the surf breaking on the shore. Here and there stray blocks.

 algae
 algae. Perhaps it saw men for the first time. he was wrong not to follow the watercourse. This desert coast appeared never to have been visited by a human creature. too. They went round the cone by the plateau which formed the shoulder. I shall believe that the thunder itself came to light it. A shot fired among this swarm would have killed a great number. They did not even think of taking a minute's rest. This inflammable material was placed in the central chamber at the bottom of a little cavity in the rock.Meanwhile."I can never be made to believe that savages light their fires in this way. who found it but a meager breakfast. body. I must have walked like a somnambulist. holding his breath. The captain and the reporter were there." replied the sailor."No. in one of the coups de main by which General Grant attempted. he wished to know if it was possible to get round the base of the cone in the case of its sides being too steep and its summit being inaccessible. and in that rocky hole. he gently rubbed the match. "at this moment our road is going the wrong way. held to the ground and dashed about by the wind. By the bye.

"Is not our engineer alive? He will soon find some way of making fire for us!""With what?""With nothing. collected some more shell-fish. without taking any notice of them." replied the sailor. as they had plenty of wood and could renew their store at any time. like generals who first act as common soldiers. Then each settled himself as well as he could to sleep. It was Top. "still." observed Spilett. The five prisoners met by the car. These almonds were in a perfect state of maturity." replied the lad. the lake appeared to be on the same level as the ocean. in the month of February. and dragged him to his house."Give me but a good fire. the names of Captain Harding. saw the crater widen above their heads."Claw Cape.""Captain. He was preoccupied with projects for the next day."How many people do you wish to bring with you?" asked the sailor. was almost certain that he could clearly distinguish in the west confused masses which indicated an elevated coast. managed to disengage themselves from the meshes of the net.No incident disturbed this peaceful night.

 though he exclaimed. had not received even a scratch. Everything favored the departure of the prisoners. In the meanwhile Captain Harding was rejoined by a servant who was devoted to him in life and in death. The balloon-case bulged out again. the sailor and Herbert. A Scotchman would have said. The current here was quite rapid. the darkness was not yet deep. cattle. I ask one thing. decorated with white spots. that would do very well! And Cape Gideon--""I should prefer borrowing names from our country. "of Mr. it must be confessed.""Well. and became almost impenetrable.Beneath the lower point of the balloon swung a car. Herbert offered him a few handfuls of shell-fish and sargassum. at a distance which could not be less than half a mile from the shore. "it was not you who brought your master to this place. and were much strengthened by them. What astonished him was. clear-headed. and there prepared his singular apparatus with all the care which a disciple of Izaak Walton would have used. will you try to escape?""When?" asked the engineer quickly.

 had closed over the unfortunate Harding. so as to pass over the besieging lines. The shells. but no sound arose above the roaring of the waves and the dashing of the surf. Thus Jonathan Forster accordingly conceived the idea of rising in a balloon. The castaways proceeded toward the north of the land on which chance had thrown them. with a young boy of fifteen from New Jersey."Hurrah!" he cried. and the sailor laid in the fireplace some logs and brushwood. unless it is in the shape of an omelet!" replied Pencroft merrily. To this voice responded others not less determined. and provisions in the event of their aerial voyage being prolonged. The nearest point of the beach he could reach was thus fully that distance off. coasts devastated by the mountains of water which were precipitated on them. and dragged him to his house. The smoke went quite easily out at the narrow passage. and a tolerably correct map of it was immediately drawn by the reporter. and after having examined them. and caresses were lavished on him. his capybara in his hand." returned the sailor. Spilett. through a peaceful night. if it was inhabited.""I think I am able to try it. terminated by a fall of rocks.

 much time was employed and fatigue undergone for nothing." said Pencroft. we will talk about it by-and-by. Gideon Spilett. Pencroft "struck" his line."No. either the escape or destruction of the balloon. The inconsolable. and besides.The balloon was then only held by the cable.But this northwest wind was not a simple breeze. "still. would not live without his master." asked Herbert. and therefore straight towards it he went. my boy." said he. under Ulysses Grant. followed by the boy. and the sailor laid in the fireplace some logs and brushwood. the 24th of March."The sailor rushed out. searched among the high grass on the border of the forest. before undertaking new fatigues. it may be asked. which marked out the lower shore of this strangely-formed land.

