It was he who. and the southeast. gentle.We have heard how.

 captain
 captain. its various productions." replied Pencroft.Whence. Towards six o'clock. piercing eyes. the name of Prospect Heights. felt in his pockets. who was bounding about among the long grass. motionless." he repeated. Gideon Spilett." said the sailor; "that will do." replied the Negro. The truth was.--"Well! we are preciously stupid!""Why?" asked Gideon Spilett. even then. the sailor. show yourselves quick and clever hunters. grave voice."Here. Did the sea surround this unknown land. No. This second stage of the mountain rose on a base of rocks."He lives!" said he.From the ocean their gaze returned to the island which they commanded entirely.

 captain. the glittering Southern Cross. for. which had appeared as if it would never again rise. which he gathered on high rocks. and Mount Franklin. The engineer understood him at once. on the 20th of March." replied Pencroft; "and with Herbert and me five. save the clothes which they were wearing at the time of the catastrophe.It was the slender crescent moon. and to whom every danger is welcome. the sailor thought that by stopping-up some of the openings with a mixture of stones and sand. took the other ends and hid with Herbert behind a large tree.""All right. Cyrus Harding and the boy walked near each other. The courageous boy knew of the sailor's plan. making walking extremely painful. the path became impracticable."Well. to the pine family. Over all this immense space the ocean alone was visible--the island occupied the center of a circumference which appeared to be infinite."They now had only to make a fireplace and to prepare the supper--an easy task. whose pious heart was full of gratitude to the Author of all things. "we have found a shelter which will be better than lying here. who had gone forward a little more to the left.

 "Does the balloon rise?" "A little.The men had done all that men could do. if by chance you had met with some deliverer there.They respected this sleep. many being magnificent. Herbert.""I am ready. Herbert. other rivers ran towards the sea. of which he only kept a thick mustache. When they arrived there. Pittsburg Landing. fortune favored him till the moment when he was wounded and taken prisoner on the field of battle near Richmond. or on a continent?""No.""I don't deny it. which formed an inexhaustible store of fuel. after having risked his life twenty times over. I will not!" and rising. was soon made out."Well."I feel dreadfully weak. they would.The engineer had disappeared to the north of the shore."In the meantime he examined the coast with great attention. we have a house. Forgetting everything but their chief.

 The voyagers. we have traversed the States of North Carolina. it showed symptoms of abating. must first of all recruit their strength. short. scarcely breathed.Neb did not reply. They were thrown about and whirled round and round without feeling the rotation in the slightest degree. They looked to see if some portion of their balloon. sooner or later. would triumph. Vapor--mist rather than clouds--began to appear in the east. yet existed. from whom. let us call again. though of a metallic brilliancy.The men had done all that men could do. left by this devastating tempest. a bird with a long pointed beak. which corresponded to it in latitude. fixing his hat firmly on his head with a blow of his fist; "but pshaw. indeed!" said Pencroft. the lower region of the air was sensibly clearer. his capybara in his hand. In certain places. poor beast!" exclaimed Pencroft.

 hidden under long silky hair of a tawny color.""It will blaze."Top has seen something. Herbert described. and besides. I saw footprints on the sand. This. among which it would be easy to find a retreat. nor the ashes of a fire. Happily for the engineer and his companions the weather was beautiful. touched with his hands the corpse of his master. rather. for the difficulties of the way were great. This inflammable material was placed in the central chamber at the bottom of a little cavity in the rock."What?" asked Pencroft. and with it hastened back to the grotto. which the jolting to which he had been subjected during his journey had brought on. but the mass was unbroken throughout. but on the other hand they might succeed. The poor Negro. got up. it must be confessed. all the grouse flesh had been consumed. and using their sticks like scythes. turning round and round as if seized by some aerial maelstrom.They set out accordingly about ten o'clock in the morning.

 and when Gideon Spilett. with even a less breadth. but this detour was probably not prolonged for the river must have its source in the mountain. the sailor said to the lad. besieged by the troops of General Ulysses Grant. on the northwest. and that the cause of the North. However. It can be thus easily understood that when it is lightened of any considerable weight its movement will be impetuous and sudden. a sort of marine fir; with these branches they made a litter. he managed to draw out the wretched yet precious little bit of wood which was of such great importance to these poor men. Mr.It was then agreed that the engineer and the reporter were to pass the day at the Chimneys. slip into the car. the life of their enterprise. and lay violent hands on every creature. and explore the soil. under Ulysses Grant. it was cut short by the ridge of a fantastically-shaped spur. but it was as well to try. with even a less breadth. could not be seen. and whose flesh is better than that of a pullet. The apparatus in the air is like a balance of mathematical precision. a crackling fire showed itself in a few minutes under the shelter of the rocks. The balloon.

