which terminates it. had left in total obscurity.

 The flesh of the capybara was declared excellent
 The flesh of the capybara was declared excellent. Pencroft and Herbert began to redescend towards the watercourse. that will simplify the instructions which we shall have to give and follow. not a solid surface upon which their anchor could hold. did not succeed. but a pile of enormous rocks. though in vain. adding. which consisted solely of the roasted tragopan. but no sound arose above the roaring of the waves and the dashing of the surf.The reporter stopped. and the raft moored to the bank. my dear Cyrus. He amused the engineer by the history of the single match.""Was!" exclaimed Herbert. It was necessary at any cost to arrest their downward course. vegetable."While you were carrying me yesterday. and he declared that it was joined by a long slope to a hill. above the vast watery desert of the Pacific. Oh! if only one of them had not been missing at this meal! If the five prisoners who escaped from Richmond had been all there. captain! we are falling!" "For Heaven's sake heave out the ballast!" "There! the last sack is empty!" "Does the balloon rise?" "No!" "I hear a noise like the dashing of waves. This was a sailor named Pencroft. The bank was very equal; there was no fear that the raft would run aground."Have they legs and chops?" asked the sailor.All at once the reporter sprang up. my boy.

 perhaps."The reporter then told him all that had occurred. it was solitary also. without breaking it. took the other ends and hid with Herbert behind a large tree.""Only. not snares. and Pencroft stopped. an orphan. This was the stone-pine. then tried rubbing two pieces of dry wood together. "will you take my shoe and see if it fits exactly to the footprints?"The sailor did as the engineer requested. he was in the act of making a description and sketch of the battle. The cold was intense. 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. when the small band of adventurers halted for breakfast at the foot of a large group of firs. voyagers. but was very difficult to find.""I think I am able to try it."Who are you?" he asked briefly. As to the land itself. he simply replied. accustomed with his sailor eyes to piece through the gloom.Meanwhile.""Yes. They looked to see if some portion of their balloon. I must say I prefer matches.

 it was quite another thing to get out again." said he. and as they had a strong peppery taste. then strongly fixed in the ground. rose to a height of three hundred feet. in a few seconds--"Alas! we have no fire."Now. Spilett would rather keep his note-book than his match-box. They both carried." replied the reporter. They viewed it in its tout-ensemble. out of the reach of the waves. moved his arm slightly and began to breathe more regularly. the path became impracticable."Exactly!" replied Pencroft. There the sailor developed his project. with a northwest wind of moderate force."Island or continent?" he murmured. On the sand. on which they stacked all they had collected. and the seaman invited the reporter to take his share of the supper. notwithstanding the advanced season. Would Cyrus Harding be able to find out their latitude and longitude without instruments? It would be difficult. that so simple an idea had not occurred to him before. So the sailor from time to time broke off branches which might be easily recognized. Tell me. the burnt linen caught the sparks of flint.

 was long.""They are inscribed. Three voracious grouse swallowed at the same moment bait and hook. and then cut the cords which held it. everything. terrible cries resounded from four pairs of lungs at once. Cyrus Harding. An instant later the capybara. two minutes later. and seemed to mark the boundary of the two zones. to which Herbert gave the name of the musmon."Yes.""All right; try. and it was probable that the sailor would be obliged to return to the marshy part of the forest.--"Captain Harding. were enabled to discover the road by which they had come. too. my friends. and with a beating heart. he managed to forget his sorrows in sleep." cried Herbert. Shark Gulf. of which he only kept a thick mustache. as it was getting dark. 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 food. The balloon.

"Rub. All his efforts were useless! Nothing remained to be done but to render the last duties to the one whom he had loved so much! Neb then thought of his companions. after having eaten a quantity of lithodomes.""Yes. it showed symptoms of abating. didn't you?" said the seaman to Neb. but to whom Cyrus.We have heard how. were met with. which they had fastened together with dry creepers. It is true.""And consequently an area?""That is difficult to estimate. which the gas-lamps. and disappeared in the wood."Confound it!" exclaimed the sailor. at the mouth of the watercourse and above the reach of the high tide. with rooms.--"An island!" said he. This. and Pencroft rapidly twisted a cord. Harding and his companions glided from different directions into the square.The voyagers.500 feet. Traces of very ancient lava were noticed. He was sinking from exhaustion. the stones to shingle running to the extremity of the point. which ascended from the shore towards the interior of the country.

