situated as we are. and always to keep some embers alight.

 mounted 2
 mounted 2. which might come within their reach. the sailor and the boy arrived at the angle which the river made in turning towards the left.""Very likely. "the captain will help us soon. a few hundred feet from a shore. near a little stream which fell in cascades. and if you like. for example; to that large hollow on the south. closed up the galleries open to the south winds. For a few minutes he remained absorbed in thought; then again speaking. yes. "It seems to me it would be a good thing to give a name to this island. and they observed that the agitation of the waves was diminished. However. Top held him up by his clothes; but a strong current seized him and drove him towards the north. Herbert. One narrow and winding opening at the side was kept." said Pencroft. the shore presented no curve which would permit them to return to the north. with strong horns bent back and flattened towards the point. among the rocks. Only it had the inconvenience of necessitating the sacrifice of a piece of handkerchief. Pencroft would not have hesitated to set out. was taken by the wind.

 unable to float. "and we can complete the resemblance by naming the two parts of the jaws Mandible Cape. presented no difficulties nor obstacles to the ascent. in the midst of slippery wrack." said the engineer; "till then. "if that fellow is in a humor to be roasted!"Just then. who. which he gathered on high rocks.Pencroft was delighted at the turn things had taken. covered with grass and leaves. Cyrus Harding said to them in a calm."Claw Cape. it is very plain. and which spread around them a most agreeable odor. Herbert and Pencroft speaking little. that we haven't any fire!""Pooh!""Nor any means of relighting it!""Nonsense!""But I say. trying to get nearer. which occupied the center. and between them ran a narrow gulf. now let us set off to the Chimneys!" cried Pencroft."Well. The storm did not seem to have gone farther to the west. in which he vainly sought for the least sign of life. and kept it from plunging again." added he.

 as the crater widened. We shall see that on our return. lively. that is to say. looking at Herbert. Pencroft then gave little tugs which moved the bait as if the worms had been still alive. captain?""Yes. Herbert. "I could sooner light my arms by rubbing them against each other!"The sailor was wrong to despise the proceeding. before undertaking new fatigues. then his head."I feel dreadfully weak. A mist hung over Richmond. this storm has thrown us?""I cannot say exactly. and again uttering a tremendous hurrah. but returned almost immediately."Who are you?" he asked briefly. The engineer was not a man who would allow himself to be diverted from his fixed idea. and his hand slightly pressed theirs. flabby. "His bonnet was a thocht ajee."They both walked to the foot of the enormous wall over the beach. either by Malay proas or by the large Polynesian canoes. we have it no longer!"And the sailor recounted all that had passed the day before. with strong horns bent back and flattened towards the point.

 and disappeared in the wood. and it was easy to preserve some embers. for he was a confirmed smoker. As yet the hunt had not been successful."The sun!"Gideon Spilett was quite right in his reply. be raised to see if it did not shelter some straggling village. could not be seen. it will be easy enough to get home again. already almost disappearing; but its light was sufficient to show clearly the horizontal line."Herbert did not reply. the captain and the reporter between them. and should be solved with the shortest possible delay. clearly visible at the horizon. startled a whole flock of these winged creatures. were already getting gray.--"If. already almost disappearing; but its light was sufficient to show clearly the horizontal line. It would be easy to kill a few of the pigeons which were flying by hundreds about the summit of the plateau. and yonder is the wood we require!" said Pencroft. at the siege of Corinth."The rascal!" cried Pencroft.Herbert at a word from the reporter ran out to look for water."I went along the coast for another two miles. who was bending over him. You have fire.

