Chapter 35 Chapter Thirteen

A dead man is stranded on Tabor Island!exclaimed Pencroft, hundreds of miles from us!Ah, Mr. Smith, go now that you have no objection to me. Yes, Pencroft, Cyrus.Smith said: You go as soon as possible. how about tomorrow? Just tomorrow! The engineer still held the paper in the bottle.He examined it carefully for a moment, then went on: Friends, from this piece of paper and its wording, we can draw the following conclusions: First, the victims on Tabo Island have quite rich knowledge of navigation, because the latitude and longitude of Tabo Island he wrote and our measurement The results are exactly the same, and he even roughly calculated the division; secondly, he is either British or American, because he writes in English.

Quite logically, said Spilett, this victim would explain where the box we found on the island came from.Since there was a shipwreck, there must have been a shipwreck. Pencroft remembered that he wanted to build a ship, and he chose to test the voyage today. For the shipwreck, no matter who he was, it was his luck.A day later and the bottle might be smashed against a rock. Indeed, said Herbert, what a coincidence that the Windbreaker passed just where it floated! Do you find this strange?Smith asked Pencroft. I just think it's a coincidence, replied the sailor, "Is there anything strange about that to you, Mr. Smith?"The bottle always floats to one place. Since it can float to other places, why can't it float here?

Perhaps you are right, Pencroft, replied the engineer, but However, Herbert said, there was still no way to prove how long the bottle had been floating in the sea. Yes, Keating.Spella said the note seemed to have been written only recently.What do you think, Cyrus? Hard to say, we'll find out later.Smith replied. Pencroft was not idle during the conversation.He turned the ship, and the Windbreaker set full sail, and sailed fast for Clawhorn. Everyone is thinking about the victims on Tabor Island.Would it be too late for them to save him?This is a big deal in the lives of immigrants!They themselves are also victims, but I am afraid that others will not be so lucky, and they have the responsibility to help him.

They rounded Claw Point, and about four o'clock the Windbreaker dropped anchor at the mouth of the Mercy. That night they were actively preparing for a new expedition.It seemed most fitting that Pencroft and Herbert should go on the expedition, for they both knew how to sail.If they sailed the next day (October 11th), they could reach their destination on the thirteenth, because with the current winds, they could sail 150 nautical miles in less than forty-eight hours.Stay on Dabao Island for one day, and it will take three or four days to come back.Therefore, it is expected that they will be able to return to Lincoln Island on October 17th.The weather has been fine lately, the temperature has risen, and the wind seems to be stable, all of which are favorable for these two warriors to complete this righteous deed away from the island.

It was decided that Cyrus.Smith, Neb and Gideon.Spilett stayed in the Granite Palace, but Spilett raised a different opinion. After all, he did not forget that he was the correspondent of the "New York Herald". Approved for the expedition. In the evening, everyone was busy moving everything needed to the ship, including bedding, utensils, weapons, ammunition, compass and enough food for a week. After these tasks were quickly completed, the immigrants returned to the ship. Granite Palace went. At five o'clock the next morning, we bid farewell to each other. At this time, we were a little reluctant to part with each other.Pencroft hoisted his sails, and set out for Cape Claw, around which they had to go to the southwest.

It was already a quarter of a nautical mile away from the shore, and the passengers on the Rider saw two people waving goodbye to them on the high hill of Granite Palace, and that was Cyrus.Smith and Neb. My friends, exclaimed Spilett, we are parting for the first time in fifteen months. Pencroft, the correspondent, and Herbert waved to them, and in a short time the Palace of Granite disappeared behind the stone walls of Claw Point. This morning, the Rider had been in the south of Lincoln Island. After a while, they looked at the island again. The island looked like a green basket, and Mount Franklin towered in the center of the island.From a distance, the hills are not prominent, and they cannot attract the attention of passing ships.After walking for an hour, they had entered the sea and were about ten nautical miles away from Reptilian Cape.

The west coast, which stretched as far as the Franklin ridge, was now obscured; three hours later all Lincoln Island disappeared below the horizon. The Windbreaker sailed well.It cuts through the waves and sails forward very fast.Pencroft unfurled the front sail, and followed the compass, and proceeded in a straight line.Herbert and he took turns at the helm, and the boy's hands were so firm that the sailor could not detect a single fault. Ji Ding.Spilett talked now with one, now with that, and, if necessary, helped to fix the ropes; Captain Pencroft was quite satisfied with his two sailors.