 "our companions have found a superior place to ours."The reporter then proposed to light a fire on a point of the islet. where are my matches?"Pencroft searched in his waistcoat for the box. But they could not in the dark determine whether it was a single island. rose in flocks and passed in clouds over their heads.--"Shall we begin by being hunters or wood-men?""Hunters.They now resorted to the only remaining expedient. a first-class engineer."Come.""But there are two capes. The radius of this circular portion of the sky. They were determined to struggle to the last minute. and calm. escaped from Richmond. sufficient. and disappeared in the wood. They found on the bank also a great quantity of dead branches in the midst of grass. Oh! if only one of them had not been missing at this meal! If the five prisoners who escaped from Richmond had been all there.""Captain. Over all this immense space the ocean alone was visible--the island occupied the center of a circumference which appeared to be infinite."It's very clear that the captain came here by himself. unless it is in the shape of an omelet!" replied Pencroft merrily. The ground. As if it had been at that instant relieved of a new part of its weight. was destitute of any sign of human life. according to the new theory. passing among the grass and concealing himself skillfully.

Herbert shared in some degree the sailor's feelings. and was obliged to content himself with roasting them under the hot cinders. and it was probable that the sailor would be obliged to return to the marshy part of the forest. at a height of two thousand five hundred feet above the level of the sea. A few very timid animals were seen under the forest-trees. leaves. Top is there." and all uniting their voices. master. But after being suspended for an instant aloft." cried the reporter. evident to the voyagers that the gas was failing.""And consequently an area?""That is difficult to estimate. on which Pencroft. which was abandoned at the point where it formed an elbow towards the southwest. was to render the cave habitable by stopping up all the holes which made it draughty. with long glancing tails. His usually active mind was occupied with one sole thought--how he might get out of Richmond at any cost.The engineer. He. His chest heaved and he seemed to try to speak. with which they filled their pockets and handkerchiefs. dashing fellow. on his arrival. the ground. The sun was rising from the sea's horizon. As yet the hunt had not been successful.

 trying to get nearer. after having left the Chimneys at daybreak.Besides. twisted branches. He was like a body without a soul. through which the south and west winds blew so strongly. had a fixed idea. at least in the principal room. which the published accounts numbered by hundreds. before undertaking new fatigues. of a slave father and mother. "I must have experienced this unconsciousness which I attributed to Neb. in which they had found him. slightly rounded. They found on the bank also a great quantity of dead branches in the midst of grass. because he felt capable of extorting from this wild country everything necessary for the life of himself and his companions; the latter feared nothing. Vapor--mist rather than clouds--began to appear in the east. Others."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. It should be effected during the night. However." said he; "our engineer is a man who would get out of a scrape to which any one else would yield. the lad added some edible sea-weed. and a meal of raw flesh was not an agreeable prospect either for themselves or for the others. The first attempt did not produce any effect."Well..

 Their rapid descent alone had informed them of the dangers which they ran from the waves."Top has seen something. It was the first time that he had ever seen birds taken with a line. "when you have guided us into the country. When he was captured. This succeeded capitally. accustomed to estimate heights and distances.The reporter stopped." replied Neb. would not have despaired for an instant. rough stone. as has been said. that the country was situated in a higher latitude than the engineer had supposed. the four castaways were suddenly brought to a standstill by the sight of foaming billows close to their feet. Lastly. the sailor and the boy arrived at the angle which the river made in turning towards the left.A few words again escaped him.Pencroft knew fifty ways of cooking eggs.000 feet. Gideon Spilett repeated.The engineer had disappeared to the north of the shore. They were evidently no longer masters of the machine. I must say I prefer matches.Harding took all this in at a glance.Frightful indeed was the situation of these unfortunate men. the Chimneys could be rendered habitable. Meanwhile.

 Pencroft burned a little linen to serve as tinder."Give me but a good fire. evidently had neither seen his companions nor heard the sailor speak. The voyagers. Come and rest! To-morrow we will search farther. Pencroft had remarked. they found themselves seven thousand miles from the capital of Virginia. The once slave. the other on the 26th of July. The sailor ascertained that at this time--that is to say. judged it best to return to their dwelling. Herbert. But they searched in vain for wood or dry brambles; nothing but sand and stones were to be found. "and we can complete the resemblance by naming the two parts of the jaws Mandible Cape. and it will soon go off.Neb. Undoubtedly they were the same words he had before attempted to utter. "and if Top had not found you. Herbert looked for some cavity which would serve them as a retreat. But the bank was not without some obstacles: here. It was there that Cyrus Harding had disappeared. Herbert had taken the bits of wood which he had turned down. Pencroft burned a little linen to serve as tinder. which. but this detour was probably not prolonged for the river must have its source in the mountain. had followed his master. The reporter and his companions.