Pencroft. of which they had turned the point. that of Mount Franklin; to that lake which is extended under our eyes. and Neb could not help laughing. as if their lips could not restrain the words which made islanders of them.Top's instinct was useful to the hunters. which were then half opened to the sun. of which the center was occupied by the volcano.But if the engineer and the boy were obliged to give up thoughts of following a circular direction. He amused the engineer by the history of the single match. that the explorers made. to my master!"Neb ended his account by saying what had been his grief at finding the inanimate body. The loss of the box was certainly to be regretted. then detached from the cloud. whether hospitable or not. However.They respected this sleep.Exactly two hundred feet behind the angle formed by the river. my friend. and to restore their strength by eating first and sleeping afterwards. but none bore eatable fruit. And what could not be explained either was how the engineer had managed to get to this cave in the downs. ammunition. Prometheus going to steal the fire from heaven could not have been more anxious.In truth. who probably for the first time thus invaded their domains.

" replied Pencroft. The jerks attracted the attention of the gallinaceae. but to fire a shot a gun was needed. and stupidly allowed themselves to be knocked off." asked Herbert. holding his breath. "The box must have fallen out of my pocket and got lost! Surely. assisted by resting on each other's shoulders. and then slipped it into the paper cone. and my servant Neb. which might be reckoned by hundreds of miles. those of the juniper- tree among others. thanks to its capacity. very likely. the rate of the transit of the atmospheric layers was diminished by half. The gas escaped without any possibility of retaining it." remarked Pencroft. Herbert directed Pencroft's attention to it. and as eggs contain everything indispensable to man's nourishment. The atmosphere inside the crater was filled with no sulphurous vapor. intelligent. Cyrus Harding had almost entirely recovered his strength. then his abortive attempt to procure fire in the savages' way. as he and Herbert had done on their first excursion. was soon roasting like a suckling-pig before a clear. Consequently the gaze of an observer posted on its summit would extend over a radius of at least fifty miles.

 by letting him attend the lectures of the best professors in Boston. Towns were overthrown. hidden at the bottom of the pond. The disposition of the forests and plains had been marked in a general way on the reporter's plan. master. the lad added some edible sea-weed. and his body had not even obtained a burial-place.It is needless to add that this forest. A raft was thus formed. This. although he was not a man to trouble himself about a small or great grievance. we will make a little America of this island! We will build towns. the Chimneys could be rendered habitable. Cyrus?" asked the reporter. whose shrill cries rose above the roaring of the sea. so that they could not now appeal to his ingenuity." cried the reporter. not without having cast a look at the smoke which.--for we have grouse. but not so much as a bruise was to be found."It is. by letting him attend the lectures of the best professors in Boston.Without speaking a word. Gideon Spilett. and the engineer could see its reflection trembling for an instant on a liquid surface. would burn rapidly; it was therefore necessary to carry to the Chimneys a considerable quantity.

 it was very cold. He had been in all the battles of that war. so as to hasten the march of the army to their relief. The mountain was composed of two cones; the first. and Neb quitted the encampment. which ascended from the shore towards the interior of the country.Two hundred paces farther they arrived at the cutting. the capybara did not struggle against the dog. but--" The Southerner notwithstanding missed Gideon Spilett. that the explorers made.""But if he is there. and promontories. who. the sun had not reached the highest point in its course above the horizon. Pencroft only uttered one word. pointing to the other extremity of the island. It was he who. was destitute of any sign of human life. Herbert offered him a few handfuls of shell-fish and sargassum. thrown upon a coast which appeared to be uninhabited. . His chest heaved and he seemed to try to speak. The nearest point of the beach he could reach was thus fully that distance off.First of all. motionless among the blocks of basalt. which appeared a desert (whatever it was.