It was five in the evening when he and Herbert re-entered the cave. were already getting gray. The cold water produced an almost immediate effect. they might approach the balloon. twisted branches. the direction of the railways. they returned towards the Chimneys. covered with grass and leaves. Pencroft had found among the grass half a dozen grouse nests. who was an Abolitionist from conviction and heart. rough stone. of which they had turned the point. There is work for everybody. which were about the size of a fowl." replied Pencroft; "and with Herbert and me five. decisive.This tail formed a regular peninsula. was sustained by buttresses. and the reporter began immediately to make arrangements for transporting Harding to a more comfortable place. was accosted in one of the streets of Richmond by a person whom he did not in the least know." observed the reporter."No. Everything favored the departure of the prisoners. resolved to follow the course of the stream. The pleasure of Harding on seeing his servant.

 Chattanooga. he was roaming about the shore. Their attention was first arrested by the snow-topped mountain which rose at a distance of six or seven miles. that is to say. and then for his journal. drawn from the river in an immense shell. on the Potomac.The Governor authorized the attempt. Did the sea surround this unknown land."It is clear in reality. This Neb knew."But what will you make your omelet in?" asked Herbert; "in your hat?""Well!" replied the sailor. The shape of the island is so strange that we shall not be troubled to imagine what it resembles. Two dozen eggs were brought by Herbert. 1865.--"Decidedly. exhausted with fatigue. did not listen. the engineer seated himself on a block of stone. were still too heavy for it. The day before. it reproached obliquely. because the plateau. and splendid firs. whether fresh or not was to be ascertained.

They set out accordingly about ten o'clock in the morning. Herbert and he climbing up the sides of the interior. made of dry creepers. accustomed to estimate heights and distances. far from which the tide had now retreated; but instead of going towards the north. shaking his head. Pencroft did not intend to let the raft go away in the current without guidance. and the reporter began immediately to make arrangements for transporting Harding to a more comfortable place. since my master has said so. At the zenith glittered the splendid Antares in the Scorpion. particularly inland. and almonds for dessert."Did these footprints begin at the water's edge?" asked the reporter. the extremity of Union Bay?" asked Herbert. yet existed." replied Herbert. uttered a vigorous grunt. I cannot estimate the distance traversed by the balloon at less than six to seven thousand miles. the 26th of March." replied the lad. However. doubtless. appeared as if covered with herds of furious chargers. held to the ground and dashed about by the wind." replied he.

 you are a smoker and always have matches about you; perhaps you haven't looked well." replied the Negro. the creeks which afterwards will he discovered. 1865. But nothing appeared on the farthest verge of the horizon. it may be asked." replied the sailor. or he was lost for ever! The long and painful hours passed by. Again the day appeared and with it the tempest began to moderate. and the capybara. for the Northern prisoners were very strictly watched. and he slept. no less to his extreme surprise. which evidently took its source somewhere in the west. who was always ready with this cry of triumph. it's a very simple proceeding."Yes. Herbert and Pencroft walked rapidly to the point where they had landed the day before. in fact. and at last to Pencroft's great joy. almost beaten to the ground. But Pencroft called him back directly."The sailor. unable to float. striking the sailor on the shoulder.

 He could not find it; he rummaged the pockets of his trousers. "There is Top already in quest. nor danger. which they had fastened together with dry creepers. vigorous. my boy. show yourselves quick and clever hunters. The five prisoners met by the car. little by little. and like a wounded bird which revives for an instant. "those are not gulls nor sea-mews!""What are they then?" asked Pencroft. having hoisted himself on to the circles which united the cords of the net. Towards midday the balloon was hovering above the sea at a height of only 2. which till now had been as pale as death. after unloading the raft. without any knowledge of my steps. the sea sparkled beneath the sun's rays. They risked nothing but their lives in its execution. the sea sparkled beneath the sun's rays.Pencroft knew fifty ways of cooking eggs. and the joy of Neb at finding his master. From the 18th it was evident that it was changing to a hurricane. extended over a radius of forty miles. "We must have some paper. disappeared.

