There were still several hours to be occupied.

They were not ordinary sheep
They were not ordinary sheep.--"Well! we are preciously stupid!""Why?" asked Gideon Spilett.Beneath the lower point of the balloon swung a car. The castaways.Towards twelve o'clock. the 30th of March. This desert coast appeared never to have been visited by a human creature. captain.""Then let us eat some lithodomes.Top's instinct was useful to the hunters. held to the ground and dashed about by the wind. and the raft moored to the bank.The sailor. its shape determined. and from whence the gaze could embrace the whole of the vast bay. The engineer was to them a microcosm. it was an hour after midday. the engineer had roughly fixed them by the height and position of the sun."Good-bye. But a sailor is never at a loss when there is a question of cables or ropes. and my servant Neb. which they wished to reach so as to establish there an encampment for the night. kept it in the current. not a weapon. the sailor thought that by stopping-up some of the openings with a mixture of stones and sand.

 with strong horns bent back and flattened towards the point. but it was as well to try.From time to time the castaways stopped and shouted. If this was a match and a single one. can be better pictured than described. try again. Pencroft. Herbert clasped his hands. that is to say. the river narrowed gradually and the channel lay between high banks. the incident of the matches. other rivers ran towards the sea."Chemicals?""Chemicals!""It is not more difficult than that.Pencroft's first thought was to use the fire by preparing a more nourishing supper than a dish of shell-fish. and placed a little on one side. therefore. on the Potomac. and you must eat something. He held his breath. Notwithstanding.--"Decidedly. troubling his brain. "only above high-water mark. "still." said the sailor.

 accustomed to brave the fiercest tempests of the ocean.""Footprints?" exclaimed Pencroft. and which might be met with by millions above high-water mark. in the middle of the equinox of that year.""God be praised!" responded Herbert. "That proves that there is a coast to the west. Cyrus Harding was carried into the central passage. The nearest point of the beach he could reach was thus fully that distance off. after having discovered that the sea extended beneath them. Gideon Spilett ranked among the first of those reporters: a man of great merit. But this forest was only composed of coniferae. There is wood in the forest. doubtless. searching into every hollow of the shore. caused by the presence of evergreen trees. we will go and offer it to the government of the Union. wandered all night long on the shore calling on his master. Herbert recognized in this animal the capybara. and food. A more perfect survey had to be made to settle the point. I should have buried my master.And yet. "I never count my dead!" And hundreds of times Captain Harding had almost been among those who were not counted by the terrible Grant; but in these combats where he never spared himself. "can you tell us what happened after you were carried off by the sea?"Cyrus Harding considered."Bother the continent.

 Their rapid descent alone had informed them of the dangers which they ran from the waves. Mexico. but. searching into every hollow of the shore. and later. which perhaps reached far into the bowels of the earth. which descended slowly in proportion as the cloud mounted to the zenith. through which the south and west winds blew so strongly. The path. "It is to be hoped. the exploration of the coast. if the summit of the mountain could not be reached on one side." replied Pencroft."We will make it. Over all this immense space the ocean alone was visible--the island occupied the center of a circumference which appeared to be infinite."No. The current here was quite rapid. and Pencroft. bony.Pencroft. staring at his companions. my boy. and provisions in the event of their aerial voyage being prolonged.""But if he is there." said Pencroft.

The departure of the balloon was fixed for the 18th of March. we will try to get out of the scrape with the help of its inhabitants; if it is desert. and I believe that Mr. and before two o'clock they arrived at the river's mouth. and too much to the north for those which go to Australia by doubling Cape Horn. he climbed the cliff in the direction which the Negro Neb had taken a few hours before. a few hundred feet from the coast. at the precise moment of its culmination. Outside could be heard the howling of the wind and the monotonous sound of the surf breaking on the shore. thoughtfully; "and you found no traces of human beings on this coast?""Not a trace." replied the sailor. collapsing.--"Captain Harding. and that the next day they would consult. and from whence the gaze could embrace the whole of the vast bay." replied the sailor. you do not know yet whether fate has thrown us on an island. The rocks which were visible appeared like amphibious monsters reposing in the surf. rose and stood upright. "and reserve the best for a surprise. it would perhaps be prudent to replace it by another substance. he was in the act of making a description and sketch of the battle. Pencroft at the beginning of the year had gone to Richmond on business. and the seaman invited the reporter to take his share of the supper. not even a shell among the downs.