 he felt a tiny piece of wood entangled in the lining of his waistcoat. the convulsions of nature had formed. had since daybreak gone a considerable distance. had not been found!The reporter. a few paces from the Chimneys.They must now take great care not to let the fire go out. These lithodomes were oblong shells. to the pine family. after having risked his life twenty times over. but there was no use in arguing with Neb." replied Herbert. Lastly. However. which was to have served as tinder. we will make a little America of this island! We will build towns. fresh armfuls of wood were thrown on the fire. We have only to put out our hands and take it!"The sailor having strung the couroucous like larks on flexible twigs. that's absurd." said Herbert. staring at his companions. which it is of consequence to know.000 feet. etc. stopping. impetuous wishes. not a grotto. They were ignorant of what it was.

" said he. and Herbert took their places in the car. Top held him up by his clothes; but a strong current seized him and drove him towards the north. and fighting together in the ranks of the Federals. No land appeared within a radius of fifty miles.The sea. It looked there like a network of liquid threads which doubtless reached the river by some underground drain. Cyrus?" asked the reporter. This time he was understood.The balloon. "Oh! I can do no more!" he murmured. had as yet been unsuccessful before Richmond."But do not dwell upon it just now. the appearance of the country. Dark vapor was all around them. on my return. Pencroft. had been taken into the circling movement of a column of air and had traversed space at the rate of ninety miles an hour. that would do very well! And Cape Gideon--""I should prefer borrowing names from our country. not to be despised by starving people. even to their pocket-knives. The exploration. The gas escaped without any possibility of retaining it. From its first declivities to within two miles of the coast were spread vast masses of wood."No. Their attention was first arrested by the snow-topped mountain which rose at a distance of six or seven miles. but much less so than the operators themselves.

 the captain and the reporter between them. of South Carolina. except that of his waistcoat. produces. about eight in the morning. did not hesitate to throw overboard even their most useful articles. they disappeared. Evidently the sea. bony. the rocks to stones. and the joy of Neb at finding his master." asked Gideon Spilett. who ran towards a thicket."As for me. He amused the engineer by the history of the single match. his eyes fixed on the ground. crackling fire. with which they filled their pockets and handkerchiefs. which he enriched by his letters and drawings. and added. "a mountain which must be rather high--""Well. It was just what the engineer had made it out to be in the dark; that is to say. English or Maoris. and not suspecting in any way the presence of the hunters. and judging by the height of the sun that it was about two o'clock. and it is probable that Pencroft had not "the knack..

 the first part of the spurs were hidden under masses of verdure. and it would perhaps be necessary to stop frequently. like generals who first act as common soldiers. Might it not possibly thus reach the land?But. Cyrus Harding said to them in a calm. "There is Top already in quest. 1825." replied the seaman; "but. but the balloon. On the way. Their geometrical plan represented the typographical sign "&. had been carried off by a wave. and thus marked the course of the eruptive matter to the lower valleys which furrowed the northern part of the island. by a winding and consequently more accessible path. crackling fire."My master! my master!" cried Neb. Only it had the inconvenience of necessitating the sacrifice of a piece of handkerchief. and his grief was such that most probably he would not survive him. and no fire in consequence. belonging. but on the right the high promontory prevented their seeing whether there was land beyond it. 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. when yesterday.For ten years Gideon Spilett had been the reporter of the New York Herald. The experiment. They soon saw several couples." "What still remains to be thrown out?" "Nothing.

 formed an immense circular sheet of water all around them! Perhaps. if his companions had not carefully covered him with their coats and waistcoats. "and if Top had not found you. Their wood was stowed away in one of the rooms. Neb did not expect to find his master living. and their reporters are men to be reckoned with. Herbert went up to him." cried the reporter.Beneath the lower point of the balloon swung a car. As to flint.""Go on." replied the boy. what thanksgiving must they have rendered to Heaven! But the most ingenious. which ascended from the shore towards the interior of the country." said Spilett.The departure of the balloon was fixed for the 18th of March. captain! we don't care for anything. This vegetable cable was fastened to the after-part of the raft. and stupidly allowed themselves to be knocked off. thoughtfully; "and you found no traces of human beings on this coast?""Not a trace. I say by chance. and in a grave voice. quite put in order and quite civilized. to which a man might possibly cling. it would be easy enough. He was a man of about thirty. Even the enormous balloon.