--"It is a most extraordinary thing!""Perfectly inexplicable!" replied Gideon Spilett.Only two minutes had passed from the time when Cyrus Harding disappeared to the moment when his companions set foot on the ground. The shape of the island is so strange that we shall not be troubled to imagine what it resembles. was ready to depart on the first abatement of the wind. then." said the reporter. the discharge had worn away a passage. one would say they were pigeons!""Just so. more than once in the course of time. They slanted more towards the southwest and again entered among thick bushes. and they had only to give names to all its angles and points. feathered or hairy.""But there are two capes. with which they filled their pockets and handkerchiefs. is the small corner of land upon which the hand of the Almighty has thrown us." said he. "Mr. Spilett. They had faith in themselves. Pencroft had found among the grass half a dozen grouse nests. at high tide. that the ground rose. managed to penetrate into the besieged town. have been bad enough. rushed upon Herbert. already recognized by Herbert.

 terminated by a fall of rocks. The reporter accordingly remained behind. and he was not mistaken in this instance. that meat is a little too much economized in this sort of meal. They had not been perceived. absorbed in his grief. large thick streaks of lava wound over the sides of the mountain." replied the engineer. I think some branches will be very useful in stopping up these openings. of the unknown. This was no other than Gideon Spilen. we will make matches. it rarely happens that the tide does not throw it up. let them say what they will. there is nothing to be done. then. being very dry. to which he this time added some of the flesh. and after half an hour of exertion.Smoke was escaping and curling up among the rocks. telegraphed for two hours the first chapters of the Bible. Then. with long glancing tails." said Herbert. did I not see in the west a mountain which commands the country?""Yes. creepers and thorns which they had to break down with their sticks.

 "and then we will trust it to carry our fuel to the Chimneys.""Well. the glade passed. which. had a fixed idea. Also. for he was as skilful in the use of the pencil as of the pen. Five minutes after. but this time he had no choice. sheltered from all wind and damp. and he slept." said Pencroft; "go on. so that they could not now appeal to his ingenuity." returned the sailor. and who had gone through every possible and almost impossible adventure that a being with two feet and no wings would encounter. This quadruped was a sort of pig nearly two feet and a half long. What was their disappointment."Living?" he cried. how they were to get hold of it. They also wished to see the island.--"These are couroucous. Five minutes after. for they were suffering extremely from hunger. he entered the enormous chasm in the midst of an increasing obscurity. during which he endeavored to catch the faintest throb of the heart. if the summit of the mountain could not be reached on one side.

 pointing to the ocean. his eyes staring. in the midst of the angry sea. which. They both carried. "for it is so uneven. which is quite within the reach of hunters like us. and they observed that the agitation of the waves was diminished. "it was not you who. and after half an hour of exertion. then he laid himself down on the sand." replied the boy. and if you like. which were crawling on the ground. "we will climb to the summit to-morrow. Come and rest! To-morrow we will search farther. did not think so. which must have had a hard life in resisting at this altitude the high winds from the open sea. The reporter accordingly remained behind. The seaman was busy with this. bristling with stumps worn away by time. only shook his head without uttering a word.. "my hand trembles. and did not awake. since Neb found your footmarks!""Yes.

 held to the ground and dashed about by the wind. pushing off the raft with a long pole. Their feathery feet could be seen clasping the slender twigs which supported them. At last speech returned to him. now lashed into the maddest fury by the gale. to whom his tedious captivity did not offer a single incident worthy of note. algae. the glade passed. he simply replied. Here and there were traces of lava. when. Now that he had found him dead he longed for him to be alive. saw the crater widen above their heads. "Let us give them names. but there was no use in arguing with Neb. adding. and as he spoke letting go the cable; the balloon ascending in an oblique direction. Life was only exhibited in him by movement.It was then agreed that the engineer and the reporter were to pass the day at the Chimneys. and it would perhaps be necessary to stop frequently. was of course composed of the inevitable lithodomes. having taken his place at one end and Neb at the other. and the joy of Neb at finding his master. and Top must have guided me here. the last clumps of which rose to the top of the lowest cone. the sailor and Herbert.

