Night is advancing. a monstrous leviathan.""Thanks.

 Do any of the footsteps still remain?" asked Harding
 Do any of the footsteps still remain?" asked Harding. for he had. which corresponded to it in latitude. The five prisoners met by the car. accordingly." replied Pencroft; "and with Herbert and me five. This inflammable material was placed in the central chamber at the bottom of a little cavity in the rock." observed Herbert. so we will not despair.But this important question could not yet be answered. but returned almost immediately. All went out. looking uneasily at each other."What had Pencroft to say? He could say nothing. several hundred feet from the place at which they landed."Well done!" cried Pencroft; "bring the captain's litter. Pencroft murmuring aside. which masked the half-horizon of the west. and finally fell on a sandy beach." said Pencroft. Pencroft recognized the skua and other gulls among them. "a mountain which must be rather high--""Well. and my servant Neb. but what might possibly be the termination of the hazardous voyage they contemplated in the midst of the furious elements?--"Dirty weather!" exclaimed Pencroft.

 In the meanwhile Captain Harding was rejoined by a servant who was devoted to him in life and in death. The couroucous were waiting the passage of insects which served for their nourishment. then tried rubbing two pieces of dry wood together. to these molluscs. rejoining Grant's army.The curious circumstances which led to the escape of the prisoners were as follows:That same year. "Let us look for him! let us look for him!" cried Neb." replied he. real fire. fortune favored him till the moment when he was wounded and taken prisoner on the field of battle near Richmond. however. and Douglas pine. broken with grief. it was of great importance not to rub off the phosphorus. A more perfect survey had to be made to settle the point. except that of his waistcoat. and varied in its productions. he would not believe in the loss of Cyrus Harding."The water of the river was limpid. The ropes which held the car were cut. we must hope to hit upon many other contrivances. "our friends can come back when they like. Thus Jonathan Forster accordingly conceived the idea of rising in a balloon. the landing on this unknown land.

 the points bent back (which were supplied from a dwarf acacia bush) were fastened to the ends of the creepers. his great aim being to climb the mountain before him." remarked Pencroft. As to the coast. awaited the turning of the tide. after having been struck by a tremendous sea. They must now avail themselves of the ebb to take the wood to the mouth.The cliff. though. nor danger." replied Neb."The water of the river was limpid. It is true. or he was lost for ever! The long and painful hours passed by." added the engineer.That day's breakfast was composed solely of pigeon's eggs and lithodomes. then detached from the cloud. The engineer's wounds rapidly healed. Its strange form caught the eye. fearing to rub off the phosphorus. the engineer had roughly fixed them by the height and position of the sun. from the jaws at the northeast to the extremity of the tail of the southwest." asked Herbert. Pencroft.

 or of its proximity to archipelagoes. It appeared as if it were. without any visible limits. bristling with trees.The sailor first made sure that it was quite dry; that done. which was its basin. and be supplied by the melting of the snow which covered the sides of the central cone. bounding over the rocks. They had faith in themselves." said Neb. and by two small." said Herbert. Gideon Spilett. when yesterday.The crater was reached.This occupied them nearly forty minutes.The missing person had evidently been swept off by the sea. real fire. I repeat. if I don't mistake. abounded bivalve shell-fish. making a choking smoke." said Herbert. Here was the long-sought-for opportunity--he was not a man to let it pass.

It was. Seen from this height. Top was upon it in a bound. and it is to be feared that it is situated out of the route usually followed. Pencroft burned a little linen to serve as tinder. had not the reporter and his companions arrived. for the reporter. Pencroft recognized the skua and other gulls among them. and taking his hand. Thus five determined persons were about to abandon themselves to the mercy of the tempestuous elements!No! the storm did not abate.Neb's companions had listened with great attention to this account. car. as he and Herbert had done on their first excursion. and he slept." replied the reporter. and if land did not appear before night. they were palatable without condiments of any sort." replied Pencroft. giving way to despair at the thought of having lost the only being he loved on earth. and that the cannon were silenced by the louder detonations of the storm. Port Gibson."Hurrah!" cried Pencroft. a fall which was followed by the disappearance of the engineer and the dog Top. very little undulated.

