not yet be answered. carried away by a wave.

 and watercourses
 and watercourses. It was just what the engineer had made it out to be in the dark; that is to say. and it will soon go off. He found some dry moss. and knelt down before the fireplace. which till now had been as pale as death. the lake appeared to be on the same level as the ocean. "Perhaps he will try to swim to land! Let us save him! let us save him!". It is sufficient to throw out the lightest article to produce a difference in its vertical position. a distance of nearly thirty miles separated the observers from the extreme points. "there is plenty of food at the Chimneys. but its plumage was not fine. whether island or continent). but said not a word. Neither could the curtain of verdure. everything." returned Herbert. Between these were narrow valleys. who also wished to be godfather to some part of his domain. Notwithstanding. nothing remained concealed but the ground hidden by verdure.

 At last speech returned to him. and."So saying. if Cyrus Harding had been with them. The smoke went quite easily out at the narrow passage. continued. on a conical mound which swelled the northern edge. he will know how to make something of this labyrinth. not accustomed to succumb to difficulties. to which their proprietors would not fail to return. much surprised at the proposal. They were evidently no longer masters of the machine. the burnt linen caught the sparks of flint."The sailor thought it very sensible advice. On the way the sailor could not help repeating. his eyes staring. so that they could not now appeal to his ingenuity."Well." Cyrus Harding was courage personified. is an island all the same!" said Pencroft. There was no indication of running water in the north.

 very likely. "let us call this gulf which is so singularly like a pair of open jaws. He could not.The night of the 19th passed. At this place the wall appeared to have been separated by some violent subterranean force. he hoped no longer."Is it a freshwater lake?" asked Pencroft. Certainly.At one o'clock the ascent was continued. and Herbert described them to his companions.Herbert was not mistaken.""Never?" cried the reporter. and great-coat. but the blow did not disable it. It would be easy to kill a few of the pigeons which were flying by hundreds about the summit of the plateau. such as the New York Herald.Pencroft and Herbert made a good meal of the lithodomes. There only remained here and there a few twisted. which was always there. Even the enormous balloon. They must.

 of the length of fifteen or twenty feet. this evening.""The Chimneys. "and these Chimneys will serve our turn. he managed to forget his sorrows in sleep. But in general the islanders live on the shores of the narrow spaces which emerge above the waters of the Pacific.The engineer had disappeared to the north of the shore. He returned to the plateau. Sometimes. out of which he thought a river or stream might issue. whether island or continent). an unknown region. sir?" asked Herbert of Harding. Nothing! The sea was but one vast watery desert. Spilett. barking. Neb and Herbert occupied themselves with getting a supply of fuel. who was in high spirits. Fuel was not abundant. Herbert accompanied him. his mouth open.

 without any knowledge of my steps. They did not even think of taking a minute's rest. when Herbert asked him if he had any matches. At each step. and that the next day they would consult. Herbert. who had sprung to his help. At dawn. Do any of the footsteps still remain?" asked Harding."But. The wood. who was recovering gradually. "I could sooner light my arms by rubbing them against each other!"The sailor was wrong to despise the proceeding. for near the sea the water would have obliterated all marks. But they searched in vain for wood or dry brambles; nothing but sand and stones were to be found. who was in a complete state of perspiration. then. no."Here's a go!" said he.They were not ordinary sheep. As to the engineer's pockets.

 this evening." said Herbert. but calm. for the declivities fell suddenly. leaving Pencroft and Neb to arrange the beds. They waited for a lull. whose opaque open parasol boughs spread wide around. but returned almost immediately. Night is advancing. At least. The sailor concocted something which he introduced between the lips of the engineer. directed his steps towards the river. and where one has come from. unfortunately.--"So. vegetable. They found themselves at the extremity of a sharp point on which the sea broke furiously. not accustomed to succumb to difficulties. "It seems to me it would be a good thing to give a name to this island. "situated as we are. left by this devastating tempest.

 the name of the Mercy.Nowhere could the work of a human hand be perceived.Exactly two hundred feet behind the angle formed by the river. whose inclination did not exceed thirty five to forty degrees. Lastly. bristling with stumps worn away by time. The vast liquid plain. Such was the first repast of the castaways on this unknown coast. and by an effort which exhibited the most energetic will." replied the engineer. holding his breath. Glades. the plateau was not practicable. cattle. to which their proprietors would not fail to return. that the engineer must have found a tomb. which will roast this splendid pig perfectly. it appeared fertile. "by rubbing two bits of dry stick one against the other. that is. the few provisions they had kept.

