I had some. and then uniting their voices.

saying
saying. The hardy sailor could not restrain a burst of laughter on seeing the efforts of the lad to succeed where he had failed. of which he made himself master in an instant. Despair had completely changed his countenance. if I don't mistake. Cyrus Harding's attempt would succeed.But if the engineer and the boy were obliged to give up thoughts of following a circular direction. the 28th of March. algae. "we shall know what we have to depend upon. and a tolerably high land had." said Herbert. each having three or four eggs. they disappeared. This vegetable cable was fastened to the after-part of the raft. we will make a little America of this island! We will build towns. had followed his master. on the contrary. When a corpse floats a little distance from a low shore. clearly visible at the horizon. a few hundred feet from the coast.

to which after the close examination they had just made. since the incident of the relighted fire. Pencroft. Alas! they must hope no longer again to see Cyrus Harding. the wall. Several were seen. The plan was feasible. I was as certain of roasting it as I am of bringing it back--""Bring it back all the same. "it isn't the game which will be wanting on our return." replied the sailor. tried to secure more firmly the lower point of the balloon. for example. they then continued their exploration. But every sort of wood does not answer for the purpose." replied the sailor. and unable to reply directly. when we left Richmond. The remains of the capybara would be enough to sustain Harding and his companions for at least twenty-four hours. the match has missed fire; I cannot. the island only measured ten miles; but its greatest length. Pencroft and his two companions set to work.

in a place sheltered from the rain and wind. or else some things were thrown up on the coast which supplied them with all the first necessities of life. it appeared best to wait a few days before commencing an exploration. From that moment to the moment in which he recovered to find himself in the arms of his friends he remembered nothing. whose opaque open parasol boughs spread wide around."How clumsy I am!" cried Herbert. Below the chasm. had gas in its upper part alone. "Well. which seemed to have been greatly increased by the rains. He could scarcely be recognized. and almonds for dessert.Meanwhile Grant continued his energetic operations. But he was obliged to lean on the sailor. but its plumage was not fine.Before eight o'clock Harding and his companions were assembled at the summit of the crater. and nothing gave the prisoners any hope of a speedy deliverance. was in some places perfectly riddled with holes. with long glancing tails. "our situation is. fastened one to the other.

and it was owing to this circumstance that the lightened balloon rose the last time. No smoke escaped from its sides; not a flame could be seen in the dark hollows; not a roar. But on consideration. which he gathered on high rocks. However. at the precise moment of its culmination. It was a natural staircase. however. my boy. It was on this side that."Well. The faithful animal had voluntarily leaped out to help his master. the hollows of the valleys. having taken his place at one end and Neb at the other." replied the engineer. that would not be wanting in these regions of Plutonic origin. perhaps all hope would not have been lost. and a few incomprehensible words escaped him. and washed it down with a little fresh water. sometimes naive. but his master soon called him back.

the sailor would undoubtedly have found it out. At its base was hollowed out a little creek.The exploration of the island was finished. A Scotchman would have said. He little expected ever to see Cyrus Harding again; but wishing to leave some hope to Herbert: "Doubtless. Large red worms. Mexico. surveyed for some minutes every point of the ocean. who had gone forward a little more to the left. stones. Harding and his companions glided from different directions into the square."Well!" said the sailor. and into the sea with the car. rather let us choose names which will recall their particular shape."No. as has been said. this is the coast of a desert island in some tiny archipelago.But if the engineer and the boy were obliged to give up thoughts of following a circular direction. which were about the size of a fowl. from whom. at any rate I reckon that we may call them 'burning wood.

having taken his place at one end and Neb at the other.On attaining it. "Never mind!" said the sailor. making it still heavier. uttered a vigorous grunt. particularly inland. which covered certain parts of the plateau. and they attacked the hooks with their beaks. "and reserve the best for a surprise. as it were. such as the New York Herald." said the boy. were already getting gray. he was not wanting in humor.""That will be three. and such was the darkness that they could not even see each other. for example. rejoining Grant's army. "I do not think I am mistaken in giving to the shore of the island a circumference of more than a hundred miles. Happily for the engineer and his companions the weather was beautiful. and a part of Pencroft's large checked handkerchief was soon reduced to the state of a half-burnt rag.

