The Mysterious Island — Chapter 29 in French
By Jules Verne
Les colons de l’île Lincoln avaient donc reconquis leur domicile, sans avoir été obligés de suivre l’ancien déversoir, ce qui leur épargna des travaux de maçonnerie. The settlers in Lincoln Island had now regained their dwelling, without having been obliged to reach it by the old opening, and were therefore spared the trouble of mason's work. Il était heureux, en vérité, qu’au moment où ils se disposaient à le faire, la bande de singes eût été prise d’une terreur, non moins subite qu’inexplicable, qui les avait chassés de Granite-house. It was certainly lucky, that at the moment they were about to set out to do so, the apes had been seized with that terror, no less sudden than inexplicable, which had driven them out of Granite House. Ces animaux avaient-ils donc pressenti qu’un assaut sérieux allait leur être donné par une autre voie ? Had the animals discovered that they were about to be attacked from another direction? C’était à peu près la seule façon d’interpréter leur mouvement de retraite. This was the only explanation of their sudden retreat.
Pendant les dernières heures de cette journée, les cadavres des singes furent transportés dans le bois, où on les enterra ; puis, les colons s’employèrent à réparer le désordre causé par les intrus, — désordre et non dégât, car s’ils avaient bouleversé le mobilier des chambres, du moins n’avaient-ils rien brisé. During the day the bodies of the apes were carried into the wood, where they were buried; then the settlers busied themselves in repairing the disorder caused by the intruders, disorder but not damage, for although they had turned everything in the rooms topsy-turvy, yet they had broken nothing. Nab ralluma ses fourneaux, et les réserves de l’office fournirent un repas substantiel auquel tous firent largement honneur. Neb relighted his stove, and the stores in the larder furnished a substantial repast, to which all did ample justice.
Jup ne fut point oublié, et il mangea avec appétit des amandes de pignon et des racines de rrhyomes, dont il se vit abondamment approvisionné. Jup was not forgotten, and he ate with relish some stonepine almonds and rhizome roots, with which he was abundantly supplied. Pencroff avait délié ses bras, mais il jugea convenable de lui laisser les entraves aux jambes jusqu’au moment où il pourrait compter sur sa résignation. Pencroft had unfastened his arms, but judged it best to have his legs tied until they were more sure of his submission.
Puis, avant de se coucher, Cyrus Smith et ses compagnons, assis autour de la table, discutèrent quelques projets dont l’exécution était urgente. Then, before retiring to rest, Harding and his companions seated round their table, discussed those plans, the execution of which was most pressing. Les plus importants et les plus pressés étaient l’établissement d’un pont sur la Mercy, afin de mettre la partie sud de l’île en communication avec Granite-house, puis la fondation d’un corral, destiné au logement des mouflons ou autres animaux à laine qu’il convenait de capturer. The most important and most urgent was the establishment of a bridge over the Mercy, so as to form a communication with the southern part of the island and Granite House; then the making of an enclosure for the musmons or other woolly animals which they wished to capture.