yards
from the sandy shore. It was swimming as easily as a dog, in spite of
what old proverbs say about pigs and the water, and it was evidently
making eager efforts to reach the sands and rush after its companions,
which had probably been making a breakfast off shell-fish, and were now
disappearing among the trees.

"Ah! look at that," cried the doctor.

For suddenly the pig threw up its head, screaming dismally, and pawing
at the air.

"Stupid thing! it could have reached the sands in another half-minute."

"It won't now," said the doctor, reaching back to pick up his double
gun.

"Let's row and try and save it from drowning," cried Jack eagerly.

"It isn't drowning," said the doctor quietly. "Look! there it goes."

Still squealing horribly, the unfortunate little animal suddenly seemed
to make a dart backward several yards farther from the shore, but with
its head getting lower, till the water rose above its ears, and as it
still glided farther, less and less was visible, till only its
wail-producing snout was above the surface.

"Poor wretch! it must be in a terrible current," cried Jack. "Row, row,
row."

The men pulled hard, but the doctor shook his head and laid down his
gun, for the pig's snout disappeared with a horrible last gurgling wail.

"Yes, it's in a terrible current," said the doctor, "going down
something's throat."

"What!" cried Jack, upon whom the truth now flashed.

"Yes, crocodile or shark has got him, my lad. Another warning not to
try and bathe."

"Yes, and to try and kill all the crocodiles and sharks we can."

"Which comes natural to all men," said the doctor.

"See that, Jack?" came from the other boat.

"Yes, father. Horrible."

A soft wind began to fan them as they rounded a well-wooded point, and
the men stepped small masts and ran up a couple of lug-sails which
carried the boats swiftly gliding along over the hardly rippled water.
But the lovely garden below was now blurred and almost invisible, so the
attention of all was taken up by the shore along which they coasted, and
for hours now they went on past cocoa-nut groves, park-like flat, lovely
ravines running upward, and down which tiny rills of water came
cascading; past three huge black buttresses of lava, the ends that had
cooled in the water of as many streams of fluent stone; and above all,
grey, strange, dotted with masses of rock, seamed, scored, and wrinkled,
rose from out of the dense forest, which r