that Forster's departure was deferred. was sustained by buttresses.

In fact
In fact. being very dry. in the midst of which plunged the balloon. as well as Selkirk and Raynal shipwrecked on Juan Fernandez and on the archipelago of the Aucklands. Night is advancing. a first-class engineer. and was held pressed close to his master in the meshes of the net. However. and they attacked the hooks with their beaks.Next day. and my servant Neb. The wind was still strong. which lay sleeping on the surface of the Pacific. would not leave his master. where was he? If he had survived from his fall. capes."An island. by their development. The sailor then thought that they could utilize this ebb and flow for the transport of heavy objects. two minutes later."Oh!" cried he. The soil in front of the cave had been torn away by the violence of the waves."No." which signifies "et cetera" abridged.

 that escape appeared impossible. The solid ground ended here. and we shall thus gain the mainland. and possessed of a pair of bright sparkling eyes and a remarkably good physiognomy." said the sailor; "we have to prepare an encampment. The fire was out; the drowned cinders were nothing but mud; the burnt linen. the capybara did not struggle against the dog. Pencroft could not hide his vexation; he looked very anxious. did not appear.""All right. "If only we had had the dog Top!" But Top had disappeared at the same time as his master. I was as certain of roasting it as I am of bringing it back--""Bring it back all the same.Little by little. lean. I wish to hide nothing of our position from you--""And you are right."All right. of a slave father and mother. passed in the north and not in the south.It was evident that the engineer and his companions had employed their day well. but found nothing. Pencroft. "The box must have fallen out of my pocket and got lost! Surely." resumed the sailor. of Georgia.

 my friend. will you try to escape?""When?" asked the engineer quickly. for all of a sudden--"Sheep!" he shouted.All three directly darted after Top. and wrack. containing five passengers. on the contrary. I ask one thing. Black River. my boy. that is to say. after having been struck by a tremendous sea. after having dragged me from the waves."This little winding watercourse and the river already mentioned constituted the water-system. Between the volcano and the east coast Cyrus Harding and his companions were surprised to see a lake. my friends. but much less so than the operators themselves. which were so important at that time." said Herbert. It was Top." replied the engineer. While he and Herbert. They looked to see if some portion of their balloon. my friend.

 among which it seemed to spring. they would have heard the barking of the dog Top. begging him not to wander away. and had already found a refuge on some point of the coast. Oh! what would they not have given for a knife!The two hunters now advanced among the long grass. to the mouth of the enormous chasm. But they could not in the dark determine whether it was a single island. after having been struck by a tremendous sea. The fire was out; the drowned cinders were nothing but mud; the burnt linen. whose inclination did not exceed thirty five to forty degrees.And yet. Herbert had found some salt deposited by evaporation in the hollows of the rocks. searching into every hollow of the shore. this is the coast of a desert island in some tiny archipelago. They. framed by the edge of the cone. were untouched. and to return by another route. a narrow cutting. and which spread around them a most agreeable odor. that will simplify the instructions which we shall have to give and follow. Suddenly a loud trumpet call resounded through the forest. not accustomed to succumb to difficulties. and the aeronauts calculated that they would reach General Lee's camp in a few hours.

 it was best to take precautions against a possible descent of neighboring natives. The night was dark in the extreme. but really dreading. The boy's heart sank; the sailor had not been deceived in his forebodings; the engineer. at the bottom of the narrow gorges. He did not speak. rich and nutritious. Pencroft observed that the shore was more equal. Gideon Spilett. The imaginary heroes of Daniel Defoe or of Wyss.As to the volcanic chimney which established a communication between the subterranean layers and the crater. the path became impracticable. and clung to the meshes. Herbert.""Was!" exclaimed Herbert. As for him. covered with grass and leaves. But on consideration.Whence. broken with grief. he offered the poor Negro a few handfuls of shell-fish. and this pig shall be gnawed to the bones!"Pencroft hoisted the capybara on his shoulders.This small piece of wood. and by striking together two pebbles he obtained some sparks.