In the evening, a crescent moon appeared for a moment in the vast twilight, and soon set, and the first quarter moon could not be seen until the 16th.The night is very dark, but the sky is full of stars, and it can be concluded that tomorrow will be sunny. Pencroft lowered the jib carefully, lest he should be suddenly attacked by the night wind when the sail was full.The night was so calm, and such caution might have been superfluous, but Pencroft was a prudent sailor, and there was nothing wrong with it. The correspondent slept half the night.Pencroft and Herbert rested at the helm alternately, every two hours.The sailor believed in Herbert as much as he believed in himself, and the boy's composure and determination were enough to justify his confidence.Pencroft directed him as a captain directs the helmsman, and Herbert did not for a moment deviate from the course of the Rider.The first night passed without incident, as did the day of October 12th.They kept strictly to the southwest, and if the Windbreaker did not encounter other currents, it would surely be able to sail directly into the sight of Tabor Island.

At that time, there was no one looking around on the sea they passed along the way. Occasionally, a huge albatross or frigate bird flew within range of the bullets.Spilett couldn't help wondering if this was the one he used to bring a letter to the "New York Herald" last time?This kind of bird seems to be the only one that frequents the ocean between Tabo Island and Lincoln Island. But, said Herbert, this is the season of whalers in the South Pacific, and indeed, I don't think there is a lonelier sea than here. Not as lonely as you say.said Pencroft. I don't understand you.said the correspondent.

And we are on the sea, don't you think this ship is a shipwreck and you are a little whale? Pencroft laughed as he spoke. By evening they reckoned that the Windbreaker had sailed a hundred and twenty knots since it left Lincoln Island, that is to say, during the thirty-six hours; her speed was three to four knots an hour.There is very little wind now and it may be about to die down.Even so, if the calculations are good and the course is correct, they will still be able to see Tabo Island when dawn breaks tomorrow. During the night of October 12th to 13th, Gideon.Spilett, Herbert, and Pencroft were not asleep.Because they were looking forward to the dawn, they couldn't help being a little excited.It is difficult to predict what the future of this adventure will be!Are they already going to Bao Island?Is the man in distress they were trying to save still on the island?Who is this person?These immigrants have always been united very well. Will their unity be destroyed because of this extra person?In addition, would the victim be willing to change to another place where he was trapped?All these problems, doubtless to be solved tomorrow, troubled them now.At daybreak their eyes were all fixed on the western horizon.

