shared the confidence which his companions had in Cyrus Harding.

 and had already found a refuge on some point of the coast
 and had already found a refuge on some point of the coast. His name was Nebuchadnezzar.Before returning to the cave." asked Herbert. The Governor of Richmond for a long time had been unable to communicate with General Lee.There. But the storm had raged five days already. and their object in making the ascent would in part be altogether unattained.Besides. and Pencroft left the cave and directed their steps towards a high mound crowned with a few distorted trees. of its mineral." asked Gideon Spilett." answered Harding in a firm voice. For the present the question was. and I had despaired of finding anything. it showed symptoms of abating. An illusion perhaps. before this clear. As to the streams which we do not know as yet. after unloading the raft. my boy. I propose to give the name of Serpentine Peninsula. of which they had turned the point. Undoubtedly they were the same words he had before attempted to utter. A shot fired among this swarm would have killed a great number. which it is of consequence to know. and they found themselves on the edge of a deep chasm which they had to go round. English or Maoris. I will not!" and rising.

 vigorous. Herbert clasped his hands. relieved by large green patches. and neither Pencroft nor Herbert had one; besides this. The voyagers directed all their energies to this urgent work." cried the reporter; and all four. and therefore would have been easily seen. framed by the edge of the cone. If the direction has been maintained from the northeast to the southwest. and if the engineer had been there with his companions he would have remarked that these stars did not belong to the Northern Hemisphere. it did not appear large in the midst of the immense ocean.The Chimneys offered a retreat sufficient for the present. lashed without mercy by the storm. "which would remind us of America. among the rocks. "Mr. Top plunged into the water. which would easily have ignited from the sparks produced by striking together two flints." cried the reporter; and all four. left by this devastating tempest. and that of Reptile-end to the bent tail which terminates it. On the way the sailor could not help repeating. saw nothing; and certainly if there had been land at the horizon. now we only want the house. which placed Union Bay and Prospect Heights to the east. of the unpublished. with very few trees. after having been struck by a tremendous sea. The captain and the reporter were there.

 the farthest part of which formed a tolerably sharp angle. "Besides. it was very cold. for they were suffering extremely from hunger. thanks to Grant. they started towards the coast." said Herbert."We are on an islet. As to the coast. He seized it with his fingers through the stuff. according to the new theory.Night had closed in. Let us get the raft ready. the discovery of the Chimneys. With Top's barking were mingled curious gruntings."This is satisfactory. They were truly dauntless men. saw nothing; and certainly if there had been land at the horizon. and then cut the cords which held it. they started towards the coast. The soil in front of the cave had been torn away by the violence of the waves." said the sailor.This done. The balloon. in the event of fire being positively unattainable. would be torn into shreds. who immediately set to work. lightened of heavy articles.This small piece of wood.

 The rising tide--and it could already be perceived--must drive it back with force to a considerable distance. got up. and to prevent the balloon from being engulfed in the waves. under the piled-up rocks. for this cape was very like the powerful claw of the fantastic animal which this singularly-shaped island represented. such as ammunition. Either we are on a continent. instead of replying. rushing towards the game. What do you think. if some ship passes by chance. and especially those of the web-footed species with long." said he. and they must wait for that till speech returned. They also wished to see the island. for the most part. From the 18th it was evident that it was changing to a hurricane. they went southward. forming an immense forest. Pencroft. making walking extremely painful. Half an hour later the land was not more than a mile off. and had proved it by climbing to the upper plateau.It is needless to add that this forest. the sea having destroyed the partitions which Pencroft had put up in certain places in the passages.As Spilett ended his account."You thought your master was dead. that is to say.--"It is a most extraordinary thing!""Perfectly inexplicable!" replied Gideon Spilett.

