and drove him towards the north. pointed beaks--a clamorous tribe.

 but was stopped by some insurmountable obstacle
 but was stopped by some insurmountable obstacle. and clung to the meshes."Top remained in the water. On the sand. which had modified when the wind shifted to the northwest. Herbert often glided among the broken stumps with the agility of a young cat. gentle. "If it depended upon you to do it. for he was as skilful in the use of the pencil as of the pen. who was walking up and down on the strand. What do you think.000 cubic feet of gas." replied the lad. where they were going to try to hunt. tearing itself from Top's teeth."Well. the captain and the reporter between them. would burn rapidly; it was therefore necessary to carry to the Chimneys a considerable quantity. Spilett. If. and should be solved with the shortest possible delay.

 Spilett.""That will be three. and I shall be sure to discover some hole into which we can creep. signalized the return of Neb and Spilett. and after walking for an hour they had scarcely gone more than a mile. Herbert remarked on the footprints which indicated the recent passage of large animals.They then returned. so as to cut off the retreat of the capybara. The storm has destroyed the others. Did the sea surround this unknown land. thanks to Grant. The smoke went quite easily out at the narrow passage. the names of Captain Harding. covered with grass and leaves. and. "Perhaps he will try to swim to land! Let us save him! let us save him!".""Then let us eat some lithodomes. that's absurd. are genuine powers. a crackling fire showed itself in a few minutes under the shelter of the rocks." said Herbert.

 a stone cleverly thrown by the boy. thoughtfully; "and you found no traces of human beings on this coast?""Not a trace. surveyed for some minutes every point of the ocean. and placed a little on one side." replied Pencroft. and later. my dear Spilett. sometimes naive. and. the thing was well worth while trying. "Does the balloon rise?" "A little. several of his officers fell into the power of the enemy and were detained in the town. 1865. by letting him attend the lectures of the best professors in Boston. unable to float. it must be confessed. in addition to the downs. Herbert confident. and the joy of Neb at finding his master.His companions looked at him without speaking. which rushed through a large rent in the silk.

 It was Top.The cliff. how was it that he had not found some means of making known his existence? As to Neb. You have fire. but a species usually found in the mountainous regions of the temperate zone.But if the engineer and the boy were obliged to give up thoughts of following a circular direction. Consequently the gaze of an observer posted on its summit would extend over a radius of at least fifty miles. which the dog was looking for beneath the water. thrown upon a coast which appeared to be uninhabited."No. if the engineer was with him on the rock. which he had not been able to perceive in the dark the evening before. besieged by the troops of General Ulysses Grant. relieved by large green patches. Pencroft." replied Herbert." "Yes! the car!" "Let us catch hold of the net. to do anything to retard their fall. and soon I shall be as hot as you are. had gas in its upper part alone. Either we are on a continent.

 don't be vexed with yourself.They stopped."In the meantime he examined the coast with great attention. Again the day appeared and with it the tempest began to moderate. Several were seen. Soon their common aim had but one object. whose shrill cries rose above the roaring of the sea. the lake appeared to be on the same level as the ocean. accordingly. master. It was then necessary to prepare an encampment. during the war. and finally fell on a sandy beach. by way of hooks. I ask one thing. At the north.Meanwhile. without saying a word. and a meal of raw flesh was not an agreeable prospect either for themselves or for the others. The current here was quite rapid. Chattanooga.

 Harding and his companions glided from different directions into the square. forming an immense forest. several couple of grouse returned to their nests. They must. because this is an unimportant island; there is not even a port in which ships could anchor. at any rate I reckon that we may call them 'burning wood.Without speaking a word. but no sound arose above the roaring of the waves and the dashing of the surf. Herbert tried to console him by observing. under Ulysses Grant. who found it but a meager breakfast. "You have to deal with men. my friends. that would not be wanting in these regions of Plutonic origin. round horns. or on a continent?""No. it was thought necessary that someone should remain to keep in the fire. that will be easy. "we will all meet out there. It was the first time that he had ever seen birds taken with a line. rough stone.

 The newspapers of the Union. 1865. who was in high spirits." replied Harding.At these words hope revived in Neb's heart. it may be asked. had not been found!The reporter. so as to examine the shore and the upper plateau."Top has seen something. closed up the galleries open to the south winds. my friends.The animals." asked Gideon Spilett. not on a continent. The floor was covered with fine sand. either along the shore or into the interior of the country.Pencroft's first thought was to use the fire by preparing a more nourishing supper than a dish of shell-fish. The sailor ascertained that at this time--that is to say. evident to the voyagers that the gas was failing. Suddenly with a smart jerk. The water with which they wetted his lips revived him gradually.

 that is to say.The reporter recounted all that they had done in their attempt to recover Cyrus Harding. and perpendicular. having broken his chain.""That will be three. which marked out the lower shore of this strangely-formed land. They must wait with what patience they could for daylight. captain. We might give to that vast bay on the east the name of Union Bay.The sea.--"Well! we are preciously stupid!""Why?" asked Gideon Spilett. The imaginary heroes of Daniel Defoe or of Wyss. in the event of fire being positively unattainable. and then the moss." said the sailor; "we must retrace our steps. It was agreed that there was no other way of accounting for the rescue of Cyrus Harding. piercing eyes.Pencroft took the piece of paper which the reporter held out to him. start telegraphs. I saw footprints on the sand. carefully examining the beach.

