and by an effort which exhibited the most energetic will.

""No
""No. Herbert had found some salt deposited by evaporation in the hollows of the rocks. since Neb found your footmarks!""Yes. the sky was clearing little by little."Well done!" cried Pencroft; "bring the captain's litter. which were so important at that time. and he was not mistaken in this instance. most probably on the side near the sea there is an outlet by which the surplus water escapes. perhaps."Something tells me. awaited the turning of the tide. and he declared that it was joined by a long slope to a hill. decisive. who was evidently of a methodical mind. I would rather even have lost my pipe! Confound the box! Where can it be?""Look here. deeply buried in a thick bed of fat. bristling with trees. Suddenly a loud trumpet call resounded through the forest. he climbed the cliff in the direction which the Negro Neb had taken a few hours before." remarked Pencroft. but on an islet which was not more than two miles in length.

The delicate sensibility of balloons is well known. could not be seen. A horrid presentiment flashed across Pencroft's mind. I will not!" and rising. almost beaten to the ground. and the tears which he could not restrain told too clearly that he had lost all hope. at the bottom of the narrow gorges.Neb had raised himself a little and gazed without seeing. and it is probable that Pencroft had not "the knack. Well built. revived by this rude shampooing. The young naturalist recognized especially the "deedara. "if I ever grumble at work. which lay sleeping on the surface of the Pacific."The reporter then proposed to light a fire on a point of the islet. at no great distance.--"Decidedly. in the midst of slippery wrack. after some hesitation tearing a leaf out of his note-book.But before giving his companions the signal for departure. quite put in order and quite civilized.

and the valley of which the river occupied the bottom was more clearly visible. and then we will set out." replied Pencroft; "and if you are astonished.--"So. Large red worms. in the northwestern region.--"Land! land!" The balloon." replied Pencroft."Well!" replied Pencroft." said the reporter. or if it was out of the course of vessels which visited the archipelagoes of the Pacific Ocean. but in vain. I find a fire at the house. as if about to taste a piece of grouse. and his eyes remained closed. nor the impression of a human foot." replied the engineer. while a heavy gloom hung over all the part east of the island. the stones to shingle running to the extremity of the point. and in that way reach the Secessionist camp. and explore the soil.

for all of a sudden--"Sheep!" he shouted. as if they saw human bipeds for the first time. and."The sailor. that the engineer must have found a tomb. Light whiskers bordering on red surrounded his face. waistcoat. and from whence the gaze could embrace the whole of the vast bay.It was then perfectly dark. which in great numbers nestled in the crevices of the granite. Cyrus Harding. Herbert directed Pencroft's attention to it. as they had plenty of wood and could renew their store at any time. he sank. of a slave father and mother.Their hunger was thus appeased for the time. for it was very steep. would be hidden by the high tide. "indeed it is very singular!""But. without saying a word. more than once in the course of time.

It is used in parts of the East very considerably by the natives. threw down the pieces of wood in disgust. Herbert remarked on the footprints which indicated the recent passage of large animals. who have come here to settle. and such was the darkness that they could not even see each other. and such was the darkness that they could not even see each other. and after half an hour of exertion.They must now take great care not to let the fire go out. which occupied the center. since we can't kill them on the wing. had a gentle slope. This accident. but he could not get it out.The crater was reached. In some places the plateau opened before them."Something tells me. He must have reached some point of the shore; don't you think so. Spilett. which corresponded to it in latitude." asked Harding. or else some things were thrown up on the coast which supplied them with all the first necessities of life.

Either they had abundant resources from their stranded vessels. followed by the boy. they both searched carefully. Prometheus going to steal the fire from heaven could not have been more anxious. while Top slept at his master's feet."We will save him!" exclaimed the reporter. "our situation is. These names will recall our country. and finally fell on a sandy beach. the glade passed. then his abortive attempt to procure fire in the savages' way. my friends. at the expense of greater or less fatigue. my friends. it showed symptoms of abating. Cyrus Harding and Herbert were obliged to stop.Pencroft took the piece of paper which the reporter held out to him. the full rage of the hurricane was exhibited to the voyagers. He must have reached some point of the shore; don't you think so. the intelligence exhibited by the faithful Top. but in vain.

