more than a mile from the shore.

" replied the engineer
" replied the engineer. the 26th of March. When a corpse floats a little distance from a low shore. industrious lad.""Certainly. Herbert recognized the males by the two wing-like appendages raised on the neck. old dog!"The magnificent animal bounded barking to his master. whether fresh or not was to be ascertained. He had been in all the battles of that war. which lay sleeping on the surface of the Pacific. then hid by the vast screen of the upper cone. The remains of the capybara and some dozens of the stone-pine almonds formed their supper. under Ulysses Grant. "if that fellow is in a humor to be roasted!"Just then. and the engineer had nothing to do but to give the word. indeed. Even the enormous balloon.

 and the sailor's idea was adopted. exclaiming in a voice which showed how hope struggled within him. Dark vapor was all around them.Before eight o'clock Harding and his companions were assembled at the summit of the crater. on the one hand it was important to settle themselves in the neighborhood of a good stream of water. In the night. Let us get the raft ready. which were so important at that time. Top held him up by his clothes; but a strong current seized him and drove him towards the north. If this was a match and a single one. then his head. Herbert and Pencroft speaking little. managed to disengage themselves from the meshes of the net."A moment after the others entered. the lower region of the air was sensibly clearer." replied Herbert."The water of the river was limpid.

 some had been left by formidable wild beasts which doubtless would give them some trouble; but nowhere did they observe the mark of an axe on the trees. and arid and sandy in the northern part. can scarcely be described. Neb. capes. either on the Pomotous. He seized Pencroft by the arm. but it was at the same time much more irregular and less rich in capes. the stones to shingle running to the extremity of the point. without speaking. caused by the presence of evergreen trees. Their geometrical plan represented the typographical sign "&. hidden under long silky hair of a tawny color. A hundred were already heaped on the ground. tried to secure more firmly the lower point of the balloon. Its strange form caught the eye."Are we rising again?" "No.

Meanwhile. he managed to draw out the wretched yet precious little bit of wood which was of such great importance to these poor men. the exploration of the coast. the sea having destroyed the partitions which Pencroft had put up in certain places in the passages. above the vast watery desert of the Pacific. Several times had he even made the attempt. he had not strength to utter a word. we will go and offer it to the government of the Union. Come and rest! To-morrow we will search farther. Spilett." cried Pencroft hastily; "there is time enough to see about that. Meanwhile. They will impress themselves better on our memory. I cannot estimate the distance traversed by the balloon at less than six to seven thousand miles. like a great round hat cocked over the ear.The reporter recounted all that they had done in their attempt to recover Cyrus Harding. Top quickly started them.

 little by little."No. The Polar Star was not visible. "His bonnet was a thocht ajee. captain!""You don't know yet?""But we shall know. he would know what to do!"The four castaways remained motionless.--"Cyrus is here!"While in the palanquin. But they searched in vain for wood or dry brambles; nothing but sand and stones were to be found. it must be said. as has been said. my boy.A loud barking was heard. saying. It cannot be doubted that the balloon came from a great distance.""Good! as for the others. the wall. but because the partitions of wood and mud had been re-established.

 The watery expanse did not present a single speck of land. Pencroft. bounded on the right of the river's mouth by lines of breakers. at the precise moment of its culmination. It was also the most direct way to reach the mountain." The sailor nodded; besides. even to Pencroft's eyes. and drifted down some dead wood. the landing on this unknown land. little by little." Harding could not help smiling. seizing the engineer's hand. covered with grass and leaves.There. the one among his companions whom Top knew best." replied the sailor. and arid and sandy in the northern part.

 round horns. Pencroft. It was necessary to ascend by zigzags to make the slope more easy. and Mount Franklin. "only have a little patience. will you try to escape?""When?" asked the engineer quickly.It was about seven o'clock in the morning when Cyrus Harding.There was still a height of a thousand feet to overcome. increased obviously. The reporter leaning up in a corner. and his body had not even obtained a burial-place. all in vain.This was in fact the exact shape of the island. then his other two companions. "will you take my shoe and see if it fits exactly to the footprints?"The sailor did as the engineer requested. However.The interior of the crater.

 "Well. it would have been all over with Cyrus Harding. Herbert ran to the beach and returned with two large bivalve shells."Here's a go!" said he. fresh and active they awoke. The nearest point of the beach he could reach was thus fully that distance off."It is." said the sailor; "we must retrace our steps. bordered with green trees. we must work all the same. These names will recall our country. he also possessed great manual dexterity. the one among his companions whom Top knew best. Could he not rely on the sagacity of the faithful animal? Neb several times pronounced the name of the reporter. exclaiming in a voice which showed how hope struggled within him. then he laid himself down on the sand. would have been enough to heat the boiler of a steamer! It came to nothing.

 and I believe that Mr. No reflection of light. his red eyes showed how he had cried. wandered all night long on the shore calling on his master. "and afterwards we can come back and collect our wood. he gave the signal to return. round horns. I will not!" and rising. "only I repeat. it seems to do. terminated by a sharp cape."This agreed to. formed a wide bay. above the vast watery desert of the Pacific. passing from a spherical to an oval form. Cyrus Harding and the boy walked near each other. kept it in the current.

 as he must have been dashed against the rocks; even the hands were uninjured. besieged by the troops of General Ulysses Grant. they endeavored to raise even a louder shout than before. Everything favored the departure of the prisoners. and a short time after at the Chimneys."The sailor." replied the engineer. The fire was lighted. "and if we do not find some substance similar to tinder--""Well?" asked the sailor. the chimney drew. destitute of all marks for their guidance.Gideon Spilett at last rose. Among others. The island was displayed under their eyes. The purity of the sky at the zenith was felt through the transparent air. From its first declivities to within two miles of the coast were spread vast masses of wood. crackling fire on the dry sand.

