Chapter 37 Chapter fifteen

The next day was October 20th. After four days of sailing on the Windbreaker, it finally sailed slowly towards the beach at the mouth of the Mercy River at seven o'clock in the morning. Cyrus.Smith and Neb were so disturbed by the delay of Changtian and their companions that they climbed up to Prospect Heights at dawn, and at last saw the overdue ship. Thank goodness!They are back at last!Cyrus.Smith said aloud. Neb was even more delighted. He danced, turned around, clapped his hands, and cried, "Ah!My master!To see him in that way was more moving than to hear the best speeches. At first the engineer speculated that the victim was not on the deck of the Windbreaker, and he thought either that Pencroft had failed to find the victim on Tabor Island, or that the unfortunate man was unwilling to leave his island for a sheltered place.

Sure enough, there were only Pencroft and Gideon on the deck of the Rider.Three people, Spilett and Herbert. The engineer had been waiting on the beach with Neb for a long time, and as soon as the ship landed, Smith said without waiting for the passengers to disembark, "You are so anxious to come back now, my friends!"Have you had any accidents? No, Keating.On the contrary, replied Spilett, everything went well.We will tell you everything that happened. However, the engineer said, your search was unsuccessful. There were three people when you went there, and there were still three people when you came back!

Excuse me, Mr. Smith, said the sailor, but there are four of us. Have you found anyone who died? Yes. Did you bring him back? Yes. alive? Yes. Where is he?Who is it? He is, replied the correspondent, or rather, he was a man!Cyrus, this is all we can answer you! Then he told the engineer the whole process of the expedition and the various circumstances of the search, how the only house on the island had been abandoned for a long time and how no one lived in it, and how the unhuman victim was finally caught. That is the point, continued Pencroft, that I do not know whether we should bring him back or not.

Of course you should, Pencroft.the engineer said quickly. But the poor fellow doesn't understand human affairs! It may be so at present, Cyrus.But just a few months ago, the poor guy was a human being just like us, Smith said.Who knows what will become of any one of us if he stays alone on this island for a long time?It is the greatest misfortune to be left alone!My friends, since you have seen the poor fellow become like this, we should believe that loneliness can quickly destroy the reason! But, Mr. Smith, asked Herbert, how do you think that the unfortunate man has only become so savage in the last few months?

Because the note we found was written recently, replied the engineer, and it could only have been written by the man who died. Or it might have been written by a dead buddy of the man's.Ji Ding.Spilett said. That is impossible, my dear Spilett. Why?asked the correspondent. In that case, the note would have mentioned two victims.Smith replied, but it mentioned only one person. Then Herbert gave a brief account of the events of the voyage, and he spoke at length of the sudden transformation of captives into sailors in the midst of the storm, which showed what thoughts might have passed through his mind.

Well, Herbert, said the engineer, you are quite right to notice the matter.This unfortunate man is not incurable, despair has made him so, but here he meets his fellow man, and since he still has a soul, we shall save his soul! They brought the man in distress on Tabor Island out of the fore cabin of the Windbreaker. The engineer sympathized with him very much, but Neb expressed his amazement, for as soon as he came ashore, he showed the intention of fleeing. But Cyrus.Smith came over, put a hand on his shoulder, looked very dignified, and at the same time looked at him with infinite kindness.The poor man, under the influence of this sublime feeling, obeyed at once, and gradually grew quieter, lowered his eyes, bowed his head, and made no resistance.

Poor man!the engineer murmured. Cyrus.Smith stared at him for a long time.Outwardly alone the poor man was utterly unpersonal, yet, like the correspondent, Smith found in his eyes an indescribable gleam of intelligence. It was resolved that the victim, the stranger, as his companions called him, should live alone in a room in Granite Palace, from where he would not be able to escape.They led him there without difficulty; and with careful watch, he might some day become a companion to the inhabitants of Lincoln Island. The correspondent, Herbert, and Pencroft were dying of hunger, and Neb hastened to prepare a breakfast;Smith listened to them in detail about the whole process of exploring the island.He agreed with his companions that the stranger was either English or American, as they would associate it with the name Britannica; moreover, the engineer could vaguely recognize the Anglo-Saxon in his bushy beard and tangled, shaggy hair. human characteristics.

