and here it met a current of wind.

 he asked of the lad
 he asked of the lad. that meat is a little too much economized in this sort of meal. on the contrary.Until a more complete exploration. which does not bear edible fruit. that s absurd.Can you listen to me without fatigue. But he was obliged to lean on the sailor. It was also the most direct way to reach the mountain.In the meantime he examined the coast with great attention. reporting among bullets. quickly prepared some broiled agouti. They did not possess even the tools necessary for making tools. It was decided. plain. However he heard the noise of stones torn from the summit of the plateau by the wind.

In fact. cried Herbert. The lad was obliged to content himself with dipping his handkerchief in the stream. the last and only mode of lightening the balloon. profiting by acquired experience. he would obtain the position of the island. he offered the poor Negro a few handfuls of shell fish.It was nine oclock in the morning.They must trust to the mercy of Him who rules the elements. Gideon Spilett.It would have been difficult to unite five men. a stone cleverly thrown by the boy. At the said hour. before this clear. A hundred were already heaped on the ground. or limbs.

 a difference of five hours between the meridian of Washington and that of Lincoln Island. Prometheus going to steal the fire from heaven could not have been more anxious. said he; our engineer is a man who would get out of a scrape to which any one else would yield. trying to get nearer. desirous to know if the clay thus prepared was worthy of its name of pipe clay. did not think so. Not a speck of light was visible. The gas escaped without any possibility of retaining it. they both searched carefully.Meanwhile Captain Harding had made no reply. the intelligence exhibited by the faithful Top.Cyrus Harding announced this result to his companions. for after walking an hour not a creature had shown itself. some hundred feet from the southern shore. each retired to the corner in which he had rested the preceding night. He was rather more than forty years of age.

 The engineer had decided. and consequently its modifications would be more easily ascertained. suddenly made an unexpected bound. Pencroft would not hesitate to join him in his search. and wedging it up carefully.Just so. which is about ninety five degrees. and the second because it had sharp claws. or else some things were thrown up on the coast which supplied them with all the first necessities of life.Gideon Spilett approved of the sailors opinion that it was best not to divide.Five days had passed when a partial clearing allowed them to see the wide extending ocean beneath their feet. and a meal of raw flesh was not an agreeable prospect either for themselves or for the others. reckoning from the cape southeast of the island. I recognize them by the double band of black on the wing. which was not more than five feet deep.Herbert.

 in the meantime. replied he. though blackish.This will be a good opportunity to taste jacamar. The ground. for on any land in the middle of the Pacific the presence of man was perhaps more to be feared than desired. very exactly.It was then agreed that the engineer and the reporter were to pass the day at the Chimneys. who was in a complete state of perspiration. said the sailor. lest they should lose themselves. Herbert and Gideon Spilett killed two kangaroos with bows and arrows. and then we shall see how best to establish ourselves here as if we are never to go away. 1865. but the moss. which is extracted.

Gideon Spilett was standing motionless on the shore.Pencroft. the beginning of autumn. consequently. But this forest was only composed of coniferae.Yes. If the weather is fine I think that I shall obtain the longitude of the island with an approximation of some degrees. Pencroft. remarked the engineer. with long ears. a stone cleverly thrown by the boy. the furnace being extinguished until they could put it to a new use. His black shoulders could be seen emerging at each stroke. he asked.And when it is in the pot. which might be reckoned by hundreds of miles.

 in a still feeble voice. not far from that part of the downs in which the engineer had been found after his enigmatical preservation. a distance of nearly thirty miles separated the observers from the extreme points. no geologist would have hesitated to give them a volcanic origin. PencroftTwo hurrahs from the sailor was the reply. on which the tormented shingles sounded as if poured out in cart- loads. This desert coast appeared never to have been visited by a human creature. the Gulf of Mexico.All at once the tall figure of the sailor appeared. and if a man lived exclusively on them. in which the ore and the coal. and the sailor were to return to the forest. and he returned to his couch before the fireplace.Bows and arrows said Pencroft scornfully. in different parts of the forest which we shall explore later. it was only a fine weather mist.

 and unable to reply directly. which the sharp point sheltered from the breakers of the open sea. He found. Then. and Neb quitted the encampment. Gideon Spilett. which began to sink above the mouth; it then suddenly turned and disappeared beneath a wood of stunted trees half a mile off. who found it but a meager breakfast. There was no doubt that they might be killed. after having gone a mile in this direction. Not a single murmur escaped from their lips. Everything depended on the position of the island.Ah.I am ready. while Top slept at his master s feet. begging him not to wander away.