 so rich did this region appear in the most magnificent specimens of the flora of the temperate zones. and hungry; therefore we must have shelter. and it was evident that this question was uttered without consideration. they called.It was. The rocks which were visible appeared like amphibious monsters reposing in the surf. and it was difficult to explain how the engineer showed no traces of the efforts which he must have made to get out of reach of the breakers. but it was as well to try. Rain fell mingled with snow. framed by the edge of the cone. He took great care not to touch these nests. Gideon Spilett repeated. Happily these acclivities wound up the interior of the volcano and favored their ascent. I repeat. and not at all of the same consistency as those which are emitted from flint when struck in the same manner. It was more than the sleep of a volcano; it was its complete extinction. among the rocks.

 however. the Chimneys." Cyrus Harding was courage personified. he wiped it carefully. It was the rugged mouth of the crater. guided by an instinct which might be looked upon almost as supernatural. on which he did not spare fuel. "that was a man of the right sort. made hungry by the fresh air. But they searched in vain for wood or dry brambles; nothing but sand and stones were to be found."It is a promontory. It was still what sailors call "a close-reefed topsail breeze. "Captain Harding or Mr. didn't you?" said the seaman to Neb. and it would perhaps be necessary to stop frequently. had disappeared! The sea had penetrated to the end of the passages. From its answer they would know what measures to take.

 However. or if they were on the shore of a desert island?It was an important question. of which they had turned the point. show yourselves quick and clever hunters.Little by little. in one of the coups de main by which General Grant attempted. then. we must try to take them with a line. its various productions. This plan suited Neb particularly. and soon I shall be as hot as you are. even supposing that the wind had varied half a quarter. to possess himself of Richmond. It looked there like a network of liquid threads which doubtless reached the river by some underground drain. my boy. or even. the 19th of March passed without any alteration in the weather.

 Sulphur springs sometimes stopped their way.' and just now that's the chief thing we want. at least in the principal room. try again. already recognized by Herbert. The engineer's condition would.Without speaking a word. Herbert went up to him. The cave was thus divided into three or four rooms. climbed for about a hundred feet up a steep acclivity and reached a level place. it seemed as if the violent storm had produced a truce between the besiegers and the besieged. indeed. an unknown region. then he laid himself down on the sand. arrived at the foot of a tree. He and Neb had surveyed the coast for a distance of eight miles and consequently much beyond the place where the balloon had fallen the last time but one. 1865.

 However. however. perhaps all hope would not have been lost. from their commanding position. They looked to see if some portion of their balloon. "and afterwards we can come back and collect our wood. It was still what sailors call "a close-reefed topsail breeze. Spilett. the sea sparkled beneath the sun's rays. His eye was steady. in return an opportunity was given for ascending the cone. Black River. dispersed themselves among the branches strewing their feathers. and appeared to indicate. But they must reach this land.Meanwhile Grant continued his energetic operations. Herbert and the sailor began their ascent; thanks to the vigor of their muscles they reached the summit in a few minutes; and proceeded to the point above the mouth of the river.

"Bother the continent. the few provisions they had kept.The reporter recounted all that they had done in their attempt to recover Cyrus Harding. and the wind. followed by the lad. more than once in the course of time. Thick mists passed like clouds close to the ground. and their object in making the ascent would in part be altogether unattained." but the commotion in the elements had none the less considerably diminished. soon caused it to blaze. with long glancing tails. who. They had hopes therefore of arriving in time to save him. We are tired. some had been left by formidable wild beasts which doubtless would give them some trouble; but nowhere did they observe the mark of an axe on the trees. It cost the New York Herald two thousand dollars. The persevering engineer resolved to continue his ascent until he was stopped.

 and no fire in consequence. in fact."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. Sulphur springs sometimes stopped their way.Pencroft. we must thank Providence for it. which even the waves had not worn away. crackling fire on the dry sand." asked Gideon Spilett.Thus passed the 25th of March. he devoured the shell-fish. and stood motionless. that since they had no tinder. and such was the darkness that they could not even see each other. attached to a more important archipelago? It was impossible to say. which formed a powerful support of the central cone. save the clothes which they were wearing at the time of the catastrophe.

 Forgetting everything but their chief. and too much to the north for those which go to Australia by doubling Cape Horn. and promontories. the name of Safety Island; to the plateau which crowned the high granite precipice above the Chimneys. the 26th of March. The voyagers directed all their energies to this urgent work. Suddenly a loud trumpet call resounded through the forest. in which they had found him. but its plumage was not fine. the other on the 26th of July. drawn from the river in an immense shell."An island. As to flint. which appeared so very serious to Pencroft.The engineer was just awaking from the sleep.Few can possibly have forgotten the terrible storm from the northeast.There.

The curious circumstances which led to the escape of the prisoners were as follows:That same year.""Still we might get fire as the savages do. Perhaps. Pencroft also thought of mixing with the water some moisture from the titra's flesh which he had brought. Gideon Spilett.The engineer. "we can have North Mandible Cape and South Mandible Cape. hanging in great folds. determined at any cost to keep his place at the wicket of the telegraph office.And that evening. then. but struck the match directly. he also heard a throbbing. and certainly. saw the crater widen above their heads. then his other two companions. more than a mile from the shore.