Таємничий острів

           Thatmightbeascertained.Eacharticlewascarefullyexamined,especiallythebooks,instrumentsandweapons.Neithertheweaponsnortheinstruments,contrarytotheusualcustom,borethenameofthemaker;theywere,besides,inaperfectstate,anddidnotappeartohavebeenused.Thesamepeculiaritymarkedthetoolsandutensils;allwerenew,whichprovedthatthearticleshadnotbeentakenbychanceandthrownintothechest,but,onthecontrary,thatthechoiceofthingshadbeenwellconsideredandarrangedwithcare.Thiswasalsoindicatedbythesecondcaseofmetalwhichhadpreservedthemfromdamp,andwhichcouldnothavebeensolderedinamomentofhaste.

           AstothedictionariesofnaturalscienceandPolynesianidioms,bothwereEnglish;buttheyneitherborethenameofthepublishernorthedateofpublication.

           ThesamewiththeBibleprintedinEnglish,inquarto,remarkablefromatypographicpointofview,andwhichappearedtohavebeenoftenused.

           Theatlaswasamagnificentwork,comprisingmapsofeverycountryintheworld,andseveralplanispheresarrangeduponMercator’sprojection,andofwhichthenomenclaturewasinFrench—butwhichalsoboreneitherdatenornameofpublisher.

           Therewasnothing,therefore,onthesedifferentarticlesbywhichtheycouldbetraced,andnothingconsequentlyofanaturetoshowthenationalityofthevesselwhichmusthaverecentlypassedtheseshores.

           But,whereverthechestmighthavecomefrom,itwasatreasuretothesettlersonLincolnIsland.