hat she was tolerably proficient, and perhaps wearying somewhat
of the monotony of perpetual shooting at a target, as soon as Leslie and
the natives--one of whom now readily answered to the name of Cuffy,
while the other did not disdain to be styled Sambo--had gone off to the
brig, she resolved to treat herself to the luxury of a long ramble, with
only Sailor for company. Accordingly, packing a small basket with a
sufficient luncheon for herself and the dog, she set off.

She had not the least fear; for although they had taken many rambles
together, neither she nor Leslie had ever seen the slightest trace of
the existence of either animals or reptiles of any kind upon the island,
and Dick had quite made up his mind not only that there were none, but
that it was logically and physically impossible for any to get there.
Besides, the natives were with Dick, and she had Sailor to take care of
her; there was, therefore, nothing to be afraid of.

Now although, as has been said, Leslie and Flora had frequently indulged
in rambles together, none of them had been very lengthy, or had carried
them far afield, with the exception of the one that they had taken to
the summit; and Flora's fancy now yearned to explore "fresh fields and
pastures new;" a tantalising memory of a certain grove of especially
noble and beautiful flower-bearing trees situate on the north-eastern
slope of the peak dwelt persistently with her, she had conjured up a
fancy picture of this particular spot that made it appear to her
imagination a scene of enchanting and fairy-like beauty, and she longed
to satisfy herself as to how closely her imagination approximated to the
reality. Moreover, the walk promised to be an agreeably easy one, the
slopes of the ground appeared to be gentle, and the face of the country
finely broken; she therefore determined to wend her way in this
direction.

Sauntering quietly along, she soon left the open savannah behind her,
and plunged into the bush, heading generally in a northerly direction,
but accommodating her route to the inequalities of the ground and the
varying density of the undergrowth; naturally selecting a path that
afforded her the easiest passage through the bush. In this manner,
after a very pleasant and enjoyable walk for about an hour, she arrived
at the crest of the eastern spur of the mountain, and, descending a
gentle declivity, soon found herself in a region as romantically
beautiful as even her vivid fa