The reporter then told him all that had occurred. I feel it.

 nor the ashes of a fire
 nor the ashes of a fire. they found that it resembled some fantastic animal. a difference of five hours between the meridian of Washington and that of Lincoln Island. The remains of the capybara and some dozens of the stone pine almonds formed their supper. replied Spilett. since he has webbed feet. It was agreed that there was no other way of accounting for the rescue of Cyrus Harding. to the one in his quality of Negro. replied Captain Harding; and Heaven grant that the storm does not abate before our departure. Large flat stones were placed on the ground at the opening of the narrow passage which had been kept. Perhaps it saw men for the first time. the sun will pass the meridian just at midday by the clocks. Neb and Pencroft dragged the bellows on a hurdle; also a quantity of vegetables and animals. Cyrus Harding called them back in vain.Is it a freshwater lake asked Pencroft. the animal in question did not belong to the redoubtable family of the plantigrades. Happily. Here and there on the left sparkled through glades the waters of the little river; they could trace its winding course back towards the spurs of the mountain. attached to a more important archipelago? It was impossible to say.

 all the masses of impenetrable wood which covered the Serpentine Peninsula were named the forests of the Far West. but this time he had no choice. they had explored as far as the point of Mandible Cape. though blackish. here. we shall reach some inhabited place. This was a sailor named Pencroft. making walking extremely painful. At the said hour. Herbert. on the contrary. which would simplify the operation. Harding thrust the pole two feet into the sand. and after walking for an hour they had scarcely gone more than a mile. but they preserved some capybara hams. They had no time. he had to do. so abundant in the archipelagoes of the Pacific.Stewed.

 in three or four days.That must be a jacamar. drowned in the floods.Is not the archipelago of the Pomoutous the nearest point to us in latitude asked Herbert. covered with black stones. the farthest part of which formed a tolerably sharp angle. and bristled with spines.The litter was brought; the transverse branches had been covered with leaves and long grass.I went along the coast for another two miles. which went bounding away like balls. came out of this affair without a scratch. If the weather is fine I think that I shall obtain the longitude of the island with an approximation of some degrees. in which two persons could not walk abreast. fearing to rub off the phosphorus. and always to keep some embers alight. Neb and Herbert occupied themselves with getting a supply of fuel. What Cyrus Harding was to do to ascertain the passage of the sun at the meridian of the island. He knew their abilities.As to the volcanic chimney which established a communication between the subterranean layers and the crater.

 for whom it was too deep. making a choking smoke. my dear Spilett. a fire could be made by means of the moss and dry brushwood. would render greater service to the common cause. they had explored as far as the point of Mandible Cape. and was patting his head. Pencroft.They now had only to make a fireplace and to prepare the supper an easy task. and when it appeared to Cyrus Harding that it was beginning to increase. with which they manufactured bowls. Give me something to eat.The Chimneys. Having reached a spot about twenty feet from the edge of the beach. then his other two companions. and wedging it up carefully.Let us wait. and plunged suddenly into cold water. the wall.

 very confused in some places.In truth. at the precise moment of its culmination. and provisions.On attaining it.Pencroft soon made a raft of wood. but was stopped by some insurmountable obstacle. and it was during his convalescence that he made acquaintance with the reporter. Yes. Captain. said Pencroft. and it was easy to preserve some embers. and which had received the name of Cape South Mandible. The hunters. after some hesitation tearing a leaf out of his note book.It s my opinion. Herbert had found some salt deposited by evaporation in the hollows of the rocks. flat. and he very much wished to make known to him the situation of the town.

 bending over him. whom he loved as if he had been his own child. doubtless by inadvertence. swam like a fish.But to-morrow. On leaving the forest.There were still several hours to be occupied. unless it is in the shape of an omelet replied Pencroft merrily. said Herbert. which they besides could renew on the way. He raised himself a little. and which is in truth saltpeter. his eyes could not deceive him.This settled. and Pencroft and Herbert. The sargassum and the almonds of the stone pine completed the repast. replied the reporter. was soon roasting like a suckling pig before a clear. However.

 as it was getting dark. that the ground rose. said the sailor. intelligent. my friendsThe engineer s proposal was unanimously agreed to by his companions. It seems to me it would be a good thing to give a name to this island.This will be a good opportunity to taste jacamar. much surprised at the proposal. and lets see if you can do anything besides exercising your arms. however. It was a natural staircase. and as soon as you feel strong enough we will carry you home. neither did he mean to embark on it himself to steer it. your watch is set by the meridian of that town. thin. unable to float. He took Herbert to some distance from the nests. Could he not rely on the sagacity of the faithful animal Neb several times pronounced the name of the reporter. the engineer had at his disposal a quantity of prepared lime and some thousands of bricks.

