Chapter 53 Chapter Eleven

Ji Ding.Spilett took the box and opened it.The box contained about 200 grams of white powder.He tasted a little.The taste was bitter; and all doubts were dispelled, and there was no doubt that this was the precious quinine refined, the most effective antipyretic. The powder must be swallowed by Herbert without delay.As for how it came about, we might as well discuss it later. Grab some coffee!Spilett said. Presently Neb brought a mug of warm coffee.Ji Ding.Spilett added about eighteen grams of quinine.They fed Herbert the mixture without any problems. The time is still in time, and the third outbreak of falciparum malaria has not yet occurred.How they hoped that it would never happen again!

It must be added that now everyone is hopeful again.At this critical juncture, when everyone was already desperate, the mysterious power played its role again. A few hours later Herbert was much calmer.Residents can now discuss the matter.The support of strangers has become more apparent than ever before.But how could he get deep into the Granite Palace at night?It's incredible.The actions of the saint on the island are almost as mysterious as the man himself.This day, they gave Herbert quinine sulfate every three hours. Herbert's condition improved markedly the next day.Of course, he wasn't out of danger yet, malaria is a disease that often relapses, and any relapse is dangerous, but everyone took good care of him.In addition, there are special medicines on hand now, and the person who delivered the medicine is undoubtedly not far away!So everyone's hope resurfaced again.

They were not disappointed this time.Ten days later, from the twentieth of December, Herbert began to recover. His body was still weak, but he was no longer turning into a fever.Everyone imposed strict restrictions on his diet.How self-conscious and obedient the poor child is, obeying all the rules!How he wished for a speedy recovery! Pencroft, like a man who has just been rescued from the abyss, was almost mad with joy.After the expected time had passed for the third seizure, he hugged the correspondent so tightly that he could hardly breathe.Henceforth he called his correspondent Dr. Spilett.

However, the real doctor still hasn't found out. We must find him!said the sailor again and again. No matter who this person is, it can be said with certainty that once he is found by the kind Pencroft, he will be embraced very warmly! 1867 passed as December passed, and at the end of the year the settlers were severely tested.At the beginning of 1868, the weather was sunny and the climate seemed as hot as the tropics. Fortunately, there was a sea breeze, which made people feel cooler.Herbert's health is recovering.His bed was at a window of the Granite Palace, and he could breathe fresh air containing ozone, which was of great help in restoring his health.His appetite was restored, too; what a delicious meal Neb had prepared for him!

Prepare so many delicious things for me, everyone wants to get malaria!said Pencroft. During this period, the criminals never appeared near Granite Palace.Ayrton was not lost either, and though the engineer and Herbert hoped to find him again, their companions thought the unfortunate man dead.In any case, this question won't last long, as long as the boy recovers, he can go on an expedition.The results of the expedition will be of great significance.In order to collect the blood debt from the criminals, the entire force of the team must be mobilized, so they may have to wait another month.

However, Herbert's health recovered quickly, the liver was no longer congested, and the trauma was basically healed. In the middle of January, important work was carried out on the high ground of Prospect Heights: the content of the work was only one thing, that is, to store the crops after the disaster, whether it was wheat or vegetables, as much as possible.They picked up many grains and plants to be reseeded for the next half season.Cyrus.Smith intends to do it after a period of time.Because when he and his companions set off on the trail, the criminals were likely to return to the Highlands; giving them a second chance to wreak havoc was unnecessary.They can wait until the bandits on the island are cleared before proceeding to repair.During the second week of January the boy began to get out of bed; at first he got up for an hour a day, then two hours, then three hours.Due to his strong physique, his physical strength recovered quickly.He is eighteen years old and has a tall stature. He can tell at a glance that he will grow into a handsome man in the future.From this time on, his health Spilett strictly dictated the need for rest and rapid recovery.By the end of the month Herbert was able to walk on Prospect Heights and the beach.

He took several baths in the sea with Pencroft and Neb, with great benefit.Cyrus.Smith felt that the time was now ripe, and decided to leave on February 15th.At this time of year the nights are very clear, which is favorable for searching the whole island. The necessary preparations for the expedition began.This work was very important, because the settlers had made up their mind not to return to Granite Palace until their dual purpose had been achieved.On the one hand, they want to annihilate the criminals and rescue Ayrton if he is not dead; On Lincoln Island, the inhabitants are thoroughly aware of: the whole of the east coast from Cape Claw to Cape Mandible, the wide sloppy moor, the environs of Lake Grant, the Woodpecker Wood between the Corral Road and the Mercy River, the Mercy River The watershed and the Red River valley, and finally, the place where the spurs of Mount Franklin set up the corrals.

