the creatures might, ignorant of the power
of the explorer's firearms, have attacked them. It is true that the
sailor considered the monkeys from a purely alimentary point of view,
for those animals which are herbivorous make very excellent game; but
since they had an abundant supply of provisions, it was a pity to
waste their ammunition.

Towards four o'clock, the navigation of the Mercy became exceedingly
difficult, for its course was obstructed by aquatic plants and rocks.
The banks rose higher and higher, and already they were approaching
the spurs of Mount Franklin. The source could not be far off, since it
was fed by the water from the southern slopes of the mountain.

"In a quarter of an hour," said the sailor, "we shall be obliged to
stop, captain."

"Very well, we will stop, Pencroft, and we will make our encampment
for the night."

"At what distance are we from Granite House?" asked Herbert.

"About seven miles," replied the engineer, "taking into calculation,
however, the _detours_ of the river, which has carried us to the
north-west."

"Shall, we go on?" asked the reporter.

"Yes, as long as we can," replied Cyrus Harding. "To-morrow, at break
of day, we will leave the canoe, and in two hours I hope we shall
cross the distance which separates us from the coast, and then we
shall have the whole day in which to explore the shore."

"Go-ahead!" replied Pencroft.

But soon the boat grated on the stony bottom of the river, which was
now not more than twenty feet in breadth. The trees met like a bower
overhead, and caused a half-darkness. They also heard the noise of a
waterfall, which showed that a few hundred feet up the river there was
a natural barrier.

Presently, after a sudden turn of the river, a cascade appeared
through the trees. The canoe again touched the bottom, and in a few
minutes it was moored to a trunk near the right bank.

It was nearly five o'clock. The last rays of the sun gleamed through
the thick foliage and glanced on the little waterfall, making the
spray sparkle with all the colours of the rainbow. Beyond that, the
Mercy was lost in the brushwood, where it was fed from some hidden
source. The different streams which flowed into it increased it to a
regular river further down, but here it was simply a shallow, limpid
brook.

It was agreed to camp here, as the place was charming. The colonists
disembarked, and a fire was soon lighted under a clump of trees, among
the branc