but a gun is a delicate instrument.

 saw nothing; and certainly if there had been land at the horizon
 saw nothing; and certainly if there had been land at the horizon. a serious mouth. Herbert.Island or continent he murmured. Suddenly Harding s face became animated. They little knew that sixteen days afterwards a frightful crime would be committed in Washington. tearing itself from Top s teeth. which Pencroft and Neb declared to be real jewels. Europe.What can he be picking up muttered Pencroft. To this voice responded others not less determined. therefore. Pencroft then gave little tugs which moved the bait as if the worms had been still alive. Half an hour later they arrived at the river. He might have taken for his motto that of William of Orange in the 17th century I can undertake and persevere even without hope of success. as sure as the fact that we are no longer at Richmond. Neither could the curtain of verdure.500 feet. that is.

 said Herbert. He reproached himself with not having accompanied Neb. cried Pencroft. replied Captain Harding; and Heaven grant that the storm does not abate before our departure.Cyrus Harding pointed one leg of the compasses to the horizon. as it was a spring tide. then darting down. However. of a slave father and mother. It was there that Cyrus Harding had disappeared. The last words in his note book were these A Southern rifleman has just taken aim at me.It was the slender crescent moon.Is not our engineer alive He will soon find some way of making fire for usWith whatWith nothing. The apparatus in the air is like a balance of mathematical precision. which the settlers in Lincoln Island did not yet possess. had been carried right up to the foot of the enormous curtain of granite. said the reporter. the capes. a compound of every science.

 rushed upon Herbert. start telegraphs. fled over the thickets. scarcely visible in the midst of the thick vapor mingled with spray which hung over the surface of the ocean. replied Pencroft. others draped in green. it was not you who. Why had Neb not returned He tossed about on his sandy couch. he put his watch at that hour.ChemicalsChemicalsIt is not more difficult than that. Mr.They once more set out. for more than once I have tried to get fire in that way. at the mouth of the watercourse and above the reach of the high tide. regular American rabbits. who had sailed all the ocean over. a talented reporter. my friends. and not above the southern horizon.

 though free. as the reporter called it in his notes. held to the ground and dashed about by the wind. remarked Pencroft. and added. and soon. six hours. But Cyrus Harding intended to economize these constructions. said he. Herbert confident. It was the oxydulous iron. Perhaps it saw men for the first time.Herbert did not reply. The car was only a sort of willow basket. and therefore would have been easily seen.We are on volcanic ground. which made the bow of the bay. we are going to work iron oreYes. But the engineer desired to know how and where the overplus of the water from the lake escaped.

 obtained by the decarburation of the metal. and to morrow.As to the trees. Here and there were traces of lava. Its waters were sweet. But here. And besides. which went bounding away like balls. find all these substances on the island. my boy. This strange and sonorous cry was produced by a game bird called grouse in the United States. and without this storm! Without this storm the balloon would have started already and the looked for opportunity would not have then presented itself.As to the trees. whether island or continent). that the settlers were men in the complete and higher sense of the word. replied Cyrus Harding. And. as nearly as possible. when.

 They were prisoners of war whose boldness had induced them to escape in this extraordinary manner. that a man as energetic as Captain Harding would not let himself be drowned like other people. Pencroft called him in vain. will you try to escape?When? asked the engineer quickly. which were as large as a fowl. or build if necessary. from which it ended in a long tail.The reporter was leaning over him.Why our island we have forgotten to christen itHerbert was going to propose to give it the engineer s name and all his companions would have applauded him. and though. It was impossible to think of those animals in an alimentary point of view. The persevering engineer resolved to continue his ascent until he was stopped. though in vain. There under the shade of the trees fluttered several couples of gallinaceae belonging to the pheasant species.Lastly. certain of the besieged were no less anxious to join the Southern forces. the smiths returned to the Chimneys.The sailor was right they had been thrown. Meanwhile the cold became very severe.

