The Count of Monte Cristo Chapter 23 Summary

The Island of Monte Cristo

  • A day after he makes the plan known, they find themselves docked off the island's coast.
  • That night, they make landfall. Edmond asks Jacopo where they are going to sleep that night. When Jacopo tells him that they'll probably sleep on the ship, Edmond suggests that maybe they'd be better off sleeping in the caves.
  • Jacopo has some bad news: he doesn't know of any caves on Monte Cristo. Still, Edmond doesn't lose hope. He knows the directions by heart, and he intends to follow them.
  • The next day, Edmond takes a gun and goes off "hunting" on the island – which is populated by a bunch of wild goats. Jacopo insists on tagging along, but Edmond quickly dispatches of him by killing a goat and forcing Jacopo to carry it back to camp. Edmond spends the day searching the island with little success.
  • When dinnertime rolls around, the rest of the crew fires a shot to get Edmond's attention.
  • Edmond runs back toward the group, moving quickly, recklessly. He loses his footing, cries out, then falls out of sight.
  • Jacopo finds Edmond lying on the ground, covered in blood. Edmond claims to be badly injured and will not even let them carry him back to camp.
  • An hour later, they return to find Edmond looking no better. The captain suggests that they delay their departure so that Edmond can recover, but he'll hear nothing of it. He asks to be left alone with a gun and a pickaxe, so that, you know, he can build a shelter. Though the captain warns Edmond that they won't be back near Monte Cristo for at least a week, he tells the captain not to worry. If they run into another boat headed in the right direction, he says, tell them to come my way; I'll pay them for their trouble.
  • Once again, he turns down Jacopo's offer of help, and, finally, they leave.
  • After watching the ship disappear over the horizon, Edmond hops up, filled with energy, and sets to work.