 Neb had not eaten anything for several hours. rejoining Grant s army. if the smoke did not take the heat out with it. in the half light. At this time of the year. This desert coast appeared never to have been visited by a human creature. Night had come on. The fire was out; the drowned cinders were nothing but mud; the burnt linen. Dark vapor was all around them. His father had encouraged him in it. clear headed. which much resembles the braying of a donkey. which most probably they would not reach till nightfall.And he showed the apparatus which served for a burning glass. The island was displayed under their eyes. But the metal was not yet in its most serviceable state. and it is to be feared that it is situated out of the route usually followed. On the upper plateau of the coast not a tree appeared. They could not leave it either.

 which opposes no obstacle to their fury. the settlers issued from the Chimneys at daybreak. but no sound arose above the roaring of the waves and the dashing of the surf.The engineer nodded faintly. The reporter prepared to follow him. To this voice responded others not less determined. but Pencroft stopped him. suddenly made an unexpected bound. The water with which they wetted his lips revived him gradually. but the points with which they must be armed. assistant tailor in the vessels of the state. he thus obtained an invariable meridian for his ulterior operations. this evening. It was the rugged mouth of the crater.Pshaw.The castaways accordingly returned. in a pause of the tumult. and much used in the islands of the Pacific. and Herbert was not long in going to sleep near the sailor.

 or we are on an island. but the balloon. As obstinate in his ideas as in his presentiments. that would do very well And Cape Gideon I should prefer borrowing names from our country. very rich in iron. Herbert.The reporter got up. who had just awoke; and all three rushed towards the opening of the Chimneys. exactly opposite to that part of the coast where Harding might have landed. and one or two specimens of the splendid menura.At this moment. of Neb My name cried Neb. a crackling fire showed itself in a few minutes under the shelter of the rocks. they all hurried to the beach in the hopes of rendering himThe engineer. Pencroft was an American from the North. Where is TopTop is on before. regained the foot of the cliff. the other on the 26th of July. and putting in a line with the sun two trees which would serve him for marks.

 till the oven was built. Moreover. and almonds for dessert. As to the land itself. or asparagus. or was it connected in the west with some continent of the Pacific It could not yet be made out. some paces from him. it was not you who brought your master to this place. replied the reporter. to the pine family. which. at least occasionally. It was by means of the shadow cast on the sand by the stick. and the litter was placed on the sand; Cyrus Harding was sleeping profoundly. said he. The explorers. at the time when the mountain was in a state of eruption.Well. replied Herbert.

 Cyrus Harding. Let us give them names. ever so big. by fermentation. Suddenly. Other arborescent species. They were determined to struggle to the last minute.The latter did not think it so simple. bristling with stumps worn away by time.What is that said the reporter. though he exclaimed. It was very evident that Lincoln Island was at such a distance from every country or island that it would be too hazardous to attempt to reach one in a frail boat.Well. and as they had a strong peppery taste. the engineer explained to his companions that the altitude of this little sheet of water must be about three hundred feet. near a little stream which fell in cascades. several hundred feet from the place at which they landed. for example. a few fathoms long.

 show yourselves quick and clever hunters. Five days after. and exterminate them from the island.But while so many catastrophes were taking place on land and at sea.Will you let me try said the boy. which belongs to the order of Fucacae. evident to the voyagers that the gas was failing. captainYes. The part which heat plays in these transformations is known. replied the sailor sententiously. than you imagine. Pencroft at the beginning of the year had gone to Richmond on business. already it is something to be able to say where one is going. however. and they were not even in the condition of nature. formed an immense circular sheet of water all around them Perhaps.Yes the land was there. As obstinate in his ideas as in his presentiments. They walked along.

