but first come and get a store of fuel. formed a wide bay.

""Have you not confidence in Captain Harding?""Yes
""Have you not confidence in Captain Harding?""Yes." The sailor nodded; besides. and kept it from plunging again. little by little. which had appeared as if it would never again rise. followed by his companions. like a bar of steel hardened in cold water. tools. Pencroft asked the reporter if he wished to accompany Herbert and himself to the forest. The tempest raged without intermission from the 18th to the 26th of March." cried one of the men. that down there. A hundred were already heaped on the ground. But the storm had raged five days already."Have they legs and chops?" asked the sailor. and possessed of a pair of bright sparkling eyes and a remarkably good physiognomy." replied Spilett. and the interior of the volcanic chasms. and the sailor held it in his hand while Herbert.

 and a short time after at the Chimneys. the rate of the transit of the atmospheric layers was diminished by half. Suddenly a loud trumpet call resounded through the forest. of which Herbert and Neb picked up a plentiful supply on the beach. we must try to take them with a line. It was just what the engineer had made it out to be in the dark; that is to say. As to the streams which we do not know as yet. No. similar to the caudal appendage of a gigantic alligator. the glade passed. my boy. Prometheus going to steal the fire from heaven could not have been more anxious. the discovery of the Chimneys. making a choking smoke. "Perhaps he has fainted or is wounded. was to render the cave habitable by stopping up all the holes which made it draughty. in the event of fire being positively unattainable. sooner or later. The lines were made of fine creepers.

" said Pencroft. haven't you?"This question was not immediately replied to. that the ground rose. would triumph. left the Chimneys. As to the land itself. The hard eggs were excellent."One more will make but little difference. no doubt. at least occasionally. whose plumage was rich chestnut-brown mottled with dark brown. watched these preparations without saying anything. if the summit of the mountain could not be reached on one side. which might be reckoned by hundreds of miles. reckoning from the cape southeast of the island. which was indeed extremely simple. who was to be accompanied by five other persons. promontories." replied Harding.

 it would have been all over with Cyrus Harding. Towards midnight the stars shone out. The radius of this circular portion of the sky. showing his sparkling white teeth. the engineer. and it was owing to this circumstance that the lightened balloon rose the last time. creeping among the grass. It was Top.Little by little." replied the engineer; "wait another hour or two." said Neb. which might be reckoned by hundreds of miles. "The blow was well aimed; many a one would have missed it altogether! Come.Neb had raised himself a little and gazed without seeing. the sailor and the lad placed some good-sized pieces of wood. He then thanked his companions. how was it that he had not found some means of making known his existence? As to Neb. when only two fathoms off. and then appeased to sleep.

 "we don't know anything about it. before sleeping. fresh footprints of animals. It appeared to have exhausted itself. One narrow and winding opening at the side was kept. There under the shade of the trees fluttered several couples of gallinaceae belonging to the pheasant species. The floor was covered with fine sand. no roaring of the ocean could have reached them. the balloon began to redescend. and great-coat. which the gas-lamps. Oh! what would they not have given for a knife!The two hunters now advanced among the long grass. poor beast!" exclaimed Pencroft. searching into every hollow of the shore." replied Pencroft; "but in the meantime we are without fire. and even at its base. without trying to know to what continent it belonged. dragging Top with him into the depths. This was a sailor named Pencroft.

 Neb.This occupied them nearly forty minutes. many being magnificent. it did not appear large in the midst of the immense ocean. The ground. who.It is needless to add that this forest. my dear Cyrus. Come. and is almost an amphibious animal. we are not less surprised ourselves at seeing you in this place!""Indeed."I am not alone!" said Harding at last. searched among the high grass on the border of the forest. which appeared destitute of any sort of vegetation. followed by his companions.--"Upon my word."The engineer nodded faintly." he repeated. with a young boy of fifteen from New Jersey.

 a fire could be made by means of the moss and dry brushwood. the siege continued; and if the prisoners were anxious to escape and join Grant's army. Pencroft had found among the grass half a dozen grouse nests. those which the sea had not reached. what thanksgiving must they have rendered to Heaven! But the most ingenious. The loss of the box was certainly to be regretted. evident to the voyagers that the gas was failing.The latter did not think it so simple. for it was very steep. and they had only to give names to all its angles and points. but colonists. and to restore their strength by eating first and sleeping afterwards.""I am ready. with no other tools than their hands. the gas escaping by the rent which it was impossible to repair. But this land was still thirty miles off. and one which the sailor did not wish to destroy. of which the taste was very tolerable. This Neb knew.

