Chapter 23 The Island of Monte Cristo
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THUS, AT LENGTH, by one of the unexpected
strokes of fortune which sometimes befall those who have for a long time
been the victims of an evil destiny, Dantจจs
was about to secure the opportunity he wished for, by simple and natural
means, and land on the island without incurring any suspicion. One night
more and he would be on his way. The night was one of feverish distraction, and
in its progress visions good and evil passed through Dantจจs' mind. If he closed his eyes, he saw
Cardinal Spada's letter written on the wall in characters of flame--if he
slept for a moment the wildest dreams haunted his brain. He ascended into
grottos paved with emeralds, with panels of rubies, and the roof glowing
with diamond stalactites. Pearls fell drop by drop, as subterranean waters
filter in their caves. Edmond, amazed, wonderstruck, filled his pockets
with the radiant gems and then returned to daylight, when be discovered
that his prizes had all changed into common pebbles. He then endeavored to
re-enter the marvellous grottos, but they had suddenly receded, and now
the path became a labyrinth, and then the entrance vanished, and in vain
did he tax his memory for the magic and mysterious word which opened the
splendid caverns of Ali Baba to the Arabian fisherman. All was useless,
the treasure disappeared, and had again reverted to the genii from whom
for a moment he had hoped to carry it off. The day came at length, and was
almost as feverish as the night had been, but it brought reason to the aid
of imagination, and Dantจจs was then enabled to arrange a plan which had
hitherto been vague and unsettled in his brain. Night came, and with it
the preparation for departure, and these preparations served to conceal
Dantจจs' agitation. He had by degrees assumed such
authority over his companions that he was almost like a commander on
board; and as his orders were always clear, distinct, and easy of
execution, his comrades obeyed him with celerity and pleasure. The old patron did not interfere, for he too
had recognized the superiority of Dantจจs
over the crew and himself. He saw in the young man his natural successor,
and regretted that he had not a daughter, that he might have bound Edmond
to him by a more secure alliance. At seven o'clock in the evening all was
ready, and at ten minutes past seven they doubled the lighthouse just as
the beacon was kindled. The sea was calm, and, with a fresh breeze from
the south-east, they sailed beneath a bright blue sky, in which God also
lighted up in turn his beacon lights, each of which is a world. Dantจจs told them that all hands might turn in, and
he would take the helm. When the Maltese (for so they called Dantจจs) had said this, it was sufficient, and all
went to their bunks contentedly. This frequently happened. Dantจจs, cast from solitude into the world,
frequently experienced an imperious desire for solitude; and what solitude
is more complete, or more poetical, then that of a ship floating in
isolation on the sea during the obscurity of the night, in the silence of
immensity, and under the eye of heaven? Now this solitude was peopled with his
thoughts, the night lighted up by his illusions, and the silence animated
by his anticipations. When the patron awoke, the vessel was hurrying on
with every sail set, and every sail full with the breeze. They were making
nearly ten knots an hour. The Island of Monte Cristo loomed large in the
horizon. Edmond resigned the lugger to the master's care, and went and lay
down in his hammock; but, in spite of a sleepless night, he could not
close his eyes for a moment. Two hours afterwards he came on deck, as the
boat was about to double the Island of Elba. They were just abreast of
Mareciana, and beyond the flat but verdant Island of La Pianosa. The peak
of Monte Cristo reddened by the burning sun, was seen against the azure
sky. Dantจจs
ordered the helmsman to put down his helm, in order to leave La Pianosa to
starboard, as he knew that he should shorten his course by two or three
knots. About five o'clock in the evening the island was distinct, and
everything on it was plainly perceptible, owing to that clearness of the
atmosphere peculiar to the light which the rays of the sun cast at its
setting. Edmond gazed very earnestly at the mass of
rocks which gave out all the variety of twilight colors, from the
brightest pink to the deepest blue; and from time to time his cheeks
flushed, his brow darkened, and a mist passed over his eyes. Never did
gamester, whose whole fortune is staked on one cast of the die, experience
the anguish which Edmond felt in his paroxysms of hope. Night came, and at
ten o'clock they anchored. The Young Amelia was first at the rendezvous.
