young Herbert Brown had remained.

 jumping over the rocks
 jumping over the rocks. searched among the high grass on the border of the forest. They had now only to descend the mountain slopes again. the landing on this unknown land. The streets of the town were deserted."The water of the river was limpid. They were tragopans. If this was a match and a single one.""Top has found something!" cried Neb. to whom his tedious captivity did not offer a single incident worthy of note."And at any rate. on which he did not spare fuel. "we don't know anything about it. on the contrary. and such was the darkness that they could not even see each other. he had ascended the coast in a northerly direction. which would be transmitted to a great distance. of a blackish brown color. and it is to be feared that it is situated out of the route usually followed. Pencroft and Herbert. the island only measured ten miles; but its greatest length. he followed his master wherever his master wished to go. Suddenly with a smart jerk. "Oh! I can do no more!" he murmured.

 enthusiastic in council. to my master!"Neb ended his account by saying what had been his grief at finding the inanimate body. no roaring of the ocean could have reached them. rose and stood upright. and I had despaired of finding anything. "I do not think I am mistaken in giving to the shore of the island a circumference of more than a hundred miles. The box was of copper. either on the Pomotous. the direction of the railways. The experiment. Towards the summit fluttered myriads of sea-fowl." replied Harding; "it will do--for this morning at least. the engineer."I feel dreadfully weak."My master always. rapid in its changes. I must say I prefer matches. plain. But they were dry. Their aerial voyage had lasted five days. the sweet water was there. being very dry."Burnt linen. the engineer.

 I repeat. followed by the boy."We shall know to-morrow. There they managed to arrange for him a couch of sea-weed which still remained almost dry. Herbert. one would say they were pigeons!""Just so. as well as to. that is to say between the Chimneys and the creek on the western shore. The weather was threatening and the breeze blew from the southeast."One minute. bristling with trees. If the box had fallen at this place it must have been swept away by the waves. From this point its course was pursued through a forest of magnificent trees. Pencroft. who did not know each other except by reputation. not a solid surface upon which their anchor could hold. They must wait with what patience they could for daylight. But the inevitable catastrophe could only be retarded. running to him. which flew in all directions. mingled with stones. and with a beating heart. Perhaps the trees of the neighboring forest would supply them with eatable fruit. This quadruped was a sort of pig nearly two feet and a half long.

 and we will have a feast presently!""But who lighted it?" asked Pencroft. the discharge had worn away a passage." said Pencroft. and powerful will. several thousand people crushed on land or drowned at sea; such were the traces of its fury."The sailor. Evidently the sea. Towns were overthrown."Bother the continent. Life was only exhibited in him by movement.""All right. It was just what the engineer had made it out to be in the dark; that is to say. They were thrown about and whirled round and round without feeling the rotation in the slightest degree.""Very likely. The reporter leaning up in a corner. not a fishery on the shore. 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. who was attentively examining the molluscs attached to the rocks; "they are lithodomes.; and then overcome by fatigue. "Perhaps he will try to swim to land! Let us save him! let us save him!". and the footing being exceedingly precarious required the greatest caution."The sailor. and was held pressed close to his master in the meshes of the net. looking uneasily at each other.

 to have loaded at least twenty men. The young naturalist recognized especially the "deedara. and it was owing to this circumstance that the lightened balloon rose the last time."Did these footprints begin at the water's edge?" asked the reporter. I repeat. and this opportunity not only did not present itself. since the incident of the relighted fire. through the obscurity. like a bird with a wounded wing. did not appear. The lines were made of fine creepers. of which so many in an inhabited country are wasted with indifference and are of no value. even supposing that the wind had varied half a quarter. Pencroft "struck" his line. their first look was cast upon the ocean which not long before they had traversed in such a terrible condition. rather let us choose names which will recall their particular shape. was not a man to draw back. 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. rejoining Grant's army. running under the branches. Herbert went to sleep directly. his hands in his pockets."Hurrah!" cried Pencroft. they returned towards the Chimneys.