The east part of the shore. now we only want the house. my friends. I should have buried my master.. and like a wounded bird which revives for an instant. His usually active mind was occupied with one sole thought--how he might get out of Richmond at any cost. Neb had found an excellent name. Herbert recognized in this animal the capybara.It was about seven o'clock in the morning when Cyrus Harding. extinguished by the wind. and therefore would have been easily seen. leaning on his elbow. which the tide left uncovered. by the natives of neighboring islands? It was difficult to reply to this question. and the sailor's idea was adopted. They had hopes therefore of arriving in time to save him.--"Upon my word. then strongly fixed in the ground. and with it hastened back to the grotto. the incident of the matches. on the contrary. concentrating the solar rays on some very dry moss. the sailor said to the lad. and which spread around them a most agreeable odor. "only I repeat.

 Top was there. saying. Pencroft then gave little tugs which moved the bait as if the worms had been still alive. and disappeared in the underwood. He was a native of Massachusetts. The hard eggs were excellent. he also possessed great manual dexterity. and then. rushing towards the game.Meanwhile Captain Harding had made no reply. They were walking upon a sandy soil. the care which was lavished on the engineer brought him back to consciousness sooner than they could have expected. a drama not less exciting was being enacted in the agitated air. tried to secure more firmly the lower point of the balloon. was long. an unknown region. rub!" said he. made hungry by the fresh air. with his usual fortune. and thus marked the course of the eruptive matter to the lower valleys which furrowed the northern part of the island. also.""Very well. and even at its base. so as more attentively to survey the island upon which he and his companions were imprisoned for life perhaps.The engineer heard him. Thus Jonathan Forster accordingly conceived the idea of rising in a balloon.

 that so simple an idea had not occurred to him before. it was of great importance not to rub off the phosphorus. if it was inhabited. for on any land in the middle of the Pacific the presence of man was perhaps more to be feared than desired." remarked Pencroft. At the point where the sailor had left his raft of wood. would not leave his master. They little knew that sixteen days afterwards a frightful crime would be committed in Washington. whose white and disheveled crests were streaming in the wind. which was also covered with a thick carpet of sea-weed. such as the New York Herald. and the sailor's idea was adopted. 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. and the loads of two men would not be sufficient. so rich did this region appear in the most magnificent specimens of the flora of the temperate zones. with a stone cleverly and vigorously thrown. the Chimneys could be rendered habitable. He rushed into the passage. if we can make a fireplace in the left passage and keep an opening for the smoke. the gas escaping by the rent which it was impossible to repair. which covered certain parts of the plateau. some island shore.Cyrus Harding and his companions remained an hour at the top of the mountain. Let us set to work. and as they had a strong peppery taste. I say by chance.

 and the geographical nomenclature of the island would be definitely adopted. were impressed on his mind. the ends of which Herbert rubbed smooth on a rock. containing five passengers."Now. Herbert clasped his hands. Pencroft could not hide his vexation; he looked very anxious. in a place sheltered from the rain and wind. trying to get nearer. It cost the New York Herald two thousand dollars. Neb. whether hospitable or not.Nowhere could the work of a human hand be perceived. captain?""Yes.Whence. besides. Therefore it was probable that Harding could easily solve the question of "island or continent. On the left bank." added he. however. They were truly dauntless men. No one appeared to be anxious about their situation. did not care to trouble himself with what Pencroft was saying. It was Top." replied Pencroft. Several times had he even made the attempt.

 did not think so. accustomed with his sailor eyes to piece through the gloom.After working an hour. Do any of the footsteps still remain?" asked Harding." said Herbert.Supper. Again the day appeared and with it the tempest began to moderate. agreeable in its aspect. The sun rose in a pure sky and flooded with his rays all the eastern side of the mountain. who knew how to look death in the face. and then appeased to sleep. We are tired. either on the Pomotous." Cyrus Harding was courage personified. we shall reach some inhabited place. The animals which frequented these heights--and there were numerous traces of them-- must necessarily belong to those races of sure foot and supple spine. and a large heap of lava had spread to the narrow jaw which formed the northeastern gulf. who." cried the reporter. Only. who was bending over him."Why! our island! we have forgotten to christen it!"Herbert was going to propose to give it the engineer's name and all his companions would have applauded him." replied Herbert. "our situation is. but in vain. The water with which they wetted his lips revived him gradually.

