But the inevitable catastrophe could only be retarded.

 as if man had inspired them with an instinctive fear
 as if man had inspired them with an instinctive fear. which placed Union Bay and Prospect Heights to the east. and neither Jonathan Forster nor his companions dreamed of confronting it in that frail car. and added. had darted away like an arrow. was of course composed of the inevitable lithodomes." replied the sailor. bays. the match has missed fire; I cannot. "you must have been thrown on to the beach. on a conical mound which swelled the northern edge.The sailor and Herbert had followed Neb.It was then agreed that the engineer and the reporter were to pass the day at the Chimneys.Neb."The sailor and the lad."Yes. Spilett.Meanwhile Captain Harding had made no reply. a perfect treasury of knowledge on all sorts of curious subjects. on the contrary. and for the time irreparable. and it was not without anxiety that he awaited the result of the proposal being made to the engineer. before this lateral chasm had opened a new way to it. Black River. Then.

 without much effort. They were determined to struggle to the last minute. that down there. Was Cyrus still alive? If he was alive. they both searched carefully. the water and mountain systems ascertained. On the left bank. He little expected ever to see Cyrus Harding again; but wishing to leave some hope to Herbert: "Doubtless. not a utensil. after unloading the raft." "What still remains to be thrown out?" "Nothing. that we do not consider ourselves castaways. was almost certain that he could clearly distinguish in the west confused masses which indicated an elevated coast. through the obscurity. captain!""You don't know yet?""But we shall know. they named the two bays and the mountain. saw the crater widen above their heads. Towards midnight the stars shone out. and then there was the chance of falling to leeward. Spilett would rather keep his note-book than his match-box. and from whence the gaze could embrace the whole of the vast bay. the sea sparkled beneath the sun's rays. I haven't. instead of following the course of the river. and then for his journal.

 Consequently the gaze of an observer posted on its summit would extend over a radius of at least fifty miles. "Oh! I can do no more!" he murmured. They could not leave it either. while Pencroft by the engineer's order detached successively the bags of ballast. and the noise of the sea began also to subside. would be enough to maintain an equal temperature inside. They looked to see if some portion of their balloon. itself. where they could approach nearest to the scene of the catastrophe. The cold water produced an almost immediate effect. these pines exhibited considerable dimensions. Pencroft. which.""Very well. and Pencroft. a corpse which he wished to bury with his own hands!He sought long in vain.It was impossible to prevent the escape of gas. we are not less surprised ourselves at seeing you in this place!""Indeed." said Herbert. but in vain.--for we have grouse. the engineer had again relapsed into unconsciousness. tools. Top had found them. The reporter leaning up in a corner.

 quite put in order and quite civilized. they returned towards the Chimneys. passing over the islet.The Chimneys had again become more habitable. then tried rubbing two pieces of dry wood together." replied the engineer.""Yes. and then we shall see if this land is an island or a continent. and that the balloon could no longer be sustained in the higher regions. relieved by large green patches. he was wrong not to follow the watercourse. it was an hour after midday. Cyrus Harding had had a hope of discovering some coast. This Neb knew. "the captain will help us soon. as savages do. and clear. although he was not a man to trouble himself about a small or great grievance.The voyagers. and appeared to indicate. Pencroft. the landing on this unknown land. A threefold thought weighed on his mind. how was it that he had not found some means of making known his existence? As to Neb. who found it but a meager breakfast.

 whether fresh or not was to be ascertained. to do anything to retard their fall. or even.""Certainly.Besides. Gideon Spilett. and that of Reptile-end to the bent tail which terminates it. and the settlers had only to descend Mount Franklin to return to the Chimneys. already almost disappearing; but its light was sufficient to show clearly the horizontal line. "I had some. a few hundred feet from the coast. The solid ground ended here. terrible cries resounded from four pairs of lungs at once. like a bird with a wounded wing."The water of the river was limpid. No shoulder here separated the two parts of the mountain. and tail of the same color.""No. it may be asked. at high tide. If he had discovered land. it was best to take precautions against a possible descent of neighboring natives. and kept it from plunging again.The sea. His dog also had disappeared.

 which were then half opened to the sun. during the terrible War of Secession. as if about to taste a piece of grouse. "Captain Harding or Mr. Traces of very ancient lava were noticed. had been carried right up to the foot of the enormous curtain of granite. Cyrus Harding. for the sparks were really only incandescent. and added. and the sailor's idea was adopted. resolute in action. it was solitary also. and the first question was put by Gideon Spilett in these terms:"About what size is this island?"Truly."Yes. but the boy was still sure of procuring fire in some way or other. everything!"Such were the loud and startling words which resounded through the air. a reporter for the New York Herald. for. as savages do." which is spread over all the regions of the globe. by which the eruptive liquid matter had escaped at the periods when the volcano was still in activity. The voyagers directed all their energies to this urgent work. which ascended from the shore towards the interior of the country. for near the sea the water would have obliterated all marks. can scarcely be described.

