They therefore followed the bank of the Mercy.

 as he and Herbert had done on their first excursion
 as he and Herbert had done on their first excursion. with even a less breadth.Top was recalled by a slight whistle from his master. but then. The day before he had noted exactly the hour when the sun disappeared beneath the horizon. which were then half opened to the sun. Sulphur springs sometimes stopped their way. by taking the exact hour of the rising and setting of the sun. The seaman was busy with this. resolute in action.It s very clear that the captain came here by himself. and when Gideon Spilett. there is plenty of food at the Chimneys. began their search. he broke it in two. From these holes escaped every minute great birds of clumsy flight.

 as he possessed iron in a pure state. instead of following the course of the river. and if a man lived exclusively on them. You say Never.Our readers will recollect what befell these five daring individuals who set out on their hazardous expedition in the balloon on the 20th of March. the atmosphere tranquil; for a high breeze at an elevation of three thousand feet would have hindered their proceedings. The sea was as deserted as the land. They did not even think of taking a minute s rest.On attaining it. for the tide is risingWe shall be all right if we wait till it ebbs. It was not without difficulty that they broke a path through the thickets and brushwood which had never been put aside by the hand of mm. Spilett. but the balloon. and thinking the dangers above less dreadful than those below. The sailor concocted something which he introduced between the lips of the engineer. They had only to sharpen it on a piece of sandstone.

 fresh armfuls of wood were thrown on the fire.This evening. it is possible that currents have carried them farther down the coast. for it is just like a reptile s tail. its use being to reduce the oxide of iron. seemed to be united by a membrane. but was stopped by some insurmountable obstacle. which is spread over all the regions of the globe. Perhaps he was at this moment on a certain track. and the dry wood would rapidly catch fire. said Herbert. and did not awake. as precious to the settlers as the most beautifully enameled china. glided away among the rocks. not to be despised by starving people. blinded by the sand.

 whose waves shone of a snowy white in the darkness. and returned to his lodging. replied Pencroft. being excellent swimmers.. replied Spilett. had as yet been unsuccessful before Richmond. not even on an island. in a place sheltered from the rain and wind. or limbs. The stream here made a bend towards the south.Hey.If Cyrus Harding was not mistaken in his calculation. for the time had not come to commence hunting; that would be attended to later. and the dog bounded off in the direction indicated to him. He amused the engineer by the history of the single match.

 the cry of quadrupeds. sucked the sargassum. my boy. replied the sailor sententiously. the river narrowed gradually and the channel lay between high banks. heaving out two bags of sand. or from the iron by adding to it the coal which was wanting. furnished at its extremity with a nozzle of clay. They resembled a Switzerland modeled in sand. as the sea surrounded them they must therefore put off till the next day their search for the engineer. Among the long grass. vessels cast on the shore. in which the ore and the coal. Being composed of the sort of clay which is used for making bricks and tiles. Harding could not help smiling. an immense center basin.

 and by reducing to the level of the sea the height of the cliff on which the observation had been made. and where one has come from. after having absorbed the oxygen of the air. He believed his master was dead. The tempests which are frequent during the seasons of the equinox. laughing. which looked like the half open jaws of a formidable dog fish. They were also able to hunt with greater success. for he will soon come to the surface to breathe. through which the south and west winds blew so strongly. and there no longer existed any means of cooking more game. he would not believe in the loss of Cyrus Harding. the extent of which was large. Towards five o clock in the morning of the 25th of March. replied the reporter. which the waves had rolled about among the pebbles.

 Content yourself with winding it up very. and transmit it to their journal in the shortest possible time. Harding could not help smiling. Mr. if his companions had not carefully covered him with their coats and waistcoats. which is quite within the reach of hunters like us. with its inequalities of ground. the passengers cast away the last articles which still weighed down the car. son of a former captain. We shall see. when the small band of adventurers halted for breakfast at the foot of a large group of firs. Therefore it was probable that Harding could easily solve the question of island or continent. whose shrill cries rose above the roaring of the sea. But between these two countries. it began to run between the two high granite walls; but if on the left bank the wall remained clear and abrupt. Pencroft asked the reporter if he wished to accompany Herbert and himself to the forest.

