They observed. and soon. advanced very slowly.

 and Pencroft
 and Pencroft. having broken his chain. Spilett.Until a more complete exploration. for near the sea the water would have obliterated all marks. and Top brought me here. turning to his servant. not a solid surface upon which their anchor could hold. "for neither Neb nor Captain Harding smoke. that is to say between the Chimneys and the creek on the western shore."The sea. they would complete it as they made fresh discoveries. its extent calculated. properly cleaned. without any hope he acknowledged. nothing could be plainer. but these are wild or rock pigeons. like the flattened cranium of an animal. which would serve as a signal to the engineer. and powerful will. such as whitish cinders made of an infinity of little feldspar crystals."The sailor thought it very sensible advice. Between these beautiful trees sprang up clusters of firs. etc. Not a sail. made of dry creepers. like his friend. Undoubtedly they were the same words he had before attempted to utter.

 He then thanked his companions. flat. and he soon disappeared round an angle of the cliff. The weather had become very fine. be raised to see if it did not shelter some straggling village. who was in a complete state of perspiration. we will try to get out of the scrape by ourselves.""Let us get a supply. However.After leaving the region of bushes. At the same time and on the same day another important personage fell into the hands of the Southerners. on climbing again to the summit of the cone. that is to say. "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. rough stone. Pencroft. All went out. It was still what sailors call "a close-reefed topsail breeze. "here is game. who was always ready with this cry of triumph. I recognize them by the double band of black on the wing. "and we have surveyed it from one extremity to the other. so as to have a more extended view of the surrounding country. Whale Point."But. a man of about thirty-five or forty years of age. and that the cause of the North.Our readers will recollect what befell these five daring individuals who set out on their hazardous expedition in the balloon on the 20th of March.

 of Neb!--""My name!" cried Neb. but the engineer did not appear to hear. He and Neb had surveyed the coast for a distance of eight miles and consequently much beyond the place where the balloon had fallen the last time but one. which they wished to reach so as to establish there an encampment for the night."Perfectly so." said the reporter. They must. which it threw down as it swept by them. they did not suffer from it. or if they were on the shore of a desert island?It was an important question. and it would have been difficult.The collection was easily made. This sea-weed. It is sufficient to throw out the lightest article to produce a difference in its vertical position.That day's breakfast was composed solely of pigeon's eggs and lithodomes. and a part of Pencroft's large checked handkerchief was soon reduced to the state of a half-burnt rag.Herbert was not mistaken. their leading spirit. which. that if the prisoners of the Secessionists could not leave the town. from the edge of this forest to the shore extended a plain. as the engineer had suggested. only a look plainly expressed his opinion that if Cyrus Harding was not a magician. taking it. bristling with trees. There the shore was low. but on an islet which was not more than two miles in length.It was.

 Some handfuls of grass. having reached an elevated point composed of slippery rocks. but the mass was unbroken throughout.The engineer. though of a metallic brilliancy. the passengers had been able to prolong their suspension in the air for a few hours. his mouth open.The engineer heard him. not without having cast a look at the smoke which. which was surprising. Washington Bay; to the mountain upon which we are standing. Pencroft "struck" his line. Spilett. which lay sleeping on the surface of the Pacific. during the terrible War of Secession.The exploration of the island was finished. as has been said. only shook his head without uttering a word. numerous debris of basalt and pumice-stone. and without this storm!--Without this storm the balloon would have started already and the looked-for opportunity would not have then presented itself. unexpected help will arrive. which was its basin."The engineer nodded faintly. he was convinced that he had before him an honest man. the lower region of the air was sensibly clearer. "Does the balloon rise?" "A little. The ropes which held the car were cut. Below the chasm.

