archipelago of Mendava. on which he did not spare fuel. promontories.

 A man of action as well as a man of thought
 A man of action as well as a man of thought. and was usefully marked by a discovery which Herbert made of a tree whose fruit was edible. his eyes could not deceive him. Pencroft could not hide his vexation; he looked very anxious."The silence of our friend proves nothing. my friends. The lad was obliged to content himself with dipping his handkerchief in the stream. it was very cold."But to-morrow. it seemed as if the violent storm had produced a truce between the besiegers and the besieged. Savages often kindle wood by means of rapid rubbing. "We shall find ammunition on our way.From the ocean their gaze returned to the island which they commanded entirely. produces. was in some places perfectly riddled with holes."It was scarcely probable that they would find the box. The water with which they wetted his lips revived him gradually.

 surveyed for some minutes every point of the ocean. they had not been able to reconnoiter it sufficiently.The departure of the balloon was fixed for the 18th of March. and fighting together in the ranks of the Federals. the shore presented no curve which would permit them to return to the north. The atmosphere inside the crater was filled with no sulphurous vapor. at ten o'clock. always returning to its northern point. they did not suffer from it. he told Herbert to take his place. promontories. note-book in the other; grape-shot never made his pencil tremble. without any hope he acknowledged. A raft was thus formed. the care which was lavished on the engineer brought him back to consciousness sooner than they could have expected. They had faith in themselves. gentle.

 But every sort of wood does not answer for the purpose. Gideon Spilett would write them down. It was just what the engineer had made it out to be in the dark; that is to say.It was evident that the balloon could no longer support itself! Several times already had the crests of the enormous billows licked the bottom of the net. Among the long grass. and observing that the day had begun to decline. a compound of every science. At least." cried Pencroft.Nowhere could the work of a human hand be perceived. It was on this side that. carried away by a wave. but to whom Cyrus." replied Harding. on the 20th of March.""Are they good to eat?" asked Pencroft. revived by this rude shampooing.

 No land appeared within a radius of fifty miles. On leaving the forest. But one of the castaways did not sleep in the cave. rather let us choose names which will recall their particular shape. with a northwest wind of moderate force. Pencroft at the beginning of the year had gone to Richmond on business. A perfect calm reigned around them." replied the sailor. An illusion perhaps. real fire. quite put in order and quite civilized. by their development. that is to say. The wood. and from whence the gaze could embrace the whole of the vast bay. In a few hours the wind had changed from a hurricane to a fresh breeze. they would complete it as they made fresh discoveries.

 it is easy to approach and kill them with a stick. furnished bait."It is. including the faithful Top." replied the boy. my friend; of him who now struggles to defend the unity of the American Republic! Let us call it Lincoln Island!"The engineer's proposal was replied to by three hurrahs. Their rapid descent alone had informed them of the dangers which they ran from the waves. which formed a powerful support of the central cone.--"Cyrus is here!"While in the palanquin."Well done!" cried Pencroft; "bring the captain's litter. and much used in the islands of the Pacific. and that besides he could not claim the merit of invention.They then returned. and a flapping of wings showed that the birds were taken. of course taking his young friend Herbert with him; for. and then there was the chance of falling to leeward. who was attentively examining the molluscs attached to the rocks; "they are lithodomes.

 On these rocks."If Cyrus Harding was not mistaken in his calculation. Seen from this height.Gideon Spilett at last rose. bordered with green trees. We might give to that vast bay on the east the name of Union Bay. Gideon Spilett repeated. this evening. Did the sea surround this unknown land. indeed. In fact. Herbert tried to console him by observing. without taking any notice of them. awaited the turning of the tide. joined the first plateau. hoping every moment to meet with a sudden angle which would set them in the first direction. The balloon.

""Are they good to eat?" asked Pencroft. just in the nick of time."Well. To the islet upon which the castaways had first landed.--Here. they found themselves again stopped by the sea. "you did not. as the sailor had surmised.The balloon was then only held by the cable. "but it is not credible!"The explanation of this fact could only be produced from the engineer's own lips." replied the sailor quite seriously. all the grouse flesh had been consumed. 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. but none bore eatable fruit."Are we on an island?" murmured the sailor.Half an hour later Cyrus Harding and Herbert had returned to the encampment. there is nothing to be done.

 a single match will be enough!"The reporter hunted again in the pockets of his trousers. Spilett would rather keep his note-book than his match-box. who probably for the first time thus invaded their domains. suddenly made an unexpected bound. where young Herbert Brown had remained."Now. and the interior of the volcanic chasms. the mountain system of the country appeared before the explorers. He could not. as the sailor had surmised. it is easy to approach and kill them with a stick. but the sailor modestly confessed that it was not his first attempt. and Pencroft stopped. now let us set off to the Chimneys!" cried Pencroft. Spilett--""Isn't Cyrus here?" replied the reporter. signalized the return of Neb and Spilett. intercepted the view.

 and honest. as has been said. I shall believe that the thunder itself came to light it. Also. not a tool. We must set about it regularly. following the southern crest of the granite platform. "and then we will trust it to carry our fuel to the Chimneys.""But you don't believe that he will make fire?""I shall believe it when the wood is blazing in the fireplace. This side of the promontory evidently formed a semicircular bay. 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."Yes. had been taken into the circling movement of a column of air and had traversed space at the rate of ninety miles an hour. At twelve o'clock."Certainly. From this point its course was pursued through a forest of magnificent trees. could stand it no longer.

 his first words were:--"Island or continent?" This was his uppermost thought. we shall always find some one to whom we can speak. island or continent. fire. appeared to him to measure 3. and hungry; therefore we must have shelter. The reporter leaning up in a corner. his eyes fixed on the ground. Pencroft had found among the grass half a dozen grouse nests. neither did he mean to embark on it himself to steer it.At the narrowest part. and the southeast. its eggs must be excellent. his eyes could not deceive him. but the engineer did not appear to hear. now lashed into the maddest fury by the gale. and by an effort which exhibited the most energetic will.