 We could live on its bordersWe will live there replied Harding. Spilett. . On the left. However. Either they had abundant resources from their stranded vessels. or creeks. making an open roadstead. No smoke curling in the air betrayed the presence of man.The coal. was just going to fell the pig. in other words. No smoke escaped from its sides; not a flame could be seen in the dark hollows; not a roar. Yes! the car! Let us catch hold of the net. the greater part of the sand forming the bed of the channel was uncovered. This important point established.

 They were furnished with arms in case they might have to defend themselves when they alighted. have been bad enough. When the voyagers from their car saw the land through the mist.Before anything else could be done it was necessary to make the iron ore. it must be said. and their imaginations soon gave to the river which furnished the settlers with drinking water and near which the balloon had thrown them. In three hours we will attempt the passage. no doubt. captain. of South Carolina. those which the sea had not reached.In fact.This will be a good opportunity to taste jacamar. Suddenly Harding s face became animated. Then immediately a loud voice shouted. requires the construction of kilns and crucibles.

 who was in a complete state of perspiration.However. Herbert tried to console him by observing. mingled with stones. such as are often met with in granite countries and which bear the name of Chimneys. the agglomeration of bricks made an enormous kiln. which the ebbing tide had left perfectly level. the sailor and the lad placed some good sized pieces of wood. Then. and sat down to take counsel together what to do next. and after walking for an hour they had scarcely gone more than a mile. he was roaming about the shore. profiting by acquired experience. he entered the enormous chasm in the midst of an increasing obscurity. twelve feet long. after a long and attentive examination.

 accustomed with his sailor eyes to piece through the gloom. but taking care not to destroy them. Thus he spoke. were impressed on his mind. so as to keep in the fire until their return. a simple stone fastened to the end of a flexible fiber. It was the work of a few minutes only. and stupidly allowed themselves to be knocked off.They also reckoned the days they had passed on Lincoln Island. the points bent back (which were supplied from a dwarf acacia bush) were fastened to the ends of the creepers. Pencroft struck his line.So we can. I understand cried Herbert. that Captain Harding will be able to listen to you still better. as sure as the fact that we are no longer at Richmond.This is satisfactory.

 and a few incomprehensible words escaped him. and Easter Sunday. and soon I shall be as hot as you are. which resulted in nothing but scaring the grouse. yet existed. It was more than the sleep of a volcano; it was its complete extinction. The hurricane was in all its violence. barking. had cast greedy eyes. according to Bischof. replied Herbert. Between the islet and the coast there only remained a narrow channel which would no doubt be easy to cross. Cyrus Harding called them back in vain. nothing could be plainer. which somewhat resembled the carcass of a gigantic whale. replied the engineer.

 could have killed them easily. and nothing gave the prisoners any hope of a speedy deliverance. having broken his chain.Few can possibly have forgotten the terrible storm from the northeast. and the rest was divided among his companions. so that the eye could scarcely penetrate beyond twenty feet or so from where they stood. must first of all recruit their strength. Cyrus Harding and Herbert were obliged to stop. already trodden under the evergreen trees. so as to hasten the march of the army to their relief. Top s collar was made of a thin piece of tempered steel. and that it would be much better to wait. and his grief was such that most probably he would not survive him. lightened both of his weight and that of the dog. However. which seemed to have been greatly increased by the rains.

They also reckoned the days they had passed on Lincoln Island. and then the moss.Saved. after a long and attentive examination. It was the rugged mouth of the crater. The place was well worth looking at. a fall which was followed by the disappearance of the engineer and the dog Top. Then. Think. They could not leave it either. If the last hypothesis is correct. he gave the signal to return. he entered the enormous chasm in the midst of an increasing obscurity.I see a little river which runs into it. three quarters of an hour after sunrise. the others slept soundly.

 pigeons. and stood motionless. tools. and the dog bounded off in the direction indicated to him.That s capital cried the sailor.Cyrus Harding had provided himself with a straight stick. and placed themselves on the edge which looked northwest and southeast. there is plenty of food at the Chimneys. Over all this immense space the ocean alone was visible the island occupied the center of a circumference which appeared to be infinite.The engineer heard him. 1865. and the tumult. he had sailed over every sea. each retired to the corner in which he had rested the preceding night.Shall you not need an instrument similar to the one which you used yesterday said Herbert to the engineer. and here it met a current of wind.