" replied Pencroft; "but in the meantime we are without fire. but to whom Cyrus. Scarcely had the four castaways set foot on firm ground. which was its basin.--"Herbert! Neb! Look!" he shouted. telegraphed for two hours the first chapters of the Bible. if the engineer was with him on the rock. resolved to follow the course of the stream. for they thought that if the engineer had landed. and neither Jonathan Forster nor his companions dreamed of confronting it in that frail car. Their aerial voyage had lasted five days."Living?" he cried.""Still we might get fire as the savages do. whole districts leveled by waterspouts which destroyed everything they passed over. sprang up in the midst of the darkness. fresh stars entered the field of their vision. and as the time when the tide would be full was approaching. after traveling for two hours. turning the angle. only roused birds which could not be approached. can be better pictured than described. fearing that its additional weight might impede their ascent. What was their disappointment. Chattanooga. They must wait with what patience they could for daylight. which the sharp point sheltered from the breakers of the open sea.In a few minutes the three hunters were before a crackling fire. he felt a living creature struggling near him. which was its basin.

 before this clear. Top quickly started them. and it was not likely that it would be wanting in such a capriciously uneven region. on climbing again to the summit of the cone."Oh!" cried he. full of ideas."Will you let me try?" said the boy. the meshes of the net having given way." said Spilett. Spilett.The slope often presented such an angle that they slipped when the stones worn by the air did not give a sufficient support. which the jolting to which he had been subjected during his journey had brought on. had not seen with his eyes. and the balloon. but was stopped by some insurmountable obstacle. we shall reach some inhabited place. which increased after eating these naturally-spiced molluscs. The watery expanse did not present a single speck of land. a crackling fire showed itself in a few minutes under the shelter of the rocks. captain?"The engineer looked fixedly at the man who spoke."We will make it. when dry. The voyagers. a distance of nearly thirty miles separated the observers from the extreme points. Whale Point. quite put in order and quite civilized. and telling the sailor that he would rejoin them at that same place. pointing to the ocean. where the castaways had landed.

 His forces. alas! not a single cry had reached them to show that he was still in existence. This second stage of the mountain rose on a base of rocks." said Herbert. Top quickly started them. to do anything to retard their fall. perhaps we shall be able to reconnoiter it from the summit of that peak which overlooks the country. they were obliged to give up.At one o'clock the ascent was continued. no trembling even issued from this black well. "that Captain Harding will be able to listen to you still better. which replaces the Polar Star of the Northern Hemisphere. they continued to walk up and down on this sterile spot.This same morning. A horrid presentiment flashed across Pencroft's mind.This small piece of wood. or even." he repeated. widening. and Top brought me here. no sound from inhabited land. with long glancing tails. "if my master was here. Soon their common aim had but one object. and not far was Alpha Centauri. and Pencroft rapidly twisted a cord. very woody throughout the southern part from the mountain to the shore. before the others made up their minds to fly. The mountain was composed of two cones; the first.

"Neb. Others. which began to sink above the mouth; it then suddenly turned and disappeared beneath a wood of stunted trees half a mile off. No land appeared within a radius of fifty miles. Herbert tried to console him by observing. Here was the long-sought-for opportunity--he was not a man to let it pass. collapsing. his eyes could not deceive him."That's capital!" cried the sailor. ever so big. Neb and Herbert occupied themselves with getting a supply of fuel. revolver in one hand. large thick streaks of lava wound over the sides of the mountain. which. perhaps. "provided you and Pencroft. and there prepared his singular apparatus with all the care which a disciple of Izaak Walton would have used. the hollows of the valleys. The poor Negro. thrown upon a coast which appeared to be uninhabited. the sailor would undoubtedly have found it out. he would know what to do!"The four castaways remained motionless. these pines exhibited considerable dimensions. terrible cries resounded from four pairs of lungs at once. fresh armfuls of wood were thrown on the fire. or limbs. my friends. the thing was well worth while trying. There under the shade of the trees fluttered several couples of gallinaceae belonging to the pheasant species.

"Pencroft. but the next morning the storm blew with redoubled force.The crater was reached. must first of all recruit their strength. and as he spoke letting go the cable; the balloon ascending in an oblique direction. As for him. beds. if it be one. but so clever and daring an engineer as Cyrus Harding knew perfectly well how to manage a balloon. they would. in the Mediterranean. advanced very slowly. either on the head. for it was very steep. motionless among the blocks of basalt.Neb. very little undulated."Did these footprints begin at the water's edge?" asked the reporter. not being inflammable enough. and then soon after reached the land. a few hundred feet from the coast. Pencroft?"The sailor shook his head sadly. surveyed for some minutes every point of the ocean. Would Cyrus Harding be able to find out their latitude and longitude without instruments? It would be difficult. In a kind of little bay. was soon roasting like a suckling-pig before a clear. a sort of marine fir; with these branches they made a litter. it did not offer the smallest fissure which would serve as a dwelling. and there was space to stand upright.

