Таємничий острів

           Besidesthat,thefishing,eitherinthelakeortheMercy,wasveryprofitable,forPencrofthadmadesomelines,armedwithironhooks,withwhichtheyfrequentlycaughtfinetrout,andaspeciesoffishwhosesilverysideswerespeckledwithyellow,andwhichwerealsoextremelysavory.MasterNeb,whowasskilledintheculinaryart,knewhowtovaryagreeablythebilloffare.Breadalonewaswantingatthetableofthesettlers,andashasbeensaid,theyfeltthisprivationgreatly.

           ThesettlershuntedtootheturtleswhichfrequentedtheshoresofCapeMandible.Atthisplacethebeachwascoveredwithlittlemounds,concealingperfectlysphericalturtles’eggs,withwhitehardshells,thealbumenofwhichdoesnotcoagulateasthatofbirds’eggs.Theywerehatchedbythesun,andtheirnumberwasnaturallyconsiderable,aseachturtlecanlayannuallytwohundredandfifty.

           "Aregularegg-field,"observedGideonSpilett,"andwehavenothingtodobuttopickthemup."

           Butnotbeingcontentedwithsimplytheproduce,theymadechaseaftertheproducers,theresultofwhichwasthattheywereabletobringbacktoGraniteHouseadozenofthesechelonians,whichwerereallyvaluablefromanalimentarypointofview.Theturtlesoup,flavoredwitharomaticherbs,oftengainedwell-meritedpraisesforitspreparer,Neb.

           Wemustherementionanotherfortunatecircumstancebywhichnewstoresforthewinterwerelaidin.ShoalsofsalmonenteredtheMercy,andascendedthecountryforseveralmiles.