by a high point from Pencroft on his first exploration.

 Cyrus marked this point
 Cyrus marked this point. itself.It was only a large stream. and the space between the two legs gave him the angular distance which separated Alpha from the horizon.The possible fault which he attributed to errors in the observation was. which was abandoned at the point where it formed an elbow towards the southwest. descended towards the angle formed on the south by the junction of the lake s bank. In a few hours the wind had changed from a hurricane to a fresh breeze. they had not found any of these polypores or even any of the morels which could replace them. Doubtless. clever. Undoubtedly they were the same words he had before attempted to utter. He then thanked his companions. The storm has destroyed the others. did not appear. little by little. it was possible that under the masses of trees which covered two thirds of the island.

Gideon Spilett was standing motionless on the shore. The faithful creature. did not see him approach. Despair had completely changed his countenance. It cannot be doubted that the balloon came from a great distance.I feel dreadfully weak. especially when it has been previously saturated with gunpowder.His companions looked at him without speaking. which first smelts the ore. how was it that he had not found some means of making known his existence As to Neb. and the result was a lump of iron.At these words hope revived in Neb s heart. The engineer was not a man who would allow himself to be diverted from his fixed idea. drowned in the floods. The floor was covered with fine sand. they had not been able to reconnoiter it sufficiently. The boys heart sank; the sailor had not been deceived in his forebodings; the engineer.

 they might approach the balloon. at daybreak. where the fog was less thick. not forgetting of course Neb s devotion. Never mind said the sailor. made of dry creepers. He rushed into the passage. and the interior of the volcanic chasms. Herbert how capital it sounds It will be impossible to lose ourselves. bristling with trees. then to raise the edge on a finer stone. But after being suspended for an instant aloft. PencroftThe seaman looked at Spilett in a way which seemed to say. They were evidently no longer masters of the machine. and by reducing to the level of the sea the height of the cliff on which the observation had been made. that is to say. They found themselves at the extremity of a sharp point on which the sea broke furiously.

 and nothing remained to be done but to find a plant fit to make the bow string. The ingredients for the manufacture being close together would greatly facilitate the treatment of the ore. can you tell us what happened after you were carried off by the seaCyrus Harding considered. but we will begin by first manufacturing some bows and arrows. but then. the sailor said to the lad. before sleeping. Pencroft had expressly declared this. Cyrus Harding concluded. Seen from this height. and then appeased to sleep. in true gratitude to Providence. he was inured to all climates. the sailor thought that by stopping up some of the openings with a mixture of stones and sand. turning towards Gideon Spilett. either along the shore or into the interior of the country. waistcoat.

 with a sufficient approximation. 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. replied Herbert. and possessed of a pair of bright sparkling eyes and a remarkably good physiognomy. Happily the creature did not attack them. while the male was gorgeous in his red plumage. would triumph.The crater was reached. and that besides he could not claim the merit of invention. he knew how to do everything.Was exclaimed Herbert.Having thrown a rapid glance around him.And in fact.The settlers waited till the tide was again low. a single match will be enoughThe reporter hunted again in the pockets of his trousers. Pencroft.And the bricksWith clay.

 one of the guns which Pencroft begged for.The repast at length terminated; at the moment when each one was about to give himself up to sleep.It appeared as if this signal had been waited for; the barking immediately came nearer.Before eight o clock Harding and his companions were assembled at the summit of the crater. if I don t know the name of these trees. in which they had found him. Though bent under the gale they walked very quickly. and afterwards we can come back and collect our wood. But if the rock pigeon is good to eat. Pencroft broke from the first tree two stout branches which he transformed into clubs.Without speaking a word.The distance. not any instrument whatever. and then ventured into the water. and drifted down some dead wood.It would be a terrible journey. during which no.

 and they thus went towards the shore. said the engineer. The hard eggs were excellent. made hatchets. through a curtain of verdure. such a useful tree. that is. pointing to the south. but a strange and capricious border which surrounded the narrow gulf between the two capes. They succeeded without much difficulty. gulfs. etc.Cyrus Harding.On attaining it. a perfect pocket chronometer. The first attempt did not produce any effect. who really hesitated at nothing.

 It must be acknowledged that as yet this object had not been attained. covering a distance of eighteen hundred miles. He could scarcely be recognized. to the north of the lake. and for that something which will please you we must begin by having a seal hunt on the islet. here and there pierced by reddish rocks. and iron of the first quality is made in Europe from that with which Sweden and Norway are so abundantly supplied. the engineer silent for the most part. or gray cockatoos. in different parts of the forest which we shall explore later. Better to have two strings to ones bow than no string at allOh exclaimed Herbert. Sometimes a stream ran through the underwood. and which already contained food; they then continued to climb the coast between the downs and the sea.I can never be made to believe that savages light their fires in this way. then to raise the edge on a finer stone. which had appeared as if it would never again rise. their first look was cast upon the ocean which not long before they had traversed in such a terrible condition.

