34 THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ A long half hour passed but, as predicted by the sailor, several couples of grouse returned to their nests. They hopped, pecked the ground, and gave no sign that they suspected the presence of the hunters who had taken care to place themselves to the leeward of the gallinules. Certainly at this moment the lad was very attentive. He held his breath and Pencroff staring, his mouth open, his lips protruding as if he was about to taste a piece of grouse, was hardly breathing. However the gallinules walked among the hooks without noticing them. Pencroff then made small jerks which moved the bait as if the worms were still alive. Assuredly at this moment the sailor felt an emotion greater than that of the fisherman. The latter does not see his prey approaching in the water. The jerks soon attracted the attention of the gallinules and they pecked at the hooks. Three grouse, doubtless very voracious, swallowed both the bait and the hook. Suddenly with a quick movement, Pencroff sprung his trap and the flapping of the wings indicated to him that the birds had been taken. "Hurrah!" he shouted, dashing toward the game which he made himself master of in an instant. Herbert clapped his hands. It was the first time he had seen birds taken with a line but the sailor very modestly told him that it was not his first try and not his invention. "And in any case," he added, "in the situation that we find ourselves, we must depend on measures such as these." The grouse were tied by their feet and Pencroff, happy that he was not returning with empty hands, and seeing that the day was coming to an end, decided to return to his dwelling. The path to follow was indicated by the river, there being no question of which direction, and at about six o'clock, rather tired from their excursion, Herbert and Pencroff again entered the Chimneys. CHAPTER VII The reporter's reflections - Supper - Neb has not yet returned - A bad night coming on - A frightful storm - Departure during the night - Struggling against the rain and the wind - Eight miles from the first encampment. Gideon Spilett, motionless, his arms crossed, was on the beach looking at the sea whose horizon was obscured in the east by a large black cloud that was rapidly moving towards the zenith. The wind was already strong and becoming fresher with the decline of day. The sky looked bad and the first symptoms of a storm were apparent. Herbert entered the Chimneys and Pencroff went to the reporter. The latter, very absorbed, did not see him come. "We are going to have a bad night, Mister Spilett!" said the sailor. "Rain and wind are the joy of petrels." (1) ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ (1) Sea birds who especially enjoy a storm. THE CASTAWAYS FROM THE SKY 35 ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ The reporter, then turning, saw Pencroff and his first words were these: "At what distance from the coast would you say the basket was when it was struck by the wave which carried off our companion?" The sailor had not expected this question. He reflected for a moment and replied: "At two cables length at most." "But what is a cable length?" asked Gideon Spilett. "About one hundred twenty fathoms or six hundred feet." "Then," said the reporter, "Cyrus Smith disappeared twelve hundred feet at most from the shore?" "About," replied Pencroff. "And his dog also?" "Also." "What astonishes me," added the reporter, "while admitting that our companion has perished, is that Top has likewise met his end and that neither the body of the dog nor that of his master has been thrown on shore." "It is not astonishing with such a strong sea," replied the sailor. "Besides, it is possible that the current has carried them further along the coast." "Thus it is your opinion that our companion has perished among the waves?" the reporter asked again. "That is my opinion." "My opinion," said Gideon Spilett, "much as I respect your experience, Pencroff, is that the double fact of the absolute disappearance of Cyrus and Top, living or dead, is an inexplicable thing and improbable." "I wish I could think like you, Mister Spilett," replied Pencroff, "unfortunately my mind is made up." That said, the sailor returned to the Chimneys. A good fire crackled on the hearth. Herbert threw an armful of dry wood on it and the flame shed light into the gloomy parts of the passageway. Pencroff occupied himself at once with preparing dinner. It seemed best to introduce into the menu some "piŠce de r‚sistance" because everyone needed to renew his strength. The strings of couroucous were saved for the next day but they plucked two grouse and soon the gallinules were roasting on a spit in front of a flaming fire. At seven o'clock in the evening Neb had not yet returned. This prolonged absence could only make Pencroff uneasy about the negro. They were forced to believe that he had met with some accident on this unknown land or that the unfortunate had performed some act of despair. But Herbert drew totally different conclusions from this absence. According to him, if Neb had not yet returned, it was due to some new circumstance which caused him to prolong his search. Now anything new could only be to Cyrus Smith's advantage. Why had Neb not returned unless some hope retained him? Perhaps he had found some indication, a footprint, the remains of a wreck which put him on the track? Perhaps at this very moment he was following a certain clue? Perhaps he was even near his master?... 36 THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ Thus reasoned the lad. Thus he spoke. His companions let him speak. The reporter alone approved with a gesture. But for Pencroff it was probable that Neb had gone further than the previous day in his search along the coast and that he could not yet return. However, Herbert was agitated by vague premonitions and several times he wanted to go to meet Neb. But Pencroff made him understand that it would be a useless course, that in this obscurity and because of the deplorable weather, he could not find traces of Neb, and that it was worth waiting. If by the next day Neb had not reappeared, Pencroff would not hesitate to join Herbert in going to search for Neb. On this point Gideon Spilett agreed with he sailor that they must not separate and Herbert had to give up his project; but two large tears fell from his eyes. The reporter could not refrain from embracing the generous lad. The bad weather had absolutely broken out. A violent southeast windstorm without equal passed over the coast. They heard the sea, then at low tide, roar against the leading rocks on the beach. The rain, pulverized by the storm, rose up like a wet mist. Wisps of fog dragged along the shore where pebbles rattled violently like cartloads emptying themselves. The sand, lifted by the wind, mashed into showers and made the assault indefensible. There was just as much mineral dust in the air as water vapor. Large eddies swirled between the mouth of the river and the face of the wall and the stratum of air that escaped from this maelstrom could find no exit other than the narrow valley whose watercourse was engulfed with a irresistible violence. The smoke from the hearth, restricted by the narrow passageway, backed up frequently, filling the corridors and rendering them uninhabitable. That is why, as soon as the grouse were roasted, Pencroff let the fire die down, conserving nothing but the embers buried under the cinders. At eight o'clock Neb has still not reappeared; but they could now assume that it was the awful weather alone that prevented his return and that he had found refuge in some hollow to wait out the end of the storm or at least the return of day. As to going to meet him, to attempt to find him under these conditions, this was impossible. The game formed the only dish of supper. They gladly ate this meat which was excellent. Pencroff and Herbert, whose appetites were excited by their long excursion, were ravenous. Then each retired to the corner where he had rested the previous night, and Herbert was not long in falling asleep near the sailor who stretched out along the length of the hearth. Outside, as the night advanced, the tempest took on formidable proportions. It was a windstorm comparable to the one that carried the prisoners from Richmond to this land in the Pacific. Tempests are frequent during the equinoctial season. They are fruitful in producing terrible catastrophes throughout this large area where there are no obstacles to oppose their fury. One can then understand that a coast so exposed to the east, that is to say in direct line with the storm and struck headlong, was battered by a force that cannot be described. THE CASTAWAYS FROM THE SKY 37 ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ Very fortunately, the pile of rocks which formed the Chimneys was sturdy. It was composed of enormous sections of granite of which a few, nevertheless, not being in sufficient balance, seemed to tremble on their base. Pencroff sensed this and pressing his hand against the walls felt the rapid quiverings. But finally he said to himself over and over, and with reason, that there was nothing to fear and that his improvised retreat would not cave in. Nevertheless he heard the clatter of the rocks which, detached from the summit of the plateau and uprooted by the swirling wind, fell on the beach. A few even rolled as far as the upper part of the Chimneys or broke into splinters when they fell straight down. Twice the sailor got up and crawled to the opening of the passageway to look outside. But these falls which were not considerable did not constitute any danger and he returned to his place in front of the fire whose embers were sputtering under the cinders. Despite the furies of the hurricane, the roar of the tempest, the thunder of the storm, Herbert was in a deep sleep. Sleep finally took possession even of Pencroff since a seaman's life had accustomed him to all these violences. Gideon Spilett alone was wide awake because of the commotion. He reproached himself for not having accompanied Neb. One could see that all hope had not abandoned him. The misgivings that had agitated Herbert did not cease to agitate him also. His thoughts were concentrated on Neb. Why had Neb not returned? He tossed on his bed of sand hardly giving a thought to the battle of the elements. At times his eyes, heavy with fatigue, closed for an instant but some cursory thought reopened them almost at once. However the night advanced and it may have been two o'clock in the morning when Pencroff, then in a deep sleep, was shaken vigorously. "What is it?" he cried, awakening and recollecting his thoughts with a promptitude typical of seamen. The reporter was leaning over him and said to him: "Listen Pencroff, listen!" The sailor cocked his ear but could not distinguish any sound foreign to that of the squall. "It is the wind," he said. "No," replied Gideon Spilett, listening again. "I thought that I heard..." "What?" "A dog barking!" "A dog!" cried Pencroff, getting up in a single bound. "Yes... barking..." "That isn't possible!" replied the sailor. "And besides, how with the roar of the storm..." "Wait... Listen..." said the reporter. Pencroff listened more attentively and in fact he thought that he heard a distant barking in a quiet moment. "Well!..." said the reporter, pressing the sailor's hand. "Yes... Yes!..." replied Pencroff. "It's Top!... It's Top!..." shouted Herbert, just awakening, and all three dashed toward the entrance to the Chimneys. 