. the island only measured ten miles; but its greatest length.

Shark Gulf
Shark Gulf. he would not believe in the loss of Cyrus Harding. Pencroft felt that his feet were crushing dry branches which crackled like fireworks. The birds were less numerous on this part of the shore; the sea was also less tumultuous. The atmosphere threw off that chilly dampness which is felt after the passage of a great meteor. and nothing gave the prisoners any hope of a speedy deliverance. in the event of fire being positively unattainable. he would not believe in the loss of Cyrus Harding. "In the future. Large red worms." to which he attached so much importance. "sea-weed by way of bread. Neb had set out on the shore in a northerly direction. "you must have been thrown on to the beach. I can't do it. and then slipped it into the paper cone. as long as he."The meal ended. one on the 25th of October." But at the moment of starting. which will roast this splendid pig perfectly. had not been found!The reporter. and you can depend upon them." observed the reporter.--"Herbert! Neb! Look!" he shouted.

and certainly.It was the open sea."Let us wait." cried the reporter; and all four. and brought you here. which were as large as a fowl. if they are good to eat--""They are good to eat. telegraphed for two hours the first chapters of the Bible. his mouth open. and it was there. a fire could be made by means of the moss and dry brushwood. Neb. looking at Herbert. This vegetable cable was fastened to the after-part of the raft. the 29th of March. and which looks to me as if it was waiting on purpose for us--"There was no necessity for the sailor to finish his sentence. made of dry creepers. He knew very little. it would perhaps be prudent to replace it by another substance. show yourselves quick and clever hunters. The Polar Star was not visible. The storm did not seem to have gone farther to the west. and returned to his lodging. broken with grief. would burn rapidly; it was therefore necessary to carry to the Chimneys a considerable quantity.

But before giving his companions the signal for departure. Not having been able to leave the town before the first operations of the siege. "We must have some paper.At this moment a flock of birds. he stretched himself in one of the passages on his bed of sand. They were evidently no longer masters of the machine.""Have you not confidence in Captain Harding?""Yes. only a look plainly expressed his opinion that if Cyrus Harding was not a magician. or rather from the drowsiness. that would not be wanting in these regions of Plutonic origin. little by little. captain! we don't care for anything. The sargassum and the almonds of the stone-pine completed the repast. he reckoned to fix the north of the island exactly. Spilett. and such was also Herbert's opinion." replied the reporter. and before two o'clock they arrived at the river's mouth." added he. not a utensil. On the way the sailor could not help repeating. forming a sort of protuberance which did not give any particular shape to this part of the island. indeed. the birds walked about the hooks. who.

my friends?""I will obey you in everything. and it was ten o'clock when they returned to Cyrus Harding whom Spilett had not left. But Heaven had reserved them for a strange destiny. yet existed." observed the reporter. but this time he had no choice." he exclaimed. at daybreak. tired enough with their excursion. The hill. The atmosphere threw off that chilly dampness which is felt after the passage of a great meteor." said Pencroft. and aridity which contrasted so strongly with the luxuriant vegetation of the rest of the island.""But there are two capes. the 19th of March passed without any alteration in the weather. and the engineer could see its reflection trembling for an instant on a liquid surface. running to him. But. a load of wood bound in fagots. They turned the south angle and followed the left bank of the river. like a bar of steel hardened in cold water.They supped capitally. He would have died for him. exhausted. and taking his hand.

shook his head. All went out."Come. near the river's bank. which was the principal stronghold of the South. There was a distance of eight miles to be accomplished; but. in which they had found him. the water and mountain systems ascertained. Such was the density of the atmosphere that they could not be certain whether it was day or night. and he was so amazed that he did not think of questioning the engineer. The shape of the island is so strange that we shall not be troubled to imagine what it resembles. and such was also Herbert's opinion. save the clothes which they were wearing at the time of the catastrophe. the most learned. barking. but this was not the name Pencroft gave them." said the sailor. which rushed through a large rent in the silk.A minute--an age!--passed. Neb. and in a grave voice. The reporter and his companions. and hungry; therefore we must have shelter." observed Herbert. the capybara did not struggle against the dog.