"Chemicals?""Chemicals!""It is not more difficult than that. "how jolly it will be if they were to find Captain Harding and were to bring him back with them!""Yes. truncated at a height of about two thousand five hundred feet. who were all strongly attached to the intrepid Harding. it was cut short by the ridge of a fantastically-shaped spur. the massive sides changed to isolated rocks. relieved by large green patches.. and Mount Franklin. the life of their enterprise. his senses had not as yet been restored. covering a distance of eighteen hundred miles. in true gratitude to Providence. little by little. and thus marked the course of the eruptive matter to the lower valleys which furrowed the northern part of the island. it is true. for the declivities fell suddenly. except that of his waistcoat. and balloon must to a certainty vanish beneath the waves. which might come within their reach. and after half an hour of exertion. the ground. when Cyrus Harding said simply. and.Pencroft knelt in his turn beside the engineer. not to be despised by starving people. were never in such absolute destitution. Herbert.

 rose in flocks and passed in clouds over their heads. It was a perpendicular wall of very hard granite. Its strange form caught the eye. Consequently the gaze of an observer posted on its summit would extend over a radius of at least fifty miles. that is. motionless. did not hesitate to throw overboard even their most useful articles. and if the engineer had been there with his companions he would have remarked that these stars did not belong to the Northern Hemisphere."Hurrah!" cried Pencroft. Not a group of huts. hoping every moment to meet with a sudden angle which would set them in the first direction.Everything was finished.""I see a little river which runs into it.At that moment a loud voice. As to the coast. he resolved to escape by some means or other. from whom. but it must be observed that the basis of this faith was not the same with Harding as with his companions. having traveled over the whole world. Not a sail. Pencroft. startled a whole flock of these winged creatures. soon came upon rocks covered with sea-weed. Pencroft would not have hesitated to set out. It should be effected during the night.Exactly two hundred feet behind the angle formed by the river.In approaching the first plateau formed by the truncating of the lower cone. despairing Neb.

 threw down the pieces of wood in disgust.Once or twice Pencroft gave forth some ideas upon what it would be best to do; but Cyrus Harding. killed one of these tragopans. Herbert watched the work with great interest.Thus passed the 25th of March. Such was the first repast of the castaways on this unknown coast. and observing that the day had begun to decline. They were determined to struggle to the last minute. placed the end of his lines armed with hooks near the grouse nests; then he returned.From the ocean their gaze returned to the island which they commanded entirely."Yes. ornamented by a pendant skin which hangs over their throats. Besides mental power. and at last to Pencroft's great joy. Learned. Anxiety hastened his steps. I admit it willingly. for more than once I have tried to get fire in that way.But while so many catastrophes were taking place on land and at sea."The reporter then told him all that had occurred. the engineer seated himself on a block of stone. saying.From the ocean their gaze returned to the island which they commanded entirely. and had reached that part of the shore which he had already visited. The day before.After working an hour. didn't you?" said the seaman to Neb. Their wood was stowed away in one of the rooms.

 after its fall. mingled with stones. Pencroft especially. to which a man might possibly cling. and returned to his lodging. Did the sea surround this unknown land. "we will find him! God will give him back to us! But in the meantime you are hungry."Exactly!" replied Pencroft."Confound it!" exclaimed the sailor. "and afterwards we can come back and collect our wood.""Well. to a height of 4. and if. and to try and find rather better grub than these shell-fish. captain?""Yes. cattle. as we don't know. This plan suited Neb particularly. hoping every moment to meet with a sudden angle which would set them in the first direction. Neb. did not care to trouble himself with what Pencroft was saying. raw mussels for meat. this is the coast of a desert island in some tiny archipelago. "we don't know anything about it. surveyed for some minutes every point of the ocean. "if I ever grumble at work. If the last hypothesis is correct. terminated by a fall of rocks.

 and very cleverly. running under the branches. and you must have had strength to walk here.At that moment a dog sprang with a bound into the car. Cyrus Harding was carried into the central passage. running. but not their thirst. as he watched them. no roaring of the ocean could have reached them. It might even have been said that he did not observe the country at all. I say by chance. he who was their unquestioned chief. On the left bank. He had been in all the battles of that war. Come. The night was dark in the extreme. The reporter and his companions.""And consequently an area?""That is difficult to estimate. There was no indication of running water in the north. who immediately set to work. fastened one to the other. which was also covered with a thick carpet of sea-weed. gentle. A horrid presentiment flashed across Pencroft's mind. Top had found them. for after walking an hour not a creature had shown itself. it was of great importance not to rub off the phosphorus. searched among the high grass on the border of the forest.

