you, sir," he said, "but my arm has had
such a long rest that the muscles now seem to be too strong, and they
must have jerked the bow just when I let go the string."

"I can soon tell you how it is with me, Ned," said Jack. "I never could
use a bow and arrow, so of course I can't now."

They struggled on, growing less cautious in their eagerness to get down
to the shore.

"Shall get some cocoanuts there, if we can't get anything else, sir,"
said Ned; "but I do hope it will be somewhere near the yacht."

"But how are we to signal them if we don't get there before dark?"

"Light a fire on the sands, sir. Oh, don't you be afraid of that. It's
the getting there is the difficulty."

It was growing well on in the afternoon when this was said, and, so weak
and exhausted that they could hardly struggle on, they welcomed an open
slope covered with some creeping kind of plant, as it seemed, for it
offered the prospect of getting along better for a couple of hundred
yards. Here, too, they could see down a ravine to the reef, which
seemed to be wonderfully close at hand, though they knew that they had
miles to struggle over before they could reach the sands--and such
miles.

"Let's make for that valley, Ned, and try to go down there."

"Very well, sir; just which way you like. Seems all the same; but let's
get close up to the trees, though it's furthest, for we may find some
kind of fruit. What a country! Not so much as an apple, let alone a
pear, or--Mr Jack, sir! Oh!"

"What is it?" cried Jack, startled by his companion's excitement. "What
have you found?"

For Ned had thrown himself upon his knees, and with one end of the bow
was tearing away at the straggling plants which covered the ground
wherever it was not rocky or smothered by bush.

"Can't you see, sir? Here, come and help. _'Taters_!"

"What?" cried Jack.

"Yes, 'taters, sir; only little 'uns. Not so big as noo potaties at
home, but 'taters they are. Look!"

"Fingers were made before forks," says the old proverb, so under the
circumstances it was not surprising that Ned began to use his hands as
if they were gardener's potato forks, and with such success that in a
short time quite a little heap of the yellow tubers were dug out of the
loose sandy soil, the average size being that of walnuts.

Jack set to work at once to help, but he had hardly dragged away a
couple of handfuls of haulm when he started up with a cry of alarm.

Ned leaped