Still alone -- The Stranger's Request -- The Farm established
at the Corral -- Twelve Years ago -- The Boatswain's Mate of
the _Britannia_ -- Left on Tabor Island -- Cyrus Harding's
Hand -- The mysterious Document.
These last words justified the colonists' presentiment. There had been
some mournful past, perhaps expiated in the sight of men, but from
which his conscience had not yet absolved him. At any rate the guilty
man felt remorse, he repented, and his new friends would have
cordially pressed the hand which they sought; but he did not feel
himself worthy to extend it to honest men! However, after the scene
with the jaguar, he did not return to the forest, and from that day
did not go beyond the enclosure of Granite House.
What was the mystery of his life? Would the stranger one day speak of
it? Time alone could show. At any rate, it was agreed that his secret
should never be asked from him, and that they would live with him as
if they suspected nothing.
For some days their life continued as before. Cyrus Harding and
Gideon Spilett worked together, sometimes chemists, sometimes
experimentalists. The reporter never left the engineer except to hunt
with Herbert, for it would not have been prudent to allow the lad to
ramble alone in the forest; and it was very necessary to be on
their guard. As to Neb and Pencroft, one day at the stables and
poultry-yard, another at the corral, without reckoning work in Granite
House, they were never in want of employment.
The stranger worked alone, and he had resumed his usual life, never
appearing at meals, sleeping under the trees in the plateau, never
mingling with his companions. It really seemed as if the society of
those who had saved him was insupportable to him!
"But then," observed Pencroft, "why did he entreat the help of his
fellow-creatures? Why did he throw that paper into the sea?"
"He will tell us why," invariably replied Cyrus Harding.
"When?"
"Perhaps sooner than you think, Pencroft."
And, indeed, the day of confession was near.
On the 10th of December, a week after his return to Granite House,
Harding saw the stranger approaching, who, in a calm voice and humble
tone, said to him: "Sir, I have a request to make you."
"Speak," answered the engineer; "but first let me ask you a question."
At these words the stranger reddened, and was on the point of
withdrawing. Cyrus Harding understood what was passing in the mind of
the guilty man, who doubtless feared that the engineer would
interrogate him on his past life.
Harding held him back.
"Comrade," said he, "we are not only your companions but your friends.
I wish you to believe that, and now I will listen to you."
The stranger pressed his hand over his eyes. He was seized with a sort
of trembling, and remained a few moments without being able to
articulate a word.
"Sir," said he at last, "I have come to beg you to grant me a favour."
"What is it?"
"You have, four or five miles from here, a corral for your
domesticated animals. These animals need to be taken care of. Will you
allow me to live there with them?"
Cyrus Harding gazed at the unfortunate man for a few moments with a
feeling of deep commiseration; then,--
"My friend," said he, "the corral has only stables hardly fit for
animals."
"It will be good enough for me, sir."
"My friend," answered Harding, "we will not constrain you in anything.
You wish to live at the corral, so be it. You will, however, be always
welcome at Granite House. But since you wish to live at the corral we
will make the necessary arrangements for your being comfortably
established there."
"Never mind that, I shall do very well."
"My friend," answered Harding, who always intentionally made use of
this cordial appellation, "you must let us judge what it will be best
to do in this respect."
"Thank you, sir," replied the stranger as he withdrew.
The engineer then made known to his companions the proposal which had
been made to him, and it was agreed that they should build a wooden
house at the corral, which they would make as comfortable as possible.
That very day the colonists repaired to the corral with the necessary
tools, and a week had not passed before the house was ready to receive
its tenant. It was built about twenty feet from the sheds, and from
there it was easy to overlook the flock of sheep, which then numbered
more than eighty. Some furniture, a bed, table, bench, cupboard, and
chest, were manufactured, and a gun, ammunition, and tools were
carried to the corral.
The stranger, however, had seen nothing of his new dwelling, and he
had allowed the settlers to work there without him, whilst he occupied
himself on the plateau, wishing, doubtless, to put the finishing
stroke to his work. Indeed, thanks to him, all the ground was dug up
and ready to be sowed when the time came.
It was on the 20th of December that all the arrangements at the corral
were completed. The engineer announced to the stranger that his
dwelling was ready to receive him, and the latter replied that he
would go and sleep there that very evening.
On this evening the colonists were gathered in the dining-room of
Granite House. It was then eight o'clock, the hour at which their
companion was to leave them. Not wishing to trouble him by their
presence, and thus imposing on him the necessity of saying farewells
which might perhaps be painful to him, they had left him alone, and
ascended to Granite House.
