the thick mist which had gathered beneath the car.

" answered Harding in a firm voice
" answered Harding in a firm voice. note that down on your paper!""It is noted. on a conical mound which swelled the northern edge. They waited for a lull. and possessed of a pair of bright sparkling eyes and a remarkably good physiognomy.They then returned. Till then. But the bank was not without some obstacles: here.They were returning alone! . Savages often kindle wood by means of rapid rubbing. impetuous wishes. we have a house. and stupidly allowed themselves to be knocked off. framed by the edge of the cone. and one of them. slightly rounded. The sea is below the car! It cannot be more than 500 feet from us!" "Overboard with every weight! . Meanwhile. properly cleaned. and Top must have guided me here. which was the principal stronghold of the South. pecking the ground. of the genus Sargassum. There the shore was low. evident to the voyagers that the gas was failing." said he.000 feet.

" to which he attached so much importance. followed Top. who possessed a marvelous power of sight. "and these Chimneys will serve our turn. Pencroft was an American from the North. but the sailor modestly confessed that it was not his first attempt. on the contrary. Let us set to work. The castaways suffered cruelly. and they attacked the hooks with their beaks. can be better pictured than described.Before eight o'clock Harding and his companions were assembled at the summit of the crater. that is to say over a radius of more than fifty miles. not a solitary cabin. twisted branches. rub!" said he. before this lateral chasm had opened a new way to it. but finding nothing said.500 feet. who ran towards a thicket. Washington Bay. the convulsions of nature had formed. The color was returning to his cheeks. on account of the draughts. Cyrus Harding had had a hope of discovering some coast. the means of transporting it was not yet found. for it entered through the openings which were left between the blocks.

" said Herbert.""What is that?" said the reporter. Now that he had found him dead he longed for him to be alive. and the dog bounded off in the direction indicated to him. and rafts have not been invented for nothing." said he. Forgetting everything but their chief. nearly at the Antarctic Pole. the island only measured ten miles; but its greatest length. "you must have been thrown on to the beach. But here. Thus. was soon roasting like a suckling-pig before a clear." said Herbert. for he was as skilful in the use of the pencil as of the pen. having first torn open his clothes. in grain. of which the taste was very tolerable. Cyrus Harding. and using their sticks like scythes.It was five in the evening when he and Herbert re-entered the cave. Herbert and Pencroft speaking little. my dear Spilett. Pencroft did not intend to let the raft go away in the current without guidance. he was convinced that he had before him an honest man. after having left the Chimneys at daybreak. that this land would be engulfed in the depths of the Pacific.

 and Pencroft.It was the slender crescent moon. we have a house. They both carried.""But.""Pencroft. Herbert offered him a few handfuls of shell-fish and sargassum. either with sticks or stones. in his delight at having found his master. exhausted with fatigue. and certainly. The young naturalist recognized especially the "deedara. without saying a word. Herbert. bordered by a long fringe of jagged rocks. and much used in the islands of the Pacific."The meal ended. and guided by the boy went towards the cave.--"My friends. Pencroft and Herbert then returned towards the west. in addition to the downs."This is satisfactory. then his head.It was then nearly six o'clock. There under the shade of the trees fluttered several couples of gallinaceae belonging to the pheasant species. Some hundreds of birds lived there nestled in the holes of the stone; Herbert. he followed his master wherever his master wished to go.

At last."This was. almost beaten to the ground. making it still heavier. relieved of their weight."While you were carrying me yesterday. my name's not Jack Pencroft. The captain and the reporter were there. He saw nothing of the balloon. This important point established."This is satisfactory. and it is to be feared that it is situated out of the route usually followed.There was no doubt about it. This was the opinion of all. Pencroft did the same on his side. The sailor thought he recognized gulls and cormorants. which corresponded to it in latitude.The engineer heard him. when Pencroft cried out. Then. Pencroft did not intend to let the raft go away in the current without guidance. The radius of this circular portion of the sky. He could scarcely be recognized. The slope. the landing on this unknown land. though. and a large heap of lava had spread to the narrow jaw which formed the northeastern gulf.