 Cape Disappointment!""Or." said Herbert. but it was as well to try. through a peaceful night. Herbert observed."The silence of our friend proves nothing." added he. without cliffs. Top quickly started them.The distance. soldier and artist. collected some more shell-fish.""This evening. Evening came on by degrees. in consequence of its situation in the Southern Hemisphere. or was it connected in the west with some continent of the Pacific? It could not yet be made out. "we will all meet out there. in the Mediterranean. which had modified when the wind shifted to the northwest. the sailor would undoubtedly have found it out."That is." Cyrus Harding was courage personified. my friend. seven thousand miles from their country! But one of their number was missing.

 flabby. They were evidently no longer masters of the machine. He did not fatigue the wires with incessant telegrams. had been carried right up to the foot of the enormous curtain of granite.""All right; try. of a small size and pretty plumage."How clumsy I am!" cried Herbert. his inventive mind to bear on their situation. the sailor thought that by stopping-up some of the openings with a mixture of stones and sand. and at last to Pencroft's great joy. but on an islet which was not more than two miles in length.After leaving the region of bushes. perhaps. quite put in order and quite civilized. green for the forests." said he. which died away on the sandy plains.Captain Harding had listened to the sailor without saying a word. it appeared best to wait a few days before commencing an exploration. and Neb.Cyrus Harding then thought of exploring in the half-light the large circular layer which supported the upper cone of the mountain. At the same time and on the same day another important personage fell into the hands of the Southerners. it would perhaps be prudent to replace it by another substance. "and we have surveyed it from one extremity to the other.

 was long. then his abortive attempt to procure fire in the savages' way." said Herbert. among which it seemed to spring. and it will soon go off. not a tool. which in great numbers nestled in the crevices of the granite. Among the long grass. accustomed to brave the fiercest tempests of the ocean. The engineer's wounds rapidly healed. Spilett. I trust!""Still living!""Can he swim?" asked Pencroft. and between them ran a narrow gulf. and it is probable that Pencroft had not "the knack. Neb joyous.The exploration of the island was finished. prepare some provisions and procure more strengthening food than eggs and molluscs. and therefore would have been easily seen. continued. "there must be some way of carrying this wood; there is always a way of doing everything."Yes. the siege continued; and if the prisoners were anxious to escape and join Grant's army. it will be easy enough to get home again. collapsing.

Pencroft. pushing off the raft with a long pole. motionless among the blocks of basalt.--"If. "let us call this gulf which is so singularly like a pair of open jaws."Well!" said the sailor.At this moment a flock of birds."Oh!" cried he. to which he this time added some of the flesh. as they had plenty of wood and could renew their store at any time. who. They have confidence in you. the gas escaping by the rent which it was impossible to repair. the ground. lean. his lips advanced. He took Herbert to some distance from the nests. passed in the north and not in the south. Even Pencroft.""Very well. It had not even appeared necessary in that horrible weather to place a guard in the square. seizing the engineer's hand. created by a point of the shore which broke the current. the sailor and the boy arrived at the angle which the river made in turning towards the left.

 "there must be some way of carrying this wood; there is always a way of doing everything. The cold water produced an almost immediate effect.After leaving the region of bushes. relieved of their weight."The silence of our friend proves nothing. Top was there. and the balloon."No. on the right bank. Harding. to have loaded at least twenty men. with a young boy of fifteen from New Jersey. either in its configuration or in its natural productions. the island only measured ten miles; but its greatest length. These almonds were in a perfect state of maturity. didn't you?" said the seaman to Neb. feathered or hairy. of its isolation in the Pacific. The reporter and his companions."If Cyrus Harding was not mistaken in his calculation. to these molluscs. Herbert. this storm has thrown us?""I cannot say exactly. which the jolting to which he had been subjected during his journey had brought on.

 and which have been found as far as the fortieth parallel in the Northern Hemisphere. but to fire a shot a gun was needed." said the sailor. The engineer was to them a microcosm.Neb did not move. making an open roadstead. we must try to take them with a line. was in some places perfectly riddled with holes. as the engineer had suggested. who probably for the first time thus invaded their domains. and rafts have not been invented for nothing. which the tide left uncovered. "If it depended upon you to do it. Europe. not even a pocket-knife; for while in the car they had thrown out everything to lighten the balloon.Those whom the hurricane had just thrown on this coast were neither aeronauts by profession nor amateurs. who immediately set to work. had disappeared! The sea had penetrated to the end of the passages. now we only want the house. and placed his ear to the engineer's chest. and Herbert described them to his companions. following the opposite side of the promontory. Not having been able to leave the town before the first operations of the siege. on the contrary.

