by Jules Verne
CHAPTER XIV. SENSITIVE NATIONALITY
When the schooner had approached the island, the Englishmen were ableto make out the name "_Dobryna_" painted on the aft-board. A sinuousirregularity of the coast had formed a kind of cove, which, thoughhardly spacious enough for a few fishing-smacks, would afford the yachta temporary anchorage, so long as the wind did not blow violently fromeither west or south. Into this cove the _Dobryna_ was duly signaled,and as soon as she was safely moored, she lowered her four-oar, andCount Timascheff and Captain Servadac made their way at once to land.
Colonel Heneage Finch Murphy and Major Sir John Temple Oliphant stood,grave and prim, formally awaiting the arrival of their visitors. CaptainServadac, with the uncontrolled vivacity natural to a Frenchman, was thefirst to speak.
"A joyful sight, gentlemen!" he exclaimed. "It will give us unboundedpleasure to shake hands again with some of our fellow-creatures. You, nodoubt, have escaped the same disaster as ourselves."
But the English officers, neither by word nor gesture, made theslightest acknowledgment of this familiar greeting.
"What news can you give us of France, England, or Russia?" continuedServadac, perfectly unconscious of the stolid rigidity with which hisadvances were received. "We are anxious to hear anything you can tellus. Have you had communications with Europe? Have you--"
"To whom have we the honor of speaking?" at last interposed ColonelMurphy, in the coldest and most measured tone, and drawing himself up tohis full height.
"Ah! how stupid! I forgot," said Servadac, with the slightest possibleshrug of the shoulders; "we have not been introduced."
Then, with a wave of his hand towards his companion, who meanwhile hadexhibited a reserve hardly less than that of the British officers, hesaid:
"Allow me to introduce you to Count Wassili Timascheff."
"Major Sir John Temple Oliphant," replied the colonel.
The Russian and the Englishman mutually exchanged the stiffest of bows.
"I have the pleasure of introducing Captain Servadac," said the count inhis turn.
"And this is Colonel Heneage Finch Murphy," was the major's graverejoinder.
More bows were interchanged and the ceremony brought to its dueconclusion. It need hardly be said that the conversation had beencarried on in French, a language which is generally known both byRussians and Englishmen--a circumstance that is probably in some measureto be accounted for by the refusal of Frenchmen to learn either Russianor English.
The formal preliminaries of etiquette being thus complete, there was nolonger any obstacle to a freer intercourse. The colonel, signing tohis guests to follow, led the way to the apartment occupied jointly byhimself and the major, which, although only a kind of casemate hollowedin the rock, nevertheless wore a general air of comfort. MajorOliphant accompanied them, and all four having taken their seats, theconversation was commenced.
Irritated and disgusted at all the cold formalities, Hector Servadacresolved to leave all the talking to the count; and he, quite aware thatthe Englishmen would adhere to the fiction that they could be supposedto know nothing that had transpired previous to the introduction felthimself obliged to recapitulate matters from the very beginning.
"You must be aware, gentlemen," began the count, "that a most singularcatastrophe occurred on the 1st of January last. Its cause, its limitswe have utterly failed to discover, but from the appearance of theisland on which we find you here, you have evidently experienced itsdevastating consequences."
The Englishmen, in silence, bowed assent.
"Captain Servadac, who accompanies me," continued the count, "has beenmost severely tried by the disaster. Engaged as he was in an importantmission as a staff-officer in Algeria--"
"A French colony, I believe," interposed Major Oliphant, half shuttinghis eyes with an expression of supreme indifference.
Servadac was on the point of making some cutting retort, but CountTimascheff, without allowing the interruption to be noticed, calmlycontinued his narrative:
"It was near the mouth of the Shelif that a portion of Africa, on thateventful night, was transformed into an island which alone survived; therest of the vast continent disappeared as completely as if it had neverbeen."
The announcement seemed by no means startling to the phlegmatic colonel.
"Indeed!" was all he said.
"And where were you?" asked Major Oliphant.
"I was out at sea, cruising in my yacht; hard by; and I look upon it asa miracle, and nothing less, that I and my crew escaped with our lives."
"I congratulate you on your luck," replied the major.
