eremony brought to its due
conclusion. It need hardly be said that the conversation had been
carried on in French, 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.

"I was out at sea, cruising in my yacht; hard by; and I look upon it as
a miracle, and nothing less, that I and my crew escaped with our lives."