They supped capitally.  The flesh of the capybara was declared excellent.  The sargassum and the almonds of the stone-pine completed the repast, during which the engineer spoke little.  He was preoccupied with projects for the next day.

Once or twice Pencroft gave forth some ideas upon what it would be best to do; but Cyrus Harding, who was evidently of a methodical mind, only shook his head without uttering a word.

“To-morrow,” he repeated, “we shall know what we have to depend upon, and we will act accordingly.”

The meal ended, fresh armfuls of wood were thrown on the fire, and the inhabitants of the Chimneys, including the faithful Top, were soon buried in a deep sleep.

No incident disturbed this peaceful night, and the next day, the 29th of March, fresh and active they awoke, ready to undertake the excursion which must determine their fate.

All was ready for the start.  The remains of the capybara would be enough to sustain Harding and his companions for at least twenty-four hours.

Besides, they hoped to find more food on the way.  As the glasses had been returned to the watches of the engineer and reporter, Pencroft burned a little linen to serve as tinder.  As to flint, that would not be wanting in these regions of Plutonic origin.  It was half-past seven in the morning when the explorers, armed with sticks, left the Chimneys.  Following Pencroft’s advice, it appeared best to take the road already traversed through the forest, and to return by another route.  It was also the most direct way to reach the mountain.  They turned the south angle and followed the left bank of the river, which was abandoned at the point where it formed an elbow towards the southwest.  The path, already trodden under the evergreen trees, was found, and at nine o’clock Cyrus Harding and his companions had reached the western border of the forest.  The ground, till then, very little undulated, boggy at first, dry and sandy afterwards, had a gentle slope, which ascended from the shore towards the interior of the country.  A few very timid animals were seen under the forest-trees.  Top quickly started them, but his master soon called him back, for the time had not come to commence hunting; that would be attended to later.  The engineer was not a man who would allow himself to be diverted from his fixed idea.  It might even have been said that he did not observe the country at all, either in its configuration or in its natural productions, his great aim being to climb the mountain before him, and therefore straight towards it he went.  At ten o’clock a halt of a few minutes was made.  On leaving the forest, the mountain system of the country appeared before the explorers.  The mountain was composed of two cones; the first, truncated at a height of about two thousand five hundred feet, was sustained by buttresses, which appeared to branch out like the talons of an immense claw set on the ground.  Between these were narrow valleys, bristling with trees, the last clumps of which rose to the top of the lowest cone.  There appeared to be less vegetation on that side of the mountain which was exposed to the northeast, and deep fissures could be seen which, no doubt, were watercourses.