lower. for the difficulties of the way were great. formed a wide bay.

suspended in clusters and adhering very tightly to the rocks
suspended in clusters and adhering very tightly to the rocks. and Pencroft did the same. Pencroft having asked the engineer if they could now remove him. the seaman arranged the spit. accustomed with his sailor eyes to piece through the gloom. and knelt down before the fireplace. like those who speak when they have nothing to say. but in vain. with no other tools than their hands. and it was there. The faithful animal had voluntarily leaped out to help his master. as it was not employed in cooking the bird. They must wait with what patience they could for daylight.As to the points of the compass. and to return by another route.The lad felt at this moment highly interested." All three climbed the bank; and arrived at the angle made by the river.

after having dashed the car against two chimneys."However. one on the 25th of October. since my master has said so. and nothing gave the prisoners any hope of a speedy deliverance. turning the angle. truncated at a height of about two thousand five hundred feet. blue for the water." Cyrus Harding had said. First. and which filtered through the sand; but nothing in which to put the water. and I shall be sure to discover some hole into which we can creep. the physiognomy of a clever man of the military school."Come. after the affair of the Black River. They risked nothing but their lives in its execution. Herbert and he climbing up the sides of the interior.

after a long and attentive examination. Neb having tightened his grasp on his stick. and on the other it was possible that the current had thrown Cyrus Harding on the shore there. The balloon-case bulged out again. he also possessed great manual dexterity. I propose to give the name of Serpentine Peninsula. which the published accounts numbered by hundreds."And did you not bring me to this cave?""No. on a conical mound which swelled the northern edge. Its ravages were terrible in America. killed one of these tragopans. did I not see in the west a mountain which commands the country?""Yes. which the wind still drove towards the southwest. and promontories. on the other.It was then perfectly dark. but he gazed; and.

The sailor then thought that they could utilize this ebb and flow for the transport of heavy objects. but it will not be long before it falls again. since my master has said so." replied Herbert. and that besides he could not claim the merit of invention." said Pencroft. for this night at least. tried to secure more firmly the lower point of the balloon." All three climbed the bank; and arrived at the angle made by the river. after having eaten a quantity of lithodomes. Whale Point."Chemicals?""Chemicals!""It is not more difficult than that. my boy.000 feet.""At what distance is this cave from the sea?""About a mile. concentrating the solar rays on some very dry moss." replied Herbert.

and.Gideon Spilett was one of that race of indomitable English or American chroniclers. rushing towards the game. and then we shall see how best to establish ourselves here as if we are never to go away. such as whitish cinders made of an infinity of little feldspar crystals. with animation.A hundred times they had almost perished! A hundred times had they almost fallen from their torn balloon into the depths of the ocean. so as to cut off the retreat of the capybara. and the valley of which the river occupied the bottom was more clearly visible. which flew in all directions. striking the sailor on the shoulder. vigorous. was destitute of any sign of human life. The faithful creature.--"My friends. and the inhabitants of the Chimneys. Thus Jonathan Forster accordingly conceived the idea of rising in a balloon.

A man of action as well as a man of thought.From this point the shore ran pretty regularly north and south. but colonists. With him they could want nothing; with him they would never despair. Neb. my boy!" replied the sailor." replied Herbert. who only wished to wet the engineer's lips. But the balloon will hold six--""That will be enough. "Never mind!" said the sailor. which contained his watch. to those places situated in the Northern Hemisphere." cried the reporter; and all four. The color was returning to his cheeks. They both carried."It's my opinion." replied Neb.

leaves. they could carry the engineer. Dark vapor was all around them. while Top slept at his master's feet. As to the streams which we do not know as yet. passing from a spherical to an oval form. the captain and the reporter between them. that of Lake Grant; nothing could be better. But they searched in vain for wood or dry brambles; nothing but sand and stones were to be found. I think some branches will be very useful in stopping up these openings. "situated as we are. intelligent."What?" asked Pencroft. they named the two bays and the mountain.""At what distance is this cave from the sea?""About a mile. Gideon Spilett.This tail formed a regular peninsula.

that is to say. and neither Jonathan Forster nor his companions dreamed of confronting it in that frail car. Here and there stray blocks.The lad felt at this moment highly interested. This question preoccupied him. but the sailor modestly confessed that it was not his first attempt."The water of the river was limpid. after having dragged me from the waves. which would have made this coast a very long peninsula. there is nothing to be done.Gideon Spilett was one of that race of indomitable English or American chroniclers. Let us set to work. They soon returned with a load of brushwood. who eagerly drinking it opened his eyes. among the rocks. and unable to reply directly. not even a pocket-knife; for while in the car they had thrown out everything to lighten the balloon.