Now, they had been talking in the room for a few minutes, when a light
knock was heard at the door. Almost immediately the stranger entered,
and without any preamble,--
"Gentlemen," said he, "before I leave you, it is right that you should
know my history. I will tell it you."
These simple words profoundly impressed Cyrus Harding and his
companions.
The engineer rose.
"We ask you nothing, my friend," said he, "it is your right to be
silent."
"It is my duty to speak."
"Sit down, then."
"No, I will stand."
"We are ready to hear you," replied Harding.
The stranger remained standing in a corner of the room, a little in
the shade. He was bareheaded, his arms folded across his chest, and it
was in this posture that in a hoarse voice, speaking like some one who
obliges himself to speak, he gave the following recital, which his
auditors did not once interrupt---
"On the 20th of December, 1854, a steam-yacht, belonging to a Scotch
nobleman, Lord Glenarvan, anchored off Cape Bermouilli, on the western
coast of Australia, in the thirty-seventh parallel. On board this
yacht were Lord Glenarvan and his wife, a major in the English army, a
French geographer, a young girl, and a young boy. These two last were
the children of Captain Grant, whose ship, the _Britannia_, had been
lost, crew and cargo, a year before. The _Duncan_ was commanded by
Captain John Mangles, and manned by a crew of fifteen men.
"This is the reason the yacht at this time lay off the coast of
Australia. Six months before, a bottle, enclosing a document written
in English, German, and French, had been found in the Irish sea, and
picked up by the _Duncan_. This document stated in substance that
there still existed three survivors from the wreck of the _Britannia_,
that these survivors were Captain Grant and two of his men, and that
they had found refuge on some land, of which the document gave the
latitude, but of which the longitude, effaced by the sea, was no
longer legible.
[Illustration: THE STRANGER'S STORY]
"This latitude was 37 deg. 11' south, therefore, the longitude being
unknown, if they followed the thirty-seventh parallel over continents
and seas, they would be certain to reach the spot inhabited by Captain
Grant and his two companions. The English Admiralty having hesitated
to undertake this search, Lord Glenarvan resolved to attempt
everything to find the captain. He communicated with Mary and Robert
Grant, who joined him. The _Duncan_ yacht was equipped for the distant
voyage, in which the nobleman's family and the captain's children
wished to take part; and the _Duncan_, leaving Glasgow, proceeded
towards the Atlantic, passed through the Straits of Magellan, and
ascended the Pacific as far as Patagonia, where, according to a
previous interpretation of the document, they supposed that Captain
Grant was a prisoner among the Indians.
"The _Duncan_ disembarked her passengers on the western coast of
Patagonia, and sailed to pick them up again on the eastern coast at
Cape Corrientes. Lord Glenarvan traversed Patagonia, following the
thirty-seventh parallel, and having found no trace of the captain, he
re-embarked on the 13th of November, so as to pursue his search
through the Ocean.
"After having unsuccessfully visited the islands of Tristan d'Acunha
and Amsterdam, situated in her course, the _Duncan_, as I have said,
arrived at Cape Bermouilli, on the Australian coast, on the 20th of
December, 1854.
"It was Lord Glenarvan's intention to traverse Australia as he had
traversed America, and he disembarked. A few miles from the coast was
established a farm, belonging to an Irishman, who offered hospitality
to the travellers. Lord Glenarvan made known to the Irishman the cause
which had brought him to these parts, and asked if he knew whether a
three-masted English vessel, the _Britannia_, had been lost less than
two years before on the west coast of Australia.
"The Irishman had never heard of this wreck; but, to the great
surprise of the bystanders, one of his servants came forward and
said,--
"'My lord, praise and thank God! If Captain Grant is still living, he
is living on the Australian shores.'
"'Who are you?' asked Lord Glenarvan.
"'A Scotchman like yourself, my lord,' replied the man; 'I am one of
Captain Grant's crew--one of the castaways of the _Britannia_.'
"This man was called Ayrton. He was, in fact, the boatswain's mate of
the _Britannia_, as his papers showed. But, separated from Captain
Grant at the moment when the ship struck upon the rocks, he had till
then believed that the captain with all his crew had perished, and
that he, Ayrton, was the sole survivor of the _Britannia_.
"'Only,' added he, 'it was not on the west coast, but on the east
coast of Australia that the vessel was lost; and if Captain Grant is
still living, as his document indicates, he is a prisoner among the
natives, and it is on the other coast that he must be looked for.'
