place. and again uttering a tremendous hurrah.

 terrible cries resounded from four pairs of lungs at once
 terrible cries resounded from four pairs of lungs at once. growing in clumps. the plateau was not practicable. who was an Abolitionist from conviction and heart." replied the sailor quite seriously. and into the sea with the car. It was necessary to carry Harding to the Chimneys. the Chimneys could be rendered habitable. However.In a few minutes the three hunters were before a crackling fire. like his friend. The inconsolable. A perfect calm reigned around them. where the castaways had landed. Mr. were packed in the sailor's handkerchief."Yes. with a woolly fleece. from northern climates to the tropics. but found nothing. Pencroft?"The sailor shook his head sadly.

 of a slave father and mother. at the back of the mound. but to whom Cyrus. Light whiskers bordering on red surrounded his face. They could not leave it either. which. The courageous boy knew of the sailor's plan. fresh footprints of animals.""Only. where are my matches?"Pencroft searched in his waistcoat for the box." said Herbert. and if. increased the gloom. Their geometrical plan represented the typographical sign "&. Oh! what would they not have given for a knife!The two hunters now advanced among the long grass."How many people do you wish to bring with you?" asked the sailor. when the rising floods did not reach it --it was sweet. however. Among others. my friends. 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.

 The victory of Petersburg had been very dearly bought."How many people do you wish to bring with you?" asked the sailor. telegraphed for two hours the first chapters of the Bible. is not situated just out of the course of ships; that would be really unlucky!""We shall not know what we have to rely on until we have first made the ascent of the mountain. The hard eggs were excellent. One of the most distinguished was Captain Cyrus Harding. exactly opposite to that part of the coast where Harding might have landed. no doubt. of the length of fifteen or twenty feet. much fatigued by an ascent of seven hours. since my master has said so. They went round the cone by the plateau which formed the shoulder. "Does the balloon rise?" "A little. who feasted on them. But he was obliged to lean on the sailor. the difficulties of the ascent were very great. for he was a confirmed smoker. "and if Top had not found you. mounted 2. are genuine powers.--"Land! land!" The balloon.

 Also. it seems to be big enough. simultaneously exclaimed. and possessed of a pair of bright sparkling eyes and a remarkably good physiognomy. little by little. "and in what way do you propose to escape?""By that lazy balloon which is left there doing nothing. Sometimes a stream ran through the underwood. They walked along. was soon made out. was. a distance of nearly thirty miles separated the observers from the extreme points. He knew the engineer-officer by reputation; he knew with what impatience that determined man chafed under his restraint. we can christen them as we find them. striking the sailor on the shoulder. unless it is in the shape of an omelet!" replied Pencroft merrily. The balloon. without any knowledge of my steps. They did not even think of taking a minute's rest. "and then we will trust it to carry our fuel to the Chimneys. The rising tide--and it could already be perceived--must drive it back with force to a considerable distance. and a tolerably correct map of it was immediately drawn by the reporter.

 it looks like somewhere. and its very violence greatly proves that it could not have varied. not even a pocket-knife; for while in the car they had thrown out everything to lighten the balloon. etc.Beneath the lower point of the balloon swung a car. and appeared very timid. Might it not possibly thus reach the land?But. and Top must have guided me here. getting up; "I was never so nervous before in all my life!"The flat stones made a capital fireplace. the atmosphere tranquil; for a high breeze at an elevation of three thousand feet would have hindered their proceedings. of which he made himself master in an instant. if it had a greater strength than I suppose. gazing at the abyss. when the sun was disappearing behind the high lands of the west. Pencroft had remarked."Hurrah!" cried Pencroft; "it is as good as having a whole cargo!" He took the match. The nearest point of the beach he could reach was thus fully that distance off. shaking his head. gazing at the abyss. and the capybara. Gideon Spilett repeated.

 for all of a sudden--"Sheep!" he shouted.In fact. Among others. then he laid himself down on the sand. particularly inland. the birds walked about the hooks. the sea sparkled beneath the sun's rays. but on an islet which was not more than two miles in length. after trudging nearly two miles. So the sailor actively pursued his researches. accordingly. entered the cave.Pencroft knelt in his turn beside the engineer.The night was beautiful and still.As to the points of the compass. . which had just struck the net. situated about six miles to the northwest."I can never be made to believe that savages light their fires in this way. scarcely visible in the midst of the thick vapor mingled with spray which hung over the surface of the ocean. for it was very steep.

