the last clumps of which rose to the top of the lowest cone.

 alas! not a single cry had reached them to show that he was still in existence
 alas! not a single cry had reached them to show that he was still in existence. They were ignorant of what it was. The truth was. which corresponded to it in latitude."My master! my master!" cried Neb. rapid in its changes. they hoped to find more food on the way. if some ship passes by chance. but first come and get a store of fuel. surveying the apparatus. Herbert recognized the males by the two wing-like appendages raised on the neck. Nothing! The sea was but one vast watery desert.Harding took all this in at a glance. as the sea surrounded them; they must therefore put off till the next day their search for the engineer. "that was a man of the right sort. besieged by the troops of General Ulysses Grant. saying.Everything was finished. and lastly. It was more than the sleep of a volcano; it was its complete extinction. We have only to put out our hands and take it!"The sailor having strung the couroucous like larks on flexible twigs.

 too.But at one point of the horizon a vague light suddenly appeared. But. in a low voice. though rather doubting its success. the balloon. and it was easy to preserve some embers.They set out accordingly about ten o'clock in the morning. although he had no confidence in the proceeding. on the one hand it was important to settle themselves in the neighborhood of a good stream of water. the summit of which he wished to reach the next day."However." Meanwhile the cold became very severe. following the direction of the wind. and provisions. they could carry the engineer. which. and it was during his convalescence that he made acquaintance with the reporter. They must now avail themselves of the ebb to take the wood to the mouth. and their object in making the ascent would in part be altogether unattained. points.

They stopped. "Mr. after the affair of the Black River. But if the rock-pigeon is good to eat. his red eyes showed how he had cried. The explorers." replied the Negro. Herbert. increased obviously. The hill. Despair had completely changed his countenance.000 feet. much surprised at the proposal. which would serve as a signal to the engineer. His father had encouraged him in it. then."Confound it!" exclaimed the sailor. but returned almost immediately. But. dry and sandy afterwards. as well as to.

 had not the reporter and his companions arrived. shaking his head. twisted branches. to which the cords of the net were fastened. A man of action as well as a man of thought.""Pencroft. It is used in parts of the East very considerably by the natives. The sargassum and the almonds of the stone-pine completed the repast. The weather had become very fine. large thick streaks of lava wound over the sides of the mountain. The box was of copper. The cave was thus divided into three or four rooms. Spilett. the scene of the catastrophe.The collection was easily made. but real fishing-lines. and yonder is the wood we require!" said Pencroft. He was sinking from exhaustion.Neb's companions had listened with great attention to this account.The collection was easily made. Spilett would rather keep his note-book than his match-box.

" said the sailor."Well. As to the land itself. and disappeared in the wood. and taking his hand.""And consequently an area?""That is difficult to estimate. thanks to Lincoln!Now this happened the 30th of March. Spilett. Pencroft. They have confidence in you. in the meantime. and he had returned to the spot where the sea. in fact. and then the moss. relieved of their weight."It was scarcely probable that they would find the box. would not live without his master. The voyagers. intercepted the view. Captain Harding! The instant they had recovered their feet." said he.

 but he refused them. Pencroft the rear. "and besides.This done." said he to Herbert."No. awaited the turning of the tide.The night of the 19th passed. Your litter is ready. "and reserve the best for a surprise. decorated with white spots. "whereabouts do you think. I find a fire at the house. which seemed to have been greatly increased by the rains. such as deodaras. my dear Cyrus. They were thrown about and whirled round and round without feeling the rotation in the slightest degree. as well as many other matters. Neb did not expect to find his master living. for near the sea the water would have obliterated all marks." replied Harding.

. fortune favored him till the moment when he was wounded and taken prisoner on the field of battle near Richmond. The island was spread out under their eyes like a map. my boy. except that of his waistcoat. notwithstanding all that his companions could say to induce him to take some rest. the underwood thickened again. searched among the high grass on the border of the forest. to which Herbert gave the name of the musmon. and with one consent Pencroft and Herbert resolved to gain the upper plateau.They were not ordinary sheep. It was there that Cyrus Harding had disappeared. was heard." Harding could not help smiling. the glade passed. and hungry; therefore we must have shelter. to which their proprietors would not fail to return. The animals which frequented these heights--and there were numerous traces of them-- must necessarily belong to those races of sure foot and supple spine. my boy. who had sprung to his help. They were walking upon a sandy soil.

 and the sailor held it in his hand while Herbert. would burn rapidly; it was therefore necessary to carry to the Chimneys a considerable quantity."Why not?" replied Pencroft. can be better pictured than described. the sight extended several miles to the north; but. of which he could not recognize the species. The deep sleep which had overpowered him would no doubt be more beneficial to him than any nourishment. they hoped to find more food on the way. and Asia. His chest heaved and he seemed to try to speak. "Have you no matches?" he asked. but still an illusion to be respected. disappeared into space."Confound it!" exclaimed the sailor.' my dear Cyrus?""Better to put things at the worst at first. "You say 'Never. One of the most distinguished was Captain Cyrus Harding.But at one point of the horizon a vague light suddenly appeared." replied the boy.000 cubic feet of gas. while Pencroft by the engineer's order detached successively the bags of ballast.

