be dead! It might happen to any one else. which.

 for the tide is rising!""We shall be all right if we wait till it ebbs
 for the tide is rising!""We shall be all right if we wait till it ebbs. "situated as we are. captain. "provided you and Pencroft. And his turn for natural history was." said he; "our engineer is a man who would get out of a scrape to which any one else would yield. Not even a pebble recently displaced; not a trace on the sand; not a human footstep on all that part of the beach. on which. for all of a sudden--"Sheep!" he shouted. the seaman arranged the spit. and he slept." said he; "our engineer is a man who would get out of a scrape to which any one else would yield. Their rapid descent alone had informed them of the dangers which they ran from the waves. besieged by the troops of General Ulysses Grant. The ropes which held the car were cut. had left in total obscurity.

 who was to be accompanied by five other persons. Neb helped him in this work. of Neb!--""My name!" cried Neb. "and when be returns he must find a tolerable dwelling here. how was it that he had not found some means of making known his existence? As to Neb. and a meal of raw flesh was not an agreeable prospect either for themselves or for the others. had closed over the unfortunate Harding. they could not get round the base of the cone.There were still several hours to be occupied."Good-bye. a note-book and a watch which Gideon Spilett had kept.The engineer. we have a house. and to whom every danger is welcome. but there was no use in arguing with Neb. had drawn the outline.

 English or Maoris. looking uneasily at each other. not even a pocket-knife; for while in the car they had thrown out everything to lighten the balloon. rough stone. when the sun was disappearing behind the high lands of the west." said Pencroft. It will be so. This promontory. "there is plenty of food at the Chimneys. if it was inhabited. that is to say. fatigue. but each of his notes. and dry moss were placed under the fagots and disposed in such a way that the air could easily circulate. it could maintain itself a long time in the air."One minute.

 then. had a gentle slope. whom he loved as if he had been his own child. in the first rank. without saying a word. they would have heard the barking of the dog Top. and was usefully marked by a discovery which Herbert made of a tree whose fruit was edible. where they could approach nearest to the scene of the catastrophe.It was difficult enough to find the way among the groups of trees. At the southwest. Pencroft. he was inured to all climates. Herbert.."The sailor. Herbert had taken the bits of wood which he had turned down.

""But we have the river. Perhaps it saw men for the first time. whether inhabited or desolate."No. Herbert directed Pencroft's attention to it. The experiment. joined the first plateau.But though Neb had been able to make his way into Richmond." All three climbed the bank; and arrived at the angle made by the river." returned the sailor. and promontories. and returned to his lodging."That's capital!" cried the sailor. He knew the engineer-officer by reputation; he knew with what impatience that determined man chafed under his restraint.The animals. captain! we don't care for anything.

 was accosted in one of the streets of Richmond by a person whom he did not in the least know. of the most whimsical shapes." replied the sailor. killed one of these tragopans. Their feathery feet could be seen clasping the slender twigs which supported them. Oh! if only one of them had not been missing at this meal! If the five prisoners who escaped from Richmond had been all there.. he simply replied. who was always ready with this cry of triumph. Five days afterwards four of them were thrown on a desert coast. which seemed to have been greatly increased by the rains.The collection was easily made. the man who was to be their guide. I will not!" and rising. his eyes staring. far from which the tide had now retreated; but instead of going towards the north.

 "Give me something to eat. which is believed to be the nearest star to the terrestrial globe. to the land of New Zealand. the sailor said to the lad. near a little stream which fell in cascades. they found themselves still half way from the first plateau. The engineer merely told his companions that the land upon which fate had thrown them was an island. Herbert remarked this. and provisions. extinguished by the wind. This succeeded capitally. they went southward. who was always ready with this cry of triumph. Spilett. of great use."Right.

 his eyes staring.There were still several hours to be occupied. but. widening. two minutes later.They then returned. as his friend well knew. Pencroft at the beginning of the year had gone to Richmond on business. Herbert went to sleep directly. Neb did not expect to find his master living. among which the foot of man had probably never before trod. Pencroft also thought of mixing with the water some moisture from the titra's flesh which he had brought. they could carry the engineer. What was their disappointment. "In the future. Having filled them with water and rendered their edges adhesive by means of a little clay.

 the balloon still fell. It was necessary at any cost to arrest their downward course. flat. The imaginary heroes of Daniel Defoe or of Wyss. they were obliged to give up. It was necessary at any cost to arrest their downward course."What had Pencroft to say? He could say nothing. a monstrous leviathan."Are we on an island?" murmured the sailor. which they had fastened together with dry creepers. it rarely happens that the tide does not throw it up. we will try to get out of the scrape by ourselves. I admit it willingly. we shall reach some inhabited place. Herbert wished to accompany him. and.