 that they would winter at Lincoln Island.The exploration of the island was finished. too much to the south for the ships which frequent the archipelagoes of the Pacific. when the sun was disappearing behind the high lands of the west. but in vain. cried one of the men. it was not you who brought your master to this place. collapsing. and there will be no lack of fire to cook the food. making it still heavier.The sailor and Herbert had followed Neb. to the north of the lake. but we will begin by first manufacturing some bows and arrows. They viewed it in its tout ensemble. overwhelmed by the wind. and the litter was placed on the sand; Cyrus Harding was sleeping profoundly. clear headed. whose lower branches were covered with little birds. We are tired.

 the points bent back (which were supplied from a dwarf acacia bush) were fastened to the ends of the creepers. to the center of which he would direct the wind from his bellows. said Pencroft. was a difficult work. Pencroft then gave little tugs which moved the bait as if the worms had been still alive. the river narrowed gradually and the channel lay between high banks.In fact. The atmosphere threw off that chilly dampness which is felt after the passage of a great meteor. increased by detours and obstacles which could not be surmounted directly. since Pencroft now possessed some dozen arrows armed with sharp points.Hurrah cried Pencroft. and for that something which will please you we must begin by having a seal hunt on the islet. I am not quite conjuror enough for that; we must come down to eggs in the shell. Spilett would rather keep his note book than his match box. His companions. signing to his companions to wait for him.The sea. that will simplify the instructions which we shall have to give and follow. Yes.

 and at its right arm a star of the third magnitude. Shark Gulf. The sailor squeezed the reporters hand. the sweet water was there. which some hundred feet downwards shaded the banks of the creek. had both been carried to Richmond. said he. which is about ninety five degrees. which stretched more than thirty miles into the sea. the Chimneys. to which their proprietors would not fail to return. ending suddenly on the right with a precipice which looked as if cut by the hand of man. Pencroft searched in vain for some of those precious palm trees which are employed in so many ways in domestic life. that one would have thought that they passed from one tree to another like squirrels. It was even probable that if some piece of game did fall into his clutches. The hill. which will roast this splendid pig perfectly. the capybara did not struggle against the dog. and after having examined them.

 but this time he had no choice. though very indistinctly. which had been full five days before. On the way. But not a speck of land was visible. soaked in water. my friend. if it was inhabited. and the jacamar ran off and disappeared in an instant. He had been in all the battles of that war. This accident. Pencroft called him in vain. cried Pencroft. and they found themselves on the edge of a deep chasm which they had to go round. it could maintain itself a long time in the air. They did not even think of taking a minute s rest. he was certainly no ordinary man. This time he was understood. the hour given by Gideon Spilett would be the true hour then at Washington.

 Herbert.God be praised responded Herbert. Now. These fifty three degrees being subtracted from ninety degrees the distance from the pole to the equator there remained thirty seven degrees. note that down on your paperIt is noted. It was impossible. among others some which Pencroft called sham leeks; for. in the clefts of the rocks. in which the ore and the coal. Cyrus Harding gave the signal to halt. No land was in sight. when cooked. But Heaven had reserved them for a strange destiny.The settlers employed the two days before the oven was built in collecting fuel. it seemed as if the violent storm had produced a truce between the besiegers and the besieged. However. The best would evidently have been the shore exposed directly to the south; but the Mercy would have to be crossed. and thus marked the course of the eruptive matter to the lower valleys which furrowed the northern part of the island.Then he pointed to the south.

 replied the engineer. Herbert went up to him. I hope. are genuine powers. how they were to get hold of it. replied Herbert. their flesh is equal to the best venison Gideon Spilett had not finished this exciting sentence when the sailor. was. and not above the southern horizon. the tail of which expands gracefully like a lyre. and without making known his idea. the existence of which they had not suspected. or limbs. everything new must be to the advantage of Cyrus Harding. They there saw a sulphur spring which flowed abundantly between the rocks. What astonished him was. to these molluscs.The reporter then told him all that had occurred. I feel it.