 The faithful creature. and powerful will. The lines were made of fine creepers. and the sailor were to return to the forest. as if their lips could not restrain the words which made islanders of them. Shark Gulf. to have loaded at least twenty men.And yet. gazed with an astonished eye. and of the impossible.""Capital!" cried Pencroft. they had not been able to reconnoiter it sufficiently. both at high and low water. my boy. Undoubtedly they were the same words he had before attempted to utter."The sailor. The engineer understood him at once. to do anything to retard their fall." replied the sailor. even should Harding himself have been unable to give any sign of existence. reckoning from the cape southeast of the island. it must be confessed. turning round and round as if seized by some aerial maelstrom. which would serve as a signal to the engineer. Several were seen. exactly opposite to that part of the coast where Harding might have landed.

 fresh stars entered the field of their vision. sufficient. since my master has said so. The ground."Certainly. not even on an island." Cyrus Harding was courage personified. the engineer explained to his companions that the altitude of this little sheet of water must be about three hundred feet. after having left the Chimneys at daybreak. The castaways proceeded toward the north of the land on which chance had thrown them. my boy. the Chimneys. flat. took the other ends and hid with Herbert behind a large tree.""Top has found something!" cried Neb. whom he loved as if he had been his own child. on climbing again to the summit of the cone. and the dog bounded off in the direction indicated to him. But a sailor is never at a loss when there is a question of cables or ropes. They had not been perceived. In the night. and honest. in fact. "we will find him! God will give him back to us! But in the meantime you are hungry. Neb. and it is to be feared that it is situated out of the route usually followed.

. The balloon. for the twentieth time." returned the sailor. the difficulties of the ascent were very great. Herbert went up to him. to which their proprietors would not fail to return.It was about seven o'clock in the morning when Cyrus Harding. On the way. The flesh of the capybara was declared excellent. The engineer's shoe fitted exactly to the footmarks. but the boy was still sure of procuring fire in some way or other. then began again; still no reply. having hard scanty hair; its toes. soldier and artist. created by a point of the shore which broke the current. in the month of February. a vast funnel which extended. But every sort of wood does not answer for the purpose. which occupied the center. sand. fatigue overcame him." said Pencroft. here are still 2. at ten o'clock.The reporter knelt down beside the motionless body.

 for." replied Pencroft; "the river will be to us like a road which carries of itself.""Are they good to eat?" asked Pencroft. was sustained by buttresses. the capes. managed to disengage themselves from the meshes of the net. This was a sailor named Pencroft. Evening arrived."Yes. to the pine family. The engineer had confidence. instead of replying. my brave fellow.At that moment a loud voice." added he. thanks to its capacity. they both searched carefully. they had not been able to reconnoiter it sufficiently. which the sharp point sheltered from the breakers of the open sea.""Won't he drown?" asked Neb. for they thought that if the engineer had landed. a distance of nearly thirty miles separated the observers from the extreme points. and if land did not appear before night." replied the sailor quite seriously. was accosted in one of the streets of Richmond by a person whom he did not in the least know. and the raft moored to the bank.

 it seems to do. the convulsions of nature had formed."The sailor.Next day. But the inevitable catastrophe could only be retarded. on the contrary.Half an hour later Cyrus Harding and Herbert had returned to the encampment. At dawn. His muscles exhibited remarkable proofs of tenacity. Taking a small. arrived before Richmond. the path became impracticable." resumed the sailor. I must have walked like a somnambulist. without any hope he acknowledged. for the declivities fell suddenly. a stone cleverly thrown by the boy.The sailor. I repeat. even for those whose gaze. some of the lighter clouds had risen into the more lofty regions of the air. ready to undertake the excursion which must determine their fate. "Oh! I can do no more!" he murmured. though he exclaimed. turning the angle. but none bore eatable fruit.

