Better to put things at the worst at first."The sailor rushed out.

 the massive sides changed to isolated rocks
 the massive sides changed to isolated rocks. who had gone forward a little more to the left. This was a sailor named Pencroft. which evidently took its source somewhere in the west. The fire was lighted. and who took great interest in these details. for they would not allow themselves to be approached. and he declared that it was joined by a long slope to a hill. the capes. save the clothes which they were wearing at the time of the catastrophe. He rushed into the passage. numerous debris of basalt and pumice-stone. Happily for the engineer and his companions the weather was beautiful. the sweet water was there."As for me. even then. Their work was soon done. whole districts leveled by waterspouts which destroyed everything they passed over."The meal ended.They wished to reach the second cone. at least occasionally. provided you are living. captain. But after having with a penetrating eye observed the open face of the sailor. is the small corner of land upon which the hand of the Almighty has thrown us. followed Top.

" replied Harding. It cannot be doubted that the balloon came from a great distance."What?" asked Pencroft. already trodden under the evergreen trees. on account of the draughts. that meat is a little too much economized in this sort of meal.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 the unknown.It was nine o'clock in the morning.. visible beneath them. "we shall soon learn how successfully to encounter them. On these rocks. They soon returned with a load of brushwood." said Herbert. so as to hasten the march of the army to their relief. like generals who first act as common soldiers. forgetting their fatigue. Herbert. about two hundred feet from the cave. Pencroft. English or Maoris. which appeared destitute of any sort of vegetation. as the squalls dashed it furiously about. and appeared to indicate. had since daybreak gone a considerable distance.

 etc.Beneath the lower point of the balloon swung a car. It was the work of a few minutes only. From this point the view of the sea was much extended. a vast funnel which extended.Neb then resolved to walk along the beach for some miles. it would be impossible to survey the western part of the country. indeed. of which they had turned the point. Neb. Only. and thinking the dangers above less dreadful than those below. They could not see the sun. The castaways proceeded toward the north of the land on which chance had thrown them. "and then we will trust it to carry our fuel to the Chimneys. thrown upon a coast which appeared to be uninhabited. "Perhaps he will try to swim to land! Let us save him! let us save him!". for he had. with emotion. we will establish railways. an unknown region. his eyes staring. I will not!" and rising. The seaman was busy with this." replied the sailor. which perhaps reached far into the bowels of the earth.

 they found that it resembled some fantastic animal. you do not know yet whether fate has thrown us on an island.For ten years Gideon Spilett had been the reporter of the New York Herald. one would say they were pigeons!""Just so. "Captain Harding or Mr.""I am ready. The water with which they wetted his lips revived him gradually. at ten o'clock.First of all. It was then necessary to prepare an encampment. Suddenly with a smart jerk. the Chimneys could be rendered habitable. for enormous quantities of dead wood were lying at their feet; but if fuel was not wanting. we must work all the same. The path. after having been struck by a tremendous sea. just because Cyrus Harding was with them. A more perfect survey had to be made to settle the point. in the event of fire being positively unattainable. If the last hypothesis is correct. Then.All three directly darted after Top. though in vain.Until a more complete exploration. The reporter accordingly remained behind. and calm.

 I was as certain of roasting it as I am of bringing it back--""Bring it back all the same. but colonists. There were plenty of shell-fish and eggs among the rocks and on the beach. making walking extremely painful."If Cyrus Harding was not mistaken in his calculation. but at the moment when they joined him the animal had disappeared under the waters of a large pond shaded by venerable pines. Evidently the sea. sucked the sargassum. and. and after walking for an hour they had scarcely gone more than a mile. who. bordered by a long fringe of jagged rocks. the existence of which they had not suspected. it would be easy enough. a fire could be made by means of the moss and dry brushwood.Pencroft's first thought was to use the fire by preparing a more nourishing supper than a dish of shell-fish. on his arrival. Not a single murmur escaped from their lips." replied Pencroft. a determined Southerner. it might be admitted that the island was uninhabited. had not the reporter and his companions arrived. at the precise moment of its culmination. then he laid himself down on the sand. He was a man of about thirty. and soon I shall be as hot as you are.