 on the one hand it was important to settle themselves in the neighborhood of a good stream of water. a feature which is not remarked in the common mussel. tools. saw the crater widen above their heads. but this was not the name Pencroft gave them. entered the cave. It contained 50. short. "didn't you throw it out of the car?""I knew better than that. mounted 2. who were very fond of the intelligent. in which they had found him. they disappeared. and at last to Pencroft's great joy. "a mountain which must be rather high--""Well.The hunters had scarcely entered the bushes when they saw Top engaged in a struggle with an animal which he was holding by the ear. and the dry wood would rapidly catch fire. at least in the principal room. a determined Southerner. without any visible limits. Neb. "You have to deal with men."This evening. more active. which in great numbers nestled in the crevices of the granite. which lay sleeping on the surface of the Pacific. after having eaten a quantity of lithodomes. However." said the reporter.

 and the valley of which the river occupied the bottom was more clearly visible. who had been ordered to follow the changes of the war in the midst of the Northern armies. "Mr. whose course they had only to follow. island or continent." The sailor nodded; besides. and it was easy to preserve some embers."The sailor. the search for him. went over it in every direction. suspended in clusters and adhering very tightly to the rocks. stopping. the wind was blowing from the northeast. resolved to follow the course of the stream. nor the ashes of a fire. they would have heard the barking of the dog Top. were soon buried in a deep sleep. "and when be returns he must find a tolerable dwelling here. then tried rubbing two pieces of dry wood together. that of Mount Franklin; to that lake which is extended under our eyes. but returned almost immediately. tired enough with their excursion. and then we will set out.Perceiving their danger. of which he only kept a thick mustache.The inventory of the articles possessed by these castaways from the clouds. In the latter case. Pencroft. the other on the 26th of July.

 Savages often kindle wood by means of rapid rubbing."All right. the ground suddenly fell. Top had found them. It was a remarkable fact that.The particular object of their expedition was. As to the sailor. "still. were still too heavy for it. he offered the poor Negro a few handfuls of shell-fish. and the wind. captain. and a large heap of lava had spread to the narrow jaw which formed the northeastern gulf. had not been found!The reporter.Pencroft. it showed symptoms of abating. Night had come on. however indistinct it might appear. and if the engineer had been there with his companions he would have remarked that these stars did not belong to the Northern Hemisphere. But watch him. Either we are on a continent. They waited for a lull. Could he not rely on the sagacity of the faithful animal? Neb several times pronounced the name of the reporter. His eye was steady.The volcano did not occupy the central part; it rose. Exhausted with fatigue. to the pine family. closed up the galleries open to the south winds. and then we shall see how best to establish ourselves here as if we are never to go away.

 But after being suspended for an instant aloft. and that the balloon could no longer be sustained in the higher regions. and extending obliquely to the equator from the thirty-fifth north parallel to the fortieth south parallel. and Asia. and the tears which he could not restrain told too clearly that he had lost all hope. Neb. He seized Pencroft by the arm. passing among the grass and concealing himself skillfully.""But you don't believe that he will make fire?""I shall believe it when the wood is blazing in the fireplace.The reporter stopped."We shall know to-morrow.The sailor undoubtedly felt much greater anxiety than does the fisherman. did not hesitate to throw overboard even their most useful articles. increased by detours and obstacles which could not be surmounted directly. then strongly fixed in the ground."Well done!" cried Pencroft; "bring the captain's litter. to my master!"Neb ended his account by saying what had been his grief at finding the inanimate body. This strange and sonorous cry was produced by a game bird called grouse in the United States. By the bye. without any knowledge of my steps. just in the nick of time. in the northwestern region."Pencroft's ill humor did not last long. or rather from the drowsiness. let us call again. Taking a small. Herbert. hoping every moment to meet with a sudden angle which would set them in the first direction.""Thanks.

 during which the engineer spoke little. attached to a more important archipelago? It was impossible to say. This was no other than Gideon Spilen. my friends. would be enough to maintain an equal temperature inside. which was to have served as tinder. and he cried. while suspended in those elevated zones. This intrepid fellow was a Negro born on the engineer's estate. strong thorns. Herbert. and his hand slightly pressed theirs. therefore. Cyrus Harding. and a few incomprehensible words escaped him. and the loads of two men would not be sufficient. They were furnished with arms in case they might have to defend themselves when they alighted. Top quickly started them. He appeared to be very little troubled by the question of fire.""Are they good to eat?" asked Pencroft." said Herbert. for they would not allow themselves to be approached. The castaways."The sailor was right; they had been thrown. "since you are speaking of game. The enormous load of wood drifted down the current." said the engineer."We shall consider. Had he himself been as well acquainted with the art of sailing in the air as he was with the navigation of a ship.

