"Jules Verne. Off on a Comet. WORKS" - читать интересную книгу автора

a language which is generally known both by Russians and Englishmen--
a circumstance that is probably in some measure to be accounted for by
the refusal of Frenchmen to learn either Russian or English.

The formal preliminaries of etiquette being thus complete,
there was no longer any obstacle to a freer intercourse.
The colonel, signing to his guests to follow, led the way
to the apartment occupied jointly by himself and the major,
which, although only a kind of casemate hollowed in the rock,
nevertheless wore a general air of comfort. Major Oliphant
accompanied them, and all four having taken their seats,
the conversation was commenced.

Irritated and disgusted at all the cold formalities,
Hector Servadac resolved to leave all the talking to the count;
and he, quite aware that the Englishmen would adhere to the fiction
that they could be supposed to know nothing that had transpired
previous to the introduction felt himself obliged to recapitulate
matters from the very beginning.

"You must be aware, gentlemen," began the count, "that a most
singular catastrophe occurred on the 1st of January last.
Its cause, its limits we have utterly failed to discover,
but from the appearance of the island on which we find you here,
you have evidently experienced its devastating consequences."

The Englishmen, in silence, bowed assent.

"Captain Servadac, who accompanies me," continued the count,
"has been most severely tried by the disaster. Engaged as he was
in an important mission as a staff-officer in Algeria--"

"A French colony, I believe," interposed Major Oliphant, half shutting
his eyes with an expression of supreme indifference.

Servadac was on the point of making some cutting retort,
but Count Timascheff, without allowing the interruption to be noticed,
calmly continued his narrative:

"It was near the mouth of the Shelif that a portion of Africa, on that
eventful night, was transformed into an island which alone survived;
the rest of the vast continent disappeared as completely as if it
had never been."

The announcement seemed by no means startling to the phlegmatic colonel.

"Indeed!" was all he said.

"And where were you?" asked Major Oliphant.