38 THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ They left with extreme difficulty. The wind drove them back. But finally they succeeded although they could not stand erect without resting against the rocks. They saw but they could not speak. The obscurity was absolute. The sea, the sky, the ground were merged in equal darkness. It seemed that there was not an atom of light in the sky. For several minutes the reporter and his two companions remained so, crushed by the storm, drenched by the rain, blinded by the sand. Then they heard the barking once again during a respite in the storm, which came from rather far away. It could only be Top barking this way! But was he alone or accompanied? Most likely he was alone because if they assumed that Neb was with him, Neb would have gone with all speed toward the Chimneys. Since he could not make himself heard the sailor pressed the hand of the reporter as if to say: "Wait!" Then he re- entered the corridor. An instant later he came out again with a lighted faggot which lit up the gloom. He whistled sharply. It seemed as if this signal was expected. In response the barking came much nearer and soon a dog dashed into the corridor. Pencroff, Herbert and Gideon Spilett followed him there. An armful of dry wood was thrown on the embers. A vivid flame lit up the corridor. "It's Top!" shouted Herbert. In fact it was Top, a magnificent anglo-norman crossbreed who inherited from both species speed and odor sensitivity, the two qualities par excellence of the hunting dog. It was the dog of the engineer Cyrus Smith. But he was alone! Neither his master nor Neb accompanied him! Moreover how had his instinct been able to lead him to the Chimneys which he did not know? This appeared inexplicable especially on such a dark night, and in such a storm! An even more inexplicable detail was that Top was neither fatigued nor exhausted, not even soiled with mud or sand!... Herbert went toward him and pressed his head between his hands. The dog rubbed his neck on the lad's hands. "If the dog has been found the master will also be found!" said the reporter. "God will it!" replied Herbert. "Let us leave! Top will guide us!" Pencroff made no objection. He felt that Top's arrival contradicted his conjectures. "Let's go," he said. Pencroff carefully covered the embers of the fire. He placed several pieces of wood under the cinders so that the fire could be rekindled on their return. Then, preceded by the dog who seemed to invite them with short barks, and followed by the reporter and the lad, he dashed outside after having taken the remains of the supper. THE CASTAWAYS FROM THE SKY 39 ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ The storm was then in all its violence and perhaps even at its maximum intensity. No moonlight filtered through the clouds since the moon was then new and as a consequence in conjunction with the sun. It was difficult to follow a straight course. It was best to rely on Top's instinct. This is what was done. The reporter and the lad followed behind the dog and the sailor brought up the rear. No exchange of words was possible. The rain did not fall very abundantly because it was pulverized by the blast of the storm but the storm was terrible. However one circumstance very happily favored the sailor and his two companions. The wind in fact blew from the southeast and consequently it pushed them from the back. The sand which was violently thrown about and which would not have been bearable, hit them from the rear, and provided no one turned around, it did not interfere with their journey. In summation they often went faster than they wanted. It affected their walk almost to the point of throwing them down but an immense hope doubled their efforts and it was no longer at random this time that they ascended the shore. They had no doubt that Neb had found his master and had sent the faithful dog to them. But was the engineer living or was Neb only summoning his companions to render the last rites to the body of the unfortunate Smith? After going beyond the cut slab of the highland which they prudently side stepped, Herbert, the reporter and Pencroff stopped to catch their breath. The turn of the cliff sheltered them from the wind and they caught their breath after this march of a quarter of an hour which had been something of a race. At this moment they could hear and reply and the lad pronounced the name of Cyrus Smith. Top barked in short barks as if he wanted to say that his master was rescued. "Saved, isn't he?" repeated Herbert, "Saved, Top?" And the dog barked as if in response. The march was resumed. It was about half past two in the morning. The sea began to rise and driven by the wind this tide, which was an equinoctial tide, threatened to be very strong. The large waves boomed against the reef and assailed it with such violence that very likely it would pass over the islet, then completely invisible. This long barrier could therefore no longer protect the coast which was directly exposed to the onslaught of the open sea. As soon as the sailor and his companions left the cut slab behind, the wind struck them anew with an extreme fury. Bent and straining their backs against the squall, they moved very quickly following Top who did not hesitate as to the direction to take. They went north having on their right an interminable crest of waves which broke with a deafening roar and on their left an obscure land the aspect of which it was impossible to know. But they sensed that it was relatively flat because the wind now passed over them without turning them about, an effect which was produced when it struck them at the granite wall. 40 THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ At four o'clock in the morning they estimated that a distance of five miles had been covered. The clouds were slightly higher and did not drag the ground. The squall, less humid, moving in very brisk currents, was drier and colder. Insufficiently protected by their clothing, Pencroff, Herbert and Gideon Spilett suffered cruelly but not a complaint escaped their lips. They had decided to follow Top wherever the intelligent animal wanted to lead them. About five o'clock day began to break. First, at the zenith, where the haze was not so dense, several grayish hues delineated the border of the clouds and soon, beneath an opaque band, a more luminous stretch clearly outlined the water's horizon. The crest of waves had a light brown glimmer and the foam was white. At the same time, on the left, the random parts of the coast began to loom up vaguely, but it was still in the gray of the night. At six o'clock in the morning day broke. The clouds moved rapidly to a relatively higher elevation. The sailor and his companions were then about six miles from the Chimneys. They followed a very flat shoreline bordered on the open sea by a line of rocks whose tops alone emerged. On the left the country was composed of several uneven dunes bristling with thistles, offering a rather savage aspect in a vast sandy region. The shoreline was not indented and offerred no barrier to the ocean other than an irregular chain of hillocks. Here and there one or two twisted trees were bent toward the west, with their branches projecting in this direction. Well behind them, in the southwest, appeared the edge of the forest. At this moment Top gave unequivocal signs of agitation. He went on ahead and returned to the sailor as if urging him to hasten his steps. The dog had then left the beach and, driven on by an admirable instinct, without showing a moment's hesitation, he entered among the dunes. They followed him. The country appeared to be absolutely deserted. Not a living being anywhere. The very extensive area of the dunes was composed of hillocks and even of randomly distributed hills. It was like a miniature Switzerland in sand and nothing less than a prodigious instinct could recognize it. Five minutes after having left the beach the reporter and his companions arrived in front of a sort of excavation hollowed out in the rear of a high dune. There Top stopped and barked loud and clear. Spilett, Herbert and Pencroff dashed into the cave. Neb was there kneeling next to a body lying on a bed of grass... The body was that of the engineer Cyrus Smith. THE CASTAWAYS FROM THE SKY 41 ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ CHAPTER VIII Is Cyrus Smith living? - Neb's recital - Footprints - An unresolved question - Cyrus Smith's first words - The identification of footprints - Return to the Chimneys - Pencroff overwhelmed. Neb did not move. The sailor said only one word to him. "Living?" he cried. Neb did not reply. Gideon Spilett and Pencroff turned pale. Herbert clasped his hands and remained immobile. But it was evident that the poor negro, absorbed in his grief, had neither seen his companions nor heard the sailor's words. The reporter knelt next to the motionless body and placed his ear on the chest of the engineer after having half-opened his garment. A minute - a century - passed, during which he tried to detect some heartbeat. Neb had straightened up a bit and stared without seeing. Despair could not have changed a man's face more. Neb was unrecognizable, exhausted by fatigue, broken by pain. He believed his master dead. Gideon Spilett got up after a long and careful examination. "He lives!" he said. Pencroff, in his turn, knelt next to Cyrus Smith; his ear also detected some heartbeats and some breath that escaped from the engineer's lips. On a word from the reporter Herbert ran outside to look for water. A hundred feet away he found a clear stream, evidently very swollen by the rains of the previous evening, which filtered through the sand. But there was nothing in which to carry this water, not a shell among these dunes. The lad had to content himself with dipping his handkerchief into the stream, and he ran back to the cave. Fortunately the soaked handkerchief was sufficient for Gideon Spilett who wanted only to wet the engineer's lips. These molecules of cool water produced an almost immediate effect. A sigh escaped from Cyrus Smith's chest and it even appeared that he was trying to say a few words. "We will save him!" said the reporter. At these words Neb recovered hope. He undressed his master in order to see if the body showed any wound. Neither the head nor the torso nor the limbs had any contusions, not even any scratches, a surprising thing, since the engineer's body must have been tossed around the rocks. Even the hands were intact, and it was difficult to explain how the engineer showed no trace of the efforts he must have made to get past the reef. But the explanation of these circumstances would come later. When Cyrus Smith would be able to speak he would tell what had happened. For the moment they must recall him to life and it was likely that rubbing would bring on this result. This is what was done with the sailor's pea jacket. The engineer, warmed by this rough massage, moved his hands 42 THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ slightly and his respiration began to re-establish itself in a more regular fashion. He was dying of exhaustion and certainly without the arrival of the reporter and his companions it would have been all over for Cyrus Smith. "You therefore thought that your master was dead?" the sailor asked Neb. "Yes! Dead!" replied Neb, "and if Top had not found you, if you had not come, I would have buried my master and I would have died beside him!" One could see on what the life of Cyrus Smith had depended! Neb related what had happened. The day before, after having left the Chimneys at daybreak, he went along the coast in a northeasterly direction and reached the point on the shore that he had already visited. There, without any hope he admitted, Neb searched on the shore, among the rocks, on the sand, for the least indication to guide him. He had especially examined the part of the shore that the high tide had not reached because on the beach the rise and fall of the tide had erased all indices. Neb no longer hoped to find his master living. It was to discover a cadaver that he went, a cadaver that he wanted to bury with his own hands! Neb searched for a long time. His efforts remained fruitless. It did not seem that this deserted coast had ever been frequented by a human being. Those shells that the sea had not reached - and which could be seen by the millions above the tideline - were intact. Not a crushed shell. In a zone of two to three hundred yards (1) not a trace of a landing existed neither past nor present. Neb then decided to go along the coast for several miles. It is possible that currents can carry a body to a far point. When a cadaver floats a short distance from a straight shore it is rare when the waves do not reject it sooner or later. Neb knew this and he wanted to see his master one last time. "I ran along the shore for two more miles. I visited the entire reef line at low tide, the entire beach at high tide, and I despaired of finding anything when yesterday, about five o'clock in the evening, I noted footprints in the sand." "Footprints?" cried Pencroff. "Yes!" replied Neb. "And did these footprints begin at the reef?" asked the reporter. "No," replied Neb, "at the high water mark only, because those between the high water mark and the reef were effaced." "Continue, Neb," said Gideon Spilett. "When I saw these prints I became insane. They were very distinct and went toward the dunes. Running, I followed them for a quarter of a mile but taking care not to erase them. Five minutes later, as night was coming on, I heard a dog barking. It was Top, and Top led me here to my master." ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ (1) The yard is an American measure of length which equals 0.9144 meters. THE CASTAWAYS FROM THE SKY 43 ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ Neb finished his recital by telling them about his grief on finding this inanimate body. He tried to detect some sign of life in him. Now that he had found him dead he wanted him alive. All his efforts were useless. Nothing remained but to render the last rites to him that he loved so much. Neb then thought of his companions. Doubtless they would want to see the unfortunate for one last time. Top was there. Couldn't he count on the shrewdness of the faithful animal? Neb pronounced the reporter's name several times, the one that Top knew best of the engineer's companions. Then he pointed to the south of the shore and the dog darted off in the direction that was indicated to him. We already know how, guided by an instinct that could almost be regarded as supernatural because the animal had never been to the Chimneys, Top nevertheless arrived there. Neb's companions carefully listened to this recital. It astonished them that Cyrus Smith, after the efforts he must have made to escape the waves and get past the reef, did not even show a scratch. And what was also unexplainable was that the engineer had been able to get to this out of the way cave in the middle of dunes more than a mile from the coast. "Thus, Neb," said the reporter, "it wasn't you who brought your master to this place?" "No, it was not I," replied Neb. "It is obvious that Mr. Smith came here alone," said Pencroff. "It is obvious," noted Gideon Spilett, "but it is not believable!" They could only get the explanation of this fact from the engineer himself. They would have to wait until speech returned to him. Fortunately life was already recovering its rhythm. The massage had reestablished the circulation of the blood. Cyrus Smith moved his arms again, then his head, and several incomprehensible words escaped from his lips. Neb, bending over him, called him, but the engineer did not seem to hear and his eyes were still closed. Life revealed itself only by movement. The senses still played no part in it. Pencroff was very sorry to have no fire nor the means for procuring it because he had unfortunately forgotten to take the burnt linen which would have been easy to ignite by striking two flintstones. As to the engineer's pockets, they were absolutely empty except for his vest which contained his watch. They must transport Cyrus Smith to the Chimneys as soon as possible. All agreed. Moreover the care which was lavished on the engineer was making his recovery more rapid than they had dared to hope. The water with which they wet his lips was reviving him little by little. Pencroff had the idea of mixing with this water some of the gravy from the flesh of the grouse that he had taken along. Herbert, running to the shore, returned with two large bivalve shells. The sailor made a sort of mixture and introduced it between the lips of the engineer, who seemed eager to suck this mash. 44 THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ His eyes then opened. Neb and the reporter were bent over him. "My master! My Master!" shouted Neb. The engineer heard him. He recognized Neb and Spilett, then his two other companions, Herbert and the sailor and his hand lightly pressed theirs. Several words again escaped from his mouth - words that he had doubtless already pronounced and which indicated the thoughts that were even then tormenting his mind. This time these words were understood. "Island or continent?" he murmured. "Ah," cried Pencroff, who could not hold back this exclamation. "By all the devils we couldn't care less provided you are alive, Mister Cyrus! Island or continent? We will see later." The engineer made a slight affirmative sign and appeared to sleep. They respected this sleep and the reporter immediately made arrangements to have the engineer transported under the best conditions. Neb, Herbert and Pencroff left the cave and made their way toward a high dune crowned with some rickety trees. On the way the sailor could not help repeating: "Island or continent! To think of that when one has only a breath. What a man!" Arriving at the top of the dune, Pencroff and his two companions, without any tools but their hands, stripped off the main branches from a rather sickly tree, a sort of maritime pine emaciated by the wind; then with these branches they made a litter which, once covered with foliage and grass, would permit them to transport the engineer. It took about forty minutes and it was ten o'clock when the sailor, Neb and Herbert returned to Cyrus Smith whom Gideon Spilett had not left. The engineer was then up from his sleep or rather from this drowsiness in which they had found him. The color returned to his cheeks which had had the pallor of death. He got up a little, looked around him, and seemed to ask where he was. "Can you listen to me without tiring yourself, Cyrus?" asked the reporter. "Yes," replied the engineer. "I would suggest," the sailor then said, "That Mister Smith could listen to you much better if he had more of this grouse jelly - because it is grouse, Mister Cyrus," he added, presenting him some of this jelly to which this time he added some scraps of flesh. Cyrus Smith chewed bits of grouse the remainder of which was distributed to his four companions who suffered from hunger. They found the meal rather meager. "Good," said the sailor, "we have provisions waiting for us at the Chimneys, because it is well for you to know, Mister Cyrus, we have down there in the south a house with rooms, beds and a fireplace and in the pantry some dozens of birds which our Herbert calls couroucous. Your litter is ready and as soon as you feel strong enough we will transport you to our dwelling. THE CASTAWAYS FROM THE SKY 45 ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ "Thanks, my friend," replied the engineer, "in an hour or two we will be able to leave... and now, speak, Spilett." The reporter then told him all that had occurred. He related those events not known to Cyrus Smith, the last fall of the balloon, setting foot on this unknown land which appeared deserted whether it was an island or a continent, the discovery of the Chimneys, the search to find the engineer, Neb's devotion, all that they owed to the intelligence of the faithful Top, etc. "But," asked Cyrus Smith in a voice still weak, "you therefore did not pick me up at the beach?" "No," replied the reporter. "And it wasn't you who brought me to this cave?" "No." "At what distance is this cave from the reef?" "About half a mile," replied Pencroff, "and if you are astonished, Mister Cyrus, we are no less surprised ourselves to see you in this place!" "In fact," replied the engineer, who was reviving little by little and taking an interest in these details, "in fact, there is something peculiar!" "But," responded the sailor, "can you tell us what happened after you were carried away by the wave?" Cyrus Smith tried to remember. He knew little. The wave had torn him from the ropes of the balloon. At first he sank several fathoms into the deep. Returning to the surface of the sea, he felt a living being moving near him in the semi- obscurity. It was Top who threw himself in to come to his aid. On raising his eyes he could no longer see the balloon which, relieved of his weight and that of the dog, had shot away like an arrow. He found himself among angry waves not less than a half mile from shore. He tried to battle the waves and swam vigorously. Top held him up by his clothes but a strong current seized him and pushed him northward and after a half hour of struggling he sank dragging Top with him to the abyss. From that time until the moment when he found himself in the arms of his friends he remembered nothing. "However," said Pencroff, "you must have been thrown on the beach and you must have had the strength to come here since Neb found your footprints!" "Yes... that must be it..." replied the engineer, reflecting. "And you did not see traces of human beings on this shore?" "No trace," replied the reporter. "Besides, if by chance some rescuer ran into you there why would he have abandoned you after having plucked you from the waves?" "You are right, my dear Spilett. "Tell me Neb," added the engineer turning to his servant, "it was not you who... you did not have a forgetful moment... during which... No, that is absurd... Are there any other footprints?" asked Cyrus Smith. "Yes, my master," replied Neb, "here at the entrance which is at the back of this dune sheltered from the wind and the rain. The others have been erased by the storm." 46 THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ "Pencroff," responded Cyrus Smith, "would you take my shoes and see if they positively fit these footprints?" The sailor did what the engineer asked. Herbert and he, guided by Neb, went to check the footprints while Cyrus said to the reporter: "These events are inexplicable!" "Inexplicable indeed!" replied Gideon Spilett. "But let us not dwell on it at the moment, my dear Spilett. We will discuss it later." An instant later the sailor, Neb and Herbert returned. There was no doubt possible. The engineer's shoes fit the remaining footprints exactly. Therefore it was Cyrus Smith who had left them in the sand. "So then," he said, "it was I who experienced this hallucination, this absence which I attributed to Neb! I moved like a sleepwalker without being conscious of my steps and it was Top who instinctively led me here after having dragged me from the waves... Come Top! Come my dog!" The magnificent animal ran to his master, barking, and the caresses were not spared. They agreed that there was no other explanation to be given to the events that led up to Cyrus Smith's rescue and that all honor belonged to Top. Around noontime Pencroff asked Cyrus Smith if he was ready to travel. With an effort that attested to a very energetic will, Cyrus Smith responded by getting up. But he had to lean on the sailor or he would have fallen. "Good! Good!" said Pencroff, "bring the engineer's litter." The litter was brought. The transverse branches were covered with moss and long grass. They placed Cyrus Smith on it and started toward the coast, Pencroff carrying it at one end and Neb at the other. There were eight miles to cover. Since they could not go fast and since it would perhaps be necessary to stop frequently they could count on a lapse of time of at least six hours to get to the Chimneys. The wind was still strong but fortunately it was no longer raining. While lying down the engineer rested on his arms and observed the coastline especially the part opposite the sea. He did not speak but looked and certainly the design of this country with its random terrain, its forests and its various productions impressed itself on his mind. However, after travelling for two hours he was overcome by fatigue and he slept on the litter. At five thirty the small group arrived at the cut slab and a little later in front of the Chimneys. They all stopped and the litter was placed on the sand. Cyrus Smith was in a deep sleep and did not waken. To his great surprise Pencroff saw that last night's frightful storm had altered the surroundings. A serious landslide had occurred. Large sections of rock were deposited on the beach and a thick layer of seaweed, wrack and algae covered the entire shore. Evidently the sea, passing over the islet, had carried itself up to the foot of the enormous wall of granite. THE CASTAWAYS FROM THE SKY 47 ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ In front of the Chimneys the soil had deep holes having been subjected to a violent assault of the waves. Pencroff had a premonition. He dashed into the corridor. Almost immediately he came out, standing still, looking at his companions... The fire was extinguished. The drowned cinders were nothing but slime. The burnt linen, which was to have served as tinder, had disappeared. The sea had penetrated deeply into the passageways and all was overthrown, all was demolished in the interior of the Chimneys! CHAPTER IX Cyrus is here - Pencroff's endeavors - Rubbed wood - Island or continent? - The engineer's plans - Where in the Pacific Ocean? - In the depth of the forest - The pine kernel - Hunting capybara - A smoke that augurs well. In a few words Gideon Spilett, Herbert and Neb were brought up to date. This accident which could have very serious consequences - at least Pencroff envisioned it so - produced diverse effects on the honest sailor's companions. Neb, in his joy at having found his master, did not listen, or rather did not even want to concern himself with what Pencroff said. Herbert, to some degree, shared the sailor's apprehensions. As to the reporter he simply responded to Pencroff's words: "By my faith, Pencroff, it's all the same to me!" "But I repeat to you that we no longer have any fire!" "Pooh!" "Nor any means of relighting it." "Fudge!" "Nevertheless, Mister Spilett..." "Isn't Cyrus Smith here?" replied the reporter. "Isn't our engineer alive? He will easily find the means of making us some fire, he!" "And with what?" "With nothing." What could Pencroff say? There was no reply because deep down he shared the confidence that his companions had in Cyrus Smith. The engineer was for them a microcosm composed of all the science and all human intelligence. Better to find oneself with Cyrus on a deserted island than without Cyrus in the most industrialized city of the Union. With him they could want for nothing. With him they could not despair. If someone were to tell these brave people that a volcanic eruption would annihilate this land, that this land would be thrown into the depths of the Pacific, they would have imperturbably replied: "Cyrus is here. See Cyrus!" 