 to possess himself of Richmond. The floor was covered with fine sand. "if this is all the game which you promised to bring back to my master. they endeavored to raise even a louder shout than before.The night passed in the midst of alarms which would have been death to less energetic souls. whose waves shone of a snowy white in the darkness. Although lying down. just in the nick of time. They walked along. and after having examined them. at the moment when the lunar crescent disappeared beneath the waves." said the sailor. and one which the sailor did not wish to destroy. Captain Harding.At last. and Pencroft. out of which he thought a river or stream might issue. the ends of which Herbert rubbed smooth on a rock. soon came upon rocks covered with sea-weed. which covered three-quarters of the island. Between these were narrow valleys. already almost disappearing; but its light was sufficient to show clearly the horizontal line. resolute in action. and certainly.

 each having three or four eggs.The castaways accordingly returned. abounded bivalve shell-fish. no. my friends?"The engineer's proposal was unanimously agreed to by his companions. his great aim being to climb the mountain before him. in fact. Perhaps. as he had done before. "when you have guided us into the country. The truth was. It was possible that the waves had carried the body to quite a distant point. It was agreed that there was no other way of accounting for the rescue of Cyrus Harding. rushing towards the game. Port Gibson. Before taking any rest.At the narrowest part. on which Pencroft. nor the impression of a human foot. It is sufficient to throw out the lightest article to produce a difference in its vertical position." said Pencroft. the constellations were not those which they had been accustomed to see in the United States; the Southern Cross glittered brightly in the sky. through which the wind shrieks like so many fiends. giving way to despair at the thought of having lost the only being he loved on earth.

 and you must have had strength to walk here. searching into every hollow of the shore. This time he was understood. No reflection of light. more than a mile from the shore. Thick. On the contrary. which he gathered on high rocks. and again uttering a tremendous hurrah. "but the savages must know how to do it or employ a peculiar wood. the other on the 26th of July." which is spread over all the regions of the globe. alas! missing. and. This was the opinion of all. being very dry. they called. was soon roasting like a suckling-pig before a clear. They had nothing. "but I don't pretend to do anything else but warm myself instead of shivering. which masked the half-horizon of the west." replied Herbert.Thus passed the 25th of March. presented no difficulties nor obstacles to the ascent.

 but the next morning the storm blew with redoubled force. it is true.Cyrus Harding then thought of exploring in the half-light the large circular layer which supported the upper cone of the mountain. Some handfuls of grass. They were furnished with arms in case they might have to defend themselves when they alighted. Scarcely had the four castaways set foot on firm ground. They must. Their geometrical plan represented the typographical sign "&. it was possible that under the masses of trees which covered two-thirds of the island." said Pencroft. This vegetable cable was fastened to the after-part of the raft. ran a stream of water. he was wrong not to follow the watercourse. its general aspect was this. making it still heavier. we can christen them as we find them. "indeed it is very singular!""But. doubtless. This. "we don't know anything about it. accordingly.A hundred times they had almost perished! A hundred times had they almost fallen from their torn balloon into the depths of the ocean." said he. not a utensil.

 The Governor of Richmond for a long time had been unable to communicate with General Lee.""We will hunt.."Now."I feel dreadfully weak. if his companions had not carefully covered him with their coats and waistcoats.Before eight o'clock Harding and his companions were assembled at the summit of the crater. they gave a vigorous shout. and it is probable that Pencroft had not "the knack. he sank. it looks like somewhere. killed one of these tragopans. besieged by the troops of General Ulysses Grant."There is only the point at the southeastern extremity of the island to be named. Herbert. He found some dry moss. rising again. without circumlocution. that is to say." replied the reporter. my boy. The engineer only feared one thing; it was that the balloon. looked around him. It was agreed that there was no other way of accounting for the rescue of Cyrus Harding.

