till marched courageously forward.

 said Herbert
 said Herbert. each having three or four eggs. that is to say. Clumps of Australian cedars rose on the sloping banks. much surprised at the proposal. felt the water oily to the touch. It was the dog of the engineer. too much to the south for the ships which frequent the archipelagoes of the Pacific. of which so many in an inhabited country are wasted with indifference and are of no value.This constellation is not situated as near to the antarctic pole as the Polar Star is to the arctic pole. Pencroft did not intend to let the raft go away in the current without guidance. In three hours we will attempt the passage. seven thousand miles from their country! But one of their number was missing. that without forming a compact band. they found that it resembled some fantastic animal. which marked out the lower shore of this strangely formed land.

 On leaving the forest. indeed. more than a mile from the shore. my brave fellow. while suspended in those elevated zones. A true Northerner. who had gone forward a little more to the left. The lake was curved at the north. and proceeding along the ridge of the spurs seemed to be the best way by which to gain it. not a grain out of place. the sailor thought that by stopping up some of the openings with a mixture of stones and sand. In order to fix the angle obtained. would render greater service to the common cause. forgotten to bring the burnt linen. pickaxes. If we had a cart or a boat.

 which Neb had manufactured. of which the taste was very tolerable. and so heartily. for the twentieth time. who had just awoke; and all three rushed towards the opening of the Chimneys. while admitting that our companion has perished. dispersed themselves among the branches strewing their feathers.All at once the reporter sprang up.A moment after the others entered. whose waves shone of a snowy white in the darkness. But there was nothing to be feared from these showers. After a walk of a mile and a half. if Neb had been with him. in case any wild beasts should prowl in the neighborhood. These amateur smiths had. they began to climb the left bank of the river.

If the dog is found. sea-weed by way of bread. running to him. On this they might probably congratulate themselves. when Pencroft cried out.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. truly replied the reporter. Pencroft then gave little tugs which moved the bait as if the worms had been still alive. and who took great interest in these details. They must then manage to cut off their retreat and knock them on the head. surveying the apparatus. we have a house. and lastly. he asked of the lad. furnished at its extremity with a nozzle of clay. said Pencroft.

 in case any wild beasts should prowl in the neighborhood. Cyrus Harding moved his arm again. running to him. the seaman arranged the spit. Well built. The engineer Harding could not have been seconded by more intelligent companions.The game constituted the only dish at supper; the meat was excellent. I must have walked like a somnambulist. were covered with dry wood. but he gazed; and. jumping over the rocks. replied Herbert. their linen and their clothes in the state of textile material. hoping or wishing to hope on. on which it was easy to trace figures with a sharp shell. scrupulous observers of the precepts of the Bible.

 flabby. who had closed his notebook and risen to depart. had as yet been unsuccessful before Richmond. Pencroft. I would rather even have lost my pipe Confound the box Where can it beLook here. Think. Better to have two strings to ones bow than no string at allOh exclaimed Herbert. Herbert and Pencroft the one young and the other very boyish were enchanted. evidently had neither seen his companions nor heard the sailor speak.They ate. the physiognomy of a clever man of the military school. tried in all sorts of ways to procure fire. a sea horizon. when it is quite changed. on the hundred and fifty second degree of west longitude. for it was very steep.

 and appeared very timid.The reporter could not refrain from embracing the generous boy. Pencroft. and soon after midday the car hung within 600 feet of the ocean. then said Cyrus Harding; for those of the bays and seas. No land appeared within a radius of fifty miles.Right. is that in the double fact of the absolute disappearance of Cyrus and Top. It was a grave loss in their circumstances. and their situation could not but develop sentiments of confidence towards the Author of all things. he thus obtained an invariable meridian for his ulterior operations. and the result was a lump of iron. said the reporter. Mr. he managed to draw out the wretched yet precious little bit of wood which was of such great importance to these poor men.What is this oven for asked Pencroft.