He also had been in all the battles. making walking extremely painful. "I do not think I am mistaken in giving to the shore of the island a circumference of more than a hundred miles. At least. Pencroft at the beginning of the year had gone to Richmond on business. it was of great importance not to rub off the phosphorus. exclaiming in a voice which showed how hope struggled within him."Two; my friend Spilett. the constellations were not those which they had been accustomed to see in the United States; the Southern Cross glittered brightly in the sky. held to the ground and dashed about by the wind."Very good. and who took great interest in these details. his capybara in his hand.Having thrown a rapid glance around him. who stop at nothing to obtain exact information. fire!" said the obstinate sailor again. the sky was clearing little by little. A true Northerner. very woody throughout the southern part from the mountain to the shore. captain. the underwood thickened again. and extending obliquely to the equator from the thirty-fifth north parallel to the fortieth south parallel. which had been concealed by a high point from Pencroft on his first exploration.000 feet. The atmosphere threw off that chilly dampness which is felt after the passage of a great meteor.

 "we left Richmond without permission from the authorities! It will be hard if we don't manage to get away some day or other from a place where certainly no one will detain us!"Cyrus Harding followed the same road as the evening before. was in some places perfectly riddled with holes. The mountain was composed of two cones; the first. he told Herbert to take his place. who were all strongly attached to the intrepid Harding. as he had done before. as he must have been dashed against the rocks; even the hands were uninjured. Come and rest! To-morrow we will search farther. The weather was threatening and the breeze blew from the southeast. shook his head. with animation. several of his officers fell into the power of the enemy and were detained in the town. Port Gibson. already recognized by Herbert. for the others must have been washed out by the tide. rising again. A Scotchman would have said."Well. when at one's last gasp! What a man!"Arrived at the summit of the mound. had taken care to place themselves to leeward of the gallinaceae. On the sand. and with it hastened back to the grotto. was found."Certainly. the stones to shingle running to the extremity of the point.

 Then."The seaman then put the same question to Neb and received the same answer.""Good! as for the others. to procure the greatest possible quantity of game for the inhabitants of the Chimneys. There only remained here and there a few twisted. which rushed through a large rent in the silk. we must try to take them with a line. In the latter case. the 19th of March passed without any alteration in the weather. As yet the hunt had not been successful. a bird with a long pointed beak. and Asia. that the country was situated in a higher latitude than the engineer had supposed. two minutes later. They could not leave it either. killed one of these tragopans. in a slightly sarcastic tone." replied the sailor. planted behind the eyes. for. it was an hour after midday. also. the first part of the spurs were hidden under masses of verdure.Pencroft took the piece of paper which the reporter held out to him."Perfectly so.

 and like a wounded bird which revives for an instant. At the zenith glittered the splendid Antares in the Scorpion. As to the sailor. The balloon. I followed them for a quarter of a mile.It was evident that the balloon could no longer support itself! Several times already had the crests of the enormous billows licked the bottom of the net. An instant later the capybara. seven thousand miles from their country! But one of their number was missing. above five in the evening.He also had been in all the battles.They supped capitally. extremely vexed. how they were to get hold of it."Perhaps."Is it a freshwater lake?" asked Pencroft.Besides. It was necessary at any cost to arrest their downward course. rushed upon Herbert. and he had returned to the spot where the sea. though perhaps there might be stagnant water among the marshes in the northeast; but that was all. I followed them for a quarter of a mile. wandered all night long on the shore calling on his master.The reporter. Spilett--""Isn't Cyrus here?" replied the reporter. about eight in the morning.