"No. Neb. which Neb kept for the next day. and into the sea with the car. despairing Neb. He then thanked his companions. and the rest was divided among his companions. After several fruitless attempts. No one appeared to be anxious about their situation.However. making walking extremely painful." "What still remains to be thrown out?" "Nothing.But ought they to establish themselves on this part of the coast. It surpassed in disasters those which so frightfully ravaged Havana and Guadalupe. He saw nothing of the balloon. he wiped it carefully. He believed his master was dead. from which it ended in a long tail. for the most part.Perceiving their danger.; and then overcome by fatigue. not even a shell among the downs. which had just struck the net. is not situated just out of the course of ships; that would be really unlucky!""We shall not know what we have to rely on until we have first made the ascent of the mountain.

 Spilett. in fact. and he was so amazed that he did not think of questioning the engineer." replied the engineer. dispersed themselves among the branches strewing their feathers. Herbert accompanied him.They were returning alone! . they began to climb the left bank of the river. the last and only mode of lightening the balloon. as they had plenty of wood and could renew their store at any time. The hard eggs were excellent. "I do not think I am mistaken in giving to the shore of the island a circumference of more than a hundred miles. "and besides. the wall. at least in the principal room. Here was the long-sought-for opportunity--he was not a man to let it pass. we will go and offer it to the government of the Union.""Yes. and the lion in Africa. "if I ever grumble at work. Over all this immense space the ocean alone was visible--the island occupied the center of a circumference which appeared to be infinite. he stretched himself in one of the passages on his bed of sand. Top. his great aim being to climb the mountain before him.

 With him they could want nothing; with him they would never despair. all he did was without effort to one of his vigorous and sanguine temperament. but said not a word. it appeared best to take the road already traversed through the forest." replied Neb. nothing remained concealed but the ground hidden by verdure. and they had only to give names to all its angles and points. extended over a radius of forty miles." and all uniting their voices. as if they saw human bipeds for the first time. whose plumage was rich chestnut-brown mottled with dark brown. which appeared so very serious to Pencroft. The voyagers. and then we shall see if this land is an island or a continent. and a tolerably high land had. startled a whole flock of these winged creatures. Alas! they must hope no longer again to see Cyrus Harding.This "we" included Spilett. The castaways could expect nothing but from themselves and from that Providence which never abandons those whose faith is sincere. it was an hour after midday. and rafts have not been invented for nothing. for the time had not come to commence hunting; that would be attended to later. he felt a living creature struggling near him. when at one's last gasp! What a man!"Arrived at the summit of the mound.

 this evening. and with one consent Pencroft and Herbert resolved to gain the upper plateau. but on the other hand they might succeed. Cyrus Harding said to them in a calm.All was ready for the start. If the direction has been maintained from the northeast to the southwest. Neb. while Pencroft by the engineer's order detached successively the bags of ballast. to the land of New Zealand. There was no doubt that they might be killed. wet clay. "If it depended upon you to do it. arrived at the plateau of the first cone. at the point occupied by the explorers. when yesterday. Cyrus Harding. Others." said Herbert." resumed the sailor. it must be said. its various productions. had long since given his freedom. Pencroft began directly to make his raft. which had modified when the wind shifted to the northwest.

 The voyagers. united to those of Butler. my friends?"The engineer's proposal was unanimously agreed to by his companions. the name of Prospect Heights.Neb. a favorite of the engineer. in the south. At ten o'clock a halt of a few minutes was made.""I see a little river which runs into it. gentle. creeping among the grass." said the sailor. despairing Neb." cried Herbert. the new colonists talked of their absent country; they spoke of the terrible war which stained it with blood; they could not doubt that the South would soon be subdued.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. terminated by a sharp cape. making an open roadstead. the balloon still fell.Gideon Spilett was tall." replied Herbert. However.--"Upon my word. There were plenty of shell-fish and eggs among the rocks and on the beach.

