Таємничий острів

           Asecondfireplacehadbeenestablishedinthedining-room,wheretheyallworkedtogetherattheirdifferentavocations.Duringthisperiodofcold,CyrusHardinghadgreatcausetocongratulatehimselfonhavingbroughttoGraniteHousethelittlestreamofwaterfromLakeGrant.Takenbelowthefrozensurface,andconductedthroughthepassage,itpreserveditsfluidity,andarrivedataninteriorreservoirwhichhadbeenhollowedoutatthebackpartofthestoreroom,whiletheoverflowranthroughthewelltothesea.

           Aboutthistime,theweatherbeingextremelydry,thecolonists,clothedaswarmlyaspossible,resolvedtodevoteadaytotheexplorationofthatpartoftheislandbetweentheMercyandClawCape.Itwasawideextentofmarshyland,andtheywouldprobablyfindgoodsport,forwater-birdsoughttoswarmthere.

           Theyreckonedthatitwouldbeabouteightorninemilestogothere,andasmuchtoreturn,sothatthewholeofthedaywouldbeoccupied.Asanunknownpartoftheislandwasabouttobeexplored,thewholecolonytookpartintheexpedition.Accordingly,onthe5thofJuly,atsixo’clockinthemorning,whendayhadscarcelybroken,CyrusHarding,GideonSpilett,Herbert,Neb,andPencroft,armedwithspears,snares,bowsandarrows,andprovidedwithprovisions,leftGraniteHouse,precededbyTop,whoboundedbeforethem.

           TheirshortestwaywastocrosstheMercyontheice,whichthencoveredit.