The Mysterious Island Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Captain Grant's Children

Chapter 166 The Mysterious Island (51)
"Pencroft!" Cyrus Harding stopped him.

Jardin Splane was still watching the wounded child intently.Hubbert's face was still frighteningly pale, which worried the reporter very much.

"Mr. Cyrus," said he, "I'm not a doctor. . . It's very difficult for me. . . You must help me, give me some advice, some experience! . . . "

"What you need most is to remain calm... sir," replied the engineer, and took the reporter's hand, "... you must calmly make a judgment... keep thinking in your mind: you must save Haber special!"

His words restored to Jardine Splane the self-control which had been lost to him by a strong sense of responsibility when he was discouraged.He sat back on the bed, while Cyrus Harding stood by.

Pencroft tore his own shirt, and mechanically fashioned it into a bandage.

Jardine Splane explained the situation to Cyrus Harding, thinking that the first thing to do was to stop the bleeding, but it could not stop the wound, or cause the wound to grow immediately, because there was a hole in the body, and the pus had to flow out. Allow pus to accumulate in the chest.

Cyrus Harding was fully assented, and it was resolved to have both wounds bandaged, but not to allow their immediate healing.Fortunately, they do not appear to require debridement surgery.

But now, can they find an effective way to deal with sudden inflammation?
Fortunately, they found it.Nature gave it generously, that is cool water.Cool water is the best sedative for an inflamed wound.In serious cases it has become the best cure, and is now commonly prescribed by all physicians.In addition, cold water has another advantage: it can give the wound an absolute rest and prevent it from being bandaged prematurely.This is very important. Experience has proved that the contact of the wound with air in the first few days is absolutely not beneficial to the body.

Thus Jardine Splane and Cyrus Harding reasoned with their common sense, and it so happens that the best surgeons are likely to do the same.They applied to poor Harbert's two wounds some dressings of cloth, which were to be constantly soaked with cold water.

The sailors had long since lit the fire in the house, and there was no shortage of necessities in the house.There was maple syrup, and herbs, and the herbs happened to be collected by the young man at the "Grant Lake" earlier, and they were just right for making some herbal tea.While Hubbert was still unconscious, they gave him some to drink.Hubbert was still dying and could die at any moment.

The next day, November 11th, Cyrus Harding and his companions saw some hope.Hubbert gradually got out of that long period of rigidity and gradually regained consciousness.He also opened his eyes, and recognized Cyrus Harding, the reporter, Pencroft, and said a few words.He didn't remember what happened, so everyone told him about it.Jardin Splane demanded absolute stillness and told him that he was out of danger and that his wounds would heal in a few days.In addition, Hubbert has almost no pain.This is because the wound is not inflamed because of the constant spraying of cold water on the wound.The pus was discharged completely, and the body temperature did not show a tendency to increase.From this point of view, this serious injury should not cause other more serious consequences.Pencroft's suspenseful heart gradually relaxed.Now he looked like a nun, like a mother at her child's bedside.

Hubbert felt a little tired, and gradually fell into a half-sleeping state again, but his sleep was obviously better.

"Tell me one more time that you have confidence, Mr. Splain!" said Pencroft. "Tell me one more time that you can save Herbert!"

"Yes, we will definitely revive him!" The reporter replied, "His injuries are serious, and the bullet may have penetrated his lung, but it will not be fatal."

"God bless you!" muttered Pencroft repeatedly.

During the twenty-four hours since their arrival at the Corral, the settlers had been so devoted to caring for Hubbert that they had no time to think about the harm the criminals would do to them if they returned, or what to do next.

Cyrus Harding conferred with the reporter what was to be done next, while Pencroft stood guard at the bedside of his dear one.

First of all, they searched the "corral", but still found no trace of Ayrton.Had the poor man really been taken away by his former companions?Had he been attacked by surprise in the "corral"?Had he resisted, and finally failed?The last hypothesis seems likely.As Jardine Splane climbed the fence, he had clearly seen a convict fleeing along the southern spur of Franklin's Peak, when Top rushed to him.He was one of the culprits in the boat that crashed on the rocks at the mouth of the Thanksgiving River.Besides, the one killed by Cyrus Harding, of course one of Bob Harvey's gang, lay outside the corral.

The "corral" was not damaged in any way.All the doors were closed, and the domestic animals did not escape into the forest.Neither in the house nor by the fence did there remain any traces of struggle or damage.Only the weapons and ammunition provided for Ayrton disappeared with him.

"Ayrton must have been attacked by surprise," said Cyrus Harding. "He must have fought hard, but unfortunately he was defeated."

"Yes! That's how it should be!" replied the reporter. "And then the criminals probably settled here, because they found that the supplies here were plentiful. They didn't run away until they saw us coming. Obviously, no matter what Dead or alive, Ayrton was not here when we came!"