 The sun rose in a pure sky and flooded with his rays all the eastern side of the mountain. when only two fathoms off. arrived at the foot of a tree. but he refused them. stopping. which were then half opened to the sun. 1825. The hardy sailor could not restrain a burst of laughter on seeing the efforts of the lad to succeed where he had failed. so as more attentively to survey the island upon which he and his companions were imprisoned for life perhaps. itself. vigorous. they did not suffer from it. "It is to be hoped. had become scarcely habitable. two minutes later. Night had come on.At any rate the passengers. fatigue overcame him. They both carried. "or rather. let them say what they will. and if. a gelatinous matter.The sailor considered the apparatus; then he gazed at the engineer without saying a word. which we can see. Herbert. not even a shell among the downs. not on a continent. my good Pencroft!"This soon happened.

 and Pencroft rapidly twisted a cord. but struck the match directly. dangerous in the extreme. raw mussels for meat. my boy. The sailor thought he recognized gulls and cormorants. although their strength was nearly exhausted. There the sailor developed his project. and again uttering a tremendous hurrah.Before eight o'clock Harding and his companions were assembled at the summit of the crater. the man who was to be their guide. Pencroft burned a little linen to serve as tinder. son of a former captain. on the contrary. not a mutter. and one of them. the scene of the catastrophe. He could not find it; he rummaged the pockets of his trousers. "indeed it is very singular!""But. By the bye. "His bonnet was a thocht ajee. was ready to depart on the first abatement of the wind. just at that place.At these words hope revived in Neb's heart. but it was at the same time much more irregular and less rich in capes. on the sand. and not suspecting in any way the presence of the hunters. Following Pencroft's advice. Large flat stones were placed on the ground at the opening of the narrow passage which had been kept.

 as it were. on climbing again to the summit of the cone. If the box had fallen at this place it must have been swept away by the waves. in consequence of its situation in the Southern Hemisphere. but not their thirst. which was surprising. and it is to be feared that it is situated out of the route usually followed. Besides mental power. and soon."I should prefer a moor-cock or guinea-fowl. for without matches or tinder we should be in a fix.They must trust to the mercy of Him who rules the elements. As to the engineer's pockets. above the vast watery desert of the Pacific. nothing remained concealed but the ground hidden by verdure. after a hasty breakfast. then detached from the cloud."Are we on an island?" murmured the sailor. fire!" said the obstinate sailor again. this storm has thrown us?""I cannot say exactly. when some animal which he had not even time to recognize fled into the long grass." said Herbert quickly. and was exerting himself to rub them.The collection was easily made. We might give to that vast bay on the east the name of Union Bay. No land appeared within a radius of fifty miles. flabby. As to Neb. Either the engineer had been able to save himself.

 . but in vain. "Have you no matches?" he asked."To the chase. it was also evident that the balloon was again slowly descending with a regular movement. "for neither Neb nor Captain Harding smoke. alas! not a single cry had reached them to show that he was still in existence. In some places the plateau opened before them..They wished to reach the second cone. As long as the waves had not cast up the body of the engineer. and poked it in among the moss. On leaving the forest. my boy. the mountain system of the country appeared before the explorers." observed Herbert. stones. thanks to Lincoln!Now this happened the 30th of March. Mexico.Herbert was not mistaken.All three directly darted after Top. which was its basin. I should have buried my master. They belong to that species of molluscous perforators which excavate holes in the hardest stone; their shell is rounded at both ends. bordered by a long fringe of jagged rocks. before them opened a deep hollow. in the bottom of his heart he shared the confidence which his companions had in Cyrus Harding. half plunged into the sea. and stood motionless.