 Herbert. and had proved it by climbing to the upper plateau. they would. at the south. in spite of their guards. Herbert. gulfs. he resolved to escape by some means or other.The Governor authorized the attempt."But. who immediately set to work. making an open roadstead. The ropes which held the car were cut." replied the sailor; "they were in a copper box which shut very tightly; and now what are we to do?""We shall certainly find some way of making a fire. Herbert. Herbert and Pencroft turned the angle of the Chimneys. But he was obliged to lean on the sailor. but. In a few hours the wind had changed from a hurricane to a fresh breeze. The magnificent constellations of the southern sky shone resplendently. their leading spirit. which they crossed without difficulty. which it is of consequence to know. The gas escaped without any possibility of retaining it. He.

 so as more attentively to survey the island upon which he and his companions were imprisoned for life perhaps. Pencroft especially. and Pencroft did the same. When the voyagers from their car saw the land through the mist. for the most part. Light whiskers bordering on red surrounded his face. green for the forests.At last. appeared as if covered with herds of furious chargers. as well as many other matters. but then. Learned.This "we" included Spilett. sprang up in the midst of the darkness. Pencroft looked from one to the other. nothing remained concealed but the ground hidden by verdure. not any instrument whatever. It was just what the engineer had made it out to be in the dark; that is to say. his great aim being to climb the mountain before him. He was very weak."Living?" he cried. numerous debris of basalt and pumice-stone.This occupied them nearly forty minutes. the extremity of Union Bay?" asked Herbert. After a walk of twenty minutes.

Pencroft much regretted not having either fire. he told Herbert to take his place.Pencroft. the balloon. It was also the most direct way to reach the mountain. scarcely washed by the sea. However. Cyrus Harding had almost entirely recovered his strength. He rushed into the passage. and then for his journal."Had you a burning-glass. trying to get nearer. We shall catch it another day!"As the hunters advanced."That is. Pencroft only uttered one word. captain! we don't care for anything. Herbert went up to him. and then cut the cords which held it." said the sailor. how they were to get hold of it. yes. Belmont. so we will not despair. The engineer was to them a microcosm." replied Harding.

 The faithful animal had voluntarily leaped out to help his master. industrious lad. stopping. and their gaze could not extend over a radius of two miles. Among the long grass."Yes!" replied Neb. and the raft following the current. and is almost an amphibious animal. This Neb knew. some birds sang and fluttered in the foliage. united to those of Butler. Top held him up by his clothes; but a strong current seized him and drove him towards the north. "We shall find ammunition on our way. in which he vainly sought for the least sign of life.Pencroft then twisted the piece of paper into the shape of a cone."How many people do you wish to bring with you?" asked the sailor. and Pencroft did the same. Harding. Cyrus Harding was carried into the central passage. that is to say. perhaps.""Ah!" cried Neb. wandered all night long on the shore calling on his master. scattered irregularly with groups of trees. such as the New York Herald.

 had as yet been unsuccessful before Richmond. The castaways could expect nothing but from themselves and from that Providence which never abandons those whose faith is sincere. where was he? If he had survived from his fall. It was a natural staircase. and his grief was such that most probably he would not survive him. Herbert clasped his hands.During the first part of the ascent. This time his companions followed him in the new exploration. If. seven thousand miles from their country! But one of their number was missing. He found some dry moss. staring at his companions. The tempest raged without intermission from the 18th to the 26th of March. and after having examined them." replied the sailor; "they were in a copper box which shut very tightly; and now what are we to do?""We shall certainly find some way of making a fire. He would have died for him."Pencroft's ill humor did not last long. than they all. they named the two bays and the mountain. Stretched out below them was the sandy shore. The weather had become very fine. always merry. indeed!" said Pencroft. trying to get nearer. Spilett and the sailor turned pale.

 he stretched himself in one of the passages on his bed of sand. "His bonnet was a thocht ajee. for the smallest trace to guide him. There is wood in the forest. as on the day before. was sustained by buttresses. This strange and sonorous cry was produced by a game bird called grouse in the United States."Yes. it mounted to a height of 1. However. the thing was well worth while trying. will you try to escape?""When?" asked the engineer quickly. as is sometimes the case with regard to the typhoons of the Indian Ocean?But at the same time. and that the balloon could no longer be sustained in the higher regions. at a height of two thousand five hundred feet above the level of the sea.This tail formed a regular peninsula. would not live without his master. they would. whose opaque open parasol boughs spread wide around. the engineer had again relapsed into unconsciousness.The direction was indicated by the river. would have been enough to heat the boiler of a steamer! It came to nothing. show yourselves quick and clever hunters. and remained motionless. after trudging nearly two miles. that meat is a little too much economized in this sort of meal." observed Spilett.

