Таємничий острів

           Pencroft,asmaybebelieved,wasalleagernesstocarryouthisnewenterprise,andwouldnotleavehisworkforaninstant.

           Asinglethinghadthehonorofdrawinghim,butforonedayonly,fromhisdockyard.Thiswasthesecondwheat-harvest,whichwasgatheredinonthe15thofApril.Itwasasmuchasuccessasthefirst,andyieldedthenumberofgrainswhichhadbeenpredicted.

           "Fivebushels,captain,"saidPencroft,alterhavingscrupulouslymeasuredhistreasure.

           "Fivebushels,"repliedtheengineer;"andahundredandthirtythousandgrainsabushelwillmakesixhundredandfiftythousandgrains."

           "Well,wewillsowthemallthistime,"saidthesailor,"exceptalittleinreserve."

           "Yes,Pencroft,andifthenextcropgivesaproportionateyield,weshallhavefourthousandbushels."

           "Andshallweeatbread?"

           "Weshalleatbread."

           "Butwemusthaveamill.

           "Wewillmakeone."

           Thethirdcorn-fieldwasverymuchlargerthanthetwofirst,andthesoil,preparedwithextremecare,receivedthepreciousseed.Thatdone,Pencroftreturnedtohiswork.

           DuringthistimeSpilettandHerberthuntedintheneighborhood,andtheyventureddeepintothestillunknownpartsoftheFarWest,theirgunsloadedwithball,readyforanydangerousemergency.Itwasavastthicketofmagnificenttrees,crowdedtogetherasifpressedforroom.