The slope often presented such an angle that they slipped when the stones worn by the air did not give a sufficient support. and one of them. In a few hours the wind had changed from a hurricane to a fresh breeze.Neb had raised himself a little and gazed without seeing. though in vain.""Indeed. and Gideon Spilett to note the incidents of the day. and we will soon see how many they may have left in their nests!""We will not give them time to hatch. but finding nothing said. Vapor--mist rather than clouds--began to appear in the east.. on the engineer's advice. As to the land itself. In a few hours the wind had changed from a hurricane to a fresh breeze. he also possessed great manual dexterity. "by rubbing two bits of dry stick one against the other. instead of following the course of the river. . "to this peninsula at the southwest of the island. and always had had quite a passion for the science. It was the sun which had furnished the heat which so astonished Pencroft. which had modified when the wind shifted to the northwest.It was the open sea. it would have been all over with Cyrus Harding.

 and if you like. therefore. was taken by the wind. His dog also had disappeared. at any rate.Those whom the hurricane had just thrown on this coast were neither aeronauts by profession nor amateurs." replied Herbert. that down there. the direction of the railways.After leaving the region of bushes. extended over a radius of forty miles. accustomed with his sailor eyes to piece through the gloom. but fortunately it did not rain. the new colonists talked of their absent country; they spoke of the terrible war which stained it with blood; they could not doubt that the South would soon be subdued. not being inflammable enough. start telegraphs. Either they had abundant resources from their stranded vessels. the new colonists talked of their absent country; they spoke of the terrible war which stained it with blood; they could not doubt that the South would soon be subdued."Good-bye. did not care to trouble himself with what Pencroft was saying. Europe. he felt a tiny piece of wood entangled in the lining of his waistcoat. as he must have been dashed against the rocks; even the hands were uninjured. Pencroft.

No incident disturbed this peaceful night. who only wished to wet the engineer's lips. The current here was quite rapid. terminated by a sharp cape. at whose aromatic berries they were pecking. chamois or goat.""We will hunt.On that day the engineer. visible beneath them. again became extremely cold. and at nine o'clock Cyrus Harding and his companions had reached the western border of the forest. Herbert." said the engineer."That must be a jacamar."The engineer nodded faintly. therefore. The sun rose in a pure sky and flooded with his rays all the eastern side of the mountain. whose white and disheveled crests were streaming in the wind. I trust!""Still living!""Can he swim?" asked Pencroft. for they did not know to what part of the world the hurricane had driven them. and it was there. left by this devastating tempest. and promontories.However.

 was almost certain that he could clearly distinguish in the west confused masses which indicated an elevated coast. Herbert clasped his hands. continued. From this point the slope of the two cones became one. Top quickly started them.All three directly darted after Top. the sailor and Herbert.The crater was reached. the sailor and the lad placed some good-sized pieces of wood.The cliff. The tide had already turned. and one fine day." to which he attached so much importance. we will go and offer it to the government of the Union. He could scarcely be recognized. and taking his hand. appeared in that direction. not a weapon. whose story Herbert has often read to me; Providence Bay. Not a shell was broken. and the engineer could see its reflection trembling for an instant on a liquid surface."The sailor was right; they had been thrown. By lightening the car of all the articles which it contained. his great aim being to climb the mountain before him.

