“Areyousurethatthepeccarywoundedbythisbulletwasnotmorethanthreemonthsold”
“Notmore,captain,”repliedPencroft.“ItwasstillsuckingitsmotherwhenIfounditinthetrap.”
“Well,”saidtheengineer,“thatprovesthatwithinthreemonthsagun-shotwasfiredinLincolnIsland.”
“Andthatabullet,”addedGideonSpilett,“wounded,thoughnotmortally,thislittleanimal.”
“No!ahundredtimesno!athousandtimesno!”criedthesailor,springingupfromthetable.“TherearenoothermenthanourselvesonLincolnIsland!Bymyfaith!Theislandisn’tlargeandifithadbeeninhabited,weshouldhaveseensomeoftheinhabitantslongbeforethis!”
“Infact,thecontrarywouldbeveryastonishing,”saidHerbert.
“Butitwouldbemuchmoreastonishing,Ishouldthink,”observedthereporter,“ifthispeccaryhadbeenbornwithabulletinitsinside!”
“Atleast,”saidNebseriously,“ifPencrofthasnothad—”
“Ithinkthatweshouldactwithcaution,”saidthereporter.
“Suchismyadvice,”repliedCyrusHarding,“foritistobefearedthatMalaypirateshavelandedontheisland!”
“Yourideaisgood,Pencroft,”repliedtheengineer,“butwecannotwaitforthat.Itwouldtakeatleastamonthtobuildaboat.”
“Fivedays,”criedNeb,“tobuildaboat”
“Yes,Neb;aboatintheIndianfashion.”
“Ofwood”askedtheNegro,lookingstillunconvinced.
“Ofwood,”repliedPencroft,“orratherofbark.Irepeat,captain,thatinfivedaystheworkwillbefinished!”
“Infivedays,then,beit,”repliedtheengineer.
So,then,theislandwas,orhadbeen,inhabitedbyothersthanthesettlers.Provedasitwasbytheincidentofthebullet,itwashereafteranunquestionablefact,andsuchadiscoverycouldnotbutcausegreatuneasinessamongthecolonists.
“Inshort,wouldyouliketoknowmyopinion,mydearSpilett”
“Yes,Cyrus.”
“Well,then,itisthis:howeverminutelyweexploretheisland,weshallfindnothing.”
Whilethesailor,secondedbytheengineer,thusoccupiedhimselfwithoutlosinganhour,GideonSpilettandHerbertwerenotidle.
Oftenduringtheseexcursions,HerberttalkedwithGideonSpilettontheincidentofthebullet,andthedeductionswhichtheengineerdrewfromit,andoneday—itwasthe26thofOctober—hesaid—“But,Mr.Spilett,doyounotthinkitveryextraordinarythat,ifanycastawayshavelandedontheisland,theyhavenotyetshownthemselvesnearGraniteHouse”
“Veryastonishingiftheyarestillhere,”repliedthereporter,“butnotastonishingatalliftheyareherenolonger!”
“Soyouthinkthatthesepeoplehavealreadyquittedtheisland”returnedHerbert.
“Itismorethanprobable,myboy;foriftheirstaywasprolonged,andaboveall,iftheywerestillhere,someaccidentwouldhaveatlastbetrayedtheirpresence.”
“Butiftheywereabletogoaway,”observedthelad,“theycouldnothavebeencastaways.”
“Imustacknowledgeonething,”saidHerbert,“itisthatCaptainHardingappearsrathertofearthandesirethepresenceofhumanbeingsonourisland.”
“Inshort,”respondedthereporter,“thereareonlyMalayswhofrequenttheseseas,andthosefellowsareruffianswhichitisbesttoavoid.”
“Itisnotimpossible,Mr.Spilett,”saidHerbert,“thatsomedayorotherwemayfindtracesoftheirlanding.”
“Ihaveanidea,Mr.Spilett,”saidHerbert.“IfIweretoclimbtothetopofoneofthesekauris,Icouldsurveythecountryforanimmensedistanceround.”
“Theideaisgood,”repliedthereporter;“butcouldyouclimbtothetopofthosegiants”
“Icanatleasttry,”repliedHerbert.
Butatlast,ifallindicationofanencampmentescapedHerbert’ssightcouldhenotevencatchaglimpseofsmoke,thefaintesttraceofwhichwouldbeeasilydiscernibleinthepureatmosphere
Twodaysafter—the28thofOctober—anotherincidentoccurred,forwhichanexplanationwasagainrequired.
Herbertcaughtsightofthisturtleasitwascrawlingamongtherockstoreachthesea.
“Help,Neb,help!”hecried.
Nebranup.
“Whatafineanimal!”saidNeb;“buthowarewetocatchit”
“Nothingiseasier,Neb,”repliedHerbert.“Wehaveonlytoturntheturtleonitsback,anditcannotpossiblygetaway.TakeyourspearanddoasIdo.”
“Capital!”criedNeb;“thisissomethingwhichwillrejoicefriendPencroft’sheart.”
“Andnow,whatshallwedowithourprize”saidNeb.“Wecan’tdragittoGraniteHouse!”
“Leaveithere,sinceitcannotturnover,”repliedHerbert,“andwewillcomebackwiththecarttofetchit.”
“Thatisthebestplan.”
NebandHerbertstaredateachotherfirst;thentheystaredaboutthem.Itwasjustatthisspotthattheturtlehadbeenleft.Theladevenfoundthestoneswhichhehadused,andthereforehewascertainofnotbeingmistaken.
“Well!”saidNeb,“thesebeastscanturnthemselvesover,then’’
“Well,Pencroftwillbedisgusted!”
“Lookhere,”saidNeb,whowishedtohidehisill-luck,“wewon’tspeakaboutit.”
“Onthecontrary,Neb,wemustspeakaboutit,”repliedHerbert.
Andthetwo,takingthecart,whichtherewasnownousefor,returnedtoGraniteHouse.
Arrivedatthedockyard,wheretheengineerandthesailorwereworkingtogether,Herbertrecountedwhathadhappened.
“Oh!thestupids!”criedthesailor,“tohaveletatleastfiftymealsescape!”
“But,Pencroft,”repliedNeb,“itwasn’tourfaultthatthebeastgotaway;asItellyou,wehadturneditoveronitsback!”
“Notenough!”criedHerbert.
Andhetoldhowhehadtakencaretowedgeuptheturtlewithstones.
“Itisamiracle,then!”repliedPencroft.
“Thatistrue,myboy,”repliedCyrusHarding.
“Thenhowdiditmanage”
“Atwhatdistancefromtheseadidyouleavethisturtle”askedtheengineer,who,havingsuspendedhiswork,wasreflectingonthisincident.
“Fifteenfeetatthemost,”repliedHerbert.
“Andthetidewaslowatthetime”
“Yes,captain.”
“Well,”repliedtheengineer,“whattheturtlecouldnotdoonthesanditmighthavebeenabletodointhewater.Itturnedoverwhenthetideovertookit,andthenquietlyreturnedtothedeepsea.”
“Oh!whatstupidswewere!”criedNeb.
CyrusHardinghadgiventhisexplanation,which,nodoubt,wasadmissible.ButwashehimselfconvincedoftheaccuracyofthisexplanationItcannotbesaidthathewas.