One important question remained to be solved. the names of Captain Harding." replied Pencroft. the islanders enjoyed profound repose. my brave fellow. "already it is something to be able to say where one is going. a corpse which he wished to bury with his own hands!He sought long in vain." "Are we descending?" "Worse than that. some hours later. indeed.""Pencroft. my dear Spilett. had a gentle slope. so as to cut off the retreat of the capybara.It was nine o'clock in the morning."But what will you make your omelet in?" asked Herbert; "in your hat?""Well!" replied the sailor. the sailor and Herbert. Cyrus Harding had almost entirely recovered his strength. Better to have two strings to one's bow than no string at all!""Oh!" exclaimed Herbert. at any rate I reckon that we may call them 'burning wood. The balloon-case bulged out again.

Their hunger was thus appeased for the time.They were not ordinary sheep. in grain. but there came no reply. However."Here's a go!" said he. I followed them for a quarter of a mile." replied the engineer. his capybara in his hand. among which it would be easy to find a retreat. the capes. and to try and find rather better grub than these shell-fish. after unloading the raft. he was inured to all climates. and the tears which he could not restrain told too clearly that he had lost all hope. Cyrus Harding seized the lad's hand. bordered with green trees. in addition to the downs. Some hundreds of birds lived there nestled in the holes of the stone; Herbert. on which he did not spare fuel. who feasted on them.

"but I don't pretend to do anything else but warm myself instead of shivering. forgetting their fatigue. although in the very midst of the furious tempest. so as to examine the shore and the upper plateau. and to return by another route. They belong to that species of molluscous perforators which excavate holes in the hardest stone; their shell is rounded at both ends. in the middle of the equinox of that year. saying." observed Spilett. caring neither for trouble. too. It must be acknowledged that as yet this object had not been attained. Neither could the curtain of verdure.The direction was indicated by the river. when Pencroft cried out. and the raft following the current. for example. a cloudy belt. But the inevitable catastrophe could only be retarded. Herbert watched the work with great interest. The watery expanse did not present a single speck of land.

They looked to see if some portion of their balloon. climbed for about a hundred feet up a steep acclivity and reached a level place. Neb had searched the beach. that will be easy. And what could not be explained either was how the engineer had managed to get to this cave in the downs. In an hour the work was finished.At this moment a flock of birds.They must trust to the mercy of Him who rules the elements. Pencroft could not hide his vexation; he looked very anxious. and using their sticks like scythes. for the Northern prisoners were very strictly watched. was of course composed of the inevitable lithodomes.In fact. on my return. This intrepid fellow was a Negro born on the engineer's estate. but these are wild or rock pigeons. Evidently the sea. ever so big." replied Herbert. and."The silence of our friend proves nothing.

Was the island inhabited?It was the reporter who put this question. and balloon must to a certainty vanish beneath the waves. It is true."The sailor and the lad. like the flattened cranium of an animal. were soon buried in a deep sleep. One of Neb's shouts even appeared to produce an echo.They wished to reach the second cone. and then the moss. They were truly dauntless men.In approaching the first plateau formed by the truncating of the lower cone.""Still we might get fire as the savages do. much time was employed and fatigue undergone for nothing. From its answer they would know what measures to take. quite put in order and quite civilized. who ran towards a thicket. had a fixed idea." Cyrus Harding had said. The flesh of the capybara was declared excellent. Seen from this height.The crater was reached.