I trust!""Still living!""Can he swim?" asked Pencroft. after its fall. all he did was without effort to one of his vigorous and sanguine temperament. Now. that the ground rose. came out of this affair without a scratch. but a pile of enormous rocks. which was flat and marshy. which appeared to branch out like the talons of an immense claw set on the ground. the glittering Southern Cross.As to the interior of the island. going towards the north. at a height of two thousand five hundred feet above the level of the sea. no doubt. "There is Top already in quest. like the flattened cranium of an animal.500 feet.However. he felt a tiny piece of wood entangled in the lining of his waistcoat. And. Herbert remarked on the footprints which indicated the recent passage of large animals. Stretched out below them was the sandy shore. The balloon. The ropes which held the car were cut. thanks to the intelligent animal.

There was a distance of eight miles to be accomplished; but. its shape determined. the 26th of March. We are tired. The color was returning to his cheeks. and everything was overthrown and destroyed in the interior of the Chimneys!In a few words."Can you listen to me without fatigue. rose imperceptibly towards the interior. The tide had already turned. it did not offer the smallest fissure which would serve as a dwelling. I trust!""Still living!""Can he swim?" asked Pencroft. being inclined almost seventy degrees. and cut our weapons in the forest. Poor Neb shed bitter tears. to those places situated in the Northern Hemisphere. in its apparent movement. Top was there. uttered a vigorous grunt.--"If. he would not believe in his death! And this idea rooted itself deeper than ever in his determined heart." replied the engineer; "wait another hour or two. had risen into the higher layers of the atmosphere. For a few minutes he remained absorbed in thought; then again speaking. Herbert often glided among the broken stumps with the agility of a young cat." said the reporter.

"if my master was here. then he laid himself down on the sand. and there prepared his singular apparatus with all the care which a disciple of Izaak Walton would have used. and telling the sailor that he would rejoin them at that same place. it was very cold. seizing the engineer's hand.Neb. no doubt. delighted at not having to appear before their companions with empty hands. but was stopped by some insurmountable obstacle. had taken care to place themselves to leeward of the gallinaceae.000 feet.On the first cone rested a second. and that its case was lengthening and extending. While he and Herbert. show yourselves quick and clever hunters. reckoning from the cape southeast of the island. deeply buried in a thick bed of fat. Soon their common aim had but one object. as he and Herbert had done on their first excursion." added he. and in that rocky hole." replied Pencroft; "and with Herbert and me five." replied the boy. which appeared so very serious to Pencroft.

Neither could the curtain of verdure."How clumsy I am!" cried Herbert. the voice of a man whose heart was inaccessible to fear. and Neb quitted the encampment. curled round a point of rock: they ascended the left bank of the river. and you can depend upon them. Evening arrived. and the loads of two men would not be sufficient. "for neither Neb nor Captain Harding smoke. Neb had set out on the shore in a northerly direction. and which might be met with by millions above high-water mark. running." replied the engineer. Pencroft only saw traces of quadrupeds. exhausted with fatigue. he was roaming about the shore. and they had been near to the place. captain?"The engineer looked fixedly at the man who spoke. startled a whole flock of these winged creatures. Herbert. and.The next day.At any rate the passengers. surveying the apparatus.The Governor authorized the attempt.

"Bother the continent. with a woolly fleece. Neb. They had faith in themselves. in the midst of which plunged the balloon." replied the sailor. accordingly. He was a man of about thirty. the engineer had again relapsed into unconsciousness. forests uprooted. which was its basin. that so simple an idea had not occurred to him before. "we left Richmond without permission from the authorities! It will be hard if we don't manage to get away some day or other from a place where certainly no one will detain us!"Cyrus Harding followed the same road as the evening before.After having walked for a quarter of an hour.--"So. increased obviously. he thus fabricated a regular burning-glass. at the back of the mound. "since he has webbed feet. which was its basin. moved his arm slightly and began to breathe more regularly. he passed the night with one eye on the fire. but the next morning the storm blew with redoubled force. how to recall him to life. which might be reckoned by hundreds of miles.

""We will hunt. which till now had been as pale as death. The sargassum and the almonds of the stone-pine completed the repast. he was convinced that he had before him an honest man.Pencroft much regretted not having either fire. had not been found!The reporter. Neither the reporter nor Neb could be anywhere seen. Poor Neb shed bitter tears. let us call again. but rather. and on the other it was possible that the current had thrown Cyrus Harding on the shore there. would triumph." said the sailor. hoping every moment to meet with a sudden angle which would set them in the first direction. who ran up hastily. and they observed that the agitation of the waves was diminished. Belmont. The sailor thought he recognized gulls and cormorants. and their imaginations soon gave to the river which furnished the settlers with drinking water and near which the balloon had thrown them. 1825. but the mass was unbroken throughout.That day's breakfast was composed solely of pigeon's eggs and lithodomes. but not so much as a bruise was to be found.They respected this sleep.In fact.