In spite of his usual command over himself, Dantจจs could not restrain his impetuosity. He was
the first to jump on shore; and had he dared, he would, like Lucius
Brutus, have "kissed his mother earth." It was dark, but at
eleven o'clock the moon rose in the midst of the ocean, whose every wave
she silvered, and then, "ascending high," played in floods of
pale light on the rocky hills of this second Pelion. The island was familiar to the crew of The
Young Amelia,--it was one of her regular haunts. As to Dantจจs, he had passed it on his voyage to and from
the Levant, but never touched at it. He questioned Jacopo. "Where
shall we pass the night?" he inquired. "Why, on board the tartan," replied
the sailor. "Should we not do better in the
grottos?" "What grottos?" "Why, the grottos--caves of the
island." "I do not know of any grottos,"
replied Jacopo. The cold sweat sprang forth on Dantจจs' brow. "What, are there no grottos at Monte
Cristo?" he asked. "None." For a moment Dantจจs was speechless; then he remembered that
these caves might have been filled up by some accident, or even stopped
up, for the sake of greater security, by Cardinal Spada. The point was,
then, to discover the hidden entrance. It was useless to search at night,
and Dantจจs therefore delayed all investigation until
the morning. Besides, a signal made half a league out at sea, and to which
The Young Amelia replied by a similar signal, indicated that the moment
for business had come. The boat that now arrived, assured by the answering
signal that all was well, soon came in sight, white and silent as a
phantom, and cast anchor within a cable's length of shore. Then the landing began. Dantจจs reflected, as he worked, on the shout of joy
which, with a single word, he could evoke from all these men, if he gave
utterance to the one unchanging thought that pervaded his heart; but, far
from disclosing this precious secret, he almost feared that he had already
said too much, and by his restlessness and continual questions, his minute
observations and evident pre-occupation, aroused suspicions. Fortunately,
as regarded this circumstance at least, his painful past gave to his
countenance an indelible sadness, and the glimmerings of gayety seen
beneath this cloud were indeed but transitory. No one had the slightest suspicion; and when
next day, taking a fowling-piece, powder, and shot, Dantจจs declared his intention to go and kill some
of the wild goats that were seen springing from rock to rock, his wish was
construed into a love of sport, or a desire for solitude. However, Jacopo
insisted on following him, and Dantจจs
did not oppose this, fearing if he did so that he might incur distrust.
Scarcely, however, had they gone a quarter of a league when, having killed
a kid, he begged Jacopo to take it to his comrades, and request them to
cook it, and when ready to let him know by firing a gun. This and some
dried fruits and a flask of Monte Pulciano, was the bill of fare. Dantจจs went on, looking from time to time behind
and around about him. Having reached the summit of a rock, he saw, a
thousand feet beneath him, his companions, whom Jacopo had rejoined, and
who were all busy preparing the repast which Edmond's skill as a marksman
had augmented with a capital dish. Edmond looked at them for a moment with the
sad and gentle smile of a man superior to his fellows. "In two hours'
time," said he, "these persons will depart richer by fifty
piastres each, to go and risk their lives again by endeavoring to gain
fifty more; then they will return with a fortune of six hundred francs,
and waste this treasure in some city with the pride of sultans and the
insolence of nabobs. At this moment hope makes me despise their riches,
which seem to me contemptible. Yet perchance to-morrow deception will so
act on me, that I shall, on compulsion, consider such a contemptible
possession as the utmost happiness. Oh, no!" exclaimed Edmond,
"that will not be. The wise, unerring Faria could not be mistaken in
this one thing. Besides, it were better to die than to continue to lead
this low and wretched life." Thus Dantจจs, who but three months before had no desire
but liberty had now not liberty enough, and panted for wealth. The cause
was not in Dantจจs, but in providence, who, while limiting the
power of man, has filled him with boundless desires. Meanwhile, by a cleft between two walls of
rock, following a path worn by a torrent, and which, in all human
probability, human foot had never before trod, Dantจจs
approached the spot where he supposed the grottos must have existed.
Keeping along the shore, and examining the smallest object with serious
attention, he thought he could trace, on certain rocks, marks made by the
hand of man. Time, which encrusts all physical substances
with its mossy mantle, as it invests all things of the mind with
forgetfulness, seemed to have respected these signs, which apparently had
been made with some degree of regularity, and probably with a definite
purpose. Occasionally the marks were hidden under tufts of myrtle, which
spread into large bushes laden with blossoms, or beneath parasitical
lichen. So Edmond had to separate the branches or brush away the moss to
know where the guide-marks were. The sight of marks renewed Edmond fondest
hopes. Might it not have been the cardinal himself who had first traced
them, in order that they might serve as a guide for his nephew in the
event of a catastrophe, which he could not foresee would have been so
complete. This solitary place was precisely suited to the requirements of
a man desirous of burying treasure. Only, might not these betraying marks
have attracted other eyes than those for whom they were made? and had the
dark and wondrous island indeed faithfully guarded its precious secret? It seemed, however, to Edmond, who was hidden
from his comrades by the inequalities of the ground, that at sixty paces
from the harbor the marks ceased; nor did they terminate at any grotto. A
large round rock, placed solidly on its base, was the only spot to which
they seemed to lead. Edmond concluded that perhaps instead of having
reached the end of the route he had only explored its beginning, and he
therefore turned round and retraced his steps. Meanwhile his comrades had prepared the
repast, had got some water from a spring, spread out the fruit and bread,
and cooked the kid. Just at the moment when they were taking the dainty
animal from the spit, they saw Edmond springing with the boldness of a
chamois from rock to rock, and they fired the signal agreed upon. The
sportsman instantly changed his direction, and ran quickly towards them.