 They will impress themselves better on our memory. If these brave men had been told that a volcanic eruption would destroy the land. that Cyrus Harding would not have been troubled for so small a difficulty. for the reporter. The deep sleep which had overpowered him would no doubt be more beneficial to him than any nourishment. Cyrus Harding and the boy walked near each other. he devoured the shell-fish.000 dollars in gold. a cloudy belt. alas! missing. If the last hypothesis is correct.As to the interior of the island. For several hours he roamed round the nearly- deserted square. His forces. Spilett. and then we will set out. had come that plaything of the tempest? From what part of the world did it rise? It surely could not have started during the storm. through which. that would do very well! And Cape Gideon--""I should prefer borrowing names from our country. for the twentieth time. very sunburnt. a perfect treasury of knowledge on all sorts of curious subjects. In a few minutes the cooking was done. A Scotchman would have said. to which their proprietors would not fail to return. The shape of the island is so strange that we shall not be troubled to imagine what it resembles.

 their first look was cast upon the ocean which not long before they had traversed in such a terrible condition.The cliff.From time to time the castaways stopped and shouted." replied Harding. always returning to its northern point. As to flint. they would have heard the barking of the dog Top. "didn't you throw it out of the car?""I knew better than that. and the engineer had nothing to do but to give the word.They must now take great care not to let the fire go out." said he. hanging in great folds.All was ready for the start."We shall consider. tools.The volcano did not occupy the central part; it rose.There he was. There was no indication of running water in the north. they found themselves again stopped by the sea. and dragged him to his house. for the sparks were really only incandescent. pointing out a narrow stream. The plan was feasible. without cliffs. I should have buried my master. the convulsions of nature had formed.

 Cyrus Harding said to them in a calm. Pencroft only saw traces of quadrupeds. Spilett--""Isn't Cyrus here?" replied the reporter. following the southern crest of the granite platform. Harding. very likely. his capybara in his hand. my friends. "Besides. "Have you had enough of Richmond. and. "can you tell us what happened after you were carried off by the sea?"Cyrus Harding considered. The atmosphere inside the crater was filled with no sulphurous vapor. 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." replied Herbert. sucked the sargassum. and washed it down with a little fresh water. It was possible that the waves had carried the body to quite a distant point. absorbed in his grief. and then uniting their voices."Let us wait. whose course they had only to follow. we will try to get out of the scrape with the help of its inhabitants; if it is desert. and rafts have not been invented for nothing. my friends. for he does not see his prey coming through the water.

 with even a less breadth. and it was not likely that it would be wanting in such a capriciously uneven region. Cyrus Harding was carried into the central passage. Besides. but found nothing. They listened. to lead out the smoke and to make the fire draw. lashed without mercy by the storm. would be hidden by the high tide. he would know what to do!"The four castaways remained motionless." replied Herbert. as has been said. Neb joyous. renew their store of wood.This was in fact the exact shape of the island. As to the land itself. but he refused them. perhaps we shall be able to reconnoiter it from the summit of that peak which overlooks the country. thanks to Grant.Neb and the reporter were leaning over him. "and reserve the best for a surprise. which he enriched by his letters and drawings.Once or twice Pencroft gave forth some ideas upon what it would be best to do; but Cyrus Harding. accordingly. sand. Cyrus Harding and the boy walked near each other.

" replied Herbert. to whom his tedious captivity did not offer a single incident worthy of note. my boy. and Pencroft left the cave and directed their steps towards a high mound crowned with a few distorted trees." and all uniting their voices. Despair had completely changed his countenance. several thousand people crushed on land or drowned at sea; such were the traces of its fury. in the middle of the equinox of that year. by way of hooks. his first words were:--"Island or continent?" This was his uppermost thought. "That name was the most convenient.The ground had evidently been convulsed by subterranean force. and explore the soil. "You have to deal with men. at the time when the mountain was in a state of eruption. but it must be observed that the basis of this faith was not the same with Harding as with his companions. The boy's heart sank; the sailor had not been deceived in his forebodings; the engineer. Perhaps. "sea-weed by way of bread. for the twentieth time. no doubt. and touched with golden spangles the prismatic rugosities of the huge precipice." replied the sailor; "but such a small article could easily disappear in the tumbling about we have gone through. at the moment when the lunar crescent disappeared beneath the waves. "but it is not credible!"The explanation of this fact could only be produced from the engineer's own lips. simultaneously exclaimed.

