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Read books online » Fiction » The Mysterious Island by Jules Verne (ebook and pdf reader txt) 📖

Book online «The Mysterious Island by Jules Verne (ebook and pdf reader txt) 📖». Author Jules Verne



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*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND *** Produced by Norman M. Wolcott Linked Table of Contents produced by David Widger The Mysterious Island by Jules Verne

[Redactor’s Note: The Mysterious Island (Number V013 in the T&M numerical listing of Verne’s works) is a translation of L’Île mystérieuse first published in England by Sampson and Low and in the United States by Scribner and Henry L. Shepard using the same translation of W. H. G. Kingston. English translators often altered their translations to suit current political views of Church and Empire. In the Kingston translation the chapters near the end of the book where Captain Nemo makes his appearance are altered beyond all recognition and all mention of Captain Nemo’s previous life as a “freedom fighter” for Indian independence is removed, in addition to other deletions. The present translation is by the American Stephen W. White. It first appeared in the Evening Telegraph of Philadelphia, PA and was later published as an Evening Telegraph Reprint Book (1876). The present version is prepared from a xerox copy of that book kindly provided by Mr. Sidney Kravitz of Dover, NJ. According to Taves and Michaluk “Although more faithful than any other translation, this one has never been reprinted”. And so after a lapse of 127 years this translation of The Mysterious Island is now again available to the public.

Since the text was hand set for a newspaper there are many printer’s errors (including upside-down characters). Where obvious these have been corrected, although an attempt has been made to retain the original spelling of words in use at that period. Where there is a doubt, words have been altered so that the spelling is consistent. In other cases, like “trajopan” where the inconsistency is traced to Verne’s original, the spelling is left unaltered. A table of contents based on the chapter headings has been added which also indicates the points at which the french version was divided into three parts. An updated translation by Sidney Kravitz is now available from Wesleyan University Press (2001).

JULES VERNE’S LAST STORY

THE THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND ISLAND

WITH A MAP OF THE ISLAND AND A FULL GLOSSARY

By JULES VERNE

AUTHOR OF “THE TOUR OF THE WORLD IN EIGHTY DAYS,” “A JOURNEY TO THE CENTRE OF THE EARTH,” “TWENTY THOUSAND LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA,” ETC.,ETC.

TRANSLATED EXPRESSLY FOR

“T H E   E V E N I N G   T E L E G R A P H,”

AND REPRINTED FROM THE COLUMNS OF THAT JOURNAL.

PHILADELPHIA:

OFFICE OF THE EVENING TELEGAPH, 108 SOUTH THIRD ST.

1876 PRICE, 25 CENTS THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND CONTENTS PART I SHIPWRECKED IN THE AIR

I

The Hurricane of 1865—Cries in the Air—A Balloon Caught By a Waterspout—Only the Sea in Sight—Five Passengers—What Took Place in the Basket—Land Ahead!—The End.

II

An Episode of the Rebellion—The Engineer Cyrus Smith—Gideon Spilett—The Negro Neb—The Sailor Pencroft—The Youth, Herbert—An Unexpected Proposal—Rendezvous at 10 O’clock P.M.—Departure in the Storm.

III

Five O’clock in the Afternoon—The Lost One—The Despair of Neb—Search to the Northward—The Island—A Night of Anguish—The Fog of the Morning—Neb Swimming—Sight of the Land—Fording the Channel.

IV

The Lithodomes—The Mouth of the River—The “Chimneys”—Continuation of the Search—The Forest of Evergreens—Getting Firewood—Waiting for the Tide—On Top of the Cliff—The Timber-Float—The Return to the Coast.

V

Arranging the Chimneys—The Important Question of Fire—The Match Box—Search Over the Shore—Return of the Reporter and Neb—One Match—The Crackling Fire—The Fish Supper—The First Night on Land.

VI

The Castaways’ Inventory—No Effects—The Charred Linen—An Expedition Into the Forest—The Flora of the Woods—The Flight of the Jacamar—Tracks of Wild Beasts—The Couroucous—The Heath-Cock—Line-Fishing Extraordinary.

VII

Neb Has Not Yet Returned—The Reflections of the Reporter—The Supper—Prospect of a Bad Night—The Storm Is Frightful—They Go Out Into the Night—Struggle with the Rain and Wind.

