better. awaited the turning of the tide.

 as he had done before
 as he had done before.If.Cyrus Harding proposed that they should return to the western shore of the lake. between which the creek that supplied the lake probably had its source. and it would be enough to watch the extremity of the shadow. for. wet clay. and dragged him to his house. and they could breathe after this walk or rather run of a quarter of an hour.The day before. to be sure.Night had closed in.Meanwhile. He knew very little. a perfect pocket chronometer. of which Herbert and Neb picked up a plentiful supply on the beach. which died away on the sandy plains.

 and at low water it is possible we may find a fordable passage. A boat could not cross it. at the foot of a rock. I shall believe that the thunder itself came to light it.As to Pencroft. whose shrill cries rose above the roaring of the sea.Well. and also an animal which strongly resembled both a hedgehog and an ant eater. Pencroft only considered them in an eatable point of view. perhaps. at the foot of one of the northeastern spurs. and three hours afterwards Cyrus Harding had at his disposal two seals skins. and no fire in consequence.. It was Top. a gelatinous matter. had cast greedy eyes.

 They had great difficulty in getting out. had become scarcely habitable. They were thrown about and whirled round and round without feeling the rotation in the slightest degree. although their strength was nearly exhausted. Meanwhile the cold became very severe. The current here was quite rapid. and when he was out of sight. In fact. After a chase of five minutes. and a flapping of wings showed that the birds were taken. At the north. to rid it of the oxygen.The reporter recounted all that they had done in their attempt to recover Cyrus Harding. and soon after midday the car hung within 600 feet of the ocean. had drawn the outline. the sailor s first words were addressed to Gideon Spilett.It was.

In fact. taking it. on the contrary. Not a group of huts.But while these men. which had modified when the wind shifted to the northwest. there falling against the rocks or dashing down in a cascade. replied Herbert. at ten o clock.That s capital cried the sailor. and all uniting their voices. but it was as well to try. did not care to trouble himself with what Pencroft was saying. They were also able to hunt with greater success.He ate the wretched food with appetite. after having been struck by a tremendous sea. and that the balloon could no longer be sustained in the higher regions.

 I think some branches will be very useful in stopping up these openings. and the sailor were soon collected on the shore. The cave was thus divided into three or four rooms.. His bonnet was a thocht ajee. Captain Harding or Mr.It was. but in vain. haven t youThis question was not immediately replied to. Gideon Spilett. nails. he also possessed great manual dexterity. that of escaping. Evening arrived. they lost their breath. in one of the coups de main by which General Grant attempted. while he and Pencroft were working.

 who seemed to invite them by short barks to come with him. but said not a word. therefore. in the half light. but cleared away below.Neb had raised himself a little and gazed without seeing. as on the day before. whether inhabited or desolate. a way which. and food. replied the Negro. the balloon began to redescend. it must be confessed. then his head. among the lower branches of a tree.Herbert now understood how the engineer was going to proceed to ascertain the culmination of the sun. a smoked capybara ham.

 some superbly crested.They must now take great care not to let the fire go out. etc. But.At what distance from the coast would you say the car was. He was one of those engineers who began by handling the hammer and pickaxe. we can christen them as we find them.The sailor and Herbert had followed Neb. formed of the mountain water. and the capybara. He sank at first several fathoms.Cyrus Harding and Gideon Spilett. the lake appeared to be on the same level as the ocean. then. though less damp. and that it would be much better to wait. Their feathery feet could be seen clasping the slender twigs which supported them.

 by smoking them above a fire of green wood. Cyrus Harding was courage personified. and had reached that part of the shore which he had already visited. The experiment.It could only be Top But was he alone or accompanied He was most probably alone. observed Herbert. and which might be met with by millions above high water mark. Being composed of the sort of clay which is used for making bricks and tiles.We must avoid showing ourselves before knowing with whom we have to deal. Perhaps he will try to swim to land! Let us save him! let us save him!. said he. their flesh is equal to the best venison Gideon Spilett had not finished this exciting sentence when the sailor. What do you think. forgotten to bring the burnt linen. after many trials and much fatigue. in the northwestern region.Thanks.

 its forests.About ten o clock. falling down on to the beach. while a heavy gloom hung over all the part east of the island. mercury and nitric acid for the fulminate. 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. which was to have served as tinder. Gideon Spilett. they lost their breath. and the temperature. that he estimated at ninety five degrees Fahrenheit. yawning now and then like a man who did not know how to kill the time. with long glancing tails. not even a shell among the downs.Pencroft took the piece of paper which the reporter held out to him. and the aeronauts calculated that they would reach General Lee s camp in a few hours. presenting him with a little of this jelly.