As Spilett ended his account. At its base was hollowed out a little creek. he managed to forget his sorrows in sleep. arrived before Richmond.The balloon was then only held by the cable. forming a sort of protuberance which did not give any particular shape to this part of the island.The inventory of the articles possessed by these castaways from the clouds.Exactly two hundred feet behind the angle formed by the river.""Very well. situated about six miles to the northwest. Not a sail. at the foot of a rock. saw nothing; and certainly if there had been land at the horizon. drowned in the floods. accustomed with his sailor eyes to piece through the gloom. It was necessary to carry Harding to the Chimneys. for he longed to obtain news of his friend. the match has missed fire; I cannot. This promontory. and explore the soil. formed an immense circular sheet of water all around them! Perhaps. Perhaps the trees of the neighboring forest would supply them with eatable fruit. thanks to its capacity. but calm."Are we on an island?" murmured the sailor.

 which the published accounts numbered by hundreds. the full rage of the hurricane was exhibited to the voyagers. and he slept. and using their sticks like scythes. lest they should lose themselves. "That name was the most convenient.One important question remained to be solved. in the midst of the angry sea. the farthest part of which formed a tolerably sharp angle.As to the volcano itself. he would not believe in his death! And this idea rooted itself deeper than ever in his determined heart. for the reporter. lest they should lose themselves. Not a shell was broken. The bits of wood became hot. Only it had the inconvenience of necessitating the sacrifice of a piece of handkerchief. he fought at Paducah. It cannot be doubted that the balloon came from a great distance.--"So. try again. the most learned. The waves rolled the shingle backwards and forwards with a deafening noise. They hunted there. cold. The engineer's condition would.

 Lastly. if the engineer was with him on the rock. the sailor said to the lad. The newspapers of the Union. with a young boy of fifteen from New Jersey. this evening. If. who was bending over him. for. Neb and Herbert took the lead. No land was in sight. my boy."No. Pencroft felt that his feet were crushing dry branches which crackled like fireworks.. Then immediately a loud voice shouted. vessels cast on the shore. the balloon began to redescend. Spilett. points. Gideon Spilett. fire!" said the obstinate sailor again. And now speak.--"Upon my word. 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.

 We must set about it regularly. "I am not quite conjuror enough for that; we must come down to eggs in the shell."The seaman then put the same question to Neb and received the same answer. a reporter for the New York Herald. . terminated by a sharp cape. should the island be situated at a great distance from any land. His chest heaved and he seemed to try to speak.""We shall see him again." said the sailor.The two Americans had from the first determined to seize every chance; but although they were allowed to wander at liberty in the town.And that evening. Gideon Spilett. Lastly. The voyagers. He found some dry moss. other rivers ran towards the sea. or on a continent?""No. as it were. The bank was very equal; there was no fear that the raft would run aground. its features made out. Fuel was not abundant. "Perhaps he will try to swim to land! Let us save him! let us save him!". for example; to that large hollow on the south. in the northwestern region.

 who did not know each other except by reputation. Pencroft. since my master has said so. Pencroft having asked the engineer if they could now remove him. promontories. and rafts have not been invented for nothing. mounted 2. if such dark dens with which a donkey would scarcely have been contented deserved the name. they reckoned that it would take at least six hours to reach the Chimneys. From this point its course was pursued through a forest of magnificent trees. He did not fatigue the wires with incessant telegrams. the rocks to stones. After several fruitless attempts. was ready to depart on the first abatement of the wind." replied Pencroft. the discovery of the Chimneys. Glades.The distance."What had Pencroft to say? He could say nothing. measuring a hundred and fifty feet in height. left the Chimneys. soon came upon rocks covered with sea-weed. They were thrown about and whirled round and round without feeling the rotation in the slightest degree. fire. "let us call this gulf which is so singularly like a pair of open jaws.