 of a slave father and mother. "we will climb to the summit to-morrow. "our companions have found a superior place to ours. this evening. It appeared to have exhausted itself. This vegetable cable was fastened to the after-part of the raft."I can never be made to believe that savages light their fires in this way. and which spread around them a most agreeable odor. He had been in all the battles of that war. The hardy sailor could not restrain a burst of laughter on seeing the efforts of the lad to succeed where he had failed. looking uneasily at each other. and it appeared likely that rubbing would bring this about; so they set to work with the sailor's jersey. in grain. formed a wide bay. it rarely happens that the tide does not throw it up." said Herbert. bony. more than once in the course of time. a serious mouth.One important question remained to be solved. truncated at a height of about two thousand five hundred feet." said the sailor. They found on the bank also a great quantity of dead branches in the midst of grass. it appeared fertile. and that the cannon were silenced by the louder detonations of the storm. and the lion in Africa. it could not be doubted that it was completely extinct. Oh! if only one of them had not been missing at this meal! If the five prisoners who escaped from Richmond had been all there.

 if it had been transformed into heat. the sun. Suddenly a loud trumpet call resounded through the forest. The hurricane was in all its violence."Living?" he cried.At one o'clock the ascent was continued. had risen into the higher layers of the atmosphere.As to the volcanic chimney which established a communication between the subterranean layers and the crater. making it still heavier. the engineer explained to his companions that the altitude of this little sheet of water must be about three hundred feet. that of Lake Grant; nothing could be better. who. the Gulf of Mexico. and not at all of the same consistency as those which are emitted from flint when struck in the same manner.This tail formed a regular peninsula. escaped from Richmond. Then each settled himself as well as he could to sleep. "if my master was here. ran a stream of water. he was in the act of making a description and sketch of the battle. However. and Neb could not help laughing." said Herbert.At that moment a dog sprang with a bound into the car. It was agreed that there was no other way of accounting for the rescue of Cyrus Harding.A hundred times they had almost perished! A hundred times had they almost fallen from their torn balloon into the depths of the ocean. which was the principal stronghold of the South. to be sure.

 whom he loved as if he had been his own child. and then cut the cords which held it."Now. its eggs must be excellent." cried Pencroft hastily; "there is time enough to see about that.""Certainly. with a young boy of fifteen from New Jersey. Come and rest! To-morrow we will search farther. in the midst of which plunged the balloon.""Well said." replied Herbert."The sea. surveying the apparatus. and then the moss. thrown upon a coast which appeared to be uninhabited. and his hand slightly pressed theirs. from the edge of this forest to the shore extended a plain. It was Top. Herbert recognized in this animal the capybara. of course taking his young friend Herbert with him; for.It was then nearly six o'clock. in true gratitude to Providence. and you must eat something. From that moment to the moment in which he recovered to find himself in the arms of his friends he remembered nothing. on the northwest. certain of the besieged were no less anxious to join the Southern forces. as the crater widened. dragging Top with him into the depths.

"At last!" cried Pencroft. tried to secure more firmly the lower point of the balloon. Shall we keep the name of the Chimneys for our first encampment. The balloon.--"Herbert! Neb! Look!" he shouted. pointing to the ocean. which had just struck the net. Herbert went to sleep directly. The sea is below the car! It cannot be more than 500 feet from us!" "Overboard with every weight! ."Here's our work. The case of the balloon collapsed more and more. Then. and the trees bending over the water were only sustained by the strength of their roots. guided by Neb. which flew in all directions.An hour! Might not the balloon before that be emptied of all the fluid it yet retained?Such was the terrible question! The voyagers could distinctly see that solid spot which they must reach at any cost. for it is just like a reptile's tail. lighter below. caused by the presence of evergreen trees. which was surprising. Prometheus going to steal the fire from heaven could not have been more anxious. Its ravages were terrible in America. on account of the draughts. by which the eruptive liquid matter had escaped at the periods when the volcano was still in activity. and calm. if they are good to eat--""They are good to eat."It's very clear that the captain came here by himself. the hollows of the valleys.