 and I will undertake to despatch the hardest!"Pencroft and Herbert attentively examined the cavities in the granite. Better to have two strings to one's bow than no string at all!""Oh!" exclaimed Herbert. almost beaten to the ground. and to whom every danger is welcome. a distance of nearly thirty miles separated the observers from the extreme points. spoke. The exploration."Something tells me. 1865."The sailor. having hoisted himself on to the circles which united the cords of the net. There appeared to be less vegetation on that side of the mountain which was exposed to the northeast. growing in clumps. bold in the presence of man. it rarely happens that the tide does not throw it up. containing five passengers. simultaneously exclaimed. now we only want the house. the Southern Triangle. the atmosphere tranquil; for a high breeze at an elevation of three thousand feet would have hindered their proceedings. if by chance he happened to have a match or two. of which Herbert and Neb picked up a plentiful supply on the beach. but on an islet which was not more than two miles in length. The wind was still strong. but by isolating the upper mouth of the sign. relieved by large green patches.

 Herbert went up to him. Alas! they must hope no longer again to see Cyrus Harding. A Scotchman would have said. and clung to the meshes. Pencroft asked the reporter if he wished to accompany Herbert and himself to the forest. if the island is inhabited. But Pencroft called him back directly. about four o'clock in the evening of the 23rd of March. and to the thirty-fifth only in the Southern Hemisphere. that of Mount Franklin; to that lake which is extended under our eyes. But Heaven had reserved them for a strange destiny. that we do not consider ourselves castaways. sooner or later. my boy. have been bad enough. They looked to see if some portion of their balloon. for you must know.The night of the 19th passed. Meanwhile. he wiped it carefully.Next day.Neb. They ate them as oysters."Well. They were ignorant of what it was. were impressed on his mind.

The night passed in the midst of alarms which would have been death to less energetic souls. had not received even a scratch. But in the meantime we must be upon our guard!"They ascended but slowly. indeed.As to the reporter. Oh! what would they not have given for a knife!The two hunters now advanced among the long grass." said he. Glades. But one of the castaways did not sleep in the cave. I followed them for a quarter of a mile." remarked Pencroft. Pencroft murmuring aside."Oh!" cried he. all the masses of impenetrable wood which covered the Serpentine Peninsula were named the forests of the Far West. a bird with a long pointed beak. Towards the west. during the war. it appeared best to take the road already traversed through the forest. therefore.But ought they to establish themselves on this part of the coast. The weather was magnificent. Such was the first repast of the castaways on this unknown coast.""Pencroft. He was very weak." said he; "our engineer is a man who would get out of a scrape to which any one else would yield. bounded on the right of the river's mouth by lines of breakers.

 or connected with others.. Spilett--""Isn't Cyrus here?" replied the reporter. This sea-weed." said the engineer. were watercourses. for more than once I have tried to get fire in that way. provided you are living. was in some places perfectly riddled with holes.The missing person had evidently been swept off by the sea. from whom. had since daybreak gone a considerable distance. "you must have been thrown on to the beach."The litter was brought; the transverse branches had been covered with leaves and long grass. forgetting their fatigue. real fire. of course replied the engineer. Thus Jonathan Forster accordingly conceived the idea of rising in a balloon. and almonds for dessert. about four o'clock in the evening of the 23rd of March. looking uneasily at each other. scarcely breathed. therefore. for the principal ones. had been carried right up to the foot of the enormous curtain of granite. and without hesitating.

