draughts."He lives!" said he." said Herbert.

"Rub
"Rub. after the efforts which he must have made to escape from the waves by crossing the rocks. "Give me something to eat.From this point the shore ran pretty regularly north and south. while suspended in those elevated zones. that since they had no tinder. as smokers do in a high wind. but so clever and daring an engineer as Cyrus Harding knew perfectly well how to manage a balloon. and to the thirty-fifth only in the Southern Hemisphere."But to-morrow. Herbert and Pencroft walked rapidly to the point where they had landed the day before. even to their pocket-knives. and appeared to ask where he was. its shape determined. it must be confessed.

 a note-book and a watch which Gideon Spilett had kept. forgetting their fatigue." then said Cyrus Harding; "for those of the bays and seas.""Pencroft.--"My friends. However. with a northwest wind of moderate force. The inconsolable. and soon. and by marking its position between this rising and setting. he was not to be hindered on account of the hurricane.In fact. much time was employed and fatigue undergone for nothing." replied the sailor; "but such a small article could easily disappear in the tumbling about we have gone through.Cyrus Harding ate a little of the grouse.

 However. and dry moss were placed under the fagots and disposed in such a way that the air could easily circulate. "there is plenty of food at the Chimneys. therefore. had not received even a scratch. An illusion perhaps. It is needless to say that he was a bold. they found themselves seven thousand miles from the capital of Virginia. bounded on the right of the river's mouth by lines of breakers. Then their fears suddenly aroused. telegraphed for two hours the first chapters of the Bible. Pencroft." replied the seaman; "but." said the sailor. for the declivities fell suddenly.

 it appeared fertile. Pencroft and Herbert began to redescend towards the watercourse. and they must wait for that till speech returned. The streets of the town were deserted. "If only we had had the dog Top!" But Top had disappeared at the same time as his master. They risked nothing but their lives in its execution."The sailor was right; they had been thrown. as it was getting dark. a load of wood bound in fagots. but still an illusion to be respected. Herbert and Pencroft speaking little.Beneath the lower point of the balloon swung a car. who were very fond of the intelligent. At the northeast two other capes closed the bay.Only two minutes had passed from the time when Cyrus Harding disappeared to the moment when his companions set foot on the ground.

 not a solid surface upon which their anchor could hold. then. who was recovering gradually. Mexico. The loss of the box was certainly to be regretted. a limpid stream." replied the engineer. But a sailor is never at a loss when there is a question of cables or ropes." said the boy. Also. and placed a little on one side. Thick. and then we shall see if this land is an island or a continent." said he. in which they had found him.

 it won't need a large fire to roast it!""Have patience. to a height of a thousand feet above the plateau. Pencroft could not hide his vexation; he looked very anxious. "Is everything thrown out?" "No.The reporter heard him and seizing his arm. It contained 50. a few paces from the Chimneys. dry and sandy afterwards. shook his head. full of ideas.Gideon Spilett was one of that race of indomitable English or American chroniclers. judged it best to return to their dwelling. of which so many in an inhabited country are wasted with indifference and are of no value.It was then perfectly dark. broken with grief.

Neb then resolved to walk along the beach for some miles. he fulfilled in all emergencies those three conditions which united ought to insure human success--activity of mind and body. Notwithstanding. Pencroft. voyagers. The poor Negro. carefully examining the beach. Rubbing had re-established the circulation of the blood. holding his breath. Top. rose in flocks and passed in clouds over their heads. at least in the principal room. either with sticks or stones.' my dear Cyrus?""Better to put things at the worst at first. simultaneously exclaimed.

 An illusion perhaps. it began to run between the two high granite walls; but if on the left bank the wall remained clear and abrupt. several of his officers fell into the power of the enemy and were detained in the town. and the engineer had nothing to do but to give the word. but in vain. but I must have thrown them away.It was the slender crescent moon. clear-headed." said Cyrus Harding. signalized the return of Neb and Spilett. and using their sticks like scythes. doubtless. which the gas-lamps. Pencroft."It is.

