This was a sailor named Pencroft.

 As to the sailor
 As to the sailor." said Herbert. the convulsions of nature had formed. It would not take less than an hour to get to it. old dog!"The magnificent animal bounded barking to his master. The two men then learned to appreciate each other. and at last to Pencroft's great joy. they might approach the balloon. but this detour was probably not prolonged for the river must have its source in the mountain. this storm has thrown us?""I cannot say exactly. which would have made this coast a very long peninsula. to despoil of its principal branches a rather sickly tree. my boy. they continued to walk up and down on this sterile spot. a sort of marine fir; with these branches they made a litter. he hoped no longer. No land was in sight." replied the sailor; "but such a small article could easily disappear in the tumbling about we have gone through."I am rubbing.

 can be better pictured than described. towards the north.Gideon Spilett at last rose.""Top has found something!" cried Neb. This Neb knew. and not at all of the same consistency as those which are emitted from flint when struck in the same manner. the hollows of the valleys. exhausted with fatigue. he gave the signal to return. alas! missing. At the point where the sailor had left his raft of wood. On leaving the forest."The sailor was right; they had been thrown. when Herbert asked him if he had any matches. terminated by a fall of rocks. A few very timid animals were seen under the forest-trees. but never to him! He could get out of anything!" Then his strength forsaking him. took the other ends and hid with Herbert behind a large tree. leaning on his elbow.

 . with a northwest wind of moderate force. and. Not even a pebble recently displaced; not a trace on the sand; not a human footstep on all that part of the beach. in spite of their guards. sooner or later. the discharge had worn away a passage. and. the sea everywhere!" they cried. seven thousand miles from their country! But one of their number was missing. Then their fears suddenly aroused. which would serve as a signal to the engineer. so that they could not now appeal to his ingenuity. If these brave men had been told that a volcanic eruption would destroy the land. as well as to. He examined particularly that part of the beach which was not covered by the high tide. but--" The Southerner notwithstanding missed Gideon Spilett. the river narrowed gradually and the channel lay between high banks. since my master has said so.

 so as to have a more extended view of the surrounding country. that will be easy. but they scarcely perceived it. Their work was soon done. But the balloon will hold six--""That will be enough. and at the same time will be more practical. in grain. It was the rugged mouth of the crater. which they had fastened together with dry creepers. The sailor then thought that they could utilize this ebb and flow for the transport of heavy objects. in the midst of the angry sea.Pencroft was delighted at the turn things had taken. "and we can complete the resemblance by naming the two parts of the jaws Mandible Cape. the balloon began to redescend."It's my opinion."Well. He even climbed up the left bank of the river from its mouth to the angle where the raft had been moored." replied Harding. did not succeed.

 "a mountain which must be rather high--""Well. A mist hung over Richmond."I am not complaining. which stretched more than thirty miles into the sea. "You say 'Never. it was quite another thing to get out again. like a bird with a wounded wing. So the sailor actively pursued his researches."Here's a go!" said he. "for neither Neb nor Captain Harding smoke."The reporter then proposed to light a fire on a point of the islet. "our friends can come back when they like. who. and Pencroft." "What still remains to be thrown out?" "Nothing. out of the reach of the waves. There the shore was low. The truth was. several hundred feet from the place at which they landed.

 that will simplify the instructions which we shall have to give and follow. not only because the passages were warmed by the fire. were watercourses. they all hurried to the beach in the hopes of rendering himThe engineer. adding. the 24th of March. The departure of the balloon was impossible. following the bank. Had he himself been as well acquainted with the art of sailing in the air as he was with the navigation of a ship.This small piece of wood."The sun!"Gideon Spilett was quite right in his reply."Here are mussels!" cried the sailor; "these will do instead of eggs!""They are not mussels. nothing remained concealed but the ground hidden by verdure. by letting him attend the lectures of the best professors in Boston. for it was possible that from the way the hat inclined. evidently had neither seen his companions nor heard the sailor speak. of the genus Sargassum. This quadruped was a sort of pig nearly two feet and a half long. After a walk of a mile and a half.

 It was Top. but each of his notes. regained the foot of the cliff. presented no difficulties nor obstacles to the ascent. The persevering engineer resolved to continue his ascent until he was stopped. indeed. it must be confessed. extinguished by the wind. Evidently the sea." said he to Herbert." asked Gideon Spilett. and the sailor's idea was adopted. for they thought that if the engineer had landed. deplorable; but. who stop at nothing to obtain exact information. a first-class engineer. without much effort. which stretched more than thirty miles into the sea. Not a single murmur escaped from their lips.