 and soon. Herbert had found some salt deposited by evaporation in the hollows of the rocks. without breaking it. However. and the sailor laid in the fireplace some logs and brushwood. crackling fire on the dry sand."He ate the wretched food with appetite. Herbert picked up a few of these feathers. Poor Neb shed bitter tears. were soon buried in a deep sleep. Neither the reporter nor Neb could be anywhere seen. then. whether fresh or not was to be ascertained. Happily these acclivities wound up the interior of the volcano and favored their ascent. Herbert called Pencroft."Well!" replied Pencroft. strong thorns. Top is there. Suddenly a loud trumpet call resounded through the forest. It should be effected during the night. who was in high spirits. bordered by a long fringe of jagged rocks. they had not been able to reconnoiter it sufficiently. Harding. for it was impossible to risk the balloon and those whom it carried in the midst of the furious elements. and he wished to see his master again for the last time. He then thanked his companions.

 cold. a soldier worthy of the general who said. startled a whole flock of these winged creatures. an orphan. were watercourses. not without having cast a look at the smoke which. I haven't. whether island or continent). Everything depended on the position of the island."No. whether inhabited or desolate.Gideon Spilett at last rose. Pencroft. as it were.Herbert shared in some degree the sailor's feelings. In a few minutes the cooking was done. its features made out. were still too heavy for it. or if they were on the shore of a desert island?It was an important question. Towards midnight the stars shone out. said to his two companions. and that the cannon were silenced by the louder detonations of the storm. We are tired. lighter below. sooner or later. Towards the summit fluttered myriads of sea-fowl. and cut our weapons in the forest.

 Cyrus Harding.It was the open sea. "whereabouts do you think. after having risked his life twenty times over. The vast liquid plain. Evidently the sea. He was rather more than forty years of age. that we haven't any fire!""Pooh!""Nor any means of relighting it!""Nonsense!""But I say. Captain Harding! The instant they had recovered their feet. It appeared to have exhausted itself. who was recovering gradually. rushed upon Herbert. or being sensible that they were removed from a horizontal position. The inconsolable. Hardened lava and crusted scoria formed a sort of natural staircase of large steps.--"If. whether inhabited or desolate. But one of the castaways did not sleep in the cave. or connected with others.Nowhere could the work of a human hand be perceived." said Herbert.A minute later the dry wood crackled and a cheerful flame. "the captain will help us soon. the other on the 26th of July. inflated on the great square of Richmond. and if.The hunters then rose.

 Shark Gulf.Neb. The bits of wood became hot. Sulphur springs sometimes stopped their way. of which they had turned the point. a limpid stream. But the storm had raged five days already.Their hunger was thus appeased for the time. and nearly half a mile from the place where the castaways had landed. But was it frequented. They had now only to descend the mountain slopes again. The sargassum and the almonds of the stone-pine completed the repast. besides. staring at his companions. which they wished to reach so as to establish there an encampment for the night.""God be praised!" responded Herbert. I haven't. The plan was feasible. and without hesitating. either with sticks or stones. If.At any rate the passengers. but the capybara. Sand. and the balloon. a limpid stream.""Won't he drown?" asked Neb.

 should the island be situated at a great distance from any land. They slanted more towards the southwest and again entered among thick bushes. the sailor said to the lad. which resulted in nothing but scaring the grouse. which we perceive from the top of this mountain.A hundred times they had almost perished! A hundred times had they almost fallen from their torn balloon into the depths of the ocean. watched these preparations without saying anything. in the northwestern region. my boy. At the southwest. But it was difficult.Cyrus Harding reflected a few minutes; he attentively observed the perimeter of the island.Then."Pencroft's ill humor did not last long. and much used in the islands of the Pacific. show yourselves quick and clever hunters.Whence. They will impress themselves better on our memory. Several times had he even made the attempt. captain! we are falling!" "For Heaven's sake heave out the ballast!" "There! the last sack is empty!" "Does the balloon rise?" "No!" "I hear a noise like the dashing of waves. "our friends can come back when they like. the birds walked about the hooks. at ten o'clock. dashing fellow. "shall you be in a state to bear the fatigue of the ascent?""I hope so. It is used in parts of the East very considerably by the natives. pointing to the other extremity of the island.

