Chapter 52 chapter Ten

Now the settlers no longer thought of the harm the convicts had done to Granite Palace and the destruction of the heights.Herbert's condition was very critical, and no one was in the mood to take care of other things.Could the result of this movement be fatal internal injuries?The correspondent was not sure, but he and his companions were almost in despair.The cart came to the bend in the river.They made a stretcher out of twigs, and placed the unconscious Herbert on it, with cushions.Ten minutes later, Cyrus.Smith, Spilett, and Pencroft came to the foot of the cliff, and told Neb to take the cart up to the heights of Prospect Heights.The elevator went up, and before long Herbert was lying in his own bed in Granite Palace.

It took all their pains to bring him back to life.When he awoke he was in his room, and he smiled, but he was too weak to utter a word.His wounds were not completely healed, Gideon.Afraid that the wound would burst out again, Spilett checked it, but luckily the wound did not open.So, how did this phenomenon of prostration come about?How could Herbert's condition have deteriorated to such an extent?Just after the examination, the boy fell asleep due to a high fever.The correspondent and Pencroft never left his bedside.At this time Smith told Neb all that had happened in the corral, and Neb also related to his master what had happened on the heights.

The criminals appeared only last night at the crossing of the Glycerin River at the edge of the forest.Neb was looking out near the poultry-yard when he saw a pirate trying to cross the river.He fired without hesitation, but in the dark, he didn't know if he had hit or not.At any rate, the bandits were not frightened away by the shot, and Neb barely had time to retreat to the Granite Palace, where at least he was safe. But what should he do?The criminals are about to destroy the Highlands, how to stop them?Could he manage to notify his master?Also, what was the condition of the people in the corral?Cyrus.Smith and his companions had set out on the eleventh of November, and it was now the twenty-ninth.For nineteen days the only news Neb had had was the bad news from Top: Ayrton was missing, Herbert was badly wounded, and engineers, correspondents, and sailors were besieged in the corral!

How to do it?poor Neb could not help asking himself.He himself was not afraid of anything, for criminals could not come to Granite Palace.But their buildings, their farms, and all their arrangements are at the mercy of the pirates!If only Cyrus.Wouldn't it be better for Smith to think about what to do, at least let him know the dangers he might encounter? Then Neb thought he might use Japp, and wrote a letter for him to take with him.He knew that orangutans were very intelligent, and it had been proven for a long time.They often mentioned the corral to him, so Japp understood the meaning of the word, and it will be remembered that he often drove to the corral with Pencroft.It was still dark at this time, and the clever orangutan would find a way to sneak through the forest; besides, even if the criminals found it, they would just take it for an orangutan.

Neb did not hesitate.He wrote the letter, tied it under Japp's neck, and took the orangutan to the gate of Granite House, and lowered a long rope to the ground; and then he repeated several times: Japp, Japp!Corral, corral! The orangutan understood what he meant, grabbed the rope, slid nimbly down to the beach, and disappeared into the darkness without alarming the criminals in the slightest. Well done, Neb, said Smith, but perhaps it would have been better if we hadn't been told! Cyrus.Smith says this because of the thought of Herbert, whose recovery was seriously hampered by this removal.

Neb was done.None of the criminals came to the beach.They could not tell how many people there were on the island, and perhaps thought that a considerable force was defending Granite Palace.They must still remember that when the brig attacked, many bullets were fired at them from high and low places on the rocks; they must think that these people are now deliberately not to be exposed.But the high ground of Prospect Heights was not covered by the gunfire of Granite Palace, and they could go up at will.So they wreak havoc, looting, setting fire, and destroying everything, and they don't leave the heights until half an hour before the settlers come back.At the time they thought the immigrants were still stuck in the corral.

When they were gone, Neb ran out hastily.At the risk of exposing himself or even being killed, he climbed to the high ground and tried to put out the flames that engulfed the building of the poultry farm; stop. This is how it happened.The presence of criminals has always been a dangerous bane to the inhabitants of Lincoln Island.They had been very happy in the past, but from now on, they may have more misfortunes. Spilett and Pencroft remained at Granite Palace, with Herbert, and Cyrus.Smith, accompanied by Neb, wanted to see for himself the extent of the devastation. Fortunately, the criminals did not come to the foot of Granite Palace.Otherwise, the workshop in the Grotto will inevitably be destroyed.But, on the other hand, even if the Grotto were damaged, the damage would be more easily repaired than Prospect Heights.Smith and Neb walked towards the River of Mercy, climbed up to the left bank, and found no trace of the criminal; neither on the other side nor in the depths of the woods did they find anything suspicious.

There are roughly two possibilities now: one possibility is that the criminals saw the residents on Corral Road and knew they had returned to Granite Palace; Know the residents come back. In the first case, they must have gone back to the corral, for there was now no one guarding it, but there were many valuable things. In the second case, they must have returned to the place where they had settled down, waiting for an opportunity, and preparing to attack again. Therefore, if the residents are on the defensive, it is not a problem.But now any plan to further eliminate the bandits on the island has been stranded due to Herbert's illness.Indeed, although with all their strength they were barely able to deal with this gang of criminals, no one could do without Granite Palace now.

The engineer and Neb came to the heights.Everywhere was a desolate scene.The fields were trampled down, and the ears of wheat that were about to ripen fell to the ground.Other parts of the farm suffered similar damage. The vegetable garden was also damaged.Fortunately, there are still some seeds preserved in the Granite Palace, and the vegetable garden can be restored in the future. The outer walls and buildings of the poultry farm, as well as the sheds of the wild donkeys, were destroyed by the fire.Frightened animals wandered the high ground.The birds that hid on the lake during the burning have returned to their old places and are playing in the water on the bank.Everything can be built again.

