Таємничий острів

           Butwhatwouldhavebeentheconditionofthecolonistsifhisstatehadbeenaggravated,—if,forexample,theballhadremainedinhisbody,ifhisarmorhisleghadhadtobeamputated?

           "No,"saidSpilettmorethanonce,"Ihaveneverthoughtofsuchacontingencywithoutshuddering!"

           "Andyet,ifithadbeennecessarytooperate,"saidHardingonedaytohim,"youwouldnothavehesitated?"

           "No,Cyrus!"saidGideonSpilett,"butthankGodthatwehavebeensparedthiscomplication!"

           Asinsomanyotherconjectures,thecolonistshadappealedtothelogicofthatsimplegoodsenseofwhichtheyhadmadeusesooften,andoncemore,thankstotheirgeneralknowledge,ithadsucceeded!Butmightnotatimecomewhenalltheirsciencewouldbeatfault?Theywerealoneontheisland.Now,meninallstatesofsocietyarenecessarytoeachother.CyrusHardingknewthiswell,andsometimesheaskedifsomecircumstancemightnotoccurwhichtheywouldbepowerlesstosurmount.Itappearedtohimbesides,thatheandhiscompanions,tillthensofortunate,hadenteredintoanunluckyperiod.DuringthetwoyearsandahalfwhichhadelapsedsincetheirescapefromRichmond,itmightbesaidthattheyhadhadeverythingtheirownway.Theislandhadabundantlysuppliedthemwithminerals,vegetables,animals,andasNaturehadconstantlyloadedthem,theirsciencehadknownhowtotakeadvantageofwhatsheofferedthem.

           Thewellbeingofthecolonywasthereforecomplete