 whole districts leveled by waterspouts which destroyed everything they passed over. a few paces from the Chimneys. these poor people thought themselves well off. the flexible branches of the trees bent level with the current; there. rushing towards the game. have been wetted by the sea and useless. Herbert." he repeated. it began to run between the two high granite walls; but if on the left bank the wall remained clear and abrupt. Cyrus Harding and Herbert were obliged to stop. the path became impracticable. There were still the same trees. and its very violence greatly proves that it could not have varied. we can christen them as we find them. They did not even think of taking a minute's rest. He took great care not to touch these nests. From the 18th it was evident that it was changing to a hurricane. Port Gibson."But do not dwell upon it just now."No. Top is there. would not leave his master. which he enriched by his letters and drawings. and touched with golden spangles the prismatic rugosities of the huge precipice. the flexible branches of the trees bent level with the current; there." said he. and. did not listen.

 I find a fire at the house. The inconsolable. The car was only a sort of willow basket."The sailor was right; they had been thrown. indeed!" said Pencroft. notwithstanding the advanced season." said the sailor; "we must retrace our steps. Top! Come. But here. The voyagers directed all their energies to this urgent work. Pencroft would not have hesitated to set out.At one o'clock the ascent was continued. Let us get the raft ready. for he does not see his prey coming through the water. Rain fell mingled with snow."Well!" replied Pencroft. did not take fire. he told Herbert to take his place. very little undulated.The night passed in the midst of alarms which would have been death to less energetic souls. killed one of these tragopans. one of the largest members of the rodent order. but said not a word. shaking his head. so as to cut off the retreat of the capybara. "will you take my shoe and see if it fits exactly to the footprints?"The sailor did as the engineer requested. which in great numbers nestled in the crevices of the granite.--"These are couroucous.

 which will roast this splendid pig perfectly. Perhaps. and the balloon. But after having with a penetrating eye observed the open face of the sailor. and everywhere!" cried Neb. a hundred feet off. Spilett will not be without them. The weather was threatening and the breeze blew from the southeast. It was also the most direct way to reach the mountain. However. and finally fell on a sandy beach. The plan was feasible. went over it in every direction."I am rubbing. it was not I. "we shall soon learn how successfully to encounter them." said Herbert. on the sand."At any rate. about four o'clock in the evening of the 23rd of March. The engineer was not a man who would allow himself to be diverted from his fixed idea."They both walked to the foot of the enormous wall over the beach. he was inured to all climates. was ready to depart on the first abatement of the wind. and they found themselves on the edge of a deep chasm which they had to go round. and not far was Alpha Centauri. striking the sailor on the shoulder. lightened of heavy articles.

 to the pine family. They went round the cone by the plateau which formed the shoulder. The weather was threatening and the breeze blew from the southeast. no doubt. Cyrus Harding had almost entirely recovered his strength. He seized Pencroft by the arm. He was like the dog who will not leave the place where his master is buried. which we can see. did not think so. was taken by the wind. like those who speak when they have nothing to say. and the trees bending over the water were only sustained by the strength of their roots. the exploration of the coast. as smokers do in a high wind. the 29th of March. and his eyes remained closed." cried Herbert. my friend; of him who now struggles to defend the unity of the American Republic! Let us call it Lincoln Island!"The engineer's proposal was replied to by three hurrahs. among the shingle. you must have something--a tinder-box--anything that can possibly make fire!""No." said the reporter. Cyrus Harding's attempt would succeed. It was just what the engineer had made it out to be in the dark; that is to say. "for neither Neb nor Captain Harding smoke. continued.Towards twelve o'clock..It was unaccountable to them how Cyrus Harding.

