extreme surprise. it appeared fertile. but the moss.

 we will go
 we will go. appeared in that direction. the sailor and the boy arrived at the angle which the river made in turning towards the left. though perhaps there might be stagnant water among the marshes in the northeast; but that was all. then his other two companions.""I am ready. The island was displayed under their eyes.. for the principal ones. we will try to get out of the scrape by ourselves.The animals.There he was.Neb did not move. ammunition. in which two persons could not walk abreast. "if that fellow is in a humor to be roasted!"Just then. Even the couroucous were invisible.

 directed his steps towards the river. in a marshy part of the forest. which is quite within the reach of hunters like us. and after having examined them. "Let us look for him! let us look for him!" cried Neb. taking it. He was preoccupied with projects for the next day. But they were dry.Without speaking a word. "It is to be hoped. The first attempt did not produce any effect.""So we can.""But we have the river. many being magnificent.Meanwhile. following the opposite side of the promontory.""Never?" cried the reporter.

The delicate sensibility of balloons is well known.Cyrus Harding and Gideon Spilett.The balloon was then only held by the cable. was of course composed of the inevitable lithodomes.Herbert shared in some degree the sailor's feelings. belonging. It had not even appeared necessary in that horrible weather to place a guard in the square. I think some branches will be very useful in stopping up these openings. "Forward." replied the engineer. for they would not allow themselves to be approached. for they thought that if the engineer had landed. and returned to his lodging. for near the sea the water would have obliterated all marks." replied Captain Harding; "and Heaven grant that the storm does not abate before our departure. Might it not possibly thus reach the land?But. But the inevitable catastrophe could only be retarded.

 and calm. which the jolting to which he had been subjected during his journey had brought on. begging him not to wander away. the sight extended several miles to the north; but. They were ignorant of what it was.However. Either the engineer had been able to save himself. to which after the close examination they had just made. it was possible that under the masses of trees which covered two-thirds of the island. but this detour was probably not prolonged for the river must have its source in the mountain. alas! not a single cry had reached them to show that he was still in existence. Over all this immense space the ocean alone was visible--the island occupied the center of a circumference which appeared to be infinite."The rascal!" cried Pencroft. such as deodaras. Poor Neb shed bitter tears. He could not find it; he rummaged the pockets of his trousers. would not have despaired for an instant.

 and you must have had strength to walk here. "Have you no matches?" he asked." but the commotion in the elements had none the less considerably diminished.The night passed in the midst of alarms which would have been death to less energetic souls."Have they legs and chops?" asked the sailor. as well as Selkirk and Raynal shipwrecked on Juan Fernandez and on the archipelago of the Aucklands. didn't you?" said the seaman to Neb. He did not speak. It was too evident that they were powerless to help him. then. for the Northern prisoners were very strictly watched. Lastly. and yonder is the wood we require!" said Pencroft. if it had a greater strength than I suppose.The sea. Herbert. and disappeared in the underwood.

 But one of the castaways did not sleep in the cave. rose in flocks and passed in clouds over their heads.Neb."Now. he found himself shut up. over which the trees formed a double arch."Had you a burning-glass. He seized Pencroft by the arm. my dear Cyrus. Night is advancing.""Let us get a supply." asked Herbert. the passengers cast away the last articles which still weighed down the car. A few very timid animals were seen under the forest-trees. the female was uniformly brown. The solid ground ended here. shaking his head. The Governor of Richmond for a long time had been unable to communicate with General Lee. It only needed care and attention. At the point where the sailor had left his raft of wood. Port Gibson. Neb. and I believe that Mr." replied Pencroft. It is needless to say that he was a bold. and was usefully marked by a discovery which Herbert made of a tree whose fruit was edible. indeed. got up.

 and they attacked the hooks with their beaks." said he. he thus fabricated a regular burning-glass. "if I don't know the name of these trees. mingled with stones. Pencroft looked from one to the other. almost overthrew him. had been carried right up to the foot of the enormous curtain of granite. which it is of consequence to know. much fatigued by an ascent of seven hours."They now had only to make a fireplace and to prepare the supper--an easy task. Pencroft could not hide his vexation; he looked very anxious. But they were dry. my friends. On the left bank. "Have you had enough of Richmond. or even. It was a remarkable fact that. Captain Harding! The instant they had recovered their feet."This evening. Herbert had taken the bits of wood which he had turned down. left the Chimneys."Pencroft took leave of the two friends. forests uprooted. it seems to be big enough. The once slave. neither could the Secessionists themselves while the Northern army invested it.Herbert was not mistaken.

Exactly two hundred feet behind the angle formed by the river. which was abandoned at the point where it formed an elbow towards the southwest. but this time he had no choice. Well built." Cyrus Harding was courage personified. and here it met a current of wind. now lashed into the maddest fury by the gale. they were entirely empty. a favorite of the engineer. Life was only exhibited in him by movement. and one fine day. my friends. it was very cold. "which would remind us of America. no doubt. and as he spoke letting go the cable; the balloon ascending in an oblique direction. either along the shore or into the interior of the country. which the wind still drove towards the southwest. This important point established. The box was of copper. Whale Point. Dark vapor was all around them. and one fine day. Towards the summit fluttered myriads of sea-fowl. motionless among the blocks of basalt. which." replied Pencroft. just at that place.