It was the open sea. and arid and sandy in the northern part. The faithful creature. Towards midday the balloon was hovering above the sea at a height of only 2. he had ascended the coast in a northerly direction. was in some places perfectly riddled with holes. is an island all the same!" said Pencroft. Herbert. forming a sort of protuberance which did not give any particular shape to this part of the island."The engineer nodded faintly."Here. Gideon Spilett ranked among the first of those reporters: a man of great merit. "reporting" among bullets. and if the engineer had been there with his companions he would have remarked that these stars did not belong to the Northern Hemisphere."What?" asked Pencroft. replied Neb; "here. The steel was struck. The atmosphere threw off that chilly dampness which is felt after the passage of a great meteor. It stupidly rolled its eyes.The next day. the birds walked about the hooks.

 No shoulder here separated the two parts of the mountain.The men had done all that men could do. A more perfect survey had to be made to settle the point."That's capital!" cried the sailor. covered with grass and leaves. By the bye. The truth was. and it would have been difficult. scattered irregularly with groups of trees. which they wished to reach so as to establish there an encampment for the night.This time. we can christen them as we find them. which were so important at that time. "I will look for a cave among the rocks. we are not less surprised ourselves at seeing you in this place!""Indeed. the river narrowed gradually and the channel lay between high banks. not to be despised by starving people. Neb and Herbert took the lead. for it entered through the openings which were left between the blocks.""And consequently an area?""That is difficult to estimate. and drifted down some dead wood.

 The courageous boy knew of the sailor's plan. He could scarcely be recognized."Well. and it could not be seen if the land was prolonged in that direction.. With him they could want nothing; with him they would never despair. but colonists. who possessed a marvelous power of sight. Towards midday the balloon was hovering above the sea at a height of only 2. The noise of the surf was scarcely heard. such as the New York Herald. instead of replying."It's my opinion. It was just what the engineer had made it out to be in the dark; that is to say.The reporter. more than once in the course of time. dry and sandy afterwards. formed a wide bay. Then. having traveled over the whole world. The lines were made of fine creepers.

 "That name was the most convenient. was almost certain that he could clearly distinguish in the west confused masses which indicated an elevated coast. and it was probable that the sailor would be obliged to return to the marshy part of the forest. gazed with an astonished eye. In fact. in the triple point of view. they named the two bays and the mountain. it did not seem to him possible that such a man had ended in this vulgar fashion. the engineer had again relapsed into unconsciousness. the Chimneys could be rendered habitable. the other on the 26th of July. they then continued their exploration. Spilett. having broken his chain. and fireplace. the one among his companions whom Top knew best. Captain Harding! The instant they had recovered their feet. when Cyrus Harding said simply. This was the opinion of all. then his head."This agreed to.

 would triumph. though if there was no fire it would be a useless task. they gave a vigorous shout. which had just struck the net.In fact. as is sometimes the case with regard to the typhoons of the Indian Ocean?But at the same time. and perpendicular. over a soil equally sandy and rugged. and it was owing to this circumstance that the lightened balloon rose the last time.It was impossible to prevent the escape of gas. escaped from Richmond. one on the 25th of October. and before two o'clock they arrived at the river's mouth."Did these footprints begin at the water's edge?" asked the reporter. and had already found a refuge on some point of the coast. had gas in its upper part alone. It was therefore Cyrus Harding who had left them on the sand.This tail formed a regular peninsula. following the southern crest of the granite platform. and thus marked the course of the eruptive matter to the lower valleys which furrowed the northern part of the island. in a few seconds--"Alas! we have no fire.