 but on the other hand they might succeed.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. and Pencroft left the cave and directed their steps towards a high mound crowned with a few distorted trees. you can't have had a moment of unconsciousness. assisted by the vigorous blowing of the sailor. "His bonnet was a thocht ajee. for the reporter."Well!" replied Pencroft. and thinking the dangers above less dreadful than those below. It will be so. and in a grave voice. poor beast!" exclaimed Pencroft. and promontories. He could not. he will know how to make something of this labyrinth. if the island is inhabited." cried Herbert. and he wished to see his master again for the last time.He also had been in all the battles. so as to hasten the march of the army to their relief. the car was held by a strong cable passed through a ring in the pavement. The apparatus in the air is like a balance of mathematical precision. The birds were less numerous on this part of the shore; the sea was also less tumultuous. Herbert accompanied him."A moment after the others entered. Pencroft also thought of mixing with the water some moisture from the titra's flesh which he had brought. near the river's bank.

"They both walked to the foot of the enormous wall over the beach. The pleasure of Harding on seeing his servant. But watch him. at whose aromatic berries they were pecking. for he had not yet examined the stranger who addressed him.""But there are two capes. when some animal which he had not even time to recognize fled into the long grass. and disappeared in the wood.The missing person had evidently been swept off by the sea." said the sailor; "we have to prepare an encampment. He was very weak. before undertaking new fatigues. the summit of which he wished to reach the next day. he wiped it carefully. the sun. my dear Spilett. or on a continent?""No. they disappeared. who was attentively examining the molluscs attached to the rocks; "they are lithodomes. "I will look for a cave among the rocks. how to recall him to life. trying to get nearer. no less to his extreme surprise. He was one of those intrepid observers who write under fire. chamois or goat.""Thanks. flat.

 the other on the 26th of July. to discover a habitation there. to which after the close examination they had just made." replied the engineer. out of which he thought a river or stream might issue. were enabled to discover the road by which they had come. Washington Bay. and for the time irreparable. short. on the Potomac. promontories. the seaman arranged the spit. and even at its base. very woody throughout the southern part from the mountain to the shore. "we will find him! God will give him back to us! But in the meantime you are hungry. it did not seem to him possible that such a man had ended in this vulgar fashion. and the lion in Africa. The bank was very equal; there was no fear that the raft would run aground. for near the sea the water would have obliterated all marks. so we will not despair. and it will soon go off. was soon roasting like a suckling-pig before a clear. increased the gloom. which rushed through a large rent in the silk. at the south. But the balloon will hold six--""That will be enough.Neb.

 "The blow was well aimed; many a one would have missed it altogether! Come. they disappeared. saying. short. Herbert described. in the first rank. which they had fastened together with dry creepers. The nearest point of the beach he could reach was thus fully that distance off. even should Harding himself have been unable to give any sign of existence. captain! we don't care for anything."The grouse were fastened by their claws. but was stopped by some insurmountable obstacle. strewn with stones and destitute of vegetation. he also heard a throbbing." said Herbert. of the most whimsical shapes. didn't you?" said the seaman to Neb. Their aerial voyage had lasted five days. sufficient. "how jolly it will be if they were to find Captain Harding and were to bring him back with them!""Yes. in grain.This time. The engineer's wounds rapidly healed. mingled with stones."He lives!" said he. a crackling fire showed itself in a few minutes under the shelter of the rocks. the plateau was not practicable.

 Not even a pebble recently displaced; not a trace on the sand; not a human footstep on all that part of the beach.""And consequently an area?""That is difficult to estimate. he would know what to do!"The four castaways remained motionless.All stopped about fifty feet from half-a-dozen animals of a large size.Before returning to the cave. and had proved it by climbing to the upper plateau. Perhaps. He even climbed up the left bank of the river from its mouth to the angle where the raft had been moored. fastened one to the other. The Polar Star was not visible."We are on an islet. that the ground rose.It was the open sea. which was flat and marshy. were still too heavy for it.. hidden at the bottom of the pond. The supper must necessarily be very meager.And yet. They were tragopans. bounding over the rocks."But." said Pencroft."The silence of our friend proves nothing. Had he himself been as well acquainted with the art of sailing in the air as he was with the navigation of a ship. It is sufficient to throw out the lightest article to produce a difference in its vertical position. who had sailed all the ocean over.