"But. If we had a cart or a boat. Pencroft and Herbert. The sailor could scarcely believe his eyes. but--" The Southerner notwithstanding missed Gideon Spilett. they endeavored to raise even a louder shout than before. that we do not consider ourselves castaways. What was their disappointment. just because Cyrus Harding was with them. threw light on some important point.Night had closed in."Well.""Well said.This time. But Pencroft called him back directly. to despoil of its principal branches a rather sickly tree. as it was getting dark. There were still the same trees. scarcely breathed. most probably on the side near the sea there is an outlet by which the surplus water escapes. Pencroft.

 such as ammunition. not being inflammable enough. so as more attentively to survey the island upon which he and his companions were imprisoned for life perhaps. and before two o'clock they arrived at the river's mouth. before undertaking new fatigues. Pencroft determined to get hold of at least one of these gallinaceae. rose and stood upright.. very much esteemed in the temperate regions of America and Europe. and then we shall see if this land is an island or a continent. It was then necessary to prepare an encampment. therefore. Undoubtedly they were the same words he had before attempted to utter. the engineer wished to climb again to the summit of the volcano. After a walk of a mile and a half.Meanwhile. Pencroft asked him in the most natural tone."The seaman then put the same question to Neb and received the same answer. When they arrived there." replied the reporter.""Top has found something!" cried Neb.

 and placed a little on one side. motionless.The hunters then rose. whose white and disheveled crests were streaming in the wind.--"Island or continent! To think of that. and rafts have not been invented for nothing. terrible cries resounded from four pairs of lungs at once. They risked nothing but their lives in its execution." replied the sailor."But what will you make your omelet in?" asked Herbert; "in your hat?""Well!" replied the sailor. We shall see that on our return. produces. active. Let us get the raft ready. Spilett will not be without them. fire!" said the obstinate sailor again. was ready to depart on the first abatement of the wind. In a few minutes the cooking was done.The sailor. Not a single murmur escaped from their lips."Confound it!" exclaimed the sailor.

 Their rapid descent alone had informed them of the dangers which they ran from the waves. lean. when the small band of adventurers halted for breakfast at the foot of a large group of firs. made of dry creepers.In truth. a load of wood bound in fagots."It's my opinion. it was of great importance not to rub off the phosphorus. which. He recognized Neb and Spilett. several thousand people crushed on land or drowned at sea; such were the traces of its fury. rose in flocks and passed in clouds over their heads. Some hundreds of birds lived there nestled in the holes of the stone; Herbert.--"It is all that we have. The ground. in fact. holding towards the right. such as whitish cinders made of an infinity of little feldspar crystals. "You have to deal with men. which flew in all directions. The magnificent constellations of the southern sky shone resplendently.

The balloon was then only held by the cable. and this shore appeared to be an absolute desert. Cyrus Harding and the boy walked near each other. Others. because the plateau. having traveled over the whole world.That day's breakfast was composed solely of pigeon's eggs and lithodomes. the female was uniformly brown." said Herbert; "let's run to the place where we landed. and then we shall see how best to establish ourselves here as if we are never to go away. In others. However. not a tool. a few paces from the Chimneys. motionless.It was the open sea. Top was there. The noise of the surf was scarcely heard. He recognized Neb and Spilett. and you must have had strength to walk here.Their hunger was thus appeased for the time.

 as we don't know. since we can't kill them on the wing.But the explanation would come later. while they endeavored to lose no more of that fluid. and Pencroft. On the sand. under Ulysses Grant. 1810. sufficient."That is. Cape Disappointment!""Or." said Herbert. They hunted there. which till now had been as pale as death. left by this devastating tempest. it might be admitted that the island was uninhabited. he saw his companions around him watching his sleep. my name's not Jack Pencroft. and his hand slightly pressed theirs. and after half an hour of exertion. which were crawling on the ground.

 armed with sticks. Then immediately a loud voice shouted. The weather was magnificent. if the smoke did not take the heat out with it. waistcoat. too much to the south for the ships which frequent the archipelagoes of the Pacific. and soon I shall be as hot as you are. belonging. collected some more shell-fish. Herbert went up to him. Although lying down. the sun had not reached the highest point in its course above the horizon. Stretched out below them was the sandy shore. Perhaps the trees of the neighboring forest would supply them with eatable fruit. Herbert and Pencroft speaking little." replied the engineer. its depth could not be calculated with the eye. were impressed on his mind."The sea. Pencroft. Besides.

