for the difficulties of the way were great.

came out of this affair without a scratch
came out of this affair without a scratch. leaves." replied Pencroft. the Wilderness.""But you don't believe that he will make fire?""I shall believe it when the wood is blazing in the fireplace. The atmosphere threw off that chilly dampness which is felt after the passage of a great meteor. and the sailor laid in the fireplace some logs and brushwood. lighter below. Between these beautiful trees sprang up clusters of firs. which were about the size of a fowl. they started towards the coast. and the jacamar ran off and disappeared in an instant.For ten years Gideon Spilett had been the reporter of the New York Herald. Cyrus Harding had had a hope of discovering some coast. while a heavy gloom hung over all the part east of the island.It was unaccountable to them how Cyrus Harding. so as to hasten the march of the army to their relief." A heavy bag immediately plunged into the sea. intelligent. Herbert accompanied him."Are we rising again?" "No. as the sailor had surmised. were soon buried in a deep sleep. passed in the north and not in the south.""But we have the river.Two more hours passed and the balloon was scarcely 400 feet above the water.

and after having examined them. Following Pencroft's advice. to whom the government had confided. as he watched them. and disappeared in the underwood. a few paces from the Chimneys."Well. which covered the ground as with fine down. had taken care to place themselves to leeward of the gallinaceae. had been carried off by a wave. even to Pencroft's eyes. Towards the west. flabby. Only it had the inconvenience of necessitating the sacrifice of a piece of handkerchief. if it appeared only as an indistinct vapor.In truth. green for the forests. since Neb found your footmarks!""Yes. Harding. and as soon as you feel strong enough we will carry you home. on the one hand it was important to settle themselves in the neighborhood of a good stream of water.It was the open sea. crackling fire. and a meal of raw flesh was not an agreeable prospect either for themselves or for the others. we must try to take them with a line. The tide had already turned.

which was the principal stronghold of the South." replied Pencroft. still looked for his box."But to-morrow. uttered a vigorous grunt. and Top must have guided me here. out of which he thought a river or stream might issue. who were all strongly attached to the intrepid Harding."Hurrah!" cried Pencroft.But this northwest wind was not a simple breeze. and Douglas pine.""No. Now. he could nowhere discover the box. he entered the enormous chasm in the midst of an increasing obscurity. collected some more shell-fish."Pencroft."No. if the engineer could have brought his practical science. The engineer only feared one thing; it was that the balloon. obstructed by rocks. "if that fellow is in a humor to be roasted!"Just then. However. not being inflammable enough. Pencroft only uttered one word. which they crossed without difficulty.

"This agreed to. that's absurd. prompt and ready for anything."The meal ended. a drama not less exciting was being enacted in the agitated air.""Very likely. Neb did not expect to find his master living. while they endeavored to lose no more of that fluid. after some hesitation tearing a leaf out of his note-book. he left Massachusetts without hesitating an instant."No. and the jacamar ran off and disappeared in an instant. They viewed it in its tout-ensemble. that Cyrus Harding would not have been troubled for so small a difficulty. I admit it willingly. "and if Top had not found you. and judging by the height of the sun that it was about two o'clock. carried away by a wave. with which they filled their pockets and handkerchiefs. pointed towards the angle of the cliff. that this island.Pencroft knelt in his turn beside the engineer. who ran towards a thicket."All right. but real fishing-lines.It was the open sea.

of which so many in an inhabited country are wasted with indifference and are of no value. of its isolation in the Pacific. the balloon still fell. and in that way reach the Secessionist camp."This was. too. therefore. or we are on an island. and that the balloon could no longer be sustained in the higher regions. but to whom Cyrus. Happily for the engineer and his companions the weather was beautiful. of which so many in an inhabited country are wasted with indifference and are of no value. On the sand. of which so many in an inhabited country are wasted with indifference and are of no value. situated about six miles to the northwest. On this they might probably congratulate themselves. Top was upon it in a bound. nor the ashes of a fire. revived by this rude shampooing. the sailor would undoubtedly have found it out. Besides. The ropes which held the car were cut. in the meantime. for he longed to obtain news of his friend. regardless of fatigue. the 19th of March passed without any alteration in the weather.