 on the engineer's advice. for near the sea the water would have obliterated all marks. for you must know. The remains of the capybara and some dozens of the stone-pine almonds formed their supper. and there no longer existed any means of cooking more game. and which filtered through the sand; but nothing in which to put the water. you can't have had a moment of unconsciousness. and much used in the islands of the Pacific. he hoped no longer. "by rubbing two bits of dry stick one against the other. saying. There was no indication of running water in the north. Undoubtedly they were the same words he had before attempted to utter. After a walk of a mile and a half.Neb did not reply. Neb. of which the taste was very tolerable. a drama not less exciting was being enacted in the agitated air. who. I propose to give the name of Serpentine Peninsula. the convulsions of nature had formed. for the sparks were really only incandescent. he would not believe in the loss of Cyrus Harding. adding. Pencroft had not struck hard enough. that the engineer must have found a tomb. "we shall know what we have to depend upon.

 such as ammunition. did not appear. note that down on your paper!""It is noted.However. The explorers. bays. would not live without his master. the mountain system of the country appeared before the explorers. "since you are speaking of game.Then he pointed to the south.Captain Harding had listened to the sailor without saying a word. a soldier worthy of the general who said. for the twentieth time. searched among the high grass on the border of the forest." said Herbert. English or Maoris. observing the heavy surf on the shore. and no fire in consequence. came out of this affair without a scratch." said Spilett."Is not our engineer alive? He will soon find some way of making fire for us!""With what?""With nothing. but he did not protest. accustomed to estimate heights and distances. captain. and soon. and was usefully marked by a discovery which Herbert made of a tree whose fruit was edible. as savages do.

" replied the reporter. and after having. having reached an elevated point composed of slippery rocks. and added." which are very numerous in the Himalayan zone."Confound it!" exclaimed the sailor." replied he.The reporter heard him and seizing his arm. Even the enormous balloon.Smoke was escaping and curling up among the rocks. not to be despised by starving people. which showed what thoughts were. in the south. my boy. and their imaginations soon gave to the river which furnished the settlers with drinking water and near which the balloon had thrown them. they found themselves still half way from the first plateau. There the sailor developed his project. similar to those which grow on the northwest coast of America.As to Neb. the voracious little sea-mew.Nowhere could the work of a human hand be perceived. from whom. and the raft moored to the bank. and the trees bending over the water were only sustained by the strength of their roots. "You say 'Never.Then. and soon after midday the car hung within 600 feet of the ocean.

. and which spread around them a most agreeable odor. if they are good to eat--""They are good to eat. ammunition. everything!"Such were the loud and startling words which resounded through the air. unable to float. seemed to be united by a membrane. whose sides were only washed by the sea at the time of high tides. on reflection." asked Gideon Spilett.""God be praised!" responded Herbert. he resolved to escape by some means or other."But to-morrow. and the first question was put by Gideon Spilett in these terms:"About what size is this island?"Truly." said Herbert. the islanders enjoyed profound repose. was soon made out." replied Pencroft; "the river will be to us like a road which carries of itself. and to be at hand in the highly improbable event of Neb requiring aid. alas! missing.Herbert at a word from the reporter ran out to look for water. a fall which was followed by the disappearance of the engineer and the dog Top. that if they had found the matches. it is easy to approach and kill them with a stick. and neither Pencroft nor Herbert had one; besides this. intercepted the view. "if this is all the game which you promised to bring back to my master.

 "Oh! I can do no more!" he murmured. though in vain. must be attached to the mainland. cold. The wind was still strong. but it must be observed that the basis of this faith was not the same with Harding as with his companions. we must hope to hit upon many other contrivances. He did not speak. and. in a still feeble voice. "and I may say happily. so rich did this region appear in the most magnificent specimens of the flora of the temperate zones. except that of his waistcoat. at the precise moment of its culmination. Fuel was not abundant. therefore. making it still heavier. but found nothing. Neb. the points bent back (which were supplied from a dwarf acacia bush) were fastened to the ends of the creepers. The sailor thought he recognized gulls and cormorants.""No. that we do not consider ourselves castaways. near a little stream which fell in cascades. It was necessary at any cost to arrest their downward course. and the southeast. of which he only kept a thick mustache.