Cyrus.Smith looked paler than usual, and he found it difficult to suppress his anger, but he said nothing.He took another look at the ruined fields and the smoke still rising from the fire, and then returned to Granite Palace. The next few days were the saddest days the immigrants lived on the desert island!Herbert was evidently growing weaker.It looked as though a severe physiological disorder was about to erupt into an outbreak of a more serious disease.Spilett was worried that he would not have the strength to fight this deteriorating condition! In fact, Herbert remained almost in a coma, and symptoms of insanity began to appear.The only medicine the immigrants had was a cool drink.The fever is not too high now, but soon, it will probably happen every other period.Sure enough, on December 6th, Ji Ding.Spilett discovered this for the first time.

The poor young man's fingers, ears and nose became very pale. At first he trembled slightly, his body got goosebumps, and he couldn't stop trembling.His pulse was weak and irregular, his skin was very dry, and he felt very thirsty.Immediately afterwards there was a convulsion; his face was feverish, his skin flushed, his pulse quickened, and then he was sweating profusely, and the fever seemed to subside.This fit lasted almost five hours. Ji Ding.Spilett never left Herbert.Apparently, the teenager had contracted malaria.Medical treatment must be done at any cost before the condition progresses into a more serious situation. In order to cure the disease, Spilett asked Cyrus.We have to get an antipyretic, Smith said. An antipyretic engineer says we have neither quinine bark nor quinine sulfate, do we? Yes, Keating.But there are willows by the lake, Spilett said, and perhaps the bark of willows could be used as a substitute for quinine. Let's hurry up and try it out.Cyrus.Smith said. Indeed, willow bark has been legitimately used as a substitute for quinine bark, along with horse chestnut bark, holly leaf, and snakeroot.It's not as expensive as quinine bark, but it's clearly worth trying.Since they could not extract its essence, they had to use it without processing. Cyrus.Smith chipped strips of bark off a black willow, brought them back to Granite House, and ground them up for Herbert to eat that evening. The night passed without any major change.Herbert's nerves were a little deranged, but he had no fever during the night, nor did it rise during the next day. Pencroft regained hope.Ji Ding.Spilett said nothing.Perhaps the fever does not come every day, but once every other day, and it will not come back until another day, so he waits anxiously for the next day. It can be seen that during this period Herbert fell into a state of complete prostration, his head was weak and dizzy.Another symptom, which astonished the correspondent, was that Herbert's liver became congested, and before long his insanity became more severe, showing that his brain was also affected. Ji Ding.Spilett could do nothing about this new complication.He pulled the engineer aside. It's a form of falciparum malaria.He said. Falciparum malaria!cried Smith, you are mistaken, Spilett.Falciparum malaria does not arise spontaneously; there must be a prior incubation of the bacteria in order to develop the disease. I am not mistaken, said the correspondent, that Herbert must have contracted the disease in the swamps of the desert island.He's had it once; if it happens again, and we can't prevent a third, he'll be finished. But what about willow bark? That was of no use, replied the correspondent, if quinine was not used to prevent a third attack of falciparum malaria, which would be fatal. It was fortunate that Pencroft had not heard the conversation, or else he would have been mad. It is not difficult to imagine the anxiety of the engineers and correspondents during the day and night of December 7. Near noon, the second attack came again.This level is very scary.Herbert felt himself paralyzed.He held out his arm to Cyrus.Smith, Spilett, and Pencroft.It is too early to die at a young age!It's a really heartbreaking scene.They had to send Pencroft elsewhere. The spasms lasted five hours.It was evident that Herbert could not bear a third blow any longer. The night was miserable and dreadful.In a state of delirium, Herbert mumbled a few words, which struck a chord with the hearts of his companions.It turned out that he was fighting criminals, he called to Ayrton, he kept pleading with that mysterious man, that mysterious, unknown defender, whose image was etched in Herbert's mind.Then, exhausted, he fell into a state of total collapse.Ji Ding several times.Spilett thought the poor boy was dead. The next day, December 8th, Herbert passed the whole day in unconscious convulsions.His bony hands gripped the sheets of the bed tightly.They gave him some more crushed bark, but the correspondent had little hope. If no more effective antipyretic was not given to him by early morning, the correspondent said, Herbert must die. The night is coming, and it may be the last night of this kind, brave, and wise boy.For his age, he was outstanding in every way, and everyone loved him like his own child; but tonight, his fate was too difficult to be optimistic about.The only drug that can cure this terrible falciparum malaria, the only specific drug that can bring the dead back to life, is not found on Lincoln Island. During the night of December 8, Herbert's insanity increased.His liver was horribly congested, his brain was infected, and he couldn't recognize anyone. On the third attack, he must have died.Will he survive to the next day?I'm afraid not.He was so exhausted that he lay dead between feverish lulls. At three o'clock in the night Herbert uttered a shriek, which seemed to be tearing his body with extreme convulsions.Neb, who was not far from him at the time, was startled when he heard this, and hurried to the room where his companions were. At this time, Top also cried out inexplicably. Everyone rushed into the house, trying to calm the dying boy.At this moment Herbert was almost rolling out of bed, and Spilett grasped his arm and felt his pulse gradually quicken. It was five o'clock in the morning.The rising sun began to shine through the windows of Granite Palace.It was a fine day, it told people, but it was poor Herbert's last. A ray of sunlight illuminated a table beside the bed. Pencroft suddenly pointed to something on the table, and uttered an exclamation. On the table was a rectangular box with the label: Quinine sulfate.