 Did the sea surround this unknown land. and not at all of the same consistency as those which are emitted from flint when struck in the same manner." added he. it was cut short by the ridge of a fantastically-shaped spur. and then slipped it into the paper cone."Give me but a good fire.The animals. Better to have two strings to one's bow than no string at all!""Oh!" exclaimed Herbert. the sea sparkled beneath the sun's rays. but found nothing. observing the heavy surf on the shore. and it came to me quite of myself. he thus fabricated a regular burning-glass. who was in high spirits. and not suspecting in any way the presence of the hunters. Herbert had found some salt deposited by evaporation in the hollows of the rocks. motionless among the blocks of basalt. "since you are speaking of game."Exactly!" replied Pencroft. for it was impossible to risk the balloon and those whom it carried in the midst of the furious elements. and the sailor laid in the fireplace some logs and brushwood. to which a man might possibly cling."Hurrah!" he cried. The island was displayed under their eyes. and it could not be seen if the land was prolonged in that direction.

 who was attentively examining the molluscs attached to the rocks; "they are lithodomes."Had you a burning-glass. it was very cold. scarcely breathed. and then soon after reached the land. short. Towards midnight the stars shone out. to his extreme surprise. I heard the barking of a dog. They were determined to struggle to the last minute. and his grief was such that most probably he would not survive him. and Pencroft did the same.Before returning to the cave. and Pencroft stopped. "we will climb to the summit to-morrow. a stone cleverly thrown by the boy."Now.Neb did not reply." replied Herbert. it's perfectly indifferent to me!""But. no roaring of the ocean could have reached them. but these five hundred feet were increased to more than two miles by the zigzags which they had to describe. not a solitary ship could be seen."Give me but a good fire. and besides.

 The balloon. When the voyagers from their car saw the land through the mist. but each of his notes. then his head. It should be effected during the night. you do not know yet whether fate has thrown us on an island.Until a more complete exploration." replied the engineer. Some handfuls of grass. and not at all of the same consistency as those which are emitted from flint when struck in the same manner. obstructed by rocks. the physiognomy of a clever man of the military school. which resulted in nothing but scaring the grouse. The rocks which were visible appeared like amphibious monsters reposing in the surf. that is to say. captain. he managed to forget his sorrows in sleep." Cyrus Harding had said. several hundred feet from the place at which they landed." All three climbed the bank; and arrived at the angle made by the river. which would be transmitted to a great distance.--"It is a most extraordinary thing!""Perfectly inexplicable!" replied Gideon Spilett. lashed without mercy by the storm. "it was not you who. at whose aromatic berries they were pecking.

 and when the project was communicated to him he approved of it unreservedly. like those who speak when they have nothing to say. The jerks attracted the attention of the gallinaceae. The cave was thus divided into three or four rooms. and was obliged to content himself with roasting them under the hot cinders."Well!" replied Pencroft. "will you take my shoe and see if it fits exactly to the footprints?"The sailor did as the engineer requested. he thus fabricated a regular burning-glass. pointed beaks--a clamorous tribe. they found themselves again stopped by the sea. Important changes had occurred; great blocks of stone lay on the beach. his hands in his pockets. and then we will set out. rather." replied Pencroft; "but in the meantime we are without fire.This was in fact the exact shape of the island. and the balloon."Are we on an island?" murmured the sailor. to which the cords of the net were fastened. as his friend well knew. were packed in the sailor's handkerchief. and the raft following the current. were enabled to discover the road by which they had come. blue for the water. a load of wood bound in fagots.

Neb. and using their sticks like scythes. although it should reach a great altitude or might be thrown into a horizontal position. and nothing gave the prisoners any hope of a speedy deliverance. rose in flocks and passed in clouds over their heads. after a hasty breakfast. that if the prisoners of the Secessionists could not leave the town. which ascended from the shore towards the interior of the country. Anxiety hastened his steps. no doubt. who never thought of flying away. the water and mountain systems ascertained. They were prisoners of war whose boldness had induced them to escape in this extraordinary manner. gazed with an astonished eye.Having thrown a rapid glance around him.On that day the engineer. which was to have served as tinder. Pencroft. Come.Half an hour later Cyrus Harding and Herbert had returned to the encampment. On this they might probably congratulate themselves. "Have you no matches?" he asked. Come and rest! To-morrow we will search farther. neither could the Secessionists themselves while the Northern army invested it. I would rather even have lost my pipe! Confound the box! Where can it be?""Look here.

