THE SHIPWRECK

from Kidnapped by R. L. Stevenson

David Bal four, a sixteen-year-old boy, is on board a brig bound for America. The brig meets with a violent storm off the coast of Scotland. During the shipwreck that follows David is cast overboard. He cannot swim and is being carried along by the waves and choked until, fortunately, he manages to get hold of a floating board. After a desperate struggle he is flung upon the shore.

He spends the first night walking to and fro upon the beach for fear he might be frozen. At dawn he finds to his horror that he has been cast on a rocky island, cut off from the mainland by a strait. All his attempts to get across the strait end in failure. Completely exhausted, David gives himself up for lost.

In all the books I have read of people cast away on a desert island, they had either their pockets full of tools or a chest of things would be thrown upon the beach as if on purpose. My case was very different. What with the cold and hunger, I felt more miserable than words can tell. I stood shivering in the rain, wet and bare foot, and wondered what to do till it occurred to me that shellfish, of which there were plenty on the island, might be good to eat. I ate them cold and raw; and they seemed to me delicious. They must have poisoned me, for I had no sooner eaten my first meal, than felt miserably sick and lay for a long time no better than dead.

In fact as long as I was on the island I never could distinguish what particular shellfish it was that hurt me: sometimes the shellfish restored my strength, and sometimes I felt sick for hours.

The second day I explored the entire island and chose a place on a hillside to be my home. I had a good reason for my choice: from there I could distinguish the top of a great ancient church and the roofs of houses on the mainland. Morning and evening I saw smoke go up. I used to watch this smoke when I was wet and cold and lonely. It kept hope alive and saved me from the sense of horror I had when I was alone with the dead rocks and the rain, and the sea.

It seemed impossible that I should die on the shores of my own country and within view of men's houses.

But the second day passed; and though I kept a look out for boats or men, no help came. It had been raining for more than twenty-four hours. My clothes were beginning to rot; my throat was so sore that I could hardly swallow; the very sight of shellfish sickened me. I f elt completely exhausted.

It did not clear until the afternoon of the third day; this was the day of incidents. As soon as the sun came up, I lay down on the top of the rock to dry myself. My mood changed, I was hopeful and searched the sea with a fresh interest. All of a sudden a boat with a pair of fishers came flying round the corner of the isle. I shouted out and ran along the shore from rock to rock.

There was no doubt they had observed me, for they cried out something and laughed. But the boat never turned aside and flew on. It was unbelievable that they should have seen me and left me to die! I could not believe in such wickedness! Even after they were out of reach of my voice, I still cried and waved to them; I thought my heart would burst. But all was in vain. If a wish could kill men, those fishers would have died.

On the fourth day of this horrible life of mine I observed a boat heading for my island. Unable to hold myself back, with my heart beating wildly and my legs shaking under me, I ran to the seaside. It was the same boat with the same men as yesterday. But now there was a third man with them. As soon as they were within hearing, they let down their sail and lay quiet. They drew no nearer and, what increased my fear, the new man roared with laughter as he looked at me. Then he addressed me, speaking fast and waving his hand towards the mainland. Was he suggesting that I should try and make my way across the strait? I picked out the word "tide." I had a flash of hope! "Do you mean when the tide is out..." I cried and could not finish.

"Yes, yes," said he. "Tide."

At that I set off running as I had never run in my life. Before long I came out on the shore of the strait; and sure enough, it had become a little stream of water, through which I dashed, splashing, not above my knees, and landed with a shout on the mainland.

A sea-bred boy would not have stayed a day on the isle which is only a tidal islet, and can be entered and left twice in every twenty-four hours.

Even I, if I had sat down to think, might have guessed the secret. But for the fishers, I might have left my bones there.

I have seen wicked men and fools; and I believe they both get paid in the end; but the fools first.

