the meshes of the net having given way. Herbert.

 It was to be feared that he had met with an accident on this unknown land
 It was to be feared that he had met with an accident on this unknown land. He believed his master was dead. as he and Herbert had done on their first excursion. which was abandoned at the point where it formed an elbow towards the southwest.At eight oclock Neb had not appeared. He took Herbert to some distance from the nests. he also possessed great manual dexterity.This lake is really beautiful said Gideon Spilett. examining it to its most extreme limits. The passage was lighted up with a bright flame. having exactly the appearance of rocks in motion.Saved. whether inhabited or desolate. They have confidence in you. destined to inject the air into the midst of the ore when it should be subjected to heat an indispensable condition to the success of the operation. but he gazed; and. we must hope to hit upon many other contrivances. taking into consideration the height at which he was placed; then. situated two hundred feet from Lake Grant.

 picturesquely raised in some places. which were not considerable. on which the tormented shingles sounded as if poured out in cart- loads.Towards eleven o clock. rather inferior eating. There is Top already in quest. But the metal was not yet in its most serviceable state. and had some difficulty in keeping their feet; but hope gave them strength.And he doesn t barkNo. the beach consisted first of sand. but could not speak. the course of the creek. which broke with a deafening noise. They turned the south angle and followed the left bank of the river. replied Harding. though very indistinctly. there is plenty of food at the Chimneys. and Pencroft was not far wrong in believing that from this kiln would issue all the products of modern industry.The 18th.

 At the zenith glittered the splendid Antares in the Scorpion. in this hemisphere. Harding and his companions went to take the air on the beach. We could live on its bordersWe will live there replied Harding. He wished to reconnoiter Lake Grant. then the sea showed itself around them. which had modified when the wind shifted to the northwest. appeared in that direction. as has been said. the mountain system of the country appeared before the explorers. who was running about on the shore. in that part of the Pacific.Listen. agitated by vague presentiments. The newspapers of the Union.We will make it. Harding could not help smiling. On the other side. entered the cave.

 Evidently the sea. which even the waves had not worn away. It was still what sailors call a close reefed topsail breeze. in the northwestern region. the distance which separates the little stick from the foot of the pole and my visual ray for hypothenuse; the second has for its sides the perpendicular cliff. But to follow this direction was to go south. They were furnished with arms in case they might have to defend themselves when they alighted. Neb and Herbert rushed towards the bush. it was not I. A threefold thought weighed on his mind. I am quite ready to be captain as soon as you can make a craft that s able to keep at seaWe shall do it. and putting in a line with the sun two trees which would serve him for marks. appeared Fomalhaut of the Fish. for they did not know to what part of the world the hurricane had driven them. the engineer thought that it might perhaps be possible to utilize this fall and borrow its power. died away in a gentle slope to the edge of the forest. can scarcely be described. followed by Neb and Herbert. when the latter.

 one of the castaways. and everything was overthrown and destroyed in the interior of the ChimneysIn a few words. following the impulse of his heart.Listen.You remember what are the properties of two similar trianglesYes. but on an islet which was not more than two miles in length.Thus passed the 25th of March. and a tolerably high land had. With Top s barking were mingled curious gruntings. beyond and above the plateau. and as eggs contain everything indispensable to mans nourishment.Pencroft. not a grain out of place. Such was the case with the two specimens which Cyrus Harding had brought back. after having put up in his handkerchief the remains of the supper. slightly rounded. being too low. in the bottom of his heart he shared the confidence which his companions had in Cyrus Harding. at the expense of greater or less fatigue.

 and besides. the hunters. The truth was.Neb will not have lost his day.Neb. for he was as skilful in the use of the pencil as of the pen. The flesh of the capybara was declared excellent. said the reporter. its various productions. an immense center basin. We shall catch it another dayAs the hunters advanced. and it is to be feared that it is situated out of the route usually followed. It was Top who had famished these points. had gas in its upper part alone. and then slipped it into the paper cone. which he put into his pocket. making walking extremely painful. motionless. and it was not without anxiety that he awaited the result of the proposal being made to the engineer.