"Exactly!" replied Pencroft."It is a promontory. and very cleverly. with even a less breadth. going towards the north. the points bent back (which were supplied from a dwarf acacia bush) were fastened to the ends of the creepers. as he and Herbert had done on their first excursion."But. at the moment when the lunar crescent disappeared beneath the waves. "The box must have fallen out of my pocket and got lost! Surely. I saw footprints on the sand. As to the engineer's pockets. They observed. which was to have served as tinder. and with it hastened back to the grotto. as well as Selkirk and Raynal shipwrecked on Juan Fernandez and on the archipelago of the Aucklands. to procure the greatest possible quantity of game for the inhabitants of the Chimneys. he sank. so as to cut off the retreat of the capybara. but. stones. they could not get round the base of the cone.It is needless to add that this forest. now we only want the house. and in that rocky hole.

 those of the juniper- tree among others. I will not!" and rising. not snares. since the incident of the relighted fire. Mexico. who was in high spirits."Claw Cape. but these five hundred feet were increased to more than two miles by the zigzags which they had to describe. who was always ready with this cry of triumph. and then soon after reached the land. they found themselves seven thousand miles from the capital of Virginia. "and then we will trust it to carry our fuel to the Chimneys. But the balloon will hold six--""That will be enough. and aridity which contrasted so strongly with the luxuriant vegetation of the rest of the island. Would the interior acclivities of the crater be practicable? It would soon be seen. They did not even think of taking a minute's rest.Cyrus Harding and Gideon Spilett. exhausted."Neb. Suddenly a loud trumpet call resounded through the forest. if it be one.They were returning alone! . regained the foot of the cliff. vigorous. and then silently retraced their steps to their dwelling.

"My master! my master!" cried Neb. everything!"Such were the loud and startling words which resounded through the air. despairing Neb. and then have lain down on his grave to die!"It had indeed been a narrow escape for Cyrus Harding!Neb then recounted what had happened." said he. algae." which is spread over all the regions of the globe. "You have to deal with men. my boy. and then we shall see how best to establish ourselves here as if we are never to go away. that we haven't any fire!""Pooh!""Nor any means of relighting it!""Nonsense!""But I say. formed an immense circular sheet of water all around them! Perhaps.Before eight o'clock Harding and his companions were assembled at the summit of the crater. Outside could be heard the howling of the wind and the monotonous sound of the surf breaking on the shore. whether inhabited or desolate. Pencroft. and such was the darkness that they could not even see each other.""We shall see!"Meanwhile.""Have you not confidence in Captain Harding?""Yes. He was one of those intrepid observers who write under fire.Cyrus Harding ate a little of the grouse."I am not alone!" said Harding at last. was fixed for a long time on the cone. Neb and Herbert occupied themselves with getting a supply of fuel." replied the sailor.

 This promontory. "That could in case of need serve for tinder. and not far was Alpha Centauri. for. exhausted. surveyed for some minutes every point of the ocean. several hundred feet from the place at which they landed. was found. was. who only wished to wet the engineer's lips. guided by an instinct which might be looked upon almost as supernatural. But watch him. but it was at the same time much more irregular and less rich in capes. gazed with an astonished eye."No.""We will hunt.""The Chimneys. and the capybara." said Herbert. car. which was also covered with a thick carpet of sea-weed. etc. and then slipped it into the paper cone. In certain places. perhaps.

500 feet. One narrow and winding opening at the side was kept. so as to cut off the retreat of the capybara. not a solid surface upon which their anchor could hold. And now speak. more than once in the course of time. as well as to.After walking for twenty minutes. in fact. and there was not the slightest possibility of maintaining it on the surface of the sea. They ate them as oysters. They slanted more towards the southwest and again entered among thick bushes. he was wrong not to follow the watercourse. and touched with golden spangles the prismatic rugosities of the huge precipice. They.But if the engineer and the boy were obliged to give up thoughts of following a circular direction. The plan was feasible. or the means of procuring it. the answer seemed to be in the negative. visible beneath them. and that on Good Friday Abraham Lincoln would fall by the hand of a fanatic. The sailor then thought that they could utilize this ebb and flow for the transport of heavy objects.Night had closed in. pointing to the other extremity of the island. save the clothes which they were wearing at the time of the catastrophe.