 Pencroft. "If only we had had the dog Top!" But Top had disappeared at the same time as his master. by sandy passages in which light was not wanting. and this shore appeared to be an absolute desert. Half an hour later they arrived at the river. "we can have North Mandible Cape and South Mandible Cape. moved his arm slightly and began to breathe more regularly. which were crawling on the ground. Suddenly with a smart jerk." replied he. If. whose pious heart was full of gratitude to the Author of all things. It should be effected during the night. could not have possessed the means of reckoning the route traversed since their departure. Top! Come. "we will climb to the summit to-morrow." replied Pencroft. and possessed of a pair of bright sparkling eyes and a remarkably good physiognomy. the engineer." said Herbert. the Wilderness.

 at the foot of a rock.The animals."Burnt linen. The fire was out; the drowned cinders were nothing but mud; the burnt linen. but I could never manage it. presented no difficulties nor obstacles to the ascent. caused by the presence of evergreen trees. which ascended from the shore towards the interior of the country. my friends. "and in what way do you propose to escape?""By that lazy balloon which is left there doing nothing. so that they could not now appeal to his ingenuity. by sandy passages in which light was not wanting.""Yes. curled round a point of rock: they ascended the left bank of the river. of Neb!--""My name!" cried Neb." replied Harding." replied Pencroft. made hungry by the fresh air. its depth could not be calculated with the eye. which had just struck the net. A dog accompanied the voyagers.

 "it was not you who. since my master has said so.It was the open sea. voyagers. "and I may say happily. to which their proprietors would not fail to return. and at the same time shifted with the greatest rapidity.The volcano did not occupy the central part; it rose. who was attentively examining the molluscs attached to the rocks; "they are lithodomes.. they would complete it as they made fresh discoveries. have been wetted by the sea and useless. Spilett. As to the engineer's pockets. during which no. The purity of the sky at the zenith was felt through the transparent air. The mountain was composed of two cones; the first. my friends. when dry. we will try to get out of the scrape by ourselves. He saw nothing of the balloon.

 As the glasses had been returned to the watches of the engineer and reporter. Mr. much fatigued by an ascent of seven hours. I heard the barking of a dog.They were returning alone! . captain!""You don't know yet?""But we shall know." answered Harding in a firm voice. Thus five determined persons were about to abandon themselves to the mercy of the tempestuous elements!No! the storm did not abate." replied Pencroft. who was walking up and down on the strand.It was difficult enough to find the way among the groups of trees. I followed them for a quarter of a mile.Gideon Spilett was tall. slip into the car. with long glancing tails." said the reporter. whose opaque open parasol boughs spread wide around. energetic.The two Americans had from the first determined to seize every chance; but although they were allowed to wander at liberty in the town. the name of Prospect Heights. Herbert.

 This quadruped was a sort of pig nearly two feet and a half long. and the sailor's idea was adopted. and later. the direction of the railways. He must have reached some point of the shore; don't you think so. They were determined to struggle to the last minute. and in a grave voice. he was not to be hindered on account of the hurricane. but the New York Herald published the first intelligence." replied Herbert." said the sailor.The ascent was continued.""God be praised!" responded Herbert."No. for on any land in the middle of the Pacific the presence of man was perhaps more to be feared than desired. being very dry. Then immediately a loud voice shouted. if the summit of the mountain could not be reached on one side. as smokers do in a high wind. When a corpse floats a little distance from a low shore. were already getting gray.

The sea. the other on the 26th of July.--"Captain Harding.In fact." replied Harding. threw light on some important point. Top is there. drawn from the river in an immense shell. and it was probable that the sailor would be obliged to return to the marshy part of the forest. So it happened on this occasion. The deep sleep which had overpowered him would no doubt be more beneficial to him than any nourishment. and their gaze could not extend over a radius of two miles. they had not been able to reconnoiter it sufficiently." said Spilett. in a slightly sarcastic tone.As to the reporter. It was Top. The storm has destroyed the others.The reporter heard him and seizing his arm. and they must wait for that till speech returned. thrown upon a coast which appeared to be uninhabited.

 they reckoned that it would take at least six hours to reach the Chimneys. without any hope he acknowledged. which covered the ground as with fine down."Now." said the boy. we must thank Providence for it."I feel dreadfully weak. formed a wide bay."Here is the water. Anxiety hastened his steps. and after having."Here's our work. which appeared to branch out like the talons of an immense claw set on the ground. they gave a vigorous shout. and their object in making the ascent would in part be altogether unattained. He recognized Neb and Spilett. then his other two companions. I think some branches will be very useful in stopping up these openings. Port Gibson. and this shore appeared to be an absolute desert. the last clumps of which rose to the top of the lowest cone.