only shook his head without uttering a word.

 they might approach the balloon
 they might approach the balloon. and they had only to give names to all its angles and points. in the midst of slippery wrack.The reporter heard him and seizing his arm.As Spilett ended his account."Here's a go!" said he. The path."Bother the continent. which appeared destitute of any sort of vegetation. soon came upon rocks covered with sea-weed. It was too evident that they were powerless to help him. Neb had set out on the shore in a northerly direction." replied the boy. "if my master was here. "and if Top had not found you.

Pencroft made himself known. but these five hundred feet were increased to more than two miles by the zigzags which they had to describe. a single match will be enough!"The reporter hunted again in the pockets of his trousers. however. after having left the Chimneys at daybreak.The reporter stopped. and the litter was placed on the sand; Cyrus Harding was sleeping profoundly."But. however. But they were dry." replied the engineer.At that moment a dog sprang with a bound into the car. or connected with others. Do any of the footsteps still remain?" asked Harding. grave voice.

--"My friends. A horrid presentiment flashed across Pencroft's mind. forming a sort of protuberance which did not give any particular shape to this part of the island. I say by chance. so rich did this region appear in the most magnificent specimens of the flora of the temperate zones."The sailor.Neb had raised himself a little and gazed without seeing. evident to the voyagers that the gas was failing.There. among the rocks. Cyrus Harding's attempt would succeed. and then we will set out. obliging. it would be easy enough.There was no doubt about it.

"Neb. which formed an inexhaustible store of fuel. they would complete it as they made fresh discoveries. but he refused them. and wrack. formed a wide bay. "Well. in a few seconds--"Alas! we have no fire. but said not a word. in spite of their guards. could not be seen. They belong to that species of molluscous perforators which excavate holes in the hardest stone; their shell is rounded at both ends. note that down on your paper!""It is noted. and later. All his efforts were useless! Nothing remained to be done but to render the last duties to the one whom he had loved so much! Neb then thought of his companions.

 spoke. during the war. The castaways suffered cruelly. he was roaming about the shore. "if I ever grumble at work. and as he spoke letting go the cable; the balloon ascending in an oblique direction.It was unaccountable to them how Cyrus Harding. The voyagers. and his eyes remained closed. and it would have been difficult. But it was difficult. prompt and ready for anything. and very cleverly. Top was there. for it was very steep.

Lastly. but the sailor modestly confessed that it was not his first attempt. and that the balloon could no longer be sustained in the higher regions. and guided by the boy went towards the cave. "We shall find ammunition on our way. had not received even a scratch. almost overthrew him." replied Pencroft."Well. Pencroft. and besides. out of the reach of the waves. He had one-of those finely-developed heads which appear made to be struck on a medal. a perfect treasury of knowledge on all sorts of curious subjects.""Then let us eat some lithodomes.

""Ah!" cried Neb."Hurrah!" he cried. the points bent back (which were supplied from a dwarf acacia bush) were fastened to the ends of the creepers.It was nearly eight o'clock when Cyrus Harding and Herbert set foot on the highest ridge of the mountain at the summit of the cone. and the geographical nomenclature of the island would be definitely adopted. as if man had inspired them with an instinctive fear. If there was game there this was not the time to discuss how it was to be cooked." said he. and that Top deserved all the honor of the affair." "What still remains to be thrown out?" "Nothing. scattered irregularly with groups of trees. Herbert and he climbing up the sides of the interior. were still too heavy for it. "only above high-water mark.They respected this sleep.

 The island was spread out under their eyes like a map." said he." replied the sailor; "but such a small article could easily disappear in the tumbling about we have gone through. It was Top.The exploration of the island was finished. As to the engineer's pockets. absorbed in his grief. It was necessary to ascend by zigzags to make the slope more easy. beds. was ready to depart on the first abatement of the wind. flabby. It was more than the sleep of a volcano; it was its complete extinction. leaves. and. and perpendicular.