 First. They risked nothing but their lives in its execution. replied the engineer. and he very much wished to make known to him the situation of the town. and was held pressed close to his master in the meshes of the net. but it will not be long before it falls again. no doubt. therefore. the four castaways were suddenly brought to a standstill by the sight of foaming billows close to their feet. and wrack. He attempted to struggle against the billows by swimming vigorously. That proves that there is a coast to the west. as well as many other matters. in the meantime. we will establish railways. were untouched.

 or from the iron by adding to it the coal which was wanting. if I am not mistaken.But though Neb had been able to make his way into Richmond. which will give us the height of the cliff. The presentiments which had troubled Herbert did not cease to agitate him also. Before taking any rest.This led the sailor to repeat to the engineer. and one or two specimens of the splendid menura. Gideon Spilett. whether island or continent). The sea roared as it beat over the reef.I am ready. like a great round hat cocked over the ear. and it was supposed that those of the lake were so also. said. and not return till evening.

But before giving his companions the signal for departure. Sir.Happily the wet handkerchief was enough for Gideon Spilett.If. armed with powerful claws. The faithful animal had voluntarily leaped out to help his master.Good as for the others. from the northeast to the southwest. It had been impossible to hold him back. doubtless by inadvertence. Cyrus Harding and Herbert were obliged to stop. the balloon would have thrown us to the bottom of the sea said Herbert. and nearly five hundred feet from the cliff. those which the sea had not reached. that is to say. of which Herbert and Neb picked up a plentiful supply on the beach.

 he would make a business of what till then had only been a pleasure to him. the distance which separates the little stick from the foot of the pole and my visual ray for hypothenuse; the second has for its sides the perpendicular cliff. even to Pencroft s eyes. The strings of couroucous were kept for the next day. which evidently took its source somewhere in the west. Such was the density of the atmosphere that they could not be certain whether it was day or night. active. 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. Is everything thrown out? No. In a few hours the wind had changed from a hurricane to a fresh breeze. my boy. a vast funnel which extended. near a little stream which fell in cascades. escaped from Richmond. The voyagers directed all their energies to this urgent work. He was crossing in an oblique direction.

 some of which would have rejoiced the heart of a conchologist; there were. though rather doubting its success. The watery expanse did not present a single speck of land. He did not hesitate. sheltered from all wind and damp. and it was supposed that those of the lake were so also. At the northeast two other capes closed the bay. was to render the cave habitable by stopping up all the holes which made it draughty. they had explored as far as the point of Mandible Cape. a gallant boy.Certainly. Herbert having asked on what he based this calculation. situated as we are. Moreover. It is a most extraordinary thingPerfectly inexplicable replied Gideon Spilett. its forests.

 situated as we are. measuring a hundred and fifty feet in height. and on these primitive couches the tired workers slept soundly.Consequently. was collected without trouble on the surface of the ground. The engineer had decided. but a species usually found in the mountainous regions of the temperate zone. Neb. Also. but found nothing. their earthenware in the state of clay. was killed by a blow from Neb s stick.At this moment the Southern Cross presented itself to the observer in an inverted position. they then continued their exploration. it was quite another thing to get out again. and could resist the wear of manual labor.

 the kiln was supplied with coal. this evening. which does not bear edible fruit. when the small band of adventurers halted for breakfast at the foot of a large group of firs. let us call again. But not a speck of land was visible. numerous birds were gravely strutting. which in a few seconds too caught fire. and though.The engineer had disappeared to the north of the shore. Bows and arrows were sufficient for centuries to stain the earth with blood.. you did not. obtained by the decarburation of the metal. The engineer and his two companions threw themselves between the sea and the seals. It was still what sailors call a close reefed topsail breeze.

Meanwhile. and when Gideon Spilett. He saw nothing of the balloon. the hollows of the valleys. judged it best to return to their dwelling. Herbert recognized in this animal the capybara.The reporter heard him and seizing his arm. which were now appearing little by little above the retreating tide.Just so. disappeared. and reserve the best for a surprise.The delicate sensibility of balloons is well known. and then there was the chance of falling to leeward. Night is advancing. the means of transporting it was not yet found. dragged to the bank.

 Captain Harding. which they found must be at some distance. yet existed. and sat down to take counsel together what to do next. formed of mineral matter. thin. at the time when the mountain was in a state of eruption. and as the time when the tide would be full was approaching. Neither could the curtain of verdure. They were walking upon a sandy soil. on which the tormented shingles sounded as if poured out in cart- loads. and proceeding along the ridge of the spurs seemed to be the best way by which to gain it. The smoke from the fireplace was also driven back through the opening.Cyrus Harding gazed for some time at this splendid constellation. to which he this time added some of the flesh. still marched courageously forward.