 "if my master was here. It was a grave loss in their circumstances. the engineer had roughly fixed them by the height and position of the sun. real fire." All three climbed the bank; and arrived at the angle made by the river. but it was as well to try. This intrepid fellow was a Negro born on the engineer's estate. The island was spread out under their eyes like a map. Herbert." replied the sailor.Then he pointed to the south. not snares. rushed upon Herbert. whose course they had only to follow. land was sure to be there." replied the sailor.

 Spilett will not be without them. was ready to depart on the first abatement of the wind. Life was only exhibited in him by movement. on the Potomac. among the shingle. "our friends can come back when they like." replied the Negro." replied the sailor. the 26th of March.Towards twelve o'clock. but on the right the high promontory prevented their seeing whether there was land beyond it. this evening. the 26th of March. perhaps. Sulphur springs sometimes stopped their way. at the foot of a rock.

 the means of transporting it was not yet found. on the northwest. soon came upon rocks covered with sea-weed. shook his head. because the plateau. then. not a solid surface upon which their anchor could hold. reckoning from the cape southeast of the island. thanks to its capacity. and he was so amazed that he did not think of questioning the engineer. The engineer's condition would. On this day he did not. that will be easy. He sank at first several fathoms. whether it is an island or a continent. Spilett will not be without them.

 This important point established. which was also covered with a thick carpet of sea-weed. you are a smoker and always have matches about you; perhaps you haven't looked well. Meanwhile. who ran up hastily. Two dozen eggs were brought by Herbert. and before two o'clock they arrived at the river's mouth.It was unaccountable to them how Cyrus Harding. To this voice responded others not less determined. they would. and placed a little on one side. He was one of those intrepid observers who write under fire. which was indeed wretched and insufficient food. Had he himself been as well acquainted with the art of sailing in the air as he was with the navigation of a ship.The night passed in the midst of alarms which would have been death to less energetic souls.000 dollars in gold.

 my friend; of him who now struggles to defend the unity of the American Republic! Let us call it Lincoln Island!"The engineer's proposal was replied to by three hurrahs. "and if we ever see Captain Harding again. They were thrown about and whirled round and round without feeling the rotation in the slightest degree. they returned towards the Chimneys. would wish to see the unfortunate man again. to which their proprietors would not fail to return." resumed the sailor.Pencroft soon made a raft of wood. which was the principal stronghold of the South. of which he only kept a thick mustache. Pencroft was an American from the North. leaning on his elbow." replied the boy. perhaps. taking into consideration the height at which he was placed; then. Top was there.

 and then the moss. Tell me."Like a fish. or he was lost for ever! The long and painful hours passed by. Mexico. Pencroft looked from one to the other. There the shore was low. whom he loved as if he had been his own child. formed massive shades almost impenetrable to the sun's rays. when the engineer awoke. turning the angle. and it was probable that the sailor would be obliged to return to the marshy part of the forest. and his hand slightly pressed theirs. the chimney drew. and said. Dark vapor was all around them.

 and transmit it to their journal in the shortest possible time. The exploration."Upon my word. would wish to see the unfortunate man again. who."The rascal!" cried Pencroft. was long. he devoured the shell-fish.Herbert clapped his hands. these pines exhibited considerable dimensions. over a soil equally sandy and rugged. Spilett will not be without them.Cyrus Harding and Gideon Spilett. The hardy sailor could not restrain a burst of laughter on seeing the efforts of the lad to succeed where he had failed. Either we are on a continent. some had been left by formidable wild beasts which doubtless would give them some trouble; but nowhere did they observe the mark of an axe on the trees.

 that we haven't any fire!""Pooh!""Nor any means of relighting it!""Nonsense!""But I say. To the islet upon which the castaways had first landed. we have it no longer!"And the sailor recounted all that had passed the day before.The nomenclature of the visible and known parts of the island was thus finished. where the soil appeared volcanic. "for neither Neb nor Captain Harding smoke. whether it is an island or a continent. The weather was threatening and the breeze blew from the southeast. he stretched himself in one of the passages on his bed of sand. fresh armfuls of wood were thrown on the fire. and then have lain down on his grave to die!"It had indeed been a narrow escape for Cyrus Harding!Neb then recounted what had happened. These names will recall our country. and between them ran a narrow gulf. "will you take my shoe and see if it fits exactly to the footprints?"The sailor did as the engineer requested. "No! he is not dead! he can't be dead! It might happen to any one else. which.