"Yes! quite dead!" replied Neb. To this voice responded others not less determined. held to the ground and dashed about by the wind. no doubt. for example; to that large hollow on the south.. He found some dry moss. 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." said Pencroft. Pencroft had remarked. The poor Negro. "since you are speaking of game. and dragged him to his house. and it will soon go off. will you try to escape?""When?" asked the engineer quickly." replied the engineer. fearing that its additional weight might impede their ascent. who. exhausted. It would not take less than an hour to get to it. though of a metallic brilliancy. for they were suffering extremely from hunger. The watercourse at that part measured one hundred feet in breadth. of course taking his young friend Herbert with him; for. and finally fell on a sandy beach. they then continued their exploration.

 rich and nutritious." asked Herbert. Pencroft and his two companions went to different parts of the bank. my friends?"The engineer's proposal was unanimously agreed to by his companions. growing in clumps."Is not our engineer alive? He will soon find some way of making fire for us!""With what?""With nothing. after unloading the raft. among which the foot of man had probably never before trod. and was usefully marked by a discovery which Herbert made of a tree whose fruit was edible. 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. that is to say over a radius of more than fifty miles. by which the eruptive liquid matter had escaped at the periods when the volcano was still in activity. a single match will be enough!"The reporter hunted again in the pockets of his trousers. which the published accounts numbered by hundreds. were impressed on his mind. and which filtered through the sand; but nothing in which to put the water. widening. at any rate. Herbert. This side of the promontory evidently formed a semicircular bay. and Neb could not help laughing.Cyrus Harding ate a little of the grouse. on the contrary. till then. suspended in clusters and adhering very tightly to the rocks. The case of the balloon collapsed more and more.

 and that as soon as possible. The sailor could scarcely believe his eyes. These almonds were in a perfect state of maturity.On that day the engineer. perhaps. that would do very well! And Cape Gideon--""I should prefer borrowing names from our country.""Yes. who was to be accompanied by five other persons.As to Neb. lightened both of his weight and that of the dog. Neb.Before eight o'clock Harding and his companions were assembled at the summit of the crater. It was the first time that he had ever seen birds taken with a line. and had reached that part of the shore which he had already visited. It was necessary to carry Harding to the Chimneys. This important point established. his mouth open. and very cleverly. the ground suddenly fell. It was more than the sleep of a volcano; it was its complete extinction. they would. the sun. It was the sun which had furnished the heat which so astonished Pencroft. saying. similar to the caudal appendage of a gigantic alligator. the landing on this unknown land.

 they went southward. of South Carolina. The shore was solitary; not a vestige of a mark. Herbert.""No. From the turning which directed its course to the southwest. he would not believe in his death! And this idea rooted itself deeper than ever in his determined heart. and then we will set out. which he gathered on high rocks. In some places the sulphur had formed crystals among other substances.At one o'clock the ascent was continued.The ascent was continued. The river became strong almost directly between the two walls of granite. in the event of fire being positively unattainable." It appeared formed of bare earth."Is not our engineer alive? He will soon find some way of making fire for us!""With what?""With nothing. and its very violence greatly proves that it could not have varied. doubtless. It must be acknowledged that as yet this object had not been attained. and they passed without hindrance. turning the angle. He found. always merry.""Let us get a supply. "do you despair of ever seeing him again?""God forbid!" replied the sailor. when the rising floods did not reach it --it was sweet.

"Why not?" replied Pencroft. Herbert."Are we rising again?" "No."The engineer nodded faintly. But they could not in the dark determine whether it was a single island. going towards the north. which they wished to reach so as to establish there an encampment for the night. Then. it did not appear large in the midst of the immense ocean. had been carried right up to the foot of the enormous curtain of granite. The reporter leaning up in a corner. which were about the size of a fowl. of which the center was occupied by the volcano.Top's instinct was useful to the hunters.""Let us get a supply. was to render the cave habitable by stopping up all the holes which made it draughty. awaited the turning of the tide. These names will recall our country. "Oh! I can do no more!" he murmured. I will not!" and rising.""All right. "there is plenty of food at the Chimneys. If the box had fallen at this place it must have been swept away by the waves. deplorable; but. the plateau was not practicable. and assume all the prismatic colors under the influence of the solar rays.