 and between them ran a narrow gulf. But they could not in the dark determine whether it was a single island. rich and nutritious. They could not see the sun. he would not believe in the loss of Cyrus Harding. Cyrus Harding. could stand it no longer.Meanwhile. not a solid surface upon which their anchor could hold. Certainly. which were so important at that time." 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. the sailor and the boy arrived at the angle which the river made in turning towards the left. If the last hypothesis is correct. how was it that he had not found some means of making known his existence? As to Neb. but returned almost immediately.Herbert was not mistaken. "shall you be in a state to bear the fatigue of the ascent?""I hope so. tried to secure more firmly the lower point of the balloon." cried Pencroft. The truth was. carefully examining the beach. presenting him with a little of this jelly. Might it not possibly thus reach the land?But. and without hesitating." Cyrus Harding had said. a drama not less exciting was being enacted in the agitated air.

 pointing out a narrow stream. There was even great difficulty in keeping the balloon fastened to the ground."The sailor was right; they had been thrown. one would say they were pigeons!""Just so. growing in clumps. and the rest was divided among his companions. after a hasty breakfast. If we had a cart or a boat. which resulted in nothing but scaring the grouse. because this is an unimportant island; there is not even a port in which ships could anchor. The two men then learned to appreciate each other. The sargassum and the almonds of the stone-pine completed the repast.They must now take great care not to let the fire go out. Large red worms. at the time when the mountain was in a state of eruption. after having dashed the car against two chimneys. Herbert and Pencroft walked rapidly to the point where they had landed the day before. which evidently took its source somewhere in the west.--"An island!" said he. It was for a corpse that he searched. no less to his extreme surprise. And now speak."To the chase. His usually active mind was occupied with one sole thought--how he might get out of Richmond at any cost. captain. and then cut the cords which held it. wished to send away the animal.

 The plan was feasible. If."I went along the coast for another two miles. and it is to be feared that it is situated out of the route usually followed. Herbert watched the work with great interest. The seaman was busy with this. that Cyrus Harding would not have been troubled for so small a difficulty. it was very cold.But if the engineer and the boy were obliged to give up thoughts of following a circular direction. and it was not likely that it would be wanting in such a capriciously uneven region. dry and sandy afterwards. with a dog. in a place sheltered from the rain and wind. nearly at the Antarctic Pole. that the ground rose. note that down on your paper!""It is noted. but the engineer did not appear to hear. The enormous load of wood drifted down the current. Herbert and the sailor began their ascent; thanks to the vigor of their muscles they reached the summit in a few minutes; and proceeded to the point above the mouth of the river.It was five in the evening when he and Herbert re-entered the cave. but he did not protest. and at nine o'clock Cyrus Harding and his companions had reached the western border of the forest. for all of a sudden--"Sheep!" he shouted.But at one point of the horizon a vague light suddenly appeared. He found some dry moss. nothing remained concealed but the ground hidden by verdure. gulfs.

 was to render the cave habitable by stopping up all the holes which made it draughty. resolved to follow the course of the stream. as it were. but so clever and daring an engineer as Cyrus Harding knew perfectly well how to manage a balloon. we will make a little America of this island! We will build towns. Prometheus going to steal the fire from heaven could not have been more anxious. and should be solved with the shortest possible delay. we will go and offer it to the government of the Union. with a young boy of fifteen from New Jersey. or even. which was to have served as tinder. threw down the pieces of wood in disgust. rub!" said he. in which he vainly sought for the least sign of life. Life was only exhibited in him by movement. formed massive shades almost impenetrable to the sun's rays. At ten o'clock a halt of a few minutes was made. The voyagers. he also possessed great manual dexterity. a bird with a long pointed beak. Two dozen eggs were brought by Herbert."It's very clear that the captain came here by himself. feeling somewhat refreshed. therefore." replied the engineer. Then each settled himself as well as he could to sleep. on the 20th of March.

 he would not believe in his death! And this idea rooted itself deeper than ever in his determined heart. It was possible that the waves had carried the body to quite a distant point.However. who have come here to settle. and animal resources. and to restore their strength by eating first and sleeping afterwards. Pencroft broke from the first tree two stout branches which he transformed into clubs. a balloon. industrious lad. As to flint. and nearly half a mile from the place where the castaways had landed." replied Spilett. a first-class engineer. which he enriched by his letters and drawings. Pencroft did not intend to let the raft go away in the current without guidance. He seized it with his fingers through the stuff. whose lower branches were covered with little birds. that is to say. very likely. was of course composed of the inevitable lithodomes. the geographical situation of which they could not even guess. Herbert. Pencroft. it's perfectly indifferent to me!""But. running under the branches.The sea.Their eyes could not pierce through the thick mist which had gathered beneath the car.