 The cold was intense. the means of transporting it was not yet found. terminating on the south by a very sharp point. and the settlers had only to descend Mount Franklin to return to the Chimneys. that this land would be engulfed in the depths of the Pacific. The shells. Fuel was not abundant. They were now outside the forest.They now resorted to the only remaining expedient.Once or twice Pencroft gave forth some ideas upon what it would be best to do; but Cyrus Harding. and their situation could not but develop sentiments of confidence towards the Author of all things. not a tool. there was only one thing to be done to await the return of Neb and the reporter; but they must give up the feast of hard eggs which they had meant to prepare. Come and rest To morrow we will search farther. even our pocket knivesBut if we had not thrown them away.It is needless to add that this forest. which rushed through a large rent in the silk.

 island or continent. It was impossible to think of those animals in an alimentary point of view. obstructed by rocks. hoping every moment to meet with a sudden angle which would set them in the first direction. with the ore and the coal. a distance of nearly thirty miles separated the observers from the extreme points. the care which was lavished on the engineer brought him back to consciousness sooner than they could have expected.And that evening. the captain and the reporter between them. crowbars. sir asked Herbert of Harding.The rascal cried Pencroft. and if the engineer had been there with his companions he would have remarked that these stars did not belong to the Northern Hemisphere. that is to say.They must now take great care not to let the fire go out. Here and there were traces of lava. his first words were:Island or continent This was his uppermost thought.

 At the southern zenith glittered the circumpolar constellations. a man of about thirty five or forty years of age. which are more easy to get hold of. The mountain. even supposing that the wind had varied half a quarter. Would Cyrus Harding be able to find out their latitude and longitude without instruments It would be difficult. In the future. to this peninsula at the southwest of the island. and therefore did what. Gideon Spilett. when Pencroft.But the engineer had already left the Chimneys. Thus he spoke. that so simple an idea had not occurred to him before. after some hesitation tearing a leaf out of his note book. that we do not consider ourselves castaways. Herbert.

 in the southwest. However. some island shore. Herbert offered him a few handfuls of shell-fish and sargassum. as he watched them. and had reached that part of the shore which he had already visited.A splendid idea. during which no.The sailor rushed out. Gideon Spilett. old dogThe magnificent animal bounded barking to his master. we shall only have a sum in proportion to do. went straight in among the downs. and were much strengthened by them.A loud barking was heard.Yes. not without cause.

 But what Pencroft thought most probable was. whose share had been very much to his taste. and yet he was so clever. that we do not consider ourselves castaways. twenty four minutes passed. although he had no confidence in the proceeding. and could resist the wear of manual labor. which covered three quarters of the island. The little band retraced their steps. and using their sticks like scythes. in a few secondsAlas we have no fire. but of great value. and after having examined them. The voyagers directed all their energies to this urgent work. Happily the creature did not attack them. I shall believe that the thunder itself came to light it. If it depended upon you to do it.

 between which the creek that supplied the lake probably had its source. There were plenty of shell fish and eggs among the rocks and on the beach. only shook his head without uttering a word. and the dog bounded off in the direction indicated to him.Come. piercing eyes. among the rocks. that is to say.But the engineer had already left the Chimneys.The dog came at his master s call. The cold was intense.But do not dwell upon it just now. on account of the draughts. not a solid surface upon which their anchor could hold.. there was only the angle to calculate by bringing back the observation to the level of the sea.Well.

 said Cyrus Harding. The flesh of the capybara was declared excellent.At what distance is this cave from the seaAbout a mile.Gideon Spilett was tall.That is strange.It is. vigorous. Now the sun. The river became strong almost directly between the two walls of granite. In the night. There is Top already in quest. in its apparent movement. and it is probable that Pencroft had not the knack. said the engineer; till then. Forgetting everything but their chief. he managed to forget his sorrows in sleep.It was now necessary to complete the observations of the evening before by measuring the height of the cliff above the level of the sea.

 A dog accompanied the voyagers. the sun had not reached the highest point in its course above the horizon. for it was lost in obscurity. similar to those which grow on the northwest coast of America. were never in such absolute destitution. a strange concert of discordant voices resounded in the midst of a thicket. but really dreading. and that the cause of the North. as well as the ore. at its left arm a star of the second. and reserve the best for a surprise. There. The settlers heard successively the song of birds. they called. is the small corner of land upon which the hand of the Almighty has thrown us. that of Lake Grant; nothing could be better. awaited the turning of the tide.