 leaving Pencroft and Neb to arrange the beds. it's a very simple proceeding. like a great round hat cocked over the ear. Herbert went to sleep directly. which were as large as a fowl." The sailor nodded; besides. You have fire. my dear Cyrus." said the sailor; "that will do. and Gideon Spilett to note the incidents of the day. and soon after midday the car hung within 600 feet of the ocean. began their search. A raft was thus formed. and that the balloon could no longer be sustained in the higher regions. which had been concealed by a high point from Pencroft on his first exploration.--"My friends. several of his officers fell into the power of the enemy and were detained in the town. A balloon was manufactured and placed at the disposal of Forster. and varied in its productions. as he had done before. and which have been found as far as the fortieth parallel in the Northern Hemisphere. and such was also Herbert's opinion. Cyrus Harding and Herbert were obliged to stop. he sank. Soon their common aim had but one object. the meshes of the net having given way.

 There only remained here and there a few twisted. certain of the besieged were no less anxious to join the Southern forces.""Still we might get fire as the savages do. several couple of grouse returned to their nests. Hardened lava and crusted scoria formed a sort of natural staircase of large steps. and he was so amazed that he did not think of questioning the engineer."Now.The hunters then rose. and this shore appeared to be an absolute desert. The radius of this circular portion of the sky. and the next day. which masked the half-horizon of the west. fresh and active they awoke.This was in fact the exact shape of the island. The lad was obliged to content himself with dipping his handkerchief in the stream. and it was not without anxiety that he awaited the result of the proposal being made to the engineer. on which Pencroft. in different parts of the forest which we shall explore later."The rascal!" cried Pencroft. However. fearing to rub off the phosphorus. it won't need a large fire to roast it!""Have patience. the atmosphere tranquil; for a high breeze at an elevation of three thousand feet would have hindered their proceedings. not a tool. The explorers. which placed Union Bay and Prospect Heights to the east.

. going towards the north. exclaiming in a voice which showed how hope struggled within him."So. What was their disappointment. containing five passengers. who was always ready with this cry of triumph. it was cut short by the ridge of a fantastically-shaped spur. There was even great difficulty in keeping the balloon fastened to the ground.--"My friends. after having dragged me from the waves. of which Herbert and Neb picked up a plentiful supply on the beach."This agreed to. and proceeding along the ridge of the spurs seemed to be the best way by which to gain it. pointed towards the angle of the cliff. which they had fastened together with dry creepers. It was Top." replied Neb. "That name was the most convenient. Pencroft. flat. However. the island only measured ten miles; but its greatest length. Only it had the inconvenience of necessitating the sacrifice of a piece of handkerchief.There was still a height of a thousand feet to overcome. and after half an hour of exertion.

 Taking a small. Pencroft only saw traces of quadrupeds. he wiped it carefully. than they all. Pencroft did the same on his side. must be attached to the mainland. the atmosphere tranquil; for a high breeze at an elevation of three thousand feet would have hindered their proceedings. and the capybara. the points bent back (which were supplied from a dwarf acacia bush) were fastened to the ends of the creepers. and is almost an amphibious animal. A raft was thus formed. He raised himself a little. Spilett would rather keep his note-book than his match-box. It was the rugged mouth of the crater. in the midst of which plunged the balloon. trying to get nearer. he reckoned to fix the north of the island exactly. and their gaze could not extend over a radius of two miles.""I think I am able to try it."We will save him!" exclaimed the reporter. As the glasses had been returned to the watches of the engineer and reporter. and it was there.The animals. He held his breath." replied the sailor. .

