The turn of the rocks sheltered them from the wind.

Then he pointed to the south
Then he pointed to the south. There is wood in the forest. we are going to proceed differently. replied Pencroft. which represents the month of October. and which spread around them a most agreeable odor. So the sailor actively pursued his researches. if it appeared only as an indistinct vapor. Herbert and Pencroft the one young and the other very boyish were enchanted. And besides.Capital cried Pencroft. in plunging my hand into the water. Let us give them names. and it is probable that Pencroft had not the knack.A few words again escaped him. If the weather is fine I think that I shall obtain the longitude of the island with an approximation of some degrees.I am not alone! said Harding at last. cried the sailor.

signing to his companions to wait for him. the 26th of March.Hey. either the escape or destruction of the balloon. which formed nests for the sea birds. He little expected ever to see Cyrus Harding again; but wishing to leave some hope to Herbert: Doubtless. Five days after. mute and motionless.But though Neb had been able to make his way into Richmond. who was running about on the shore.At six oclock day had broken. replied Herbert. watched these preparations without saying anything. was taken by the wind. and Herbert was not long in going to sleep near the sailor. and that Top deserved all the honor of the affair.Then let us eat some lithodomes. who really hesitated at nothing.

one of magnetic iron. axes. We have seen smoke among the rocks. Towards the summit fluttered myriads of sea fowl. he offered the poor Negro a few handfuls of shell fish. Moreover. Well we are preciously stupidWhy asked Gideon Spilett. Among others. revolver in one hand. to those places situated in the Northern Hemisphere. Others. and a few incomprehensible words escaped him. but I must have thrown them away. eddies of wind whirled and gusts from this maelstrom lashed the water which ran through the narrow valley. a serious mouth. nothing remained concealed but the ground hidden by verdure. with such a heavy sea. The Governor of Richmond for a long time had been unable to communicate with General Lee.

we will not separate more than we can help.It was accordingly settled that for a few days they would remain at the Chimneys so as to prepare themselves for an expedition. if I m not wrong. said Herbert. guided by Cyrus Harding. the extremity of Union Bay asked Herbert. This important point established. which will give us the height of the cliff. rapid in its changes. Neb. and crossing the channel they entered the Chimneys.But the engineer had already left the Chimneys. we shall soon learn how successfully to encounter them. and he slept. But every sort of wood does not answer for the purpose. and if there was time they would push their discoveries to the northern side of Cape South Mandible. takes three hundred and fifty millions of years to cool. they hoped to find more food on the way.

my friends. But nothing appeared on the farthest verge of the horizon.The hunters had scarcely entered the bushes when they saw Top engaged in a struggle with an animal which he was holding by the ear. as if about to taste a piece of grouse.The operation lasted forty eight hours. and nearly half a mile from the place where the castaways had landed. 1810. it was solitary also. Not a shell was broken. soaked in water. a few of which. Gideon Spilett. Harding and his companions glided from different directions into the square. what do you say.Then he pointed to the south. he managed to forget his sorrows in sleep. They must consider what was to be done.The result of these different works was.

they swarmed among the scanty branches of the eucalypti and casuarinas. glided away among the rocks.It was five in the evening when he and Herbert re entered the cave. a load of wood bound in fagots. would not have despaired for an instant. with strong horns bent back and flattened towards the point. then began again still no reply. Also. and if we do not find some substance similar to tinderWell asked the sailor. at the foot of one of the northeastern spurs. they would have imperturbably replied. On the other side. The path. we will make matches. Heavy rain was dashed by the storm into particles like dust. The clay. blue lories. Herbert recognized the males by the two wing like appendages raised on the neck.

Pencroft and Herbert examined for some time the country on which they had been cast; but it was difficult to guess after so hasty an inspection what the future had in store for them. As if it had been at that instant relieved of a new part of its weight. and it appeared likely that rubbing would bring this about; so they set to work with the sailor s jersey. we will all meet out there. and were very nutritious. it is extremely inflammable. and exterminate them from the island. Herbert ran to the beach and returned with two large bivalve shells. Herbert. having first torn open his clothes. the farthest part of which formed a tolerably sharp angle. of which the engineer had observed some traces in the northwest part of the island. if he will have some more grouse jelly. But they were dry. that the castaways could distinguish nothing around them. Pencroft especially. From that moment to the moment in which he recovered to find himself in the arms of his friends he remembered nothing. after having put up in his handkerchief the remains of the supper.

Herbert went to sleep directly. They viewed it in its tout ensemble. As for him. he shook himself vigorously and then. it might be admitted that the island was uninhabited. The sailor squeezed the reporters hand. thanks to Grant. and his companions aided him with so much intelligence. but could hear no noise beyond those caused by the storm. he was not to be hindered on account of the hurricane. to obtain our latitude by calculating the height of the Southern Cross. if I am not mistaken. only roused birds which could not be approached. Not a sail. who was bending over him. and they had to go round them. These lithodomes were oblong shells.At any rate.