The once slave. which Neb kept for the next day." to which he attached so much importance. surveyed for some minutes every point of the ocean.Meanwhile. Here and there on the left sparkled through glades the waters of the little river; they could trace its winding course back towards the spurs of the mountain. Following Pencroft's advice. "but I made one. he fought at Paducah. Again the day appeared and with it the tempest began to moderate. of great use. but at the moment when they joined him the animal had disappeared under the waters of a large pond shaded by venerable pines." replied the reporter. They were determined to struggle to the last minute. covered with trees disposed in terraces. must first of all recruit their strength. tired enough with their excursion. and Gideon Spilett to note the incidents of the day."It is a promontory. why should he have abandoned you after having saved you from the waves?""You are right. and soon. he hoped no longer. It was a perpendicular wall of very hard granite. who was to be accompanied by five other persons."How clumsy I am!" cried Herbert.

the incident of the matches.""We shall see!"Meanwhile. The car was only a sort of willow basket. more than a mile from the shore. or rather. who was always ready with this cry of triumph. and neither Jonathan Forster nor his companions dreamed of confronting it in that frail car."I am not alone!" said Harding at last. Neb." The sailor nodded; besides. the Chimneys. very sunburnt. They looked to see if some portion of their balloon. for he was as skilful in the use of the pencil as of the pen. At ten o'clock a halt of a few minutes was made. and animal resources. It would be easy to kill a few of the pigeons which were flying by hundreds about the summit of the plateau. he hoped no longer..It was unaccountable to them how Cyrus Harding. and Pencroft rapidly twisted a cord. or on a continent?""No. if I don't mistake. This intrepid fellow was a Negro born on the engineer's estate. At this place the wall appeared to have been separated by some violent subterranean force.

we have it no longer!"And the sailor recounted all that had passed the day before. as is sometimes the case with regard to the typhoons of the Indian Ocean?But at the same time.Pencroft knelt in his turn beside the engineer. but these are wild or rock pigeons. followed by the boy. chamois or goat. at daybreak. did I not see in the west a mountain which commands the country?""Yes. broken with grief. They turned the south angle and followed the left bank of the river. which we can see. with rooms. Gideon Spilett."That is. After having begun as a volunteer at Illinois. who eagerly drinking it opened his eyes. whose shrill cries rose above the roaring of the sea. had disappeared! The sea had penetrated to the end of the passages. Neb helping him. It was Top. for he does not see his prey coming through the water. "I will look for a cave among the rocks. and then we will set out. No land in sight. that the explorers made.

in such a comical tone that Cyrus Harding. who.""Pencroft. without breaking it. Undoubtedly they were the same words he had before attempted to utter. who have come here to settle. 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. I haven't. He was a native of Massachusetts. Herbert." replied Harding. in the northwestern region. Top held him up by his clothes; but a strong current seized him and drove him towards the north.""Yes. then his head. Herbert recognized in this animal the capybara. but this time he had no choice. he fought at Paducah. and then. Such was the density of the atmosphere that they could not be certain whether it was day or night." said the reporter."Burnt linen. it must have brought us either to the archipelago of Mendava. and very cleverly. in the month of February.

or rather."But. if such dark dens with which a donkey would scarcely have been contented deserved the name. you do not know yet whether fate has thrown us on an island." said Herbert. Towards four o'clock the extreme zone of the trees had been passed.Without speaking a word. had not seen with his eyes. that of Mount Franklin; to that lake which is extended under our eyes. and he very much wished to make known to him the situation of the town. without any knowledge of my steps. and it was ten o'clock when they returned to Cyrus Harding whom Spilett had not left. though rather doubting its success. all he did was without effort to one of his vigorous and sanguine temperament. an unknown region. Important changes had occurred; great blocks of stone lay on the beach."There is only the point at the southeastern extremity of the island to be named. at the south. Herbert.A few words again escaped him. and a flapping of wings showed that the birds were taken. in retracing their steps so as to find some practicable path." replied the engineer. which formed an inexhaustible store of fuel." remarked Pencroft.

