yrus Harding and his
companions could not but admire the lovely effects so easily produced
by nature with water and trees. As they advanced the forest element
diminished. On the right bank of the river grew magnificent specimens
of the ulmaceae tribe, the precious elm, so valuable to builders, and
which withstands well the action of water. Then there were numerous
groups belonging to the same family, amongst others one in particular,
the fruit of which produces a very useful oil. Further on, Herbert
remarked the lardizabala, a twining shrub which, when bruised in
water, furnishes excellent cordage; and two or three ebony trees of a
beautiful black, crossed with capricious veins.

From time to time, in certain places where the landing was easy, the
canoe was stopped, when Gideon Spilett, Herbert, and Pencroft, their
guns in their hands, and preceded by Top, jumped on shore. Without
expecting game, some useful plant might be met with, and the young
naturalist was delighted with discovering a sort of wild spinage,
belonging to the order of chenopodiaceae, and numerous specimens of
cruciferae, belonging to the cabbage tribe, which it would certainly
be possible to cultivate by transplanting. There were cresses,
horse-radish, turnips, and lastly, little branching hairy stalks,
scarcely more than three feet high, which produced brownish grains.

"Do you know what this plant is?" asked Herbert of the sailor.

"Tobacco!" cried Pencroft, who evidently had never seen his favourite
plant except in the bowl of his pipe.

"No, Pencroft," replied Herbert; "this is not tobacco, it is mustard."

"Mustard be hanged!" returned the sailor; "but if by chance you happen
to come across a tobacco-plant, my boy, pray don't scorn that!"

"We shall find it some day!" said Gideon Spilett.

"Well!" exclaimed Pencroft, "when that day comes, I do not know what
more will be wanting in our island!"

These different plants, which had been carefully rooted, up, were
carried to the canoe, where Cyrus Harding had remained buried in
thought.

The reporter, Herbert, and Pencroft in this manner frequently
disembarked, sometimes on the right bank, sometimes on the left bank
of the Mercy.

The latter was less abrupt, but the former more wooded. The engineer
ascertained by consulting his pocket compass that the direction of the
river from the first turn was obviously south-west and north-east, and
nearly straight for a length of about three miles. B