home and beached the boat, and brought Helen his captive.

"Why, it is an English duck!" she cried, and was enraptured.

By this visit to the lagoons, Hazel gathered that this island was a
half-way house for migrating birds, especially ducks; and he inferred
that the line those vagrants had taken was the shortest way from this
island to the nearest land. This was worth knowing, and set his brain
working. He begged Helen to watch for the return of the turtle-doves
(they had all left the island just before the rain), and learn, if
possible, from what point of the compass they arrived.

The next expedition was undertaken to please Helen; she wished to examine
the beautiful creeks and caves on the north side, which they had seen
from a distance when they sailed round the island.

They started on foot one delightful day, and walked briskly, for the air,
though balmy, was exhilarating. They followed the course of the river
till they came to the lake that fed it, and was fed itself by hundreds of
little natural gutters down which the hills discharged the rains. This
was new to Helen, though not to Hazel. She produced the map, and told the
lake slyly that it was incorrect, a little too big. She took some of the
water in her hand, sprinkled the lake with it, and called it Hazelmere.
They bore a little to the right, and proceeded till they found a creek
shaped like a wedge, at whose broad end shone an arch of foliage studded
with flowers, and the sparkling blue water peeped behind. This was
tempting, but the descent was rather hazardous at first; great square
blocks of rock one below another, and these rude steps were coated with
mosses of rich hue, but wet and slippery; Hazel began to be alarmed for
his companion. However, after one or two difficulties, the fissure opened
wider to the sun, and they descended from the slimy rocks into a sloping
hot-bed of exotic flowers, and those huge succulent leaves that are the
glory of the tropics. The ground was carpeted a yard deep with their
luxuriance, and others, more aspiring, climbed the warm sides of the
diverging cliffs, just as creepers go up a wall, lining every crevice as
they rose. In this blessed spot, warmed, but not scorched, by the
tropical sun, and fed with trickling waters, was seen what marvels "boon
Nature" can do. Here our vegetable dwarfs were giants and our flowers
were trees. One lovely giantess of the jasmine tribe, but with flowers
shaped like a marigold, and sc