“May I lose my name,” said the sailor, “if I shirk my part! If you choose, Mr. Smith, we will make a little America here. We will build cities, lay railroads, establish telegraphs, and some day, when the island is transformed and civilized, offer her to the United States. But one thing I should like to ask.” “What Is that?” said the reporter. “That we should not consider ourselves any longer as castaways, but as colonists.” Cyrus Smith could not help smiling, and the motion was adopted. Then Smith thanked his companions, and added that he counted upon their energy and upon the help of Heaven. “Well, let’s start for the Chimneys,” said Pencroff. “One minute, my friends,” answered the engineer; “would it not be well to name the island, as well as the capes, promontories, and water-courses, which we see before us?” “Good,” said the reporter. “That will simplify for the future the instructions which we may have to give or to take.” “Yes,” added the sailor, “it will be something gained to be able to say whence we are coming and where we are going. We shall seem to be somewhere.” “At the Chimneys, for instance,” said Herbert. “Exactly,” said the sailor. “That name has been quite convenient already, and I was the author of it. Shall we keep that name for our first encampment, Mr. Smith?” “Yes, Pencroff, since you baptized it so.” “Good! the others will be easy enough,” resumed the sailor, who was now in the vein. “Let us give them names like those of the Swiss family Robinson, whose story Herbert has read me more than once:—’Providence Bay,’ ‘Cochalot Point,’ ‘Cape Disappointment.’“ “Or rather Mr. Smith’s name, Mr. Spilett’s, or Neb’s,” said Herbert. “My name!” cried Neb, showing his white teeth. “Why not?” replied Pencroff, “‘Port Neb’ would sound first-rate! And ‘Cape Gideon’—” “I would rather have names, taken from our country,” said the reporter, “which will recall America to us.” “Yes,” said Smith, “the principal features, the bays and seas should be so named. For instance, let us call the great bay to the east Union Bay, the southern indentation Washington Bay, the mountain on which we are standing Mount Franklin, the lake beneath our feet Lake Grant. These names will recall our country and the great citizens who have honored it; but for the smaller features, let us choose names which will suggest their especial configuration. These will remain in our memory and be more convenient at the same time. The shape of the island is so peculiar that we shall have no trouble in finding appropriate names. The streams, the creeks, and the forest regions yet to be discovered we will baptize as they come. What say you, my friends?”