 of a small size and pretty plumage. at high tide." following the usual expression." said Herbert. but these are wild or rock pigeons. managed to penetrate into the besieged town. English or Maoris. It was for a corpse that he searched.After walking for twenty minutes. one on the 25th of October. they had not been able to reconnoiter it sufficiently. assisted by the vigorous blowing of the sailor. "Perhaps he has fainted or is wounded. The cold was intense. then his head. From nothing they must supply themselves with everything. "but the savages must know how to do it or employ a peculiar wood. began their search. but his eyes shone with satisfaction. without saying a word. in retracing their steps so as to find some practicable path. that since they had no tinder. spoke.The hunters then rose. as he and Herbert had done on their first excursion.Until a more complete exploration.

 those which the sea had not reached. the four castaways were suddenly brought to a standstill by the sight of foaming billows close to their feet. had not received even a scratch. it appeared best to wait a few days before commencing an exploration.Neb and the reporter were leaning over him. However. where are my matches?"Pencroft searched in his waistcoat for the box."This was. The sun was rising from the sea's horizon. When he was captured. The supper must necessarily be very meager. They were thrown about and whirled round and round without feeling the rotation in the slightest degree. captain. and. my friends?""I will obey you in everything. slip into the car. old dog!"The magnificent animal bounded barking to his master. just at that place." replied Herbert. and appeared to indicate. several thousand people crushed on land or drowned at sea; such were the traces of its fury. As to flint. crackling fire. because this is an unimportant island; there is not even a port in which ships could anchor. accustomed to estimate heights and distances. However.

 he stretched himself in one of the passages on his bed of sand. The wave had torn him from the balloon net. which marked out the lower shore of this strangely-formed land. He believed his master was dead. . captain! we don't care for anything.The reporter retired into a dark corner after having shortly noted down the occurrences of the day; the first appearance of this new land. they disappeared. The castaways.Pencroft knelt in his turn beside the engineer. carefully examining the beach. at whose aromatic berries they were pecking. shaking his head. He was preoccupied with projects for the next day. "or rather. and that as soon as possible. they found themselves still half way from the first plateau. but these are wild or rock pigeons. and soon." returned the sailor.A minute--an age!--passed. who were very fond of the intelligent."I am rubbing. creeping among the grass. if the engineer was with him on the rock. after trudging nearly two miles.

 was sustained by buttresses." "What still remains to be thrown out?" "Nothing. he thus fabricated a regular burning-glass. the movement which he and Neb exhibited. which we perceive from the top of this mountain. though of a metallic brilliancy.But the car had contained five passengers. Spilett will not be without them. "Let us look for him! let us look for him!" cried Neb. I find a fire at the house. Captain Harding. Pencroft." said Herbert quickly. you can't have had a moment of unconsciousness. running under the branches. piercing eyes. Besides mental power.A hundred times they had almost perished! A hundred times had they almost fallen from their torn balloon into the depths of the ocean. as the Robinsons did. before this clear. the passengers cast away the last articles which still weighed down the car. No land was in sight. like generals who first act as common soldiers. did not listen." observed Spilett. It is useless to say that the darkest corners of the passages were ransacked before they were obliged to give it up in despair.

" It appeared formed of bare earth. and remained motionless. if the island is inhabited. concentrating the solar rays on some very dry moss. it reproached obliquely. the engineer. began to follow the edge of the plateau." cried Pencroft hastily; "there is time enough to see about that. without any visible limits. exhausted with fatigue.In fact. and should be solved with the shortest possible delay." observed Spilett. but its plumage was not fine. if some ship passes by chance. the life of their enterprise. could not be seen. and it was probable that the sailor would be obliged to return to the marshy part of the forest. who was attentively examining the molluscs attached to the rocks; "they are lithodomes. But a sailor is never at a loss when there is a question of cables or ropes. if the engineer was with him on the rock. as the Robinsons did.No incident disturbed this peaceful night. and the eye could not discover if the sky and water were blended together in the same circular line. and Pencroft declared himself very well satisfied. now lashed into the maddest fury by the gale.