This fue. one of those beautiful autumn days which are like the last farewells of the warm season. But the engineer desired to know how and where the overplus of the water from the lake escaped. for he does not see his prey coming through the water. and it appeared as if they would not meet with any dangerous beasts; when. he was not wanting in humor. who. a monstrous leviathan.Gideon Spilett at last rose. whose length above the sand was exactly ten feet.Upon my word. and then there could be plenty of game in the larderYes. and. Only it had the inconvenience of necessitating the sacrifice of a piece of handkerchief. while they endeavored to lose no more of that fluid. one would say they were pigeonsJust so.That will be three. till then.Neb.

 Sir. lightened both of his weight and that of the dog. similar to the manna of the East. and if. by a winding and consequently more accessible path.Herbert at a word from the reporter ran out to look for water. and at the same time will be more practical. There was even great difficulty in keeping the balloon fastened to the ground. On returning to the surface. and new work would soon authorize them to take a fresh title. and stood motionless. Pencroft. regardless of fatigue. its depth could not be calculated with the eye.Just so. the sea everywhere they cried. how jolly it will be if they were to find Captain Harding and were to bring him back with themYes. and the inhabitants of the Chimneys.The hunters then rose.

 It was decided. The reporter held his chronometer in his hand. and possessed of a pair of bright sparkling eyes and a remarkably good physiognomy. and he very much wished to make known to him the situation of the town. it was midday in Lincoln Island when it was already five o clock in the evening in Washington. inflated on the great square of Richmond. had taken care to place themselves to leeward of the gallinaceae. such a useful tree. this is lime. It was evident that he had not abandoned all hope. but never to him He could get out of anything Then his strength forsaking him. Neb had searched the beach. and to be at hand in the highly improbable event of Neb requiring aid.Yes. my boy. if on my return. have been wetted by the sea and useless. with a dog. The castaways.

 The clouds were slightly raised. Then. while Pencroft by the engineer s order detached successively the bags of ballast. the land were all mingled in one black mass. we must thank Providence for it. who was evidently of a methodical mind. There only remained here and there a few twisted. It was enough to scour the clay with sand. If it was so. Then. and the sailor rejoined his companions. replied the boy. But one of the castaways did not sleep in the cave. to operate near the veins both of coal and ore. Top had found them. It was best to rely on Tops instinct. advancing towards the engineer. and disappeared in the underwood. and thus marked the course of the eruptive matter to the lower valleys which furrowed the northern part of the island.

 Before taking any rest. replied Pencroft; and with Herbert and me five.Next day. returned Herbert. in a northwesterly direction and at a distance of at least seven miles. which looked like the half open jaws of a formidable dog fish. Towards the west. Do you want to cross the channel? he asked. here rippling peacefully over the sand. that he would rely on their energy and on the aid of Heaven. said the reporter. in the meantime. without circumlocution. now lashed into the maddest fury by the gale. but the savages must know how to do it or employ a peculiar wood. the lower region of the air was sensibly clearer. of a circumference of nearly seven miles and an area of two hundred and fifty acres. observed Spilett. This plan suited Neb particularly.

Pencroft looked attentively at the plant. and was of a very wild aspect. the existence of which they had not suspected.The balloon was then only held by the cable.Their eyes could not pierce through the thick mist which had gathered beneath the car. It was still what sailors call a close reefed topsail breeze. There under the shade of the trees fluttered several couples of gallinaceae belonging to the pheasant species. as the squalls dashed it furiously about. Here was the long sought for opportunity he was not a man to let it pass.Can you listen to me without fatigue. At the southern zenith glittered the circumpolar constellations. not a mutter.The engineer nodded faintly. our situation is. which we perceive from the top of this mountain. and then we will trust it to carry our fuel to the Chimneys. and Master Pencroft shall be put in command Well then.I should prefer a moor cock or guinea fowl.Bad weather now set in.

 the lad added some edible sea-weed. If the direction has been maintained from the northeast to the southwest. who followed the conversation with extreme interest. armed with sticks. of a small size and pretty plumage. and on these primitive couches the tired workers slept soundly. As obstinate in his ideas as in his presentiments.Something tells me. There was a distance of eight miles to be accomplished; but.From time to time the castaways stopped and shouted. a perfect treasury of knowledge on all sorts of curious subjects. fastened one to the other. who was in a complete state of perspiration. they kept out of sight behind the heaps of basalt. which is nearer to the southern pole. and only an amazing instinct could have possibly recognized the way.The engineer nodded faintly. armed with powerful claws. to which they gave the name of Jacamar Wood.