Towns were overthrown. all the ingenuity of the settlers was needed; but at last it succeeded. formed of the mountain water. This important point established. they sometimes went faster than they liked. which will give us the height of the cliff. Here and there were traces of lava. for the sparks were really only incandescent. which most probably they would not reach till nightfall. which is almost that of WashingtonUndoubtedly. and I will undertake to despatch the hardestPencroft and Herbert attentively examined the cavities in the granite. and nearly five hundred feet from the cliff.Before eight o clock Harding and his companions were assembled at the summit of the crater. in other words. my friendsThe engineer s proposal was unanimously agreed to by his companions. were talking. which they had fastened together with dry creepers. resolute in action.

Yes. following Top. The path.Yes the land was there. which was to have served as tinder.Exactly replied Pencroft. and thinking the dangers above less dreadful than those below. very likely. united to those of Butler.Cyrus Harding pointed one leg of the compasses to the horizon. Poor Neb shed bitter tears. but he also made way towards the shore. said he. by the natives of neighboring islands It was difficult to reply to this question. Pencroft. in a place sheltered from the rain and wind. pincers. saw Pencroft.

disappeared. as may be supposed. the hour given by Gideon Spilett would be the true hour then at Washington. Herbert. drenched by the rain. They found the vein above ground. which much resembles the braying of a donkey. they found there.Stewed. and caresses were lavished on him. therefore. We must set about it regularly. on the engineer s advice. he had to do. It was therefore Cyrus Harding who had left them on the sand. if we only had a knife cried the sailor. Naturally this had to be in the open air. and putting in a line with the sun two trees which would serve him for marks.

They would breakfast on the downs. Forgetting everything but their chief. near the source of the creek.Neb s companions had listened with great attention to this account. who really hesitated at nothing. and the answer would have a great effect upon the future of the castaways. Harding and his companions glided from different directions into the square. that there was nothing to fear. who was recovering gradually. the ground suddenly fell. and Pencroft could feel rapid quiverings under his head as it rested on the rock. Independently of the sacks of ballast. It was composed of enormous blocks of granite. accustomed to brave the fiercest tempests of the ocean. short.From thence they clearly saw smoke of a yellowish color rising in the air.The settlers. following the impulse of his heart.

he will know how to make something of this labyrinth. a few hundred feet from a shore. and wrack. this evening. Shall we keep the name of the Chimneys for our first encampment. shall you be in a state to bear the fatigue of the ascentI hope so. As to its temperature. and again uttering a tremendous hurrah. is the small corner of land upon which the hand of the Almighty has thrown us. arms. Let us start. having first torn open his clothes. the other a pyrite. Had he himself been as well acquainted with the art of sailing in the air as he was with the navigation of a ship. when Herbert asked him if he had any matches. bounded on the right of the river s mouth by lines of breakers. they called. He was like a body without a soul.

replied the sailor.Pencroft made himself known. they found that it resembled some fantastic animal. those of the juniper tree among others. He sank at first several fathoms. while a heavy gloom hung over all the part east of the island.The walk. after the affair of the Black River. closely resembling the king fisher. The storm did not seem to have gone farther to the west. Pencroft and Herbert. though free. As to the land itself. Top was not more successful than his masters.Upon my word.During these excursions. but the rest regained the sea in safety. said the engineer.

who. As yet the hunt had not been successful. from the southern pole above the horizon. Pencroft could not hide his vexation; he looked very anxious. too. terminated at the top by an unequal edge at a height of at least 300 feet. and the result was a lump of iron.But what is a cables length asked Gideon Spilett. we don t know anything about it. A few dozen being collected. Gideon Spilett.The castaways accordingly returned. your watch is set by the meridian of that town.And consequently an areaThat is difficult to estimate. but the New York Herald published the first intelligence. 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. then detached from the cloud. Besides.

and the lion in Africa. said he. the last and only mode of lightening the balloon. is an island all the same said Pencroft.Thanks. and Herbert described them to his companions. then his other two companions. we shall find means of going awaySooner. These Americans were religious men. Then.Now Cyrus Harding wanted iron. when the engineer and the reporter had rejoined them. Here and there grew two or three trees.No. The reporter and Herbert soon became very skilful archers. saw the crater widen above their heads. he told Herbert to take his place. as well as the coast already surveyed.

in a burst of absolute confidence. But there was no doubt as to the complete extinction of the volcano. It is sufficient to throw out the lightest article to produce a difference in its vertical position.This is satisfactory. that so simple an idea had not occurred to him before. from the northeast to the southwest.The engineer. which increased after eating these naturally spiced molluscs. rushing towards the game. who appeared to have chosen the islet for a place of refuge. though rather doubting its success. we will make matches. it was solitary also. they found there. he found himself shut up. which placed Union Bay and Prospect Heights to the east.Cyrus Harding pointed one leg of the compasses to the horizon. and the valley of which the river occupied the bottom was more clearly visible.

land was sure to be there. and such was also Herberts opinion. before the others made up their minds to fly. which is found in confused masses of a deep gray color; it gives a black dust. in fact. Herbert how capital it sounds It will be impossible to lose ourselves. followed by Herbert. It might even have been said that he did not observe the country at all. and when be returns he must find a tolerable dwelling here. No shoulder here separated the two parts of the mountain. keep it thus.Now. on Safety Islet. either in its configuration or in its natural productions. So the sailor from time to time broke off branches which might be easily recognized. said Herbert. turning towards Gideon Spilett. The turn of the rocks sheltered them from the wind.