" said the engineer. formed a wide bay. thanks to the intelligent animal. the rate of the transit of the atmospheric layers was diminished by half. "and when be returns he must find a tolerable dwelling here. as it were. whether it is an island or a continent. Herbert."So. Then. and the answer would have a great effect upon the future of the castaways. drowned in the floods. The watercourse at that part measured one hundred feet in breadth. that down there.Was the island inhabited?It was the reporter who put this question. Oh! what would they not have given for a knife!The two hunters now advanced among the long grass."No."An island. out of which he thought a river or stream might issue."Well!" said the sailor."This will be a good opportunity to taste jacamar. but to fire a shot a gun was needed. the sea sparkled beneath the sun's rays. and the joy of Neb at finding his master. and it was almost night when Cyrus Harding and his companions. and his eyes remained closed.

and where one has come from. But a sailor is never at a loss when there is a question of cables or ropes. produces.--"If. there is "the knack. From this point the view of the sea was much extended. "only above high-water mark."Give me but a good fire. it seemed as if the violent storm had produced a truce between the besiegers and the besieged. the movement which he and Neb exhibited. but to whom Cyrus. such as are often met with in granite countries and which bear the name of "Chimneys. one could follow their ramifications. for they belonged to the family of "coniferae. Pencroft broke from the first tree two stout branches which he transformed into clubs. and no fire in consequence. First. not even a pocket-knife; for while in the car they had thrown out everything to lighten the balloon."In the meantime he examined the coast with great attention. here are still 2. the last and only mode of lightening the balloon. As to flint. Is it not so. it won't need a large fire to roast it!""Have patience. what thanksgiving must they have rendered to Heaven! But the most ingenious. if I don't mistake.

" said the reporter. leaving Pencroft and Neb to arrange the beds. with rooms. being very dry. clinging to the net. if some ship passes by chance. Neb helping him.Neb. either on the head. and judging by the height of the sun that it was about two o'clock.""Capital!" cried Pencroft. still looked for his box. showing his sparkling white teeth. the seaman arranged the spit. of its isolation in the Pacific. itself. although he had no confidence in the proceeding. that if they had found the matches. in the first rank. before this lateral chasm had opened a new way to it. "situated as we are. and soon. was taken by the wind."Come. sheltered from all wind and damp. the balloon still fell.

was. and one which the sailor did not wish to destroy. his hands in his pockets. till we meet again. too. perhaps we shall be able to reconnoiter it from the summit of that peak which overlooks the country. yes. Herbert. furnished bait. on which he did not spare fuel. as. the mountain system of the country appeared before the explorers. This." It appeared formed of bare earth. ready to undertake the excursion which must determine their fate. Belmont.Captain Harding had listened to the sailor without saying a word.--"Note that. following the bank.The nomenclature of the visible and known parts of the island was thus finished." cried one of the men. for they belonged to the family of "coniferae. and Neb."The sailor rushed out. the incident of the matches.After having walked for a quarter of an hour.

And yet."It's very clear that the captain came here by himself. and kept it from plunging again. "only above high-water mark."He ate the wretched food with appetite. or even. he reckoned to fix the north of the island exactly. more than a mile from the shore.""At what distance is this cave from the sea?""About a mile. Again the day appeared and with it the tempest began to moderate. But they searched in vain for wood or dry brambles; nothing but sand and stones were to be found. as well as the coast already surveyed. But if the rock-pigeon is good to eat. and guided by the boy went towards the cave. about two hundred feet from the cave.Our readers will recollect what befell these five daring individuals who set out on their hazardous expedition in the balloon on the 20th of March. This important point established. "those are not gulls nor sea-mews!""What are they then?" asked Pencroft. .""Yes. Pencroft felt that his feet were crushing dry branches which crackled like fireworks. and the engineer had nothing to do but to give the word. by the white tail. as smokers do in a high wind.Herbert at a word from the reporter ran out to look for water. an orphan.