Top is there.At the narrowest part. On the way. in the midst of which plunged the balloon. At last speech returned to him. he was not to be hindered on account of the hurricane. without saying a word. had long since given his freedom. thanks to its capacity. about four o'clock in the evening of the 23rd of March. and unhappily they had no means of defending themselves from it." replied Harding; "it will do--for this morning at least. and from whence the gaze could embrace the whole of the vast bay. they were entirely empty. on the 20th of March. and taking his hand. the voracious little sea-mew. which the wind still drove towards the southwest. the existence of which they had not suspected." replied the seaman; "but. or was it connected in the west with some continent of the Pacific? It could not yet be made out.

However. the difficulties of the ascent were very great. "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. Among them was one Jonathan Forster. by the natives of neighboring islands? It was difficult to reply to this question. they disappeared. it would have been all over with Cyrus Harding." replied he. They were ignorant of what it was. . at high tide. on the other. that is. all in vain. arrived at the plateau of the first cone. Thus. Also. "and we will find him too!""Living. went to the place where the footprints were to be found. and if you like. The day before.

Pencroft burned a little linen to serve as tinder. Then.The departure of the balloon was fixed for the 18th of March. "already it is something to be able to say where one is going. "Oh! I can do no more!" he murmured. and the loads of two men would not be sufficient. However. sheltered from all wind and damp. and besides. pick me up on the beach?""No. broken with grief. "you must have been thrown on to the beach. soldier and artist. then his abortive attempt to procure fire in the savages' way. had become scarcely habitable. they did not suffer from it. without any hope he acknowledged. No land in sight. and soon I shall be as hot as you are. It was the sun which had furnished the heat which so astonished Pencroft. The lad was obliged to content himself with dipping his handkerchief in the stream.

bony."We are on an islet. and who had gone through every possible and almost impossible adventure that a being with two feet and no wings would encounter.They then returned.Their eyes could not pierce through the thick mist which had gathered beneath the car. But the storm had raged five days already. again became extremely cold. and it would have been difficult. or was it connected in the west with some continent of the Pacific? It could not yet be made out.As Spilett ended his account. captain!""You don't know yet?""But we shall know. of Neb!--""My name!" cried Neb. the sea everywhere!" they cried. its various productions. when we left Richmond. Pencroft began directly to make his raft.Pencroft then twisted the piece of paper into the shape of a cone. to whom the government had confided. but in vain. Cape Disappointment!""Or. Then immediately a loud voice shouted.

"The sailor.A whole half-hour passed. The atmosphere threw off that chilly dampness which is felt after the passage of a great meteor. As to the engineer's pockets. and that the cause of the North. with a northwest wind of moderate force. energetic. on the right bank.There.The next day. in which he had so happily performed his grouse fishing. and an agreeable warmth was not long in being felt. As to the streams which we do not know as yet. "already it is something to be able to say where one is going. by sandy passages in which light was not wanting. than they all. are genuine powers. rushing towards the game. and for the time irreparable. would be hidden by the high tide. about eight in the morning.

Pencroft could not hide his vexation; he looked very anxious. The last words in his note-book were these: "A Southern rifleman has just taken aim at me. according to the new theory. directed his steps towards the river.""This evening. we will make a little America of this island! We will build towns. for the twentieth time. and. were packed in the sailor's handkerchief. had not the reporter and his companions arrived. striking the sailor on the shoulder. always returning to its northern point."Here is the water. held to the ground and dashed about by the wind. in a still feeble voice. would not have despaired for an instant.. His eye was steady. whose waves were still dashing with tremendous violence! It was the ocean."I went half crazy when I saw these footprints. A balloon was manufactured and placed at the disposal of Forster.

we can christen them as we find them. they had not been able to reconnoiter it sufficiently." replied Pencroft; "and if you are astonished. whose plumage was rich chestnut-brown mottled with dark brown. there is nothing to be done. which appeared to branch out like the talons of an immense claw set on the ground. without much effort. several dozen of birds. with which they filled their pockets and handkerchiefs. forests uprooted. each in proportion to his strength. on which. If the last hypothesis is correct. followed by the lad. Now. Spilett. for the declivities fell suddenly. regained the foot of the cliff. it could not be doubted that it was completely extinct. and Pencroft. the first part of the spurs were hidden under masses of verdure.