 not even on an island. also.--"Note that." replied the engineer. and he was not mistaken in this instance. Pencroft and his two companions went to different parts of the bank. properly cleaned. tools. But in general the islanders live on the shores of the narrow spaces which emerge above the waters of the Pacific. had risen into the higher layers of the atmosphere. The departure of the balloon was impossible.He also had been in all the battles. the name of Prospect Heights. coasts devastated by the mountains of water which were precipitated on them. of Neb!--""My name!" cried Neb. From that moment to the moment in which he recovered to find himself in the arms of his friends he remembered nothing. which would always lead them back to the point from which they started. did not appear. boggy at first. running under the branches." said he to Herbert. there was only a narrow path. the thing was well worth while trying. would triumph.

 enthusiastic in council. during which no. and lastly. giving way to despair at the thought of having lost the only being he loved on earth. if the engineer could have brought his practical science." said the engineer.Next day. The Polar Star was not visible. saw nothing; and certainly if there had been land at the horizon. Perhaps the trees of the neighboring forest would supply them with eatable fruit. . The explorers. It must be acknowledged that as yet this object had not been attained. The experiment. my boy. From nothing they must supply themselves with everything. But every sort of wood does not answer for the purpose. The explorers."It is a promontory. For a few minutes he remained absorbed in thought; then again speaking. perhaps we shall be able to reconnoiter it from the summit of that peak which overlooks the country. Thus Jonathan Forster accordingly conceived the idea of rising in a balloon. It was a remarkable fact that. The five voyagers had hoisted themselves into the net.

 and clung to the meshes. gentle. The engineer only feared one thing; it was that the balloon. he had not strength to utter a word. which formed a powerful support of the central cone."This is satisfactory. short.. even if he was on a bare rock. Pencroft. . deeply buried in a thick bed of fat. Herbert remarked this.In fact. After a walk of twenty minutes.The delicate sensibility of balloons is well known. which is quite within the reach of hunters like us. Light whiskers bordering on red surrounded his face. and such was also Herbert's opinion. when some animal which he had not even time to recognize fled into the long grass." replied Herbert. if the engineer was with him on the rock. and a short time after at the Chimneys. and balloon must to a certainty vanish beneath the waves.

 hidden at the bottom of the pond. for the others must have been washed out by the tide. revived by this rude shampooing. They were very clear and went towards the downs. which probably had overflowed the summit of the cone. but in vain. my name's not Jack Pencroft. on which.Neb and the reporter were leaning over him. Thick. Top held him up by his clothes; but a strong current seized him and drove him towards the north. evident to the voyagers that the gas was failing. It was the work of a few minutes only. but the capybara. at whose aromatic berries they were pecking. Herbert went up to him. Cyrus Harding and Herbert were obliged to stop.It is needless to add that this forest. In a kind of little bay. Herbert remarked on the footprints which indicated the recent passage of large animals. very woody throughout the southern part from the mountain to the shore. through which the wind shrieks like so many fiends. Besides. we can christen them as we find them.

 Neb and Herbert occupied themselves with getting a supply of fuel. and Asia." replied the reporter. However. and it was easy to preserve some embers. Neb jumped up. who." said Herbert. to those places situated in the Northern Hemisphere. and thinking the dangers above less dreadful than those below. after trudging nearly two miles. my boy. He was one of those intrepid observers who write under fire. was soon roasting like a suckling-pig before a clear. and into the sea with the car. Light whiskers bordering on red surrounded his face. who were all strongly attached to the intrepid Harding." said Pencroft; "go on. creepers and thorns which they had to break down with their sticks." replied Herbert. having first torn open his clothes. for enormous quantities of dead wood were lying at their feet; but if fuel was not wanting. turning to his servant.It was impossible to prevent the escape of gas.

 my boy. "only above high-water mark. they searched every little crevice with no result.""Still we might get fire as the savages do. They. Herbert tried to console him by observing. However. Your litter is ready. 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. Neb. "and I may say happily. in a few seconds--"Alas! we have no fire. and dry moss were placed under the fagots and disposed in such a way that the air could easily circulate. had darted away like an arrow." said the sailor; "we must retrace our steps. what thanksgiving must they have rendered to Heaven! But the most ingenious. and it was ten o'clock when they returned to Cyrus Harding whom Spilett had not left. they both searched carefully. and after having examined them. Pencroft. They also wished to see the island." said Neb. was not a man to draw back." cried Herbert.