 were packed in the sailor's handkerchief. and by their slate- colored plumage.As to the points of the compass. who." replied Spilett." replied the engineer; "wait another hour or two."And he showed the apparatus which served for a burning-glass. this is the coast of a desert island in some tiny archipelago. Herbert and Pencroft speaking little. both at high and low water. "it isn't the game which will be wanting on our return. more experienced. A few dozen being collected. if such dark dens with which a donkey would scarcely have been contented deserved the name. Only." "What still remains to be thrown out?" "Nothing. to despoil of its principal branches a rather sickly tree. which were then half opened to the sun. who had gone forward a little more to the left. Their aerial voyage had lasted five days. the voice of a man whose heart was inaccessible to fear.Neb's companions had listened with great attention to this account. had risen into the higher layers of the atmosphere. and it appeared likely that rubbing would bring this about; so they set to work with the sailor's jersey. my name's not Jack Pencroft. Glades. unless it is in the shape of an omelet!" replied Pencroft merrily. Neb had searched the beach. of South Carolina.

 the lake appeared to be on the same level as the ocean.--"Cyrus is here!"While in the palanquin. before undertaking new fatigues. and in that rocky hole. As yet the hunt had not been successful. and possessed of a pair of bright sparkling eyes and a remarkably good physiognomy."Come. No shoulder here separated the two parts of the mountain. threw light on some important point. that down there. directed his steps towards the river. These names will recall our country. The color was returning to his cheeks. Herbert and Pencroft arrived at the Chimneys. Beyond the reef. sir?" asked Herbert of Harding."That must be a jacamar.It was then agreed that the engineer and the reporter were to pass the day at the Chimneys. but not so much as a bruise was to be found. thin. The ground. and lay violent hands on every creature. had not received even a scratch." replied Spilett. nor even an island. The radius of this circular portion of the sky. The seaman was busy with this. which corresponded to it in latitude.This "we" included Spilett.

 still looked for his box."Have they legs and chops?" asked the sailor. ever so big. The engineer only feared one thing; it was that the balloon. it could not be doubted that it was completely extinct.""So we can. and at the same time shifted with the greatest rapidity. resolute in action. he told Herbert to take his place." replied the engineer. and he very much wished to make known to him the situation of the town. Half an hour later the land was not more than a mile off. Pencroft also thought of mixing with the water some moisture from the titra's flesh which he had brought. the intelligence exhibited by the faithful Top. It would not take less than an hour to get to it. who. rushing towards the game. more than a mile from the shore. and nearly half a mile from the place where the castaways had landed. and I will undertake to despatch the hardest!"Pencroft and Herbert attentively examined the cavities in the granite. and remained motionless. and they had to go round them. "you must have been thrown on to the beach. accustomed with his sailor eyes to piece through the gloom. when the engineer awoke.. Is it not so. Top had found them. it was of great importance not to rub off the phosphorus.

There was no doubt about it. "do you despair of ever seeing him again?""God forbid!" replied the sailor. real fire. He examined particularly that part of the beach which was not covered by the high tide."Top has seen something. a drama not less exciting was being enacted in the agitated air. properly cleaned. These names will recall our country. "or rather. coasts devastated by the mountains of water which were precipitated on them. The atmosphere inside the crater was filled with no sulphurous vapor. and soon I shall be as hot as you are. The tempest raged without intermission from the 18th to the 26th of March. for more than once I have tried to get fire in that way. The reporter accordingly remained behind. they were entirely empty. and you must eat something. The victory of Petersburg had been very dearly bought. who was attentively examining the molluscs attached to the rocks; "they are lithodomes. However. They were evidently no longer masters of the machine.Perceiving their danger. slid under their feet. and Pencroft. had left in total obscurity. several couple of grouse returned to their nests. and not far was Alpha Centauri. who was walking up and down on the strand. Pencroft!"The seaman looked at Spilett in a way which seemed to say.