48 THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ In the meanwhile, however, the engineer was once more plunged into a new prostration brought on by the journey and they could not call on his ingenuity at the moment. Supper was necessarily meager. In fact all the grouse meat had been eaten and there was no means whatsoever of roasting any game. Besides, the couroucous which served as a reserve had disappeared. Thus they must consider. Before anything else Cyrus Smith was transported into the central corridor. There they managed to arrange a couch of algae and seaweed that had remained almost dry. The deep sleep that took possession of him would doubtless do more to quickly bring his strength back than would any abundant nourishment. Night came on and with it the temperature, modified by a shift in the wind from the northeast, went to freezing once more. Now, since the sea had destroyed the partitions established by Pencroff at certain points in the corridors, the air currents were re-established, which rendered the Chimneys barely habitable. The engineer would therefore have found himself in rather poor circumstances if his companions, removing a vest or a waistcoat, had not carefully covered him. Supper this evening was composed only of the inevitable lithodomes amply gathered by Herbert and Neb on the shore. However, to these mollusks the lad added a certain quantity of edible algae that he collected on some high rocks that the sea could not reach except at times of extremely high tides. These algae belonged to the fucus family, being a species of sargassum which when dry furnishes a gelatinous material rather rich in nutrients. The reporter and his companions, after having eaten a considerable quantity of lithodomes, sucked this sargassum which they found to have a good flavor. It should be said that on Asiatic shores they are an important food for the natives. "Never mind," said the sailor, "it is time for Mister Smith to help us." However, the cold became very sharp and unfortunately they had no means of fighting it. The sailor, truly vexed, looked for every possible way to make a fire. Neb even helped him with this. They found some dry moss and striking two pebbles they obtained some sparks but the moss, not being sufficiently flammable, did not catch. Moreover, these sparks, which were only from incandescent flint, did not have the same consistency as those which escape from a piece of steel in the ordinary tinder box. Thus the operation did not succeed. Pencroff, while having no confidence in the procedure, then tried rubbing two pieces of dry wood against each other the way the savages do. Certainly the work put in by Neb and himself, if transformed into heat according to the latest theories, would have been sufficient to heat the boiler of a steamer. The result was negative. The wood heated up, that was all, but not as much as the operators themselves. After working for an hour Pencroff was in a rage and he threw the pieces of wood away with spite. THE CASTAWAYS FROM THE SKY 49 ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ "When someone can make me believe that the savages make fire in this way" he said, "it will be hot even in winter! I could sooner light up my arms by rubbing them against each other!" The sailor was wrong in belittling this procedure. It is known that savages set fire to wood by means of a rapid rubbing. But all kinds of wood are not proper for this operation and in addition there is the "knack", following the hallowed expression, and it is likely that Pencroff did not have the "knack." Pencroff's ill humor did not last long. The two pieces of wood thrown away by him were retrieved by Herbert who did his best to rub them with renewed vigor. The robust sailor could not hold back a laugh on seeing the adolescent's efforts to succeed where he had failed. "Rub, my boy, rub!" he said. "I am rubbing," replied Herbert laughing, "but I do not pretend to do anything except take my turn at warming myself instead of shivering. Soon I will be as warm as you, Pencroff!" That is what happened. But he had to give up on making a fire for this evening. Gideon Spilett repeated for the twentieth time that Cyrus Smith would not have been inconvenienced by such a trifle. And while waiting, he stretched out in one of the corridors on a bed of sand. Herbert, Neb and Pencroff did likewise while Top slept at the foot of his master. The next day, March 28th, when the engineer woke up about eight o'clock in the morning he saw his companions near him watching his sleep. As on the previous day his first words were: "Island or continent?" One could see that he had but one idea. "Well" replied Pencroff, "we know nothing about it, Mister Smith!" "You still do not know?..." "But we will know," added Pencroff, "when you will have guided us in this land." "I think I'm well enough to try it," replied the engineer who, without too much effort, got up and held himself erect. "That's good," cried the sailor. "I am dying especially of exhaustion," replied Cyrus Smith. "My friends, a little nourishment, and it will no longer show. You have some fire, don't you?" This question did not get an immediate response. But after a few moments: "Alas! We have no fire," said Pencroff, "or rather, Mister Cyrus, we have it no longer!" And the sailor related all that had occurred on the previous day. He enlivened the engineer with his story of the single match and of his aborted attempt to make a fire the way the savages do. "We will think about it," replied the engineer, "and if we do not find a substance similar to tinder..." 50 THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ "Then?" asked the sailor. "Then we will make matches." "With chemicals?" "With chemicals." "It isn't more difficult than that," cried the reporter, slapping the sailor's shoulder. The latter did not find the thing so simple but he did not protest. They all went out. The weather was fine once again. A bright sun was rising on the sea's horizon, striking the rugged prisms of the enormous wall with golden rays. After having cast a quick glance around him the engineer sat down on a rock. Herbert offered him a few handfuls of mussels and seaweed saying: "This is all that we have, Mister Cyrus." "Thanks, my boy," replied Cyrus Smith, "this will suffice, for this morning at least." And he ate with appetite this meager nourishment which he washed down with a little fresh water drawn from the river in a large shell. His companions looked at him without speaking. Then after satisfying himself more or less, Cyrus Smith crossed his arms saying: "So my friends, you still do not know if fate has thrown us on a continent or on an island?" "No, Mister Cyrus," responded the lad. "We will know that tomorrow," replied the engineer. "Until then, there is nothing to do." "Except," said Pencroff. "What?" "Fire" said the sailor, who also had only one idea. "We will make it, Pencroff," replied Cyrus Smith. "While you transported me yesterday didn't I see in the west a mountain which overlooked this land?" "Yes," replied Gideon Spilett, "a rather high mountain..." "Good," replied the engineer, "tomorrow we will climb to the top and we will see if this land is an island or a continent. Until then, I repeat, there is nothing to do." "Yes, some fire," said the stubborn sailor. "But we will make fire," replied Gideon Spilett, "a little patience, Pencroff." The sailor looked at Gideon Spilett as if to say: "If it depended on you to make it, we wouldn't taste any roast soon." But he was silent. However, Cyrus Smith did not reply. He seemed very little preoccupied with this question of fire. For several moments he remained absorbed in his thoughts. Then he spoke again. "My friends," he said, "our situation is perhaps deplorable but in any case it is very simple. Either we are on a continent and then at the price of more or less fatigue we will reach some inhabited point or we are definitely on an island. In the latter case there are two possibilities: If the island is inhabited we will see to our affairs with its inhabitants: If it is deserted, we will see to our affairs all alone." THE CASTAWAYS FROM THE SKY 51 ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ "Nothing is simpler," replied Pencroff. "But be it a continent or an island," asked Gideon Spilett, "where do you think, Cyrus, this storm has thrown us?" "The exact location I cannot determine," replied the engineer, "but the indications are for a land in the Pacific. In fact when we left Richmond the wind blew from the northeast and its violence even proves that its direction should not have varied. If this direction was maintained from northeast to southwest we crossed the states of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, the Gulf of Mexico, Mexico itself in its narrow part, then a portion of the Pacific Ocean. I estimate that the distance covered by the balloon was not less than six to seven thousand miles. If the wind varied by as little as an eighth it would have carried us either to the archipelago of Marquesas or to the Tuamotu, and if it had a much larger speed than I suppose, even to New Zealand. If this latter hypothesis is the case our return home will be easy. English or Maoris, we will always find someone to speak to. If, on the contrary, this shore is a part of some deserted island of a micronesian archipelago, perhaps we will recognize this from the top of the cone which overlooks this land, then we will plan on establishing ourselves here as if we will never leave it!" "Never," cried the reporter. "You say never, my dear Cyrus." "Better to first put things in the worst," replied the engineer, "and save the surprise for the better." "Well spoken," said Pencroff, "and it is also to be hoped that this island, if it is one, will not be exactly situated outside the ship lanes. That would really be a run of bad luck." "We will know what we have to contend with after we have first climbed the mountain," replied the engineer. "But tomorrow, Mister Cyrus," asked Herbert, "will you be strong enough to make this climb?" "I hope so," responded the engineer, "but on the condition that Master Pencroff and you, my boy, show yourselves to be intelligent and skillful hunters." "Mister Cyrus," replied the sailor, "since you are speaking of game, if, on my return, I was as certain of being able to roast it as I am of bringing it back..." "Bring it back all the same, Pencroff," responded Cyrus Smith. It was thus agreed that the engineer and the reporter would spend the day at the Chimneys in order to examine the shore and the upper plateau. During this time Neb, Herbert and the sailor would return to the forest, there to renew the stockpile of wood and to lay hands on all beasts with feathers or hair that would come within their reach. They then left about ten o'clock in the morning, Herbert confident, Neb joyful and Pencroff mumbling to himself: "If, on my return home I find fire, I'll believe that thunder came in person to light it." All three went up the bank and arrived at the bend formed by the river. The sailor stopped and said to his companions: "Shall we begin by being hunters or woodsmen?" 