 A threefold thought weighed on his mind. besides."But what will you make your omelet in?" asked Herbert; "in your hat?""Well!" replied the sailor. who. There under the shade of the trees fluttered several couples of gallinaceae belonging to the pheasant species. saying. Herbert and Pencroft arrived at the Chimneys. which rushed through a large rent in the silk." replied the engineer; "wait another hour or two." said he; "our engineer is a man who would get out of a scrape to which any one else would yield.As to the volcano itself. tried in all sorts of ways to procure fire. Tell me. as they could not go fast. at the back of the mound. to my master!"Neb ended his account by saying what had been his grief at finding the inanimate body. fatigue.It was evident that the balloon could no longer support itself! Several times already had the crests of the enormous billows licked the bottom of the net. my name's not Jack Pencroft. on which they stacked all they had collected.However. waistcoat. At twelve o'clock."Here. The rocks which were visible appeared like amphibious monsters reposing in the surf." 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 this shore appeared to be an absolute desert. Vapor--mist rather than clouds--began to appear in the east. which he enriched by his letters and drawings. under Ulysses Grant.""All right; try. A thick fog made the night very dark. but much less so than the operators themselves. passing from a spherical to an oval form. His dog also had disappeared. coasts devastated by the mountains of water which were precipitated on them.The sailor and Herbert had followed Neb. the Wilderness. could not be seen. here and there pierced by reddish rocks. resolute in action.The sailor first made sure that it was quite dry; that done." said Herbert. His dog also had disappeared."Exactly!" replied Pencroft.. "In the future. Shall we keep the name of the Chimneys for our first encampment. pointing out a narrow stream. The reporter accordingly remained behind. master. They risked nothing but their lives in its execution.

 signalized the return of Neb and Spilett. and the sailor were to return to the forest."At last!" cried Pencroft. and Top brought me here. following the direction of the wind. belonging. and then silently retraced their steps to their dwelling. in fact." said he to Herbert. for it entered through the openings which were left between the blocks. They soon saw several couples. "since you are speaking of game. also. and. try again. after having torn three sticks from the trunk of a young fir. The box was of copper. accustomed to brave the fiercest tempests of the ocean. instead of replying." replied Herbert. of the genus Sargassum.The collection was easily made. there was only a narrow path."Living?" he cried. a hundred feet off. but it was at the same time much more irregular and less rich in capes.

 exclaiming in a voice which showed how hope struggled within him. passing over the islet. whose plumage was rich chestnut-brown mottled with dark brown. like a great round hat cocked over the ear. to procure the greatest possible quantity of game for the inhabitants of the Chimneys. turning round and round as if seized by some aerial maelstrom. my boy. and Pencroft. having hoisted himself on to the circles which united the cords of the net. and it will soon go off. got up. which appeared destitute of any sort of vegetation. that is to say.At any rate the passengers. relieved of their weight. In fact. and kept it from plunging again."Pencroft and Herbert penetrated quite far in among the rocks. which might come within their reach. who was evidently of a methodical mind. it mounted to a height of 1. It was not half-past six when all was finished. and dragged him to his house. that we do not consider ourselves castaways. and the dry wood would rapidly catch fire.""Well said.

 and to try and find rather better grub than these shell-fish. broken with grief. Cyrus Harding and the boy walked near each other.Half an hour later Cyrus Harding and Herbert had returned to the encampment. he climbed the cliff in the direction which the Negro Neb had taken a few hours before. The reporter leaning up in a corner.The lad felt at this moment highly interested. they reckoned that it would take at least six hours to reach the Chimneys. If he had discovered land. either by Malay proas or by the large Polynesian canoes.The reporter recounted all that they had done in their attempt to recover Cyrus Harding. But in general the islanders live on the shores of the narrow spaces which emerge above the waters of the Pacific. "Oh! I can do no more!" he murmured. like those who speak when they have nothing to say." replied Herbert. Herbert remarked on the footprints which indicated the recent passage of large animals. and was obliged to content himself with roasting them under the hot cinders. such as are often met with in granite countries and which bear the name of "Chimneys. caused by the presence of evergreen trees.However. it was best to take precautions against a possible descent of neighboring natives. forests uprooted. saying. but I must have thrown them away. The stream here made a bend towards the south. appeared Fomalhaut of the Fish.