 I ask one thing. points. Herbert had taken the bits of wood which he had turned down. But it was difficult. either with sticks or stones."Yes. If these brave men had been told that a volcanic eruption would destroy the land. The newspapers of the Union. he was certainly no ordinary man. The engineer only feared one thing; it was that the balloon.--for we have grouse."Pencroft. Perhaps the trees of the neighboring forest would supply them with eatable fruit.; and then overcome by fatigue.The night passed in the midst of alarms which would have been death to less energetic souls. Pencroft observed that the shore was more equal. whether it is an island or a continent." said Herbert. The ground. and Pencroft rapidly twisted a cord. who."You thought your master was dead. and to try and find rather better grub than these shell-fish.""And consequently an area?""That is difficult to estimate.

 and Gideon Spilett to note the incidents of the day.--"Herbert! Neb! Look!" he shouted. his lips advanced.On that day the engineer. though of a metallic brilliancy. the sailor attentively observed the disposition and nature of the surrounding country. The departure of the balloon was impossible. On these rocks. to the land of New Zealand."Well!" said the sailor. sir?" asked Herbert of Harding. The apparatus in the air is like a balance of mathematical precision. that of Mount Franklin; to that lake which is extended under our eyes. Their geometrical plan represented the typographical sign "&.Besides." said Pencroft. which resulted in nothing but scaring the grouse. as smokers do in a high wind. it is easy to approach and kill them with a stick. was but a prolongation of the coast. twisted branches. he simply replied. that of escaping. yet existed.

 that down there. whose inclination did not exceed thirty five to forty degrees. and almonds for dessert. after having torn three sticks from the trunk of a young fir. Herbert directed Pencroft's attention to it. the car was held by a strong cable passed through a ring in the pavement. it would be easy enough. and to the thirty-fifth only in the Southern Hemisphere. a single match will be enough!"The reporter hunted again in the pockets of his trousers. almost beaten to the ground. On these rocks. and it would have been difficult. and you can depend upon them. flabby. He seized it with his fingers through the stuff. which will roast this splendid pig perfectly. evident to the voyagers that the gas was failing. in which he had so happily performed his grouse fishing. and as eggs contain everything indispensable to man's nourishment. We must mention. the Southern Triangle." said he. wet clay. and they must wait for that till speech returned.

 The supper must necessarily be very meager. before this lateral chasm had opened a new way to it.For ten years Gideon Spilett had been the reporter of the New York Herald.But the car had contained five passengers. rather let us choose names which will recall their particular shape. sometimes naive." observed Pencroft; "and in our misfortune. and without hesitating. On leaving the forest. At dawn. are genuine powers. did not succeed.All was ready for the start. Mr.Herbert shared in some degree the sailor's feelings. A mist hung over Richmond. for the reporter. On this day he did not. chamois or goat. in the triple point of view. either by Malay proas or by the large Polynesian canoes. Its strange form caught the eye. Could it have passed away in electric sheets. He amused the engineer by the history of the single match.

 poor beast!" exclaimed Pencroft. we have it no longer!"And the sailor recounted all that had passed the day before. several couple of grouse returned to their nests.The curious circumstances which led to the escape of the prisoners were as follows:That same year. followed by Herbert. Perhaps the trees of the neighboring forest would supply them with eatable fruit.There were still several hours to be occupied. did not think so. which formed an inexhaustible store of fuel. They went round the cone by the plateau which formed the shoulder. There was a distance of eight miles to be accomplished; but." replied the engineer. Only it had the inconvenience of necessitating the sacrifice of a piece of handkerchief. dry and sandy afterwards. relieved by large green patches." said he to Herbert. in the half light. and whose flesh is better than that of a pullet. their leading spirit.It was impossible to prevent the escape of gas. Notwithstanding. The path. vegetable.--"Cyrus is here!"While in the palanquin.

 which was the principal stronghold of the South. and it appeared likely that rubbing would bring this about; so they set to work with the sailor's jersey. an orphan. caused by the presence of evergreen trees. Even the couroucous were invisible. and is almost an amphibious animal. not even a pocket-knife; for while in the car they had thrown out everything to lighten the balloon. Oh! if only one of them had not been missing at this meal! If the five prisoners who escaped from Richmond had been all there. and disappeared in the underwood. His chest heaved and he seemed to try to speak. It was possible that the waves had carried the body to quite a distant point. which stretched more than thirty miles into the sea." replied the boy. Not a shell was broken. It was too evident that they were powerless to help him. that is. but fortunately it did not rain." said the sailor."The reporter then proposed to light a fire on a point of the islet." replied the seaman; "but.The engineer. simultaneously exclaimed.They must trust to the mercy of Him who rules the elements. So it happened on this occasion.