The count resumed: "It was about a month after the great disruptionthat I was sailing--my engine having sustained some damage in theshock--along the Algerian coast, and had the pleasure of meeting withmy previous acquaintance, Captain Servadac, who was resident upon theisland with his orderly, Ben Zoof."
"Ben who?" inquired the major.
"Zoof! Ben Zoof!" ejaculated Servadac, who could scarcely shout loudenough to relieve his pent-up feelings.
Ignoring this ebullition of the captain's spleen, the count went on tosay: "Captain Servadac was naturally most anxious to get what news hecould. Accordingly, he left his servant on the island in charge of hishorses, and came on board the _Dobryna_ with me. We were quite at a lossto know where we should steer, but decided to direct our course towhat previously had been the east, in order that we might, if possible,discover the colony of Algeria; but of Algeria not a trace remained."
The colonel curled his lip, insinuating only too plainly that to him itwas by no means surprising that a French colony should be wanting in theelement of stability. Servadac observed the supercilious look, and halfrose to his feet, but, smothering his resentment, took his seat againwithout speaking.
"The devastation, gentlemen," said the count, who persistently refusedto recognize the Frenchman's irritation, "everywhere was terrible andcomplete. Not only was Algeria lost, but there was no trace of Tunis,except one solitary rock, which was crowned by an ancient tomb of one ofthe kings of France--"
"Louis the Ninth, I presume," observed the colonel.
"Saint Louis," blurted out Servadac, savagely.
Colonel Murphy slightly smiled.
Proof against all interruption, Count Timascheff, as if he had not heardit, went on without pausing. He related how the schooner had pushed herway onwards to the south, and had reached the Gulf of Cabes; and howshe had ascertained for certain that the Sahara Sea had no longer anexistence.
The smile of disdain again crossed the colonel's face; he could notconceal his opinion that such a destiny for the work of a Frenchmancould be no matter of surprise.
"Our next discovery," continued the count, "was that a new coasthad been upheaved right along in front of the coast of Tripoli, thegeological formation of which was altogether strange, and which extendedto the north as far as the proper place of Malta."
"And Malta," cried Servadac, unable to control himself any longer;"Malta--town, forts, soldiers, governor, and all--has vanished just likeAlgeria."
For a moment a cloud rested upon the colonel's brow, only to give placeto an expression of decided incredulity.
"The statement seems highly incredible," he said.
"Incredible?" repeated Servadac. "Why is it that you doubt my word?"
The captain's rising wrath did not prevent the colonel from replyingcoolly, "Because Malta belongs to England."
"I can't help that," answered Servadac, sharply; "it has gone just asutterly as if it had belonged to China."
Colonel Murphy turned deliberately away from Servadac, and appealed tothe count: "Do you not think you may have made some error, count, inreckoning the bearings of your yacht?"
"No, colonel, I am quite certain of my reckonings; and not only canI testify that Malta has disappeared, but I can affirm that a largesection of the Mediterranean has been closed in by a new continent.After the most anxious investigation, we could discover only one narrowopening
in all the coast, and it is by following that little channelthat we have made our way hither. England, I fear, has sufferedgrievously by the late catastrophe. Not only has Malta been entirelylost, but of the Ionian Islands that were under England's protection,there seems to be but little left."
"Ay, you may depend upon it," said Servadac, breaking in upon theconversation petulantly, "your grand resident lord high commissioner hasnot much to congratulate himself about in the condition of Corfu."
The Englishmen were mystified.
"Corfu, did you say?" asked Major Oliphant.
"Yes, Corfu; I said Corfu," replied Servadac, with a sort of malicioustriumph.
The officers were speechless with astonishment.
The silence of bewilderment was broken at length by Count Timascheffmaking inquiry whether nothing had been heard from England, either bytelegraph or by any passing ship.
"No," said the colonel; "not a ship has passed; and the cable isbroken."
"But do not the Italian telegraphs assist you?" continued the count.
"Italian! I do not comprehend you. You must mean the Spanish, surely."
"How?" demanded Timascheff.
"Confound it!" cried the impatient Servadac. "What matters whether it beSpanish or Italian? Tell us, have you had no communication at all fromEurope?--no news of any sort from London?"