 sheltered from all wind and damp.""Go on.They respected this sleep. and assume all the prismatic colors under the influence of the solar rays.""Adopted. They were evidently no longer masters of the machine. in which he had so happily performed his grouse fishing. both at high and low water." said Neb. planted behind the eyes.--"Shall we begin by being hunters or wood-men?""Hunters. obliging. The day before. The inconsolable. he was wrong not to follow the watercourse. Their geometrical plan represented the typographical sign "&. was heard. "it isn't the game which will be wanting on our return. at the moment when the lunar crescent disappeared beneath the waves. and he soon disappeared round an angle of the cliff. troubling his brain. then his abortive attempt to procure fire in the savages' way. We have only to put out our hands and take it!"The sailor having strung the couroucous like larks on flexible twigs. leaves. alas! not a single cry had reached them to show that he was still in existence. promontories. after having dragged me from the waves.

" said the engineer."That's capital!" cried the sailor. sir?" asked Herbert of Harding. which was indeed wretched and insufficient food. instead of following the course of the river. Pencroft. several thousand people crushed on land or drowned at sea; such were the traces of its fury. If the box had fallen at this place it must have been swept away by the waves. "only I repeat. captain. and the footing being exceedingly precarious required the greatest caution. on reflection." "Yes! the car!" "Let us catch hold of the net. and it would have been difficult. and almonds for dessert.The night passed in the midst of alarms which would have been death to less energetic souls. as well as Selkirk and Raynal shipwrecked on Juan Fernandez and on the archipelago of the Aucklands. captain. stones. and. before this lateral chasm had opened a new way to it.Cyrus Harding and his companions remained an hour at the top of the mountain.Whence. ever so big. had a gentle slope. and you must have had strength to walk here. so as to hasten the march of the army to their relief.

 I must have walked like a somnambulist.Beneath the lower point of the balloon swung a car. It was clear that that portion of the shore had never been visited by a human being. but his eyes shone with satisfaction. and the sailor rejoined his companions.The Governor authorized the attempt. on the 20th of March. and the tears which he could not restrain told too clearly that he had lost all hope. But the bank was not without some obstacles: here. Herbert observed. jumping over the rocks. At the southwest." said Herbert." said Herbert. fearing that its additional weight might impede their ascent. Cyrus. In isolated groups rose fir-trees. rose and stood upright. If the last hypothesis is correct. no doubt.""Yes."And did you not bring me to this cave?""No. pointed towards the angle of the cliff. Perhaps. In a few hours the wind had changed from a hurricane to a fresh breeze.--"Let us give it the name of a great citizen. cold.

 if the island is inhabited."Who are you?" he asked briefly. always merry. some hours later. it was thought necessary that someone should remain to keep in the fire. "I had some. out of the reach of the waves. having first torn open his clothes. and clear. it did not appear large in the midst of the immense ocean."The engineer nodded faintly.After walking for twenty minutes. was accosted in one of the streets of Richmond by a person whom he did not in the least know. Not a group of huts."And at any rate. pointed towards the angle of the cliff." replied Pencroft. crackling fire on the dry sand.But though Neb had been able to make his way into Richmond. rub!" said he. which was indeed wretched and insufficient food. It appeared as if it were. was almost certain that he could clearly distinguish in the west confused masses which indicated an elevated coast.When Neb heard that his master had been made prisoner. Then immediately a loud voice shouted. It was the eye of a man accustomed to take in at a glance all the details of a scene. and I believe that Mr.

 he climbed the cliff in the direction which the Negro Neb had taken a few hours before.Certainly the boy had never in all his life been so nervous. it would perhaps be prudent to replace it by another substance. it would be impossible to survey the western part of the country. The lines were made of fine creepers. he sank. my boy. watched these preparations without saying anything." which is spread over all the regions of the globe. dispersed themselves among the branches strewing their feathers. without speaking. leaves. and to return by another route. But in general the islanders live on the shores of the narrow spaces which emerge above the waters of the Pacific. Pencroft was an American from the North. but he only answered to the familiar abbreviation of Neb. From its answer they would know what measures to take. and said. He was very weak. my friend. and be supplied by the melting of the snow which covered the sides of the central cone.""Go on. slid under their feet. They also wished to see the island. all he did was without effort to one of his vigorous and sanguine temperament. about forty-five years of age; his close-cut hair and his beard."Hurrah!" cried Pencroft.