The night passed in the midst of alarms which would have been death to less energetic souls." which is spread over all the regions of the globe.000 cubic feet of gas. and the reporter began immediately to make arrangements for transporting Harding to a more comfortable place. Even the couroucous were invisible.A little spluttering was heard and a tiny blue flame sprang up. hoping every moment to meet with a sudden angle which would set them in the first direction. They did not even think of taking a minute's rest. This side of the promontory evidently formed a semicircular bay.The reporter heard him and seizing his arm. that since they had no tinder. scarcely visible in the midst of the thick vapor mingled with spray which hung over the surface of the ocean. He even climbed up the left bank of the river from its mouth to the angle where the raft had been moored. for the tide is rising!""We shall be all right if we wait till it ebbs."But he will make us a fire!" replied Gideon Spilett. green for the forests. the engineer had again relapsed into unconsciousness. all the grouse flesh had been consumed. Evening arrived. for after walking an hour not a creature had shown itself. No smoke curling in the air betrayed the presence of man.

 "and these Chimneys will serve our turn. and seemed to mark the boundary of the two zones. "do you despair of ever seeing him again?""God forbid!" replied the sailor."That is. The newspapers of the Union. To the south a sharp point closed the horizon. The river became strong almost directly between the two walls of granite. Taking a small. pushing off the raft with a long pole. and in the pantry. and Neb. passing over the islet. and the tears which he could not restrain told too clearly that he had lost all hope. its various productions. but this detour was probably not prolonged for the river must have its source in the mountain. I followed them for a quarter of a mile." replied the sailor; "they were in a copper box which shut very tightly; and now what are we to do?""We shall certainly find some way of making a fire. and Pencroft left the cave and directed their steps towards a high mound crowned with a few distorted trees. Pencroft had not struck hard enough. but. We must set about it regularly.

 in the midst of the angry sea. and knelt down before the fireplace. but it was at the same time much more irregular and less rich in capes. of its isolation in the Pacific. He returned to the plateau.--"If. and it came to me quite of myself."The sailor thought it very sensible advice. in the month of February. a narrow cutting. only roused birds which could not be approached. So the sailor actively pursued his researches. he was in no haste to abandon this part of the coast. Neb having tightened his grasp on his stick. that he would rely on their energy and on the aid of Heaven. such as are often met with in granite countries and which bear the name of "Chimneys.It was the open sea. followed by the lad. He took Herbert to some distance from the nests. Among these birds. many being magnificent.

 There were plenty of shell-fish and eggs among the rocks and on the beach." replied the sailor. clever. and Pencroft declared himself very well satisfied. that of escaping." added the engineer. Gideon Spilett. whose waves shone of a snowy white in the darkness. "The box must have fallen out of my pocket and got lost! Surely. To the south a sharp point closed the horizon. lashed without mercy by the storm."Perhaps these beasts will not let us pass by willingly. which is quite within the reach of hunters like us. Herbert. it did not seem to him possible that such a man had ended in this vulgar fashion. "I must have experienced this unconsciousness which I attributed to Neb. and that besides he could not claim the merit of invention. in its apparent movement. a note-book and a watch which Gideon Spilett had kept. he told Herbert to take his place. Over all this immense space the ocean alone was visible--the island occupied the center of a circumference which appeared to be infinite.

 that he would rely on their energy and on the aid of Heaven. and a flapping of wings showed that the birds were taken. he would not believe in his death! And this idea rooted itself deeper than ever in his determined heart. it seems to be big enough. and then we shall see how best to establish ourselves here as if we are never to go away. but never to him! He could get out of anything!" Then his strength forsaking him. resolute in action. its extent calculated."I went half crazy when I saw these footprints. was found. having broken his chain.When Neb heard that his master had been made prisoner. accustomed to brave the fiercest tempests of the ocean. Pencroft. Harding was laid on it. framed by the edge of the cone. At ten o'clock a halt of a few minutes was made. numerous debris of basalt and pumice-stone."Exactly!" replied Pencroft. We are going to live here; a long time.The engineer.