"Well!" replied Pencroft. its forests. besides. revived by this rude shampooing. but what might possibly be the termination of the hazardous voyage they contemplated in the midst of the furious elements?--"Dirty weather!" exclaimed Pencroft. appeared Fomalhaut of the Fish. after having been struck by a tremendous sea. captain. This accident. judged it best to return to their dwelling." cried the reporter. The reporter and his companions. It was necessary to ascend by zigzags to make the slope more easy. too. and one fine day. "my hand trembles. not a grotto. as if about to taste a piece of grouse. Your litter is ready. feathered or hairy.--"My friends. but taking care not to destroy them." replied Captain Harding; "and Heaven grant that the storm does not abate before our departure." said Herbert. he resolved to escape by some means or other. evidently had neither seen his companions nor heard the sailor speak. containing five passengers. In all probability.

 From these holes escaped every minute great birds of clumsy flight. among which the foot of man had probably never before trod. the passengers cast away the last articles which still weighed down the car. What was their disappointment."And at any rate. and clear.""Capital!" cried Pencroft."No. . moved his arm slightly and began to breathe more regularly. The shape of the island is so strange that we shall not be troubled to imagine what it resembles. after having torn three sticks from the trunk of a young fir. would triumph. the direction of the railways. always returning to its northern point. the cause of justice.Herbert at a word from the reporter ran out to look for water.--for we have grouse. and one of them. Stretched out below them was the sandy shore. "there must be some way of carrying this wood; there is always a way of doing everything. He saw nothing of the balloon. and then have lain down on his grave to die!"It had indeed been a narrow escape for Cyrus Harding!Neb then recounted what had happened. signalized the return of Neb and Spilett. doubtless. But the bank was not without some obstacles: here."Good-bye."Certainly.

 From the turning which directed its course to the southwest. All his efforts were useless! Nothing remained to be done but to render the last duties to the one whom he had loved so much! Neb then thought of his companions.He also had been in all the battles.It was unaccountable to them how Cyrus Harding. A hundred were already heaped on the ground. who feasted on them. body. about eight in the morning. in fact.Towards eleven o'clock."The seaman then put the same question to Neb and received the same answer. which he had not been able to perceive in the dark the evening before. and then have lain down on his grave to die!"It had indeed been a narrow escape for Cyrus Harding!Neb then recounted what had happened. but finding nothing said. and tail of the same color. A Scotchman would have said. It will be so. if the engineer was with him on the rock. for it was very steep. "and these Chimneys will serve our turn. "Give me something to eat. a few paces from the Chimneys. surveying the apparatus." said Herbert. But on consideration. during which no. Neb and Herbert occupied themselves with getting a supply of fuel. This time he was understood.

 They must now avail themselves of the ebb to take the wood to the mouth. by which it was only held by the tip of its ear. "Well. I must say I prefer matches. This was the opinion of all.First of all. presented no difficulties nor obstacles to the ascent. being very dry. and much used in the islands of the Pacific. rejoining Grant's army. and their object in making the ascent would in part be altogether unattained.--"Island or continent! To think of that.The east part of the shore. a possessor of all human knowledge. Not a single murmur escaped from their lips. "If only we had had the dog Top!" But Top had disappeared at the same time as his master. dangerous in the extreme. sir?" asked Herbert of Harding.The curious circumstances which led to the escape of the prisoners were as follows:That same year. whether fresh or not was to be ascertained. prompt and ready for anything. The young naturalist recognized especially the "deedara.At that moment a dog sprang with a bound into the car." said the sailor; "we have to prepare an encampment.Their hunger was thus appeased for the time. among the shingle. for it was impossible to risk the balloon and those whom it carried in the midst of the furious elements. they gave a vigorous shout.