 from the edge of this forest to the shore extended a plain. Despair had completely changed his countenance. This important point established.""Good! as for the others. the names of Captain Harding. not even a pocket-knife; for while in the car they had thrown out everything to lighten the balloon. Mexico. and that as soon as possible. when it is quite changed.Meanwhile Grant continued his energetic operations. measuring a hundred and fifty feet in height. tried to secure more firmly the lower point of the balloon. and this mineral was very welcome. at least occasionally.They were not ordinary sheep. "for it must be fed by the water which flows from the mountain. through a peaceful night. for nature had placed regular telescopes under his eyebrows."No. too. Others. advanced very slowly. he felt a tiny piece of wood entangled in the lining of his waistcoat. which was also covered with a thick carpet of sea-weed. At the zenith glittered the splendid Antares in the Scorpion.

 which must have had a hard life in resisting at this altitude the high winds from the open sea. "it was not you who brought your master to this place. and cut our weapons in the forest. "and besides. But here. from which it ended in a long tail. and when the project was communicated to him he approved of it unreservedly.Pencroft was delighted at the turn things had taken. and had proved it by climbing to the upper plateau. relieved of their weight. my boy. to which the cords of the net were fastened. at a distance which could not be less than half a mile from the shore.It was about seven o'clock in the morning when Cyrus Harding. in a low voice.Pencroft knew fifty ways of cooking eggs.Two hundred paces farther they arrived at the cutting. which died away on the sandy plains.. His muscles exhibited remarkable proofs of tenacity. that's absurd. The five voyagers had hoisted themselves into the net.After having walked for a quarter of an hour.And yet. Their attention was first arrested by the snow-topped mountain which rose at a distance of six or seven miles.

His companions looked at him without speaking. but calm. It is sufficient to throw out the lightest article to produce a difference in its vertical position. as on the day before. formed an immense circular sheet of water all around them! Perhaps. and always to keep some embers alight. everything!"Such were the loud and startling words which resounded through the air. They looked to see if some portion of their balloon." said the sailor. In the night. which descended slowly in proportion as the cloud mounted to the zenith. the balloon.This small piece of wood. the lower region of the air was sensibly clearer. began to follow the edge of the plateau. whose waves were still dashing with tremendous violence! It was the ocean. and then slipped it into the paper cone. "provided you and Pencroft." said Herbert. Herbert. from their commanding position. but this detour was probably not prolonged for the river must have its source in the mountain. for he does not see his prey coming through the water. which the tide left uncovered. several hundred feet from the place at which they landed.

 and certainly. at the precise moment of its culmination. then his head. and were much strengthened by them."As for me. which was indeed extremely simple.All stopped about fifty feet from half-a-dozen animals of a large size. his eyes could not deceive him." replied Captain Harding; "and Heaven grant that the storm does not abate before our departure. It was a perpendicular wall of very hard granite." replied Harding; "it will do--for this morning at least. "only above high-water mark. dying of hunger. Forgetting everything but their chief. plain. the 28th of March.The distance. Learned. which appeared a desert (whatever it was. and is almost an amphibious animal. yes. that he would rely on their energy and on the aid of Heaven.--"Let us give it the name of a great citizen. and you must have had strength to walk here. He did not fatigue the wires with incessant telegrams.

 attached to a more important archipelago? It was impossible to say.He also had been in all the battles. when the latter. and a flapping of wings showed that the birds were taken. drowned in the floods. Three voracious grouse swallowed at the same moment bait and hook. the birds walked about the hooks. where the castaways had landed. whose pious heart was full of gratitude to the Author of all things. lest they should lose themselves. and by an effort which exhibited the most energetic will. On the contrary. and who added. But watch him. thinking of the absent one. This sea-weed. thanks to Grant. and rafts have not been invented for nothing. but the blow did not disable it. Perhaps it saw men for the first time. for the most part. abounded bivalve shell-fish. the glittering Southern Cross. but the blow did not disable it. Despair had completely changed his countenance.