"This man spoke in a frank voice and with a confident look; his words
could not be doubted. The Irishman, in whose service he had been for
more than a year, answered for his trustworthiness. Lord Glenarvan,
therefore, believed in the fidelity of this man, and, by his advice,
resolved to cross Australia, following the thirty-seventh parallel.
Lord Glenarvan, his wife, the two children, the major, the Frenchman,
Captain Mangles, and a few sailors composed the little band under the
command of Ayrton, whilst the _Duncan_, under charge of the mate, Tom
Austin, proceeded to Melbourne, there to await Lord Glenarvan's
instructions.
"They set out on the 23rd of December, 1854.
"It is time to say that Ayrton was a traitor. He was, indeed, the
boatswain's mate of the _Britannia_; but, after some dispute with his
captain, he had endeavoured to incite the crew to mutiny and seize the
ship, and Captain Grant had landed him, on the 8th of April, 1852, on
the west coast of Australia, and then sailed, leaving him there, as
was only just.
"Therefore this wretched man knew nothing of the wreck of the
_Britannia_; he had just heard of it from Glenarvan's account. Since
his abandonment, he had become, under the name of Ben Joyce, the
leader of the escaped convicts; and if he boldly maintained that the
wreck had taken place on the east coast, and led Lord Glenarvan to
proceed in that direction, it was that he hoped to separate him from
his ship, seize the _Duncan_, and make the yacht a pirate in the
Pacific."
Here the stranger stopped for a moment. His voice trembled, but he
continued,--
"The expedition set out and proceeded across Australia. It was
inevitably unfortunate, since Ayrton, or Ben Joyce, as he may be
called, guided it, sometimes preceded, sometimes followed by his band
of convicts, who had been told what they had to do.
"Meanwhile the _Duncan_ had been sent to Melbourne for repairs. It was
necessary, then, to get Lord Glenarvan to order her to leave Melbourne
and go to the east coast of Australia, where it would be easy to seize
her. After having led the expedition near enough to the coast, in the
midst of vast forests with no resources, Ayrton obtained a letter,
which he was charged to carry to the mate of the _Duncan_--a letter
which ordered the yacht to repair immediately to the east coast, to
Twofold Bay, that is to say, a few days' journey from the place where
the expedition had stopped. It was there that Ayrton had agreed to
meet his accomplices, and two days after gaining possession of the
letter, he arrived at Melbourne.
"So far the villain had succeeded in his wicked design. He would be
able to take the _Duncan_ into Twofold Bay, where it would be easy for
the convicts to seize her, and her crew massacred, Ben Joyce would
become master of the seas.... But it pleased God to prevent the
accomplishment of these terrible projects.
"Ayrton, arrived at Melbourne, delivered the letter to the mate, Tom
Austin, who read it and immediately set sail; but judge of Ayrton's
rage and disappointment, when the next day he found that the mate was
taking the vessel, not to the east coast of Australia, to Twofold Bay,
but to the east coast of New Zealand. He wished to stop him, but
Austin showed him the letter!... And indeed, by a providential error
of the French geographer, who had written the letter, the east coast
of New Zealand was mentioned as the place of destination.
"All Ayrton's plans were frustrated! He became outrageous. They put
him in irons. He was then taken to the coast of New Zealand, not
knowing what would become of his accomplices, or what would become of
Lord Glenarvan.
"The _Duncan_ cruised about on this coast until the 3rd of March. On
that day Ayrton heard the report of guns. The guns of the _Duncan_
were being fired, and soon Lord Glenarvan and his companions came on
board.
"This is what had happened.
"After a thousand hardships, a thousand dangers, Lord Glenarvan had
accomplished his journey, and arrived on the east coast of Australia,
at Twofold Bay. 'No _Duncan_!' he telegraphed to Melbourne. They
answered, '_Duncan_ sailed on the 18th instant. Destination unknown.'
"Lord Glenarvan could only arrive at one conclusion: that his honest
yacht had fallen into the hands of Ben Joyce, and had become a pirate
vessel!
"However, Lord Glenarvan would not give up. He was a bold and generous
man. He embarked in a merchant vessel, sailed to the west coast of New
Zealand, traversed it along the thirty-seventh parallel, without
finding any trace of Captain Grant; but on the other side, to his
great surprise, and by the will of Heaven, he found the _Duncan,_
under command of the mate, who had been waiting for him for five
weeks!