THE INVISIBLE MAN (extract) by H. G. Wells

The hero of the novel is Griffin, a young gifted scientist. He invents a substance that makes a person invisible and tries it on himself. Wishing to continue his experiments, Griffin comes to the quiet provincial town of Iping and stops at a local inn. His secluded way of life and strange occupation arouse the suspicion of the narrow-minded Mr. and Mrs. Hall – keepers of the inn. They begin spying on Griffin. Finally things come to an open quarrel.

The stranger returned to his room about half-past five in the morning, and there he remained until near midday, the blinds down and the door shut. All that time he must have been hungry. Three times he rang his bell, but Mrs. Hall would not answer it, as she was angry with him for his rudeness. What the stranger was doing was unknown. He must have occupied himself with some experiments at his table. Several times his cursing, the tearing of paper and violent smashing of bottles were heard. About noon he suddenly opened the door and stood staring at the people in the bar. "Mrs. Hall," he called. Mrs. Hall came forward holding in her hand an unsettled bill. "Is it your bill you want, sir?" she asked.

"Why wasn't my breakfast served? Why haven't you answered my bell? You must have thought I can live without eating. What!"

"You should have paid my bill, sir," said Mr. Hall.

"I told you three days ago I was expecting a remittance"

"I am not going to wait for any remittances."

"Look here, my good woman –" he began in a pleading tone.

"Don't good woman me," said Mrs. Hall, "and before I get any breakfasts, you've got to tell me one or two things I don't understand. Your room was empty but how did you get in again? You must have climbed in through the window. I suppose you know that people who stop in this house come in by the doors – that's the rule."

"You might have been more polite, at least," the stranger interrupted her in an angry voice stamping his foot. "You don't understand who I am. I'll show you!" He took off his spectacles and everyone in the bar gasped: there was – nothing behind them! He began to remove the bandages that covered the rest of his face. Mrs. Hall shrieked and fell down unconscious as she saw that the stranger had no head. The people in the bar made for the door. The news of the headless man spread all the way down the street in no time and soon a crowd of perhaps forty people gathered round the door of the little inn. A little procession pushed its way through the crowd: first Mr. Hall, then Mr. Bobby Jaffers, the village constable, and then the blacksmith who lived across the street. Mr. Hall must have been to the police to bring help. They all marched up the steps and entered the stranger's room at once. They saw the headless figure sitting at the table.

"What's this?" came an angry voice from above the collar of the figure.

"You're a strange person," said Jaffers, "but head or no head I'll have to arrest you." And he produced a pair of handcuffs. At the next moment the stranger's gloves came off and dropped on the floor. He ran his arm down his waistcoat, and the buttons to which his empty sleeves pointed, became undone. Then he bent down and began doing something with his shoes and socks.

"Why!" said Jaffers, "that's no man at all. It's just empty clothes. Look!" He held out his hand and it seemed to meet something in the air.

"Can't you be more careful? You might have hurt my eye," said the angry voice. "As a matter of f act, I'm invisible. It's strange, perhaps, but it's not a crime."

"I've got my instructions –" Jaffers said holding his handcuffs ready.

"Well," said the stranger, "I'll come. But no handcuffs."

"Pardon me, but – Suddenly the figure sat down. Before anyone could realise what was happening, the shoes, socks and trousers had been kicked of f under the table. Then the stranger jumped up and threw off his coat.

"Hold him," cried Jaffers, "once he gets the things off –" There was a rush at the white shirt which was fluttering in the air. Jaffers grasped at it, and only helped to pull it off.

"You could have held him faster," one of the men said to the policeman, "why did you let him go?" "Here he is!" another man cried out. The struggling crowd was moving down the stairs and towards the house door.

"I got him!" shouted Jaffers. He held fast his unseen enemy, he must have been hit suddenly as he cried out with pain and fell heavily on the ground. There were excited cries of "hold him!" "Invisible!" Half way across the road a woman screamed as something pushed by her. A dog must have been kicked by an invisible foot as it ran howling into the yard nearby. And the invisible man was gone forever from Iping.

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