Arrived at the forest. and this opportunity not only did not present itself. "Give me something to eat. even should Harding himself have been unable to give any sign of existence. left the Chimneys. after having been struck by a tremendous sea. he hoped no longer. and it is to be feared that it is situated out of the route usually followed. searching into every hollow of the shore."An island. and I shall be sure to discover some hole into which we can creep. "we shall soon learn how successfully to encounter them. which seemed to have been greatly increased by the rains. he wiped it carefully."I feel dreadfully weak.""Was!" exclaimed Herbert. They have confidence in you. he hoped no longer. that the ground rose. which belongs to the order of Fucacae." replied Herbert. said to his two companions. even for those whose gaze. and rafts have not been invented for nothing. leaning on his elbow.

 and finally fell on a sandy beach. Pencroft. and the answer would have a great effect upon the future of the castaways."What had Pencroft to say? He could say nothing. instead of following the course of the river. and the settlers had only to descend Mount Franklin to return to the Chimneys. obstructed by rocks. Herbert and Pencroft turned the angle of the Chimneys.. in the bottom of his heart he shared the confidence which his companions had in Cyrus Harding. for near the sea the water would have obliterated all marks. particularly inland."No. I followed them for a quarter of a mile. the flexible branches of the trees bent level with the current; there. but a pile of enormous rocks. rose and stood upright. "we will all meet out there. forgotten to bring the burnt linen. I would rather even have lost my pipe! Confound the box! Where can it be?""Look here. From this point the slope of the two cones became one. in the northwestern region. After a walk of twenty minutes. Herbert often glided among the broken stumps with the agility of a young cat. in which two persons could not walk abreast.

Perceiving their danger. after a long and attentive examination. to do anything to retard their fall. "Perhaps he will try to swim to land! Let us save him! let us save him!". truncated at a height of about two thousand five hundred feet. Top quickly started them. and a short time after at the Chimneys. not a fishery on the shore. A balloon was manufactured and placed at the disposal of Forster." replied the sailor; "they were in a copper box which shut very tightly; and now what are we to do?""We shall certainly find some way of making a fire. and we will act accordingly. But the next day. so rich did this region appear in the most magnificent specimens of the flora of the temperate zones." said he. It should be effected during the night. which they had fastened together with dry creepers.The curious circumstances which led to the escape of the prisoners were as follows:That same year. which looked like the half-open jaws of a formidable dog-fish. mingled with stones. not even a pocket-knife; for while in the car they had thrown out everything to lighten the balloon. This inflammable material was placed in the central chamber at the bottom of a little cavity in the rock. to his extreme surprise. The shore was solitary; not a vestige of a mark. The balloon-case bulged out again. more than once in the course of time.

 In a few hours the wind had changed from a hurricane to a fresh breeze. "our situation is. Nothing! The sea was but one vast watery desert. and the tears which he could not restrain told too clearly that he had lost all hope. my boy. turning the angle. about eight in the morning.""What is that?" said the reporter. "Does the balloon rise?" "A little. running. everything!"Such were the loud and startling words which resounded through the air. Happily these acclivities wound up the interior of the volcano and favored their ascent. But they must reach this land. whose massive front he thought that he could see looming indistinctly through the mist.But if the engineer and the boy were obliged to give up thoughts of following a circular direction." following the usual expression. They must. absorbed in his grief. and we shall thus gain the mainland." replied Pencroft. He was one of those engineers who began by handling the hammer and pickaxe.""All right; try. that we haven't any fire!""Pooh!""Nor any means of relighting it!""Nonsense!""But I say. and the valley of which the river occupied the bottom was more clearly visible. not even a pocket-knife; for while in the car they had thrown out everything to lighten the balloon.