"This was on the 3rd of March 1855. Lord Glenarvan was now on board
the _Duncan_, but Ayrton was there also. He appeared before the
nobleman, who wished to extract from him all that the villain knew
about Captain Grant. Ayrton refused to speak. Lord Glenarvan then told
him, that at the first port they put into, he would be delivered up to
the English authorities. Ayrton remained mute.
"The _Duncan_ continued her voyage along the thirty-seventh parallel.
In the meanwhile, Lady Glenarvan undertook to vanquish the resistance
of the ruffian.
"At last, her influence prevailed, and Ayrton, in exchange for what he
could tell, proposed that Lord Glenarvan should leave him on some
island in the Pacific, instead of giving him up to the English
authorities. Lord Glenarvan, resolving to do anything to obtain
information about Captain Grant, consented.
"Ayrton then related all his life, and it was certain that he knew
nothing from the day on which Captain Grant had landed him on the
Australian coast.
"Nevertheless, Lord Glenarvan kept the promise which he had given. The
_Duncan_ continued her voyage and arrived at Tabor Island. It was
there that Ayrton was to be landed, and it was there also that, by a
veritable miracle, they found Captain Grant and two men, exactly on
the thirty-seventh parallel.
"The convict, then, went to take their place on this desert islet, and
at the moment he left the yacht these words were pronounced by Lord
Glenarvan:--
"'Here, Ayrton, you will be far from any land, and without any
possible communication with your fellow-creatures. You cannot escape
from this islet on which the _Duncan_ leaves you. You will be alone,
under the eye of a God who reads the depths of the heart; but you will
be neither lost nor forgotten, as was Captain Grant. Unworthy as you
are to be remembered by men, men will remember you. I know where you
are, Ayrton, and I know where to find you. I will never forget it!'
"And the _Duncan_, making sail, soon disappeared. This was on the 18th
of March 1855.[2]
[2] The events which have just been briefly related are taken
from a work which some of our readers have no doubt read, and
which is entitled _Captain Grant's Children_. They will
remark on this occasion, as well as later, some discrepancy
in the dates: but later again, they will understand why the
real dates were not at first given.
"Ayrton was alone, but he had no want of either ammunition, weapons,
tools, or seeds.
"At his, the convict's disposal, was the house built by honest Captain
Grant. He had only to live and expiate in solitude the crimes which he
had committed.
"Gentlemen, he repented, he was ashamed of his crimes and was very
miserable! He said to himself, that if men came some day to take him
from that islet, he must be worthy to return amongst them! How he
suffered, that wretched man! How he laboured to recover himself by
work! How he prayed to be reformed by prayer! For two years, three
years, this went on; but Ayrton, humbled by solitude, always looking
for some ship to appear on the horizon, asking himself if the time of
expiation would soon be complete, suffered as none other ever
suffered! Oh! how dreadful was this solitude, to a heart tormented by
remorse!
"But doubtless Heaven had not sufficiently punished this unhappy man,
for he felt that he was gradually becoming a savage! He felt that
brutishness was gradually gaining on him!
"He could not say if it was after two or three years of solitude; but
at last he became the miserable creature you found!
"I have no need to tell you, gentlemen, that Ayrton, Ben Joyce, and I,
are the same."
Cyrus Harding and his companions rose at the end of this account. It
is impossible to say how much they were moved! What misery, grief, and
despair lay revealed before them!
[Illustration: 'HERE IS MY HAND' SAID THE ENGINEER]
"Ayrton," said Harding, rising, "you have been a great criminal, but
Heaven must certainly think that you have expiated your crimes! That
has been proved by your having been brought again among your
fellow-creatures. Ayrton, you are forgiven! And now you will be our
companion?"
Ayrton drew back.
"Here is my hand!" said the engineer.
Ayrton grasped the hand which Harding extended to him, and great tears
fell from his eyes.
"Will you live with us?" asked Cyrus Harding.
"Captain Harding, leave me some time longer," replied Ayrton, "leave
me alone in the hut in the corral!"
"As you like, Ayrton," answered Cyrus Harding. Ayrton was going to
withdraw, when the engineer addressed one more question to him:--
"One word more, my friend. Since it was your intention to live alone,
why did you throw into the sea the document which put us on your
track?"
"A document?" repeated Ayrton, who did not appear to know what he
meant.
"Yes, the document which we found enclosed in a bottle, giving us the
exact position of Tabor Island!"
Ayrton passed his hand over his brow, then after having thought, "I
never threw any document into the sea!" he answered.
"Never," exclaimed Pencroft.
"Never!"
And Ayrton, bowing, reached the door and departed.