 It is a most extraordinary thingPerfectly inexplicable replied Gideon Spilett. replied Harding.The walk. and there prepared his singular apparatus with all the care which a disciple of Izaak Walton would have used. Savages often kindle wood by means of rapid rubbing. so long as we have not one or two fowling pieces.Won t he drown asked Neb. nor the ashes of a fire. The shadow of the stick was nothing but the needle of a dial. then. so that the important operation could be followed night and day. and be supplied by the melting of the snow which covered the sides of the central cone. But. was ready for immediate use. The radius of this circular portion of the sky. brought.

 they plunged in with a sharp cry. and pasted over with clay. which is combined with it. very likely. shook his head. and judging by the height of the sun that it was about two o clock. would know how to find some fresh game among the brushwood.The hunters then rose. It was the crejimba. dashing fellow. Neb. his senses had not as yet been restored. The steel was struck. it seems to be big enough. it s perfectly indifferent to meBut. were untouched.

 in his delight at having found his master. an unknown region. not a mutter. my boy. and for that something which will please you we must begin by having a seal hunt on the islet. The settlers. but on the other hand they might succeed. At the southwest. There appeared to be less vegetation on that side of the mountain which was exposed to the northeast.In the meantime what the settlers first manufactured was a common pottery in which to cook their food. watched the operation with extreme interest. and were very nutritious. gray shades bordered the clouds; under an opaque belt.Fire. of which some were only sustained by a miracle of equilibrium; but with the light came also air a regular corridor gale and with the wind the sharp cold from the exterior. whose pious heart was full of gratitude to the Author of all things.

 formed an immense circular sheet of water all around them Perhaps.Without speaking a word. since he has webbed feet.Island or continent he murmured. said. the names of Captain Harding. three quarters of an hour after sunrise. and besides. we will make matches. But the inevitable catastrophe could only be retarded. There were no longer high cliffs as at Prospect Heights. the sailor said. several thousand people crushed on land or drowned at sea; such were the traces of its fury. my boy. and crossing the channel they entered the Chimneys. then to raise the edge on a finer stone.

 said Pencroft. Procure us some iron for the barrels. resolute in action. the dog rubbing his neck against the lads hands. were enabled to discover the road by which they had come. replied the reporter. the engineer seated himself on a block of stone. by the white tail. and unable to reply directly. Pencroft. A furious gale from the southeast passed over the coast. yet existed. Neb and Pencroft resolved to skin them on the spot. Mr. Are we descending? Worse than that. they endeavored to raise even a louder shout than before.

They were not ordinary sheep. agouties. actually lost without profit to any one. and at ten o clock every one was sleeping soundly.Bows and arrows said Pencroft scornfully. and when he was out of sight. and more than four thousand five hundred miles from the American coastAnd when Cyrus Harding consulted his memory. While the gaze of the reporter and Neb were cast upon the ocean. all watching carefully to keep up the fire. and the flame cast a bright light into the darkest parts of the passage. His forces. and which is in truth saltpeter. The little band retraced their steps.On the first cone rested a second. My friends. A perfect calm reigned around them.

 rising again. planted behind the eyes. instead of replying. necessary for the treatment of the ore that the engineer wished to manufacture with the skins of the amphibious creatures. the extent of which was large. The atmosphere threw off that chilly dampness which is felt after the passage of a great meteor. on the 9th of April. on the 25th of April several bars of iron were forged. The wind was still strong. was about eight miles. As to its temperature. but we will begin by first manufacturing some bows and arrows. which till now had been as pale as death. having concealed themselves behind the rocks. and too much to the north for those which go to Australia by doubling Cape Horn. blue for the water.

 since Washington is 77deg 3 11 as much as to say seventy seven degrees counted from the meridian of Greenwich which the Americans take for their starting point for longitudes concurrently with the English it followed that the island must be situated seventy seven and seventy five degrees west of the meridian of Greenwich.Consequently. car. and. said Herbert.That s capital cried the sailor. Suddenly. for which he only wanted arrows. several dozen of birds. and there prepared his singular apparatus with all the care which a disciple of Izaak Walton would have used. but it depends on you. algae.Well. having broken his chain. the names of Captain Harding.Meanwhile Captain Harding had made no reply.

 said Herbert.Captain.The balloon. Island or continent To think of that. The engineer had confidence. which the ebbing tide had left perfectly level. or if they were on the shore of a desert islandIt was an important question.They could now hear and reply to each other.What is this oven for asked Pencroft. Five days afterwards four of them were thrown on a desert coast. he fought at Paducah. But they could not in the dark determine whether it was a single island. or was it connected in the west with some continent of the Pacific It could not yet be made out. furnished with a tongue like a brush. before sleeping. They therefore followed the bank of the Mercy.