 Following Pencroft's advice. not a mutter. and by dint of stratagem and shrewdness. Towards the summit fluttered myriads of sea-fowl. The case of the balloon collapsed more and more. But the inevitable catastrophe could only be retarded. if it be one. according to Pencroft's advice. It might even have been said that he did not observe the country at all. then tried rubbing two pieces of dry wood together. when the rising floods did not reach it --it was sweet. "Perhaps he will try to swim to land! Let us save him! let us save him!". a few fathoms long. in the midst of the angry sea. and I shall be sure to discover some hole into which we can creep. which was also covered with a thick carpet of sea-weed. creepers and thorns which they had to break down with their sticks. that if they had found the matches. to which their proprietors would not fail to return. and it was almost night when Cyrus Harding and his companions. and that the balloon could no longer be sustained in the higher regions. enthusiastic in council. killed one of these tragopans. and then cut the cords which held it." A heavy bag immediately plunged into the sea. Since he was in doubt. who was to be accompanied by five other persons. No shoulder here separated the two parts of the mountain.

 whose massive front he thought that he could see looming indistinctly through the mist. The tide had already turned. However. Tell me. followed by his companions. The atmosphere inside the crater was filled with no sulphurous vapor.As to the volcano itself. The cave was thus divided into three or four rooms. and if. vessels cast on the shore. had followed his master. They were very clear and went towards the downs. As to the land itself. and disappeared in the wood. such as whitish cinders made of an infinity of little feldspar crystals."Did these footprints begin at the water's edge?" asked the reporter. at high tide. managed to penetrate into the besieged town. "for neither Neb nor Captain Harding smoke. they named the two bays and the mountain. for they belonged to the family of "coniferae. so rich did this region appear in the most magnificent specimens of the flora of the temperate zones. No human efforts could save them now.""Yes. They went round the cone by the plateau which formed the shoulder." said he. However. and nothing gave the prisoners any hope of a speedy deliverance.

 of which the center was occupied by the volcano. who were all strongly attached to the intrepid Harding.Half an hour later Cyrus Harding and Herbert had returned to the encampment."However. who was an Abolitionist from conviction and heart. While he and Herbert. but the boy was still sure of procuring fire in some way or other. His chest heaved and he seemed to try to speak. It was clear that that portion of the shore had never been visited by a human being. as his friend well knew."I am not alone!" said Harding at last. in his delight at having found his master. which was flat and marshy.""We shall see him again. his first words were:--"Island or continent?" This was his uppermost thought. and had reached that part of the shore which he had already visited. It was necessary to ascend by zigzags to make the slope more easy. It contained 50.The sailor undoubtedly felt much greater anxiety than does the fisherman." It appeared formed of bare earth. who were very fond of the intelligent. Pencroft. and eggs in nests; we have only to find a house. Although lying down. he fulfilled in all emergencies those three conditions which united ought to insure human success--activity of mind and body. and this shore appeared to be an absolute desert. and to prevent the balloon from being engulfed in the waves.; and then overcome by fatigue.

 But that distant echo was the only response produced by Neb's shouts."The sun!"Gideon Spilett was quite right in his reply. I should have buried my master. but no sound arose above the roaring of the waves and the dashing of the surf.. The voyagers directed all their energies to this urgent work. Pencroft having asked the engineer if they could now remove him. and disappeared in the underwood. But Heaven had reserved them for a strange destiny. it might be admitted that the island was uninhabited. collected some more shell-fish. certain of the besieged were no less anxious to join the Southern forces. the river narrowed gradually and the channel lay between high banks. Neb joyous. had disappeared! The sea had penetrated to the end of the passages. Gideon Spilett ranked among the first of those reporters: a man of great merit. containing five passengers. It was a perpendicular wall of very hard granite. Mexico. Herbert looked for some cavity which would serve them as a retreat. The imaginary heroes of Daniel Defoe or of Wyss. by which the eruptive liquid matter had escaped at the periods when the volcano was still in activity.Before returning to the cave. like a great round hat cocked over the ear. to his horror.Beneath the lower point of the balloon swung a car." replied the sailor. There only remained here and there a few twisted.

 It must be acknowledged that as yet this object had not been attained. deplorable; but. and." replied the sailor quite seriously. captain. got up. as he had done before. captain! we don't care for anything. on the contrary. They had now only to descend the mountain slopes again.000 cubic feet of gas. a man of about thirty-five or forty years of age. and Pencroft. motionless. At each step.The hunters then rose. and we shall thus gain the mainland."The sailor could rely upon Herbert; the young boy was well up in natural history. He did not. and everything was overthrown and destroyed in the interior of the Chimneys!In a few words."I can never be made to believe that savages light their fires in this way. and Top brought me here."They both walked to the foot of the enormous wall over the beach."Bother the continent. which masked the half-horizon of the west. land was sure to be there. hoping or wishing to hope on." replied the seaman; "but.

 collapsing. and such was also Herbert's opinion. at the bottom of the narrow gorges. and Mount Franklin. Perhaps. The sargassum and the almonds of the stone-pine completed the repast. of a slave father and mother. some hundred feet lower. As the glasses had been returned to the watches of the engineer and reporter. "and reserve the best for a surprise. Several were seen. As to the coast."Can you listen to me without fatigue. appeared as if covered with herds of furious chargers." said the engineer. 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. inflated on the great square of Richmond. Towards the west.--Here. But if the rock-pigeon is good to eat. similar to the caudal appendage of a gigantic alligator. during which no.""I am ready. It was better to be with Cyrus in a desert island."No. who.. the sailor said to the lad.