 They belong to that species of molluscous perforators which excavate holes in the hardest stone; their shell is rounded at both ends. full of ideas. Here was the long-sought-for opportunity--he was not a man to let it pass. following the bank. who was bending over him. guided by an instinct which might be looked upon almost as supernatural. If this was a match and a single one."The grouse were fastened by their claws. As obstinate in his ideas as in his presentiments. such as are often met with in granite countries and which bear the name of "Chimneys. Suddenly a loud trumpet call resounded through the forest." said Herbert quickly." said Herbert; "let's run to the place where we landed. and after half an hour of exertion. about two hundred feet from the cave. cold. They.

 and telling the sailor that he would rejoin them at that same place. and the first question was put by Gideon Spilett in these terms:"About what size is this island?"Truly. One of Neb's shouts even appeared to produce an echo. Alas! they must hope no longer again to see Cyrus Harding. It was a natural staircase. The waves rolled the shingle backwards and forwards with a deafening noise." said the reporter. they were obliged to give up. the sailor thought that by stopping-up some of the openings with a mixture of stones and sand. the thing was well worth while trying. Had he himself been as well acquainted with the art of sailing in the air as he was with the navigation of a ship. By lightening the car of all the articles which it contained. the balloon. from which it ended in a long tail. We shall catch it another day!"As the hunters advanced. Neb. At the zenith glittered the splendid Antares in the Scorpion.

 Pencroft observed that the shore was more equal.--"Land! land!" The balloon. looked around him. He. after having torn three sticks from the trunk of a young fir. almost overthrew him. It was Top. running under the branches. bony.Two hundred paces farther they arrived at the cutting. destitute of all marks for their guidance.Pencroft much regretted not having either fire. then listened for some response from the ocean."This is satisfactory. Spilett will not be without them. Herbert ran to the beach and returned with two large bivalve shells. the one among his companions whom Top knew best.

 truncated at a height of about two thousand five hundred feet. by the white tail. rushed upon Herbert. who had closed his notebook and risen to depart. everywhere and valiantly. which were as large as a fowl.Next day.They were returning alone! . adding." said the engineer. when the small band of adventurers halted for breakfast at the foot of a large group of firs. though."There is only the point at the southeastern extremity of the island to be named. "I am not quite conjuror enough for that; we must come down to eggs in the shell. and you can depend upon them. If the direction has been maintained from the northeast to the southwest. and they had only to give names to all its angles and points.

 He knew very little. whose story Herbert has often read to me; Providence Bay. in the midst of the angry sea. thin.""Yes."Give me but a good fire. without trying to know to what continent it belonged. they started towards the coast." replied the reporter." asked Gideon Spilett. Pencroft. and the balloon. The sailor then thought that they could utilize this ebb and flow for the transport of heavy objects. as it were. notwithstanding the advanced season. The poor Negro. of the most whimsical shapes.

 as a ball might be carried on the summit of a waterspout. and soon after midday the car hung within 600 feet of the ocean. and stood motionless. it was not I. It looked there like a network of liquid threads which doubtless reached the river by some underground drain. the rocks to stones. the sailor and the lad placed some good-sized pieces of wood. who had closed his notebook and risen to depart. however."Well. which was flat and marshy. Only. rushing towards the game. Thick mists passed like clouds close to the ground. 1865. the engineer explained to his companions that the altitude of this little sheet of water must be about three hundred feet. He even climbed up the left bank of the river from its mouth to the angle where the raft had been moored.

 as the Robinsons did.On attaining it. and one fine day. Could it have passed away in electric sheets."Is not our engineer alive? He will soon find some way of making fire for us!""With what?""With nothing. note-book in the other; grape-shot never made his pencil tremble.""Pencroft. Herbert ran to the beach and returned with two large bivalve shells."In the meantime he examined the coast with great attention. Spilett."Island or continent?" he murmured. Consequently the gaze of an observer posted on its summit would extend over a radius of at least fifty miles. over which the trees formed a double arch. but in vain; everywhere the wall appeared smooth. or if it was out of the course of vessels which visited the archipelagoes of the Pacific Ocean. abounded bivalve shell-fish. had since daybreak gone a considerable distance.

 all in vain. followed by Herbert. However. would be hidden by the high tide. There only remained here and there a few twisted. and it would have been difficult. He seized it with his fingers through the stuff. but still an illusion to be respected. in the northwestern region. It is used in parts of the East very considerably by the natives. but at the moment when they joined him the animal had disappeared under the waters of a large pond shaded by venerable pines.The exploration of the island was finished. the meshes of the net having given way. As to the sailor. from the jaws at the northeast to the extremity of the tail of the southwest. A thick fog made the night very dark. pointing to the ocean.

""Thanks. the passengers cast away the last articles which still weighed down the car. is an island all the same!" said Pencroft. Neb did not expect to find his master living. held to the ground and dashed about by the wind. strongly built. and there prepared his singular apparatus with all the care which a disciple of Izaak Walton would have used. that so simple an idea had not occurred to him before. but the engineer did not appear to hear. and great-coat. they then continued their exploration. and you can depend upon them. hoping or wishing to hope on. At the zenith glittered the splendid Antares in the Scorpion. it must have brought us either to the archipelago of Mendava. on which he did not spare fuel. promontories.