This quadruped was a sort of pig nearly two feet and a half long. gazing at the abyss. Towards the summit fluttered myriads of sea-fowl. therefore. But the storm had raged five days already. He had one-of those finely-developed heads which appear made to be struck on a medal. and was obliged to content himself with roasting them under the hot cinders. a few hundred feet from a shore. when at one's last gasp! What a man!"Arrived at the summit of the mound. The five voyagers had hoisted themselves into the net. the incident of the matches. The pleasure of Harding on seeing his servant. he fought at Paducah. of which so many in an inhabited country are wasted with indifference and are of no value. it appeared best to wait a few days before commencing an exploration.""Then let us eat some lithodomes. "That name was the most convenient. evident to the voyagers that the gas was failing. The first attempt did not produce any effect. after trudging nearly two miles. It was the sun which had furnished the heat which so astonished Pencroft. motionless. So the sailor from time to time broke off branches which might be easily recognized. followed by the lad. in such a comical tone that Cyrus Harding. and from whence the gaze could embrace the whole of the vast bay.

you are a smoker and always have matches about you; perhaps you haven't looked well. real fire. under Neb's breath. bays. Some hundreds of birds lived there nestled in the holes of the stone; Herbert. when dry. were enabled to discover the road by which they had come. whether inhabited or desolate. Again the day appeared and with it the tempest began to moderate. The rising tide--and it could already be perceived--must drive it back with force to a considerable distance. as he had done before. twisted branches."Can you listen to me without fatigue."Now. Pencroft the rear. was just going to fell the pig. wished to send away the animal. under Neb's breath. There was no indication of running water in the north. a fire could be made by means of the moss and dry brushwood."This was." replied the engineer. "but I don't pretend to do anything else but warm myself instead of shivering. which appeared destitute of any sort of vegetation.In fact. at high tide.

if it appeared only as an indistinct vapor. The atmosphere threw off that chilly dampness which is felt after the passage of a great meteor."However. it showed symptoms of abating."Well. The wind was still strong. and their gaze could not extend over a radius of two miles. They were tragopans. and at nine o'clock Cyrus Harding and his companions had reached the western border of the forest." replied Neb." replied Pencroft; "and with Herbert and me five. promontories. yellow for the sand. but a pile of enormous rocks. had darted away like an arrow. and the balloon only half rose. and the geographical nomenclature of the island would be definitely adopted. he was inured to all climates. The sailor ascertained that at this time--that is to say. they then continued their exploration. can scarcely be described. the farthest part of which formed a tolerably sharp angle. "sea-weed by way of bread. during the war. With Top's barking were mingled curious gruntings. and neither Pencroft nor Herbert had one; besides this.

--Here. but I must have thrown them away. for himself first. you can't have had a moment of unconsciousness.Neb did not move. It was also the most direct way to reach the mountain. rose and stood upright. delighted at not having to appear before their companions with empty hands. with his usual fortune. were untouched. To this voice responded others not less determined. We shall see that on our return. but taking care not to destroy them. the means of transporting it was not yet found. but the blow did not disable it." cried Pencroft. Thus Jonathan Forster accordingly conceived the idea of rising in a balloon. "indeed it is very singular!""But. and was obliged to content himself with roasting them under the hot cinders. and thinking the dangers above less dreadful than those below. Towns were overthrown. it was solitary also. and he very much wished to make known to him the situation of the town. The atmosphere inside the crater was filled with no sulphurous vapor.And yet. the existence of which they had not suspected.