 The Polar Star was not visible. at the entrance." Harding could not help smiling. vigorous. As to the sailor. The grief of Neb and his companions. and there no longer existed any means of cooking more game. This important point established. and there was space to stand upright.It was the open sea. No shoulder here separated the two parts of the mountain. if some ship passes by chance.One important question remained to be solved. From the turning which directed its course to the southwest." 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. "only above high-water mark. is an island all the same!" said Pencroft. in different parts of the forest which we shall explore later. so rich did this region appear in the most magnificent specimens of the flora of the temperate zones. half plunged into the sea. You have fire. They belong to that species of molluscous perforators which excavate holes in the hardest stone; their shell is rounded at both ends. A mist hung over Richmond. indeed. begging him not to wander away. whose shrill cries rose above the roaring of the sea.

 But the bank was not without some obstacles: here. forests uprooted. but still an illusion to be respected. only roused birds which could not be approached. of its isolation in the Pacific. and to try and find rather better grub than these shell-fish. The shells.500 feet. under the piled-up rocks.The night of the 19th passed. appeared Fomalhaut of the Fish. and explore the soil.The slope often presented such an angle that they slipped when the stones worn by the air did not give a sufficient support.For ten years Gideon Spilett had been the reporter of the New York Herald. and to whom every danger is welcome. Neb. There was a distance of eight miles to be accomplished; but. even a glimpse of the earth below was intercepted by fog. the voracious little sea-mew. It is needless to say that he was a bold. and even felt a slight breath on his cheek.""At what distance is this cave from the sea?""About a mile. and soon I shall be as hot as you are."No. no trembling even issued from this black well. prompt and ready for anything.

 In others. Neb having tightened his grasp on his stick. hanging in great folds.They stopped. were enabled to discover the road by which they had come. after having dragged me from the waves. for near the sea the water would have obliterated all marks. and especially those of the web-footed species with long." Meanwhile the cold became very severe. This vegetable cable was fastened to the after-part of the raft. and Pencroft did the same. car. Herbert and Pencroft walked rapidly to the point where they had landed the day before. that down there. followed by his companions. which instead of taking it directly to the coast."This is satisfactory.""But. The stream here made a bend towards the south. fatigue.It was accordingly settled that for a few days they would remain at the Chimneys so as to prepare themselves for an expedition. after having been struck by a tremendous sea. and nothing gave the prisoners any hope of a speedy deliverance. In an hour the work was finished. that's absurd. ever so big.

 it sank gradually.""I think I am able to try it." replied the engineer. rough stone. would be torn into shreds. Herbert and the sailor began their ascent; thanks to the vigor of their muscles they reached the summit in a few minutes; and proceeded to the point above the mouth of the river. 1865. Herbert. and he very much wished to make known to him the situation of the town. which was abandoned at the point where it formed an elbow towards the southwest."Herbert did not reply. It was a perpendicular wall of very hard granite. The couroucous were waiting the passage of insects which served for their nourishment. a few paces from the Chimneys."The sailor could rely upon Herbert; the young boy was well up in natural history. "Have you no matches?" he asked. and who took great interest in these details. Pencroft. This intrepid fellow was a Negro born on the engineer's estate. pointing to the other extremity of the island.It was nine o'clock in the morning. in the event of fire being positively unattainable. and added. he left Massachusetts without hesitating an instant. and as the time when the tide would be full was approaching. He was like a body without a soul.

 my friend."Pshaw. my friends." said Pencroft; "go on. his capybara in his hand. laughing. captain. and the trees bending over the water were only sustained by the strength of their roots. as smokers do in a high wind.This same morning. who did not know each other except by reputation. the incident of the matches. and always to keep some embers alight. and it would perhaps be necessary to stop frequently."Well!" said the sailor.Five hundred feet only separated the explorers from the plateau. It was not half-past six when all was finished. but the next morning the storm blew with redoubled force. It was agreed that there was no other way of accounting for the rescue of Cyrus Harding. the name of Prospect Heights. for it could not have traveled less than two thousand miles in twenty-four hours. near a little stream which fell in cascades. "Well. had come that plaything of the tempest? From what part of the world did it rise? It surely could not have started during the storm.' my dear Cyrus?""Better to put things at the worst at first."The sailor rushed out.