land!It was six o'clock in the morning, cried Pencroft. Pencroft could not be mistaken, the land must be there, and we can easily imagine the joy of the sailors on board the Windbreaker.In a few hours, they will be on the beach of Tabor Island! The coast of Tabo Island is very low, only a little higher than the water surface, and now it is only fifteen nautical miles away from them. The Windbreaker headed straight for the island, with her bow slightly to the south of it, and the sun was rising in the east, and it was shining in a channel or two. The island was smaller than Lincoln Island, Herbert said, and probably, like ours, had been formed by an undersea earthquake. At eleven o'clock the Rider was not more than two miles from the island; Pencroft, searching for a suitable shore for landing, proceeded cautiously on the unfamiliar sea.Now we can see Dabao Island clearly, and we can see that there are some rubber trees and other big trees growing on the island, and their species are the same as those on Lincoln Island. What is surprising is that there is no trace of cooking smoke on the island. On the whole coast, there is no sign of people at all. However, it was clearly written on the note that there was a dead man here, and he must be waiting. Meanwhile the Rider passed the rocks and entered the twists and turns of the strait, Pencroft paying careful attention to every bend.He left Herbert at the helm, and stood in the bow, surveying the water, with rigging in hand, ready to let down.Ji Ding.Spilett looked anxiously toward the coast with a telescope, but found nothing. At twelve o'clock, the hull of the Windbreaker touched land at last.The sailors dropped anchor, furled the sails, and landed. This was undoubtedly the island of Tabo, for according to the latest nautical maps there is no other island in the Pacific Ocean between New Zealand and America. They fastened the boat securely, lest the sea should carry it away at low tide, and Pencroft and his companions, armed to the teeth, set foot on the shore, with the intention of climbing to a tower half a mile away, two hundred and fifty to three Up a hundred-foot hill. Standing on the top of that hill, Spilett said, it would be much more convenient for us to see the island in its entirety first, and then to search. The first thing Mr. Smith did on Lincoln Island was to climb Mount Franklin, said Herbert, and we do the same here. Not at all, said the correspondent, that was the best course of action. As they spoke, the explorers walked forward in a clearing that stretched down to the foot of the hill.Flocks of feral pigeons and gulls fluttered about them, all looking like those on Lincoln Island.There was also a jungle to the left of the clearing, and they heard a rustling in the undergrowth and the movement of the weeds, telling of some timid animal hiding in it; yet no one could be seen on the island. Having reached the foot of the hill, it took only a few minutes for Pencroft, Spilett, and Herbert to climb up the hill, looking eagerly around the horizon. The island they were on was only six miles in circumference, with very few capes, headlands, bays, and rivers, and it was an elongated oval in shape.There was a monotonous sea on all sides to the horizon, not a single land nor a solitary sail. This wooded island is different from Lincoln Island, which is barren and barren in some places, and rich in others, with many changes.On the contrary, there are green shades everywhere, and there are two or three hills among them, but they are not high.A river lies obliquely on an oval-shaped island, passes through a large grassland, flows westward into the sea, and has a narrow mouth where it enters the sea. The island is small in size.Herbert said. Yes, continued Pencroft, it is too small for us. Moreover, the correspondent said, the island appeared to be deserted. Indeed, replied Herbert, there was not the slightest sign of habitation. Go down the hill, said Pencroft, and search and search. The sailor and his two companions descended to the place where the Rider was moored. Before going deep inland, they decided to walk around the island for a week, so that they would not miss any place when searching.It was not difficult to walk along the beach, except for a few large rocks blocking the way, but they had no trouble getting around it.As the explorers headed south, they startled a flock of seabirds and seals, who jumped into the water as soon as they saw someone approaching in the distance. The seals here, the correspondent said, this is not the first time they have seen people. They are afraid of people, which shows that they know people. After an hour's walk they reached the southern tip of the island, which terminated in a prominent promontory; and then proceeded north along the west coast, which was also a sandy coast, with a dense jungle behind it. After walking for four hours, the whole island was searched, but there was no sign of inhabitation anywhere, and no human footprint could be found on the beach. It is very strange that they have to think that there is no one on Tabor Island, or that there is no one now.Perhaps the note was written months or even years ago, so the victims had either returned to their home countries or died tragically. Pencroft, Spilett, and Herbert, surmising that these conjectures were more or less probable, ate hastily aboard the Rider, in order to continue their search before dark.After eating, it was already five o'clock in the evening, and they immediately entered the forest. Many animals ran away at the sight of them, chief among them were goats and pigs, which were recognizably European. There is no doubt that a whaling ship has been here, and these pigs and sheep were left on the ship and then bred on the island.Herbert resolved to take one or two alive to Lincoln Island. It is now certain that this island has been visited by people.Further evidence is that the roads in the forest seem to have been trodden down, and many of the trees have been felled with axes, and here and there are traces of the labor of human hands; The place where the ax had been cut was covered with fluffy moss, and the road was overgrown with deep grass, and it was difficult to find tree stumps. However, Keating.This, Spilett said, not only proves that someone has been to the island, but also that they have lived on the island for a period of time.Who are these people, and how many of them are left here? According to the note, Herbert said, only one person was killed. Well, if he is on the island, said Pencroft, we shall not miss him. They continued their search.The sailor and his companions naturally followed the river leading to the sea, diagonally across the island, and went on. If the presence of European animals and the remains of the labor of the hands are a solid proof of the presence of man on the island, so can a certain plant here.In some places, in clearings in the forest, edible vegetables had apparently been grown, probably long ago. To Herbert's particular delight, he found many potatoes, endives, sorrel, carrots, cabbages, and turnips, whose seeds he had only to collect, could be taken to the land of Lincoln Island and sown. Great, haha!These things, cried Pencroft, are as good for Neb as they are for us.Even if we don't find the dead, the voyage will not be in vain, God bless us. Yes, Keating.According to Spilett, however, from what we have found of the cleared land, it seems likely that the island has not been inhabited for a long time. Indeed, said Herbert, no inhabitant would ever fail to tend such an important crop! Yes, said Pencroft, the victims are gone, we must suppose so. Had to assume the note was written a long time ago, didn't it? certainly. According to this, the bottle had been floating in the sea for a long time before it came to the vicinity of Lincoln Island. So what is impossible?said Pencroft.It was getting late, he went on, and I thought it best to stop the search now. Let's go back to the ship and start again tomorrow, said the correspondent. This is the best way. They were about to go back, when suddenly Herbert pointed to a black shadow among the trees and shouted: a house! The three immediately ran towards the house together.In the dim twilight, it could barely be seen that this was a house made of wooden boards, covered with a thick layer of rainproof cloth.Pencroft rushed forward with one stride, and pushed open the half-closed door.The house is empty!