Таємничий острів

           "DoyouthinkIcouldhaveabulletinmyjawforfiveorsixmonthswithoutfindingitout?Wherecoulditbehidden?"heasked,openinghismouthtoshowthetwo-and-thirtyteethwithwhichitwasfurnished."Lookwell,Neb,andifyoufindonehollowtoothinthisset,Iwillletyoupullouthalfadozen!"

           "Neb’ssuppositioniscertainlyinadmissible,"repliedHarding,who,notwithstandingthegravityofhisthoughts,couldnotrestrainasmile."Itiscertainthatagunhasbeenfiredintheisland,withinthreemonthsatmost.ButIaminclinedtothinkthatthepeoplewholandedonthiscoastwereonlyhereaveryshorttimeago,orthattheyjusttouchedhere;forif,whenwesurveyedtheislandfromthesummitofMountFranklin,ithadbeeninhabited,weshouldhaveseenthemorweshouldhavebeenseenourselves.Itistherefore,probablethatwithinonlyafewweekscastawayshavebeenthrownbyastormonsomepartofthecoast.Howeverthatmaybe,itisofconsequencetoustohavethispointsettled."

           "Ithinkthatweshouldactwithcaution,"saidthereporter.

           "Suchismyadvice,"repliedCyrusHarding,"foritistobefearedthatMalaypirateshavelandedontheisland!"

           "Captain,"askedthesailor,"woulditnotbeagoodplan,beforesettingout,tobuildacanoeinwhichwecouldeitherascendtheriver,or,ifweliked,coastroundtheinland?Itwillnotdotobeunprovided."

           "Yourideaisgood,Pencroft,"repliedtheengineer,"butwecannotwaitforthat.Itwouldtakeatleastamonthtobuildaboat."