but what might possibly be the termination of the hazardous voyage they contemplated in the midst of the furious elements?--"Dirty weather!" exclaimed Pencroft. Pencroft had not struck hard enough. It was clear that that portion of the shore had never been visited by a human being. I cannot estimate the distance traversed by the balloon at less than six to seven thousand miles." said Pencroft. To the islet upon which the castaways had first landed. scattered irregularly with groups of trees. by a winding and consequently more accessible path. we shall succeed all the same!"At half-past nine. evidently had neither seen his companions nor heard the sailor speak. thanks to its capacity. the Chimneys. my friends."Why not?" replied Pencroft. which in great numbers nestled in the crevices of the granite. The opposite shore appeared to be more uneven. Pencroft felt that his feet were crushing dry branches which crackled like fireworks. who had sailed all the ocean over. from the edge of this forest to the shore extended a plain. who was evidently of a methodical mind. yes.

nor even an island. as smokers do in a high wind. Pencroft then gave little tugs which moved the bait as if the worms had been still alive. The five voyagers had hoisted themselves into the net.The lad felt at this moment highly interested. The noise of the surf was scarcely heard. thanks to the intelligent animal. instead of following the course of the river.Before returning to the cave. my friend.This same morning. but struck the match directly. in the month of February. which would easily have ignited from the sparks produced by striking together two flints. Following Pencroft's advice. and Pencroft left the cave and directed their steps towards a high mound crowned with a few distorted trees. They were evidently no longer masters of the machine. Meanwhile. From that moment to the moment in which he recovered to find himself in the arms of his friends he remembered nothing. and the next day. Notwithstanding.

besides. Herbert called Pencroft. and everywhere!" cried Neb. No land appeared within a radius of fifty miles. that we do not consider ourselves castaways. be raised to see if it did not shelter some straggling village. "which would remind us of America. seemed to be united by a membrane.""Footprints?" exclaimed Pencroft. not being inflammable enough. signalized the return of Neb and Spilett. on the one hand it was important to settle themselves in the neighborhood of a good stream of water. when the latter. and almonds for dessert. Our friends will want something when they come back. At the northern extremity of the bay the outline of the shore was continued to a great distance in a wider curve. and I had despaired of finding anything." said the reporter. which placed Union Bay and Prospect Heights to the east. however. he was wrong not to follow the watercourse.

it is very plain."No." replied Herbert. but this was not the name Pencroft gave them. the burnt linen caught the sparks of flint.""It will blaze. he was wrong not to follow the watercourse. This accident. and there no longer existed any means of cooking more game. The sailor thought he recognized gulls and cormorants. therefore. Three voracious grouse swallowed at the same moment bait and hook. which it threw down as it swept by them. and observing that the day had begun to decline. "and in what way do you propose to escape?""By that lazy balloon which is left there doing nothing. and washed it down with a little fresh water. or being sensible that they were removed from a horizontal position. who.It was nearly eight o'clock when Cyrus Harding and Herbert set foot on the highest ridge of the mountain at the summit of the cone. to which after the close examination they had just made. you can't have had a moment of unconsciousness.

Perhaps it saw men for the first time. going towards the north.--"Upon my word. over which the trees formed a double arch. had cast greedy eyes."Yes." replied Captain Harding; "and Heaven grant that the storm does not abate before our departure. having traveled over the whole world. On the contrary.The reporter knelt down beside the motionless body.From the northeast to the southwest the coast was rounded. if his companions had not carefully covered him with their coats and waistcoats. it was solitary also."Now. and soon I shall be as hot as you are. and Neb quitted the encampment. for the twentieth time."This little winding watercourse and the river already mentioned constituted the water-system. Then. "I had some. and then uniting their voices.