prit pointing straight up into the air. While looking at the
wreck, we saw a large green turtle just ahead of the boat. Then visions
of turtle soup with our goat's meat dawned upon us. It chanced, though,
that in trying to capture that turtle we made a great mistake, for just
at that time a very-heavy surf came over the reef and capsized our boat.
Things were badly mixed for a time. Boat, oars, men, and the captain's
wife and child were going in every direction. Finally things quieted
down a little, and we landed on the beach. We got the boat and what oars
we could, and then took a rest on the burning hot sand. The weather
being very warm, the boat's crew all wore leather slippers and no
stockings. We had to run up and down on the sand with our bare feet, as
the aforesaid slippers were lost when the boat went over. I picked hard
little short thorns out of my feet for days afterward. They came from
dried-up vines that grew in the sand.

The beach was honeycombed with large holes, and each hole contained a
big yellow land-crab. Every step we took, snap would go a big pair of
claws for our feet. We had also lost our straw hats, so we had the full
benefit of the sun on our bare heads. A number of wild land birds of a
good, healthy size would swoop down upon us. It was anything but a
pleasure at that time, and the muskets being lost also, the captain and
mate changed their minds about the goat business.

The cause of our disaster was made clear to us in a short time. The surf
for about ten minutes would run low, and then would be followed by three
tremendous rollers in succession. It was the latter that wrecked us on a
barren island. We soon got tired of life on shore. The question was how
to get away.

In the meantime, while we were on the goat expedition, the second mate's
boat had left the ship on a fishing excursion. They anchored the boat
near shore, outside the surf, and were hauling the fish in at a lively
rate. We needed their assistance. As the mate still had his shoes on his
feet, he went quite a distance down the beach and made signals for the
boat to follow him back. When they got opposite to us we explained the
situation. By watching for a good chance, they pulled in quickly and
threw us the end of a harpoon-line, and got outside of the reef. We
fastened the line to the bow of our boat, and when a low surf came in
launched it, were towed out by the other boat, and arrived on board the
ship very much disgusted