However, Keating.You never told us, said Spilett to Herbert, how you came across this savage; we know nothing, except that you would have been strangled if we had not come to your rescue in time. up! Well, replied Herbert, I can't tell what it is either.I remember that when I was collecting plants, I suddenly heard a bang, as if something had fallen from a big tree.Hardly had I had time to turn round, and the unfortunate man, who undoubtedly hid himself in a tree, would have sprung upon me quicker than I could say, had it not been for M. Spilett and Pencroft. my child!Cyrus.You have taken a great risk, said Smith; but without this adventure, the poor man might have been hidden from you, and we would not have had a new companion.

So, Cyrus, are you going to make him human again?asked the correspondent. Yes.the engineer replied. After breakfast, Smith and his companions walked out of Granite Palace and returned to the beach.There they busied themselves unloading the Windbreaker, and the engineer went over the weapons and tools, but could find no trace of the stranger on anything. The pigs caught on the island were thought to be very useful to Lincoln Island, and they put them in the sty, where they soon settled down. Two barrels of ammo and boxes of detonators are also popular.It was unanimously agreed that a small gunpowder depot should be built outside the Granite Palace or in the cave above, so that there would be no need to worry about explosions.Cotton powder is still available, it works so well that there is no reason why regular powder should not be used.

After unloading, Pencroft said: Mr. Smith, as a matter of prudence, I think it best to keep our Rider in a safe place. Is it inappropriate to put it at the mouth of the Mercy River?Cyrus.Smith asked. No, Mr. Smith, replied the sailor, if left in the mouth of the Mercy, it will lie on the sand half the time, and that will wear and tear.You know, she is a good and famous ship, and when we came back, she sailed smoothly after all the storms and waves on the way. Can't it float on the river? Of course, Mr. Smith; but there is no shelter there, and when the east wind blows, I think the Wavebreaker will be hit by a wave.

