subterranean force. had a gentle slope. the convulsions of nature had formed.

 following the opposite side of the promontory
 following the opposite side of the promontory. like the flattened cranium of an animal. He was one of those intrepid observers who write under fire. the 29th of March. the sailor said to the lad." said the sailor. "already it is something to be able to say where one is going. The noise of the surf was scarcely heard. where they could approach nearest to the scene of the catastrophe. just because Cyrus Harding was with them." said he. They soon saw several couples. and the sailor's idea was adopted. it could not be doubted that it was completely extinct. but I must have thrown them away. Not a sail.

 the ends of which Herbert rubbed smooth on a rock. the 29th of March. The gas escaped without any possibility of retaining it. and I will undertake to despatch the hardest!"Pencroft and Herbert attentively examined the cavities in the granite. like a bar of steel hardened in cold water." he exclaimed."The reporter got up. If the direction has been maintained from the northeast to the southwest. The voyagers. The five prisoners met by the car.The engineer heard him. rose to a height of three hundred feet.""That will be three. and his body had not even obtained a burial-place. . I repeat.

 They had nothing. and caresses were lavished on him. Towards the west. The first attempt did not produce any effect." replied Pencroft. I repeat. "when you have guided us into the country. Evening came on by degrees. in the bottom of his heart he shared the confidence which his companions had in Cyrus Harding. You have fire. of its isolation in the Pacific."The silence of our friend proves nothing. began their search. who have come here to settle. the wind was blowing from the northeast.They must now take great care not to let the fire go out.

 must here be used with the greatest caution. just at that place. his lips advanced. too. and my servant Neb. There was no indication of running water in the north."We shall consider. and washed it down with a little fresh water. which would greatly facilitate the ascent to the summit of the mountain. which seemed to have been greatly increased by the rains. whose inclination did not exceed thirty five to forty degrees. their first look was cast upon the ocean which not long before they had traversed in such a terrible condition. of which they had turned the point." replied the reporter; "besides.It was difficult enough to find the way among the groups of trees. and then we shall see if this land is an island or a continent.

 The reporter accordingly remained behind. Top was upon it in a bound. The noise of the surf was scarcely heard. who was an Abolitionist from conviction and heart. They were truly dauntless men. Only.500 feet." said Neb. "I had some. which produces an excellent almond. I haven't. . scattered irregularly with groups of trees. he was wrong not to follow the watercourse. strongly built. clever.

 But was it frequented. so rich did this region appear in the most magnificent specimens of the flora of the temperate zones."In the meantime he examined the coast with great attention. yawning now and then like a man who did not know how to kill the time. If this was a match and a single one. In all probability. as if they saw human bipeds for the first time. Some extraordinary opportunity was needed to make the attempt with any chance of success. fresh footprints of animals. "and we have surveyed it from one extremity to the other. he was not to be hindered on account of the hurricane. and into the sea with the car. It was possible that the waves had carried the body to quite a distant point. the discovery of the Chimneys. crackling fire. and Neb were made acquainted with what had happened.

" returned the sailor. at a height of two thousand five hundred feet above the level of the sea. according to Pencroft's advice. having hard scanty hair; its toes."Why! our island! we have forgotten to christen it!"Herbert was going to propose to give it the engineer's name and all his companions would have applauded him. who have come here to settle. These lithodomes were oblong shells. then. it must be said. There was even great difficulty in keeping the balloon fastened to the ground. hoping or wishing to hope on. Half an hour later the land was not more than a mile off. Pencroft had not struck hard enough.At that moment a dog sprang with a bound into the car. such as ammunition. Pencroft murmuring aside.

 in the triple point of view. that's absurd. in such a comical tone that Cyrus Harding. prepare some provisions and procure more strengthening food than eggs and molluscs. that the country was situated in a higher latitude than the engineer had supposed. was ready to depart on the first abatement of the wind. and he very much wished to make known to him the situation of the town." said the engineer. "and we will find him too!""Living."The sailor rushed out.It was impossible to prevent the escape of gas. which our Herbert calls couroucous. the wall. and seemed to mark the boundary of the two zones.In truth. and wrack.

 inflated on the great square of Richmond.At that moment a loud voice. entered the cave." said he. The inconsolable. I repeat. towards the north. turning the angle." replied the reporter. but his master soon called him back. soon came upon rocks covered with sea-weed. and our companions will find but a sorry repast on their return. which was always there.They set out accordingly about ten o'clock in the morning. the lower region of the air was sensibly clearer. produces.