Other places, though less well known, have been explored, namely: the broad coast of Washington Bay from Claw Point to Reptile Point, the swampy forest coast to the west, and the lookout stretching as far as the harbor of Shark Bay. Not to the edge of the dunes.Except for the places mentioned above, the forests covering the Serpent Peninsula, the whole area on the right side of the Mercy River, the left bank of the Fall River, and the wilds supporting the spurs and valleys on the east, west, and north sides of the Franklin Foothills, they have not explored; No doubt there will be many hidden places here.According to this estimate, there are still thousands of acres on the island that have not been explored.

They therefore resolved to venture far into the Far West, and to search the whole region to the right of the Mercy. Perhaps it was better to go straight to the corral, where the criminals might have gone again for robbery or safety.But now there are two situations: one is that the criminals have already destroyed the corral, and it is too late to stop it; the other is that the criminals are still sticking to it.If it's the second situation, it's not too late to drive them away when they come back. After discussion, they decided on the first plan: go through the forest to the reptile corner.They were to cut the road with axes, and cut roughly the outline of a road sixteen or seventeen miles long, from Granite Palace to the end of the peninsula.

The cart was intact.The wild ass had a long rest and was free to join the expedition.Food, camping equipment, portable stoves, and various utensils were packed and packed in carts. The armory of Granite Palace was currently quite complete, and they carefully selected some gunpowder and weapons from it.It must be remembered that criminals may be wandering in the forest; if they walk in the depths of the forest, they are likely to be shot coldly.Therefore, the residents decided to act collectively and not to leave for whatever reason. It was also decided that no one should be left in Granite Palace.Even Top and Japp accompanied him on the expedition.There is no need to stay behind in this house that outsiders cannot access.February 14th was the eve of departure, which was Sunday.The migrants rested all day and said prayers.They saw that although the boy had fully recovered, he was still weak, so they arranged a seat for him in the cart.Cyrus.Smith made the necessary arrangements after dawn the next day to prevent an invasion of Granite Palace.The ladder used to climb was taken to the grotto.They buried it deep in the sand to be used on their return, for the machinery of the elevator had been dismantled piece by piece, so that nothing remained of the whole assembly.At last Pencroft was left alone in Granite Palace to carry on the work.After dismantling, he used a rope that was divided into two strands, the bottom was pulled by someone, and it was tied down from the top.As soon as the rope was pulled down, there was no communication between the upper platform and the beach.