52 THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ "Hunters," responded Herbert. "Top is already on the hunt." "Hunters then," replied the sailor. "Then we will return here to renew our stockpile of wood." That said, Herbert, Neb and Pencroff, after having torn off three sticks from the trunk of a young fir tree, followed Top who dashed in among the tall grass. This time the hunters, instead of walking along the rivercourse, plunged directly into the depths of the forest. It was always the same trees belonging for the most part to the pine family. In certain less crowded areas, isolated in clusters, these pines were very large and seemed to indicate by their development that this country was at a higher latitude than that conjectured by the engineer. Some clearings, bristling with stumps rotted by time, were covered with dead wood, and formed an inexhaustible reserve of fuel. Then, the clearing past, the brushwood grew closer and became almost impenetrable. Without a beaten path it was rather difficult to find their way among these massive trees. Thus from time to time the sailor marked out his route by breaking some boughs that would be easy to recognize. But perhaps they were wrong not to have followed the water's course as Herbert and he had done during their first excursion because after an hour's march they still had no game to show. Top, moving under low branches, only gave warning of birds they could not get near. The couroucous themselves were absolutely invisible and it was likely that the sailor would be forced to return to that marshy part of the forest in which he had so fortunately used his fishing line against the grouse. "Well, Pencroff," said Neb in a slightly sarcastic tone of voice, "if this is all the game that you have promised to bring back to my master it will not take a big fire to roast it." "Patience, Neb," responded the sailor, "it will not be the game that will be missing upon our return." "Have you no confidence in Mister Smith?" "Certainly." "But you do not believe that he will make a fire?" "I will believe it when the wood is burning on the hearth." "It will burn since my master has said so." "We shall see." However, the sun had not yet attained its highest point in its course above the horizon. The exploration therefore continued and was marked by a useful discovery, made by Herbert, of a tree whose fruit is edible. It was the pine kernel which produces an excellent almond, highly esteemed in the temperate regions of America and of Europe. These almonds were perfectly ripe and Herbert pointed this out to his two companions who were delighted by it. "Well," said Pencroff, "we have algae to take the place of bread, mussels for meat, and almonds for desert, what a meal for people who don't have a single match in their pocket." "It's no use complaining," replied Herbert. "I do not complain, my boy" said Pencroff. "Only I repeat that meat is too much economized in this type of meal." THE CASTAWAYS FROM THE SKY 53 ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ "Top has seen something!..." shouted Neb, who ran toward a thicket in which the dog had disappeared while barking. With Top's barks were mingled some peculiar growls. The sailor and Herbert followed Neb. If they had some game here this was not the time to discuss how to cook it but how to capture it. The hunters had hardly entered the thicket when they saw Top holding an animal by an ear. This quadruped was a kind of pig about two and a half feet long, blackish brown but not as dark on the underside, having tough but thin hair. The animal's toes, which were then gripping the ground, seemed to be united by membranes. Herbert thought he recognized this animal as a capybara, that is to say one of the largest rodents. However, the capybara was not struggling with the dog. It stupidly rolled its large eyes which were deeply imbedded in a thick layer of fat. Perhaps it saw men for the first time. However Neb, holding his stick firmly in his hand, went to kill the rodent when the latter, being held only by the tip of his ear, tore himself away from Top's teeth, gave a hearty grunt, plunged headlong on Herbert, threw him half over, and disappeared through the woods. "The rascal!" cried Pencroff. Immediately all three darted after Top and at the moment when they rejoined him, the animal disappeared under the waters of a large pond shaded by some large old pines. Neb, Herbert and Pencroff stopped, immobile. Top threw himself into the water but the capybara, lying at the bottom of the pond, was no longer visible. "Let us wait," said the lad, "because he will soon come to the surface to breath." "Won't he drown?" asked Neb. "No," replied Herbert, "since his feet are webbed and it is almost an amphibian. But watch for him." Top continued to swim. Pencroff and his two companions each occupied a different point on the bank in order to cut off all retreat for the capybara which the dog was looking for while swimming on the surface of the pond. Herbert was not mistaken. After a few minutes the animal emerged above the waters. Top was after him in a bound and prevented him from plunging again. An instant later the capybara, dragged to the bank, was killed by a blow from Neb's stick. "Hurrah!" cried Pencroff, who gladly used this cry of triumph. "If we could only get a hot fire this rodent will be gnawed to the bone." Pencroff loaded the capybara on his shoulder and judging by the height of the sun that it was about two o'clock, he gave the signal to return. Top's instinct was not useless to the hunters who, thanks to the intelligent animal, were able to find the road already traveled on. A half hour later they arrived at the bend in the river. 54 THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ As he had done the first time, Pencroff quickly made a raft of wood, even though for want of a fire it seemed like a useless task, and with the raft moving downstream, they returned to the Chimneys. But the sailor had not gone fifty steps when he stopped, let out a new formidable hurrah, and pointing to the corner of the cliff: "Herbert! Neb! Look!" he shouted. Smoke was escaping and twirling above the rocks! CHAPTER X The engineer's invention - The question that preoccupies Cyrus Smith - The departure for the mountain - The forest - Volcanic soil - Tragopans - Wild sheep - The first plateau - The encampment for the night - The summit of the cone. Several moments later the three hunters found themselves in front of a crackling hearth. Cyrus Smith and the reporter were there. Pencroff looked from one to the other without saying a word, his capybara in hand. "Yes indeed, my good fellow," cried the reporter. "Fire, real fire, that will perfectly roast this magnificent game which we will feast on within the hour." "But who kindled it?..." asked Pencroff. "The sun!" Gideon Spilett's response was precise. It was the sun which had furnished the heat that had astonished Pencroff. The sailor could not believe his eyes and he was so amazed that he did not think of questioning the engineer. "You had a lens, sir?" Herbert asked Cyrus Smith. "No, my child," he replied, "but I made one." And he showed the apparatus that had served him as a lens. It was simply two glasses that he had lifted from the watch of the reporter and of his own. After having filled them with water and made their edges adherent by means of a little clay, he had thus fabricated a real lens which, concentrating the sun's rays on some very dry moss, produced combustion. The sailor examined the apparatus, then he looked at the engineer without saying a word except that his look spoke volumes. Yes, as far as he was concerned, if Cyrus Smith was not a god, he was assuredly more than a mere man. Finally speech returned and he shouted: "Note that, Mister Spilett, note that in your book!" "It is noted," replied the reporter. Then, with Neb helping, the sailor arranged the spit, and the capybara, properly dressed, was soon roasting like a simple suckling pig before a bright and sparkling flame. The Chimneys once more became habitable, not only because the corridors were warmed by the fire from the hearth but because the partitions of stones and sand were re-established. THE CASTAWAYS FROM THE SKY 55 ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ One could see that the engineer and his companion had employed their day well. Cyrus Smith had almost completely recovered his strength which he tested by climbing to the upper plateau. From this point his eye, accustomed to evaluate heights and distances, gazed for a while on this cone whose summit he wanted to reach on the next day. The mountain, situated about six miles to the northwest, appeared to him to measure three thousand five hundred feet above sea level. Consequently, the gaze of an observer posted at the summit would cover a radius of at least fifty miles. It was therefore probable that Cyrus Smith would easily resolve the question "continent or island" which he justifiably gave precedence over all other questions. They supped in style. The cabybara meat was excellent. The seaweed and the pine kernel almonds completed the meal during which the engineer spoke little. He was preoccupied with the projects of the next day. Once or twice Pencroff put forth some ideas about things it would be convenient to make, but Cyrus Smith, who evidently had a methodical mind, was content to shake his head. "Tomorrow," he repeated, "we will know what we have to contend with and we will act accordingly." The meal completed, some additional armfuls of wood were thrown on the fire and the hosts of the Chimneys, including the faithful Top, fell into a deep sleep. No incident disturbed this peaceful night and the next day, March 29th, fresh and hearty, they woke up ready to undertake this excursion which would fix their fate. All was ready for the departure. The remains of the capybara would provide nourishment for Cyrus Smith and his companions for the next twenty four hours. Besides they hoped to revictual en route. Since the glasses were put back on the engineer's and the reporter's watches, Pencroff burnt a little linen to serve as tinder. As to flint, there would be no shortage of that on terrain that was of plutonic origin. It was seven thirty in the morning when the explorers, armed with clubs, left the Chimneys. Following Pencroff's advice it seemed best to take the road already used through the forest and to use another route on the return trip. It was also the most direct way to reach the mountain. They therefore turned the south corner and followed the left bank of the river which was abandoned at the point where it curved toward the southwest. The footpath, already frayed under the green trees, was found and at nine o'clock Cyrus Smith and his companions reached the western edge of the forest. The ground, which was not too hilly up to that point, marshy at first, dry and sandy later, betrayed a slight incline as one went from the coast to the interior. Several fleeing animals had been indistinctly seen in the forest. Top briskly cut them off, but his master recalled him at once because the time had not come to pursue them. Later they would see. The engineer was not a man to let himself be distracted from his intent. One would not even be mistaken in affirming that he did not observe the country, 56 THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ neither its configuration nor its natural productions. His only objective was this mountain which he aspired to climb and he went straight to it. At ten o'clock they halted for a few minutes. On leaving the forest the mountain system of the country appeared before their eyes. The mountain was composed of two cones. The first, truncated at a height of approximately two thousand five hundred feet, was sustained by capricious spurs which seemed to spread out like immense claws gripping the ground. Between these spurs were narrow valleys, bristling with trees, the latter rising in clusters up to the truncation of the first cone. However, the vegetation seemed less abundant on the side of the mountain exposed to the northeast and they could see there the rather deep stripes made by flowing lava. A second cone rested on the first cone, slightly rounded at the top, standing a bit askew. One could call it a large hat placed over an ear. It seemed to be formed of bare terrain with many reddish rocks showing. It was the summit of the second cone that they agreed to reach and the ridge of the spurs offered the best way to get there. "We are on volcanic terrain," Cyrus Smith said, and his companions, following him, began to climb little by little up the back of a spur which, by a winding path and consequently an easier pathway, ended at the first plateau. There were many swellings on the ground evidently made by plutonic convulsion. Erratic blocks, basaltic debris, pumice rocks and volcanic glass were all about. Several hundred feet below grew these conifers, in thick isolated clusters, at the bottom of narrow gorges scarcely reached by the sun's rays. During the first part of this ascension on the lower ramps, Herbert noted prints which indicated the recent passage of large animals, wild or otherwise. "Perhaps these beasts will not be willing to relinquish their domain to us," said Pencroff. "Well," replied the reporter, who had already hunted the tiger in India and the lion in Africa, "we will see about getting rid of them but in the meantime let us be careful." They gradually went higher. The route was long because it was lengthened by detours and obstacles that they could not cross directly. Also at times the ground was suddenly hollow and they found themselves at the edge of deep crevices that they had to go round. They thus had to retrace their steps in order to follow some practical path, which took time and energy. At noon, when the small troupe halted for lunch at the foot of a large cluster of spruce trees near a brook that fell in a cascade, they found themselves still only half way to the first plateau, which they would not reach till nightfall. At this height the sea's horizon was very enlarged, but on the right the view was interrupted by a sharp promontory in the southeast and they could not determine whether the coastline was abruptly connected to some rear terrain. At the left the line of sight extended several miles to the north; nevertheless THE CASTAWAYS FROM THE SKY 57 ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ from the northwest, at the point occupied by the explorers, it was interrupted by a ridge of a bizarre buttress formed from the powerful abutment of the central cone. Hence