Таємничий острів

           Intheformercase,theymusthavereturnedtowardsthecorral,nowwithoutdefenders,andwhichcontainedvaluablestores.

           Inthelatter,theymusthaveregainedtheirencampment,andwouldwaitonopportunitytorecommencetheattack.

           Itwas,therefore,possibletopreventthem,butanyenterprisetocleartheislandwasnowrendereddifficultbyreasonofHerbert’scondition.Indeed,theirwholeforcewouldhavebeenbarelysufficienttocopewiththeconvicts,andjustnownoonecouldleaveGraniteHouse.

           TheengineerandNebarrivedontheplateau.Desolationreignedeverywhere.Thefieldshadbeentrampledover;theearsofwheat,whichwerenearlyfull-grown,layontheground.Theotherplantationshadnotsufferedless.

           Thekitchen-gardenwasdestroyed.Happily,GraniteHousepossessedastoreofseedwhichwouldenablethemtorepairthesemisfortunes.

           Astothewallandbuildingsofthepoultry-yardandtheonagersstable,thefirehaddestroyedall.Afewterrifiedcreaturesroamedovertheplateau.Thebirds,whichduringthefirehadtakenrefugeonthewatersofthelake,hadalreadyreturnedtotheiraccustomedspot,andweredabblingonthebanks.Everythingwouldhavetobereconstructed.

           CyrusHarding’sface,whichwaspalerthanusual,expressedaninternalangerwhichhecommandedwithdifficulty,buthedidnotutteraword.Oncemorehelookedathisdevastatedfields,andatthesmokewhichstillrosefromtheruins,thenhereturnedtoGraniteHouse.