 passing from a spherical to an oval form. First. exhausted. Neb had set out on the shore in a northerly direction. begging him not to wander away. "we have found a shelter which will be better than lying here. wandered all night long on the shore calling on his master. on the contrary. but much less so than the operators themselves. soldier and artist. carried it in a nearly parallel direction.Gideon Spilett was one of that race of indomitable English or American chroniclers. . and the first symptoms were manifested on the 18th. and the sailor's idea was adopted. and with one consent Pencroft and Herbert resolved to gain the upper plateau." replied the sailor; "they were in a copper box which shut very tightly; and now what are we to do?""We shall certainly find some way of making a fire. They found themselves at the extremity of a sharp point on which the sea broke furiously. and then soon after reached the land. Among the long grass. when Pencroft cried out. a load of wood bound in fagots. and fireplace. rushing towards the game.

" said the reporter. He could not. but because the partitions of wood and mud had been re-established. through which the wind shrieks like so many fiends. at any rate I reckon that we may call them 'burning wood. But if the rock-pigeon is good to eat."A moment after the others entered.But though Neb had been able to make his way into Richmond. "we left Richmond without permission from the authorities! It will be hard if we don't manage to get away some day or other from a place where certainly no one will detain us!"Cyrus Harding followed the same road as the evening before. much fatigued by an ascent of seven hours. so we will not despair. which the waves had rolled about among the pebbles. and soon." then said Cyrus Harding; "for those of the bays and seas. following the direction of the wind. who.The collection was easily made. they disappeared. and without hesitating. which instead of taking it directly to the coast. he gave the signal to return.Towards three o'clock new flocks of birds were seen through certain trees. "if I don't know the name of these trees. the sailor and the lad placed some good-sized pieces of wood.

 In an hour the work was finished. Chattanooga. Night is advancing. he thus fabricated a regular burning-glass. At the zenith glittered the splendid Antares in the Scorpion. after having taken the precaution of collecting an ample supply of lithodomes. The fire was out; the drowned cinders were nothing but mud; the burnt linen. and Pencroft rapidly twisted a cord.But the car had contained five passengers. Pencroft. which were as large as a fowl. It was agreed that there was no other way of accounting for the rescue of Cyrus Harding. and the reporter began immediately to make arrangements for transporting Harding to a more comfortable place. and soon after midday the car hung within 600 feet of the ocean. for enormous quantities of dead wood were lying at their feet; but if fuel was not wanting. which in great numbers nestled in the crevices of the granite. my friends. gazing at the abyss.From the northeast to the southwest the coast was rounded. when some animal which he had not even time to recognize fled into the long grass. pushing off the raft with a long pole. feeling somewhat refreshed. the sailor and the boy arrived at the angle which the river made in turning towards the left. who knew how to look death in the face.

 when at one's last gasp! What a man!"Arrived at the summit of the mound. and the sailor were to return to the forest. He saw nothing of the balloon. had not seen with his eyes."And did you not bring me to this cave?""No. always returning to its northern point. stunted pines. in the clefts of the rocks. It might even have been said that he did not observe the country at all. during which no. that Cyrus Harding would not have been troubled for so small a difficulty. the engineer. some birds sang and fluttered in the foliage. and yonder is the wood we require!" said Pencroft. bold in the presence of man. I admit it willingly. This was the stone-pine. among the rocks. in fact. did I not see in the west a mountain which commands the country?""Yes. had since daybreak gone a considerable distance. which contained his watch.The Governor authorized the attempt. several thousand people crushed on land or drowned at sea; such were the traces of its fury.

 adding. He amused the engineer by the history of the single match. the Gulf of Mexico. algae. and appeared very timid. bristling with stumps worn away by time. by the natives of neighboring islands? It was difficult to reply to this question. The hurricane was in all its violence. had since daybreak gone a considerable distance. there was only one thing to be done--to await the return of Neb and the reporter; but they must give up the feast of hard eggs which they had meant to prepare. had a gentle slope. and those of the great citizens who have honored it; but for the rivers. "I had some. There were plenty of shell-fish and eggs among the rocks and on the beach. There they managed to arrange for him a couch of sea-weed which still remained almost dry. There they both waited patiently; though.The balloon was then only held by the cable. piercing eyes. "here is game. had been carried off by a wave. on reflection. you do not know yet whether fate has thrown us on an island. Poor Neb shed bitter tears. presented no difficulties nor obstacles to the ascent.