they still could not answer the question that Cyrus Smith wanted to resolve. At one o'clock the climb was resumed. It was necessary to shift to the southwest and once again move through rather thick brushwood. There under the cover of the trees, flew several couples of gallinules of the pheasant family. They were "tragopans" adorned by fleshy wattles which hang from their throats and by two slender cylindrical horns set behind their eyes. Among these couples, which are the size of a rooster, the female is uniformly brown while the male glitters in his red plummage sprinkled with small white teardrop shapes. Gideon Spilett with a stone thrown skillfully and vigorously, killed one of these tragopans that Pencroff, famished by the open air, could not look at without some covetousness. Upon leaving the brushwood the climbers pushed each other leg up, struggling on a very steep hundred foot slope to reach a higher level composed of volcanic ground with few trees. They then went toward the east once more moving on a winding path which made the very steep slopes more practical. Everyone had to carefully choose the spot where he placed his foot. Neb and Herbert were in front, Pencroff was in the rear and Cyrus and the reporter were between them. The animals which frequented these heights - and there was no lack of their traces - necessarily belonged to those species of sure foot and supple backbone, the chamois and the izards. They saw several of them but this was not the name that Pencroff gave them because in a moment: "Sheep!" he shouted. Everyone stopped fifty feet from a half dozen of these large animals with strong horns curving rearward and flat at the tip and with woolen fleece hidden under long silky buff colored hair. They were not ordinary sheep but a species generally found in the mountainous regions of the temperate zones which Herbert gave the name of mouflons. "Do they have legs and chops?" asked the sailor. "Yes," replied Herbert. "Well, then they are sheep," said Pencroff. These animals stood still among the basaltic debris looking astonished as if they saw biped humans for the first time. Then their fear suddenly awakened and they disappeared in a bound among the rocks. "Au revoir," Pencroff shouted in a tone so comic that Cyrus Smith, Gideon Spilett, Herbert and Neb could not refrain from laughing. The climb continued. They frequently noted, on certain declivities, traces of very capriciously scored lava. They had to go around small volcanic areas of hot sulphur vapors which sometimes cut across the route followed by the climbers. In several places sulphur was present in crystalline form, among material that was generally there before the lava flows, 58 THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ material such as pozzuolanas in irregular pellets, and highly torrefied white cinders made by an infinity of small feldspar crystals. On the approaches to the first plateau, formed by the truncation of the lower cone, the difficulties of climbing were very pronounced. Around four o'clock the last zone of trees had been passed. There only remained, here and there, some emaciated pines which had a hard life in resisting the strong open winds at this height. Fortunately for the engineer and his companions, the weather was magnificent and the atmosphere tranquil because a strong breeze at an altitude of three thousand feet would have affected their balance. The purity of the sky at the zenith was felt through the transparent air. Perfect calm reigned around them. They could no longer see the sun, then covered by the vast shade of the upper cone, which masked the western horizon. This enormous shadow, reaching to the shore, would lengthen as the radiant luminary went lower in it daily course. Several wisps of haze rather than clouds began to rise in the east colored by all the colors of the spectrum under the action of the solar rays. Only five hundred feet then separated the explorers from the plateau that they wished to attain in order to establish camp for the night but these five hundred feet were increased to more than two thousand by the zigzags that they had to follow. The ground, as has been said, was hollow underfoot. The slope was so steep that they slipped on the lava when the ridges, worn by the wind, did not offer sufficient support. Evening came on little by little and it was almost night when Cyrus Smith and his companions, very tired from a climb of seven hours, reached the plateau of the first cone. It was then a question of organizing a camp and of recuperating by eating first and sleeping afterwards. The second stage of the mountain rose on a base of rocks among which they would easily find a retreat. Fuel was not abundant. However they could obtain fire by means of moss and dry brushwood which grew on certain portions of the plateau. While the sailor made his fireplace on rocks which he arranged for this purpose, Neb and Herbert occupied themselves with gathering fuel. They soon returned with a load of brushwood. The flint was struck, the burnt linen caught the sparks of the flint and with Neb blowing, a crackling fire developed in a few moments sheltered by the rocks. The fire was only intended to withstand the temperature which was a little cold for the night. It was not used to roast the pheasant which Neb saved for the next day. The rest of the capybara and a few dozen almonds of the pine kernel formed the elements of supper. It was not more than six thirty when everything was finished. Cyrus Smith then thought of exploring, in the semi- obscurity, this large circular foundation which supported the upper cone of the mountain. Before taking some rest he wanted to know if this cone could be turned at its base because if its flanks were too steep it would render the summit inaccessible. THE CASTAWAYS FROM THE SKY 59 ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ This question did not cease to preoccupy him because it was possible that on the side toward which the hat inclined, that is to say toward the north, the plateau was not practical. Now, on the one hand, if they could not reach the summit of the mountain, and if on the other hand they could not go round the base of the cone then it would be impossible to examine the western portion of the country and the purpose of the climb would be in part unfulfilled. Then the engineer, without taking account of his fatigue, leaving Pencroff and Neb to organize the sleeping arrangements and Gideon Spilett to note the incidents of the day, began to follow the circular border of the plateau going northward. Herbert accompanied him. The night was fine and tranquil and not yet fully dark. Cyrus Smith and the lad walked near each other without speaking. In certain places the plateau was wide and they passed without difficulty. Other places, obstructed by debris, offered only a narrow path such that two people could not walk abreast. After a march of twenty minutes Cyrus Smith and Herbert had to stop. From this point on the slopes of the two cones were flush. No shoulder separated the two parts of the mountain. A slope of nearly 70ø made it impractical. But if the engineer and the lad had to turn away from following a circular route, in compensation there was the possibility that they could ascend the cone directly. In fact there was before them a deep opening in the solid block. It was the flare of the upper crater, the outlet so to speak, by which liquid eruptive material escaped at a time when the volcano was still active. The hardened lava and the encrusted slag formed a sort of natural staircase well designed for a climb, which would facilitate access to the summit of the mountain. A glance sufficed for Cyrus Smith to recognize the situation and without hesitating and followed by the lad he entered the enormous crevice in the midst of the growing darkness. There was still a height of a thousand feet to climb. Would the inclines of the interior of the crater be practical? They would see. The engineer would continue his climb as long as he could. Fortunately the incline was gradual and winding, describing a large helical path along the interior of the volcano and favoring the upward march. As to the volcano itself, there was no doubt that it was completely extinct. No smoke escaped from its bowels. No flame revealed itself in the deep cavities. Not a growl, nor a murmur, nor a disturbance left its obscure pits which perhaps extended to the bowels of the earth. Even the atmosphere within the crater was not saturated with any sulphurous vapor. It was not merely the slumber of a volcano. It was its complete extinction. 60 THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ Cyrus Smith's attempt would succeed. Little by little Herbert and he, ascending the inner walls, saw the crater enlarge above their heads. The radius of this circular portion of the sky, surrounded by the borders of the cone, was getting noticeably larger. With each step, so to speak, that Cyrus Smith and Herbert made, new stars were entering their field of view. The magnificent constellations of the southern sky were shining brightly. At zenith the splendid Antares of Scorpio was sparkling with a pure glare and not far away was the á of Centaurus which is thought to be the nearest star to the terrestial globe. Then as they went higher, Fomalhaut of the Southern Fish appeared, the Southern Triangle and finally near the southern pole of the sky, the sparkling Southern Cross which takes the place of the pole star of the northern hemisphere. It was nearly eight o'clock when Cyrus Smith and Herbert set foot on the upper crest of the mountain, the summit of the cone. It was then completely dark and they could not see for more than two miles. Did the sea completely surround this unknown land or was this land attached in the west to some continent of the Pacific? They still could not tell. Toward the west, clouds were clearly delineated at the horizon adding to the darkness and the eye could not distinguish the confusion of the sky and water on this circular line. But at one point of this horizon a vague light suddenly appeared slowly descending as the clouds rose to the zenith. It was the slender crescent of the moon about to set. But its light was sufficient to clearly show the horizon then detached from a cloud and the engineer was able to see its trembling image reflected for a moment on the liquid surface. Cyrus Smith seized the lad's hand and in a solemn voice: "An island!" he said at the moment when the light of the lunar crescent was extinguished by the waves. CHAPTER XI At the summit of the cone - The interior of the crater - The sea all around - No land in sight - Bird's eye view of the shore - Hydrography and orography - Is the island inhabited? - Naming the bays, gulfs, capes, rivers, etc. - Lincoln Island. A half hour later Cyrus Smith and Herbert returned to the camp. The engineer merely told his companions that the land on which chance had thrown them was an island and that the next day they would consult. Then each made the best sleeping arrangement he could, and in this cavity of basalt at a height of two thousand five hundred feet above sea level the "islanders" enjoyed a deep sleep on a peaceful night. THE CASTAWAYS FROM THE SKY 61 ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ The next day, March 30th, after a quick breakfast in which the roasted tragopan was the only dish, the engineer wanted to ascend to the summit of the volcano in order to carefully observe the island on which he and his friends would be imprisoned for life perhaps if this island was situated far from all land or if it was not near the lanes of ships visiting the archipelagos of the Pacific Ocean. This time his companions would follow him in this new exploration. They too wanted to see this island which they would ask to supply all their needs. It was about seven o'clock in the morning when Cyrus Smith, Herbert, Pencroff, Gideon Spilett and Neb broke camp. No one appeared uneasy about their situation. They doubtless had faith in themselves but it should be noted that the basis of this faith was not the same in Cyrus Smith as in his companions. The engineer had confidence because he felt capable of wresting from this savage nature all that would be necessary for the life of his companions and his own and they feared nothing precisely because Cyrus Smith was with them. They realized this difference. Pencroff, especially since the incident of the rekindled fire, would not despair for an instant even if he found himself on a bare rock if the engineer was with him on this rock. "Bah!" he said. "We left Richmond without the permission of the authorities! It would be a hell of a thing if sooner or later we did not succeed in leaving a place where no one will certainly detain us." Cyrus Smith followed the same path as the day before. They went around the cone by the plateau which formed the shoulder up to the opening of the enormous crevice. The weather was magnificent. The