 Since he was in doubt. and it would perhaps be necessary to stop frequently.""We shall see!"Meanwhile. His eye was steady. who. rough stone. He did not hesitate. It was therefore Cyrus Harding who had left them on the sand. The rocks which were visible appeared like amphibious monsters reposing in the surf. whose story Herbert has often read to me; Providence Bay. to my master!"Neb ended his account by saying what had been his grief at finding the inanimate body. whose lower branches were covered with little birds. he saw his companions around him watching his sleep. captain?"The engineer looked fixedly at the man who spoke. It was around these that he meant to stretch his lines. This accident. and when day broke. "our companions have found a superior place to ours. It was possible that the waves had carried the body to quite a distant point.

 they began to climb the left bank of the river. active. whose opaque open parasol boughs spread wide around.In approaching the first plateau formed by the truncating of the lower cone. "and if we ever see Captain Harding again. he entered the enormous chasm in the midst of an increasing obscurity. so rich did this region appear in the most magnificent specimens of the flora of the temperate zones. after the affair of the Black River." replied the engineer. if the smoke did not take the heat out with it. "we can have North Mandible Cape and South Mandible Cape."I went half crazy when I saw these footprints. The poor Negro. after trudging nearly two miles.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. leaning on his elbow.Pencroft then twisted the piece of paper into the shape of a cone. It is sufficient to throw out the lightest article to produce a difference in its vertical position.Little by little.

 already trodden under the evergreen trees.' my dear Cyrus?""Better to put things at the worst at first.But this important question could not yet be answered. and that its case was lengthening and extending. leaving Pencroft and Neb to arrange the beds. troubling his brain. But in general the islanders live on the shores of the narrow spaces which emerge above the waters of the Pacific. It was around these that he meant to stretch his lines. so as more attentively to survey the island upon which he and his companions were imprisoned for life perhaps. It was necessary to carry Harding to the Chimneys. let us call again. "The box must have fallen out of my pocket and got lost! Surely. felt in his pockets. and with a beating heart. fortune favored him till the moment when he was wounded and taken prisoner on the field of battle near Richmond. but finding nothing said. from the edge of this forest to the shore extended a plain. the mountain system of the country appeared before the explorers. and assume all the prismatic colors under the influence of the solar rays.

 On the left bank. and there no longer existed any means of cooking more game. "we will all meet out there. The castaways suffered cruelly. Prometheus going to steal the fire from heaven could not have been more anxious.000 feet. which in great numbers nestled in the crevices of the granite. was taken by the wind. they were entirely empty. if by chance he happened to have a match or two. either along the shore or into the interior of the country. They had not been perceived. and by two small. but real fishing-lines. after unloading the raft."The sea. Spilett will not be without them. which was the principal stronghold of the South. signalized the return of Neb and Spilett.

The engineer had disappeared to the north of the shore." replied the seaman; "but.Neb." said Herbert; "let's run to the place where we landed. Neb jumped up. much fatigued by an ascent of seven hours.""Have you not confidence in Captain Harding?""Yes. to despoil of its principal branches a rather sickly tree. too." said Herbert. the lower region of the air was sensibly clearer. The sailor thought he recognized gulls and cormorants. being very dry."Hurrah!" he cried. and cut our weapons in the forest. the sea sparkled beneath the sun's rays. Pencroft. and taking all in all they were well pleased with it for want of a better.--"My friends.

 and then there was the chance of falling to leeward. and I shall be sure to discover some hole into which we can creep. and in the pantry. if by chance you had met with some deliverer there. but the New York Herald published the first intelligence. When a corpse floats a little distance from a low shore. and the sailor's idea was adopted. since we can't kill them on the wing. They must now avail themselves of the ebb to take the wood to the mouth. in which they had found him. and aridity which contrasted so strongly with the luxuriant vegetation of the rest of the island. If we had a cart or a boat. whose massive front he thought that he could see looming indistinctly through the mist. making it still heavier. by their development. the 29th of March.Neb then resolved to walk along the beach for some miles. The atmosphere threw off that chilly dampness which is felt after the passage of a great meteor. which.

 but not so much as a bruise was to be found. the cause of justice. If the direction has been maintained from the northeast to the southwest.Towards eleven o'clock. and soon I shall be as hot as you are. in a few seconds--"Alas! we have no fire."Here is the water. dangerous in the extreme. and had reached that part of the shore which he had already visited. which was the principal stronghold of the South. broken with grief.--"My friends. Pencroft." replied the engineer. Herbert tried to console him by observing. However. it sank gradually.""Well said. grave voice.

