Day, for which Dantes had so eagerly and impatiently waited with
open eyes, again dawned. With the first light Dantes resumed his
search. Again he climbed the rocky height he had ascended the
previous evening, and strained his view to catch every peculiarity
of the landscape; but it wore the same wild, barren aspect when
seen by the rays of the morning sun which it had done when surveyed
by the fading glimmer of eve. Descending into the grotto, he lifted
the stone, filled his pockets with gems, put the box together as
well and securely as he could, sprinkled fresh sand over the spot
from which it had been taken, and then carefully trod down the
earth to give it everywhere a uniform appearance; then, quitting
the grotto, he replaced the stone, heaping on it broken masses of
rocks and rough fragments of crumbling granite, filling the
interstices with earth, into which he deftly inserted rapidly
growing plants, such as the wild myrtle and flowering thorn, then
carefully watering these new plantations, he scrupulously effaced
every trace of footsteps, leaving the approach to the cavern as
savage-looking and untrodden as he had found it. This done, he
impatiently awaited the return of his companions. To wait at Monte
Cristo for the purpose of watching like a dragon over the almost
incalculable riches that had thus fallen into his possession
satisfied not the cravings of his heart, which yearned to return to
dwell among mankind, and to assume the rank, power, and influence
which are always accorded to wealth — that first and greatest of
all the forces within the grasp of man.
On the sixth day, the smugglers returned. From a distance Dantes
recognized the rig and handling of The Young Amelia, and dragging
himself with affected difficulty towards the landing-place, he met
his companions with an assurance that, although considerably better
than when they quitted him, he still suffered acutely from his late
accident. He then inquired how they had fared in their trip. Toaccident. He then inquired how they had fared in their trip. To
this question the smugglers replied that, although successful in
landing their cargo in safety, they had scarcely done so when they
received intelligence that a guard-ship had just quitted the port
of Toulon and was crowding all sail towards them. This obliged them
to make all the speed they could to evade the enemy, when they
could but lament the absence of Dantes, whose superior skill in the
management of a vessel would have availed them so materially. In
fact, the pursuing vessel had almost overtaken them when,
fortunately, night came on, and enabled them to double the Cape of
Corsica, and so elude all further pursuit. Upon the whole, however,
the trip had been sufficiently successful to satisfy all concerned;
while the crew, and particularly Jacopo, expressed great regrets
that Dantes had not been an equal sharer with themselves in the
profits, which amounted to no less a sum than fifty piastres
each.
Edmond preserved the most admirable self-command, not suffering
the faintest indication of a smile to escape him at the enumeration
of all the benefits he would have reaped had he been able to quit
the island; but as The Young Amelia had merely come to Monte Cristo
to fetch him away, he embarked that same evening, and proceeded
with the captain to Leghorn. Arrived at Leghorn, he repaired to the
house of a Jew, a dealer in precious stones, to whom he disposed of
four of his smallest diamonds for five thousand francs each. Dantes
half feared that such valuable jewels in the hands of a poor sailor
like himself might excite suspicion; but the cunning purchaser
asked no troublesome questions concerning a bargain by which he
gained a round profit of at least eighty per cent.
The following day Dantes presented Jacopo with an entirely new
vessel, accompanying the gift by a donation of one hundred
piastres, that he might provide himself with a suitable crew and
other requisites for his outfit, upon condition that he would go atother requisites for his outfit, upon condition that he would go at
once to Marseilles for the purpose of inquiring after an old man
named Louis Dantes, residing in the Allees de Meillan, and also a
young woman called Mercedes, an inhabitant of the Catalan village.
Jacopo could scarcely believe his senses at receiving this
magnificent present, which Dantes hastened to account for by saying
that he had merely been a sailor from whim and a desire to spite
his family, who did not allow him as much money as he liked to
spend; but that on his arrival at Leghorn he had come into
possession of a large fortune, left him by an uncle, whose sole
heir he was. The superior education of Dantes gave an air of such
extreme probability to this statement that it never once occurred
to Jacopo to doubt its accuracy. The term for which Edmond had
engaged to serve on board The Young Amelia having expired, Dantes
took leave of the captain, who at first tried all his powers of
persuasion to induce him to remain as one of the crew, but having
been told the history of the legacy, he ceased to importune him
further. The following morning Jacopo set sail for Marseilles, with
directions from Dantes to join him at the Island of Monte
Cristo.
Having seen Jacopo fairly out of the harbor, Dantes proceeded to
make his final adieus on board The Young Amelia, distributing so
liberal a gratuity among her crew as to secure for him the good
wishes of all, and expressions of cordial interest in all that
concerned him. To the captain he promised to write when he had made
up his mind as to his future plans. Then Dantes departed for Genoa.
At the moment of his arrival a small yacht was under trial in the
bay; this yacht had been built by order of an Englishman, who,
having heard that the Genoese excelled all other builders along the
shores of the Mediterranean in the construction of fast-sailing
vessels, was desirous of possessing a specimen of their skill; the
price agreed upon between the Englishman and the Genoese builderprice agreed upon between the Englishman and the Genoese builder
was forty thousand francs. Dantes, struck with the beauty and
capability of the little vessel, applied to its owner to transfer
it to him, offering sixty thousand francs, upon condition that he
should be allowed to take immediate possession. The proposal was
too advantageous to be refused, the more so as the person for whom
the yacht was intended had gone upon a tour through Switzerland,
and was not expected back in less than three weeks or a month, by
which time the builder reckoned upon being able to complete
another. A bargain was therefore struck. Dantes led the owner of
the yacht to the dwelling of a Jew; retired with the latter for a
few minutes to a small back parlor, and upon their return the Jew
counted out to the shipbuilder the sum of sixty thousand francs in
bright gold pieces.
The delighted builder then offered his services in providing a
suitable crew for the little vessel, but this Dantes declined with
many thanks, saying he was accustomed to cruise about quite alone,
and his principal pleasure consisted in managing his yacht himself;
the only thing the builder could oblige him in would be to contrive
a sort of secret closet in the cabin at his bed's head, the closet
to contain three divisions, so constructed as to be concealed from
all but himself. The builder cheerfully undertook the commission,
and promised to have these secret places completed by the next day,
Dantes furnishing the dimensions and plan in accordance with which
they were to be constructed.
The following day Dantes sailed with his yacht from Genoa, under
the inspection of an immense crowd drawn together by curiosity to
see the rich Spanish nobleman who preferred managing his own yacht.
But their wonder was soon changed to admiration at seeing the
perfect skill with which Dantes handled the helm. The boat, indeed,
seemed to be animated with almost human intelligence, so promptly
did it obey the slightest touch; and Dantes required but a short