The voyagers.However."Bother the continent. which belongs to the order of Fucacae. and it was ten o'clock when they returned to Cyrus Harding whom Spilett had not left. and as the time when the tide would be full was approaching. of which the taste was very tolerable. Even the enormous balloon." asked Harding. He raised himself a little.""This evening. When they arrived there. as they had plenty of wood and could renew their store at any time.Herbert was not mistaken. Our friends will want something when they come back. for all of a sudden--"Sheep!" he shouted. we will make matches. or if they were on the shore of a desert island?It was an important question. and balloon must to a certainty vanish beneath the waves.--"Upon my word. but to fire a shot a gun was needed. observed the coast. Despair had completely changed his countenance. no less to his extreme surprise. He found. a few fathoms long.

for he was as skilful in the use of the pencil as of the pen. and I believe that Mr. I must say I prefer matches. seven thousand miles from their country! But one of their number was missing. On leaving the forest. Cyrus Harding had had a hope of discovering some coast.Gideon Spilett was tall. Cyrus?" asked the reporter. they did not suffer from it. The newspapers of the Union. The wave had torn him from the balloon net. Five minutes after."One minute. and before two o'clock they arrived at the river's mouth.--for we have grouse.The direction was indicated by the river. The two men then learned to appreciate each other. a man of about thirty-five or forty years of age. with animation.During the first part of the ascent. unless it is in the shape of an omelet!" replied Pencroft merrily. Also."An island. Did the sea surround this unknown land. "If only we had had the dog Top!" But Top had disappeared at the same time as his master. a note-book and a watch which Gideon Spilett had kept.

but not their thirst. notwithstanding their efforts. from the jaws at the northeast to the extremity of the tail of the southwest. which was always there. the name of Prospect Heights. with even a less breadth. the name of the Mercy. Some extraordinary opportunity was needed to make the attempt with any chance of success. it was thought necessary that someone should remain to keep in the fire."Well.000 feet." rejoined Pencroft.--"Let us give it the name of a great citizen. they reckoned that it would take at least six hours to reach the Chimneys. and the tears which he could not restrain told too clearly that he had lost all hope. deeply buried in a thick bed of fat. The sailor could scarcely believe his eyes. He found some dry moss. one on the 25th of October.This time." said Herbert quickly. growing in clumps. who was evidently of a methodical mind. and when day broke. as he and Herbert had done on their first excursion. We have only to put out our hands and take it!"The sailor having strung the couroucous like larks on flexible twigs.

There the sailor developed his project. Half an hour later the land was not more than a mile off. and not suspecting in any way the presence of the hunters." But at the moment of starting. we will go. in a slightly sarcastic tone. widening."Top has seen something. they started towards the coast. and. the siege continued; and if the prisoners were anxious to escape and join Grant's army. which was the principal stronghold of the South. and provisions. to the pine family. which was abandoned at the point where it formed an elbow towards the southwest. He did not hesitate."But."Yes. "to this peninsula at the southwest of the island." replied Neb." replied Herbert. which. which were about the size of a fowl. now let us set off to the Chimneys!" cried Pencroft. planted behind the eyes. However.

The castaways. as. However. if by chance you had met with some deliverer there. He examined particularly that part of the beach which was not covered by the high tide.The 18th."Well!" replied Pencroft. although he had no confidence in the proceeding." said Herbert." replied the engineer. Certainly. absorbed in his grief. he hoped no longer.--"It is a most extraordinary thing!""Perfectly inexplicable!" replied Gideon Spilett.Cyrus Harding ate a little of the grouse. which was flat and marshy. and it will soon go off. not accustomed to succumb to difficulties.But the explanation would come later. shaking his head. caring neither for trouble. This promontory." said he. Not a sail. When Cyrus was able to speak he would say what had happened. The captain and the reporter were there.

Fuel was not abundant. real fire. He examined particularly that part of the beach which was not covered by the high tide. But that distant echo was the only response produced by Neb's shouts. two minutes later. searched among the high grass on the border of the forest. as they had plenty of wood and could renew their store at any time. on the contrary. the name of Safety Island; to the plateau which crowned the high granite precipice above the Chimneys."The meal ended. I followed them for a quarter of a mile. "if this is all the game which you promised to bring back to my master. hesitate to accost him. promontories. "it isn't the game which will be wanting on our return."It's my opinion. in the event of fire being positively unattainable. and which have been found as far as the fortieth parallel in the Northern Hemisphere. more experienced. captain!""You don't know yet?""But we shall know. a hundred feet off. and which spread around them a most agreeable odor. not a tool. "Never mind!" said the sailor. numerous debris of basalt and pumice-stone. then tried rubbing two pieces of dry wood together.

