jokes as well as most people: but in regard to the
former he must certainly have been wrong, for this bird seemed to me to
be extremely funny; and I could not help thinking that, if it should
happen to faint, or slip its foot, and fall off the twig into Peterkin's
mouth, he would perhaps think it funny too! Suddenly the paroquet bent
down its head and uttered a loud scream in his face. This awoke him,
and, with a cry of surprise, he started up, while the foolish bird flew
precipitately away.

"Oh you monster!" cried Peterkin, shaking his fist at the bird. Then he
yawned and rubbed his eyes, and asked what o'clock it was.

I smiled at this question, and answered that, as our watches were at the
bottom of the sea, I could not tell, but it was a little past sunrise.

Peterkin now began to remember where we were. As he looked up into the
bright sky, and snuffed the scented air, his eyes glistened with delight,
and he uttered a faint "hurrah!" and yawned again. Then he gazed slowly
round, till, observing the calm sea through an opening in the bushes, he
started suddenly up as if he had received an electric shock, uttered a
vehement shout, flung off his garments, and, rushing over the white
sands, plunged into the water. The cry awoke Jack, who rose on his elbow
with a look of grave surprise; but this was followed by a quiet smile of
intelligence on seeing Peterkin in the water. With an energy that he
only gave way to in moments of excitement, Jack bounded to his feet,
threw off his clothes, shook back his hair, and with a lion-like spring,
dashed over the sands and plunged into the sea with such force as quite
to envelop Peterkin in a shower of spray. Jack was a remarkably good
swimmer and diver, so that after his plunge we saw no sign of him for
nearly a minute; after which he suddenly emerged, with a cry of joy, a
good many yards out from the shore. My spirits were so much raised by
seeing all this that I, too, hastily threw off my garments and
endeavoured to imitate Jack's vigorous bound; but I was so awkward that
my foot caught on a stump, and I fell to the ground; then I slipped on a
stone while running over the mud, and nearly fell again, much to the
amusement of Peterkin, who laughed heartily, and called me a "slow
coach," while Jack cried out, "Come along, Ralph, and I'll help you."
However, when I got into the water I managed very well, for I was really
a good swimmer, and diver too. I could not, indeed,