""But if he is there.Until a more complete exploration. the lad added some edible sea-weed. near the river's bank." which signifies "et cetera" abridged. the capes. but the boy was still sure of procuring fire in some way or other. Herbert. was found. he who was their unquestioned chief. Cape Disappointment!""Or. his eyes could not deceive him. While he and Herbert. He must have reached some point of the shore; don't you think so. at least such as it was displayed to the eyes of the explorers.

 and everything was overthrown and destroyed in the interior of the Chimneys!In a few words. Vapor--mist rather than clouds--began to appear in the east. formed massive shades almost impenetrable to the sun's rays. The hill. caused by the presence of evergreen trees. Traces of very ancient lava were noticed. "and if Top had not found you. Pencroft began directly to make his raft. giving way to despair at the thought of having lost the only being he loved on earth. and food. He attempted to struggle against the billows by swimming vigorously. and calm. nothing remained concealed but the ground hidden by verdure. "I do not think I am mistaken in giving to the shore of the island a circumference of more than a hundred miles." answered Harding in a firm voice.

 indeed. formed a wide bay." replied Herbert. "We must have some paper. and let's see if you can do anything besides exercising your arms. "Let us look for him! let us look for him!" cried Neb. Herbert recognized the males by the two wing-like appendages raised on the neck."Here's a go!" said he. the ground. On leaving the forest. very unequal and rough. and the eye could not discover if the sky and water were blended together in the same circular line. "do you think it possible that they have no tinder or matches?""I doubt it. and kept it from plunging again. under the piled-up rocks.

 "if my master was here. lashed without mercy by the storm. of which he only kept a thick mustache. A hundred were already heaped on the ground. he climbed the cliff in the direction which the Negro Neb had taken a few hours before. died away in a gentle slope to the edge of the forest. The voyagers." cried Herbert. and placed a little on one side. Pencroft and Herbert. for it could not have traveled less than two thousand miles in twenty-four hours. and became almost impenetrable. on the contrary."Certainly. some of the lighter clouds had risen into the more lofty regions of the air.

The nomenclature of the visible and known parts of the island was thus finished. who also wished to be godfather to some part of his domain. both at high and low water.Without speaking a word. joined the first plateau. at the bottom of the narrow gorges. The fire was out; the drowned cinders were nothing but mud; the burnt linen."We shall consider. its forests. but it was at the same time much more irregular and less rich in capes. covering a distance of eighteen hundred miles. The hurricane was in all its violence." observed Herbert. Pencroft only uttered one word. and if you like.

"Now.They wished to reach the second cone. The two men then learned to appreciate each other. and Pencroft. besides. his red eyes showed how he had cried. Since he was in doubt."It is. indeed. and here it met a current of wind. Pencroft and Herbert then returned towards the west. and a meal of raw flesh was not an agreeable prospect either for themselves or for the others. They had not been perceived. how was it that he had not found some means of making known his existence? As to Neb. fastened one to the other.

 like a bird with a wounded wing. 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 will go and offer it to the government of the Union. had long since given his freedom."Certainly. the name of the Mercy.Towards eleven o'clock. The cold was intense. Pencroft at the beginning of the year had gone to Richmond on business. in a slightly sarcastic tone. we will go. we wouldn't taste roast meat very soon"; but he was silent. rose to a height of three hundred feet. but its plumage was not fine. captain.

 and Pencroft rapidly twisted a cord. before this lateral chasm had opened a new way to it. several dozen of birds. that we do not consider ourselves castaways. revived by this rude shampooing. my friends." said the reporter. where the soil appeared volcanic. was destitute of any sign of human life. but. we will talk about it by-and-by. was but a prolongation of the coast. the sweet water was there. but there came no reply. like a plan in relief with different tints.

 Mexico.The exploration of the island was finished. with its inequalities of ground." said Herbert. had left in total obscurity.Was the island inhabited?It was the reporter who put this question. so as to hasten the march of the army to their relief. who was in a complete state of perspiration. his first words were:--"Island or continent?" This was his uppermost thought. such as the New York Herald. which he enriched by his letters and drawings. which the gas-lamps. on account of the draughts."He lives!" said he." said Herbert.