"The forest must be searched," said the engineer, "and the rascals must be cleared from the island. Pencroft's hunch was right, and he had hoped to hunt them down like wild beasts. Then we might avoid such misfortunes. Already!"

"Yes," replied the reporter, "now we must be cruel to them!"

"At any rate," said the engineer, "we cannot leave at once, but remain in the 'corral' until it is safe to transport Harbert back to 'Granite House.'"

"But is Naboo in danger?" The reporter was worried.

"Nab should be fine, safe."

"What if he feels worried when he sees that we don't go back all the time, so he takes the risk to take a look?"

"He must not be allowed to come here!" Cyrus Harding judged at once. "He will meet with misfortune on the road!"

"But he will probably do everything possible to come here to find us!"

"We could have informed him if we could still send telegrams, but we can't now! We can't leave Pencroft and Herbert here alone! . . . Well, I'll go to Granite Palace myself." .”

"No way! Cyrus," replied the reporter, "you must not take any chances! Your courage will not help. Those villains must be watching the 'corral' not far away. They may be in ambush in the dense surrounding In the woods, we would be more sorry if another accident happened to you. It would be two unfortunate incidents, not one!"

"But what about Neb at Granite House?" said the engineer. "He has not heard from us for twenty-four hours! He will surely come!"

"He's certainly less vigilant than we are," said Jardin Splane. "He's going to be attacked! . . . "

"Is there no other way to tell him?"

The engineer was thinking, and his eyes gradually fell on Top. He saw it walking around, as if saying, "Isn't there still me?"

"Let Top go!" cried Cyrus Harding.

Top jumped at the master's call.

"That's right, we can let Top go back!" said the reporter, and he also agreed with the engineer's idea, "Top can go where we can't go! Let him send the news here to Granite Palace, Bring back news of Granite Palace!"

"Quickly, then!" replied Cyrus Harding, "quickly!"

Jardin Splane immediately tore off a page from his notebook, and quickly wrote the following lines on it:

"We've reached the 'corral'. Herbert is wounded. Be on your guard. Don't leave the 'Granite House.' Is there any criminal around here? Write back for Top to bring it back."

This short letter contained all that Neb should know, and also asked what they wanted to know.After the letter was folded, it was fastened in a conspicuous place on Top's collar.

"Top, my friend!" said the Engineer, stroking it. "Go to Neb, Top! Go to Neb! Go!"

Top jumped again at these words.It guessed what the owner wanted it to do.He knew the way to the "corral" well, and he could walk it in less than half an hour.Had Cyrus Harding and the reporter ventured, something might have happened, but Top could run through the grass or under the trees without being seen.

The engineer walks to the door of the "corral" and pushes a door open.

"Neb! Top, go to Neb!" repeated the engineer, pointing his hand in the direction of Granite Palace.

Top rushed outside, and in an instant he was gone.

"It's bound to come!" said the reporter.

"Yes, and he will come back safely, what a faithful dog!"

"What time is it?" Jardine Splane asked.

"ten o'clock."

"It will be back in about an hour. We'll be waiting for it."

They closed the door to the "corral".Engineers and reporters went back inside.Hubbert was still in a drowsy sleep.Pencroft kept the dressing moist.Jardin Splane, seeing that there was nothing to do for the time being, busied himself getting some food, while keeping a close eye on that part of the fence near the branch of the ridge, where criminals might attack.

The emigrants waited anxiously for Top's return.About eleven o'clock Cyrus Harding took up his carbine, and hid behind the door, which he intended to open at the sound of the dogs barking.They firmly believed that if Top reached Granite House safely, Neb would send him back at once.

After waiting there for about 10 minutes, suddenly there was a gunshot outside, followed by several dogs barking.

The engineer opened the door and saw a wisp of smoke floating in the forest a hundred paces away, so he fired a few shots in the direction of the smoke.

Meanwhile, Top jumped into the "corral."They immediately closed the door.

"Top, good Top!" cried the engineer, clasping the dog's great head in his arms.

A note was fastened to its collar, and Cyrus Harding saw Neb writing these words in bold letters:
"There are no pirates around Granite House. I will not leave here. Bless poor Harbert!"

heal hubbert

As it turned out, the criminals were still hiding nearby and watching the "corral" and tried to kill the immigrants one by one!Now it seems that these criminals are not worthy of pity at all, they can only be treated as beasts.But now the immigrants have to be more careful, because these bad guys are in a good position at this time.They are in the dark and can see the immigrants, but the immigrants are in the light and cannot know where they are.They could organize a surprise attack at any time if they wanted to, but they would not be surprised.

