at
this gigantic wave occurs regularly on some of the islands of the
Pacific, once, and sometimes twice in the year. I heard this stated by
the missionaries during my career in those seas. They could not tell me
whether it visited all of the islands, but I was certainly assured that
it occurred periodically in some of them.

After we had got our home put to rights and cleared of the _debris_ of
the inundation, we again turned our thoughts to paying the penguins a
visit. The boat was therefore overhauled and a few repairs done. Then
we prepared a supply of provisions, for we intended to be absent at least
a night or two, perhaps longer. This took us some time to do, for while
Jack was busy with the boat, Peterkin was sent into the woods to spear a
hog or two, and had to search long, sometimes, ere he found them.
Peterkin was usually sent on this errand, when we wanted a pork chop
(which was not seldom), because he was so active, and could run so
wonderfully fast that he found no difficulty in overtaking the hogs; but,
being dreadfully reckless, he almost invariably tumbled over stumps and
stones in the course of his wild chase, and seldom returned home without
having knocked the skin off his shins. Once, indeed, a more serious
accident happened to him. He had been out all morning alone and did not
return at the usual time to dinner. We wondered at this, for Peterkin
was always very punctual at the dinner hour. As supper-time drew near we
began to be anxious about him, and at length sallied forth to search the
woods. For a long time we sought in vain, but a little before dark we
came upon the tracks of the hogs, which we followed up until we came to
the brow of a rather steep bank or precipice. Looking over this we
beheld Peterkin lying in a state of insensibility at the foot, with his
cheek resting on the snout of a little pig, which was pinned to the earth
by the spear! We were dreadfully alarmed, but hastened to bathe his
forehead with water, and had soon the satisfaction of seeing him revive.
After we had carried him home he related to as how the thing had
happened.

"You must know," said he, "I walked about all the forenoon, till I was as
tired as an old donkey, without seeing a single grunter, not so much as a
track of one; but, as I was determined not to return empty-handed, I
resolved to go without my dinner and--"

"What!" exclaimed Jack, "did you _really_ resolve to do that?"

"Now, Jack, hold yo