It was a fine day. It's warm enough today.The correspondent laughed. Hey!Doctor Spilett, said Pencroft, we may walk in the shade of the trees, and never see the sun! let's go!said the engineer. The cart was waiting on the beach in front of the grotto.The correspondent put Herbert into the car, and made him drive for at least the first few hours of the journey.The boy had no choice but to listen to the doctor. The time for departure has come, and the team is on their way.Neb led the wild ass forward.Cyrus.Smith, the correspondent, and the sailor walked in front of the car.Top skipped and skipped happily all the way.Herbert offered Japp a seat in the car, and Japp sat down unceremoniously. The wagon first rounded the bend of the Mercy, walked a mile over the left bank, and then crossed the bridge; on the other side of the bridge was the road to Balloon Harbor.The explorers turned right from the intersection and entered the forested Far West. During the first two miles the woods were sparse and wagons could pass without difficulty; only some creeping vines and shrubs often needed to be cut, and the settlers encountered no serious obstacles in this part of the way. Thick shadows of branches and leaves cast on the ground, forming a desirable shade.Himalayan fir, western pine, gassurina, mountain luxuriant, rubber tree, dracaena, and many other famous species, one after another, as far as the eye can see.The island's bird species is represented here: pheasants, woodpeckers, pheasants, orangutans, parrots and chirping cockatoos, parrots and parakeets.The agouti, kangaroo, and capybara darted away when they saw people approaching, all of which brought back memories for the residents of their first hunt since they came to the island. However, Cyrus.Smith said, I found that these birds and beasts are more timid than in the past.From this point of view, criminals have recently passed through this part of the forest, and we must be able to find their tracks. Sure enough, they found several tracks that seemed to have been passed recently by a small party, and in some places the branches had been broken, probably to mark the way; to any signs of rough sleep. The engineer has instructed everyone not to hunt.Perhaps the criminals were in the forest and a shot would alert them.And to hunt, you have to leave the cart and walk a certain distance.Leaving carts unattended is very dangerous. In the second half of the day, six miles from Granite Palace, the advance was much more difficult.In order to get through the dense forest, they had to cut down some trees.Smith always took care to let Top and Jup in first before entering such places, and they had done their duty faithfully, and if they returned without warning, it was concluded that there was no danger, neither criminal nor criminal. There is no beast.These two belong to the same animal kingdom, and their ferocious natures are exactly the same.On the first night the settlers camped about nine miles from Granite Palace, near a brook which flowed into the Mercy, which they had never known existed, and whose system of waterways made the soil very fertile, That's for sure.When the residents were hungry, they ate a full meal, and then arranged how to spend the night safely.If the engineer had only to deal with wild animals, such as jaguars or other beasts, it would be enough to defend against them by lighting a fire around the tent; be attracted.Considering the consequences, it is better to surround yourself in the darkness of night. They carefully organized the vigil.It was unanimously agreed that a shift of two men would serve as guards, with shifts changing every two hours.In spite of Herbert's repeated protests, the inhabitants refused to let him keep his vigil.Thus, Pencroft and Gideon.Spilett's squad, engineers, and Neb's squad were thus standing guard around the camp. The nights were only a few hours, not so much from the absence of the sun as from the darkness of the overgrown foliage.The forest was very quiet, except for the roar of jaguars and the cry of apes from time to time.Little Japp didn't seem to like listening to monkey calls.The night passed without incident.On the next day, February 16th, I continued to walk through the forest. Although there were difficulties during the journey, what was more disturbing was the boring feeling along the way.They did not cover six miles that day, for most of the time was wasted in breaking the trail with axes. Like the people who settled here, the immigrants only cut down some small trees and kept the tall and beautiful trees; of course, the big trees are not cut down because it takes a lot of labor to cut them down.But in this way, the road is particularly curved.Due to the many twists and turns, their journey was greatly extended. On this day, Herbert discovered several new plant species that had not been encountered on the island before, such as spinosa and black locust with leaves that spread out on all sides like spring water.In addition to the long pods that wild donkeys love to eat on the black locust, there is also a kind of sweet and delicious pulp.Here, the settlers discovered several more bushes of majestic callistos.Their trunks are cylindrical, topped by a cluster of green leaves conical, and reach a height of two hundred feet.Calizon is the king of trees in New Zealand, as famous as the fir trees of Lebanon. As for the animals, there were no other species than those the hunters had already seen.However, although they could not get close, they saw a pair of large birds endemic to Australia.This is a cassowary called an emu, five feet tall, with brown feathers, belonging to the wading birds.Top spread his legs and ran after them as fast as he could, but the emu was running so fast that he left him behind in the blink of an eye. As for the remains left by the criminals, they found some other ones.There was a pile of embers apparently recently extinguished, and there were some footprints near it.Residents inspected it carefully.They measured the length and width of the footprints one by one, and it was easy to see that they were the footprints of five people.These five criminals must have slept here.If there were any footprints of a sixth person, they must have belonged to Ayrton, but after careful study, they did not find any footprints of the sixth person. Ayrton was not with them!Herbert said. Yes, said Pencroft, since they were not together, they must have been killed by the bandits!These hooligans don't even have a den, otherwise we could chase them like tigers! Yes, the correspondent said, they had probably been wandering aimlessly here and there, intending until they became masters of the island! Master of the island!cried the sailor, master of the island!He repeated, as if an iron claw had strangled his throat, and he could not even speak.Then he said: Mr. Smith, his voice was calmer now, do you know what kind of bullet is in my gun? I do not know, Pencroft! It was the bullet that pierced Herbert's chest, and I assure you, hit the mark with it! But no matter how fair and reasonable this revenge was, it could not bring Ayrton back to life.After examining the footprints left on the ground, they could only conclude that they could never hope to see him again. That night they camped fourteen miles from Granite Palace.Cyrus.Smith reckoned they were within five miles of Reptilian Point. Sure enough, the next day they reached the end of the peninsula.The entire length of the forest was traversed, but they found no hideouts for the criminals, nor the secret abode of the mysterious stranger.