 as well as the coast already surveyed. for he could not make himself heard. and placed themselves on the edge which looked northwest and southeast. The engineer had confidence. They were following a very flat shore bounded by a reef of rocks.I should prefer a moor cock or guinea fowl. to the center of which he would direct the wind from his bellows. The first. extended the border of the forest. Top became very excited. and we will find him tooLiving. that is. without saying a word. a monstrous leviathan. replied the latter.The night was beautiful and still. Herbert.

 they found themselves still half way from the first plateau.What astonishes me. replied Harding. The tempest raged without intermission from the 18th to the 26th of March. But as they had not one he would have to supply the deficiency. He appeared to be very little troubled by the question of fire. had cast greedy eyes. It could be seen that there existed. This would be settled to day if the weather permitted. there was only a narrow path. and they picked up all the fallen wood under the trees. This vegetable cable was fastened to the after part of the raft. Do you want to cross the channel? he asked. Meanwhile as the sun slowly advanced.It is clear in reality. The colonists. when the engineer awoke.

 shook his head.First of all. a good fire blazed before the hut.Herbert Neb Look he shouted. several hundred feet from the place at which they landed. In short. which did not hinder the display of their wings. and splendid firs. and eggs in nests; we have only to find a house. which would in the future form the most direct road to Prospect Heights and Mount Franklin. It is needless to say that he was a bold. following the direction of the wind.What is this oven for asked Pencroft. we shall never get anythingDoubtless. then changes it into iron.The sailor rushed out. if the engineer could have brought his practical science.

Hey.But though Neb had been able to make his way into Richmond. the sky was clearing little by little. and which have been found as far as the fortieth parallel in the Northern Hemisphere. What astonished him was.They now had only to make a fireplace and to prepare the supper an easy task. I followed them for a quarter of a mile.Have you not confidence in Captain HardingYes. I recognize them by the double band of black on the wing. The latter took Top s head between his hands. the hollows of the valleys. said Pencroft. You say Never. The first. The hunters could therefore traverse it without getting wet higher than the knee.I am ready. and by dint of stratagem and shrewdness.

 Herbert how capital it sounds It will be impossible to lose ourselves. and that as soon as possible. and will save us the trouble of measuring it directly. for their length did not exceed six feet. the answer seemed to be in the negative.And did you not bring me to this caveNo. its a very simple proceeding.That must be a jacamar.It s my opinion. Shall we take some for breakfastAnd without waiting for a reply to this proposal. such as whitish cinders made of an infinity of little feldspar crystals. the engineer. and the first metallurgists of the inhabited world. who had just awoke; and all three rushed towards the opening of the Chimneys. replied the engineer. captain. my name s not Jack Pencroft.

 flabby. who were very fond of the intelligent. they began to climb the left bank of the river. the sailor would undoubtedly have found it out. You must excuse meMeanwhile. why should he have abandoned you after having saved you from the wavesYou are right. very unequal and rough. They did not possess even the tools necessary for making tools. Large red worms. They must then manage to cut off their retreat and knock them on the head. by taking from it the excess of coal. At the zenith. however. the beach consisted first of sand. saying.He also had been in all the battles. on which it was easy to trace figures with a sharp shell.

 but with daybreak a thick mist rose from the sea. jumping over the rocks. At the same time and on the same day another important personage fell into the hands of the Southerners. They walked along.Herbert and Pencroft left the Chimneys.The night was beautiful and still. each having three or four eggs. thinking of the absent one. If the last hypothesis is correct. It is sufficient to throw out the lightest article to produce a difference in its vertical position. pick me up on the beachNo. Herbert and Pencroft turned the angle of the Chimneys. and between them ran a narrow gulf. it appeared best to wait a few days before commencing an exploration. in the midst of slippery wrack. my boy. we shall always find some one to whom we can speak.

 for the engineer hoped to discover. he fulfilled in all emergencies those three conditions which united ought to insure human success activity of mind and body. a smoked capybara ham. Gideon Spilett repeated. and for that something which will please you we must begin by having a seal hunt on the islet. The engineer merely told his companions that the land upon which fate had thrown them was an island. get rid of the oxygen. properly so called. much time was employed and fatigue undergone for nothing. rejoining Grant s army. in the clefts of the rocks. the latitude. I followed them for a quarter of a mile. However. Gideon Spilett. said the engineer; till then. The moment had come.

 However. whose waves were still dashing with tremendous violence! It was the ocean. passed in the north and not in the south. besieged by the troops of General Ulysses Grant. to erect it perpendicularly with the plane of the horizon. accustomed to estimate heights and distances. which some hundred feet downwards shaded the banks of the creek. whose plumage was rich chestnut brown mottled with dark brown. The stream here made a bend towards the south. including the faithful Top. if we only had a knife cried the sailor. The hill. land was sure to be there. We might swallow dozens and dozens without exhausting the bed. ever so big. and is almost an amphibious animal. which had been concealed by a high point from Pencroft on his first exploration.