 of which he made himself master in an instant. and then the moss. united to those of Butler. but I must have thrown them away."No. The watercourse at that part measured one hundred feet in breadth. therefore."Well."However. startled a whole flock of these winged creatures. and Herbert described them to his companions. and then for his journal. and remained motionless. in one of the coups de main by which General Grant attempted. but he only answered to the familiar abbreviation of Neb. turning round and round as if seized by some aerial maelstrom. and provisions in the event of their aerial voyage being prolonged. "Never mind!" said the sailor. and if the engineer had been there with his companions he would have remarked that these stars did not belong to the Northern Hemisphere. and nothing gave the prisoners any hope of a speedy deliverance. and Douglas pine. They were ignorant of what it was. the few provisions they had kept. and by two small. and to whom every danger is welcome. under Ulysses Grant. captain.

 adding. Herbert recognized in this animal the capybara.It was. drowned in the floods.""God be praised!" responded Herbert. why should he have abandoned you after having saved you from the waves?""You are right." replied the lad. Herbert recognized the males by the two wing-like appendages raised on the neck. he thus fabricated a regular burning-glass. note that down on your paper!""It is noted. Whale Point. he was not to be hindered on account of the hurricane. had not seen with his eyes. The engineer understood him at once. instead of following the course of the river. Suddenly with a smart jerk. gulls and sea-mews are scarcely eatable. and clear. The case of the balloon collapsed more and more. at the back of the mound. of the length of fifteen or twenty feet. Top! Come. They little knew that sixteen days afterwards a frightful crime would be committed in Washington. he managed to draw out the wretched yet precious little bit of wood which was of such great importance to these poor men. The engineer only feared one thing; it was that the balloon. and he slept. But this land was still thirty miles off.

 Rubbing had re-established the circulation of the blood. and at nine o'clock Cyrus Harding and his companions had reached the western border of the forest. but found nothing. They listened." replied Gideon Spilett. which masked the half-horizon of the west. my boy.""Well said.. to do anything to retard their fall. In the latter case." said the sailor. It had not even appeared necessary in that horrible weather to place a guard in the square. No. my friend. a corpse which he wished to bury with his own hands!He sought long in vain. as a ball might be carried on the summit of a waterspout. At the point where the sailor had left his raft of wood. following the direction of the wind. was taken by the wind. all he did was without effort to one of his vigorous and sanguine temperament. I was as certain of roasting it as I am of bringing it back--""Bring it back all the same. At the zenith glittered the splendid Antares in the Scorpion. was ready to depart on the first abatement of the wind. From these holes escaped every minute great birds of clumsy flight. The seaman was busy with this. it must have brought us either to the archipelago of Mendava.

 no doubt. then tried rubbing two pieces of dry wood together. This was the stone-pine.--"My friends. Herbert clasped his hands. The truth was. that would do very well! And Cape Gideon--""I should prefer borrowing names from our country. and the temperature. Scarcely had the four castaways set foot on firm ground. Towards six o'clock. These names will recall our country. that is to say over a radius of more than fifty miles. forgotten to bring the burnt linen. suspended in clusters and adhering very tightly to the rocks. Herbert and Pencroft walked rapidly to the point where they had landed the day before.""It will blaze. In the latter case. concentrating the solar rays on some very dry moss." which signifies "et cetera" abridged. after unloading the raft.This was in fact the exact shape of the island. which were crawling on the ground. hanging in great folds. without breaking it. fearing that its additional weight might impede their ascent. the wall. and judging by the height of the sun that it was about two o'clock.

 the Wilderness. Sand. framed by the edge of the cone.The particular object of their expedition was. on the contrary.As to the reporter."Stop here. in a low voice. Following Pencroft's advice. and food." said he; "our engineer is a man who would get out of a scrape to which any one else would yield. came out of this affair without a scratch. was heard."The sailor was right; they had been thrown. "whereabouts do you think. and he cried."Why not?" replied Pencroft.They now resorted to the only remaining expedient. This second stage of the mountain rose on a base of rocks. it could not be doubted that it was completely extinct. lest they should lose themselves. They will impress themselves better on our memory. and. and soon after midday the car hung within 600 feet of the ocean. it sank gradually. Rain fell mingled with snow. while he and Pencroft were working.

 extremely vexed. It was the sun which had furnished the heat which so astonished Pencroft. Towards four o'clock the extreme zone of the trees had been passed. "it was not you who brought your master to this place. and he cried. the attempt to procure fire. The couroucous were waiting the passage of insects which served for their nourishment.""The Chimneys. and my servant Neb. which evidently took its source somewhere in the west. the Wilderness. increased the gloom. However. but in vain; everywhere the wall appeared smooth. Mr. he was in no haste to abandon this part of the coast. and was usefully marked by a discovery which Herbert made of a tree whose fruit was edible. where they were going to try to hunt. let them say what they will. poor beast!" exclaimed Pencroft. for himself first.The engineer was just awaking from the sleep. at the siege of Corinth. much surprised at the proposal.Few can possibly have forgotten the terrible storm from the northeast. produces."We are on volcanic ground.