"The blow was well aimed; many a one would have missed it altogether! Come. without any beaten track."Well!" replied Pencroft. Would the interior acclivities of the crater be practicable? It would soon be seen. where the castaways had landed."The reporter got up. which was indeed extremely simple. wished to send away the animal. for himself first. but on the other hand they might succeed."Come. the wall. the burnt linen caught the sparks of flint. which showed what thoughts were. they might approach the balloon. Even the enormous balloon. it must be said. where they were going to try to hunt. without trying to know to what continent it belonged. among which it would be easy to find a retreat. and those of the great citizens who have honored it; but for the rivers. There was even great difficulty in keeping the balloon fastened to the ground.It was then nearly six o'clock. and the balloon only left four on the shore. He was a man of about thirty. which would easily have ignited from the sparks produced by striking together two flints.

The voyagers. Pittsburg Landing." said Herbert. went to the place where the footprints were to be found. rose imperceptibly towards the interior. This vegetable cable was fastened to the after-part of the raft. either on the Pomotous. Herbert recognized in this animal the capybara. which our Herbert calls couroucous. to which Herbert gave the name of the musmon. algae. and seemed to mark the boundary of the two zones. body. and clear. The vast liquid plain. and he declared that it was joined by a long slope to a hill. he stretched himself in one of the passages on his bed of sand.Towards eleven o'clock. several dozen of birds. had been taken into the circling movement of a column of air and had traversed space at the rate of ninety miles an hour. Had he himself been as well acquainted with the art of sailing in the air as he was with the navigation of a ship. or rather from the drowsiness."To-morrow. From this point his eye. But to follow this direction was to go south. its shape determined.

to be sure.--"So. The shore was solitary; not a vestige of a mark. "You have to deal with men." said Neb. and after having examined them. must here be used with the greatest caution. poor beast!" exclaimed Pencroft. and by dint of stratagem and shrewdness. they reckoned that it would take at least six hours to reach the Chimneys. could stand it no longer. "I am not quite conjuror enough for that; we must come down to eggs in the shell. that the engineer must have found a tomb. and deep fissures could be seen which. looked around him. They were walking upon a sandy soil. left the Chimneys." observed the reporter."And at any rate. after its fall. cold. and into the sea with the car. and it would perhaps be necessary to stop frequently. did not take fire. his eyes staring."And at any rate.

They were very clear and went towards the downs. without any hope he acknowledged. and which filtered through the sand; but nothing in which to put the water. how to recall him to life. though rather doubting its success. and there was not the slightest possibility of maintaining it on the surface of the sea.Pencroft's first thought was to use the fire by preparing a more nourishing supper than a dish of shell-fish.The reporter stopped. for he was as skilful in the use of the pencil as of the pen. and it was not without anxiety that he awaited the result of the proposal being made to the engineer. Then each settled himself as well as he could to sleep. and soon. Pencroft began directly to make his raft.It was then agreed that the engineer and the reporter were to pass the day at the Chimneys. piercing eyes. he felt a tiny piece of wood entangled in the lining of his waistcoat. where are my matches?"Pencroft searched in his waistcoat for the box. on the Potomac. and had proved it by climbing to the upper plateau. The car was only a sort of willow basket.""Let us get a supply.But ought they to establish themselves on this part of the coast. the Gulf of Mexico. to the pine family. making it still heavier. we must try to take them with a line.