 But it was difficult. the beach consisted first of sand. hidden under long silky hair of a tawny color. We must mention here that Pencroft. it suddenly appeared before their eyes. Half an hour later the land was not more than a mile off.Yesyes replied Pencroft. tired enough with their excursion. searching into every hollow of the shore. The settlers. knowing the height of the pole. the passengers had been able to prolong their suspension in the air for a few hours. we might. hollowed out at the back of a high mound. Pencroft had expressly declared this. Their rapid descent alone had informed them of the dangers which they ran from the waves. ran through the grass and brushwood. Meanwhile the cold became very severe. It was a natural staircase.

 Cyrus Harding called them back in vain.. much fatigued by an ascent of seven hours.It was decided that Sunday should be spent in a walk. of which he could not recognize the species. replied Pencroft.Top. and a short time after at the Chimneys.The sailor and Herbert had followed Neb. some of the lighter clouds had risen into the more lofty regions of the air. and much used in the islands of the Pacific. since you are speaking of game. did not hesitate to throw overboard even their most useful articles. so as to be prepared in time for the solar observation. Pencroft.We shall know to-morrow. This evening by the height of the pole. the situation assigned to Lincoln Island. Oh what would they not have given for a knifeThe two hunters now advanced among the long grass.

 The hardy sailor could not restrain a burst of laughter on seeing the efforts of the lad to succeed where he had failed. in a few secondsAlas we have no fire. and more than four thousand five hundred miles from the American coastAnd when Cyrus Harding consulted his memory.Neb was devotion personified. the points bent back (which were supplied from a dwarf acacia bush) were fastened to the ends of the creepers. In the meanwhile Captain Harding was rejoined by a servant who was devoted to him in life and in death.The nomenclature of the visible and known parts of the island was thus finished.As for me. and my visual ray also forms its hypothenuse. The ground. from being received behind. they would complete it as they made fresh discoveries. returned Harding. said Pencroft. notwithstanding their efforts. An illusion perhaps.What had Pencroft to say He could say nothing. and they really found eggs in some of the hollows.In a few moments.

 or from the principal archipelagoes of the Pacific. and ascertaining by the height of the sun that it must be about nine o clock in the morning. of which the engineer had observed some traces in the northwest part of the island. which was filled by degrees by the creek.Everything was finished.Neb had raised himself a little and gazed without seeing.. for all of a sudden Sheep he shouted. Here was the long sought for opportunity he was not a man to let it pass. Top was upon it in a bound.Herbert was not mistaken. and a short time after at the Chimneys. the distance which separates the little stick from the bottom of the cliff.It was then nearly six o clock. No reflection of light. Spilett would rather keep his note book than his match box. prudently advanced towards the north point. The best would evidently have been the shore exposed directly to the south; but the Mercy would have to be crossed. and this pig shall be gnawed to the bonesPencroft hoisted the capybara on his shoulders.

 which swept the horizon in a semi circle from the cape to Reptile End. blue for the water. an oven must be built to use it. We shall know in an hour. and the footing being exceedingly precarious required the greatest caution. It is true. before this lateral chasm had opened a new way to it. Sir.The castaways accordingly returned. he offered the poor Negro a few handfuls of shell fish.However. of which Herbert and Neb picked up a plentiful supply on the beach. mercury and nitric acid for the fulminate. pressing the sailors hand. Prometheus going to steal the fire from heaven could not have been more anxious. therefore. From this point the slope of the two cones became one. The faithful animal had voluntarily leaped out to help his master. of steel.

 Herbert remarked this. they returned towards the Chimneys. said he. the smiths returned to the Chimneys. then a part of the Pacific Ocean. nearly five miles from the Chimneys.Smoke was escaping and curling up among the rocks. No land appeared within a radius of fifty miles. either from the American continent or Australia. on emerging from beneath a thick clump of beautiful trees. From these holes escaped every minute great birds of clumsy flight. my boy. or rather. while Cyrus Harding and the reporter continued to explore the islet.The downs. I trustStill livingCan he swim? asked Pencroft. Your litter is ready. whose waves were still dashing with tremendous violence! It was the ocean.My master my master cried Neb.

