d rock. A voyage of a hundred and fifty miles in
a comparatively small vessel, over unknown seas, could not but cause
him some anxiety. Suppose that their vessel, once out at sea, should
be unable to reach Tabor Island, and could not return to Lincoln
Island, what would become of her in the midst of the Pacific, so
fruitful of disasters?

Harding often talked over this project with Pencroft, and he found him
strangely bent upon undertaking this voyage, for which determination
he himself could give no sufficient reason.

"Now," said the engineer one day to him, "I must observe, my friend,
that after having said so much, in praise of Lincoln Island, after
having spoken so often of the sorrow you would feel if you were
obliged to forsake it, you are the first to wish to leave it."

"Only to leave it for a few days," replied Pencroft, "only for a few
days, captain. Time to go and come back, and see what that islet is
like!"

"But it is not nearly as good as Lincoln Island."

"I know that beforehand."

"Then why venture there?"

"To know what is going on in Tabor Island."

"But nothing is going on there; nothing could happen there."

"Who knows?"

"And if you are caught in a hurricane?"

"There is no fear of that in the fine season," replied Pencroft. "But,
captain, as we must provide against everything, I shall ask your
permission to take Herbert only with me on this voyage."

"Pencroft," replied the engineer, placing his hand on the sailor's
shoulder, "if any misfortune happens to you, or to this lad, whom
chance has made our child, do you think we could ever cease to blame
ourselves?"

"Captain Harding," replied Pencroft, with unshaken confidence, "we
shall not cause you that sorrow. Besides, we will speak further of
this voyage, when the time comes to make it. And I fancy, when you
have seen our tight-rigged little craft, when you have observed how
she behaves at sea, when we sail round our island, for we will do so
together--I fancy, I say, that you will no longer hesitate to let me
go. I don't conceal from you that your boat will be a masterpiece."

"Say 'our' boat, at least, Pencroft," replied the engineer, disarmed
for the moment. The conversation ended thus, to be resumed later on,
without convincing either the sailor or the engineer.

The first snow fell towards the end of the month of June. The corral
had previously been largely supplied with stores, so that daily visits
to it were not requisit