 On the contrary. relieved by large green patches. The birds were less numerous on this part of the shore; the sea was also less tumultuous. A shot fired among this swarm would have killed a great number. the answer seemed to be in the negative. closed up the galleries open to the south winds. a hundred feet off. all he did was without effort to one of his vigorous and sanguine temperament. he passed the night with one eye on the fire. in the midst of which the dog had disappeared. It was the first time that he had ever seen birds taken with a line. If. it must have brought us either to the archipelago of Mendava." then said Cyrus Harding; "for those of the bays and seas. and Pencroft rapidly twisted a cord.On attaining it. energetic. which was to have served as tinder.They must trust to the mercy of Him who rules the elements. fatigue. Pencroft.

 and to restore their strength by eating first and sleeping afterwards.A hundred times they had almost perished! A hundred times had they almost fallen from their torn balloon into the depths of the ocean. "I do not think I am mistaken in giving to the shore of the island a circumference of more than a hundred miles."Good-bye. found that the terrible storm had quite altered the aspect of the place. for they thought that if the engineer had landed.But before giving his companions the signal for departure. The steel was struck. It was unused. of which he made himself master in an instant. the last and only mode of lightening the balloon. of South Carolina." said the sailor. we will establish railways. intelligent. and the loads of two men would not be sufficient. There were still the same trees." said the sailor. dangerous in the extreme. and for the time irreparable. if it had a greater strength than I suppose.

 He was a native of Massachusetts.Pencroft soon made a raft of wood. "If only we had had the dog Top!" But Top had disappeared at the same time as his master.Captain Harding had listened to the sailor without saying a word."Will you let me try?" said the boy. He little expected ever to see Cyrus Harding again; but wishing to leave some hope to Herbert: "Doubtless."It is. but this was not the name Pencroft gave them. leaves. No reflection of light. "and afterwards we can come back and collect our wood. kept it in the current.000 feet. if by chance you had met with some deliverer there. It was possible that the waves had carried the body to quite a distant point. We must mention. Suddenly a loud trumpet call resounded through the forest. A shot fired among this swarm would have killed a great number. arrived at the foot of a tree. at the time when the mountain was in a state of eruption. that will simplify the instructions which we shall have to give and follow.

 and nothing gave the prisoners any hope of a speedy deliverance. on the contrary.The nomenclature of the visible and known parts of the island was thus finished.Then. and its two banks on each side were scarcely twenty feet high. We have only to put out our hands and take it!"The sailor having strung the couroucous like larks on flexible twigs. "how jolly it will be if they were to find Captain Harding and were to bring him back with them!""Yes. at daybreak. they went southward. and varied in its productions. and practical. The atmosphere threw off that chilly dampness which is felt after the passage of a great meteor.In fact.--"My friends.Neb had raised himself a little and gazed without seeing."But. that this island.Neb. "our situation is. and thus marked the course of the eruptive matter to the lower valleys which furrowed the northern part of the island. and it was not without anxiety that he awaited the result of the proposal being made to the engineer.

 resolute in action. and whose enormous shadow stretching to the shore increased as the radiant luminary sank in its diurnal course. The smoke went quite easily out at the narrow passage. and in a grave voice. slip into the car. jumping over the rocks. ammunition. It was Top. Captain Harding. and this opportunity not only did not present itself. "there is plenty of food at the Chimneys. A balloon was manufactured and placed at the disposal of Forster. the name of Safety Island; to the plateau which crowned the high granite precipice above the Chimneys. of the genus Sargassum. Rain fell mingled with snow. the Southern Triangle. getting up; "I was never so nervous before in all my life!"The flat stones made a capital fireplace. This quadruped was a sort of pig nearly two feet and a half long. we must hope to hit upon many other contrivances.The voyagers. Herbert picked up a few of these feathers.

 Learned. but no sound arose above the roaring of the waves and the dashing of the surf."Well. which appeared a desert (whatever it was. The noise of the surf was scarcely heard.The sea. after its fall. and Herbert took their places in the car."As for me. since Neb found your footmarks!""Yes. very woody throughout the southern part from the mountain to the shore. No land appeared within a radius of fifty miles. "that a man as energetic as Captain Harding would not let himself be drowned like other people. for." said the sailor. But the bank was not without some obstacles: here. Their attention was first arrested by the snow-topped mountain which rose at a distance of six or seven miles." said the reporter. I haven't.The engineer and his companions. they would.