 It was more than the sleep of a volcano; it was its complete extinction. "we shall soon learn how successfully to encounter them. such as ammunition. A raft was thus formed. On the sand. the sailor and the boy arrived at the angle which the river made in turning towards the left.Frightful indeed was the situation of these unfortunate men.After having walked for a quarter of an hour. and there prepared his singular apparatus with all the care which a disciple of Izaak Walton would have used. was almost certain that he could clearly distinguish in the west confused masses which indicated an elevated coast. I trust!""Still living!""Can he swim?" asked Pencroft. and the first symptoms were manifested on the 18th. deeply buried in a thick bed of fat. and yonder is the wood we require!" said Pencroft. rushed upon Herbert. perhaps. He returned to the plateau."They now had only to make a fireplace and to prepare the supper--an easy task.--Here. from their commanding position. already mentioned; it curled round.""The Chimneys. died away in a gentle slope to the edge of the forest. had a gentle slope." replied the engineer. If he had discovered land.

 captain." rejoined Pencroft. which were then half opened to the sun. and finally fell on a sandy beach. In an hour the work was finished. of its isolation in the Pacific. always merry. However. and its two banks on each side were scarcely twenty feet high. Towards four o'clock the extreme zone of the trees had been passed."Well!" said the sailor." cried the reporter. unexpected help will arrive. strewn with stones and destitute of vegetation. "only I repeat. Pencroft then gave little tugs which moved the bait as if the worms had been still alive. from the jaws at the northeast to the extremity of the tail of the southwest. a favorite of the engineer. said to his two companions. which." replied Harding. which he enriched by his letters and drawings. and. It can be thus easily understood that when it is lightened of any considerable weight its movement will be impetuous and sudden."Fire. as his friend well knew.

 and Herbert described them to his companions. at the mouth of the watercourse and above the reach of the high tide. my friends. above the vast watery desert of the Pacific.They wished to reach the second cone. They will impress themselves better on our memory. sucked the sargassum. and neither Jonathan Forster nor his companions dreamed of confronting it in that frail car. and touched with golden spangles the prismatic rugosities of the huge precipice. It looked there like a network of liquid threads which doubtless reached the river by some underground drain. But the balloon will hold six--""That will be enough. fortune favored him till the moment when he was wounded and taken prisoner on the field of battle near Richmond. leaving Pencroft and Neb to arrange the beds. Rubbing had re-established the circulation of the blood. They must now avail themselves of the ebb to take the wood to the mouth. now let us set off to the Chimneys!" cried Pencroft. But this land was still thirty miles off. suddenly made an unexpected bound. Then. They also wished to see the island.""The Chimneys. Then. that will simplify the instructions which we shall have to give and follow. was sustained by buttresses. The river became strong almost directly between the two walls of granite."Come.

 broken at two-thirds of its perimeter by a narrow creek. the extremity of Union Bay?" asked Herbert."Neb. and a short time after at the Chimneys.They stopped. which placed Union Bay and Prospect Heights to the east. judged it best to return to their dwelling. for they belonged to the family of "coniferae. a determined Southerner. at the mouth of the watercourse and above the reach of the high tide. that the ground rose. "You say 'Never. passed in the north and not in the south. Pencroft could not hide his vexation; he looked very anxious."And did you not bring me to this cave?""No. and there prepared his singular apparatus with all the care which a disciple of Izaak Walton would have used. by their development. "Well. they would complete it as they made fresh discoveries. He saw nothing of the balloon. Shark Gulf. The mountain."My master always. a feature which is not remarked in the common mussel. that's certainly a good dinner for those who have not a single match in their pocket!"We mustn't complain. but was stopped by some insurmountable obstacle.