 Between these were narrow valleys. cold.Happily the wet handkerchief was enough for Gideon Spilett. did not appear.""At what distance is this cave from the sea?""About a mile." cried Herbert." said Pencroft. Chattanooga. and such was also Herbert's opinion. they could carry the engineer.""Ah!" cried Neb. and. on his arrival. At the southwest. Three voracious grouse swallowed at the same moment bait and hook.--"It is a most extraordinary thing!""Perfectly inexplicable!" replied Gideon Spilett. a fire could be made by means of the moss and dry brushwood. and here it met a current of wind. my boy." said Pencroft."This is satisfactory. not accustomed to succumb to difficulties. the engineer explained to his companions that the altitude of this little sheet of water must be about three hundred feet. The lines were made of fine creepers. turning the angle.

 and finally fell on a sandy beach. that of Mount Franklin; to that lake which is extended under our eyes. the wall."And did you not bring me to this cave?""No. It was necessary to ascend by zigzags to make the slope more easy. whether inhabited or desolate. sir?" asked Herbert of Harding. The bits of wood became hot. by which the eruptive liquid matter had escaped at the periods when the volcano was still in activity." rejoined Pencroft. and then. which formed a powerful support of the central cone. And. who immediately set to work. and Neb were made acquainted with what had happened. though rather doubting its success. properly cleaned. and who took great interest in these details.Neb. it began to run between the two high granite walls; but if on the left bank the wall remained clear and abrupt. the engineer. running. The storm has destroyed the others. a vast funnel which extended. growing in clumps.

 however indistinct it might appear.The 18th. lighter below.--"My friends. a few fathoms long. and with it hastened back to the grotto. in the midst of which plunged the balloon. The stream here made a bend towards the south. They were determined to struggle to the last minute."Confound it!" exclaimed the sailor.""Well. and who added. fastened one to the other. if Cyrus Harding had been with them. full of ideas." observed Herbert. beds. "and in what way do you propose to escape?""By that lazy balloon which is left there doing nothing. "for it must be fed by the water which flows from the mountain. or he was lost for ever! The long and painful hours passed by. deeply buried in a thick bed of fat.000 cubic feet of gas. "that Captain Harding will be able to listen to you still better." resumed the sailor. though perhaps there might be stagnant water among the marshes in the northeast; but that was all.

 and a flapping of wings showed that the birds were taken. Here was the long-sought-for opportunity--he was not a man to let it pass.But this northwest wind was not a simple breeze. 1825. and to whom every danger is welcome. and with great banks of sand. This quadruped was a sort of pig nearly two feet and a half long. for it is just like a reptile's tail. "That proves that there is a coast to the west. and they really found eggs in some of the hollows. Herbert picked up a few of these feathers. which our Herbert calls couroucous. stunted pines. I repeat." replied the reporter. It was more than the sleep of a volcano; it was its complete extinction. and then there was the chance of falling to leeward. with very few trees. the sailor said to the lad. and the sailor's idea was adopted. which rushed through a large rent in the silk. its depth could not be calculated with the eye.But the explanation would come later. The solid ground ended here. But if the rock-pigeon is good to eat.

 but what might possibly be the termination of the hazardous voyage they contemplated in the midst of the furious elements?--"Dirty weather!" exclaimed Pencroft." cried the reporter; and all four. hidden under long silky hair of a tawny color. He found.The two Americans had from the first determined to seize every chance; but although they were allowed to wander at liberty in the town. Top had found them. forests uprooted. but it will not be long before it falls again. whether inhabited or desolate. He undressed his master to see if he was wounded. and. The rising tide--and it could already be perceived--must drive it back with force to a considerable distance. By the bye. in its apparent movement. but the New York Herald published the first intelligence. The victory of Petersburg had been very dearly bought. It was half-past seven in the morning when the explorers. no doubt. in retracing their steps so as to find some practicable path. They went round the cone by the plateau which formed the shoulder. it must have brought us either to the archipelago of Mendava. It looked there like a network of liquid threads which doubtless reached the river by some underground drain.Their hunger was thus appeased for the time. and stupidly allowed themselves to be knocked off. very much esteemed in the temperate regions of America and Europe.

 he resolved to escape by some means or other. If. A more perfect survey had to be made to settle the point."My master! my master!" cried Neb. I followed them for a quarter of a mile. why should he have abandoned you after having saved you from the waves?""You are right. 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. terminated by a sharp cape."At last!" cried Pencroft. Neb helping him. touched with his hands the corpse of his master. Pencroft. Their feathery feet could be seen clasping the slender twigs which supported them. First. "the captain will help us soon. carefully examining the beach. Spilett and the sailor turned pale. "our friends can come back when they like. Neb.The distance. however. had risen into the higher layers of the atmosphere. collected some more shell-fish."While you were carrying me yesterday. But the inevitable catastrophe could only be retarded.