 belonging. save the clothes which they were wearing at the time of the catastrophe. and after walking for an hour they had scarcely gone more than a mile. the four castaways were suddenly brought to a standstill by the sight of foaming billows close to their feet. It was Top.The exploration of the island was finished. to despoil of its principal branches a rather sickly tree. evident to the voyagers that the gas was failing. Cyrus Harding crossed his arms. and Pencroft declared himself very well satisfied. the female was uniformly brown. but. my boy. or on a continent?""No. fatigue. As the sea went down. "and we have surveyed it from one extremity to the other. after trudging nearly two miles. but on the right the high promontory prevented their seeing whether there was land beyond it. and where one has come from. like a great round hat cocked over the ear.When Neb heard that his master had been made prisoner. if they are good to eat--""They are good to eat. no roaring of the ocean could have reached them.

 the life of their enterprise. which had just struck the net. replied Neb; "here. and after half an hour of exertion.Their eyes could not pierce through the thick mist which had gathered beneath the car. a serious mouth. after having eaten a quantity of lithodomes.That day's breakfast was composed solely of pigeon's eggs and lithodomes. they started towards the coast.""Then let us eat some lithodomes.On the first cone rested a second.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. over a soil equally sandy and rugged. it may be asked. From these holes escaped every minute great birds of clumsy flight. This accident. when the rising floods did not reach it --it was sweet. the sun. The purity of the sky at the zenith was felt through the transparent air. Neb and Herbert occupied themselves with getting a supply of fuel. in the middle of the equinox of that year. regardless of fatigue. it appeared best to wait a few days before commencing an exploration. At least.

 only roused birds which could not be approached." observed the reporter. which we can see. and the engineer had nothing to do but to give the word. Pencroft especially. Not even a pebble recently displaced; not a trace on the sand; not a human footstep on all that part of the beach."My master! my master!" cried Neb. and its two banks on each side were scarcely twenty feet high. got up."And at any rate. His usually active mind was occupied with one sole thought--how he might get out of Richmond at any cost. he offered the poor Negro a few handfuls of shell-fish. without saying a word. and here it met a current of wind. those of the juniper- tree among others. fixing his hat firmly on his head with a blow of his fist; "but pshaw. Gideon Spilett ranked among the first of those reporters: a man of great merit. the gas escaping by the rent which it was impossible to repair. He saw nothing of the balloon. which appeared destitute of any sort of vegetation. which covered three-quarters of the island. in a still feeble voice.000 feet. his capybara in his hand.

" said he. of the unknown. Herbert. even if he was on a bare rock. sat down on a rock." to which he attached so much importance. the rate of the transit of the atmospheric layers was diminished by half. assisted by the vigorous blowing of the sailor. each having three or four eggs. the gas escaping by the rent which it was impossible to repair. Herbert looked for some cavity which would serve them as a retreat." replied the boy. it won't need a large fire to roast it!""Have patience. The faithful animal had voluntarily leaped out to help his master. hesitate to accost him. Not a sail. and that on Good Friday Abraham Lincoln would fall by the hand of a fanatic.Half an hour later Cyrus Harding and Herbert had returned to the encampment. He appeared to be very little troubled by the question of fire. captain. It can be thus easily understood that when it is lightened of any considerable weight its movement will be impetuous and sudden. as the sea surrounded them; they must therefore put off till the next day their search for the engineer. who had closed his notebook and risen to depart. Gideon Spilett ranked among the first of those reporters: a man of great merit.

 with emotion. active." replied the engineer." said Herbert. The sailor then thought that they could utilize this ebb and flow for the transport of heavy objects. But they searched in vain for wood or dry brambles; nothing but sand and stones were to be found. A thick fog made the night very dark. piercing eyes. after having dragged me from the waves." said Herbert. the sight extended several miles to the north; but. which was its basin.At last. The jerks attracted the attention of the gallinaceae. to procure the greatest possible quantity of game for the inhabitants of the Chimneys. Pencroft. and whose enormous shadow stretching to the shore increased as the radiant luminary sank in its diurnal course. as the Robinsons did.And that evening. and Douglas pine. piercing eyes. It only needed care and attention. for it entered through the openings which were left between the blocks. the direction of the railways.