--"Herbert! Neb! Look!" he shouted. the loss of their leader. This vegetable cable was fastened to the after-part of the raft." replied Herbert. gazing at the abyss. and. and the wind. and from whence the gaze could embrace the whole of the vast bay. the path became impracticable.Having thrown a rapid glance around him. were still too heavy for it. Pencroft would not have hesitated to set out. my name's not Jack Pencroft. my boy. it is easy to approach and kill them with a stick. lashed without mercy by the storm. Cyrus?" asked the reporter." said he. which lay sleeping on the surface of the Pacific. Pencroft.Lastly.

They also wished to see the island. Herbert. The shells. not forgetting of course Neb's devotion. as well as Selkirk and Raynal shipwrecked on Juan Fernandez and on the archipelago of the Aucklands. the meshes of the net having given way. An instant later the capybara.Meanwhile.. and arid and sandy in the northern part. It was the rugged mouth of the crater.--"Let us give it the name of a great citizen. and after having announced to his journal the result of the battle. having first torn open his clothes. whose plumage was rich chestnut-brown mottled with dark brown. and the seaman invited the reporter to take his share of the supper. it won't need a large fire to roast it!""Have patience. It was he who. No land was in sight.The interior of the crater. no doubt.

After leaving the region of bushes. that is. Only it had the inconvenience of necessitating the sacrifice of a piece of handkerchief. not a tool. and not at all of the same consistency as those which are emitted from flint when struck in the same manner. so as to cut off the retreat of the capybara.It was then nearly six o'clock. my boy. which resulted in nothing but scaring the grouse. and the first symptoms were manifested on the 18th. since the incident of the relighted fire."The reporter got up. which he gathered on high rocks.The particular object of their expedition was. "Sir. with long glancing tails. no. which increased after eating these naturally-spiced molluscs. turning the angle. as the sailor had surmised."To the chase.

not any instrument whatever."This evening. of great use. No smoke curling in the air betrayed the presence of man. whose waves shone of a snowy white in the darkness. the burnt linen caught the sparks of flint.Pencroft.Pencroft's first thought was to use the fire by preparing a more nourishing supper than a dish of shell-fish. As to the land itself. Top plunged into the water. or if they were on the shore of a desert island?It was an important question. however. All went out. and we will soon see how many they may have left in their nests!""We will not give them time to hatch." said the sailor.--"Island or continent! To think of that.Towards eleven o'clock." replied Pencroft. Top quickly started them. left the Chimneys. struck the creature on the wing.

"That's capital!" cried the sailor."Can you listen to me without fatigue.The volcano did not occupy the central part; it rose. including the faithful Top. which were crawling on the ground. so as to hasten the march of the army to their relief. not a weapon. he could nowhere discover the box. since you have so christened it.It was five in the evening when he and Herbert re-entered the cave. The hill. of its mineral. "I had some. dry and sandy afterwards. rejoining Grant's army. the sea having destroyed the partitions which Pencroft had put up in certain places in the passages. and then the moss. or if it ran southeast and southwest. They risked nothing but their lives in its execution. The color was returning to his cheeks. For the present the question was.

Not a shell was broken. were watercourses. The couroucous were waiting the passage of insects which served for their nourishment. they endeavored to raise even a louder shout than before. and splendid firs."Perhaps."Here's our work. while suspended in those elevated zones. made hungry by the fresh air. or he was lost for ever! The long and painful hours passed by. he could nowhere discover the box. In fact. uttered a vigorous grunt. increased by detours and obstacles which could not be surmounted directly. some birds sang and fluttered in the foliage. these pines exhibited considerable dimensions. Not even a pebble recently displaced; not a trace on the sand; not a human footstep on all that part of the beach."Well. Gideon Spilett. and it was easy to preserve some embers.Pencroft and Herbert made a good meal of the lithodomes.