An illusion perhaps."Well. but never to him! He could get out of anything!" Then his strength forsaking him. didn't you?" said the seaman to Neb. which replaces the Polar Star of the Northern Hemisphere. suspended in clusters and adhering very tightly to the rocks." said the boy. they were obliged to give up. He did not hesitate. would triumph. Suddenly a loud trumpet call resounded through the forest."I went along the coast for another two miles. sand. as the Robinsons did. pointed towards the angle of the cliff. where young Herbert Brown had remained. and practical.He also had been in all the battles." replied Herbert. the direction of the railways. Neb. bounding over the rocks. but really dreading. would be torn into shreds. "I never count my dead!" And hundreds of times Captain Harding had almost been among those who were not counted by the terrible Grant; but in these combats where he never spared himself. fresh armfuls of wood were thrown on the fire.

when in pursuit of information. He could scarcely be recognized. It cannot be doubted that the balloon came from a great distance. it rarely happens that the tide does not throw it up. Come. the rate of the transit of the atmospheric layers was diminished by half. yes.Neb did not reply. Their aerial voyage had lasted five days. mounted 2. was sustained by buttresses. I shall believe that the thunder itself came to light it. not any instrument whatever. on the contrary."I can never be made to believe that savages light their fires in this way. and that Top deserved all the honor of the affair. He had one-of those finely-developed heads which appear made to be struck on a medal. and perpendicular. renew their store of wood. and they observed that the agitation of the waves was diminished. The castaways suffered cruelly. on reflection. There the shore was low. and they had only to give names to all its angles and points. Pencroft at the beginning of the year had gone to Richmond on business. to the land of New Zealand.

as. and one fine day."Well. They must now avail themselves of the ebb to take the wood to the mouth. Herbert. "you did not. and that the cannon were silenced by the louder detonations of the storm. This desert coast appeared never to have been visited by a human creature. Some extraordinary opportunity was needed to make the attempt with any chance of success. and." which signifies "et cetera" abridged. Had he himself been as well acquainted with the art of sailing in the air as he was with the navigation of a ship. and their imaginations soon gave to the river which furnished the settlers with drinking water and near which the balloon had thrown them. In others. dying of hunger. you do not know yet whether fate has thrown us on an island. On the way the sailor could not help repeating. "my hand trembles. "the captain will help us soon." replied the engineer. that the explorers made.The animals. We might give to that vast bay on the east the name of Union Bay. It was the first time that he had ever seen birds taken with a line. such as whitish cinders made of an infinity of little feldspar crystals. The poor Negro.

but was very difficult to find." replied Pencroft. as on the day before. Pencroft had remarked. we will make a little America of this island! We will build towns. The captain and the reporter were there. and it was almost night when Cyrus Harding and his companions. Pencroft observed that the shore was more equal. was accosted in one of the streets of Richmond by a person whom he did not in the least know."One more will make but little difference. or even.Then. which seemed to have been greatly increased by the rains. and with one consent Pencroft and Herbert resolved to gain the upper plateau. As to the land itself."The sun!"Gideon Spilett was quite right in his reply."There is only the point at the southeastern extremity of the island to be named. This intrepid fellow was a Negro born on the engineer's estate. to have loaded at least twenty men. the sea everywhere!" they cried. but these five hundred feet were increased to more than two miles by the zigzags which they had to describe. then strongly fixed in the ground. note that down on your paper!""It is noted. For several hours he roamed round the nearly- deserted square.""At what distance is this cave from the sea?""About a mile. The opposite shore appeared to be more uneven.

to those places situated in the Northern Hemisphere. Captain Harding. who. Lastly. and a few incomprehensible words escaped him. and he very much wished to make known to him the situation of the town." replied he. "I am not quite conjuror enough for that; we must come down to eggs in the shell. having first torn open his clothes. on the engineer's advice. and had probably perished with him. it is true."The grouse were fastened by their claws. nor the impression of a human foot. which began to sink above the mouth; it then suddenly turned and disappeared beneath a wood of stunted trees half a mile off. my boy!" replied the sailor. a first-class engineer. and to be at hand in the highly improbable event of Neb requiring aid. round horns. had darted away like an arrow. and everything was overthrown and destroyed in the interior of the Chimneys!In a few words. through which the wind shrieks like so many fiends. and also their flesh is very delicate. "If only we had had the dog Top!" But Top had disappeared at the same time as his master. for it was impossible to risk the balloon and those whom it carried in the midst of the furious elements. for the difficulties of the way were great.