Таємничий острів

           TothenorthwestroseMountFranklin,whichconcealedagreatpartofthehorizon.

           ButHerbert,fromtheheightofhisobservatory,couldexaminealltheyetunknownportionoftheisland,whichmighthavegivensheltertothestrangerswhosepresencetheysuspected.

           Theladlookedattentively.Therewasnothinginsightonthesea,notasail,neitheronthehorizonnorneartheisland.However,asthebankoftreeshidtheshore,itwaspossiblethatavessel,especiallyifdeprivedofhermasts,mightlieclosetothelandandthusbeinvisibletoHerbert.

           NeitherintheforestsoftheFarWestwasanythingtobeseen.Thewoodformedanimpenetrablescreen,measuringseveralsquaremiles,withoutabreakoranopening.ItwasimpossibleeventofollowthecourseoftheMercy,ortoascertaininwhatpartofthemountainittookitssource.Perhapsothercreeksalsorantowardsthewest,buttheycouldnotbeseen.

           Butatlast,ifallindicationofanencampmentescapedHerbert’ssightcouldhenotevencatchaglimpseofsmoke,thefaintesttraceofwhichwouldbeeasilydiscernibleinthepureatmosphere?

           ForaninstantHerbertthoughthecouldperceiveaslightsmokeinthewest,butamoreattentiveexaminationshowedthathewasmistaken.Hestrainedhiseyesineverydirection,andhissightwasexcellent.No,decidedlytherewasnothingthere.

           Herbertdescendedtothefootofthekauri,andthetwosportsmenreturnedtoGraniteHouse.ThereCyrusHardinglistenedtothelad’saccount,shookhisheadandsaidnothing.