sun rose in a pure sky and its rays enveloped the entire eastern side of the mountain. They reached the crater. It was just as the engineer had recognized it in the darkness, that is to say a vast crater that extended to a height of a thousand feet above the plateau. From the base of the crevice, broad thick flows of lava had meandered over the sides of the mountain thus marking out the route of the eruptive material into the lower valleys which criss-crossed the northern portion of the island. The interior of the crater, whose inclination was not more than thirty five to forty degrees, presented no difficulties nor obstacles to climbing. They saw traces of very old lava which probably poured out at the summit of the cone before this lateral crevice opened a new route. As to the volcanic chimney which established communication between the subterranean levels and the crater, they could not estimate its depth by looking at it since it was lost in obscurity. But there was no doubt about the complete extinction of the volcano. Before eight o'clock Cyrus Smith and his companions were gathered at the summit of the crater on a conical swelling which puffed up the northern rim. 62 THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ "The sea! The sea everywhere!" they cried as if their lips could not hold back this word that made islanders of them. In fact the sea was an immense circular expanse around them. Perhaps on climbing to the summit of the cone Cyrus Smith had hoped to discover some coast, some neighboring island, which he had not been able to see the previous evening in the darkness. But nothing appeared within the limits of the horizon that is to say for a radius of over fifty miles. No land in sight. Not a sail. All this immensity was deserted and the island occupied the center of a circumference that seemed to be infinite. The engineer and his companions, speechless, immobile, looked over all the points of the ocean for several minutes. Their eyes examined this ocean to its most extreme limits. But Pencroff, who possessed a marvellous power of vision, saw nothing, and certainly if land was lying on the horizon, even if it appeared as an imperceptible vapor, the sailor would undoubtedly recognize it because nature had truly placed two telescopes under his eyebrows. After the ocean their attention was fixed on the island which they could see in its entirety and the first question was asked by Gideon Spilett in these terms: "About how large is this island?" Truly it did not appear to be considerable in the midst of this immense ocean. Cyrus Smith reflected for several moments. He looked all around the island taking into account the height at which they were situated; then: "My friends," he said, "I believe I am not mistaken in giving the shoreline of the island a perimeter of more than one hundred miles." (1) "And consequently, its area?" "That is difficult to estimate," replied the engineer, "because it is so capriciously indented." If Cyrus Smith was not mistaken in his evaluation, the island was nearly as large as Malta or Zakynthos in the Mediterranian; but at the same time it was much more irregular and less rich in capes, promontories, points, bays, coves, or creeks. Its truly strange form surprised them, and when Gideon Spilett sketched its contours at the engineer's suggestion they found that it resembled some fantastic animal, a sort of monstrous pteropoda which was sleeping on the surface of the Pacific. This was in fact the exact configuration of the island which is important to know. Its map was immediately drawn by the reporter with sufficient precision. The eastern portion of the coast on which the castaways had landed was curved on a large arc and bordered by a vast bay ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ (1) About 45 leagues of 4 kilometers per league. THE CASTAWAYS FROM THE SKY 63 ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ terminated in the southeast by a sharp cape which was a point hidden from Pencroff at the time of his first exploration. In the northeast two other capes closed the bay and between them a narrow gulf was hollowed out which resembled the half opened jaw of some formidable shark. From the northeast to the northwest the coast was rounded like the flattened skull of a wild beast rising in a sort of protuberance which did not assign any very definite plan to this part of the island whose center was occupied by the volcanic mountain. From this point on, the coastline was somewhat regular north and south cut at two thirds of its length by a narrow creek, beyond which it ended in a long tail resembling the caudal appendage of a gigantic alligator. This tail formed a true peninsula which extended for more than thirty miles into the sea, counting from the southeast cape of the island, already mentioned. It was rounded, describing an open roadstead which characterized the lower shore of this strangely cut out land. In it smallest width, that is to say between the Chimneys and the creek observed on the western coast which corresponded to it in latitude, the island measured only ten miles, but its greatest length, from the jaw of the northeast to the extremity of the tail in the southwest, came to not less than thirty miles. As to the interior of the island its general aspect was thus: very wooded in all of its southern portion from the mountain up to the shore and dry and sandy in its northern part. Between the volcano and the east coast Cyrus Smith and his companions were rather surprised to see a lake, bordered by green trees, whose existence they had not suspected. Seen from this height the lake seemed to be at the same level as the sea but on reflection the engineer explained to his companions that the altitude of this small expanse of water must be three hundred feet because the plateau which served as its basin was that high above the coast. "Does this lake have sweet water?" asked Pencroff. "Necessarily," replied the engineer, "because it must be fed by waters which flow from the mountain." "I see a small brook which flows into it," said Herbert, pointing to a narrow creek whose source must flow from the buttresses in the west. "In fact," replied Cyrus Smith, "since this stream feeds the lake it is probable that there exists an outlet at the sea side by which the overflow of water escapes. We will see this on our return." This rather winding watercourse and the river already noted, such was the hydrographic system, such at least was developed before the eyes of the explorers. However it was possible that under these masses of trees of the immense forest which made up two thirds of the island, other streams flowed toward the sea. They must even assume it since this fertile 64 THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ and rich region showed the most magnificent specimens of the vegetation of the temperate zones. As to the northern part, there was no indication of flowing water: perhaps some stagnant water in the marshy portions of the northeast but that was all; in sum there were dunes, sand and a very pronounced aridity which vividly contrasted with the opulence of the soil of its larger section. The volcano did not occupy the central part of the island. It stood, on the contrary, in the northwest region and seemed to mark the boundary between the two zones. Toward the southwest, the south and the southeast, the lower levels of the buttresses disappeared under the masses of vegetation. In the north, on the contrary, one could follow their ramifications which eventually faded into the plains of sand. It was also on this coast, during the time of the eruptions, that the discharges had opened up a passage and one broad path of lava extended to this narrow jaw which formed a gulf in the northeast. Cyrus Smith and his companions remained thus for a hour on the summit of the mountain. The island developed under their eyes like a plan in relief with various tints, greens for the forests, yellows for the sands, blues for the waters. They saw it in its entirety. The ground hidden under the immense vegetation, the bottom of the shaded valleys, the interior of the narrow sunken gorges which extended to the foot of the volcano, these alone escaped their investigation. One serious question remained to answer which would singularly influence the future of the castaways. Was the island inhabited? It was the reporter who posed this question to which it seemed that they could already give a negative response after a minute examination which they made of the diverse regions of the island. Nowhere could they perceive the work of the human hand. No conglomeration of cabins, not an isolated hut, not a fishery on the shore. No fire rose to betray the presence of man. It is true that a distance of approximately thirty miles separated the observers from the extreme points that is to say from this tail which projected to the southwest and it would be difficult even for Pencroff's eyes to discover a habitation there. Neither could they lift up the screen of verdure which covered three quarters of the island to see if it did or did not hide some village. But generally the islanders of these narrow spaces that emerge from the Pacific inhabit, for the most part, the shore and the shore appeared to be absolutely deserted. Until a more complete exploration they would have to admit that the island was uninhabited. But was it frequented, at least temporarily, by the natives from the neighboring islands? It was difficult to reply to this question. No land appeared within a radius of THE CASTAWAYS FROM THE SKY 65 ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ approximately fifty miles. But fifty miles could easily be crossed, either by Malaysian proas or by large Polynesian canoes. All depended on the position of the island, its isolation in the Pacific, and its proximity to the archipelagos. Would Cyrus Smith be able later to determine their latitude and longitude without instruments? That would be difficult. It would be best to take certain precautions against a possible visit from neighboring natives. The exploration of the island was complete, its configuration determined, its outline noted, its area calculated, its hydrography and orography recognized. The disposition of the forests and the plains were drawn in a general way by the reporter. There was nothing to do but to descend the slopes of the mountain and to explore the ground with the triple point of view of noting its mineral, vegetable and animal resources. But before giving his companions the signal to depart, Cyrus Smith said to them in a calm and serious voice: "Here, my friends, is the small corner of the world on which the hand of the Almighty has thrown us. It is here that we are going to live a long time perhaps. Perhaps also unexpected help will arrive if some vessel passes by chance... I say by chance because this island is not very important. It offers nothing which can serve as a port of call for ships, and it is to be feared that it is situated outside the ordinary shiplanes, that is to say that it is too far to the south for the vessels which frequent the archipelagos of the Pacific, too far north for those that go to Australia by doubling Cape Horn. I wish to conceal nothing from you." "And you are right, my dear Cyrus," the reporter replied vividly. "You are dealing with men. They have confidence in you and you can count on them. Isn't that so, my friends?" "I will obey you in everything, Mister Cyrus," said Herbert who seized the engineer's hand. "My master, always and everywhere!" cried Neb. "As to me," said the sailor, "may I lose my name if I sulk at my work, and if you wish it, Mister Smith, we will make this island a Little America. We will build towns, we will establish railroads here, we will install telegraphs and one fine day when it will be transformed and civilized we will offer it to the government of the Union! Only I ask one thing." "What is that?" asked the reporter. "That we no longer think of ourselves as castaways but as colonists coming here to colonize." Cyrus Smith could not restrain a smile and the sailor's motion was adopted. Then he thanked his companions and added that he counted on their energy and on the blessing of Heaven. "Well then, on to the Chimneys!" cried Pencroff. "One moment, my friends," replied the engineer. "It seems best to me to give a name to this island, also to its capes, to its promontories and to the watercourses that we have seen below." 