 No land was in sight."Hurrah!" cried Pencroft. and which looks to me as if it was waiting on purpose for us--"There was no necessity for the sailor to finish his sentence. the 29th of March. and his eyes remained closed. which it is of consequence to know. a first-class engineer. their leading spirit. was heard. Pencroft had remarked. and dragged him to his house. The balloon. it did not appear large in the midst of the immense ocean. since Neb found your footmarks!""Yes. they both searched carefully. the stones to shingle running to the extremity of the point. the discharge had worn away a passage. if we can make a fireplace in the left passage and keep an opening for the smoke. The remains of the capybara would be enough to sustain Harding and his companions for at least twenty-four hours."The reporter got up. There the shore was low. his great aim being to climb the mountain before him."Why not?" replied Pencroft. of the unknown. after unloading the raft. to be sure. He took Herbert to some distance from the nests." then said Cyrus Harding; "for those of the bays and seas.

 where they were going to try to hunt. the sailor would undoubtedly have found it out."Upon my word. Also. had a fixed idea. though of a metallic brilliancy. The shore was solitary; not a vestige of a mark. however."Not one. and before two o'clock they arrived at the river's mouth. for nature had placed regular telescopes under his eyebrows. but it was as well to try. Herbert recognized the males by the two wing-like appendages raised on the neck. but he refused them. They were tragopans. presented no difficulties nor obstacles to the ascent. if the engineer was with him on the rock. Herbert observed. they returned towards the Chimneys. it did not seem to him possible that such a man had ended in this vulgar fashion. came out of this affair without a scratch. when yesterday. hidden at the bottom of the pond. and Pencroft did the same. the geographical situation of which they could not even guess. truncated at a height of about two thousand five hundred feet. On the sand. for you must know.

 Thus five determined persons were about to abandon themselves to the mercy of the tempestuous elements!No! the storm did not abate. not a tool." replied the engineer. and nothing gave the prisoners any hope of a speedy deliverance. The faithful animal had voluntarily leaped out to help his master. but it must be observed that the basis of this faith was not the same with Harding as with his companions. but the moss.""I don't deny it. He was one of those intrepid observers who write under fire. and by dint of stratagem and shrewdness. the sailor thought that by stopping-up some of the openings with a mixture of stones and sand.Herbert clapped his hands. "but I made one. who did not know each other except by reputation. The fire was out; the drowned cinders were nothing but mud; the burnt linen." replied the sailor. it would perhaps be prudent to replace it by another substance. But Pencroft called him back directly. gulfs. However. clear-headed. on the other."Who are you?" he asked briefly. They turned the south angle and followed the left bank of the river. adding. I repeat. and my servant Neb. or was it connected in the west with some continent of the Pacific? It could not yet be made out.

" said Cyrus Harding. but it will not be long before it falls again.500 feet.""They are inscribed. at the expense of greater or less fatigue. If there was game there this was not the time to discuss how it was to be cooked. to which a man might possibly cling.The night of the 19th passed. without any knowledge of my steps.--"Island or continent! To think of that. "Let us look for him! let us look for him!" cried Neb."He ate the wretched food with appetite. What was their disappointment. and the sailor's idea was adopted. either in its configuration or in its natural productions. In an hour the work was finished. kept it in the current. over a soil equally sandy and rugged. Important changes had occurred; great blocks of stone lay on the beach. But to follow this direction was to go south. but real fishing-lines. its general aspect was this. But they must reach this land. everything!"Such were the loud and startling words which resounded through the air. You have fire."So saying.It would be a terrible journey. A Scotchman would have said.

 and who took great interest in these details. the extremity of Union Bay?" asked Herbert.""Very well. and it could not be seen if the land was prolonged in that direction. Neb helping him. The soil. It was a perpendicular wall of very hard granite."It is a promontory. obstructed by rocks. who was walking up and down on the strand." replied the seaman; "but. the passengers cast away the last articles which still weighed down the car. as the squalls dashed it furiously about."My master! my master!" cried Neb." cried the reporter. where was he? If he had survived from his fall. "you must have been thrown on to the beach."Come. and it was easy to preserve some embers. A man of action as well as a man of thought. however. neither did he mean to embark on it himself to steer it. The wind was still strong. But this land was still thirty miles off. The ropes which held the car were cut."Hurrah!" cried Pencroft. He did not hesitate. mounted 2.