"Hitherto, none whatever," replied the colonel; adding with a statelyemphasis, "but we shall be sure to have tidings from England beforelong."
"Whether England is still in existence or not, I suppose," saidServadac, in a tone of irony.
The Englishmen started simultaneously to their feet.
"England in existence?" the colonel cried. "England! Ten times moreprobable that France--"
"France!" shouted Servadac in a passion. "France is not an island thatcan be submerged; France is an integral portion of a solid continent.France, at least, is safe."
A scene appeared inevitable, and Count Timascheff's efforts toconciliate the excited parties were of small avail.
"You are at home here," said Servadac, with as much calmness as hecould command; "it will be advisable, I think, for this discussion tobe carried on in the open air." And hurriedly he left the room. Followedimmediately by the others, he led the way to a level piece of ground,which he considered he might fairly claim as neutral territory.
"Now, gentlemen," he began haughtily, "permit me to represent that,in spite of any loss France may have sustained in the fate of Algeria,France is ready to answer any provocation that affects her honor. Here Iam the representative of my country, and here, on neutral ground--"
"Neutral ground?" objected Colonel Murphy; "I beg your pardon. This,Captain Servadac, is English territory. Do you not see the Englishflag?" and, as he spoke, he pointed with national pride to the Britishstandard floating over the top of the island.
"Pshaw!" cried Servadac, with a contemptuous sneer; "that flag, youknow, has been hoisted but a few short weeks."
"That flag has floated where it is for ages," asserted the colonel.
"An imposture!" shouted Servadac, as he stamped with rage.
Recovering his composure in a degree, he continued: "Can you supposethat I am not aware that this island on which we find you is whatremains of the Ionian representative republic, over which you Englishexercise the right of protection, but have no claim of government?"
The colonel and the major looked at each other in amazement.
Although Count Timascheff secretly sympathized with Servadac, he hadcarefully refrained from taking part in the dispute; but he was onthe point of interfering, when the colonel, in a greatly subdued tone,begged to be allowed to speak.
"I begin to apprehend," he said, "that you must be la-boring under somestrange mistake. There is no room for questioning that the territoryhere is England's--England's by right of conquest; ceded to Englandby the Treaty of Utrecht. Three times, indeed--in 1727, 1779, and1792--France and Spain have disputed our title, but always to nopurpose. You are, I assure you, at the present moment, as much onEnglish soil as if you were in London, in the middle of TrafalgarSquare."
It was now the turn of the captain and the count to look surprised. "Arewe not, then, in Corfu?" they asked.
"You are at Gibraltar," replied the colonel.
Gibraltar! The word fell like a thunderclap upon their ears. Gibraltar!the western extremity of the Mediterranean! Why, had they not beensailing persistently to the east? Could they be wrong in imagining thatthey had reached the Ionian Islands? What new mystery was this?
Count Timascheff was about to proceed with a more rigorousinvestigation, when the attention of all was arrested by a loud outcry.Turning round, they saw that the crew of the _Dobryna_ was in hotdispute with the English soldiers. A general altercation had arisenfrom a disagreement between the sailor Panofka and Corporal Pim. It hadtranspired that the cannon-ball fired in experiment from the islandhad not only damaged one of the spars of the schooner, but had brokenPanofka's pipe, and, moreover, had just grazed his nose, which, for aRussian's, was unusually long. The discussion over this mishap led tomutual recriminations, till the sailors had almost come to blows withthe garrison.
Servadac was just in the mood to take Panofka's part, which drew fromMajor Oliphant the remark that England could not be held responsible forany accidental injury done by her cannon, and if the Russian's long nosecame in the way of the ball, the Russian must submit to the mischance.
This was too much for Count Timascheff, and having poured out a torrentof angry invective against the English officers, he ordered his crew toembark immediately.
"We shall meet again," said Servadac, as they pushed off from shore.
"Whenever you please," was the cool reply.
The geographical mystery haunted the minds of both the count and thecaptain, and they felt they could never rest till they had ascertainedwhat had become of their respective countries. They were glad to be onboard again, that they might resume their voyage of investigation,and in two hours were out of sight of the sole remaining fragment ofGibraltar.