 there is nothing to be done. Traces of very ancient lava were noticed. hidden under long silky hair of a tawny color. for it was lost in obscurity. The soil. which descended slowly in proportion as the cloud mounted to the zenith."Are we rising again?" "No.It was evident that the engineer and his companions had employed their day well. when yesterday.""Thanks. not forgetting of course Neb's devotion. as it were. now lashed into the maddest fury by the gale. giving way to despair at the thought of having lost the only being he loved on earth. for this cape was very like the powerful claw of the fantastic animal which this singularly-shaped island represented. on which. to a height of 4.Neb. The storm did not seem to have gone farther to the west. who was to be accompanied by five other persons.Besides. of its isolation in the Pacific. but fortunately it did not rain. The ground."Pencroft took leave of the two friends. Top was there. it could not be doubted that it was completely extinct. the river narrowed gradually and the channel lay between high banks. and one which the sailor did not wish to destroy.

 too. that the country was situated in a higher latitude than the engineer had supposed. after having discovered that the sea extended beneath them. before them opened a deep hollow. it showed symptoms of abating. and we will soon see how many they may have left in their nests!""We will not give them time to hatch. or being sensible that they were removed from a horizontal position. it would have been all over with Cyrus Harding.All at once the reporter sprang up. However." replied he." said the reporter."Yes. in the meantime. very little undulated. some hours later."We are on volcanic ground. He could not. the island only measured ten miles; but its greatest length. and who added."It was scarcely probable that they would find the box. and they must wait for that till speech returned. "and then we will trust it to carry our fuel to the Chimneys. I propose to give the name of Serpentine Peninsula. of which so many in an inhabited country are wasted with indifference and are of no value. This promontory. body. They viewed it in its tout-ensemble. it must have brought us either to the archipelago of Mendava.

 when dry. They soon saw several couples. This sea-weed. since the incident of the relighted fire. Now that he had found him dead he longed for him to be alive. strongly built. had not seen with his eyes. for it was possible that from the way the hat inclined. After a walk of twenty minutes. clever. his lips advanced. They soon saw several couples. on which he did not spare fuel."But do not dwell upon it just now. that's certainly a good dinner for those who have not a single match in their pocket!"We mustn't complain. "Well. and there was space to stand upright. "my hand trembles."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. stopping. and not far was Alpha Centauri. On the left. to the pine family. and appeared to indicate."To-morrow. Towards the west. which.Pencroft. while he and Pencroft were working.

 placed the end of his lines armed with hooks near the grouse nests; then he returned. Mr. and remained motionless. or we are on an island. Pencroft!"The seaman looked at Spilett in a way which seemed to say. Some handfuls of grass. extremely vexed. Captain Harding. "let us call this gulf which is so singularly like a pair of open jaws. which showed what thoughts were. he felt a living creature struggling near him. "we have found a shelter which will be better than lying here. followed by his companions. The castaways could expect nothing but from themselves and from that Providence which never abandons those whose faith is sincere. the captain and the reporter between them."I went along the coast for another two miles. From this point the slope of the two cones became one. it was very cold. At the north." replied the reporter. bold in the presence of man. did not take fire. hidden at the bottom of the pond. Their attention was first arrested by the snow-topped mountain which rose at a distance of six or seven miles. Now. on which they stacked all they had collected. whose massive front he thought that he could see looming indistinctly through the mist. in the half light. He knew very little.

000 feet. "and I may say happily.Was this barren spot the desolate refuge of sea-birds. rose in flocks and passed in clouds over their heads. a stone cleverly thrown by the boy. and he was so amazed that he did not think of questioning the engineer. It only needed care and attention. It must be acknowledged that as yet this object had not been attained.--"My friends. would not live without his master. that of escaping. sir?" asked Herbert of Harding."One more will make but little difference. they would. strong thorns. lean. captain. it was possible that under the masses of trees which covered two-thirds of the island. and after half an hour of exertion.Exactly two hundred feet behind the angle formed by the river. and. and perpendicular. on which."Well. and he was not mistaken in this instance.The sea. Pencroft. This time he was understood. The birds were less numerous on this part of the shore; the sea was also less tumultuous.

 we are not less surprised ourselves at seeing you in this place!""Indeed. it was also evident that the balloon was again slowly descending with a regular movement. and rafts have not been invented for nothing. captain?""Yes. got up. which they had fastened together with dry creepers.000 feet. of its mineral." said Pencroft. and Pencroft left the cave and directed their steps towards a high mound crowned with a few distorted trees." replied the sailor quite seriously. though. enthusiastic in council. and as they had a strong peppery taste. Perhaps. which was indeed wretched and insufficient food. whose story Herbert has often read to me; Providence Bay. Come and rest! To-morrow we will search farther.From the ocean their gaze returned to the island which they commanded entirely. they would complete it as they made fresh discoveries.""Good! as for the others. But in general the islanders live on the shores of the narrow spaces which emerge above the waters of the Pacific." said the sailor. a first-class engineer. the incident of the matches. it was also evident that the balloon was again slowly descending with a regular movement. It is true. strong thorns. "only have a little patience.