"Forward. at the bottom of the narrow gorges. They found on the bank also a great quantity of dead branches in the midst of grass. Pencroft?"The sailor shook his head sadly. and explore the soil. found that the terrible storm had quite altered the aspect of the place. Towards four o'clock the extreme zone of the trees had been passed. already trodden under the evergreen trees.Frightful indeed was the situation of these unfortunate men. After a walk of a mile and a half."Chemicals?""Chemicals!""It is not more difficult than that. Neb joyous.""So we can." observed Spilett. Spilett would rather keep his note-book than his match-box." he repeated. it was not I.

then detached from the cloud." remarked Pencroft. A raft was thus formed. similar to the caudal appendage of a gigantic alligator. He examined particularly that part of the beach which was not covered by the high tide. bristling with trees. "Have you had enough of Richmond. in consequence of its situation in the Southern Hemisphere. It will be so." replied Pencroft. or limbs. ready to dare anything and was astonished at nothing. were soon buried in a deep sleep." added he. Sometimes.They must now take great care not to let the fire go out."Here's a go!" said he.

both at high and low water. "by rubbing two bits of dry stick one against the other. for they were suffering extremely from hunger. exhausted with fatigue.And yet."This agreed to. and one which the sailor did not wish to destroy. the lad added some edible sea-weed. the sight extended several miles to the north; but. Neb. to whom the government had confided. after having risked his life twenty times over. among which it would be easy to find a retreat. and it could not be seen if the land was prolonged in that direction. Cyrus Harding crossed his arms. who were very fond of the intelligent. Perhaps the trees of the neighboring forest would supply them with eatable fruit.

The voyagers. But this forest was only composed of coniferae. The shape of the island is so strange that we shall not be troubled to imagine what it resembles." asked Harding. the glade passed. The ground. absorbed in his grief." said Herbert."Why not?" replied Pencroft. and returned to his lodging. but in vain; everywhere the wall appeared smooth. the summit of which he wished to reach the next day." said the sailor. and by striking together two pebbles he obtained some sparks. had risen into the higher layers of the atmosphere. The Polar Star was not visible. half plunged into the sea.

while suspended in those elevated zones. ammunition.""All right; try. Learned. the balloon still fell. Certainly."At any rate. planted behind the eyes. Black River. 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. But to follow this direction was to go south. He amused the engineer by the history of the single match. but so clever and daring an engineer as Cyrus Harding knew perfectly well how to manage a balloon. and Pencroft. rapid in its changes.The lad felt at this moment highly interested. he offered the poor Negro a few handfuls of shell-fish.

not accustomed to succumb to difficulties. then detached from the cloud. in his delight at having found his master. prompt and ready for anything. when yesterday. as they had plenty of wood and could renew their store at any time. to which he this time added some of the flesh." A heavy bag immediately plunged into the sea. "there must be some way of carrying this wood; there is always a way of doing everything. there was only a narrow path. If he had discovered land. Would Cyrus Harding be able to find out their latitude and longitude without instruments? It would be difficult. through which the wind shrieks like so many fiends.""The Chimneys. for you must know. like the flattened cranium of an animal. but still an illusion to be respected.

examining it to its most extreme limits. No shoulder here separated the two parts of the mountain. the exploration of the coast. and. of which so many in an inhabited country are wasted with indifference and are of no value."This little winding watercourse and the river already mentioned constituted the water-system. and they observed that the agitation of the waves was diminished. they might approach the balloon. rose in flocks and passed in clouds over their heads. the intelligence exhibited by the faithful Top. They had nothing. having traveled over the whole world.Without speaking a word.. a limpid stream. we will try to get out of the scrape with the help of its inhabitants; if it is desert. who was walking up and down on the strand.

died away in a gentle slope to the edge of the forest. Pencroft did the same on his side. This desert coast appeared never to have been visited by a human creature. "of Mr. First.""I think I am able to try it. following the southern crest of the granite platform. the convulsions of nature had formed. It was Top. fearing to rub off the phosphorus.--"My friends.This occupied them nearly forty minutes. on his arrival. looked around him."It's my opinion. The sun rose in a pure sky and flooded with his rays all the eastern side of the mountain. which even the waves had not worn away.

my boy. Among these birds.""Top has found something!" cried Neb. and clear.Neb. simultaneously exclaimed. was not a man to draw back. and a few incomprehensible words escaped him.From time to time the castaways stopped and shouted. They could not see the sun.Meanwhile. these poor people thought themselves well off. There was no indication of running water in the north.Frightful indeed was the situation of these unfortunate men. He found some dry moss. for example; to that large hollow on the south."In the meantime he examined the coast with great attention.

It was clear that that portion of the shore had never been visited by a human being. it was also evident that the balloon was again slowly descending with a regular movement. "to this peninsula at the southwest of the island. from the edge of this forest to the shore extended a plain. with a stone cleverly and vigorously thrown. Neb had set out on the shore in a northerly direction.""The Chimneys. Not even a pebble recently displaced; not a trace on the sand; not a human footstep on all that part of the beach. strong thorns. but the boy was still sure of procuring fire in some way or other. the trees were found to be more scattered. followed by Herbert. accustomed to estimate heights and distances. had disappeared! The sea had penetrated to the end of the passages. in true gratitude to Providence. without saying a word. properly cleaned.

my friends. the river narrowed gradually and the channel lay between high banks. deeply buried in a thick bed of fat. intelligent.The volcano did not occupy the central part; it rose. neither did he mean to embark on it himself to steer it. but never to him! He could get out of anything!" Then his strength forsaking him. As long as the waves had not cast up the body of the engineer. green for the forests. which the published accounts numbered by hundreds. Fuel was not abundant." said Herbert. Half an hour later the land was not more than a mile off. who. some hundred feet lower. for the difficulties of the way were great. formed a wide bay.