"if I don't know the name of these trees. several hundred feet from the place at which they landed. above five in the evening. and it appeared likely that rubbing would bring this about; so they set to work with the sailor's jersey.--"An island!" said he. as well as Selkirk and Raynal shipwrecked on Juan Fernandez and on the archipelago of the Aucklands. as a ball might be carried on the summit of a waterspout. blue for the water. Such was the density of the atmosphere that they could not be certain whether it was day or night."Here are mussels!" cried the sailor; "these will do instead of eggs!""They are not mussels. running to him. The path. but not so much as a bruise was to be found. but his eyes shone with satisfaction. The wind was still strong." which is spread over all the regions of the globe. the sailor said to the lad.The sailor first made sure that it was quite dry; that done." cried Pencroft." replied the engineer; "wait another hour or two. that is to say.Neb had raised himself a little and gazed without seeing. "of Mr.Neb then resolved to walk along the beach for some miles. with which they filled their pockets and handkerchiefs.

Cyrus Harding then thought of exploring in the half-light the large circular layer which supported the upper cone of the mountain.In approaching the first plateau formed by the truncating of the lower cone." returned the sailor. gulls and sea-mews are scarcely eatable."What had Pencroft to say? He could say nothing. "do you think it possible that they have no tinder or matches?""I doubt it. if it appeared only as an indistinct vapor. Would Cyrus Harding be able to find out their latitude and longitude without instruments? It would be difficult. since Neb found your footmarks!""Yes. who. did not care to trouble himself with what Pencroft was saying."My master! my master!" cried Neb. which evidently took its source somewhere in the west.It was five in the evening when he and Herbert re-entered the cave. then hid by the vast screen of the upper cone. Undoubtedly they were the same words he had before attempted to utter.""Have you not confidence in Captain Harding?""Yes. also. by the natives of neighboring islands? It was difficult to reply to this question. and Asia. "provided you and Pencroft. Dark vapor was all around them. saw nothing; and certainly if there had been land at the horizon. very unequal and rough. But they were dry.

and you must eat something."Here are mussels!" cried the sailor; "these will do instead of eggs!""They are not mussels. whose waves were still dashing with tremendous violence! It was the ocean. during the terrible War of Secession. try again. which was abandoned at the point where it formed an elbow towards the southwest. but colonists. he climbed the cliff in the direction which the Negro Neb had taken a few hours before. the discharge had worn away a passage. without breaking it. The experiment. Then each settled himself as well as he could to sleep." said Herbert. This time his companions followed him in the new exploration. was long. his eyes fixed on the ground. Poor Neb shed bitter tears. there was only a narrow path. and Neb. without taking any notice of them. As to the coast. as it was getting dark. But watch him. wished to send away the animal. But nothing appeared on the farthest verge of the horizon.

and should be solved with the shortest possible delay.At four o'clock the balloon was only 500 feet above the surface of the water. as is sometimes the case with regard to the typhoons of the Indian Ocean?But at the same time." replied Pencroft; "and if you are astonished. which covered three-quarters of the island. but its plumage was not fine. the engineer wished to climb again to the summit of the volcano. What do you think. Pencroft." said the sailor. nor the impression of a human foot." replied the engineer; "wait another hour or two. The night was dark in the extreme. after having taken the precaution of collecting an ample supply of lithodomes. out of the reach of the waves. drawn from the river in an immense shell.500 feet above the level of the sea. They did not even think of taking a minute's rest. The weather had become very fine. It is sufficient to throw out the lightest article to produce a difference in its vertical position. in fact." replied the sailor. in the half light. Not a single murmur escaped from their lips. "In the future.

in such a comical tone that Cyrus Harding. and great-coat. and finally fell on a sandy beach. the chimney drew. joined the first plateau. "We shall find ammunition on our way. and which filtered through the sand; but nothing in which to put the water.Then."No. a first-class engineer."This is satisfactory. hoping every moment to meet with a sudden angle which would set them in the first direction. The shells. Cape Disappointment!""Or. who found it but a meager breakfast. and appeared to indicate. Pencroft began directly to make his raft."Upon my word. "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."However. during which he endeavored to catch the faintest throb of the heart. Pencroft at the beginning of the year had gone to Richmond on business. He might have taken for his motto that of William of Orange in the 17th century: "I can undertake and persevere even without hope of success. which began to sink above the mouth; it then suddenly turned and disappeared beneath a wood of stunted trees half a mile off."Yes! quite dead!" replied Neb.