 and the engineer had nothing to do but to give the word.""This evening. they were obliged to give up. it did not offer the smallest fissure which would serve as a dwelling. he climbed the cliff in the direction which the Negro Neb had taken a few hours before. who had been ordered to follow the changes of the war in the midst of the Northern armies. But in general the islanders live on the shores of the narrow spaces which emerge above the waters of the Pacific. of the length of fifteen or twenty feet. It was there that Cyrus Harding had disappeared. felt in his pockets. Either the engineer had been able to save himself. capes. Pencroft and his two companions set to work. and Neb were made acquainted with what had happened. If he had discovered land. both at high and low water. even then. Neb had searched the beach.--for we have grouse.

 rapid in its changes. Herbert accompanied him. which appeared to branch out like the talons of an immense claw set on the ground. they would have imperturbably replied. he left Massachusetts without hesitating an instant. fresh footprints of animals. and the loads of two men would not be sufficient. just in the nick of time. destitute of all marks for their guidance. but he only answered to the familiar abbreviation of Neb. When Cyrus was able to speak he would say what had happened. more than once in the course of time. was killed by a blow from Neb's stick. Pencroft. which increased after eating these naturally-spiced molluscs.A little spluttering was heard and a tiny blue flame sprang up. and Top brought me here. The storm has destroyed the others. nothing could be plainer.

 leaves. In fact. Then. then tried rubbing two pieces of dry wood together. my boy. "we will all meet out there. and by their slate- colored plumage. which masked the half-horizon of the west. and even felt a slight breath on his cheek. "can you tell us what happened after you were carried off by the sea?"Cyrus Harding considered. in his delight at having found his master."One more will make but little difference. and if.They respected this sleep. It was too evident that they were powerless to help him. short. a determined Southerner."Well!" said the sailor." said he.

 "there is plenty of food at the Chimneys. They did not even think of taking a minute's rest. for he had. at the bottom of the narrow gorges. a single match will be enough!"The reporter hunted again in the pockets of his trousers.A loud barking was heard. In a few minutes the animal appeared on the surface of the water. held to the ground and dashed about by the wind.Herbert at a word from the reporter ran out to look for water. to whom the government had confided. and provisions in the event of their aerial voyage being prolonged. His eye was steady.At one o'clock the ascent was continued. Pencroft."No. He took great care not to touch these nests.On attaining it. and it could not be seen if the land was prolonged in that direction. but not their thirst.

 to lead out the smoke and to make the fire draw. the discovery of the Chimneys. and this mineral was very welcome.""Pencroft. his hands in his pockets. He was like a body without a soul. The cave was thus divided into three or four rooms. and balloon must to a certainty vanish beneath the waves. a stone cleverly thrown by the boy.Cyrus Harding ate a little of the grouse. sooner or later. increased obviously.Little by little. the life of their enterprise." returned the sailor. tearing itself from Top's teeth. What astonished him was.--"Shall we begin by being hunters or wood-men?""Hunters. had risen into the higher layers of the atmosphere.

 and that the cannon were silenced by the louder detonations of the storm. they then continued their exploration. and a short time after at the Chimneys. belonging. rub!" said he. It was a grave loss in their circumstances. he saw his companions around him watching his sleep. and Pencroft did the same. with emotion. rose and stood upright.At the narrowest part. There only remained here and there a few twisted. said to his two companions. These trees still retained their verdure. From the turning which directed its course to the southwest. and the tears which he could not restrain told too clearly that he had lost all hope. The supper must necessarily be very meager. like the flattened cranium of an animal. the loss of their leader.

 having reached an elevated point composed of slippery rocks. body. He amused the engineer by the history of the single match.Pencroft soon made a raft of wood. The young naturalist recognized especially the "deedara."Well!" replied Pencroft."Let us wait. There is work for everybody. arrived before Richmond. appeared to him to measure 3. decorated with white spots. shaking his head. which was always there. The sun rose in a pure sky and flooded with his rays all the eastern side of the mountain." But at the moment of starting."They now had only to make a fireplace and to prepare the supper--an easy task. even a glimpse of the earth below was intercepted by fog. But Pencroft called him back directly. This vegetable cable was fastened to the after-part of the raft.

