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Updated: May 11, 2025
Assuredly, if the poor professor had had any flesh to lose he would have withered away to a shadow. But this state of things was before long to come to an end. On the 12th, Ben Zoof, who was hanging about outside the great hall of the cavern, heard the professor inside utter a loud cry.
"The more I see of him, and the more I listen to him," replied Servadac, "the more I become convinced that his calculations are based on a solid foundation, and will prove correct to the minutest particular." Ben Zoof here interrupted the conversation. "I have something on my mind," he said. "Something on your mind? Out with it!" said the captain.
After their prolonged immersion in the boiling water, the eggs were found to be only just sufficiently cooked; the couscous was very much in the same condition; and Ben Zoof came to the conclusion that in future he must be careful to commence his culinary operations an hour earlier.
He pondered the matter over for a long time, and ultimately persuaded himself that, after all, the stores were the common property of all, and that he had as much right to a share as anyone else. Accordingly, he made his way to Ben Zoof, and, in the most amiable tone he could assume, begged as a favor that he would let him have a pound of coffee. The orderly shook his head dubiously.
"How now, Ben Zoof?" said the captain sharply. "What ails you?" "Nothing, sir, only the nightmare." "Curse the fellow, he has quite interrupted me!" ejaculated the captain. "Ben Zoof!" he called aloud. "Here, sir!" was the prompt reply; and in an instant the orderly was upon his feet, standing in a military attitude, one hand to his forehead, the other closely pressed to his trouser-seam.
"Come, let us be off," said he to his orderly; "though heaven and earth be topsy-turvy, I must be at my post this morning." "To do Count Timascheff the honor of running him through the body," added Ben Zoof.
The order, then, was at once given. The work was commenced. A stock of shovels, mattocks, and pick-axes was brought from the gourbi, and with Ben Zoof as overseer, both Spanish majos and Russian sailors set to work with a will. It was not long, however, before a discovery, more unexpected than agreeable, suddenly arrested their labors.
Outrunning even Ben Zoof he hurried to the assistance of his little playmate, and discovered that she was being attacked by half a dozen great sea-gulls, and only after receiving some severe blows from their beaks could he succeed by means of a stout cudgel in driving them away. "Tell me, Nina, what is this?" he asked as soon as the tumult had subsided.
"You are mistaken, Ben Zoof, about our learning," said the captain; "even Professor Rosette, with all his learning, has not a shadow of power to prevent the comet and the earth from knocking against each other." "Then I cannot see what is the use of all this learning," the orderly replied. "One great use of learning," said Count Timascheff with a smile, "is to make us know our own ignorance."
"Professor Rosette, I suppose," Ben Zoof remarked, "would pretty soon find out all about that." "But we will leave this hypothesis," said the lieutenant; "our own experience has sufficiently shown us its advantages and its disadvantages.
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