nued, the jaguar race would soon be extinct in the island,
the object aimed at by the hunters.

The engineer sometimes took part in the expeditions made to the
unknown parts of the island, which he surveyed with great attention.
It was for other traces than those of animals that he searched the
thickest of the vast forest, but nothing suspicious ever appeared.
Neither Top nor Jup, who accompanied him, ever betrayed by their
behaviour that there was anything strange there, and yet more than
once again the dog barked at the mouth of the well, which the engineer
had before explored without result.

At this time Gideon Spilett, aided by Herbert, took several views of
the most picturesque parts of the island, by means of the photographic
apparatus found in the cases, and of which they had not as yet made
any use.

This apparatus, provided with a powerful object-glass, was very
complete. Substances necessary for the photographic reproduction,
collodion for preparing the glass plate, nitrate of silver to render
it sensitive, hyposulphate of soda to fix the prints obtained,
chloride of ammonium in which to soak the paper destined to give the
positive proof, acetate of soda and chloride of gold in which to
immerse the paper, nothing was wanting. Even the papers were there,
all prepared, and before laying in the printing-frame upon the
negatives, it was sufficient to soak them for a few minutes in the
solution of nitrate of silver.

The reporter and his assistant became in a short time very skilful
operators, and they obtained fine views of the country, such as the
island, taken from Prospect Heights with Mount Franklin in the
distance, the mouth of the Mercy, so picturesquely framed in high
rocks, the glade and the corral, with the spurs of the mountain in the
background, the curious development of Claw Cape, Flotsam Point, etc.

Nor did the photographers forget to take the portraits of all the
inhabitants of the island, leaving out no one.

"It multiplies us," said Pencroft.

And the sailor was enchanted to see his own countenance, faithfully
reproduced, ornamenting the walls of Granite House, and he stopped as
willingly before this exhibition as he would have done before the
richest shop-windows in Broadway.

But it must be acknowledged that the most successful portrait was
incontestably that of Master Jup. Master Jup had sat with a gravity
not to be described, and his portrait was lifelike!

"He looks as if he was