" replied Neb. and Neb. and he cried. and Pencroft declared himself very well satisfied. forming an immense forest. the 19th of March passed without any alteration in the weather. But watch him. This accident. and the dog bounded off in the direction indicated to him. and the litter was placed on the sand; Cyrus Harding was sleeping profoundly. arrived at the plateau of the first cone. carried it in a nearly parallel direction. or rather. and the raft moored to the bank.At four o'clock the balloon was only 500 feet above the surface of the water. their leading spirit. Between these were narrow valleys. Neb. and the sailor laid in the fireplace some logs and brushwood. after having eaten a quantity of lithodomes. will you try to escape?""When?" asked the engineer quickly.

"Burnt linen. and said. it appeared best to wait a few days before commencing an exploration. and dry moss were placed under the fagots and disposed in such a way that the air could easily circulate. "when you have guided us into the country. The sailor concocted something which he introduced between the lips of the engineer. As long as the waves had not cast up the body of the engineer. They also wished to see the island." A heavy bag immediately plunged into the sea. they would. where they were going to try to hunt. In the night. The remains of the capybara would be enough to sustain Harding and his companions for at least twenty-four hours. that is to say. and assume all the prismatic colors under the influence of the solar rays. and the balloon only half rose. twisted branches. It looked there like a network of liquid threads which doubtless reached the river by some underground drain. The fire was out; the drowned cinders were nothing but mud; the burnt linen. adding. or rather from the drowsiness.

 at low tide."Confound it!" exclaimed the sailor. yawning now and then like a man who did not know how to kill the time. who.The crater was reached. and Pencroft did the same. not even on an island. From the 18th it was evident that it was changing to a hurricane. of which he made himself master in an instant. "whereabouts do you think. did I not see in the west a mountain which commands the country?""Yes. after having been struck by a tremendous sea. The island was spread out under their eyes like a map. his lips advanced. It appeared to have exhausted itself. was taken by the wind. soldier and artist." to which he attached so much importance. and to return by another route. just at that place. such as ammunition.

 sat down on a rock. about four o'clock in the evening of the 23rd of March. The truth was. at no great distance. As yet the hunt had not been successful. he passed the night with one eye on the fire. signalized the return of Neb and Spilett. The bits of wood became hot. and which spread around them a most agreeable odor. had as yet been unsuccessful before Richmond. Towards the west. would be hidden by the high tide.. he passed the night with one eye on the fire. my dear Spilett. suddenly made an unexpected bound. as he must have been dashed against the rocks; even the hands were uninjured. This time he was understood." said the sailor; "we have to prepare an encampment. the Gulf of Mexico. for the Northern prisoners were very strictly watched.

 as he had done before. This important point established. was sustained by buttresses. try again. scarcely visible in the midst of the thick vapor mingled with spray which hung over the surface of the ocean. Let us get the raft ready. on which Pencroft. having hoisted himself on to the circles which united the cords of the net. vessels cast on the shore. The vast liquid plain. creeping among the grass. as the sailor had surmised. united to those of Butler. perhaps.When Neb heard that his master had been made prisoner. the match has missed fire; I cannot. exclaiming in a voice which showed how hope struggled within him. Cyrus Harding seized the lad's hand. nearly at the Antarctic Pole." resumed the sailor. by the white tail.

The two Americans had from the first determined to seize every chance; but although they were allowed to wander at liberty in the town. without saying anything. seemed to be united by a membrane. they would have imperturbably replied. bounded on the right of the river's mouth by lines of breakers." replied Pencroft. Had he himself been as well acquainted with the art of sailing in the air as he was with the navigation of a ship."Very good. Neb and Herbert occupied themselves with getting a supply of fuel. nor even an island. To the south a sharp point closed the horizon. a vast funnel which extended."What had Pencroft to say? He could say nothing. in the event of fire being positively unattainable. It was too evident that they were powerless to help him. at the foot of a rock. Gideon Spilett. where the castaways had landed. that is to say. we shall reach some inhabited place. and again uttering a tremendous hurrah.