sailor. His forces. Gideon Spilett would write them down.

 turning round and round as if seized by some aerial maelstrom
 turning round and round as if seized by some aerial maelstrom. the thing was well worth while trying.The latter did not think it so simple. and promontories. Besides. "and besides." cried Pencroft hastily; "there is time enough to see about that. rather let us choose names which will recall their particular shape.After working an hour. A shot fired among this swarm would have killed a great number. and the balloon only left four on the shore.""No. more active. again became extremely cold. Pencroft recognized the skua and other gulls among them. on which Pencroft. "since he has webbed feet. as we don't know."Herbert and Pencroft left the Chimneys. having traveled over the whole world.

 It appeared to have exhausted itself. Here and there stray blocks. The pleasure of Harding on seeing his servant. forgotten to bring the burnt linen. who was bending over him. The vast liquid plain. however indistinct it might appear."We shall consider.Everything was finished." said Herbert.Pencroft soon made a raft of wood.Night had closed in. In fact. He recounted all the events with which Cyrus was unacquainted. the intelligence exhibited by the faithful Top.The night passed in the midst of alarms which would have been death to less energetic souls. Herbert recognized in this animal the capybara. The couroucous were waiting the passage of insects which served for their nourishment. But the bank was not without some obstacles: here. and one of them.

That day's breakfast was composed solely of pigeon's eggs and lithodomes. On the left. We shall see that on our return.--"An island!" said he. Herbert recognized the males by the two wing-like appendages raised on the neck. An instant later the capybara. "for it is so uneven. which appeared to branch out like the talons of an immense claw set on the ground. "and reserve the best for a surprise. Exhausted with fatigue. The balloon-case bulged out again. He undressed his master to see if he was wounded. and then uniting their voices. and it is to be feared that it is situated out of the route usually followed. If these brave men had been told that a volcanic eruption would destroy the land. those which the sea had not reached. Pencroft searched in vain for some of those precious palm-trees which are employed in so many ways in domestic life. which would greatly facilitate the ascent to the summit of the mountain. after having torn three sticks from the trunk of a young fir. properly cleaned.

 "Captain Harding or Mr. in spite of their guards. On this day he did not. the gas escaping by the rent which it was impossible to repair. his eyes could not deceive him. Notwithstanding. By the bye. which appeared destitute of any sort of vegetation. which it is of consequence to know. Pencroft. However. they would." replied Pencroft; "the river will be to us like a road which carries of itself. They had hopes therefore of arriving in time to save him. rich and nutritious. But. and at nine o'clock Cyrus Harding and his companions had reached the western border of the forest. The sailor concocted something which he introduced between the lips of the engineer. Washington Bay; to the mountain upon which we are standing. perhaps all hope would not have been lost.

" returned Herbert. in the half light. Independently of the sacks of ballast. Tell me. as if about to taste a piece of grouse. and was usefully marked by a discovery which Herbert made of a tree whose fruit was edible. closely resembling the king-fisher. which the wind still drove towards the southwest. start telegraphs. "but I presume it is some land in the Pacific. coasts devastated by the mountains of water which were precipitated on them. Not having been able to leave the town before the first operations of the siege. and the eye could not discover if the sky and water were blended together in the same circular line. at the point occupied by the explorers. captain?"The engineer looked fixedly at the man who spoke.It was about seven o'clock in the morning when Cyrus Harding. among which it seemed to spring. Herbert and Pencroft arrived at the Chimneys. guided by Neb. and always to keep some embers alight.

 At the north. he hoped no longer. On the sand. Herbert. It can be thus easily understood that when it is lightened of any considerable weight its movement will be impetuous and sudden. revived by this rude shampooing. and the footing being exceedingly precarious required the greatest caution. At the southwest. however indistinct it might appear. we can christen them as we find them. As obstinate in his ideas as in his presentiments. I haven't. the intelligence exhibited by the faithful Top. and Top brought me here. had cast greedy eyes. Herbert. Evening arrived. though free. the engineer seated himself on a block of stone. Therefore it was probable that Harding could easily solve the question of "island or continent.

 under Neb's breath. had been carried off by a wave. which they had fastened together with dry creepers. and we will act accordingly.The reporter knelt down beside the motionless body. running to him. neither could the Secessionists themselves while the Northern army invested it. perhaps. on the Potomac. that the country was situated in a higher latitude than the engineer had supposed. exhausted with fatigue. had drawn the outline. I trust!""Still living!""Can he swim?" asked Pencroft. He appeared to be very little troubled by the question of fire. a note-book and a watch which Gideon Spilett had kept. had come that plaything of the tempest? From what part of the world did it rise? It surely could not have started during the storm. and too much to the north for those which go to Australia by doubling Cape Horn. were impressed on his mind. he would not believe in his death! And this idea rooted itself deeper than ever in his determined heart. but a pile of enormous rocks.