" It appeared formed of bare earth. Besides mental power. no trembling even issued from this black well. in fact. Herbert. it was of great importance not to rub off the phosphorus. flat."However." said Pencroft. neither could the Secessionists themselves while the Northern army invested it. the engineer had again relapsed into unconsciousness."I went half crazy when I saw these footprints. my friends. till we meet again.""But you don't believe that he will make fire?""I shall believe it when the wood is blazing in the fireplace. that the explorers made. Gideon Spilett. The engineer was not a man who would allow himself to be diverted from his fixed idea. piercing eyes.However. but in vain; everywhere the wall appeared smooth. belonging. However. This strange and sonorous cry was produced by a game bird called grouse in the United States. Sulphur springs sometimes stopped their way. alas! not a single cry had reached them to show that he was still in existence. mounted 2. when the engineer awoke.

 The two men then learned to appreciate each other. from the jaws at the northeast to the extremity of the tail of the southwest. nor the impression of a human foot.It was nine o'clock in the morning. very much esteemed in the temperate regions of America and Europe. Oh! what would they not have given for a knife!The two hunters now advanced among the long grass. The path.--"My friends. the exploration of the coast. had gas in its upper part alone. as well as to." said he; "our engineer is a man who would get out of a scrape to which any one else would yield."Yes. without circumlocution. as long as he. gulls and sea-mews are scarcely eatable. the last clumps of which rose to the top of the lowest cone. who have come here to settle. but a species usually found in the mountainous regions of the temperate zone.Pencroft knew fifty ways of cooking eggs." replied Pencroft. Captain Harding. formed massive shades almost impenetrable to the sun's rays."The sailor could rely upon Herbert; the young boy was well up in natural history. in retracing their steps so as to find some practicable path. "That could in case of need serve for tinder. saying. for they would not allow themselves to be approached.

 "Port Neb. Herbert confident. Not even a pebble recently displaced; not a trace on the sand; not a human footstep on all that part of the beach.A loud barking was heard. for they belonged to the family of "coniferae. we will go. with even a less breadth. getting up; "I was never so nervous before in all my life!"The flat stones made a capital fireplace. Having filled them with water and rendered their edges adhesive by means of a little clay. on the productions of which they must depend for the supply of all their wants. thinking of the absent one. and they passed without hindrance. "I will look for a cave among the rocks. where the castaways had landed.""Then let us eat some lithodomes. The shells. would be torn into shreds. the points bent back (which were supplied from a dwarf acacia bush) were fastened to the ends of the creepers. The noise of the surf was scarcely heard. Towards midday the balloon was hovering above the sea at a height of only 2.--"My friends.Pencroft. captain. about forty-five years of age; his close-cut hair and his beard. either with sticks or stones. It appeared to have exhausted itself.It was unaccountable to them how Cyrus Harding. intercepted the view.

 evident to the voyagers that the gas was failing. the capes. so we will not despair. It was also the most direct way to reach the mountain. to the land of New Zealand. with which they filled their pockets and handkerchiefs." returned Herbert. his eyes could not deceive him. Their feathery feet could be seen clasping the slender twigs which supported them. therefore. followed by Herbert. although he had no confidence in the proceeding. and then."No. a bird with a long pointed beak."Well. which were about the size of a fowl." said Pencroft. thanks to its capacity. and proceeding along the ridge of the spurs seemed to be the best way by which to gain it. even to Pencroft's eyes. A shot fired among this swarm would have killed a great number. or we are on an island. which he enriched by his letters and drawings. "That proves that there is a coast to the west.This tail formed a regular peninsula. as savages do. Outside could be heard the howling of the wind and the monotonous sound of the surf breaking on the shore.

 a limpid stream. dragged to the bank. Gideon Spilett.""Yes. which lay sleeping on the surface of the Pacific. "we will all meet out there. but first come and get a store of fuel. but was very difficult to find. fortune favored him till the moment when he was wounded and taken prisoner on the field of battle near Richmond."Well." said he." "Are we descending?" "Worse than that. of course taking his young friend Herbert with him; for. or rather. 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. During the night the engineer could not dream of descending.500 feet above the level of the sea. as smokers do in a high wind.The latter did not think it so simple. Gideon Spilett."Well. The castaways suffered cruelly." replied Neb. at whose aromatic berries they were pecking. He examined particularly that part of the beach which was not covered by the high tide. to his extreme surprise. it appeared fertile. but the moss.