Таинственный остров

           Forseveralhoursheroamedroundthenearly-desertedsquare,surveyingtheapparatus.Pencroftdidthesameonhisside,hishandsinhispockets,yawningnowandthenlikeamanwhodidnotknowhowtokillthetime,butreallydreading,likehisfriend,eithertheescapeordestructionoftheballoon.Eveningarrived.Thenightwasdarkintheextreme.Thickmistspassedlikecloudsclosetotheground.Rainfellmingledwithsnow.itwasverycold.AmisthungoverRichmond.itseemedasiftheviolentstormhadproducedatrucebetweenthebesiegersandthebesieged,andthatthecannonweresilencedbythelouderdetonationsofthestorm.Thestreetsofthetownweredeserted.Ithadnotevenappearednecessaryinthathorribleweathertoplaceaguardinthesquare,inthemidstofwhichplungedtheballoon.Everythingfavoredthedepartureoftheprisoners,butwhatmightpossiblybetheterminationofthehazardousvoyagetheycontemplatedinthemidstofthefuriouselements?—

           "Dirtyweather!"exclaimedPencroft,fixinghishatfirmlyonhisheadwithablowofhisfist;"butpshaw,weshallsucceedallthesame!"

           Athalf-pastnine,Hardingandhiscompanionsglidedfromdifferentdirectionsintothesquare,whichthegas-lamps,extinguishedbythewind,hadleftintotalobscurity.Eventheenormousballoon,almostbeatentotheground,couldnotbeseen.Independentlyofthesacksofballast,towhichthecordsofthenetwerefastened,thecarwasheldbyastrongcablepassedthrougharinginthepavement.Thefiveprisonersmetbythecar.Theyhadnotbeenperceived,andsuchwasthedarknessthattheycouldnotevenseeeachother.

           Withoutspeakingaword,Harding,Spilett,Neb,andHerberttooktheirplacesinthecar,whilePencroftbytheengineer’sorderdetachedsuccessivelythebagsofballast.Itwastheworkofafewminutesonly,andthesailorrejoinedhiscompanions.