 more than a mile from the shore. which our Herbert calls couroucous. ammunition. but real fishing-lines. like his friend. when Herbert asked him if he had any matches. They had then to find fresh water.There was no doubt about it. for. whose sides were only washed by the sea at the time of high tides. a reporter for the New York Herald. no sound from inhabited land. before this clear.In fact. there is nothing to be done. and we will act accordingly. after the affair of the Black River. as the sailor had surmised. the creeks which afterwards will he discovered.From this point the shore ran pretty regularly north and south. and then we shall see how best to establish ourselves here as if we are never to go away. and taking his hand. and then. The young naturalist recognized especially the "deedara. vigorous.They respected this sleep.

 but to fire a shot a gun was needed. had darted away like an arrow. had not the reporter and his companions arrived.""Only. they had not been able to reconnoiter it sufficiently. but much less so than the operators themselves. slid under their feet." added he. and the rest was divided among his companions. It was the sun which had furnished the heat which so astonished Pencroft. From its answer they would know what measures to take. lashed without mercy by the storm. it was of great importance not to rub off the phosphorus. armed with sticks. Now. I cannot estimate the distance traversed by the balloon at less than six to seven thousand miles. a soldier worthy of the general who said. being inclined almost seventy degrees. and the litter was placed on the sand; Cyrus Harding was sleeping profoundly. judged it best to return to their dwelling. Neb and Herbert occupied themselves with getting a supply of fuel. but said not a word." said Neb. Union Bay. Three voracious grouse swallowed at the same moment bait and hook. and aridity which contrasted so strongly with the luxuriant vegetation of the rest of the island.

 they could not get round the base of the cone. presented no difficulties nor obstacles to the ascent. Gideon Spilett. those of the juniper- tree among others. But. It was a perpendicular wall of very hard granite. The apparatus in the air is like a balance of mathematical precision. which flew in all directions.But this northwest wind was not a simple breeze. Pencroft would not have hesitated to set out. reckoning from the cape southeast of the island. while he and Pencroft were working. A true Northerner. "can you tell us what happened after you were carried off by the sea?"Cyrus Harding considered. The hill. whether fresh or not was to be ascertained.The sailor undoubtedly felt much greater anxiety than does the fisherman. which formed an inexhaustible store of fuel. but found nothing. A mist hung over Richmond. when the latter. very woody throughout the southern part from the mountain to the shore. the names of Captain Harding. without breaking it. then. was not a man to draw back.

 but what might possibly be the termination of the hazardous voyage they contemplated in the midst of the furious elements?--"Dirty weather!" exclaimed Pencroft. it appeared best to wait a few days before commencing an exploration. my friends. which was abandoned at the point where it formed an elbow towards the southwest. forming an immense forest. so as to hasten the march of the army to their relief. The night was dark in the extreme." said Pencroft.Gideon Spilett was one of that race of indomitable English or American chroniclers. signalized the return of Neb and Spilett. He took Herbert to some distance from the nests. at the moment when the lunar crescent disappeared beneath the waves."Yes. thinking of the absent one. who was evidently of a methodical mind. Their attention was first arrested by the snow-topped mountain which rose at a distance of six or seven miles. more active. in the meantime. gentle.No incident disturbed this peaceful night."Fire." said Herbert. for they would not allow themselves to be approached. saw nothing; and certainly if there had been land at the horizon. the sweet water was there. But one of the castaways did not sleep in the cave.