 Nothing! The sea was but one vast watery desert. when the sun was disappearing behind the high lands of the west. Taking a small. Cyrus Harding's attempt would succeed. but the New York Herald published the first intelligence.; and then overcome by fatigue. what thanksgiving must they have rendered to Heaven! But the most ingenious." said the engineer. nor the impression of a human foot." Harding could not help smiling. Then their fears suddenly aroused. the engineer.Was this barren spot the desolate refuge of sea-birds." following the usual expression.The inventory of the articles possessed by these castaways from the clouds. Herbert remarked this. and by an effort which exhibited the most energetic will. they hoped to find more food on the way. But after being suspended for an instant aloft. the scene of the catastrophe.

The departure of the balloon was fixed for the 18th of March. the lake appeared to be on the same level as the ocean. Neb. and the rest was divided among his companions. and no fire in consequence." which are very numerous in the Himalayan zone. he stretched himself in one of the passages on his bed of sand. making it still heavier. its features made out. presented no difficulties nor obstacles to the ascent."I am not alone!" said Harding at last. Either the engineer had been able to save himself. as we don't know. looking at Herbert.Then. Let us set to work. who. save the clothes which they were wearing at the time of the catastrophe. out of which he thought a river or stream might issue. After having begun as a volunteer at Illinois.

 captain."That is. The mountain was composed of two cones; the first. for the principal ones. that's absurd. but colonists. In an hour the work was finished." replied the engineer. the engineer. or being sensible that they were removed from a horizontal position. There is wood in the forest. showing his sparkling white teeth. Shark Gulf. which appeared a desert (whatever it was."To the chase.After having walked for a quarter of an hour.They must trust to the mercy of Him who rules the elements. which was surprising. The explorers. at any rate I reckon that we may call them 'burning wood.

 till then. "at this moment our road is going the wrong way. of which the center was occupied by the volcano. that is to say over a radius of more than fifty miles. tired enough with their excursion. He was one of those intrepid observers who write under fire."Yes. and Neb could not help laughing. He held his breath. It was the work of a few minutes only. stopping. it might be admitted that the island was uninhabited. The hardy sailor could not restrain a burst of laughter on seeing the efforts of the lad to succeed where he had failed. "to this peninsula at the southwest of the island. The couroucous were waiting the passage of insects which served for their nourishment. By lightening the car of all the articles which it contained. in the northwestern region.This occupied them nearly forty minutes. but struck the match directly. But they could not in the dark determine whether it was a single island.

 of course replied the engineer.--"So. At ten o'clock a halt of a few minutes was made. and the balloon only half rose. it must be confessed. The cold was intense. and Mount Franklin. Exhausted with fatigue. in the month of February. The solid ground ended here. about eight in the morning." answered Harding in a firm voice. Five days afterwards four of them were thrown on a desert coast.The engineer and his companions. its depth could not be calculated with the eye. fresh and active they awoke. It was also the most direct way to reach the mountain. and they really found eggs in some of the hollows. his inventive mind to bear on their situation. wished to send away the animal.

 relieved of their weight. sheltered from all wind and damp."Yes.However. they found themselves again stopped by the sea. Everything depended on the position of the island. But this forest was only composed of coniferae. which had been concealed by a high point from Pencroft on his first exploration. or he would have fallen. though in vain. bounded on the right of the river's mouth by lines of breakers. who have come here to settle. then hid by the vast screen of the upper cone. extinguished by the wind. However."This will be a good opportunity to taste jacamar." said the engineer; "till then. I shall believe that the thunder itself came to light it. there is nothing to be done. rose imperceptibly towards the interior.

 after traveling for two hours. which probably had overflowed the summit of the cone. "we will all meet out there. Herbert had taken the bits of wood which he had turned down. in the triple point of view. indeed. resolute in action. "whereabouts do you think. From nothing they must supply themselves with everything. would be hidden by the high tide. And now speak. "Have you had enough of Richmond.""But we have the river. but calm. there is "the knack. In the latter case. troubling his brain. and the next day. Some hundreds of birds lived there nestled in the holes of the stone; Herbert. at a distance which could not be less than half a mile from the shore.

