, but as they had
only one pair of oars out of the eight that belong to the boat, and as
the wind was blowing right in their teeth, they gradually lost ground.
Then I saw them put about and hoist some sort of sail,--a blanket, I
fancy, for it was too small for the boat,--and in half an hour they were
out of sight."

"Poor fellows," I murmured sorrowfully.

"But the more I think about it, I've better hope of them," continued
Jack, in a more cheerful tone. "You see, Ralph, I've read a great deal
about these South Sea Islands, and I know that in many places they are
scattered about in thousands over the sea, so they're almost sure to fall
in with one of them before long."

"I'm sure I hope so," said Peterkin, earnestly. "But what has become of
the wreck, Jack? I saw you clambering up the rocks there while I was
watching Ralph. Did you say she had gone to pieces?"

"No, she has not gone to pieces, but she has gone to the bottom," replied
Jack. "As I said before, she struck on the tail of the island and stove
in her bow, but the next breaker swung her clear, and she floated away to
leeward. The poor fellows in the boat made a hard struggle to reach her,
but long before they came near her she filled and went down. It was
after she foundered that I saw them trying to pull to the island."

There wan a long silence after Jack ceased speaking, and I have no doubt
that each was revolving in his mind our extraordinary position. For my
part I cannot say that my reflections were very agreeable. I knew that
we were on an island, for Jack had said so, but whether it was inhabited
or not I did not know. If it should be inhabited, I felt certain, from
all I had heard of South Sea Islanders, that we should be roasted alive
and eaten. If it should turn out to be uninhabited, I fancied that we
should be starved to death. "Oh!" thought I, "if the ship had only stuck
on the rocks we might have done pretty well, for we could have obtained
provisions from her, and tools to enable us to build a shelter, but
now--alas! alas! we are lost!" These last words I uttered aloud in my
distress.

"Lost! Ralph?" exclaimed Jack, while a smile overspread his hearty
countenance. "Saved, you should have said. Your cogitations seem to have
taken a wrong road, and led you to a wrong conclusion."

"Do you know what conclusion _I_ have come to?" said Peterkin. "I have
made up my mind that it's capital,--first rate,--the best thing that ever