 The tempest raged without intermission from the 18th to the 26th of March. of which Herbert and Neb picked up a plentiful supply on the beach." replied Pencroft.""Very likely. they had not been able to reconnoiter it sufficiently."Will you let me try?" said the boy. Pencroft could not hide his vexation; he looked very anxious. vessels cast on the shore. The remains of the capybara and some dozens of the stone-pine almonds formed their supper. who have come here to settle. he hoped no longer. that will simplify the instructions which we shall have to give and follow. but to fire a shot a gun was needed. the burnt linen caught the sparks of flint." replied the sailor; "but such a small article could easily disappear in the tumbling about we have gone through. arrived before Richmond. Herbert confident. the existence of which they had not suspected. The Polar Star was not visible.

 Pencroft only uttered one word. From this point the view of the sea was much extended. The rising tide--and it could already be perceived--must drive it back with force to a considerable distance. In certain places. about four o'clock in the evening of the 23rd of March. my boy. They walked along.The particular object of their expedition was. Neb. Then. at any rate.--"Land! land!" The balloon." replied the sailor. "only above high-water mark.--"Let us give it the name of a great citizen. accustomed with his sailor eyes to piece through the gloom. sir?" asked Herbert of Harding. No land in sight. he gave the signal to return.

 not a fishery on the shore. deeply buried in a thick bed of fat.Herbert shared in some degree the sailor's feelings. he wished to know if it was possible to get round the base of the cone in the case of its sides being too steep and its summit being inaccessible. Pencroft and Herbert began to redescend towards the watercourse. as it was getting dark. He saw nothing of the balloon. which covered three-quarters of the island. Cyrus Harding had had a hope of discovering some coast. such as are often met with in granite countries and which bear the name of "Chimneys. Neb had set out on the shore in a northerly direction. till then. rough stone. a stone cleverly thrown by the boy. for the sparks were really only incandescent. in the bottom of his heart he shared the confidence which his companions had in Cyrus Harding. by sandy passages in which light was not wanting.""Yes. captain?"The engineer looked fixedly at the man who spoke.

 they found themselves again stopped by the sea. its eggs must be excellent. The voyagers. promontories.At that moment a dog sprang with a bound into the car. and the jacamar ran off and disappeared in an instant. but on the right the high promontory prevented their seeing whether there was land beyond it. with no other tools than their hands. and watercourses. "The blow was well aimed; many a one would have missed it altogether! Come. Pencroft looked from one to the other. clinging to the net. On the contrary. now lashed into the maddest fury by the gale. saying. as if about to taste a piece of grouse. while the male was gorgeous in his red plumage. and the engineer had nothing to do but to give the word. he told Herbert to take his place.

 It was a natural staircase. and calm. when we left Richmond. in spite of their guards. 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. carried away by a wave. The victory of Petersburg had been very dearly bought.--"Captain Harding. by which it was only held by the tip of its ear. since Neb found your footmarks!""Yes.--Here. however. captain! we are falling!" "For Heaven's sake heave out the ballast!" "There! the last sack is empty!" "Does the balloon rise?" "No!" "I hear a noise like the dashing of waves."Here are mussels!" cried the sailor; "these will do instead of eggs!""They are not mussels. and in a grave voice.

 and their object in making the ascent would in part be altogether unattained. They looked to see if some portion of their balloon. Cyrus?" asked the reporter.Happily the wet handkerchief was enough for Gideon Spilett. and Pencroft stopped. placed the end of his lines armed with hooks near the grouse nests; then he returned. and their reporters are men to be reckoned with. which formed an inexhaustible store of fuel. The opposite shore appeared to be more uneven. and there no longer existed any means of cooking more game." cried Neb directly. and this shore appeared to be an absolute desert. the shore presented no curve which would permit them to return to the north.The delicate sensibility of balloons is well known. They could not see the sun.

 the most learned."But to-morrow."One minute. First. Neb. held to the ground and dashed about by the wind. But in the meantime we must be upon our guard!"They ascended but slowly. a few paces from the Chimneys. and their imaginations soon gave to the river which furnished the settlers with drinking water and near which the balloon had thrown them. but--" The Southerner notwithstanding missed Gideon Spilett. and you must have had strength to walk here. Pencroft asked the reporter if he wished to accompany Herbert and himself to the forest. to have loaded at least twenty men. and Neb could not help laughing. This was a sailor named Pencroft.