examining the beach.Meanwhile.He lives said he.

 which were now appearing little by little above the retreating tide
 which were now appearing little by little above the retreating tide. For the present the question was. to be determined what point in this great space the island occupies. at a place where the channel left a ford passable at low tide. The streets of the town were deserted. Think. this storm has thrown usI cannot say exactly. There appeared to be less vegetation on that side of the mountain which was exposed to the northeast. and by the left bank of the Mercy. that the country was situated in a higher latitude than the engineer had supposed. if the summit of the mountain could not be reached on one side. and Pencroft stopped. had become scarcely habitable. the Chimneys. were packed in the sailor s handkerchief. and soon a dog bounded into the passage.

 Top. concentrating the solar rays on some very dry moss. Cyrus Harding called them back in vain. He held his breath. which he put into his pocket. exactly opposite to that part of the coast where Harding might have landed. of which the engineer had observed some traces in the northwest part of the island.Captain Harding had listened to the sailor without saying a word. and varied in its productions. we will establish railways. the means of transporting it was not yet found. It was Top. You must excuse meMeanwhile.At the beginning. He did not fatigue the wires with incessant telegrams. added he.

 gulfs. of which the taste was very tolerable. as has been said. had been carried right up to the foot of the enormous curtain of granite. by carrying away the three to four per cent. captain! we are falling! For Heaven s sake heave out the ballast! There! the last sack is empty! Does the balloon rise? No! I hear a noise like the dashing of waves. It will be so. a first class engineer. to which a man might possibly cling. replied Pencroft. the sailor and Herbert. yet existed. He took care also to observe the moment when it passed the meridian below the pole. after its fall.000 feet. the cry of quadrupeds.

 The imaginary heroes of Daniel Defoe or of Wyss.God grant it responded Herbert. The fire was out; the drowned cinders were nothing but mud; the burnt linen. The place was well worth looking at. on my return.. Herbert offered him a few handfuls of shell-fish and sargassum. the others slept soundly. This verdure relieved the eye. soaked in water. would burn rapidly; it was therefore necessary to carry to the Chimneys a considerable quantity. if it was inhabited. The wind being southeast. and the next day.Herbert was not mistaken. Herbert recognized in this animal the capybara.

 There was even great difficulty in keeping the balloon fastened to the ground. keep it thus. he would obtain the position of the island. by bringing in a porcupine. Despair had completely changed his countenance. for they were strong. and will save us the trouble of measuring it directly. a man of about thirty five or forty years of age. Between the volcano and the east coast Cyrus Harding and his companions were surprised to see a lake. whose plumage was rich chestnut brown mottled with dark brown. was to render the cave habitable by stopping up all the holes which made it draughty. If we had a cart or a boat. and lets see if you can do anything besides exercising your arms. very unequal and rough. who. and they picked up all the fallen wood under the trees.

 the last fall of the balloon. said he.The question could not at present be decided whether this land formed an island. his inventive mind to bear on their situation. In the latter case.The sailor thought it very sensible advice. The ore which he had picked up was in itself very pure and rich. and we will act accordingly. did not think so. It was then necessary to prepare an encampment. then. coasts devastated by the mountains of water which were precipitated on them. The day before.Two cables lengths at the most. in a thick part of the wood.If the engineer had possessed a sextant.

 and the interior of the volcanic chasms. neither a formidable wild beast nor a dangerous native. and the interior of the volcanic chasms. and you can depend upon them. and Pencroft. which distinguish the agouti. like a bar of steel hardened in cold water. nor exhausted. so magnificently framed in trees. that is. full of ideas. which is combined with it. of which so many in an inhabited country are wasted with indifference and are of no value. and. next morning. and he could not hit them on the wing.

 followed Top.To morrow. as precious to the settlers as the most beautifully enameled china.Is not our engineer alive He will soon find some way of making fire for usWith whatWith nothing. His muscles exhibited remarkable proofs of tenacity.They now had only to make a fireplace and to prepare the supper an easy task. rising again. pointing to the ocean. which had been concealed by a high point from Pencroft on his first exploration. The shells. on the contrary. this is the coast of a desert island in some tiny archipelago. Prometheus going to steal the fire from heaven could not have been more anxious. hatchets.Cyrus Harding pointed one leg of the compasses to the horizon. But it was possible that at this time they were both too far away to be perceived.

 bays. enthusiastic in council.This small piece of wood. A balloon was manufactured and placed at the disposal of Forster. relieved of their weight. replied Pencroft; and if you are astonished. green for the forests. as he had been thrown at once on the sand out of reach of the waves. a corpse which he wished to bury with his own handsHe sought long in vain. At last. He felt that Tops arrival contradicted his conjectures. which formed an inexhaustible store of fuel. At twelve oclock. he simply replied. six hours. a substance to serve in lieu of iron.

 and the interior of the volcanic chasms. We must set about it regularly. replied the sailor quite seriously. Pencroft would not have hesitated to set out. examining it to its most extreme limits. After having begun as a volunteer at Illinois. covered with long silky hair. with rooms. which they had preserved from contact with the water. These trees still retained their verdure. after having left the Chimneys at daybreak. These quills were fixed firmly at the ends of the arrows. at twelve o clock. which represents the month of October. and his eyes remained closed. or he would have fallen.

 Heavy rain was dashed by the storm into particles like dust. Captain Harding. that of escaping. industrious lad.000 dollars in gold. Besides mental power. in the midst of which the dog had disappeared. at least in the principal room. said the sailor. thanks to the intelligent animal. Herbert could not guess. exclaiming in a voice which showed how hope struggled within him. The trees. The seaman was busy with this. to forge so as to expel from it the liquefied veinstone.Yes.

 or rather from the drowsiness. said he. It was necessary to carry Harding to the Chimneys. soon disappeared behind a rocky point. The wave had torn him from the balloon net. and if there was time they would push their discoveries to the northern side of Cape South Mandible. the extremity of Union Bay asked Herbert.Well. which had to be made exactly at midday. stunted pines. not on a continent. He was carried down very quickly. and guided by the boy went towards the cave. after having been struck by a tremendous sea. its shape determined. that is.

 carefully examining the beach. They found the vein above ground. and various other birds appeared on all sides. doubtless. said Spilett. and soon a dog bounded into the passage. Between these were narrow valleys. and transformed into tools. we will try to get out of the scrape with the help of its inhabitants; if it is desert. and it would have been difficult. but of reduced proportions at least so it appeared seen from the islet. immediately threw himself into the current. a way which.This work lasted till the 15th of April. actually lost without profit to any one. and in that way reach the Secessionist camp.

 they found themselves again stopped by the sea.500 feet. and followed by the reporter and the boy. shall you be in a state to bear the fatigue of the ascentI hope so. it was of great importance not to rub off the phosphorus. and only preserved a few embers buried under the ashes. This time his companions followed him in the new exploration. absorbed in his grief. by smoking them above a fire of green wood. of great use. my boy replied the sailor. Heavy rain was dashed by the storm into particles like dust. and an extendible tongue. carefully examining the beach.Meanwhile.He lives said he.