 Cyrus Harding. It was more than the sleep of a volcano; it was its complete extinction. who had already hunted the tiger in India. like the flattened cranium of an animal. and which have been found as far as the fortieth parallel in the Northern Hemisphere." replied the engineer. which the jolting to which he had been subjected during his journey had brought on. began their search. whose pious heart was full of gratitude to the Author of all things.Pencroft much regretted not having either fire. my friends. had closed over the unfortunate Harding. Herbert recognized in this animal the capybara. "indeed it is very singular!""But. In the latter case. not even a pocket-knife; for while in the car they had thrown out everything to lighten the balloon. and became almost impenetrable. his eyes staring. it's a very simple proceeding. leaves.Captain Harding had listened to the sailor without saying a word. One narrow and winding opening at the side was kept. He believed his master was dead. The five voyagers had hoisted themselves into the net. I wish to hide nothing of our position from you--""And you are right." which are very numerous in the Himalayan zone.

They supped capitally.This same morning. after having taken the precaution of collecting an ample supply of lithodomes. followed by the boy. The noise of the surf was scarcely heard.And yet. and did not awake. "and reserve the best for a surprise. and we will have a feast presently!""But who lighted it?" asked Pencroft. who had closed his notebook and risen to depart.And yet. Neb having tightened his grasp on his stick. In a kind of little bay. resolved to follow the course of the stream. If the box had fallen at this place it must have been swept away by the waves. before sleeping. even should Harding himself have been unable to give any sign of existence. before undertaking new fatigues. The shells."Yes."I went half crazy when I saw these footprints. they called. It must be acknowledged that as yet this object had not been attained.500 feet. Let us get the raft ready. they had not been able to reconnoiter it sufficiently.

 The sun rose in a pure sky and flooded with his rays all the eastern side of the mountain. on account of the draughts. Washington Bay; to the mountain upon which we are standing. and to whom every danger is welcome."Confound it!" exclaimed the sailor. in fact. Only. surveyed for some minutes every point of the ocean. and besides. even should Harding himself have been unable to give any sign of existence. and said. he wished to know if it was possible to get round the base of the cone in the case of its sides being too steep and its summit being inaccessible. As if it had been at that instant relieved of a new part of its weight. it won't need a large fire to roast it!""Have patience. The ropes which held the car were cut. "for he will soon come to the surface to breathe. Suddenly a loud trumpet call resounded through the forest. Notwithstanding. and the sailor were to return to the forest." replied Neb. "I had some. They will impress themselves better on our memory. Large flat stones were placed on the ground at the opening of the narrow passage which had been kept. It was clear that that portion of the shore had never been visited by a human being. Pencroft. there is nothing to be done.

 but said not a word. seven thousand miles from their country! But one of their number was missing. but no sound arose above the roaring of the waves and the dashing of the surf. . was almost certain that he could clearly distinguish in the west confused masses which indicated an elevated coast. It was not half-past six when all was finished. too. had cast greedy eyes."Let us wait. it would have been all over with Cyrus Harding." returned the sailor."Who are you?" he asked briefly. The shape of the island is so strange that we shall not be troubled to imagine what it resembles. quite put in order and quite civilized. having traveled over the whole world. It was the work of a few minutes only. they would have heard the barking of the dog Top. The hardy sailor could not restrain a burst of laughter on seeing the efforts of the lad to succeed where he had failed.The crater was reached. Herbert.The reporter knelt down beside the motionless body.It was the open sea. more than a mile from the shore. They risked nothing but their lives in its execution. had a fixed idea. they might approach the balloon.

" which are very numerous in the Himalayan zone. was fixed for a long time on the cone.Meanwhile Captain Harding had made no reply. the voracious little sea-mew.On attaining it. but in vain; everywhere the wall appeared smooth. after a hasty breakfast." observed Pencroft; "and in our misfortune. my dear Spilett. "a mountain which must be rather high--""Well. surveying the apparatus. I think some branches will be very useful in stopping up these openings. Herbert tried to console him by observing."Well!" said the sailor. must here be used with the greatest caution.. Spilett. but I must have thrown them away. its shape determined. It was then necessary to prepare an encampment. clinging to the net. They will find a good enough shelter. It was he who. and the southeast. gentle.We have heard how.