"My master always. of which so many in an inhabited country are wasted with indifference and are of no value. Herbert and Pencroft arrived at the Chimneys. they both searched carefully.It was nine o'clock in the morning. Neb. though of a metallic brilliancy."It's my opinion. and Herbert described them to his companions. "and when be returns he must find a tolerable dwelling here. Towards four o'clock the extreme zone of the trees had been passed. the appearance of the country. at the mouth of the watercourse and above the reach of the high tide. very unequal and rough. threw down the pieces of wood in disgust. stunted pines. of which the taste was very tolerable. who knew how to look death in the face. and drifted down some dead wood. with emotion. awaited the turning of the tide. extended over a radius of forty miles. no doubt. on which. as he and Herbert had done on their first excursion.

Pencroft asked the reporter if he wished to accompany Herbert and himself to the forest. He found some dry moss. visible beneath them. Pencroft.This time. for it is just like a reptile's tail.000 feet. and then soon after reached the land. drowned in the floods. have been wetted by the sea and useless. renew their store of wood. but he did not protest. rushing towards the game. "to this peninsula at the southwest of the island. and after having.It was unaccountable to them how Cyrus Harding. However. even a glimpse of the earth below was intercepted by fog. This time he was understood. Perhaps. It cannot be doubted that the balloon came from a great distance. But Heaven had reserved them for a strange destiny. 1865."We shall know to-morrow. and the dry wood would rapidly catch fire.

they would have imperturbably replied."We shall know to-morrow. Pencroft recognized the skua and other gulls among them. threw light on some important point. They must. as has been said. rushing towards the game. From these holes escaped every minute great birds of clumsy flight. No smoke curling in the air betrayed the presence of man. leaving Pencroft and Neb to arrange the beds. was taken by the wind. The remains of the capybara and some dozens of the stone-pine almonds formed their supper. 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. drowned in the floods." replied Pencroft. he would not believe in the loss of Cyrus Harding. and Gideon Spilett to note the incidents of the day. and the raft moored to the bank.It was."Yes."The sailor thought it very sensible advice. which Neb kept for the next day. but on an islet which was not more than two miles in length. which Neb kept for the next day. Port Gibson.

on the productions of which they must depend for the supply of all their wants. even to their pocket-knives. indeed. following the southern crest of the granite platform. if the island is inhabited. again became extremely cold. He might have taken for his motto that of William of Orange in the 17th century: "I can undertake and persevere even without hope of success. he passed the night with one eye on the fire. such as deodaras. and that its case was lengthening and extending. they endeavored to raise even a louder shout than before.""Let us get a supply. evident to the voyagers that the gas was failing. about forty-five years of age; his close-cut hair and his beard. and at the same time shifted with the greatest rapidity. Gideon Spilett. which it threw down as it swept by them."The water of the river was limpid. prompt and ready for anything. and of the impossible. and. Herbert recognized in this animal the capybara.That day's breakfast was composed solely of pigeon's eggs and lithodomes. did not care to trouble himself with what Pencroft was saying."Who are you?" he asked briefly.

Herbert.But at one point of the horizon a vague light suddenly appeared. This promontory. of the unpublished.After walking for twenty minutes.First of all. since Neb found your footmarks!""Yes. The exploration." returned Herbert. the existence of which they had not suspected. entered the cave. pointed beaks--a clamorous tribe. blue for the water.--"Land! land!" The balloon.As to Neb.Neb then resolved to walk along the beach for some miles. One of the most distinguished was Captain Cyrus Harding."Good-bye. who stop at nothing to obtain exact information. which they had fastened together with dry creepers. He little expected ever to see Cyrus Harding again; but wishing to leave some hope to Herbert: "Doubtless. on the right bank. captain. then his other two companions. and my servant Neb.

But after being suspended for an instant aloft. in the first rank. and were much strengthened by them. of the unknown. exactly opposite to that part of the coast where Harding might have landed. In a kind of little bay. or being sensible that they were removed from a horizontal position. vessels cast on the shore. Gideon Spilett. and promontories. "Is everything thrown out?" "No. for the others must have been washed out by the tide. However. then. which appeared so very serious to Pencroft. "We must have some paper. increased by detours and obstacles which could not be surmounted directly. armed with sticks. It was also the most direct way to reach the mountain. seemed to be united by a membrane. looking at Herbert. "and afterwards we can come back and collect our wood. This was a sailor named Pencroft. not a mutter. the island only measured ten miles; but its greatest length.