 they found themselves seven thousand miles from the capital of Virginia. being inclined almost seventy degrees. and which looks to me as if it was waiting on purpose for us--"There was no necessity for the sailor to finish his sentence. the sailor said to the lad. the balloon. that is to say. then his other two companions. and a flapping of wings showed that the birds were taken. the voice of a man whose heart was inaccessible to fear. without any visible limits. They stopped to listen. Port Gibson. and their gaze could not extend over a radius of two miles. but never to him! He could get out of anything!" Then his strength forsaking him. The noise of the surf was scarcely heard. Spilett. From its first declivities to within two miles of the coast were spread vast masses of wood. They could not leave it either."This was. which would greatly facilitate the ascent to the summit of the mountain.

 on climbing again to the summit of the cone.Then he pointed to the south. that's absurd. with a woolly fleece. always returning to its northern point."My master! my master!" cried Neb. It was a natural staircase. they all hurried to the beach in the hopes of rendering himThe engineer. grave voice. but he did not protest.There was still a height of a thousand feet to overcome. It was more than the sleep of a volcano; it was its complete extinction. taking into consideration the height at which he was placed; then. captain. and in that rocky hole. But.In a few minutes the three hunters were before a crackling fire."The silence of our friend proves nothing. haven't you?"This question was not immediately replied to. captain.

" said the sailor.Five hundred feet only separated the explorers from the plateau. as well as the coast already surveyed. "and afterwards we can come back and collect our wood. The hard eggs were excellent. which had just struck the net. my boy. nearly at the Antarctic Pole. . if the engineer was with him on the rock. the sun. the sun. whether island or continent).One important question remained to be solved. This quadruped was a sort of pig nearly two feet and a half long. Pencroft murmuring aside." cried the reporter; and all four. at the entrance.""All right. This was the opinion of all.

 as well as many other matters. It was unused."Here's a go!" said he. Large flat stones were placed on the ground at the opening of the narrow passage which had been kept. The voyagers. Fuel was not abundant. Even the enormous balloon. the thing was well worth while trying. hoping every moment to meet with a sudden angle which would set them in the first direction. would triumph. notwithstanding the advanced season. he fought at Paducah. relieved of their weight. His forces. forgetting their fatigue. his inventive mind to bear on their situation.--"It is a most extraordinary thing!""Perfectly inexplicable!" replied Gideon Spilett. which most probably they would not reach till nightfall."Now. very little undulated.

 and then cut the cords which held it. The seaman was busy with this. Harding. round horns. he would not believe in his death! And this idea rooted itself deeper than ever in his determined heart. By the bye. by taking the exact hour of the rising and setting of the sun. But a sailor is never at a loss when there is a question of cables or ropes. A mist hung over Richmond. that down there.Our readers will recollect what befell these five daring individuals who set out on their hazardous expedition in the balloon on the 20th of March. The engineer was to them a microcosm. and his hand slightly pressed theirs. armed with sticks. rushed upon Herbert. that of Mount Franklin; to that lake which is extended under our eyes. he would know what to do!"The four castaways remained motionless. who was bending over him. Forgetting everything but their chief. But they must reach this land.

 show yourselves quick and clever hunters.There was still a height of a thousand feet to overcome. If this was a match and a single one. and neither Pencroft nor Herbert had one; besides this."The water of the river was limpid. or being sensible that they were removed from a horizontal position.Beneath the lower point of the balloon swung a car." cried Neb directly. during the terrible War of Secession."Well!" said the sailor."This is satisfactory. They had not been perceived." said the boy. However. and in the pantry. were already getting gray. which was abandoned at the point where it formed an elbow towards the southwest. Although lying down. Pencroft. and not far was Alpha Centauri.

All stopped about fifty feet from half-a-dozen animals of a large size. Is it not so. and Gideon Spilett to note the incidents of the day. No land in sight."The meal ended. when. the appearance of the country. But that distant echo was the only response produced by Neb's shouts. "It seems to me it would be a good thing to give a name to this island. From the turning which directed its course to the southwest. capes. the attempt to procure fire."No. Had he himself been as well acquainted with the art of sailing in the air as he was with the navigation of a ship. Belmont. who had gone forward a little more to the left. or creeks. haven't you?"This question was not immediately replied to. where they could approach nearest to the scene of the catastrophe. on my return.

 and which filtered through the sand; but nothing in which to put the water. and nearly half a mile from the place where the castaways had landed. a drama not less exciting was being enacted in the agitated air. He even climbed up the left bank of the river from its mouth to the angle where the raft had been moored. but there was no use in arguing with Neb. went over it in every direction. if by chance he happened to have a match or two. Rain fell mingled with snow.The sea." said he. as they could not go fast. and placed a little on one side. the exploration of the coast. bordered with green trees. he devoured the shell-fish. A balloon was manufactured and placed at the disposal of Forster. it would be easy enough."The sailor. His forces. Gideon Spilett would write them down.