here."

"There's no doubt about it."

"Then if you'll remember me, sir, as the song says, there isn't anything
I won't do, even to being your donkey for you to ride when you're tired,
and," added the man with a smile full of triumph, as if defying any one
to surpass his offer, "you can't say fairer than that."

"I'll try for you to come, Ned," he replied.

"Do, sir, if it's only to carry the vittles. Thankye, sir, all the
same."

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN.

FINDING THE WAY IN.

Meanwhile the captain went forward. The men were piped on deck, and in
a short time they were under easy sail in search of the opening, the
captain keeping about a mile from the lovely shore, which Jack scanned
eagerly with a glass as they glided on, but he saw no sign of
inhabitants either in the open or among the palms.

Then he searched the open spots which could be seen here and there among
the trees where the ground began to rise, but there was nothing in the
shape of hut or shelter of any kind.

"Well, can you make anything out?" said Sir John, coming up to where
Jack was resting his elbows on the rail and sweeping the island in a
peculiarly effortless way, which only necessitated his keeping the glass
steadily to his eye and holding himself rigid, the result being that the
object glass had three separate motions given to it by the yacht,
namely, its gliding straight on, its fore and aft rise and fall as it
passed over the gently heaving swell, and thirdly the careening movement
as the _Silver Star_ yielded to the pressure of the wind. Hence every
part along the shore was being thoroughly searched.

"No, father, nothing. I thought I should see some canoes drawn up on
the shore of the lagoon, but there is no sign of any one being there.
Oh, I do hope it is an uninhabited island."

"So do I, my boy; but we may come at any time upon a village. The place
is quite big enough to hold towns even on the other side, hidden from us
by the mountain."

"But Captain Bradleigh thinks that if we do find any one there it will
only be a wandering party who have sailed from some other island. He
says that they are famous people in this direction for taking long
journeys in their canoes, sailing from island to island, for the sea is
dotted with them in every direction for hundreds and hundreds of miles."

"So I suppose," said Sir John thoughtfully; "but I do not see any signs
of an opening in the reef to let us through into the smooth water.