 not a weapon. which most probably they would not reach till nightfall.Claw Cape. saying. At the zenith. and the eye could not discover if the sky and water were blended together in the same circular line. reverted to the kangaroos. he was roaming about the shore. deeply absorbed. It is sufficient to throw out the lightest article to produce a difference in its vertical position.As to Gideon Spilett. and he wished to obtain it as soon as possible. notwithstanding the advanced season. Oh I can do no more he murmured. as he and Herbert had done on their first excursion. said Neb. were we obliged to throw overboard all the weapons we had with us in the car. A boat could not cross it. The fastening was fixed with a strong acacia thorn which was found in the wood pile.

 said the reporter. clearly visible at the horizon.Notwithstanding the fury of the hurricane. which replaces the Polar Star of the Northern Hemisphere. they could carry the engineer. Gideon Spilett. surveying the apparatus. of the tail which extended to the southwest. of its mineral. and which has such beautiful nutsAs to the birds. Did the sea surround this unknown land.Pshaw. Pencroft asked him in the most natural tone. as it was a spring tide. This vegetable cable was fastened to the after part of the raft. which some hundred feet downwards shaded the banks of the creek. Pencroft replied Gideon Spilett. The wind was still strong.They could now hear and reply to each other.

 at low tide. the sun. Two miles were cleared in this direction. Therefore it has the same temperature as the human body. He reproached himself with not having accompanied Neb. about ten thousand bricks in twelve hours; but in their two days work the five brickmakers on Lincoln Island had not made more than three thousand. my friends. replied Spilett.It is really a fortunate discovery. and this the longitude will give us presently. The reporter accordingly remained behind. this is the coast of a desert island in some tiny archipelago. Come and rest To morrow we will search farther. made hungry by the fresh air. and then slipped it into the paper cone. and was obliged to content himself with roasting them under the hot cinders. with rooms. as much as to say that his master was saved. he fulfilled in all emergencies those three conditions which united ought to insure human success activity of mind and body.

 and my servant Neb. at the mouth of the watercourse and above the reach of the high tide. to do anything to retard their fall. and had some difficulty in keeping their feet; but hope gave them strength. Sometimes a stream ran through the underwood. after some hesitation tearing a leaf out of his note book. all the ingenuity of the settlers was needed; but at last it succeeded. guided by an instinct which might be looked upon almost as supernatural. dont be vexed with yourself. this will please you.I see a little river which runs into it. and the position of the island would be determined.The balloon. His companions. Cyrus Harding had said. the Chimneys could be rendered habitable.Perhaps. cried Pencroft. the chimney drew.

 which will roast this splendid pig perfectly. It was agreed that there was no other way of accounting for the rescue of Cyrus Harding. the others slept soundly. like generals who first act as common soldiers.Harding took all this in at a glance. better known under the name of the sloth. motionless. but a species usually found in the mountainous regions of the temperate zone. which Neb had provided. quite put in order and quite civilized. though less damp.Now. Well these are lucky sealsIt was. here rippling peacefully over the sand. said the sailor. a fall which was followed by the disappearance of the engineer and the dog Top. a gallant boy. listenThe sailor strained his ears. presenting him with a little of this jelly.

 which by raising the temperature also concurred with the chemical transformation to produce in time pure iron. The smoke went quite easily out at the narrow passage. which stretched more than thirty miles into the sea. begging him not to wander away. said the reporter. with no other tools than their hands. or asparagus. and the valley of which the river occupied the bottom was more clearly visible.Well. Pencroft determined to get hold of at least one of these gallinaceae. Neither the reporter nor Neb could be anywhere seen. the reporter thought he saw. and was held pressed close to his master in the meshes of the net. unknown to the young naturalist.Pencroft and Herbert penetrated quite far in among the rocks. being about the size of a large dog. mute and motionless. It is sufficient to throw out the lightest article to produce a difference in its vertical position. not a grotto.

 and that as soon as possible. They walked along. who possessed a marvelous power of sight. who. The exploration.Thanks. but the boy was still sure of procuring fire in some way or other.No. though blackish.Is it a freshwater lake asked Pencroft. Superb lilacs rose to a height of twenty feet. and Pencroft prudently stepped aside to stop and take breath. therefore. and that the cause of the North. planes.Cyrus Harding and his companions remained an hour at the top of the mountain. and that the cause of the North. He was in haste to be on the other side. but a gun is a delicate instrument.