The Mysterious Island. B2 / Таинственный остров

Was this land an island or a part of a continent? Gideon Spilett, Pencroff, and Herbert looked upon the land.

– Well, – demanded Herbert, – what do you think of it, Pencroff?

– We will soon see, – replied the sailor, – In three hours we can reach that shore, and we will see what we can do to find Mr. Smith.

Pencroff was right. Three hours later, at low tide, Spilett and his two companions waded through the water. Herbert swam like a fish; and all arrived without difficulty at the other shore.

Glossary:

companion – товарищ

horizon – горизонт

bay – залив

summit – вершина

ChapterВ IV

The reporter walked further along the coast. Herbert wanted to go with him.

– Stay, my boy, – said the sailor. – We must pitch our camp for the night, and try to find something to eat. Our friends will need food when they come back. We are tired, cold, and hungry. We need shelter, fire, and food.

– We can look for a cave in these rocks, – said Herbert.

They walked along the base of the rocky wall. Then they turned to the south. Pencroff noticed a narrow inlet in the coast. Now it was important to pitch the camp near the water.

The rock rose 300 feet, smooth and massive. It was a sturdy wall of the hardest granite.

Herbert noticed some rocks. On them lay hosts of bivalves.

– They are lithodomes, – said Herbert.

– Can we eat them? – said Pencroff.

– Certainly.

Pencroff and Herbert made a good meal of them, they tasted like oysters. Now they must find fresh water. Two hundred feet further on Pencroff and Herbert reached the inlet. A little river was flowing through it.

– Here is water, – said Pencroff, – and there is wood. Herbert, now we need the house. The river water was clear. Pencroff and Herbert went down into sandy corridors.

This is what we want, – said Pencroff. – These Chimneys will be our house.

– Herbert and Pencroff left the Chimneys, and walked up the left bank of the river. Soon they reached the elbow which the river made to the left. From this point they saw a forest.

– Good, – said the sailor, – these trees will help us to make a fire.

It was easy to gather the firewood: many dry branches lay at their feet.