66 THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ "Very good," said the reporter. "In the future this will simplify the instructions that we will have to give or to follow." "In fact," replied the sailor, "it is already something to be able to say where one has been and where one is going. At least one has the feeling of having been somewhere." "The Chimneys, for example," said Herbert. "Right!" replied Pencroff. "This name, which has already been very convenient, came to me all alone. Shall we keep this name of the Chimneys for our first encampment, Mister Cyrus?" "Yes, Pencroff, since you have so baptized it." "Good! As to the others, that will be easy," replied the sailor, who was in good spirits. "Let us use names like the Robinsons did. Herbert has read their story to me more than once; 'Providence Bay,' 'Cachalots Point,' 'Cape of Deceived Hope'." "Or rather the names of Mister Smith," replied Herbert, "of Mister Spilett, of Neb!..." "My name!" cried Neb, showing his sparkling white teeth. "Why not?" replied Pencroff. "'Port Neb' would be very good. And 'Cape Gideon.'" "I would prefer names borrowed from our country" replied the reporter, "which would remind us of America." "Yes, for the main features," Cyrus Smith then said, "for those of the bays or the seas, I readily grant it. We could give to this vast bay in the east the name Union Bay for example, to this large indentation in the south that of Washington Bay, to the mountain on which we are now standing that of Mount Franklin, to the lake which extends beneath us that of Lake Grant, nothing could be better my friends. These names will remind us of our country and those great citizens who have honored it, but for the rivers, the gulfs, the capes and the promontories which we perceive from the top of this mountain, let us choose names which will rather recall their particular configuration. It will make a deeper impression on us and it will be practical at the same time. The shape of the island is sufficiently strange so that we will have no difficulty in imagining names which recall it. As to the watercourses that we do not know, the various parts of the forest that we will explore later, the creeks that will be discovered in due time, we will name that when they present themselves to us. What do you think, my friends?" The engineer's proposition was unanimously adopted by his companions. The island was there under their eyes like an open map and they had only to specify names for all its features. Gideon Spilett would draw it to scale and the geographical nomenclature of the island would be formally adopted. First they named Union Bay, Washington Bay, and Mount Franklin, for the two bays and the mountain as the engineer had done. "Now," said the reporter, "this peninsula which projects to the southwest of the island, I propose to give it the name of Serpentine Peninsula, and the name Reptile End to the curved tail at its end because it is truly a reptile's tail." THE CASTAWAYS FROM THE SKY 67 ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ "Adopted," said the engineer. "Now," said Herbert, "for this other extremity of the island, this gulf which so singularly resembles an open jaw, let us call it Shark Gulf." "Well done!" cried Pencroff, "and we will complete the picture by giving the two parts of the jaw the name Mandible Cape." "But there are two capes," the reporter observed. "Well then," replied Pencroff, "we will have North Mandible Cape and South Mandible Cape." "They are inscribed," replied Gideon Spilett. "It remains to name the point at the southeast extremity of the island," said Pencroff. "That is to say the extremity of Union Bay?" replied Herbert. "Cape Claw," Neb cried out at once. He also wanted to be the godfather of some piece of his domain. And in truth Neb had found an excellent name because this cape truly represented the powerful claw of the fantastic animal which resembled the outline of the island. Pencroff was enchanted by the turn of events. Their somewhat overexcited imaginations soon had given: To the river which furnished fresh water to the colonists near where the balloon had thrown them, the name of the Mercy, a true thanks to Providence; To the islet on which the castaways had first set foot, the name of Safety Island; To the plateau which crowned the high wall of granite above the Chimneys and from where they could see all of the vast bay, the name Grand View Plateau; Finally to all of this massive impenetrable woods which covered Serpentine Peninsula, the name of Forests of the Far West. The nomenclature of the visible and known parts of the island was thus finished and later they would complete it with new discoveries as they went along. As to the orientation of the island the engineer had determined it approximately by the height and the position of the sun which put Union Bay and all of Grand View Plateau to the east. But the next day by taking the exact time of sunrise and sunset and by determining the sun's position at the midpoint between sunrise and sunset he would exactly fix the north of the island. Because they were located in the southern hemisphere the sun, at the precise moment of reaching its highest point, would pass to the north and not to the south in its apparent movement as it seems to do in places situated in the northern hemisphere. Everything was finished and the colonists had only to climb down Mount Franklin to return to the Chimneys when Pencroff exclaimed: "What dopes we are!" "Why do you say that?" asked Gideon Spilett, who had closed his notebook and was getting up to leave. 68 THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ "What about our island? We have forgotten to name it." Herbert was going to propose to give it the engineer's name and all his companions would have applauded it when Cyrus Smith simply said: "Let us name it after a great citizen, my friends, who now fights to defend the unity of the American republic. Let us call it Lincoln Island." Three hurrahs was the response made to the engineer's proposition. And that evening, before going to sleep, the new colonists spoke of the country they missed; they spoke of this terrible war which was staining it with blood; they could not doubt that the South would soon be subdued and that the cause of the North, the cause of justice could only triumph thanks to Grant, thanks to Lincoln. So passed the 30th of March 1865. They could scarcely know that sixteen days later a horrible crime would be committed in Washington and that on Good Friday Abraham Lincoln would be murdered by a fanatic. CHAPTER XII Setting the watches - Pencroff is satisfied - A suspicious smoke - The course of Red Creek - The flora of Lincoln Island - The fauna - Mountain pheasants - Pursuing kangaroos - Agouti - Lake Grant - Return to the chimneys. The colonists of Lincoln Island cast one last glance around them, they went around the crater by its narrow ridge and a half hour later they had climbed down to the first plateau to their night camp. Pencroff thought that it was mealtime and for this purpose he raised the question of adjusting the two watches belonging to Cyrus Smith and the reporter. We know that Gideon Spilett's watch had been respected by the sea water since the reporter had been thrown on the beach from the first, out of the reach of the waves. It was an instrument kept in excellent condition, a real pocket chronometer which Gideon Spilett had never forgotten to wind carefully each day. As to the engineer's watch, it had necessarily stopped during the time that Cyrus Smith had passed on the dunes. The engineer reset it, estimating approximately from the height of the sun that it was about nine o'clock in the morning. He set his watch to this hour. Gideon Spilett was about to imitate him when the engineer held him back saying: "No, my dear Spilett, wait. You have kept the time of Richmond, haven't you?" "Yes, Cyrus." THE CASTAWAYS FROM THE SKY 69 ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ "Consequently your watch is set to the meridian of that city, a meridian which is very nearly that of Washington?" "No doubt." "Very well, then keep the setting. Remain content to wind it carefully but do not touch the hands. This will be useful to us." "What good will that be?" thought the sailor. They ate so well that the supply of game and almonds was completely exhausted. But Pencroff was not uneasy. They would reprovision en route. Top, whose portion was very meager, would well know how to find some new game under the cover of the brushwood. Later the sailor intended to ask the engineer in all innocence to make powder and one or two hunting guns and he thought that this would present no difficulty. On leaving the plateau Cyrus Smith proposed to his companions that they take a new road to return to the Chimneys. He wanted to explore Lake Grant which was so magnificently surrounded by a border of trees. They followed the crest of one of the buttresses where the creek (1) that fed the lake probably found its source. While chatting, the colonists were already using the proper names that they had chosen and this singularly facilitated the exchange of ideas. Herbert and Pencroff - the one young and the other like a small child - were enchanted and while walking the sailor said: "Hey, Herbert, how things are coming along! We can't possibly get lost, my boy, since whether we follow the road to Lake Grant or we rejoin the Mercy by crossing the woods of the Far West we will necessarily arrive at Grand View Plateau and consequently at Union Bay." It had been agreed that, without forming a compact group, the colonists would not wander far from each other. Very certainly some dangerous animals inhabited the thick forests of the island and it would be prudent to be on their guard. As a rule, Pencroff, Herbert and Neb went on ahead, preceded by Top who nuzzled into the slightest corner. The reporter and the engineer went together. Gideon Spilett was ready to record every incident. The engineer was silent most of the time, wandering from the road only to pick up sometimes one, sometimes another mineral or vegetable substance which he put in his pocket without making any comment. "What the devil can he be picking up?" murmured Pencroff. "I have looked carefully and I don't see anything worth bending over for." About ten o'clock the small troop descended the last slopes of Mount Franklin. The soil was still scattered with only bushes and some sparse trees. They walked on yellowish calcinated ground forming a plain about a mile long which preceded the border of the woods. Some large sections of basalt which, according to Bischof, require three hundred fifty million years to cool, were strewn on the plain, very broken up in places. However there were no traces of lava which had especially poured out on the northern slopes. ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ (1) The name that Americans give to a small watercourse. 70 THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ Cyrus Smith believed that he could reach the creek's course without incident which, according to him, would unfold under the trees at the edge of the plain, when he came headlong into Herbert, while Neb and the sailor were hiding behind some rocks. "What is it, my boy?" asked Gideon Spilett. "A smoke," replied Herbert. "We have seen a smoke rising among the rocks about a hundred feet from us." "Men in this area?" cried the reporter. "Let us avoid showing ourselves before we know with whom we are dealing," replied Cyrus Smith. "I especially fear the natives if there are any of them on this island, which I do not wish for. Where is Top?" "Top is up in front." "And he does not bark?" "No." "That's strange. Nevertheless, let us try to recall him." In a few moments the engineer, Gideon Spilett and Herbert had rejoined their two companions and like them they hid behind some basalt debris. From there they could clearly see a smoke with a characteristic yellow color twirling into the air. Top was recalled by a weak whistle from his master who, making a sign to his companions to wait for him, glided among the rocks. The colonists were immobile, waiting for the result of this exploration with a certain anxiety when a call from Cyrus Smith made them run up. They soon rejoined him and were all at once struck by a disagreeable odor which impregnated the atmosphere. This easily recognized odor had sufficed for the engineer to guess at the identity of this smoke which at first had caused the anxiety, not without reason. "This fire," he said, "or rather this smoke is due only to nature's efforts. It is due to a sulphuric spring which will permit us to effectively treat our laryngites." "Good," cried Pencroff. "What a pity that I don't have a cold." The colonists went to the spot where the smoke escaped. There they saw a sulphuric salt spring pouring out rather abundantly among the rocks. The water gave off a vivid sulphuric acid odor after having absorbed the oxygen from the air. Cyrus Smith dipped his hand into it, finding these waters oily to the touch. He tasted it and found it to be a little sweet. As to its temperature he estimated it to be at 95ø Fahrenheit (35ø Centigrade above zero). And Herbert having asked him on what he based this evaluation: "Very simple, my child," he said, "because on plunging my hand into this water I felt no sensation of either hot or cold. Thus, it is the same temperature as the human body which is about 95ø."