Таємничий острів

           "Hewillnotreturn,"saidthesailor,shakinghishead.

           "Youthinkthathehasquittedtheisland?"askedthereporter.

           "Ifhehadquittedtheislandhewouldhavetakenawayhisweaponsandhistools,"repliedPencroft."Youknowthevaluewhichcastawayssetonsucharticlesasthesethelastremainsofawreck.No!no!"repeatedthesailor,inatoneofconviction;"no,hehasnotlefttheisland!Ifhehadescapedinaboatmadebyhimself,hewouldstilllesshavelefttheseindispensableandnecessaryarticles.No!heisontheisland!"

           "Living?"askedHerbert.

           "Livingordead.Butifheisdead,Isupposehehasnotburiedhimself,andsoweshallatleastfindhisremains!"

           Itwasthenagreedthatthenightshouldbepassedinthedeserteddwelling,andastoreofwoodfoundinacornerwassufficienttowarmit.Thedoorclosed,Pencroft,HerbertandSpilettremainedthere,seatedonabench,talkinglittlebutwonderingmuch.Theywereinaframeofmindtoimagineanythingorexpectanything.Theylistenedeagerlyforsoundsoutside.Thedoormighthaveopenedsuddenly,andamanpresentedhimselftothemwithouttheirbeingintheleastsurprised,notwithstandingallthatthehutrevealedofabandonment,andtheyhadtheirhandsreadytopressthehandsofthisman,thiscastaway,thisunknownfriend,forwhomfriendswerewaiting.

           Butnovoicewasheard,thedoordidnotopen.Thehoursthuspassedaway.