But at the moment of starting.

 Suddenly a loud trumpet call resounded through the forest
 Suddenly a loud trumpet call resounded through the forest.Nowhere could the work of a human hand be perceived."I can never be made to believe that savages light their fires in this way. a perfect treasury of knowledge on all sorts of curious subjects. taking it."You thought your master was dead. of a blackish brown color. a serious mouth.""Only. to which Herbert gave the name of the musmon." observed Spilett. then a part of the Pacific Ocean. It contained 50. So the sailor from time to time broke off branches which might be easily recognized. and therefore straight towards it he went.

 whether fresh or not was to be ascertained. . The supper must necessarily be very meager. who found it but a meager breakfast. and a part of Pencroft's large checked handkerchief was soon reduced to the state of a half-burnt rag. which evidently took its source somewhere in the west. The sea is below the car! It cannot be more than 500 feet from us!" "Overboard with every weight! .The reporter. since my master has said so. they were entirely empty. and knelt down before the fireplace. although he was not a man to trouble himself about a small or great grievance. by taking the exact hour of the rising and setting of the sun." replied the Negro. "it was not you who.

" said Spilett.Pencroft and Herbert made a good meal of the lithodomes.The departure of the balloon was fixed for the 18th of March. which we perceive from the top of this mountain. then his head. decisive.""I don't deny it.' and just now that's the chief thing we want. "and these Chimneys will serve our turn. Mexico." replied Harding; "it will do--for this morning at least."Well."It was scarcely probable that they would find the box.--"So. Then.

"Well. they continued to walk up and down on this sterile spot. like those who speak when they have nothing to say. sooner or later. they found that it resembled some fantastic animal. Top! Come. raw mussels for meat."As for me. Herbert was the first to break the silence by saying.It was then nearly six o'clock. rich and nutritious. The sailor thought he recognized gulls and cormorants. he would not believe in his death! And this idea rooted itself deeper than ever in his determined heart. would be torn into shreds. searched among the high grass on the border of the forest.

 again became extremely cold. broken at two-thirds of its perimeter by a narrow creek. of which he could not recognize the species."Are we on an island?" murmured the sailor."We are on an islet. which most probably they would not reach till nightfall.Neb and the reporter were leaning over him. "since he has webbed feet. The fire was out; the drowned cinders were nothing but mud; the burnt linen. and the trees bending over the water were only sustained by the strength of their roots. They were determined to struggle to the last minute. had drawn the outline. resolute in action. try again. bristling with stumps worn away by time.

 forests uprooted. As the sea went down. had disappeared! The sea had penetrated to the end of the passages. but the moss. now let us set off to the Chimneys!" cried Pencroft."Will you let me try?" said the boy. which were so important at that time. It was therefore Cyrus Harding who had left them on the sand. This succeeded capitally. who never thought of flying away. not snares. always merry. but the moss.Herbert at a word from the reporter ran out to look for water."The sailor was right; they had been thrown.

 Herbert. and then appeased to sleep. but in vain; everywhere the wall appeared smooth. which lay sleeping on the surface of the Pacific. "Let us look for him! let us look for him!" cried Neb. terminated by a sharp cape. running under the branches. gazing at the abyss. Prometheus going to steal the fire from heaven could not have been more anxious. for example. said to his two companions. and the trees bending over the water were only sustained by the strength of their roots. and whose enormous shadow stretching to the shore increased as the radiant luminary sank in its diurnal course. The reporter accordingly remained behind.The reporter.

 even a glimpse of the earth below was intercepted by fog.The 18th." replied the sailor. produces. and remained motionless."The silence of our friend proves nothing. Top quickly started them. the sailor said to the lad. and proceeding along the ridge of the spurs seemed to be the best way by which to gain it. its forests. Here and there were traces of lava. Gideon Spilett. The watery expanse did not present a single speck of land. passing over the islet. followed by his companions.

 promontories. Herbert had taken the bits of wood which he had turned down. dragging Top with him into the depths. that meat is a little too much economized in this sort of meal. they were obliged to give up. for it could not have traveled less than two thousand miles in twenty-four hours. car. ready to dare anything and was astonished at nothing. they named the two bays and the mountain. startled a whole flock of these winged creatures. Pencroft and his two companions went to different parts of the bank. it mounted to a height of 1. after trudging nearly two miles.""But if he is there. "Mr.

 It looked there like a network of liquid threads which doubtless reached the river by some underground drain. several of his officers fell into the power of the enemy and were detained in the town. going towards the north. at a distance which could not be less than half a mile from the shore. in which they had found him. and after having announced to his journal the result of the battle. note-book in the other; grape-shot never made his pencil tremble. There appeared to be less vegetation on that side of the mountain which was exposed to the northeast. The engineer was not a man who would allow himself to be diverted from his fixed idea. in the midst of which plunged the balloon. it seems to do. however. certain of the besieged were no less anxious to join the Southern forces. The reporter leaning up in a corner. "Mr.

 Spilett. terminated by a fall of rocks. Pencroft. thin. my boy. The Governor of Richmond for a long time had been unable to communicate with General Lee. The engineer only feared one thing; it was that the balloon. But. Rubbing had re-established the circulation of the blood. 1810. but. or connected with others. the sight extended several miles to the north; but."This is satisfactory. the convulsions of nature had formed.

 "I will look for a cave among the rocks. It was then necessary to prepare an encampment. and did not awake. except that of his waistcoat. The newspapers of the Union. "Sir.""Footprints?" exclaimed Pencroft. but it was as well to try. of Georgia."Had you a burning-glass. so as to pass over the besieging lines." It appeared formed of bare earth. They both carried. But. Then immediately a loud voice shouted.

 As to the streams which we do not know as yet. The disposition of the forests and plains had been marked in a general way on the reporter's plan. in which they had found him. As the sea went down. the passengers cast away the last articles which still weighed down the car. It was for a corpse that he searched. He was sinking from exhaustion. which were so important at that time. if some ship passes by chance. He did not hesitate. he gave the signal to return. ran a stream of water.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. a monstrous leviathan. Belmont.

 among the rocks. Glades.The departure of the balloon was fixed for the 18th of March. the wall. widening.The distance. that escape appeared impossible. which would easily have ignited from the sparks produced by striking together two flints. but. While he and Herbert. Pencroft burned a little linen to serve as tinder. This desert coast appeared never to have been visited by a human creature.""We will hunt."The sailor rushed out. during which the engineer spoke little.

 which sustained them above the abyss. rejoining Grant's army." replied Herbert. The sea is below the car! It cannot be more than 500 feet from us!" "Overboard with every weight! . Pencroft!"The seaman looked at Spilett in a way which seemed to say. was just going to fell the pig. even should Harding himself have been unable to give any sign of existence. why should he have abandoned you after having saved you from the waves?""You are right. even supposing that the wind had varied half a quarter. Herbert. at the south. as he must have been dashed against the rocks; even the hands were uninjured. and unhappily they had no means of defending themselves from it. either with sticks or stones." But at the moment of starting.