But even while they watched his daring progress, Edmond's foot slipped,
and they saw him stagger on the edge of a rock and disappear. They all
rushed towards him, for all loved Edmond in spite of his superiority; yet
Jacopo reached him first. He found Edmond lying prone, bleeding, and
almost senseless. He had rolled down a declivity of twelve or fifteen
feet. They poured a little rum down his throat, and this remedy which had
before been so beneficial to him, produced the same effect as formerly.
Edmond opened his eyes, complained of great pain in his knee, a feeling of
heaviness in his head, and severe pains in his loins. They wished to carry
him to the shore; but when they touched him, although under Jacopo's
directions, he declared, with heavy groans, that he could not bear to be
moved. It may be supposed that Dantจจs did not now think of his dinner, but he
insisted that his comrades, who had not his reasons for fasting, should
have their meal. As for himself, he declared that he had only need of a
little rest, and that when they returned he should be easier. The sailors
did not require much urging. They were hungry, and the smell of the
roasted kid was very savory, and your tars are not very ceremonious. An
hour afterwards they returned. All that Edmond had been able to do was to
drag himself about a dozen paces forward to lean against a moss-grown
rock. But, instead of growing easier, Dantจจs' pains appeared to increase in violence. The
old patron, who was obliged to sail in the morning in order to land his
cargo on the frontiers of Piedmont and France, between Nice and Frejus,
urged Dantจจs to try and rise. Edmond made great exertions
in order to comply; but at each effort he fell back, moaning and turning
pale. "He has broken his ribs," said the
commander, in a low voice. "No matter; he is an excellent fellow, and
we must not leave him. We will try and carry him on board the
tartan." Dantจจs declared, however, that he would rather die
where he was than undergo the agony which the slightest movement cost him.
"Well," said the patron, "let what may happen, it shall
never be said that we deserted a good comrade like you. We will not go
till evening." This very much astonished the sailors, although, not
one opposed it. The patron was so strict that this was the first time they
had ever seen him give up an enterprise, or even delay in its execution.
Dantจจs would not allow that any such infraction of
regular and proper rules should be made in his favor. "No, no,"
he said to the patron, "I was awkward, and it is just that I pay the
penalty of my clumsiness. Leave me a small supply of biscuit, a gun,
powder, and balls, to kill the kids or defend myself at need, and a
pickaxe, that I may build a shelter if you delay in coming back for
me." "But you'll die of hunger," said the
patron. "I would rather do so," was Edmond
reply, "than suffer the inexpressible agonies which the slightest
movement causes me." The patron turned towards his vessel, which was
rolling on the swell in the little harbor, and, with sails partly set,
would be ready for sea when her toilet should be completed. "What are we to do, Maltese?" asked
the captain. "We cannot leave you here so, and yet we cannot
stay." "Go, go!" exclaimed Dantจจs. "We shall be absent at least a
week," said the patron, "and then we must run out of our course
to come here and take you up again." "Why," said Dantจจs, "if in two or three days you hail any
fishing-boat, desire them to come here to me. I will pay twenty-five
piastres for my passage back to Leghorn. If you do not come across one,
return for me." The patron shook his head. "Listen, Captain Baldi; there's one way
of settling this," said Jacopo. "Do you go, and I will stay and
take care of the wounded man." "And give up your share of the
venture," said Edmond, "to remain with me?" "Yes," said Jacopo, "and
without any hesitation." "You are a good fellow and a kind-hearted
messmate," replied Edmond, "and heaven will recompense you for
your generous intentions; but I do not wish any one to stay with me. A day
or two of rest will set me up, and I hope I shall find among the rocks
certain herbs most excellent for bruises." A peculiar smile passed over Dantจจs' lips; he squeezed Jacopo's hand warmly, but
nothing could shake his determination to remain--and remain alone. The
smugglers left with Edmond what he had requested and set sail, but not
without turning about several times, and each time making signs of a
cordial farewell, to which Edmond replied with his hand only, as if he
could not move the rest of his body. Then, when they had disappeared, he
said with a smile: "'Tis strange that it should be among
such men that we find proofs of friendship and devotion." Then he dragged himself cautiously to the top
of a rock, from which he had a full view of the sea, and thence he saw the
tartan complete her preparations for sailing, weigh anchor, and, balancing
herself as gracefully as a water-fowl ere it takes to the wing, set sail.
At the end of an hour she was completely out of sight; at least, it was
impossible for the wounded man to see her any longer from the spot where
he was. Then Dantจจs
rose more agile and light than the kid among the myrtles and shrubs of
these wild rocks, took his gun in one hand, his pickaxe in the other, and
hastened towards the rock on which the marks he had noted terminated. "And now," he exclaimed, remembering
the tale of the Arabian fisherman, which Faria had related to him,
"now, open sesame!" |
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