t up a couple of rough tents, which would afford sufficient
shelter to us in that warm climate.

"Do as you like, Jack," he answered. "We shall be glad of your company
in the evening, but I do not apprehend the slightest risk by our
remaining on shore alone."

I carried out my proposal, each of us having a musket and ammunition,
and a very pleasant evening Medley and I spent in the tent, Captain Hake
not making his appearance, as we feared he would. Of course we went off
at daybreak to the ship, as we had to work as hard as the rest. Having
knocked off, however, an hour or so before nightfall, we hurried on
shore, when Mary asked us to escort her on an exploring trip into the
island.

"I should like to climb to the top of yonder high hill," she said; "we
may get there and back before dark, I am sure."

"If you don't mind our being in our working suits, Miss Bland," observed
Medley. "It would take us some time to polish up."

"I quite forgot how you were dressed," she answered, laughing; "I only
knew that you had been engaged in a necessary duty, which has, now I
come to look at you, certainly made you unusually tarry and grimy.
However, we are not likely to meet anybody else who will mind how you
look, so pray let us set off."

We started, Medley and I carrying our muskets, in case we should meet
with any strange creature we might wish to shoot--though we knew that
there were no alligators or pumas, or other savage beasts such as are
found on the neighbouring continent. The scenery was certainly not
picturesque. Out of the black tufa-formed soil on the lower ground grew
numerous curiously-shaped cacti, or prickly pear shrubs, and we caught
sight in the distance of one or two monster terrapins crawling among
them. At last we reached the entrance of a narrow valley, in which, to
our surprise, we found a luxuriant tropical vegetation, not only of
grass and shrubs, but of trees of considerable height, produced, we had
no doubt, by a fountain of clear water which, issuing from the
mountain's side at the farther end, flowed down the centre in a babbling
stream of some width, though what afterwards became of it we could not
discover. Numberless birds, several of gay plumage, flew about in all
directions, and were so tame that they perched on the branches close to
us whenever we stopped, as if to ask what we wanted in their domain, and
three at different times settled on Mary's head or shoulders.

Medley was goi