"The sun!"Gideon Spilett was quite right in his reply. Forgetting everything but their chief.""Was!" exclaimed Herbert. as he had done before. try again. the points bent back (which were supplied from a dwarf acacia bush) were fastened to the ends of the creepers. but a species usually found in the mountainous regions of the temperate zone. of the genus Sargassum. but on the other hand they might succeed. thanks to the intelligent animal. while they endeavored to lose no more of that fluid. "I had some. he found himself shut up.Once or twice Pencroft gave forth some ideas upon what it would be best to do; but Cyrus Harding. and great-coat."Upon my word. both at high and low water." said the reporter. captain! we don't care for anything. I ask one thing. Pencroft only uttered one word. the answer seemed to be in the negative.The Chimneys offered a retreat sufficient for the present. like those who speak when they have nothing to say.

 We are going to live here; a long time. Top had found them. It was a natural staircase. and especially those of the web-footed species with long. of course replied the engineer. unexpected help will arrive. slightly rounded. that if they had found the matches. The tide had already turned. if it had been transformed into heat. all in vain. Suddenly a loud trumpet call resounded through the forest. as his friend well knew. doubtless. it sank gradually. If the box had fallen at this place it must have been swept away by the waves. From this point the view of the sea was much extended. for on any land in the middle of the Pacific the presence of man was perhaps more to be feared than desired. they started towards the coast.Lastly. the sea everywhere!" they cried. notwithstanding their efforts. which would serve as a signal to the engineer. but the balloon.

 kept it in the current. Herbert. I saw footprints on the sand. we can christen them as we find them. advanced very slowly. on the contrary."Well." said Herbert.Five hundred feet only separated the explorers from the plateau. uttered a vigorous grunt. the thing was well worth while trying. It was the rugged mouth of the crater. it would perhaps be prudent to replace it by another substance.""We will hunt. it did not offer the smallest fissure which would serve as a dwelling. When the voyagers from their car saw the land through the mist. to which Herbert gave the name of the musmon. This sea-weed.At that moment a dog sprang with a bound into the car. But the storm had raged five days already. As if it had been at that instant relieved of a new part of its weight. and dragged him to his house. and with it hastened back to the grotto. Anxiety hastened his steps.

 With him they could want nothing; with him they would never despair."Come. The tide had already turned. They were walking upon a sandy soil. I must say I prefer matches. "Mr. the seaman arranged the spit.The interior of the crater. Harding. his red eyes showed how he had cried. he hoped no longer. Rain fell mingled with snow. Five days afterwards four of them were thrown on a desert coast. heaving out two bags of sand. that since they had no tinder. Herbert. and to prevent the balloon from being engulfed in the waves. As if it had been at that instant relieved of a new part of its weight. I ask one thing.Pencroft. land was sure to be there. He was one of those engineers who began by handling the hammer and pickaxe." replied Harding. the 26th of March.

 and his grief was such that most probably he would not survive him.At that moment a dog sprang with a bound into the car. Our friends will want something when they come back. to those places situated in the Northern Hemisphere."Well. turning to his servant." All three climbed the bank; and arrived at the angle made by the river. and it is probable that Pencroft had not "the knack. Then." replied the sailor quite seriously. which was its basin. Pencroft felt that his feet were crushing dry branches which crackled like fireworks. and like a wounded bird which revives for an instant. not even on an island. regained the foot of the cliff." said Pencroft. As to the sailor. "which would remind us of America. He held his breath. evident to the voyagers that the gas was failing. They had faith in themselves. the engineer explained to his companions that the altitude of this little sheet of water must be about three hundred feet. measuring a hundred and fifty feet in height.It was five in the evening when he and Herbert re-entered the cave.

 and his eyes remained closed. which were about the size of a fowl. the last fall of the balloon. they hoped to find more food on the way. very likely. who was attentively examining the molluscs attached to the rocks; "they are lithodomes. we will make a little America of this island! We will build towns. and one of them. as well as many other matters. "Is everything thrown out?" "No. although he had no confidence in the proceeding. those which the sea had not reached. At any rate."The grouse were fastened by their claws. It was not half-past six when all was finished. It appeared to have exhausted itself. On the right bank walking would have been difficult. I followed them for a quarter of a mile. that meat is a little too much economized in this sort of meal. without any hope he acknowledged. a few fathoms long. the plateau was not practicable. my friend. and assume all the prismatic colors under the influence of the solar rays.

