Off on a Comet by Jules Verne (best non fiction books to read .TXT) ๐
It was on one of these occasions that he had first met Madame de L----, the lady to whom he was desirous of dedicating the rondo, the first four lines of which had just seen the light. She was a colonel's widow,
Read free book ยซOff on a Comet by Jules Verne (best non fiction books to read .TXT) ๐ยป - read online or download for free at americanlibrarybooks.com
- Author: Jules Verne
- Performer: -
Read book online ยซOff on a Comet by Jules Verne (best non fiction books to read .TXT) ๐ยป. Author - Jules Verne
animal and vegetable, which with proper economy might be made
to last for a considerable period.
In the course of the conversation, Count Timascheff took
an opportunity of saying that, as Captain Servadac had already
been presented to the Spaniards as governor of the island,
he thought it advisable that he should really assume that position.
โEvery body of men,โ he observed, โmust have a head, and you,
as a Frenchman, should, I think, take the command of this
fragment of a French colony. My men, I can answer for it,
are quite prepared to recognize you as their superior officer.โ
โMost unhesitatingly,โ replied Servadac, โI accept the post with
all its responsibilities. We understand each other so well that I
feel sure we shall try and work together for the common good;
and even if it be our fate never again to behold our fellow creatures,
I have no misgivings but that we shall be able to cope with whatever
difficulties may be before us.โ
As he spoke, he held out his hand. The count took it, at the same
time making a slight bow. It was the first time since their meeting
that the two men had shaken hands; on the other hand, not a single
word about their former rivalry had ever escaped their lips;
perhaps that was all forgotten now.
The silence of a few moments was broken by Servadac saying, โDo you
not think we ought to explain our situation to the Spaniards?โ
โNo, no, your Excellency,โ burst in Ben Zoof, emphatically; โthe fellows
are chicken-hearted enough already; only tell them what has happened,
and in sheer despondency they will not do another stroke of work.โ
โBesides,โ said Lieutenant Procope, who took very much the same view
as the orderly, โthey are so miserably ignorant they would be sure
to misunderstand you.โ
โUnderstand or misunderstand,โ replied Servadac, โI do not think
it matters. They would not care. They are all fatalists.
Only give them a guitar and their castanets, and they will soon
forget all care and anxiety. For my own part, I must adhere
to my belief that it will be advisable to tell them everything.
Have you any opinion to offer, count?โ
โMy own opinion, captain, coincides entirely with yours.
I have followed the plan of explaining all I could to my men on board
the Dobryna, and no inconvenience has arisen.โ
โWell, then, so let it be,โ said the captain; adding, โIt is
not likely that these Spaniards are so ignorant as not to have
noticed the change in the length of the days; neither can they
be unaware of the physical changes that have transpired.
They shall certainly be told that we are being carried away
into unknown regions of space, and that this island is nearly
all that remains of the Old World.โ
โHa! ha!โ laughed Ben Zoof, aloud; โit will be fine sport to watch
the old Jewโs face, when he is made to comprehend that he is flying
away millions and millions of leagues from all his debtors.โ
Isaac Hakkabut was about fifty yards behind, and was consequently
unable to overhear the conversation. He went shambling along,
half whimpering and not unfrequently invoking the God of Israel;
but every now and then a cunning light gleamed from his eyes,
and his lips became compressed with a grim significance.
None of the recent phenomena had escaped his notice, and more than
once he had attempted to entice Ben Zoof into conversation upon
the subject; but the orderly made no secret of his antipathy to him,
and generally replied to his advances either by satire or by banter.
He told him that he had everything to gain under the new system
of nights and days, for, instead of living the Jewโs ordinary
life of a century, he would reach to the age of two centuries;
and he congratulated him upon the circumstance of things having become
so light, because it would prevent him feeling the burden of his years.
At another time he would declare that, to an old usurer like him,
it could not matter in the least what had become of the moon,
as he could not possibly have advanced any money upon her.
And when Isaac, undaunted by his jeers, persevered in besetting him
with questions, he tried to silence him by saying, โOnly wait till
the governor general comes; he is a shrewd fellow, and will tell
you all about it.โ
โBut will he protect my property?โ poor Isaac would ask tremulously.
โTo be sure he will! He would confiscate it all rather than that you
should be robbed of it.โ
With this Jobโs comfort the Jew had been obliged to content himself as best
he could, and to await the promised arrival of the governor.
When Servadac and his companions reached the shore,
they found that the Hansa had anchored in an exposed bay,
protected but barely by a few projecting rocks, and in such
a position that a gale rising from the west would inevitably
drive her on to the land, where she must be dashed in pieces.
It would be the height of folly to leave her in her present moorings;
without loss of time she must be brought round to the mouth
of the Shelif, in immediate proximity to the Russian yacht.
The consciousness that his tartan was the subject of discussion made
the Jew give way to such vehement ejaculations of anxiety, that Servadac
turned round and peremptorily ordered him to desist from his clamor.
Leaving the old man under the surveillance of the count and Ben Zoof,
the captain and the lieutenant stepped into a small boat and were soon
alongside the floating emporium.