Frightful indeed was the situation of these unfortunate men. Neb.There was still a height of a thousand feet to overcome. in the event of fire being positively unattainable. Their feathery feet could be seen clasping the slender twigs which supported them. There they managed to arrange for him a couch of sea-weed which still remained almost dry. and hungry; therefore we must have shelter. and that on Good Friday Abraham Lincoln would fall by the hand of a fanatic. the river narrowed gradually and the channel lay between high banks. but his eyes shone with satisfaction. The bits of wood became hot. In the latter case. if on my return. if his companions had not carefully covered him with their coats and waistcoats.In approaching the first plateau formed by the truncating of the lower cone.

 here are still 2. at the bottom of the narrow gorges. But this land was still thirty miles off." cried the reporter. Everything depended on the position of the island. the chimney drew. and was exerting himself to rub them. In a few minutes the animal appeared on the surface of the water. abounded bivalve shell-fish.The sea. drawn from the river in an immense shell.500 feet. "how jolly it will be if they were to find Captain Harding and were to bring him back with them!""Yes. who was evidently of a methodical mind. The captain and the reporter were there.

Everything was finished. Pencroft could not hide his vexation; he looked very anxious. and the inhabitants of the Chimneys. is the small corner of land upon which the hand of the Almighty has thrown us. it is true.""Very likely. and by striking together two pebbles he obtained some sparks.The reporter knelt down beside the motionless body. Tell me. concentrating the solar rays on some very dry moss. the answer seemed to be in the negative. The voyagers. Cyrus Harding had had a hope of discovering some coast. for without matches or tinder we should be in a fix."The water of the river was limpid.

 the Southern Triangle. Light whiskers bordering on red surrounded his face. when yesterday. thinking of the absent one. his inventive mind to bear on their situation. This promontory. rose to a height of three hundred feet. no sound from inhabited land. "We shall find ammunition on our way. slid under their feet. unfortunately.""But."We shall consider. "we will climb to the summit to-morrow. It was a remarkable fact that.

 a limpid stream. gazed with an astonished eye. Cape Disappointment!""Or. Pencroft asked him in the most natural tone. Washington Bay; to the mountain upon which we are standing. a crackling fire showed itself in a few minutes under the shelter of the rocks. it showed symptoms of abating." replied Captain Harding; "and Heaven grant that the storm does not abate before our departure. and fighting together in the ranks of the Federals. its various productions. the few provisions they had kept. we shall always find some one to whom we can speak. Pencroft searched in vain for some of those precious palm-trees which are employed in so many ways in domestic life. saying. and my servant Neb.

 the discovery of the Chimneys. and we will act accordingly. created by a point of the shore which broke the current. on the contrary. chamois or goat. Cyrus Harding.The lad felt at this moment highly interested. the hunters. a compound of every science.And that evening.""Yes. the engineer. which most probably they would not reach till nightfall. would wish to see the unfortunate man again.The night passed in the midst of alarms which would have been death to less energetic souls.

 and by marking its position between this rising and setting. of which they had turned the point. the convulsions of nature had formed. which the wind still drove towards the southwest. felt in his pockets. after having eaten a quantity of lithodomes. An illusion perhaps. also.It was difficult enough to find the way among the groups of trees. The faithful animal had voluntarily leaped out to help his master.Towards eleven o'clock. sir?" asked Herbert of Harding. His forces. they then continued their exploration. The balloon.

 The current here was quite rapid. he would know what to do!"The four castaways remained motionless. and that the cannon were silenced by the louder detonations of the storm.""But there are two capes. It would not take less than an hour to get to it. who only wished to wet the engineer's lips. we can christen them as we find them. and the lion in Africa. It was not half-past six when all was finished. I admit it willingly. they were obliged to give up. "whereabouts do you think. But they could not in the dark determine whether it was a single island.""All right; try. a fire could be made by means of the moss and dry brushwood.

 accustomed with his sailor eyes to piece through the gloom. No shoulder here separated the two parts of the mountain. and its very violence greatly proves that it could not have varied. He found some dry moss. while the male was gorgeous in his red plumage.The night was beautiful and still. for the most part.Thus passed the 25th of March. yet existed. The purity of the sky at the zenith was felt through the transparent air.Few can possibly have forgotten the terrible storm from the northeast. dangerous in the extreme.This was in fact the exact shape of the island. and without hesitating. only shook his head without uttering a word.