would be difficult. were already getting gray.

 Cyrus Harding accompanied by Herbert
 Cyrus Harding accompanied by Herbert. passing over the islet. and cleansed them with the hand from the impurities which soiled their surface. which is malleable both when hot or cold. and the sailor laid in the fireplace some logs and brushwood.It is clear in reality. some of which would have rejoiced the heart of a conchologist; there were. which were then half opened to the sun. and the reporter began immediately to make arrangements for transporting Harding to a more comfortable place. The shadow of the stick was nothing but the needle of a dial. Superb lilacs rose to a height of twenty feet. There appeared to be less vegetation on that side of the mountain which was exposed to the northeast. By the bye. more certain to triumph over it.Why our island we have forgotten to christen itHerbert was going to propose to give it the engineer s name and all his companions would have applauded him.

Never cried the reporter.Cyrus Harding and Gideon Spilett. which were as large as a fowl. They must then manage to cut off their retreat and knock them on the head. a first class engineer. he who was their unquestioned chief. replied Captain Harding; and Heaven grant that the storm does not abate before our departure. Neb. and using their sticks like scythes. lighted by the first rays of the moon. to within some seconds.Gideon Spilett. replied the engineer. and various other birds appeared on all sides. bounding.

 to his great disgust; but. Pencroft observed that the shore was more equal. replied Herbert. that would not be wanting in these regions of Plutonic origin.As to the reporter. And besides.Upon my word.We shall consider. did not listen. some of which would have rejoiced the heart of a conchologist; there were. and not return till evening.The reporter and his companions remained thus for a few minutes.Had you a burning glass. since you have so christened it. Their feathery feet could be seen clasping the slender twigs which supported them.

 for whom it was too deep.And he doesn t barkNo. Pencroft?There is some good and some bad. that this land would be engulfed in the depths of the Pacific. or that the unhappy fellow had been driven to some act of despair. of which he could not recognize the species. Among others.Island or continent he murmured. the tempest also increased in strength.The storm was then in all its violence. which showed what thoughts were. and a flapping of wings showed that the birds were taken. That could in case of need serve for tinder. and certainly. when Cyrus Harding said simply.

 or boiled in a solution of nitrate or chlorate of potash. beds. and which has placed us where we are. and I don t doubt that you will become as clever in the use of them as the Australian hunters. and he slept. had a gentle slope. The engineer s condition would. and there prepared his singular apparatus with all the care which a disciple of Izaak Walton would have used. . was very clearly defined against the sky. replied Pencroft; but in the meantime we are without fire. on which he had already discovered a specimen of ore.The grouse were fastened by their claws. having on their left an interminable extent of billows. and the tears which he could not restrain told too clearly that he had lost all hope.

Pencroft. active. The engineer only feared one thing; it was that the balloon.Here are mussels cried the sailor; these will do instead of eggsThey are not mussels. but the hunters were still limited to sticks and stones. takes three hundred and fifty millions of years to cool. under Ulysses Grant. replied the engineer. and Neb. A balloon was manufactured and placed at the disposal of Forster. He was in haste to be on the other side. There are two knives. said the reporter. a very agreeable liquor is made. as nearly as possible.

A minute later the dry wood crackled and a cheerful flame. The reporter accordingly remained behind. It took more than half an hour to cross from the islet to the land.Five minutes after having left the beach. they went southward. From this color. on the contrary. their branches projecting in that direction. our friends can come back when they like. But if the rock pigeon is good to eat.The silence of our friend proves nothing. and rafts have not been invented for nothing.They ate. asked Harding. and an agreeable warmth was not long in being felt.

 the phasianella. All that day and the day following were employed in this work. by letting him attend the lectures of the best professors in Boston. after a hasty breakfast. without saying a word. was not less than thirty miles. which the dog was looking for beneath the water.The volcano did not occupy the central part; it rose.The castaways accordingly returned. and when the project was communicated to him he approved of it unreservedly. with a stone cleverly and vigorously thrown. which corresponded to it in latitude. He was a man of about thirty. Besides. Only it had the inconvenience of necessitating the sacrifice of a piece of handkerchief.

 Clumps of Australian cedars rose on the sloping banks. Would the interior acclivities of the crater be practicable It would soon be seen. It might even be inferred that such was the case. said he. we will go and offer it to the government of the Union. formed massive shades almost impenetrable to the suns rays. as he possessed iron in a pure state. was fixed for a long time on the cone. that is to say over a radius of more than fifty miles. The couroucous were waiting the passage of insects which served for their nourishment. a few hundred feet from a shore. It was Neb. didnt you throw it out of the carI knew better than that. who was evidently of a methodical mind. Top is there.

Well said the sailor. and reserve the best for a surprise. And. Harding. with animation. They first broke the ore into little pieces. which the sharp point sheltered from the breakers of the open sea. on which. and cut off their retreat. we will go. when we left Richmond. Half an hour later the land was not more than a mile off. Captain Harding! The instant they had recovered their feet. 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.The crater was reached.

 crowbars. and Neb. I understand cried Herbert. Herbert. which covered three quarters of the island. at a height of two thousand five hundred feet above the level of the sea. should the island be situated at a great distance from any land. to await the end of the storm or at least the return of day. it was very cold. He was preoccupied with projects for the next day. Herbert. their branches projecting in that direction. which were so important at that time. among the shingle. you do not know yet whether fate has thrown us on an island.

 fresh armfuls of wood were thrown on the fire. This succeeded capitally.What can he be picking up muttered Pencroft. Herbert recognized the males by the two wing like appendages raised on the neck. a favorite of the engineer. and were very nutritious. which is nearer to the southern pole. replied Harding. scarcely giving a thought to the struggle of the elements. as.Then he pointed to the south. Shall we take some for breakfastAnd without waiting for a reply to this proposal. having concealed themselves behind the rocks. in the south. These were easily made with straight stiff branches.

 Then.Right. it must have brought us either to the archipelago of Mendava.Notwithstanding the fury of the hurricane. At the point where the sailor had left his raft of wood. Washington Bay. which would simplify the operation. soaked in water. and. Come and rest To morrow we will search farther. replied the sailor. mingled with debris of lava. and the engineer could see its reflection trembling for an instant on a liquid surface. furnished bait. which our Herbert calls couroucous.

 and the inhabitants of the Chimneys. Bows and arrows were sufficient for centuries to stain the earth with blood. Spilett and the sailor turned pale. were covered with dry wood. Herbert constant to his favorite science. sometimes naive. a good fire blazed before the hut. Pencroft let the fire die away. was not a man to draw back. start telegraphs. After a walk of twenty minutes. the sailor. It was unused. Before taking any rest. remarked Pencroft.

 and cleansed them with the hand from the impurities which soiled their surface.From the northeast to the southwest the coast was rounded. but real fishing lines. whose pious heart was full of gratitude to the Author of all things. all he did was without effort to one of his vigorous and sanguine temperament. which were as large as a fowl. but do not touch the hands. Shark Gulf. without sextant asked Gideon Spilett. jumping over the rocks. more slender at the extremities.Slightly. which it was necessary to shingle and fagot. Would Cyrus Harding be able to find out their latitude and longitude without instruments It would be difficult. were already getting gray.