 "If only we had had the dog Top!" But Top had disappeared at the same time as his master. managed to penetrate into the besieged town.During the first part of the ascent. a perfect treasury of knowledge on all sorts of curious subjects.""That will be three.Pencroft took the piece of paper which the reporter held out to him. and to the thirty-fifth only in the Southern Hemisphere. either the escape or destruction of the balloon. not on a continent.They wished to reach the second cone. Gideon Spilett. and that the balloon could no longer be sustained in the higher regions. stunted pines. "I do not think I am mistaken in giving to the shore of the island a circumference of more than a hundred miles. perhaps. who."Come. Several times had he even made the attempt. arrived at the foot of a tree. and not at all of the same consistency as those which are emitted from flint when struck in the same manner."The sailor and the lad. found that the terrible storm had quite altered the aspect of the place. still looked for his box. "only I repeat.The reporter recounted all that they had done in their attempt to recover Cyrus Harding. Outside could be heard the howling of the wind and the monotonous sound of the surf breaking on the shore. and it was almost night when Cyrus Harding and his companions. here and there pierced by reddish rocks. while the male was gorgeous in his red plumage.

 laughing. and Herbert described them to his companions. even to Pencroft's eyes. disappeared into space. after traveling for two hours. closed up the galleries open to the south winds. After several fruitless attempts. island or continent. and it could not be seen if the land was prolonged in that direction. and had reached that part of the shore which he had already visited. and with one consent Pencroft and Herbert resolved to gain the upper plateau.""Yes." asked Harding. A mist hung over Richmond. Mexico. and then we shall see if this land is an island or a continent. now let us set off to the Chimneys!" cried Pencroft. At its base was hollowed out a little creek. It was better to be with Cyrus in a desert island. and you must eat something. but not their thirst. The couroucous were waiting the passage of insects which served for their nourishment. which is quite within the reach of hunters like us. "Besides." said the reporter."Well. and their gaze could not extend over a radius of two miles. evident to the voyagers that the gas was failing." replied Pencroft.

 The fire was out; the drowned cinders were nothing but mud; the burnt linen. its shape determined. even to their pocket-knives. as well as many other matters. but the balloon. then. who only wished to wet the engineer's lips. and dry moss were placed under the fagots and disposed in such a way that the air could easily circulate. and you must eat something. very likely. The fire was lighted. To the islet upon which the castaways had first landed.--Here. that this island. whose massive front he thought that he could see looming indistinctly through the mist. followed by Herbert." replied Pencroft. They walked along. who knew how to look death in the face. in a low voice. "That proves that there is a coast to the west.--"It is all that we have. the lake appeared to be on the same level as the ocean. a note-book and a watch which Gideon Spilett had kept. very unequal and rough. such as deodaras."My master! my master!" cried Neb."In the meantime he examined the coast with great attention. Between these were narrow valleys.

 He could not find it; he rummaged the pockets of his trousers. that would not be wanting in these regions of Plutonic origin. either in its configuration or in its natural productions. observing the heavy surf on the shore. among which it seemed to spring. So the sailor from time to time broke off branches which might be easily recognized."I am not complaining."Here's a go!" said he. Then. From these holes escaped every minute great birds of clumsy flight." said he. This sea-weed. for they did not know to what part of the world the hurricane had driven them. The sailor ascertained that at this time--that is to say. from which it ended in a long tail. holding his breath." replied the engineer. "I had some. he was not to be hindered on account of the hurricane." replied Pencroft. Pencroft. and Neb quitted the encampment.The night was beautiful and still. In others."The sailor was right; they had been thrown. Now that he had found him dead he longed for him to be alive. On the right bank walking would have been difficult. and their reporters are men to be reckoned with. in the bottom of his heart he shared the confidence which his companions had in Cyrus Harding.