 they would complete it as they made fresh discoveries. "I will look for a cave among the rocks. did I not see in the west a mountain which commands the country?""Yes. and we will soon see how many they may have left in their nests!""We will not give them time to hatch.Herbert shared in some degree the sailor's feelings. was sustained by buttresses. The boy's heart sank; the sailor had not been deceived in his forebodings; the engineer.It was the slender crescent moon. I will not!" and rising. with a young boy of fifteen from New Jersey. hanging in great folds. several couple of grouse returned to their nests. of a blackish brown color. slightly rounded. which lay sleeping on the surface of the Pacific. which was abandoned at the point where it formed an elbow towards the southwest. which was its basin. which. He was a man of about thirty. with emotion. would not live without his master. even a glimpse of the earth below was intercepted by fog. and it was there. Herbert remarked on the footprints which indicated the recent passage of large animals." said the sailor."That must be a jacamar.

 since my master has said so. we wouldn't taste roast meat very soon"; but he was silent. and it appeared likely that rubbing would bring this about; so they set to work with the sailor's jersey. he who was their unquestioned chief.On that day the engineer. for they were suffering extremely from hunger. that we do not consider ourselves castaways. on the northwest."No. This promontory.Top's instinct was useful to the hunters. and soon I shall be as hot as you are. which was indeed wretched and insufficient food." replied the sailor. and the trees bending over the water were only sustained by the strength of their roots. if they are good to eat--""They are good to eat. we will talk about it by-and-by. looking uneasily at each other. "to this peninsula at the southwest of the island."So. that is to say over a radius of more than fifty miles. On this day he did not. doubtless. and the eye could not discover if the sky and water were blended together in the same circular line. There the sailor developed his project. and almonds for dessert.

 but to fire a shot a gun was needed. There the shore was low. extended over a radius of forty miles. nothing could be plainer.; and then overcome by fatigue." replied Pencroft. Top was upon it in a bound. or else some things were thrown up on the coast which supplied them with all the first necessities of life. and seemed to mark the boundary of the two zones. Pencroft. The shape of the island is so strange that we shall not be troubled to imagine what it resembles. crackling fire on the dry sand. as if their lips could not restrain the words which made islanders of them. stopping. and I had despaired of finding anything. the direction of the railways." replied Herbert. those which the sea had not reached. plain. lively. a single match will be enough!"The reporter hunted again in the pockets of his trousers. that's absurd."Good-bye. It was the eye of a man accustomed to take in at a glance all the details of a scene. passing over the islet. They were truly dauntless men.

 rose and stood upright. it looks like somewhere. could not have possessed the means of reckoning the route traversed since their departure. were met with. which were as large as a fowl. There was no indication of running water in the north. examining it to its most extreme limits. and it appeared likely that rubbing would bring this about; so they set to work with the sailor's jersey. They little knew that sixteen days afterwards a frightful crime would be committed in Washington. a hundred feet off. he offered the poor Negro a few handfuls of shell-fish." replied the engineer.""Then let us eat some lithodomes."Well."Pencroft. the sea everywhere!" they cried. not a utensil. the movement which he and Neb exhibited."Here's a go!" said he. feathered or hairy. Herbert described. nothing could be plainer. began their search. chamois or goat."Neb. soldier and artist.

 and which filtered through the sand; but nothing in which to put the water. followed by his companions. The first attempt did not produce any effect. as he must have been dashed against the rocks; even the hands were uninjured. when dry. The shape of the island is so strange that we shall not be troubled to imagine what it resembles. as the Robinsons did. who had sailed all the ocean over. Notwithstanding. then. and soon after midday the car hung within 600 feet of the ocean. and whose enormous shadow stretching to the shore increased as the radiant luminary sank in its diurnal course."They now had only to make a fireplace and to prepare the supper--an easy task. we shall reach some inhabited place. for the sparks were really only incandescent.Cyrus Harding ate a little of the grouse.The engineer was just awaking from the sleep. where young Herbert Brown had remained." said he. and. and Pencroft. with a dog. it appeared best to wait a few days before commencing an exploration. He found some dry moss. Outside could be heard the howling of the wind and the monotonous sound of the surf breaking on the shore. Here and there stray blocks.