Таємничий острів

           Butnoexplosionproperlysotermed,couldbeheard.Itmightthereforebeconcludedthatthevaporsandsmokefoundafreepassagethroughthecentralshaft;andthatthesafety-valvebeingsufficientlylarge,noconvulsionwouldbeproduced,noexplosionwastobeapprehended.

           "Well,then!"saidPencroft,"arewenotgoingbacktowork?LetMountFranklinsmoke,groan,bellow,orspoutforthfireandflameasmuchasitpleases,thatisnoreasonwhyweshouldbeidle!Come,Ayrton,Neb,Herbert,CaptainHarding,Mr.Spilett,everyoneofusmustturntoatourworkto-day!Wearegoingtoplacethekeelson,andadozenpairofhandswouldnotbetoomany.BeforetwomonthsIwantournew‘Bonadventure’—forweshallkeeptheoldname,shallwenot?—tofloatonthewatersofPortBalloon!Thereforethereisnotanhourtolose!"

           Allthecolonists,theirservicesthusrequisitionedbyPencroft,descendedtothedockyard,andproceededtoplacethekeelson,athickmassofwoodwhichformsthelowerportionofashipandunitesfirmlythetimbersofthehull.Itwasanarduousundertaking,inwhichalltookpart.

           Theycontinuedtheirlaborsduringthewholeofthisday,the3rdofJanuary,withoutthinkingfurtherofthevolcano,whichcouldnot,besides,beseenfromtheshoreofGraniteHouse.Butonceortwice,largeshadows,veilingthesun,whichdescribeditsdiurnalarcthroughanextremelyclearsky,indicatedthatathickcloudofsmokepassedbetweenitsdiscandtheisland.