Cyrus Harding arranged for them to be lodged in the "corral," where there was sufficient food to sustain them for some time.Ayrton's house still contained all the necessities of life. Although the criminals had been here, they were frightened by the sudden arrival of the immigrants and did not have time to snatch these things in their haste.As Jardin Splane said, it may have happened as follows: the six escaped criminals had been operating on the southern coast since they landed on the island.After crossing the two coasts of the Serpentine Peninsula, unwilling to venture into the deep and dense forests of the Far West, they came as far as the mouth of the "Cascade River".Once there they proceeded along the right bank of the river to the spurs of Franklin's Peak, between which they naturally sought shelter, and they soon discovered the then deserted "animals." column".There they settled down, and waited for an opportune time to extend their black hands to the inhabitants of the island.Ayrton's unexpected arrival terrified them, but at last they overcame the unfortunate man, and ... what happened next is easy to guess!

True, there were now only five criminals left, but they were well armed and roamed the woods all day long.The emigrants would be dying if they ventured into the woods, and in that case it was impossible to evade their attacks and it was impossible to stop them.

"Wait! There is no other way now!" repeated Cyrus Harding, "and when Herbert is well, we shall make a thorough search on the island, and catch all the criminals. will be the object of our great expedition, along with..."

"Find our mysterious benefactor," added Jardine Splane, uttering what the engineer was about to say, "ah! It must be confessed, my dear Cyrus, that he had no protection at this critical moment. We, I mean when we need his protection most!"

"Who knows!" said the engineer.

"What do you mean by that?" the reporter asked.

"I mean we're not really at the end of the ropes, my dear Sprine, and I think his almighty intervention will come in handy later. But let's leave that for now. At the moment, how to keep Harbert Your life is the most critical and urgent."

This is indeed the most painful and worrying thing for immigrants.After a few days, the most fortunate thing is that the young man's injury has not deteriorated.This bought time for the cure, and it was a blessing that the disease did not gain the upper hand.The cold water lowered the temperature of the poor lad, and prevented the wound from inflaming at all.Reporters even believed that the sulfurous water—because of the nearby volcano—had a direct medical effect on wound healing.So far, the pus around the wound has been much less, and thanks to the careful care of the people around him, Hubbert is out of danger, and the fever is gradually receding.In addition, due to the strict diet control, his body became extremely weak, but this is also normal.The decoction is unlimited, and he can get absolute rest.This is great for restoring health.

Cyrus Harding, Jardine Splane, and Pencroft were all made good doctors.They are very skilled at bandaging the wounds of wounded young people.All the clothes in the house had been used up, and Harbert's wound was covered with dressings and gauze balls, and the bandage was not tight enough to allow the wound to heal quickly without causing inflammation.Reporters were always very careful when bandaging Hubbert.Knowing how important the procedure was, he repeated to his companions the lingo that most doctors agree with: a good dressing is harder to come by than a good operation.

Ten days later, on November 11, Hubbert's health improved significantly.From then on he began to eat, blood began to appear on his pale face, and he opened his kind eyes and smiled at his attentive caretakers.When he was in good spirits he talked a little, though Pencroft himself, so as not to waste his energy on talking, talked on and on, and told him the strangest stories.Hubbert asked about Ayrton, and he was surprised that he hadn't seen Ayrton since he woke up, thinking he should be in the "corral".In order not to upset Herbert, the sailor had to coax him into saying that Ayrton and Neb had gone together to defend Granite House.

"Hey!" said the sailor, "those damned pirates! These fellows deserve no pity! And Mr. Smith tries to persuade them with affection! I should give them affection, but mine is Cannon bullets!"

"Have you found no trace of them again?" asked Hubbert.

"No, boy," the sailor replied, "but they can't run away. When you recover from your injury, we can see if these cowards who are good at sneaking up behind us dare to fight us face to face and face to face!"

"I am still very weak, poor Pencroft!"

"It doesn't matter, your physical strength will slowly recover! What's so great about a bullet piercing the chest? It's just a little joke! I have experienced this kind of thing a lot, and I have seen it worse than this , Didn't the body recover very well afterwards!"

Now it seems that the situation is really good. Since there are no complications, the partners can think that Hubbert will definitely recover.But what would happen to the immigrants if his injuries were more severe than they are now, if, say, a bullet lodged in him and he had to have an arm or a leg amputated?
"My God," said Jardine Splane more than once, "I shudder to think that it might have happened then!"

"But, if it should be so necessary," Cyrus Harding said to him one day, "you wouldn't hesitate, would you?"

"Of course not, Cyrus!" said Jardine Splane, "but thank goodness we haven't really been exposed to that dreadful complication!"

Once again, as in so many times in the past, the immigrants used their common sense wisely. They had succeeded many times before, and this time, with the help of a wealth of knowledge, they succeeded!But, hypothetically, will one day exhaust all their knowledge and still not be able to solve the problem?Humans are social animals, they complement each other and help each other.But they are all alone on this island.Cyrus Harding knew this well, and he often asked himself, what would he do if a situation came his way that they could do nothing about?

(End of this chapter)