нього за вітром. Вдень і вночі дивилися ми вдалину, очікуючи, що побачимо його. Згідно обчислень, нам залишалося плисти менше доби. Або сьогодні вночі, або найпізніше завтра до полудня ми побачимо Острів Скарбів. Курс тримали на південно-південно-захід. Дув рівний вітер на траверзі. Море було спокійно. В«ЕспаньйолаВ» мчала вперед, іноді її бушприт кропили хвилі. Все йшло чудово. Всі перебували у відмінному стані духу, всі раділи закінченню першої половини нашого плавання.
Коли зайшло сонце й робота моя була закінчена, я, прямуючи до своєї ліжку, раптом подумав, що непогано було б з'їсти яблуко. Швидко вискочив я на палубу. Вахтові дивилися вперед за курсом, сподіваючись побачити острів. Рульовий, спостерігаючи за Навітряною кутом вітрил, тихенько посвистував. Все було тихо, тільки вода шелестіла за бортом.
THERE was a great rush of feet across the deck. I could hear people tumbling up from the cabin and the forecastle, and slipping in an instant outside my barrel, I dived behind the fore-sail, made a double towards the stern, and came out upon the open deck in time to join Hunter and Dr. Livesey in the rush for the weather bow.
There all hands were already congregated. A belt of fog had lifted almost simultaneously with the appearance of the moon. Away to the south-west of us we saw two low hills, about a couple of miles apart, and rising behind one of them a third and higher hill, whose peak was still buried in the fog. All three seemed sharp and conical in figure.
So much I saw, almost in a dream, for I had not yet recovered from my horrid fear of a minute or two before. And then I heard the voice of Captain Smollett issuing orders. The HISPANIOLA was laid a couple of points nearer the wind and now sailed a course that would just clear the island on the east.
В«And now, men,В» said the captain, when all was sheeted home, В«has any one of you ever seen that land ahead?В»
В«I have, sir,В» said Silver. В«I've watered there with a trader I was cook in.В»
В«The anchorage is on the south, behind an islet, I fancy?В» asked the captain.
В«Yes, sir; Skeleton Island they calls it. It were a main place for pirates once, and a hand we had on board knowed all their names for it. That hill to the nor'ard they calls the Fore-mast Hill; there are three hills in a row running south'ard - fore, main, and mizzen, sir. But the main - that's the big un, with the cloud on it - they usually calls the Spy-glass, by reason of a lookout they kept when they was in the anchorage cleaning, for it's there they cleaned their ships, sir, asking your pardon. В»
