Таємничий острів

           "Theyseemuneasy,CaptainHarding."

           "Yes,instinctspeaksthroughthem,andinstinctisneverdeceived."

           "Areyouready?"

           "Takealamp,Ayrton,"answeredtheengineer;"wewillstartatonce."

           Ayrtondidasdesired.Theonagers,unharnessed,roamedinthecorral.Thegatewassecuredontheoutside,andCyrusHarding,precedingAyrton,tookthenarrowpathwhichledwestwardtotheshore.

           Thesoiltheywalkeduponwaschokedwiththepulverizedmatterfallenfromthecloud.Noquadrupedappearedinthewoods.Eventhebirdshadfled.Sometimesapassingbreezeraisedthecoveringofashes,andthetwocolonists,envelopedinawhirlwindofdust,lostsightofeachother.Theywerethencarefultocovertheireyesandmouthswithhandkerchiefs,fortheyrantheriskofbeingblindedandsuffocated.

           ItwasimpossibleforCyrusHardingandAyrton,withtheseimpediments,tomakerapidprogress.Moreover,theatmospherewasclose,asiftheoxygenhadbeenpartlyburnedup,andhadbecomeunfitforrespiration.Ateveryhundredpacestheywereobligedtostoptotakebreath.Itwasthereforepastteno’clockwhentheengineerandhiscompanionreachedthecrestoftheenormousmassofrocksofbasaltandporphyrywhichcomposedthenorthwestcoastoftheisland.

           AyrtonandCyrusHardingcommencedthedescentofthisabruptdeclivity,followingalmoststepforstepthedifficultpathwhich,duringthatstormynight,hadledthemtoDakkarGrotto.