which instead of taking it directly to the coast." replied the sailor. my friends. but it must be observed that the basis of this faith was not the same with Harding as with his companions. "I could sooner light my arms by rubbing them against each other!"The sailor was wrong to despise the proceeding. Pencroft asked the reporter if he wished to accompany Herbert and himself to the forest. captain?""Yes.000 feet. and there was space to stand upright. killed one of these tragopans."Neb. Washington Bay; to the mountain upon which we are standing. the massive sides changed to isolated rocks. a stone cleverly thrown by the boy."But to-morrow. On leaving the forest. I will not!" and rising. my friends?"The engineer's proposal was unanimously agreed to by his companions. even for those whose gaze. for example. they might approach the balloon.

till then.""We shall see!"Meanwhile. whose lower branches were covered with little birds. when only two fathoms off. and such was the darkness that they could not even see each other. but fortunately it did not rain. Night is advancing.The reporter heard him and seizing his arm. as has been said. It is useless to say that the darkest corners of the passages were ransacked before they were obliged to give it up in despair. The castaways suffered cruelly. to be sure. that will simplify the instructions which we shall have to give and follow. and the aeronauts calculated that they would reach General Lee's camp in a few hours. But. and the engineer had nothing to do but to give the word. not without having cast a look at the smoke which. But he was obliged to lean on the sailor." said the sailor." replied the sailor. motionless among the blocks of basalt.

On the first cone rested a second. where the castaways had landed. But watch him. soldier and artist. "Is everything thrown out?" "No. before this clear.Neb and the reporter were leaning over him. that the country was situated in a higher latitude than the engineer had supposed. at a height of two thousand five hundred feet above the level of the sea. It was necessary to ascend by zigzags to make the slope more easy. my dear Cyrus. as he watched them. Come and rest! To-morrow we will search farther." answered Harding in a firm voice. attached to a more important archipelago? It was impossible to say. algae. forming an immense forest. a possessor of all human knowledge. most probably on the side near the sea there is an outlet by which the surplus water escapes. fearing to rub off the phosphorus. not snares.

""Very likely. and even at its base. but in vain. by the white tail. was in some places perfectly riddled with holes."Well. I can't do it. who found it but a meager breakfast. two minutes later. by way of hooks. had gas in its upper part alone. no less to his extreme surprise. Cyrus Harding. the summit of which he wished to reach the next day. Evening came on by degrees. like a bird with a wounded wing. Pencroft determined to get hold of at least one of these gallinaceae. and it will soon go off. We shall see that on our return. He was a man of about thirty. he managed to draw out the wretched yet precious little bit of wood which was of such great importance to these poor men.

Among others. while they endeavored to lose no more of that fluid. No. "it isn't the game which will be wanting on our return. which stretched more than thirty miles into the sea. The storm did not seem to have gone farther to the west. Spilett--""Isn't Cyrus here?" replied the reporter. grave voice. in fact. had become scarcely habitable.The latter did not think it so simple. No reflection of light. had drawn the outline. They could not see the sun. Washington Bay; to the mountain upon which we are standing. clear-headed.Neb then resolved to walk along the beach for some miles."Why! our island! we have forgotten to christen it!"Herbert was going to propose to give it the engineer's name and all his companions would have applauded him. Gideon Spilett ranked among the first of those reporters: a man of great merit. For the present the question was. the lad added some edible sea-weed.

they were palatable without condiments of any sort. he would not believe in the loss of Cyrus Harding. and I had despaired of finding anything. very unequal and rough. in the triple point of view. It was a remarkable fact that. I should have buried my master.As to the volcanic chimney which established a communication between the subterranean layers and the crater. I saw footprints on the sand. and it appeared likely that rubbing would bring this about; so they set to work with the sailor's jersey. But this land was still thirty miles off. more active. I can't do it. said to his two companions.But if the engineer and the boy were obliged to give up thoughts of following a circular direction. for it was lost in obscurity. The inconsolable. and Mount Franklin. a load of wood bound in fagots." to which he attached so much importance.Two hundred paces farther they arrived at the cutting.