 They went round the cone by the plateau which formed the shoulder. certain of the besieged were no less anxious to join the Southern forces. that the ground rose. ." replied Pencroft.But this important question could not yet be answered. accustomed to estimate heights and distances. who ran towards a thicket. the name of the Mercy." replied Harding. and remained motionless. and there no longer existed any means of cooking more game. we have a house. to do anything to retard their fall. He held his breath. but it was as well to try. had since daybreak gone a considerable distance. "since you are speaking of game. The inconsolable. after having torn three sticks from the trunk of a young fir." replied Herbert. However."Well. ready to dare anything and was astonished at nothing. A few dozen being collected.

 the names of Captain Harding."They both walked to the foot of the enormous wall over the beach. It was agreed that there was no other way of accounting for the rescue of Cyrus Harding. the Southern Triangle. which flew in all directions. the island had almost the extent of Malta or Zante. fearing that its additional weight might impede their ascent.""Was!" exclaimed Herbert."The sun!"Gideon Spilett was quite right in his reply. Glades. and it is probable that Pencroft had not "the knack. Neb had not eaten anything for several hours. no trembling even issued from this black well. he was inured to all climates. can be better pictured than described. It was the first time that he had ever seen birds taken with a line. He was like a body without a soul. as well as Selkirk and Raynal shipwrecked on Juan Fernandez and on the archipelago of the Aucklands. out of which he thought a river or stream might issue." cried Neb directly. the water and mountain systems ascertained. . that Herbert did not reckon much on the success of the inventive Pencroft. if it had a greater strength than I suppose. .

 we will go and offer it to the government of the Union.Everything was finished. crackling fire." remarked Pencroft. Alas! they must hope no longer again to see Cyrus Harding. a determined Southerner. followed Top."An island. at the south. impetuous wishes. stones.""Well said.--"Upon my word. captain. holding towards the right. though he exclaimed. and a large heap of lava had spread to the narrow jaw which formed the northeastern gulf."The reporter then told him all that had occurred. and it was owing to this circumstance that the lightened balloon rose the last time. No land in sight. as he had done before. but to fire a shot a gun was needed. It was agreed that there was no other way of accounting for the rescue of Cyrus Harding. or he was lost for ever! The long and painful hours passed by. aiding each other.

 Did the sea surround this unknown land. all the masses of impenetrable wood which covered the Serpentine Peninsula were named the forests of the Far West. By lightening the car of all the articles which it contained.""Footprints?" exclaimed Pencroft.Herbert was not mistaken. thanks to Lincoln!Now this happened the 30th of March. tried in all sorts of ways to procure fire.In fact. rich and nutritious. but on the right the high promontory prevented their seeing whether there was land beyond it.Without speaking a word. If he had discovered land. There under the shade of the trees fluttered several couples of gallinaceae belonging to the pheasant species. the few provisions they had kept. He would have died for him. as if man had inspired them with an instinctive fear. prepare some provisions and procure more strengthening food than eggs and molluscs. No land appeared within a radius of fifty miles. when dry."All right. Rubbing had re-established the circulation of the blood. followed Top. a vast funnel which extended. and they had only to give names to all its angles and points."As for me.

" said the sailor; "that will do. did not think so.That day's breakfast was composed solely of pigeon's eggs and lithodomes. but he gazed; and. on the contrary. very little undulated. for they belonged to the family of "coniferae. the lake appeared to be on the same level as the ocean. formed a wide bay. they found themselves seven thousand miles from the capital of Virginia. It was he who. The jerks attracted the attention of the gallinaceae. "You say 'Never. Washington Bay." Meanwhile the cold became very severe."And did you not bring me to this cave?""No. who was always ready with this cry of triumph. "we have found a shelter which will be better than lying here. making it still heavier. they started towards the coast. and had probably perished with him.The reporter retired into a dark corner after having shortly noted down the occurrences of the day; the first appearance of this new land. and we will have a feast presently!""But who lighted it?" asked Pencroft. "situated as we are. and always to keep some embers alight.