modest establishment to his two guests, the count and the lieutenant,
and gave a welcome, too, to little Nina, who had accompanied them on
shore, and between whom and Ben Zoof the most friendly relations had
already been established.

The adjacent building continued in good preservation, and Captain
Servadac's satisfaction was very great in finding the two horses, Zephyr
and Galette, comfortably housed there and in good condition.

After the enjoyment of some refreshment, the party proceeded to a
general consultation as to what steps must be taken for their future
welfare. The most pressing matter that came before them was the
consideration of the means to be adopted to enable the inhabitants of
Gallia to survive the terrible cold, which, in their ignorance of the
true eccentricity of their orbit, might, for aught they knew, last for
an almost indefinite period. Fuel was far from abundant; of coal there
was none; trees and shrubs were few in number, and to cut them down in
prospect of the cold seemed a very questionable policy; but there was
no doubt some expedient must be devised to prevent disaster, and that
without delay.

The victualing of the little colony offered no immediate difficulty.
Water was abundant, and the cisterns could hardly fail to be replenished
by the numerous streams that meandered along the plains; moreover, the
Gallian Sea would ere long be frozen over, and the melted ice (water
in its congealed state being divested of every particle of salt) would
afford a supply of drink that could not be exhausted. The crops that
were now ready for the harvest, and the flocks and herds scattered over
the island, would form an ample reserve. There was little doubt that
throughout the winter the soil would remain unproductive, and no fresh
fodder for domestic animals could then be obtained; it would therefore
be necessary, if the exact duration of Gallia's year should ever be
calculated, to proportion the number of animals to be reserved to the
real length of the winter.

The next thing requisite was to arrive at a true estimate of the
number of the population. Without including the thirteen Englishmen at
Gibraltar, about whom he was not particularly disposed to give himself
much concern at present, Servadac put down the names of the eight
Russians, the two Frenchman, and the little Italian girl, eleven in all,
as the entire list of the inhabitants of Gourbi Island.

"Oh, pardon me," interposed Ben Zoof, "