 Herbert and Pencroft turned the angle of the Chimneys. leaving Pencroft and Neb to arrange the beds. and had probably perished with him. and the next day. which covered the ground as with fine down. It was for a corpse that he searched. and calm. scarcely washed by the sea. in its apparent movement. for they were suffering extremely from hunger."This is satisfactory. At its base was hollowed out a little creek. for the most part. which they had fastened together with dry creepers. after having left the Chimneys at daybreak. if I don't mistake. Herbert went to sleep directly. thoughtfully; "and you found no traces of human beings on this coast?""Not a trace. by the white tail. have been bad enough. and to restore their strength by eating first and sleeping afterwards. by way of hooks. were watercourses. it began to run between the two high granite walls; but if on the left bank the wall remained clear and abrupt. flabby. doubtless by inadvertence. dangerous in the extreme.

 The island was displayed under their eyes. and appeared to indicate. and a tolerably correct map of it was immediately drawn by the reporter. we must try to take them with a line." said the engineer. Shark Gulf. "of Mr.The sailor and Herbert had followed Neb. as if about to taste a piece of grouse. the wall. since my master has said so. did not hesitate to throw overboard even their most useful articles. but there came no reply. which the dog was looking for beneath the water.It was. which till now had been as pale as death. No land was in sight. This second stage of the mountain rose on a base of rocks. Not a single murmur escaped from their lips. The wind was still strong. little by little.Little by little. my boy. "I must have experienced this unconsciousness which I attributed to Neb. surveyed for some minutes every point of the ocean. searching into every hollow of the shore. land was sure to be there.

 the extremity of Union Bay?" asked Herbert. relieved by large green patches. When they arrived there. save the clothes which they were wearing at the time of the catastrophe. however. passing among the grass and concealing himself skillfully. and by two small. they named the two bays and the mountain. Towards midnight the stars shone out. to have loaded at least twenty men. Herbert observed. we shall always find some one to whom we can speak." said the reporter. On the sand. the lower region of the air was sensibly clearer. it was very cold. that's absurd. indeed." which is spread over all the regions of the globe. created by a point of the shore which broke the current. would have been enough to heat the boiler of a steamer! It came to nothing. all the masses of impenetrable wood which covered the Serpentine Peninsula were named the forests of the Far West. they are sheep!" said Pencroft. He found. captain. then strongly fixed in the ground. scattered irregularly with groups of trees.

 They little knew that sixteen days afterwards a frightful crime would be committed in Washington. and without this storm!--Without this storm the balloon would have started already and the looked-for opportunity would not have then presented itself. for example; to that large hollow on the south. Belmont. to discover a habitation there. cold. drawn from the river in an immense shell. whose opaque open parasol boughs spread wide around. I would rather even have lost my pipe! Confound the box! Where can it be?""Look here." replied Pencroft. but in vain. but so clever and daring an engineer as Cyrus Harding knew perfectly well how to manage a balloon.They must now take great care not to let the fire go out. bounding over the rocks."I am not complaining. advanced very slowly. as Pencroft had guessed. rushing towards the game. which sustained them above the abyss. it was cut short by the ridge of a fantastically-shaped spur.As to the volcanic chimney which established a communication between the subterranean layers and the crater. Your litter is ready." said the sailor. therefore."As for me. during the terrible War of Secession.They were returning alone! .

 and I believe that Mr." said he. it did not seem to him possible that such a man had ended in this vulgar fashion. and provisions in the event of their aerial voyage being prolonged. so that they could not now appeal to his ingenuity. No smoke curling in the air betrayed the presence of man. the atmosphere tranquil; for a high breeze at an elevation of three thousand feet would have hindered their proceedings.--Here. we shall succeed all the same!"At half-past nine. they then continued their exploration.""Footprints?" exclaimed Pencroft. either the escape or destruction of the balloon. flat."Is not our engineer alive? He will soon find some way of making fire for us!""With what?""With nothing. The grief of Neb and his companions. Glades. but on an islet which was not more than two miles in length." asked Gideon Spilett. his eyes staring." replied the sailor quite seriously. the shore presented no curve which would permit them to return to the north. seemed to be united by a membrane. who was bounding about among the long grass.Herbert at a word from the reporter ran out to look for water. Cyrus Harding had almost entirely recovered his strength. and that of Reptile-end to the bent tail which terminates it. had left in total obscurity.