Where, then, will you put it, Pencroft? In Balloon Harbor, replied the sailor, the little river is blocked by rocks, and I think it is a suitable port for us. Isn't it too far away? No!It's only three miles from Granite Palace, and besides, we have another level road to get there! So do it, Pencroft, send your Rider thither, said the engineer; but I will always put it in a neighbourhood, that we may take care of it.When we are free, we must build a port for it. great!cried Pencroft, build a port with a lighthouse, a quay, and a dock!ah!Everything is easy with you, Mr. Smith. Yes, brave Pencroft, said the engineer, but on one condition, and that will require your great help, for in all our work you can do three by one. So Herbert and the sailor re-boarded the Windbreaker, and they weighed anchor and hoisted sail, and a gust of wind blew her swiftly toward the Cape of the Claw.Two hours later it was anchored in the calm waters of Balloon Harbor. The stranger had been living in Granite Palace for several days. Did the inhabitants have any basis for saying that his wild nature had gradually been tamed?In the depths of his hoodwinked soul, has a brighter flame kindled?Simply put, has his soul returned to his body? Yes, the answer is in the affirmative, and the situation is developing rapidly, Cyrus.Smith and the correspondent could hardly believe that the unfortunate man had ever lost his mind completely.The stranger is used to living in the open air, and he is free and unrestrained on Tabor Island, so when he first came here, he always said nothing and was very angry. Everyone was afraid that he would jump from the window of the Granite Palace onto the beach.Later, he gradually calmed down, and everyone allowed him to have more freedom. They had hopes in him, and great hopes, and with good reason.The stranger had forgotten his blood-drinking nature, and began to eat some nutritious food that was a little more civilized than the food on the island; he now saw cooked meat, and he didn't feel as disgusted as he did on the Rider.Cyrus.While he was asleep, Smith cut his hair short and his shaggy beard, which, like a mane, made his appearance even more savage.His rags were replaced by more suitable clothes.Thanks to everyone's care, the stranger initially recovered his human appearance, and it seemed that even his eyes seemed softer.Surely he must have been quite handsome when he used to have the gleam of intelligence on his face. Smith would spend hours each day with this partner, walking up to the stranger and performing various tasks to attract his attention.Indeed, a single spark can illuminate his heart, and a little memory in his mind can arouse his rationality. This has been proved when the windbreaker encountered a storm midway!In addition, the engineer deliberately opened his voice when he spoke, so as to touch his paralyzed mind through hearing and sight.Sometimes this partner, sometimes that, sometimes all join him in this work.They talked most of all about sailing.Such things must interest a sailor. Strangers often paid some attention to their conversation, and the inhabitants soon believed that he understood part of it.Sometimes he looked very distressed, which meant that he was suffering mentally, which was unmistakable, because it was seen in his expression; several times they thought he was on the verge of speaking, but he didn't. say what.Be that as it may, the poor man was always very silent and melancholy! But is his silence merely superficial?Whether his melancholy was simply due to loneliness was not yet certain.In a certain environment, he only sees limited things all day long, and he always comes into contact with these immigrants. Soon he will get used to living with them and have everything, enough to eat and warm clothes. Naturally, his habits will change day by day; however, does he like this new life?Or, to put it more properly for him, whether he will be as tame as the beast is to its master is an important question.Cyrus.Smith was eager for an answer, but he did not want to treat his patient (the stranger was, in his view, a patient) hastily!Can he recover slowly? Engineers keep an eye on him at all times!Let's just say he's waiting for his soul to appear and is ready to grab it!Residents care deeply about every step of Smith's care.They also helped him in this humanitarian work, and before long, perhaps, Pencroft doubted, the others were as full of confidence and hope as the engineer. The stranger, as has been said, was very quiet; he even expressed an attachment to the engineer, whom he evidently felt, and Cyrus.Smith decided to conduct an experiment on him. He often looked at the ocean in front of him, and now he was going to take him from the sea to the edge of the forest. Maybe this piece of green trees would remind him of the place where he had lived for many years! However, Keating.Wouldn't he run away, said Spilett, if he were set free? This is exactly what to try.replied the engineer. All right!Said Pencroft, this fellow must spread his legs and run away when he has gone out to breathe the fresh air! I do not believe.Smith said. Let's try it out.Spilett said. Give it a try.replied the engineer. This happened on October 30th, and the victims on Dabao Island had been imprisoned in the Granite Palace for nine days.It was a warm day, and the sun shone brightly on the island.Cyrus.Smith and Pencroft went into the stranger's room, and found him lying by the window, gazing up at the sky. Come on, friend.the engineer said to him. The stranger rose immediately.He watched Cyrus.Smith, and following him, the sailors followed them, giving little hope to the experiment. At the door, Smith and Pencroft helped him into the lift, while Neb, Herbert, and Gideon.Spilett was already waiting for them in front of the Granite Palace, and the elevator descended.A few minutes later, everyone gathered on the beach. The inhabitants moved away a little, leaving the stranger to go about as he pleased. He took a few steps towards the sea, and his countenance suddenly brightened, but he had no intention of running away.He watched the small waves breaking up the sand, separated by the island. It's just the sea, Keating.Said Spilett, it seemed that this would not have inspired him to flee! Yes, answered Smith, we should take him to the edge of the forest on the high ground.The results of the experiments there can be taken as conclusions. He couldn't run if he wanted to, said Neb, the drawbridge was up. Well!Such a man, said Pencroft, does not care for such a small river as the Glycerine!He only needs to jump, and he can pass! We'll find out right away.Smith simply said he was still looking the patient in the eye. So the stranger was taken to the mouth of the Mercy River, and everyone climbed up the left bank of the river to Prospect Heights. This is the edge of the forest, the trees are very beautiful, the breeze blows, and the leaves sway slightly. When they came here, the stranger took a deep breath, as if greedily inhaling the tangy fragrance in the atmosphere. The residents followed closely behind him, always on guard.If he's going to run away, catch him in no time! Sure enough, the poor man was about to throw himself into the river between him and the forest, and for a moment he crouched down as if about to jump, but drew back almost at once, and in a bewildered state , a big teardrop fell from his eye. ah!Cyrus.cried Smith, you are human again, because you can cry!