no easy job. Just as we were passing the pier-head, where
several boats were rowing into harbour, the captain came up to me,--

"'You've run away, you blackguard,' he said, giving me a box on the ear.

"'No I haven't,' said I, angrily; for the box was by no means a light
one.

"Hark'ee, boy, can you swim?'

"'Yes,' said I.

"'Then do it,' and, seizing me by my trousers and the nape of my neck, he
tossed me over the side into the sea. The fellows in the boats at the
end of the pier, backed their oars on seeing this; but observing that I
could swim, they allowed me to make the best of my way to the pier-head.
So, you see, Ralph, that I really did swim my first homeward voyage."

Jack laughed and patted Peterkin on the shoulder. "But tell us about the
candle-nut tree," said I; "you were talking about it."

"Very true," said Jack, "but I fear I can remember little about it. I
believe the nut is about the size of a walnut; and I think that the
leaves are white, but I am not sure."

"Eh! ha! hum!" exclaimed Peterkin, "I saw a tree answering to that
description this very day."

"Did you?" cried Jack. "Is it far from this?"

"No, not half a mile."

"Then lead me to it," said Jack, seizing his axe.

In a few minutes we were all three pushing through the underwood of the
forest, headed by Peterkin.

We soon came to the tree in question, which, after Jack had closely
examined it, we concluded must be the candle-nut tree. Its leaves were
of a beautiful silvery white, and formed a fine contrast to the
dark-green foliage of the surrounding trees. We immediately filled our
pockets with the nuts, after which Jack said,--

"Now, Peterkin, climb that cocoa-nut tree and cut me one of the long
branches."

This was soon done, but it cost some trouble, for the stem was very high,
and as Peterkin usually pulled nuts from the younger trees, he was not
much accustomed to climbing the high ones. The leaf or branch was a very
large one, and we were surprised at its size and strength. Viewed from a
little distance, the cocoa-nut tree seems to be a tall, straight stem,
without a single branch except at the top, where there is a tuft of
feathery-looking leaves, that seem to wave like soft plumes in the wind.
But when we saw one of these leaves or branches at our feet, we found it
to be a strong stalk, about fifteen feet long, with a number of narrow,
pointed leaflets ranged alternately on each side. But what seemed to us