stiff bow, and
in his Russian accent replied: "First of all, permit me to express my
surprise at seeing you here. I left you on a continent, and here I have
the honor of finding you on an island."
"I assure you, count, I have never left the place."
"I am quite aware of it. Captain Servadac, and I now beg to offer you my
sincere apologies for failing to keep my appointment with you."
"Never mind, now," interposed the captain; "we will talk of that
by-and-by. First, tell me what has happened."
"The very question I was about to put to you, Captain Servadac."
"Do you mean to say you know nothing of the cause, and can tell me
nothing of the extent, of the catastrophe which has transformed this
part of Africa into an island?"
"Nothing more than you know yourself."
"But surely, Count Timascheff, you can inform me whether upon the
northern shore of the Mediterranean—"
"Are you certain that this is the Mediterranean?" asked the count
significantly, and added, "I have discovered no sign of land."
The captain stared in silent bewilderment. For some moments he seemed
perfectly stupefied; then, recovering himself, he began to overwhelm the
count with a torrent of questions. Had he noticed, ever since the 1st
of January, that the sun had risen in the west? Had he noticed that the
days had been only six hours long, and that the weight of the atmosphere
was so much diminished? Had he observed that the moon had quite
disappeared, and that the earth had been in imminent hazard of running
foul of the planet Venus? Was he aware, in short, that the entire
motions of the terrestrial sphere had undergone a complete modification?
To all these inquiries, the count responded in the affirmative. He
was acquainted with everything that had transpired; but, to Servadac's
increasing astonishment, he could throw no light upon the cause of any
of the phenomena.
"On the night of the 31st of December," he said, "I was proceeding by
sea to our appointed place of meeting, when my yacht was suddenly caught
on the crest of an enormous wave, and carried to a height which it
is beyond my power to estimate. Some mysterious force seemed to have
brought about a convulsion of the elements. Our engine was damaged, nay
disabled, and we drifted entirely at the mercy of the terrible hurricane
that raged during the succeeding days. That the
Dobryna
escaped at all
is little less than a miracle, and I can only attribute her safety
to the fact that she occupied the center of the vast cyclone, and
consequently did not experience much change of position."
He paused, and added: "Your island is the first land we have seen."
"Then let us put out to sea at once and ascertain the extent of the
disaster," cried the captain, eagerly. "You will take me on board,
count, will you not?"
"My yacht is at your service, sir, even should you require to make a
tour round the world."
"A tour round the Mediterranean will suffice for the present, I think,"
said the captain, smiling.
The count shook his head.
"I am not sure," said he, "but what the tour of the Mediterranean will
prove to be the tour of the world."
Servadac made no reply, but for a time remained silent and absorbed in
thought.
After the silence was broken, they consulted as to what course was
best to pursue; and the plan they proposed was, in the first place, to
discover how much of the African coast still remained, and to carry on
the tidings of their own experiences to Algiers; or, in the event of the
southern shore having actually disappeared, they would make their way
northwards and put themselves in communication with the population on
the river banks of Europe.
Before starting, it was indispensable that the engine of the
Dobryna
should be repaired: to sail under canvas only would in contrary winds
and rough seas be both tedious and difficult. The stock of coal on
board was adequate for two months' consumption; but as it would at
the expiration of that time be exhausted, it was obviously the part
of prudence
in his Russian accent replied: "First of all, permit me to express my
surprise at seeing you here. I left you on a continent, and here I have
the honor of finding you on an island."
"I assure you, count, I have never left the place."
"I am quite aware of it. Captain Servadac, and I now beg to offer you my
sincere apologies for failing to keep my appointment with you."
"Never mind, now," interposed the captain; "we will talk of that
by-and-by. First, tell me what has happened."
"The very question I was about to put to you, Captain Servadac."
"Do you mean to say you know nothing of the cause, and can tell me
nothing of the extent, of the catastrophe which has transformed this
part of Africa into an island?"
"Nothing more than you know yourself."
"But surely, Count Timascheff, you can inform me whether upon the
northern shore of the Mediterranean—"
"Are you certain that this is the Mediterranean?" asked the count
significantly, and added, "I have discovered no sign of land."
The captain stared in silent bewilderment. For some moments he seemed
perfectly stupefied; then, recovering himself, he began to overwhelm the
count with a torrent of questions. Had he noticed, ever since the 1st
of January, that the sun had risen in the west? Had he noticed that the
days had been only six hours long, and that the weight of the atmosphere
was so much diminished? Had he observed that the moon had quite
disappeared, and that the earth had been in imminent hazard of running
foul of the planet Venus? Was he aware, in short, that the entire
motions of the terrestrial sphere had undergone a complete modification?
To all these inquiries, the count responded in the affirmative. He
was acquainted with everything that had transpired; but, to Servadac's
increasing astonishment, he could throw no light upon the cause of any
of the phenomena.
"On the night of the 31st of December," he said, "I was proceeding by
sea to our appointed place of meeting, when my yacht was suddenly caught
on the crest of an enormous wave, and carried to a height which it
is beyond my power to estimate. Some mysterious force seemed to have
brought about a convulsion of the elements. Our engine was damaged, nay
disabled, and we drifted entirely at the mercy of the terrible hurricane
that raged during the succeeding days. That the
Dobryna
escaped at all
is little less than a miracle, and I can only attribute her safety
to the fact that she occupied the center of the vast cyclone, and
consequently did not experience much change of position."
He paused, and added: "Your island is the first land we have seen."
"Then let us put out to sea at once and ascertain the extent of the
disaster," cried the captain, eagerly. "You will take me on board,
count, will you not?"
"My yacht is at your service, sir, even should you require to make a
tour round the world."
"A tour round the Mediterranean will suffice for the present, I think,"
said the captain, smiling.
The count shook his head.
"I am not sure," said he, "but what the tour of the Mediterranean will
prove to be the tour of the world."
Servadac made no reply, but for a time remained silent and absorbed in
thought.
After the silence was broken, they consulted as to what course was
best to pursue; and the plan they proposed was, in the first place, to
discover how much of the African coast still remained, and to carry on
the tidings of their own experiences to Algiers; or, in the event of the
southern shore having actually disappeared, they would make their way
northwards and put themselves in communication with the population on
the river banks of Europe.
Before starting, it was indispensable that the engine of the
Dobryna
should be repaired: to sail under canvas only would in contrary winds
and rough seas be both tedious and difficult. The stock of coal on
board was adequate for two months' consumption; but as it would at
the expiration of that time be exhausted, it was obviously the part
of prudence
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