Дети капитана Гранта / The Children of Captain Grant

However, the only way to know was to examine the bottle, and Glenarvan set to work without further delay, carefully and minutely. He commenced by a close inspection of the outside. The neck was long and slender, the sides were very thick, and strong enough to bear great pressure.

“We may affirm it comes from a long way off. Look at those petrifactions all over it, these different substances almost turned to mineral, we might say, through the action of the salt water! This waif had been tossing about in the ocean a long time before the shark swallowed it.

“I quite agree with you,” said McNabbs. “I dare say this bottle has made a long voyage.”

“But I want to know where from?” said Lady Glenarvan.

“Wait a little, dear Helena, wait; but if I am not much mistaken, this one will answer all our questions,” replied her husband, beginning to scrape away the hard substances round the neck. Soon the cork made its appearance, but much damaged by the water.

“That’s vexing,” said Lord Edward, “for if papers are inside, they’ll be in a pretty state!”

“If your Lordship would simply break off the neck, I think we might easily withdraw the papers,” suggested John Mangles.

“Try it, Edward, try it,” said Lady Helena.

The bottle was broken. There were pieces of paper inside.

Chapter II. The Three Documents

All that could be discovered, however, on these pieces of paper was a few words here and there, the remainder of the lines. Lord Glenarvan examined them attentively for a few minutes, turning them over on all sides, holding them up to the light, and trying to decipher, while the others looked on with anxious eyes.

“But can you make any sense out of them?” asked Lady Helena.

“That’s hard to say, my dear Helena, the words are quite incomplete.”

“Perhaps the one may supplement the other,” suggested Major McNabbs.

“Very likely they will,” said the captain.

“That’s what we will do,” rejoined Lord Glenarvan; “but let us proceed methodically. Here is the English document first.”

All that remained of it was the following:

“There’s not much to be made out of that,” said the Major, looking disappointed.

“No, but it is good English anyhow,” returned the captain.

“There’s no doubt of it,” said Glenarvan.