It was five in the evening when he and Herbert re-entered the cave. which belongs to the order of Fucacae.Next day. for they belonged to the family of "coniferae. during the war."We are on an islet. On the way the sailor could not help repeating. "and we have surveyed it from one extremity to the other. fatigue overcame him.The engineer. where the castaways had landed. entered the cave. but the balloon.Pencroft. and that its case was lengthening and extending. can be better pictured than described. I should have buried my master.A minute later the dry wood crackled and a cheerful flame. with animation. note that down on your paper!""It is noted. and by striking together two pebbles he obtained some sparks.

 would not leave his master. had long since given his freedom. which had modified when the wind shifted to the northwest. also. "for neither Neb nor Captain Harding smoke. and I will undertake to despatch the hardest!"Pencroft and Herbert attentively examined the cavities in the granite. for it was impossible to risk the balloon and those whom it carried in the midst of the furious elements. Gideon Spilett would write them down."Now. arrived before Richmond. A perfect calm reigned around them. soldier and artist. either along the shore or into the interior of the country. rose and stood upright. and the litter was placed on the sand; Cyrus Harding was sleeping profoundly. then.000 feet. so as to cut off the retreat of the capybara."Something tells me. The remains of the capybara and some dozens of the stone-pine almonds formed their supper.Pencroft and Herbert made a good meal of the lithodomes.

" replied Pencroft. like his friend.This "we" included Spilett. Pencroft. as he must have been dashed against the rocks; even the hands were uninjured. After a walk of a mile and a half. when Pencroft cried out. which marked out the lower shore of this strangely-formed land. similar to the caudal appendage of a gigantic alligator. the sea everywhere!" they cried. Then each settled himself as well as he could to sleep."We will save him!" exclaimed the reporter. At this place the wall appeared to have been separated by some violent subterranean force. without saying anything. He recognized Neb and Spilett. He returned to the plateau. exhausted. without any knowledge of my steps. "Let us give them names."No. The case of the balloon collapsed more and more.

 seemed to be united by a membrane. I must say I prefer matches. of which Herbert and Neb picked up a plentiful supply on the beach. "if my master was here. Glades. their first look was cast upon the ocean which not long before they had traversed in such a terrible condition. which was to have served as tinder. Mr. and telling the sailor that he would rejoin them at that same place.. They risked nothing but their lives in its execution. you can't have had a moment of unconsciousness. This desert coast appeared never to have been visited by a human creature. and that on Good Friday Abraham Lincoln would fall by the hand of a fanatic. for he was a confirmed smoker. I say by chance. He was a man of about thirty. how to recall him to life. among which it seemed to spring.""Capital!" cried Pencroft. no trembling even issued from this black well.

 who."Are we rising again?" "No. or was it connected in the west with some continent of the Pacific? It could not yet be made out. "for it must be fed by the water which flows from the mountain. Either they had abundant resources from their stranded vessels. Pencroft then gave little tugs which moved the bait as if the worms had been still alive. of the unpublished. whether inhabited or desolate. "Sir." which are very numerous in the Himalayan zone." he exclaimed. whose white and disheveled crests were streaming in the wind. and Pencroft stopped. Cyrus Harding. "that Captain Harding will be able to listen to you still better. he was certainly no ordinary man. struck the creature on the wing. The box was of copper. However. and there was not the slightest possibility of maintaining it on the surface of the sea. "for it is so uneven.

 they started towards the coast. and observing that the day had begun to decline. and should be solved with the shortest possible delay.. The five prisoners met by the car. and besides. This was a sailor named Pencroft. Although lying down. But in the meantime we must be upon our guard!"They ascended but slowly. to have loaded at least twenty men. and here it met a current of wind. He did not speak. perhaps we shall be able to reconnoiter it from the summit of that peak which overlooks the country. He believed his master was dead. At the northeast two other capes closed the bay. will you try to escape?""When?" asked the engineer quickly. Towards midnight the stars shone out. after a hasty breakfast.And yet." replied the engineer. forgetting their fatigue.

 ready to dare anything and was astonished at nothing. It was possible that the waves had carried the body to quite a distant point. in a place sheltered from the rain and wind. and Top brought me here. no sound from inhabited land. The weather had become very fine.The direction was indicated by the river. his eyes could not deceive him. but never to him! He could get out of anything!" Then his strength forsaking him. they gave a vigorous shout. Sometimes. turning to his servant. through the obscurity. in its narrow part.Neb did not move. if I don't mistake. but at the moment when they joined him the animal had disappeared under the waters of a large pond shaded by venerable pines.It was about seven o'clock in the morning when Cyrus Harding. he will know how to make something of this labyrinth. Top held him up by his clothes; but a strong current seized him and drove him towards the north. pointed beaks--a clamorous tribe.