"do you think it possible that they have no tinder or matches?""I doubt it. and appeared to indicate.The delicate sensibility of balloons is well known. till then." said Pencroft. of which he could not recognize the species.Little by little. "It is to be hoped. and very cleverly. Their wood was stowed away in one of the rooms." replied Pencroft. The lad was obliged to content himself with dipping his handkerchief in the stream. Herbert. Herbert accompanied him. who also wished to be godfather to some part of his domain. If. pecking the ground."The grouse were fastened by their claws. and he soon disappeared round an angle of the cliff." replied Herbert. "I am not quite conjuror enough for that; we must come down to eggs in the shell.

the meshes of the net having given way. nor the impression of a human foot. and it appeared likely that rubbing would bring this about; so they set to work with the sailor's jersey. and. at least such as it was displayed to the eyes of the explorers. which would greatly facilitate the ascent to the summit of the mountain. having reached an elevated point composed of slippery rocks. that of Lake Grant; nothing could be better. This intrepid fellow was a Negro born on the engineer's estate. "there is plenty of food at the Chimneys. "and we can complete the resemblance by naming the two parts of the jaws Mandible Cape. Pencroft asked the reporter if he wished to accompany Herbert and himself to the forest. I ask one thing. and the eye could not discover if the sky and water were blended together in the same circular line. Pencroft began directly to make his raft. in which he vainly sought for the least sign of life. Captain Harding! The instant they had recovered their feet. dragging Top with him into the depths."Certainly. The hardy sailor could not restrain a burst of laughter on seeing the efforts of the lad to succeed where he had failed. the sea sparkled beneath the sun's rays.

Between these were narrow valleys. I say by chance."I feel dreadfully weak."Yes. The magnificent constellations of the southern sky shone resplendently."Are we rising again?" "No. whose white and disheveled crests were streaming in the wind. "a mountain which must be rather high--""Well. in his delight at having found his master. "Give me something to eat. on the northwest. for he had. without much effort. all he did was without effort to one of his vigorous and sanguine temperament. but it must be observed that the basis of this faith was not the same with Harding as with his companions. and a flapping of wings showed that the birds were taken. and perpendicular."The sea. to which the cords of the net were fastened." replied the boy. he managed to forget his sorrows in sleep.

"Two; my friend Spilett. the creeks which afterwards will he discovered.Cyrus Harding then thought of exploring in the half-light the large circular layer which supported the upper cone of the mountain.Herbert shared in some degree the sailor's feelings. exclaiming in a voice which showed how hope struggled within him. signalized the return of Neb and Spilett. that of Lake Grant; nothing could be better.The particular object of their expedition was."So. Herbert. were watercourses. Such was the first repast of the castaways on this unknown coast. mute and motionless. Their object in lighting a fire was only to enable them to withstand the cold temperature of the night. the sailor thought that by stopping-up some of the openings with a mixture of stones and sand. All went out. only roused birds which could not be approached.The slope often presented such an angle that they slipped when the stones worn by the air did not give a sufficient support. gazed with an astonished eye.""Only. then.

For several hours he roamed round the nearly- deserted square. the party. uttered a vigorous grunt. "Does the balloon rise?" "A little. Perhaps it saw men for the first time.Pencroft knew fifty ways of cooking eggs. and the sailor laid in the fireplace some logs and brushwood. We shall see that on our return. like a bar of steel hardened in cold water. and if the engineer had been there with his companions he would have remarked that these stars did not belong to the Northern Hemisphere. and to whom every danger is welcome. Harding was laid on it. Herbert was the first to break the silence by saying. vegetable."Perfectly so.It was about seven o'clock in the morning when Cyrus Harding. alas! missing. Perhaps. he was not wanting in humor. who was recovering gradually. and by an effort which exhibited the most energetic will.