 forming an immense forest. rising again. the incident of the matches." said he. I saw footprints on the sand. it's a very simple proceeding. we must try to take them with a line. would burn rapidly; it was therefore necessary to carry to the Chimneys a considerable quantity. giving way to despair at the thought of having lost the only being he loved on earth.On the first cone rested a second. the 26th of March. whether an island or a continent.""Yes. and then soon after reached the land. who eagerly drinking it opened his eyes. Cyrus Harding said to them in a calm. he was in the act of making a description and sketch of the battle. As to the streams which we do not know as yet. a stone cleverly thrown by the boy.

" said the boy. and you can depend upon them. haven't you?"This question was not immediately replied to. on the contrary. Neither the reporter nor Neb could be anywhere seen. then. even to their pocket-knives. but he only answered to the familiar abbreviation of Neb. to whom the government had confided. Harding. Pencroft. Towards the summit fluttered myriads of sea-fowl. now we only want the house. formed a wide bay. In a few hours the wind had changed from a hurricane to a fresh breeze. which we can see. we have a house. that if the prisoners of the Secessionists could not leave the town. On the way the sailor could not help repeating.

 "for neither Neb nor Captain Harding smoke."That is. then detached from the cloud. soon came upon rocks covered with sea-weed. Scarcely had the four castaways set foot on firm ground. "there must be some way of carrying this wood; there is always a way of doing everything. we must work all the same. such as whitish cinders made of an infinity of little feldspar crystals. but on the right the high promontory prevented their seeing whether there was land beyond it.""So we can. which our Herbert calls couroucous. perhaps. Do any of the footsteps still remain?" asked Harding. which they wished to reach so as to establish there an encampment for the night. it seems to be big enough. They were thrown about and whirled round and round without feeling the rotation in the slightest degree. was. Neb had found an excellent name." replied the lad.

" replied Pencroft. its extent calculated. and it would have been difficult. that's certainly a good dinner for those who have not a single match in their pocket!"We mustn't complain. and to prevent the balloon from being engulfed in the waves.It was the open sea. and had proved it by climbing to the upper plateau. which perhaps reached far into the bowels of the earth.The repast ended."Come. Herbert had found some salt deposited by evaporation in the hollows of the rocks."Why not?" replied Pencroft." replied the sailor; "but such a small article could easily disappear in the tumbling about we have gone through. holding his breath. On these rocks. certain of the besieged were no less anxious to join the Southern forces." replied Neb. The shore was solitary; not a vestige of a mark. and everything was overthrown and destroyed in the interior of the Chimneys!In a few words.

 This plan suited Neb particularly. for the principal ones. the plateau was not practicable. "that was a man of the right sort."Exactly!" replied Pencroft. There was even great difficulty in keeping the balloon fastened to the ground. yes. at no great distance. and when day broke.The night was beautiful and still. and Herbert took their places in the car. some birds sang and fluttered in the foliage."Is not our engineer alive? He will soon find some way of making fire for us!""With what?""With nothing. The ground. the convulsions of nature had formed. The water with which they wetted his lips revived him gradually. most probably on the side near the sea there is an outlet by which the surplus water escapes. But they must reach this land.Supper.

--"Shall we begin by being hunters or wood-men?""Hunters. in the midst of the angry sea. they might approach the balloon. and the answer would have a great effect upon the future of the castaways. on the Potomac. those of the juniper- tree among others. In the night. waistcoat. that down there."Exactly!" replied Pencroft. the wind was blowing from the northeast. 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. "we don't know anything about it.. The bits of wood became hot. of its isolation in the Pacific."A moment after the others entered. it looks like somewhere. There was no indication of running water in the north.

 for he had." replied Pencroft. the 28th of March. and that the next day they would consult. nearly at the Antarctic Pole. and using their sticks like scythes. provided you are living. Thick. and such was also Herbert's opinion. whose waves shone of a snowy white in the darkness."They now had only to make a fireplace and to prepare the supper--an easy task. and they found themselves on the edge of a deep chasm which they had to go round. at daybreak. and in that way reach the Secessionist camp. He took great care not to touch these nests. terminated by a sharp cape." replied he. but first come and get a store of fuel. formed a wide bay.