seemed to be the best way by which to gain it.

"We are on volcanic ground," said the engineer, and his companions, following him, began to ascend by degrees on the back of a spur, which was connected with the first plateau by a winding path.

The ground had evidently been convulsed by subterranean force. Here and there stray blocks, and much debris of basalt and pumice-stone, were met with. In isolated groups rose fir-trees, which, some hundred feet lower, at the bottom of the narrow gorges, formed massive shades, almost impenetrable to the sun's rays.

During this first part of the ascent, Harbert remarked upon the footprints, which indicated the recent passage of large animals.

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Perhaps these beasts will not let us pass by willingly," said Pencroff.

Well," replied the reporter, who had already hunted the tiger in India, and the lion in Africa, we shall soon learn how successfully to encounter them. But in the meantime we must be upon our guard!" Meanwhile they ascended but slowly. The way was long, and its tediousness increased by detours and obstacles which could not be surmounted directly. Sometimes, too, the ground suddenly fell, and they found themselves on the edge of a deep chasm which they had to go round. Thus, in retracing their steps so as to find some practicable path, much time was employed and fatigue undergone for nothing. At twelve o'clock, when the small band of adventurers halted for breakfast at the foot of a large group of firs, near a little stream which fell in cascades, they found themselves still half way from the first plateau, which most probably they would not reach. till nightfall. From this point the view of the sea was much extended, but on the right the high promontory prevented their seeing whether there was land beyond it. On the left, the sight extended several miles to the north; but, on the north-west, at the point occupied by the explorers, it was cut short by the ridge of a fantasticallyshaped spur, which formed a powerful support of the central cone.

At one o'clock the ascent was continued. They slanted more towards the south-west and again entered the thick bushes. There under the shade of the trees fluttered a number of gallinacee belonging to the pheasant species. They were tragopans, ornamented by a pendent skin which hangs

over the throat, and by two small, round horns planted behind the eyes. These were about the size of a fowl, the female uniformly brown, while the male was gorgeous in his red plumage decorated with white spots. Gideon Spilett, with a stone cleverly and vigorously thrown, killed one of these tragopans, at which Pencroff, made hungry by the fresh air, had looked with greedy eyes.

After leaving the region of bushes, the party, resting on each other's shoulders, climbed for about a hundred feet up a very steep acclivity and reached a level place, with very few trees, where the soil appeared volcanic. The object was, to ascend by zigzags, and thus make the slope more gradual, for it was very steep, and each had to choose with care the place to put his foot. Neb and Harbert took the lead, Pencroff the rear, the captain and the reporter between them. The animals which frequented these heights,-and there were plenty of traces of them,-must necessarily belong to those races, of sure foot and supple spine, the chamois or the goat. Several were seen, but this was not the name Pencroff gave them, for all of a sudden he shouted

"Sheep!"

All stopped, about fifty feet from halfa-dozen animals of a large size, with strong horns bent back and flattened towards the point, with a woolly fleece, hidden under long, silky hair of a tawny color. They were not ordinary sheep, but a species usually found in the mountainous regions of the temperate zone, to which Harbert gave the name of musmon.

"Have they legs and chops?" asked the sailor.

"Yes," replied Harbert.

"Well, then, they are sheep!" said Pencroff.

The animals, motionless among the blocks of basalt, gazed with astonishment, as if they saw human beings for the first time. Then, their fears suddenly aroused, they disappeared, bounding over the rocks.

"Good-bye, till we meet again!" cried Pencroff, as he watched them, in such a comical tone that the others could not help laughing.

The ascent was continued. Here and there were traces of lava. Sulphur springs sometimes stopped their way, and they had to go round them. In some places the sulphur had formed crystals among other substances, such as whitish cinders,

made of an infinity of little feldspar crystals.

On approaching the first plateau formed by the truncating of the lower cone, the difficulties of the ascent were very great. Towards four o'clock the extreme zone of the trees had been passed. There only remained here and there a few twisted, stunted pines, which must have had a hard life in resisting at this altitude the high winds from the open sea. Happily for the engineer and his companions, the weather was beautiful, the atmosphere tranquil; for a high breeze at an elevation of three thousand feet would have hindered their proceedings. The purity of the sky at the zenith was felt through the transparent air. Perfect calm reigned around them. They could not see the sun, then hid by the vast screen of the upper cone, which masked the half-horizon of the west, and whose enormous shadow stretching to the shore increased as the radiant luminary sank in its diurnal course. Vapors,-mist rather than clouds, began to appear in the east and assume all the prismatic colors under the influence of the solar rays.

