und of
tobacco," a pair of strong New Jersey horses, which would have been
very useful to the colony!

The provisions, which Neb had already packed up, consisted of a store
of meat and of several gallons of beer, that is to say, enough to
sustain them for three days, the time which Harding assigned for the
expedition. They hoped besides to supply themselves on the road, and
Neb took care not to forget the portable stove.

The only tools the settlers took were the two woodmen's axes, which
they could use to cut a path through the thick forests, as also the
instruments, the telescope and pocket-compass.

For weapons they selected the two flint-lock guns, which were likely
to be more useful to them than the percussion fowling-pieces, the
first only requiring flints which could be easily replaced, and the
latter needing fulminating caps, a frequent use of which would soon
exhaust their limited stock. However, they took also one of the
carbines and some cartridges. As to the powder, of which there was
about fifty pounds in the barrel, a small supply of it had to be
taken, but the engineer hoped to manufacture an explosive substance
which would allow them to husband it. To the firearms were added the
five cutlasses well sheathed in leather, and, thus supplied, the
settlers could venture into the vast forest with some chance of
success.

It is useless to add that Pencroft, Herbert, and Neb, thus armed, were
at the summit of their happiness, although Cyrus Harding made them
promise not to fire a shot unless it was necessary.

At six in the morning the canoe put off from the shore; all had
embarked, including Top, and they proceeded to the mouth of the Mercy.

The tide had begun to come up half an hour before. For several hours,
therefore, there would be a current, which it was well to profit by,
for later the ebb would make it difficult to ascend the river. The
tide was already strong, for in three days the moon would be full, and
it was enough to keep the boat in the centre of the current, where it
floated swiftly along between the high banks without its being
necessary to increase its speed by the aid of the oars. In a few
minutes the explorers arrived at the angle formed by the Mercy, and
exactly at the place where, seven months before, Pencroft had made his
first raft of wood.

After this sudden angle the river widened and flowed under the shade
of great evergreen firs.

The aspect of the banks was magnificent. C