VIII

Is Cyrus Smith Alive?—Neb’s Story—Footprints—An Insoluble Question—The First Words of Smith—Comparing the Footprints—Return to the Chimneys—Pencroff Dejected.

IX

Cyrus Is Here-Pencroff’s Attempts—Rubbing Wood—Island or Continent—The Plans of the Engineer—Whereabouts in the Pacific—In the Depths of the Forest—The Pistachio Pine—A Pig Chase—A Smoke of Good Omen.

X

The Engineer’s Invention—Island Or Continent?—Departure for the Mountain—The Forest—Volcanic Soil—The Tragopans—The Moufflons—The First Plateau—Encamping for the Night—The Summit of the Cone

XI

At the Summit of the Cone—The Interior of the Crater—Sea Everywhere—No Land in Sight—A Bird’s Eve View of the Coast—Hydrography and Orography—Is the Island Inhabited?—A Geographical Baptism—Lincoln Island.

XII

Regulation of Watches—Pencroff Is Satisfied—A Suspicious Smoke—The Course of Red Creek—The Flora of the Island—Its Fauna—Mountain Pheasants—A Kangaroo Chase—The Agouti—Lake Grant—Return to the Chimneys.

XIII

Top’s Contribution—Making Bows and Arrows—A Brick-Kiln—A Pottery—Different Cooking Utensils—The First Boiled Meat—Mugwort—The Southern Cross—An Important Astronomical Observation.

XIV

The Measure Of the Granite Wall—An Application of the Theorem of Similar Triangles—The Latitude of the Island—An Excursion to the North—An Oyster-Bed—Plans for the Future—The Sun’s Passage of the Meridian—The Co-ordinates of Lincoln Island.

XV

Winter Sets In—The Metallurgic Question—The Exploration of Safety Island—A Seal Hunt—Capture of an Echidna—The Ai—The Catalonian Method—Making Iron and Steel.

XVI

The Question of a Dwelling Discussed Again—Pencroff’s Ideas—An Exploration to the North of the Lake—The Western Boundary of the Plateau—The Serpents—The Outlet of the Lake—Top’s Alarm—Top Swimming—A Fight Under Water—The Dugong.

XVII

A Visit to the Lake—The Direction of the Current—The Prospects of Cyrus Smith—The Dugong Fat—The Use of the Schistous Limestone—The Sulphate of Iron—How Glycerine Is Made—Soap—Saltpetre—Sulphuric Acid—Nitric Acid—The New Outlet.

XVIII

Pencroff Doubts No More—The Old Outlet of the Lake—A Subterranean Descent—The Way Through the Granite—Top Has Disappeared—The Central Cavern—The Lower Well—Mystery—The Blows with the Pick—The Return.

XIX

Smith’s Plan—The Front of Granite House—The Rope Ladder—Pencroff’s Ideas—The Aromatic Herbs—A Natural Warren—Getting Water—The View From the Windows of Granite House.

XX

The Rainy Season—What to Wear-A Seal-Hunt—Candle-Making—-Work in the Granite House—The Two Causeways—Return From a Visit to the Oyster-Bed—What Herbert Found in His Pocket.

XXI

Several Degrees Below Zero—Exploration of the Swamp Region to the Southeast—The View of the Sea—A Conversation Concerning the Future of the Pacific Ocean—The Incessant Labor of the Infusoria—What Will Become of This Globe—The Chase—The Swamp of the Tadorns.

XXII.

The Traps—The Foxes—The Peccaries—The Wind Veers to the Northwest—The Snow-Storm—The Basket-Makers—The Coldest Snap of Winter—Crystallization of the Sugar-Maple—The Mysterious Shafts—The Projected Exploration—The Pellet of Lead.

PART II THE ABANDONED

XXIII

Concerning the Leaden Pellet—Making a Canoe—Hunting—In the Top of a Kauri—Nothing to Indicate the Presence of Man—The Turtle on its Back—The Turtle Disappears—Smith’s Explanation.

XXIV

Trial of the Canoe—A Wreck on the Shore—The Tow—Jetsam Point—Inventory of the Box—What Pencroff Wanted—A Bible—A Verse from the Bible.

XXV

The Departure—The Rising Tide—Elms and Other Trees—Different Plants—The Kingfisher—Appearance of the Forest—The Gigantic Eucalypti—Why They Are

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