Only five hundred feet separated the explorers from the plateau which they wished to reach in order to establish there an encampment for the night; but these five hundred feet were increased to more than two miles by the zigzags they had to describe. The soil, as it were, slid under their feet. The slope often presented such an angle that when the stones worn by the air did not give a sufficient support they slipped to the ground. Evening came on by degrees, and it was almost night when Cyrus Smith and his companions, much fatigued by an ascent of seven hours, arrived at the plateau of the first cone. It was then necessary to prepare an encampment, and to restore their strength by eating first and sleeping afterwards. The second cone of the mountain rose on a base of rocks among which it would be easy to find a retreat. Fuel was not abundant. However, a fire could be made by means of the moss and dry brushwood, which covered certain parts of the plateau. While the sailor was preparing his hearth with stones, Neb and Harbert occupied themselves with getting a supply of fuel. They soon returned with a load of brushwood. The steel was struck, the burnt linen caught the sparks of flint, and by the aid of Neb's breath a crackling fire showed itself in a few minutes under the shelter of the

rocks. Their object in lighting a fire was only to enable them to withstand the cold temperature of the night, as it was not employed in cooking the bird, which Neb kept for the next day. The remains of the capybara and some dozens of the stone pine almonds formed their supper. It was not half-past six when all was finished.

Cyrus Smith then thought of exploring in the twilight the large circular layer which supported the upper cone of the mountain.. Before taking any rest, he wished to know if it were possible to get round the base of the cone in the case of its sides being too steep and its summit being inaccessible. This question preoccupied him, for it was possible that from the way the hat inclined, that is to say, towards the north, the plateau was not practicable. Also, if the summit of the mountain could not be reached on one side, and if, on the other, they could not get round the base of the cone, it would be impossible to survey the western part of the country, and their object in making the ascent would in part be unattained.

The engineer, accordingly, without regarding his fatigues, leaving Pencroff and Neb to arrange the beds, and Gideon Spilett to note the incidents of the day, began to follow the edge of the plateau, going towards the north. Harbert accompanied him.

The night was beautiful and still, and the darkness was not yet deep. Cyrus Smith and the boy walked near each other, without speaking. In some places the plateau opened before them, and they passed without hindrance. In others, obstructed by rocks, there was only a narrow path, in which two persons could not walk abreast. After a walk of twenty minutes, they were obliged to stop. From this point the slope of the two cones became one. shoulder here separated the two parts of the mountain. The slope, being inclined almost seventy degrees, the path became impracticable.

No

But if the engineer and the Boy were obliged to give up thoughts of following a circular direction, in return an opportunity was given for ascending the cone.

In fact, before them opened a deep hollow. It was the rugged mouth of the crater, by which the eruptive liquid matter had escaped at the periods when the volcano had been in activity. Hardened lava and crusted scoria formed a sort of natural staircase of large steps, which would

greatly facilitate the ascent to the summit of the mountain. Smith took all this in at a glance, and without hesitating, followed by the lad, he entered the enormous chasm in the midst of increasing obscurity.

There was still a height of a thousand feet to overcome. Would the interior acclivities of the crater be practicable? It would soon be seen. The persevering engineer resolved to continue his ascent until he was stopped. Happily these acclivities wound up the interior of the volcano and favored their ascent.

As to the volcano itself, it could not be doubted that it was completely extinct. No smoke escaped from its sides; not a flame could be seen in the dark hollows; not a roar, not a mutter, no trembling even, issued from this black well, which perhaps reached far into the bowels of the earth. The atmosphere inside the crater was filled with no sulphurous vapor. It was more than the sleep of a volcano, it was its complete extinction. Cyrus Smith's attempt would succeed.