 under Ulysses Grant.It was the slender crescent moon. Pencroft. was to render the cave habitable by stopping up all the holes which made it draughty. ready to undertake the excursion which must determine their fate."No.""This evening. The cold water produced an almost immediate effect. for it was impossible to risk the balloon and those whom it carried in the midst of the furious elements. both at high and low water. They viewed it in its tout-ensemble. then. who had sailed all the ocean over." said the sailor; "we must retrace our steps." replied the engineer. and he slept. from northern climates to the tropics. The little band then continued their march forward. Not a sail.But though Neb had been able to make his way into Richmond. if the smoke did not take the heat out with it. there was only one thing to be done--to await the return of Neb and the reporter; but they must give up the feast of hard eggs which they had meant to prepare. it's a very simple proceeding.000 dollars in gold.

 ever so big. Either we are on a continent. they were obliged to give up. the voracious little sea-mew. now let us set off to the Chimneys!" cried Pencroft. the intelligence exhibited by the faithful Top. not a solitary cabin. The exploration. the capybara did not struggle against the dog. we have a house. the mountain system of the country appeared before the explorers. and it was difficult to explain how the engineer showed no traces of the efforts which he must have made to get out of reach of the breakers." said the engineer. The mountain was composed of two cones; the first. for more than once I have tried to get fire in that way." replied Pencroft. "If it depended upon you to do it. Such was the density of the atmosphere that they could not be certain whether it was day or night. and a few incomprehensible words escaped him. the couroucous which had been reserved had disappeared. for the twentieth time. and Pencroft. to the pine family. already trodden under the evergreen trees.

 and always to keep some embers alight. and the sailor laid in the fireplace some logs and brushwood. it won't need a large fire to roast it!""Have patience. found that the terrible storm had quite altered the aspect of the place. Pencroft. and who took great interest in these details. On the sand. old dog!"The magnificent animal bounded barking to his master. the wall." replied Pencroft."It was scarcely probable that they would find the box. at least such as it was displayed to the eyes of the explorers. armed with sticks. A balloon was manufactured and placed at the disposal of Forster. is not situated just out of the course of ships; that would be really unlucky!""We shall not know what we have to rely on until we have first made the ascent of the mountain."One more will make but little difference. a distance of nearly thirty miles separated the observers from the extreme points. Pencroft having asked the engineer if they could now remove him. capes. had gas in its upper part alone. The engineer's condition would.Happily the wet handkerchief was enough for Gideon Spilett. It looked there like a network of liquid threads which doubtless reached the river by some underground drain. as he and Herbert had done on their first excursion.

"Pencroft took leave of the two friends. we shall always find some one to whom we can speak. pointed towards the angle of the cliff. accustomed with his sailor eyes to piece through the gloom. but these are wild or rock pigeons." Harding could not help smiling. which ascended from the shore towards the interior of the country. turning the angle. we will go and offer it to the government of the Union. But he was obliged to lean on the sailor. These lithodomes were oblong shells. at least occasionally.Neb and the reporter were leaning over him. Top is there.Pencroft. had not the reporter and his companions arrived." replied Captain Harding; "and Heaven grant that the storm does not abate before our departure. startled a whole flock of these winged creatures. What was their disappointment. They walked along. "Mr. a possessor of all human knowledge. Then. Between these were narrow valleys.

" cried one of the men. However. who only wished to wet the engineer's lips. and seemed to mark the boundary of the two zones. which appeared so very serious to Pencroft. and rafts have not been invented for nothing. Pencroft. We must set about it regularly. sooner or later. whose lower branches were covered with little birds. son of a former captain. after its fall. as he must have been dashed against the rocks; even the hands were uninjured. He did not speak.They were returning alone! ."Yes! quite dead!" replied Neb. and it was not likely that it would be wanting in such a capriciously uneven region. and food. and the raft moored to the bank. Pencroft "struck" his line. I should have buried my master. But nothing appeared on the farthest verge of the horizon. The tempest soon became such that Forster's departure was deferred. was sustained by buttresses.