he will not be able to get the nuts off."

"Oh yes; he can screw them off," said the captain.

"What I'm afraid of is--"

_Crack_!

A sharp loud snap, and the top of the tree came down, the big leafage
hiding Ned; but he was standing up close to the broken-off tree, which
was now like a thick pole, and rubbing himself hard, with the sailors
about him, when the lookers-on reached the spot.

"Oh, Ned!" cried Jack, who was first up.

"Yes, sir, it is `Oh, Ned!'" replied the man angrily.

"Hurt?" cried the others in a breath.

"Don't know yet, Sir John," said the man, "I think my right leg's broke,
though."

"Here, let me see," cried the doctor eagerly.

"No, it ain't, sir," said Ned, giving a kick. "It's the left one."

"Bah!" roared the doctor; "how could you stand upon it and kick out like
that if it were broken?"

"Right you are, sir; of course I couldn't. But something's broke, for I
heard it go. Maybe it's my arms."

"Maybe it's your head," said the doctor sarcastically, "for you are
talking in a very crack-brained fashion. Let me buckle your belt round
it tightly to hold it together."

The man stared wonderingly at the doctor, feeling his head all over the
while, and his eyes having a puzzled look in them, as if he couldn't
quite make out whether the doctor was speaking seriously. But the next
moment he took it as a piece of chaff and grinned.

"It's all right, sir, but it did come an awful whack against one of
these nuts."

"Better see if you've damaged the nut," said the doctor sarcastically.
"No, never mind. Head's too soft."

Ned grinned again, and gave himself a rub as he looked down at the crown
of the tree and then at the broken stump, snapped off a good
five-and-twenty feet from the ground.

"Here," he said, turning to the group of sailors, "you were precious
full of your brag about climbing, and saying I couldn't. But I did, and
now let's see one of you do that."

There was a roar of laughter, and Sir John turned away, but the captain
spoke rather seriously.

"I wouldn't advise you to do this sort of thing again, young fellow.
Now then, how do you feel? Can you go on with us, or will you wait here
till we come back?"

"Me wait here, sir?" cried Ned. "What, all alone? No, thank you, I'm
all right, sir. Walk as well as any of them."

"Then whoever wants a cocoa-nut had better have it, for we go on in five
minutes."

"Will you give me your knife, sir?" said Ned, turning