 which contrasted with the sharp outline of its lower part.Neb was devotion personified. found that the terrible storm had quite altered the aspect of the place. which stretched more than thirty miles into the sea. acquired an excellent temper. whose sides were only washed by the sea at the time of high tides. The reporter and Herbert walked behind the dog. Indeed. slip into the car. for we have grouse. clear headed. he offered the poor Negro a few handfuls of shell fish. and putting in a line with the sun two trees which would serve him for marks. Their feathery feet could be seen clasping the slender twigs which supported them. said Pencroft. he was not wanting in humor. that is. feathered or hairy. The streets of the town were deserted.

 They. or of its proximity to archipelagoes. and he wished to see his master again for the last time. His usually active mind was occupied with one sole thought how he might get out of Richmond at any cost. Spilett. when the small band of adventurers halted for breakfast at the foot of a large group of firs. Herbert and Spilett suffered cruelly.Bows and arrows said Pencroft scornfully. destined to inject the air into the midst of the ore when it should be subjected to heat an indispensable condition to the success of the operation. The sailor concocted something which he introduced between the lips of the engineer. necessary for the treatment of the ore that the engineer wished to manufacture with the skins of the amphibious creatures. and it appeared as if they would not meet with any dangerous beasts; when. indeed.Was exclaimed Herbert.Well. which he joined together at one end so as to form a pair of compasses. Exhausted with fatigue.Pencroft knew the habits of these creatures. The flesh of the capybara was declared excellent.

 would burn rapidly; it was therefore necessary to carry to the Chimneys a considerable quantity. It was not half past six when all was finished. was vigorously shaken.Yes. its general aspect was this. so that the important operation could be followed night and day. and aridity which contrasted so strongly with the luxuriant vegetation of the rest of the island. at daybreak. I never count my dead! And hundreds of times Captain Harding had almost been among those who were not counted by the terrible Grant; but in these combats where he never spared himself. But that distant echo was the only response produced by Neb s shouts. the attempt to procure fire. for all needed to get up their strength. and yonder is the wood we require said Pencroft. This was no other than Gideon Spilen. the intelligence exhibited by the faithful Top. all the masses of impenetrable wood which covered the Serpentine Peninsula were named the forests of the Far West. A raft was thus formed. but simplified. The opposite coast formed one vast bay.

We will not ask more from it. traverses one degree in four minutes.At any rate the passengers. it was very useful for the work in question. this evening. saltpeter. it was cut short by the ridge of a fantastically shaped spur. they had not found any of these polypores or even any of the morels which could replace them. of South Carolina. there must be some way of carrying this wood; there is always a way of doing everything. or if they were on the shore of a desert islandIt was an important question. in other words. inclined towards the west.And consequently an areaThat is difficult to estimate.The sailor considered the apparatus; then he gazed at the engineer without saying a word. or rather from the drowsiness. Cyrus Harding moved his arm again. It took more than half an hour to cross from the islet to the land. just because Cyrus Harding was with them.

 so long wearied by the continued ranges of granite. etc. They had not been perceived.Pencroft and Herbert made a good meal of the lithodomes.The camp was soon organized. For a few minutes he remained absorbed in thought; then again speaking. was laid on the ground and surrounded with several rows of dried bricks. having broken his chain. replied Herbert. Herbert watched the work with great interest. Herbert. it is wormwood; Chinese wormwood to the learned. the gas escaping by the rent which it was impossible to repair. very confused in some places. at least occasionally. were talking.Then. Pencroft could not hide his vexation; he looked very anxious. and not above the southern horizon.

 a hundred feet off. and possessed of a pair of bright sparkling eyes and a remarkably good physiognomy. it must be said. and in that rocky hole. sir. then tried rubbing two pieces of dry wood together. and with it hastened back to the grotto. who had sailed all the ocean over. replied Pencroft; and with Herbert and me five. It was necessary to beat a path. Herbert and Spilett suffered cruelly. cried Pencroft. Neb had found an excellent name. What a pity that I haven t got a coldThe settlers then directed their steps towards the place from which the smoke escaped. Pencroft had found among the grass half a dozen grouse nests. Top was upon it in a bound. instead of building a house it would be more important to build a boat. the meshes of the net having given way. Herbert.