A very short inspection sufficed to make them aware that both
the tartan and her cargo were in a perfect state of preservation.
In the hold were sugar-loaves by hundreds, chests of tea,
bags of coffee, hogsheads of tobacco, pipes of wine, casks of brandy,
barrels of dried herrings, bales of cotton, clothing of every kind,
shoes of all sizes, caps of various shape, tools, household utensils,
china and earthenware, reams of paper, bottles of ink, boxes of lucifer
matches, blocks of salt, bags of pepper and spices, a stock of huge
Dutch cheeses, and a collection of almanacs and miscellaneous literature.
At a rough guess the value could not be much under pounds 5,000 sterling.
A new cargo had been taken in only a few days before the catastrophe,
and it had been Isaac Hakkabutโs intention to cruise from Ceuta to Tripoli,
calling wherever he had reason to believe there was likely to be a market
for any of his commodities.
โA fine haul, lieutenant,โ said the captain.
โYes, indeed,โ said the lieutenant; โbut what if the owner refuses
to part with it?โ
โNo fear; no fear,โ replied the captain. โAs soon as ever the old rascal
finds that there are no more Arabs or Algerians for him to fleece,
he will be ready enough to transact a little business with us.
We will pay him by bills of acceptance on some of his old friends
in the Old World.โ
โBut why should he want any payment?โ inquired the lieutenant.
โUnder the circumstances, he must know that you have a right to make
a requisition of his goods.โ
โNo, no,โ quickly rejoined Servadac; โwe will not do that.
Just because the fellow is a German we shall not be justified in treating
him in German fashion. We will transact our business in a business way.
Only let him once realize that he is on a new globe, with no prospect
of getting back to the old one, and he will be ready enough to come
to terms with us.โ
โPerhaps you are right,โ replied the lieutenant; โI hope you are.
But anyhow, it will not do to leave the tartan here; not only
would she be in danger in the event of a storm, but it is very
questionable whether she could resist the pressure of the ice,
if the water were to freeze.โ
โQuite true, Procope; and accordingly I give you the commission to see
that your crew bring her round to the Shelif as soon as may be.โ
โTo-morrow morning it shall be done,โ answered the lieutenant, promptly.
Upon returning to the shore, it was arranged that the whole
of the little colony should forthwith assemble at the gourbi.
The Spaniards were summoned and Isaac, although he could
only with reluctance take his wistful gaze from his tartan,
obeyed the governorโs orders to follow.
An hour later and the entire population of twenty-two had met
in the chamber adjoining the gourbi. Young Pablo made his
first acquaintance with little Nina, and the child seemed
highly delighted to find a companion so nearly of her own age.
Leaving the children to entertain each other, Captain Servadac
began his address.
Before entering upon further explanation, he said that he counted
upon the cordial cooperation of them all for the common welfare.
Negrete interrupted him by declaring that no promises or pledges could
be given until he and his countrymen knew how soon they could be sent
back to Spain.
โTo Spain, do you say?โ asked Servadac.
โTo Spain!โ echoed Isaac Hakkabut, with a hideous yell.
โDo they expect to go back to Spain till they have paid their debts?
Your Excellency, they owe me twenty reals apiece for their passage here;
they owe me two hundred reals. Are they to be allowed โฆ ?โ
โSilence, Mordecai, you fool!โ shouted Ben Zoof, who was accustomed to call
the Jew by any Hebrew name that came uppermost to his memory. โSilence!โ
Servadac was disposed to appease the old manโs anxiety by promising to see
that justice was ultimately done; but, in a fever of frantic excitement,
he went on to implore that he might have the loan of a few sailors to carry
his ship to Algiers.
โI will pay you honestly; I will pay you well,โ he cried;
but his ingrained propensity for making a good bargain prompted
him to add, โprovided you do not overcharge me.โ
Ben Zoof was about again to interpose some angry exclamation;
but Servadac checked him, and continued in Spanish: โListen to me,
my friends. Something very strange has happened. A most wonderful
event has cut us off from Spain, from France, from Italy, from every
country of Europe. In fact, we have left the Old World entirely.
Of the whole earth, nothing remains except this island on which
you are now taking refuge. The old globe is far, far away.
Our present abode is but an insignificant fragment that is left.
I dare not tell you that there is any chance of your ever again
seeing your country or your homes.โ
He paused. The Spaniards evidently had no conception of his meaning.
Negrete begged him to tell them all again. He repeated
all that he had said, and by introducing some illustrations
from familiar things, he succeeded to a certain extent in
conveying some faint idea of the convulsion that had happened.
The event was precisely what he had foretold. The communication
was received by all alike with the most supreme indifference.
Hakkabut did not say a word. He had listened with manifest attention,
his lips twitching now and then as if suppressing a smile.
Servadac turned to him, and asked whether he was still disposed
to put out to sea and make for Algiers.
The Jew gave a broad grin, which, however, he was careful to conceal
from the Spaniards. โYour Excellency jests,โ he said in French;
and turning to Count Timascheff, he added in Russian:
โThe governor
Comments (0)