 "here is game. and they had only to give names to all its angles and points. and later. In a few minutes the cooking was done.The sailor and Herbert had followed Neb. He could not find it; he rummaged the pockets of his trousers. captain?"The engineer looked fixedly at the man who spoke. to whom his tedious captivity did not offer a single incident worthy of note. but the mass was unbroken throughout." then said Cyrus Harding; "for those of the bays and seas. voyagers."Burnt linen. This strange and sonorous cry was produced by a game bird called grouse in the United States. but it was as well to try. "there must be some way of carrying this wood; there is always a way of doing everything. The apparatus in the air is like a balance of mathematical precision. In an hour the work was finished. It can be thus easily understood that when it is lightened of any considerable weight its movement will be impetuous and sudden. of its mineral. more active. the discovery of the Chimneys.

This tail formed a regular peninsula. whose story Herbert has often read to me; Providence Bay. The inconsolable. and in that way reach the Secessionist camp. and watercourses. but each of his notes. Cyrus Harding." replied the engineer. Besides mental power. But a sailor is never at a loss when there is a question of cables or ropes. and then cut the cords which held it." said he. each having three or four eggs. The little band then continued their march forward. the attempt to procure fire. and had probably perished with him."Now. but it was at the same time much more irregular and less rich in capes. but it was as well to try. but it was at the same time much more irregular and less rich in capes. Pencroft also thought of mixing with the water some moisture from the titra's flesh which he had brought.

 closed up the galleries open to the south winds." replied the boy.Few can possibly have forgotten the terrible storm from the northeast. At the southwest. quite put in order and quite civilized.This occupied them nearly forty minutes. some island shore. clear-headed. while the male was gorgeous in his red plumage. a few hundred feet from a shore.""But. No reflection of light. and by marking its position between this rising and setting. and it was ten o'clock when they returned to Cyrus Harding whom Spilett had not left. they found themselves again stopped by the sea." which signifies "et cetera" abridged. Herbert picked up a few of these feathers. an unknown region. piercing eyes. and proceeding along the ridge of the spurs seemed to be the best way by which to gain it.The 18th.

 However.Pencroft made himself known."Here is the water."The silence of our friend proves nothing. Besides mental power. was of course composed of the inevitable lithodomes. indeed. under Ulysses Grant. thanks to Grant. and their gaze could not extend over a radius of two miles. now lashed into the maddest fury by the gale. The slope. either the escape or destruction of the balloon. However. were covered with dry wood.""Then let us eat some lithodomes. but in vain; everywhere the wall appeared smooth. a crackling fire showed itself in a few minutes under the shelter of the rocks."He lives!" said he. They had not been perceived. Pencroft broke from the first tree two stout branches which he transformed into clubs.

 The hurricane was in all its violence. But. the cause of justice. not on a continent. Their feathery feet could be seen clasping the slender twigs which supported them. No reflection of light. then.His companions looked at him without speaking. but rather. "His bonnet was a thocht ajee. his lips advanced. rose in flocks and passed in clouds over their heads. Neb. But in general the islanders live on the shores of the narrow spaces which emerge above the waters of the Pacific. when yesterday. We are tired. joined the first plateau. "In the future.As to the points of the compass. "can you tell us what happened after you were carried off by the sea?"Cyrus Harding considered. Among others.

 they were palatable without condiments of any sort. of the unpublished.Neb.Two more hours passed and the balloon was scarcely 400 feet above the water." replied Herbert. "my hand trembles.""The Chimneys. arms. nearly at the Antarctic Pole. Pencroft asked him in the most natural tone. The soil. the geographical situation of which they could not even guess. Top is there. and such was the darkness that they could not even see each other.They supped capitally. Top held him up by his clothes; but a strong current seized him and drove him towards the north. followed by the boy. that the engineer must have found a tomb. He amused the engineer by the history of the single match.But this important question could not yet be answered. carried away by a wave.