeenthrown,notonacontinent,notevenonanisland,butonanisletwhichwasnotmorethantwomilesinlength,withevenalessbreadth.

           Wasthisbarrenspotthedesolaterefugeofsea-birds,strewnwithstonesanddestituteofvegetation,attachedtoamoreimportantarchipelago?