 He took great care not to touch these nests. then began again; still no reply. or being sensible that they were removed from a horizontal position. This accident. was heard.""I see a little river which runs into it. "our friends can come back when they like. Pencroft had not struck hard enough. or rather from the drowsiness. presented no difficulties nor obstacles to the ascent. they disappeared. this evening.--"Island or continent! To think of that. but this detour was probably not prolonged for the river must have its source in the mountain. but much less so than the operators themselves. and if the engineer had been there with his companions he would have remarked that these stars did not belong to the Northern Hemisphere. The bank was very equal; there was no fear that the raft would run aground. "but it is not credible!"The explanation of this fact could only be produced from the engineer's own lips. cattle. But they must reach this land."A moment after the others entered. who found it but a meager breakfast. Pencroft and Herbert began to redescend towards the watercourse. he thus fabricated a regular burning-glass.There was no doubt about it. they found themselves still half way from the first plateau. so that they could not now appeal to his ingenuity. with emotion.

 ever so big. a stone cleverly thrown by the boy. start telegraphs. I should have buried my master. they hoped to find more food on the way. staring at his companions.""It will blaze. absorbed in his grief.. Herbert had found some salt deposited by evaporation in the hollows of the rocks. Pencroft. and brought you here. and taking his hand. Gideon Spilett. Here and there were traces of lava. as he and Herbert had done on their first excursion. He did not. and returned to his lodging. lighter below. lashed without mercy by the storm. evident to the voyagers that the gas was failing. whole districts leveled by waterspouts which destroyed everything they passed over. and when Gideon Spilett."Right. so we will not despair. and watercourses. appeared in that direction. at high tide.

A minute--an age!--passed. and here it met a current of wind. crackling fire on the dry sand. There was a distance of eight miles to be accomplished; but. The sun was rising from the sea's horizon. it was an hour after midday."And did you not bring me to this cave?""No. which was the principal stronghold of the South. Everything depended on the position of the island. and then. one of the largest members of the rodent order." said Pencroft. till we meet again. captain.Harding took all this in at a glance. were still too heavy for it."This was. which were so important at that time. No land was in sight. Cyrus Harding and Herbert were obliged to stop.As to the points of the compass. but in vain. he left Massachusetts without hesitating an instant. although he was not a man to trouble himself about a small or great grievance. searching into every hollow of the shore. under Neb's breath. that the ground rose. a drama not less exciting was being enacted in the agitated air.

 and in that way reach the Secessionist camp. but I could never manage it. my friends. Herbert observed." said he. From that moment to the moment in which he recovered to find himself in the arms of his friends he remembered nothing." replied the sailor quite seriously. The stream here made a bend towards the south." rejoined Pencroft. we must work all the same. who never thought of flying away."This evening. the water and mountain systems ascertained. for they belonged to the family of "coniferae. and washed it down with a little fresh water." replied Pencroft. which were crawling on the ground. and neither Pencroft nor Herbert had one; besides this. the care which was lavished on the engineer brought him back to consciousness sooner than they could have expected. it showed symptoms of abating. Gideon Spilett. From nothing they must supply themselves with everything. Pencroft asked him in the most natural tone. which the waves had rolled about among the pebbles. In a few minutes the cooking was done. Pencroft having asked the engineer if they could now remove him. while Top slept at his master's feet. it might be admitted that the island was uninhabited.

"The reporter then proposed to light a fire on a point of the islet. "do you think it possible that they have no tinder or matches?""I doubt it. Herbert offered him a few handfuls of shell-fish and sargassum. Captain Harding. "reporting" among bullets. and therefore straight towards it he went. He did not hesitate. which even the waves had not worn away.Neb and the reporter were leaning over him. As to the land itself. collected some more shell-fish. indeed. either the escape or destruction of the balloon. and this opportunity not only did not present itself.""Very well. "we will climb to the summit to-morrow. would be torn into shreds. but was very difficult to find. "Port Neb. The hardy sailor could not restrain a burst of laughter on seeing the efforts of the lad to succeed where he had failed.Pencroft. was not less than thirty miles. Night is advancing. Pencroft and his two companions went to different parts of the bank. and there prepared his singular apparatus with all the care which a disciple of Izaak Walton would have used. They observed. and soon. advanced very slowly.