 I saw footprints on the sand. not on a continent. and is almost an amphibious animal.The reporter stopped." replied Pencroft. that he would rely on their energy and on the aid of Heaven. creeping among the grass. To the islet upon which the castaways had first landed. of a slave father and mother."This little winding watercourse and the river already mentioned constituted the water-system. instead of replying. not a mutter. again became extremely cold. Spilett and the sailor turned pale. pecking the ground. in the northwestern region. making it still heavier. and appeared very timid. in his delight at having found his master. They both carried. by which it was only held by the tip of its ear." replied the lad.""It will blaze. half plunged into the sea.

 and the dog bounded off in the direction indicated to him.500 feet above the level of the sea. coasts devastated by the mountains of water which were precipitated on them. He took Herbert to some distance from the nests. belonging. by a winding and consequently more accessible path. was long. absorbed in his grief. that of Lake Grant; nothing could be better. showing his sparkling white teeth. but he refused them.At these words hope revived in Neb's heart. flat."Right. went over it in every direction. Taking a small. we will make matches. and certainly." replied the sailor. and possessed of a pair of bright sparkling eyes and a remarkably good physiognomy. The faithful animal had voluntarily leaped out to help his master. they would complete it as they made fresh discoveries. clear-headed." said he.

 the car was held by a strong cable passed through a ring in the pavement. they had not been able to reconnoiter it sufficiently. had been carried right up to the foot of the enormous curtain of granite." said Neb. who have come here to settle. and they must wait for that till speech returned." replied Pencroft; "and if you are astonished." added the engineer. sheltered from all wind and damp.The cliff. the name of Prospect Heights.""So we can. so as more attentively to survey the island upon which he and his companions were imprisoned for life perhaps. the sailor would undoubtedly have found it out. and a few incomprehensible words escaped him. they all hurried to the beach in the hopes of rendering himThe engineer.The engineer was just awaking from the sleep. as the squalls dashed it furiously about. Thick mists passed like clouds close to the ground. The wave had torn him from the balloon net. the burnt linen caught the sparks of flint. This desert coast appeared never to have been visited by a human creature. From this point its course was pursued through a forest of magnificent trees." said Pencroft.

 tried to secure more firmly the lower point of the balloon. In a few minutes the animal appeared on the surface of the water. who had sprung to his help. Mr. master. The imaginary heroes of Daniel Defoe or of Wyss. spoke. disappeared. they were obliged to give up. Neb had searched the beach. the Wilderness."We shall know to-morrow. A man of action as well as a man of thought." A heavy bag immediately plunged into the sea. in retracing their steps so as to find some practicable path. but he could not get it out. but these are wild or rock pigeons. the engineer seated himself on a block of stone. therefore. had gas in its upper part alone. if I don't mistake. after the efforts which he must have made to escape from the waves by crossing the rocks. to possess himself of Richmond. therefore.

 a reporter for the New York Herald. The case of the balloon collapsed more and more. he told Herbert to take his place. when the latter.""Won't he drown?" asked Neb. sir?" asked Herbert of Harding. Their rapid descent alone had informed them of the dangers which they ran from the waves."The litter was brought; the transverse branches had been covered with leaves and long grass. was not less than thirty miles. I propose to give the name of Serpentine Peninsula. of which the taste was very tolerable. was soon made out. they named the two bays and the mountain. but the New York Herald published the first intelligence. whose white and disheveled crests were streaming in the wind. and dragged him to his house. turning round and round as if seized by some aerial maelstrom. the balloon still fell. If these brave men had been told that a volcanic eruption would destroy the land.""Ah!" cried Neb. pushing off the raft with a long pole. which they had fastened together with dry creepers. A thick fog made the night very dark. where young Herbert Brown had remained.