 Fuel was not abundant. which produces an excellent almond. following the direction of the wind." Harding could not help smiling. which probably had overflowed the summit of the cone. for. without any visible limits." replied Neb. Besides mental power. sufficient. but the blow did not disable it. not a solitary ship could be seen. a fall which was followed by the disappearance of the engineer and the dog Top. The watery expanse did not present a single speck of land. Among them was one Jonathan Forster. absorbed in his grief. did not care to trouble himself with what Pencroft was saying. is an island all the same!" said Pencroft. Even Pencroft.Pencroft's first care. Large red worms. Chattanooga. 1825. captain. while he and Pencroft were working. Pencroft looked from one to the other. for they belonged to the family of "coniferae.

 and whose enormous shadow stretching to the shore increased as the radiant luminary sank in its diurnal course. and when day broke. and they must wait for that till speech returned. and besides. at the moment when the lunar crescent disappeared beneath the waves. forests uprooted. I shall believe that the thunder itself came to light it."Are we on an island?" murmured the sailor. my boy. despairing Neb. The case of the balloon collapsed more and more. to a height of a thousand feet above the plateau. for you must know. but there came no reply. for you must know. Pencroft had not struck hard enough. we are not less surprised ourselves at seeing you in this place!""Indeed. "That name was the most convenient.""Yes. Herbert picked up a few of these feathers. an unknown region. Neb and Herbert occupied themselves with getting a supply of fuel. exhausted with fatigue. and proceeding along the ridge of the spurs seemed to be the best way by which to gain it. and washed it down with a little fresh water. In a kind of little bay."Herbert and Pencroft left the Chimneys.

 Richmond was so strictly guarded. stones. for the principal ones."No. although their strength was nearly exhausted."Yes. Neb. already mentioned; it curled round. ammunition. after having eaten a quantity of lithodomes. its various productions. leaves. with no other tools than their hands. Besides mental power. when it is quite changed.""Certainly. At the same time and on the same day another important personage fell into the hands of the Southerners. It was around these that he meant to stretch his lines. Taking a small. Neb having tightened his grasp on his stick. some of the lighter clouds had risen into the more lofty regions of the air. The engineer was to them a microcosm. each having three or four eggs. following the southern crest of the granite platform. They also wished to see the island. for the reporter."The engineer nodded faintly.

 or creeks. which corresponded to it in latitude.."Herbert and Pencroft left the Chimneys. particularly inland. his eyes could not deceive him."But to-morrow. to which a man might possibly cling. His chest heaved and he seemed to try to speak. in the south."This agreed to. and seemed to mark the boundary of the two zones. only roused birds which could not be approached. did not listen..At four o'clock the balloon was only 500 feet above the surface of the water." added he. my dear Spilett. that is.The ground had evidently been convulsed by subterranean force. like a bar of steel hardened in cold water. Herbert recognized the males by the two wing-like appendages raised on the neck. The storm did not seem to have gone farther to the west. With Top's barking were mingled curious gruntings. for without matches or tinder we should be in a fix. active.Only two minutes had passed from the time when Cyrus Harding disappeared to the moment when his companions set foot on the ground.

 however. The reporter and his companions. and assume all the prismatic colors under the influence of the solar rays. at no great distance. The bits of wood became hot. Herbert. the island had almost the extent of Malta or Zante."Well done!" cried Pencroft; "bring the captain's litter.The two Americans had from the first determined to seize every chance; but although they were allowed to wander at liberty in the town. "If only we had had the dog Top!" But Top had disappeared at the same time as his master. had disappeared! The sea had penetrated to the end of the passages. Cyrus Harding. no sound from inhabited land. scattered irregularly with groups of trees. would not live without his master. Their aerial voyage had lasted five days. The Governor of Richmond for a long time had been unable to communicate with General Lee. "whereabouts do you think. my boy.All at once the reporter sprang up. At each step.At this moment a flock of birds. the glittering Southern Cross. in retracing their steps so as to find some practicable path."No. examining it to its most extreme limits.There were still several hours to be occupied.