Little by little, Harbert and he, climbing up the sides of the interior, saw the crater widen above their heads. The radius of this circular portion of the sky, framed by the edge of the cone, increased obviously. At each step the explorers made, fresh stars entered the field of their vision. The magnificent constellations of the southern sky shone resplendent. At the zenith, glittered the splendid Antares

in the Scorpion, and not far the Beta in the Centaur, which is believed to be the nearest star to the terrestrial globe. Then, as the crater widened, appeared Fomalhaut of the Fish, the Southern Triangle, and lastly, nearly at the Antarctic Pole, the glittering Southern Cross, which corresponds to the Polar Star of the Northern Hemisphere. It was nearly eight o'clock when Cyrus Smith and Harbert put their foot on the highest ridge of the mountain at the summit of the cone. It was perfectly dark, and the vision could not extend over a radius of two miles. Did the sea surround this unknown land, or was this land connected in the west by some continent of the Pacific? It could not yet be made out. Towards the west, a cloudy belt, clearly visible at the horizon, increased the gloom, and the eye could not discover whether the sky and water were blended together in the same circular line.

But at one point of the horizon a vague light suddenly appeared, which descended slowly in proportion as the cloud mounted to the zenith. It was the slender cres cent moon, already disappearing. But its light was sfflucient to show clearly the horizontal line, then detached from the cloud, and the engineer could see its reflection trembling for an instant on a liquid surface. Cyrus Smith seized the lad's hand, and in a grave voice exclaimed: “An island!" at the moment when the lunar crescent disappeared beneath the waves.

CHAPTER XXIV.

"Let me run down to the brook and bathe my face, first," Katey replied humbly, forbearing to thank him. It was all beyond words, but she should never forget.

She came back in a moment, her cheeks and finger-tips glowing from contact with the stream which had served also as a mirror before which to re-arrange the dark braids of heavy hair, and tie again the knot of flame-colored ribbon at her throat. She was looping the skirt of her pretty, gray gown over the bright petticoat beneath it as she approached the fire, trying with deft fingers to hide the numerous rents, the result of the forced march in the dark the night before..

"A blessing on the man who invented pins," she said, putting the last in place, and taking up the lunch basket; "and now, where are we, please?"

In spite of the light tone, her eyes, sweeping the unfamiliar landscape, where was no trace of road or cultivated field or homestead, were full of anxiety.

"Just where, or how near to La Fayette, it is impossible to tell," replied the Professor. "But there is a well-traveled road not far from here; probably the turnpike upon which we came from town yesterday; we have only to follow that."

"But first, breakfast," and Katey took out the remains of the last night's supper. "How fortunate that I brought this basket away! But now I think of it, Miss Wormley gave it to me."

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"She had no intention of starving us, then; that is something," said the Professor in a low tone. But Katey had caught the words, and knew that his suspicions were the same as her own. The scanty breakfast was soon over. Professor Dyce scattered the brands of the fire as they prepared to leave their camping place.

"It was to have served a double purpose," he said grimly; "one would have sufficed. No, we will leave the basket," when Katey took it up from force of habit. "There is still a little coffee."

We will take it and the cup; though we shall reach some village or La Fayette itself, before noon, without doubt. you equal to a long tramp?"

Are

"I think so;" and certainly her appearance was as fresh as when they started from town the day before. The bivouac under the stars had only brightened her eyes and reddened her cheeks.

They set off over the rough fields glistening with dew in the early morning sun, where they had wandered vainly in the darkness for a little while the night before. They climbed more than one low wall, the Professor leading the way in so straight a line that Katey knew he had explored it while she slept. The road was gained at last and he spoke for the first time.

"It cannot be far, whichever direction we take, to some village or farm-house. We need not hasten so.'

Katey, breathless from the haste with which they had begun their journey, was glad to slacken her pace. It was much easier, too, to follow this well-beaten road than it had been to make their way over the rough fields, full of snares to unwary feet. The sun, though rising higher and higher, shone upon them still with only agreeable warmth; the air was fresh and exhilirating as they went on mile after mile, strong in the conviction that the next turn of the road must bring some human habitation into view.

But morning merged into noon; the sun had long since drank up every drop of dew, and poured down now blinding, vertical rays upon the white stretch of road, and still no village, no single farm-house even, had greeted their eyes. The belt of woods spread out, until it skirted the road