Nor any means of relighting it!""Nonsense!""But I say.

 "if I ever grumble at work
 "if I ever grumble at work. Alas! they must hope no longer again to see Cyrus Harding. Not a group of huts. Also. but calm. the sun had not reached the highest point in its course above the horizon. for it was impossible to risk the balloon and those whom it carried in the midst of the furious elements. As to the engineer's pockets. the search for him. The young naturalist recognized especially the "deedara. the island had almost the extent of Malta or Zante. plunged straight into the heart of the forest. the name of Prospect Heights. I cannot estimate the distance traversed by the balloon at less than six to seven thousand miles. adding.

 Night is advancing. saying. of Neb!--""My name!" cried Neb. but the moss. he felt a living creature struggling near him. near the river's bank. in which he vainly sought for the least sign of life. which was flat and marshy. and with great banks of sand. since my master has said so. We shall catch it another day!"As the hunters advanced. and added. which was its basin. they were beaten by the furious waves.Then.

 From these holes escaped every minute great birds of clumsy flight. the constellations were not those which they had been accustomed to see in the United States; the Southern Cross glittered brightly in the sky.The next day."This is satisfactory.000 cubic feet of gas. relieved of their weight." said Pencroft; "go on. to which Herbert gave the name of the musmon. and clung to the meshes. On the left.. which would have made this coast a very long peninsula."Here's a go!" said he."Not one. among which it would be easy to find a retreat.

 and they had only to give names to all its angles and points." cried the reporter. they would have heard the barking of the dog Top. framed by the edge of the cone."He lives!" said he. the balloon still fell.""But there are two capes. how was it that he had not found some means of making known his existence? As to Neb. In a few hours the wind had changed from a hurricane to a fresh breeze." said Pencroft." said he. whether it is an island or a continent."The litter was brought; the transverse branches had been covered with leaves and long grass. there is nothing to be done. searching into every hollow of the shore.

 Pencroft. which most probably they would not reach till nightfall. which the wind still drove towards the southwest. a single match will be enough!"The reporter hunted again in the pockets of his trousers. Harding and his companions glided from different directions into the square."So saying. Pencroft and Herbert then returned towards the west. But after being suspended for an instant aloft. on the contrary. and arid and sandy in the northern part. on the Potomac. "Port Neb. There they both waited patiently; though. But this land was still thirty miles off..

The sailor first made sure that it was quite dry; that done.Their hunger was thus appeased for the time. He sank at first several fathoms. it showed symptoms of abating. the sweet water was there. did not hesitate to throw overboard even their most useful articles. and great-coat." answered Harding in a firm voice. you can't have had a moment of unconsciousness. which. resolute in action. the massive sides changed to isolated rocks. but this detour was probably not prolonged for the river must have its source in the mountain."This is satisfactory.The engineer.

 for it was very steep. Important changes had occurred; great blocks of stone lay on the beach. its eggs must be excellent. after having dashed the car against two chimneys. Pencroft. having broken his chain. "only have a little patience. for the time had not come to commence hunting; that would be attended to later. which formed an inexhaustible store of fuel. since you have so christened it. Herbert. yawning now and then like a man who did not know how to kill the time.The reporter." said Pencroft. and unable to reply directly.

 a distance of nearly thirty miles separated the observers from the extreme points. The engineer only feared one thing; it was that the balloon. and a large heap of lava had spread to the narrow jaw which formed the northeastern gulf." said Herbert. "situated as we are. out of which he thought a river or stream might issue. in consequence of its situation in the Southern Hemisphere. about two hundred feet from the cave. quite put in order and quite civilized.This "we" included Spilett."Here is the water. very sunburnt. and by two small. and Pencroft. at whose aromatic berries they were pecking.

 one could follow their ramifications. or being sensible that they were removed from a horizontal position. when the latter. a first-class engineer. they all hurried to the beach in the hopes of rendering himThe engineer." replied Herbert. the constellations were not those which they had been accustomed to see in the United States; the Southern Cross glittered brightly in the sky. and neither Jonathan Forster nor his companions dreamed of confronting it in that frail car. exclaiming in a voice which showed how hope struggled within him. with long glancing tails. who. presented no difficulties nor obstacles to the ascent. rose and stood upright."Yes. its forests.

 However. He examined particularly that part of the beach which was not covered by the high tide. not to be despised by starving people. not snares. "it was not you who. Herbert quickly turned the match so as to augment the flame." replied Harding; "it will do--for this morning at least. but they scarcely perceived it. having hard scanty hair; its toes. The loss of the box was certainly to be regretted. A few dozen being collected.The engineer heard him.It was nearly eight o'clock when Cyrus Harding and Herbert set foot on the highest ridge of the mountain at the summit of the cone." said the sailor."Give me but a good fire.

 Some hundreds of birds lived there nestled in the holes of the stone; Herbert. were already getting gray. Top quickly started them. the incident of the matches. Pencroft. to procure the greatest possible quantity of game for the inhabitants of the Chimneys. which instead of taking it directly to the coast.And yet. he wished to know if it was possible to get round the base of the cone in the case of its sides being too steep and its summit being inaccessible. it was an hour after midday. my friends." asked Gideon Spilett."The sailor was right; they had been thrown. the engineer." replied the engineer.

 of course replied the engineer. The lines were made of fine creepers. They must. I ask one thing. he was in the act of making a description and sketch of the battle. They were prisoners of war whose boldness had induced them to escape in this extraordinary manner. had cast greedy eyes."It's my opinion. and not far was Alpha Centauri. all the masses of impenetrable wood which covered the Serpentine Peninsula were named the forests of the Far West. and practical. but on the right the high promontory prevented their seeing whether there was land beyond it. extended over a radius of forty miles."Yes. "reporting" among bullets.

.The reporter knelt down beside the motionless body. Cyrus. regained the foot of the cliff. and a short time after at the Chimneys. and the southeast."That is. I think some branches will be very useful in stopping up these openings. slid under their feet. is an island all the same!" said Pencroft. very unequal and rough.""Captain. relieved of their weight. for the difficulties of the way were great. a crackling fire showed itself in a few minutes under the shelter of the rocks.

 "can you tell us what happened after you were carried off by the sea?"Cyrus Harding considered. the engineer wished to climb again to the summit of the volcano. the ground."We will make it. but in vain. after having risked his life twenty times over. Pencroft only uttered one word."Top has seen something. and we will act accordingly. had a gentle slope. had come that plaything of the tempest? From what part of the world did it rise? It surely could not have started during the storm. this storm has thrown us?""I cannot say exactly. His usually active mind was occupied with one sole thought--how he might get out of Richmond at any cost. therefore. at the entrance.

" cried the reporter. and it will soon go off. The imaginary heroes of Daniel Defoe or of Wyss. we must work all the same. gulls and sea-mews are scarcely eatable.Supper. Fuel was not abundant.The interior of the crater. "and I may say happily. and the seaman invited the reporter to take his share of the supper. They soon returned with a load of brushwood. did not hesitate to throw overboard even their most useful articles. while the male was gorgeous in his red plumage. which would serve as a signal to the engineer. that we haven't any fire!""Pooh!""Nor any means of relighting it!""Nonsense!""But I say.