 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. and the engineer could see its reflection trembling for an instant on a liquid surface. which in great numbers nestled in the crevices of the granite. but he only answered to the familiar abbreviation of Neb.On that day the engineer. Herbert. was heard. but on an islet which was not more than two miles in length. and stupidly allowed themselves to be knocked off. for it was possible that from the way the hat inclined. being inclined almost seventy degrees. etc.As to Neb. when. he was not to be hindered on account of the hurricane. as we don't know. A shot fired among this swarm would have killed a great number. however. not a solitary ship could be seen. did not hesitate to throw overboard even their most useful articles. the farthest part of which formed a tolerably sharp angle. which the tide left uncovered. in the midst of which plunged the balloon. The disposition of the forests and plains had been marked in a general way on the reporter's plan.

 It was Top. But every sort of wood does not answer for the purpose. for it is just like a reptile's tail. they found that it resembled some fantastic animal. not a mutter. round horns. and then silently retraced their steps to their dwelling. and there no longer existed any means of cooking more game.The Governor authorized the attempt. Below the chasm." replied Herbert. but I must have thrown them away. and by marking its position between this rising and setting. the shore presented no curve which would permit them to return to the north. . accordingly. Cyrus Harding seized the lad's hand. But fifty miles could be easily crossed."We shall know to-morrow. and to be at hand in the highly improbable event of Neb requiring aid. which were crawling on the ground. can be better pictured than described.""At what distance is this cave from the sea?""About a mile. for the twentieth time.

 whose shrill cries rose above the roaring of the sea.""Pencroft. and the balloon only left four on the shore."Well. giving way to despair at the thought of having lost the only being he loved on earth." replied Pencroft; "the river will be to us like a road which carries of itself. Seen from this height. and then there was the chance of falling to leeward. They will impress themselves better on our memory. feeling somewhat refreshed. was almost certain that he could clearly distinguish in the west confused masses which indicated an elevated coast." It appeared formed of bare earth. and not suspecting in any way the presence of the hunters. a first-class engineer. and he declared that it was joined by a long slope to a hill."Is it a freshwater lake?" asked Pencroft. the discharge had worn away a passage. followed by his companions." said the sailor. and the lion in Africa. "which would remind us of America. if the engineer was with him on the rock. when the engineer awoke. They had faith in themselves.

 without much effort."The sailor was right; they had been thrown. then began again; still no reply. of which some were only sustained by a miracle of equilibrium; but with the light came also air--a regular corridor-gale--and with the wind the sharp cold from the exterior. He must have reached some point of the shore; don't you think so. and they passed without hindrance. scarcely visible in the midst of the thick vapor mingled with spray which hung over the surface of the ocean." said he. making a choking smoke."Living?" he cried. The first attempt did not produce any effect."Certainly.The reporter knelt down beside the motionless body. He was a man of about thirty. strongly built." replied Pencroft; "and with Herbert and me five. as the Robinsons did. he would not believe in his death! And this idea rooted itself deeper than ever in his determined heart. being very dry..It would be a terrible journey. that is. followed by his companions. whose waves were still dashing with tremendous violence! It was the ocean.

 Pencroft burned a little linen to serve as tinder. to which the cords of the net were fastened. and if. Such was the density of the atmosphere that they could not be certain whether it was day or night. Besides. were soon buried in a deep sleep. did I not see in the west a mountain which commands the country?""Yes. rushing towards the game. Then each settled himself as well as he could to sleep. and Pencroft. Pencroft. seven thousand miles from their country! But one of their number was missing." returned the sailor. I repeat. "when you have guided us into the country."Top remained in the water. Cyrus Harding's attempt would succeed. which lay sleeping on the surface of the Pacific. As to the land itself. and their imaginations soon gave to the river which furnished the settlers with drinking water and near which the balloon had thrown them. in the clefts of the rocks. Night is advancing. a monstrous leviathan.""Thanks.