Таємничий острів

           Halfanhourpassedbeforetheboat,havingtopullagainstthecurrent,couldgetalongsidethe"Speedy."Frightfulcrieswereheardwhentheyreturnedonboardwiththewounded,andtwoorthreegunswerefiredwithnoresults.

           Butnowaboutadozenotherconvicts,maddenedwithrage,andpossiblybytheeffectoftheevening’spotations,threwthemselvesintotheboat.Asecondboatwasalsolowered,inwhicheightmentooktheirplaces,andwhilethefirstpulledstraightfortheislet,todislodgethecolonistsfromthencethesecondmaneuveredsoastoforcetheentranceoftheMercy.

           ThesituationwasevidentlybecomingverydangerousforPencroftandAyrton,andtheysawthattheymustregainthemainland.

           However,theywaitedtillthefirstboatwaswithinrange,whentwowell-directedballsthrewitscrewintodisorder.Then,PencroftandAyrton,abandoningtheirposts,underfirefromthedozenmuskets,ranacrosstheisletatfullspeed,jumpedintotheirboat,crossedthechannelatthemomentthesecondboatreachedthesouthernend,andrantohidethemselvesintheChimneys.

           TheyhadscarcelyrejoinedCyrusHardingandHerbert,beforetheisletwasoverrunwithpiratesineverydirection.Almostatthesamemoment,freshreportsresoundedfromtheMercystation,towhichthesecondboatwasrapidlyapproaching.Two,outoftheeightmenwhomannedher,weremortallywoundedbyGideonSpilettandNeb,andtheboatherself,carriedirresistiblyontothereefs,wasstoveinatthemouthoftheMercy.