ate for the conveyance of his pet quadrupeds.

"Of course she can," said another; "and we shall get the work over as
quickly again."

"How will you land them?" I ventured to suggest; "for the cutter can
never go near enough to the shore to walk them out."

"She can't get within a quarter of a mile," said the pilot; for at this
time none of us knew of the little inlet, into which Lizzie so deftly
guided us.

"Pitch them overboard, of course," cried Jack; "they'll pretty soon
make for the land; and I'll send my mare Gossamer first; she'll give
them a lead, I'll bet. Cunning old devil!"

The impetuosity of Jack was fast gaining converts, when Cato pulled
Dunmore quietly by the sleeve, and said--

"Marmy, baal you take 'em yarroman like 'it Hinchinbrook; my word,
plenty of alligator sit down along of water. He been parter that
fellow like 'it damper."

"By Jove! Cato's right," said Dunmore; "we forget about the alligators
and sharks. I won't let the boys take their horses, and shall not take
my own. I lost one horse from an alligator last year, on the Pioneer
River, and Government wanted to make me pay for it, and I'll take care
I don't risk losing 'three'. Bring Gossamer, if you like, Clark, but,
take my word for it, you'll never see her again."

This unexpected contingency; the prophesied fate of Gossamer, which was
as the apple of Jack's eye; and the point-blank and sensible refusal of
Dunmore to hazard the Government horses, completely turned the tables.
After a little inward grumbling, Jack consoled himself, saying--

"Well, at all events, I can 'think' of riding!"

And thus it came to pass that we landed on Hinchinbrook, with no means
of locomotion beyond those with which nature had endowed us.

And now, headed by Lizzie, and walking in single file and in silence,
we struck out for the interior of the island. The path--if path it
could be called, for it consisted only of a dim track beaten by the
naked feet of the blacks--wound in and out among the long grass, which,
as we approached the foot of the mountain range, became exchanged for
boulders and loose shale, which rendered walking most tedious, and
played the very mischief with our boots. Here even this track seemed,
to our eyes, to die out; but Lizzie led the way confidently, and
evidently with a thorough knowledge of what she was about. We had now
been walking for more than three hours, and had apparently only got
half way up a kind of gorge