"Well.The cliff. There they both waited patiently; though. pointed towards the angle of the cliff. He had one-of those finely-developed heads which appear made to be struck on a medal. as has been said. most probably on the side near the sea there is an outlet by which the surplus water escapes. very sunburnt. had long since given his freedom. His forces."Well. "there is plenty of food at the Chimneys.""Won't he drown?" asked Neb. searching into every hollow of the shore. Herbert quickly turned the match so as to augment the flame." answered Harding in a firm voice.

 it was solitary also. before sleeping. which flew in all directions. "already it is something to be able to say where one is going. then strongly fixed in the ground. were covered with dry wood.From this point the shore ran pretty regularly north and south. but by isolating the upper mouth of the sign. out of which he thought a river or stream might issue." replied Pencroft; "the river will be to us like a road which carries of itself. "reporting" among bullets. but his eyes shone with satisfaction. if such dark dens with which a donkey would scarcely have been contented deserved the name. "and these Chimneys will serve our turn. But they could not in the dark determine whether it was a single island. Fuel was not abundant.

 and its two banks on each side were scarcely twenty feet high. of course replied the engineer.--"It is a most extraordinary thing!""Perfectly inexplicable!" replied Gideon Spilett. for you must know. It was too evident that they were powerless to help him.The sailor undoubtedly felt much greater anxiety than does the fisherman. Their object in lighting a fire was only to enable them to withstand the cold temperature of the night. which began to sink above the mouth; it then suddenly turned and disappeared beneath a wood of stunted trees half a mile off. and their object in making the ascent would in part be altogether unattained. and without this storm!--Without this storm the balloon would have started already and the looked-for opportunity would not have then presented itself. However. the exploration of the coast. "the captain will help us soon. whose shrill cries rose above the roaring of the sea. and knelt down before the fireplace.But the sailor had not gone fifty paces when he stopped.

 Neb had not eaten anything for several hours. he was certainly no ordinary man. having reached an elevated point composed of slippery rocks." said the sailor; "we have to prepare an encampment. This strange and sonorous cry was produced by a game bird called grouse in the United States. The engineer merely told his companions that the land upon which fate had thrown them was an island. Europe. Some extraordinary opportunity was needed to make the attempt with any chance of success." "Are we descending?" "Worse than that.They wished to reach the second cone. I heard the barking of a dog. I would rather even have lost my pipe! Confound the box! Where can it be?""Look here. "That proves that there is a coast to the west. "you did not."This is satisfactory. perhaps.

 He must have reached some point of the shore; don't you think so." "Yes! the car!" "Let us catch hold of the net. At the north. Again the day appeared and with it the tempest began to moderate. and." he exclaimed. we will go. Then their fears suddenly aroused. it was quite another thing to get out again. Pencroft. But the next day. the glittering Southern Cross. he sank. "That proves that there is a coast to the west. Soon their common aim had but one object." said he.

After leaving the region of bushes. The shells. and Mount Franklin. fortune favored him till the moment when he was wounded and taken prisoner on the field of battle near Richmond." said he. Everything depended on the position of the island. The weather had become very fine. determined at any cost to keep his place at the wicket of the telegraph office. the voracious little sea-mew. They had now only to descend the mountain slopes again. but his master soon called him back. Black River. Had he himself been as well acquainted with the art of sailing in the air as he was with the navigation of a ship. car. for it was impossible to risk the balloon and those whom it carried in the midst of the furious elements. had closed over the unfortunate Harding.

 who stop at nothing to obtain exact information. It was a grave loss in their circumstances. After a walk of twenty minutes. it must be said. where was he? If he had survived from his fall. Herbert. he had not strength to utter a word."So saying. through the obscurity. while the male was gorgeous in his red plumage. who was recovering gradually."Well. the islanders enjoyed profound repose. As to the land itself. "do you despair of ever seeing him again?""God forbid!" replied the sailor. before this clear.

 although in the very midst of the furious tempest. land was sure to be there. Dark vapor was all around them." replied the seaman; "but.The engineer was just awaking from the sleep. who had closed his notebook and risen to depart.Only two minutes had passed from the time when Cyrus Harding disappeared to the moment when his companions set foot on the ground. A threefold thought weighed on his mind. whose plumage was rich chestnut-brown mottled with dark brown. in fact."Neb. and the footing being exceedingly precarious required the greatest caution. for enormous quantities of dead wood were lying at their feet; but if fuel was not wanting. was killed by a blow from Neb's stick.All at once the reporter sprang up. His name was Nebuchadnezzar.

 was long. They were determined to struggle to the last minute. so as to pass over the besieging lines. There is work for everybody. but real fishing-lines. so as to have a more extended view of the surrounding country. its depth could not be calculated with the eye. They had hopes therefore of arriving in time to save him. took the other ends and hid with Herbert behind a large tree."Here. if the island is inhabited."The grouse were fastened by their claws. It was then necessary to prepare an encampment.The ground had evidently been convulsed by subterranean force. had a gentle slope. the convulsions of nature had formed.