ng fresh. It's Natur, I
s'pose. Do we start soon?"

"Oh, yes, as soon as we can get off."

The early breakfast was over, and the satchel of provisions being
prepared they were soon over the side, each bearing a double gun and a
fair supply of ammunition, Bostock carrying, in addition, a small axe
ready for use, and Carey hanging a billhook to his belt--a handy
implement for getting through cane or tangled thorn.

It was another lovely morning, with the submarine gardens more beautiful
than ever; but there was very little wind, and their progress across to
their regular landing place was very slow, but not wearisome, for there
was always something fresh to see in the sunlit waters. On this
particular morning they sailed over sandy openings among the rocks,
where Bostock drew attention to the abundance of those peculiar
sea-slugs known in commerce as sea-cucumbers.

"Why not try some o' them cooked one of these days, Master Carey?" said
the old sailor.

"Pah! Horrid! You never ate one, did you?"

"No, sir, but the Chinese think a deal of 'em, and give no end of money
for a hundredweight salted and dried. We shall have to take to
collecting them when we've got all the pearl hysters."

"Why, that will never be, Bob. There's all round the island to go, and
even if we finished them we could sail to first one and then another
reef."

"Yes, that's so, sir. Strikes me that when we do go away from here,
what with pearl shells, pearls, and dried cocoanuts, we ought to be able
to lade a ship with a valuable cargo."

"Look at the fish," said Carey.

"Yes, sir, there's plenty; but we're not going to fish to-day, of
course?"

"Oh, no. Get ashore as soon as we can, and follow the stream right up
to the lake."

"It's going to be a hot walk, my lad, and--"

"Hist! Look, Bob. Here, doctor, look! look!"

Both looked in the indicated direction, to see that the raft was on its
way to glide by a turtle basking in the hot sunshine and apparently fast
asleep.

"We're not going to fish," whispered Carey, "but we ought to have that."

"Yes," said the doctor, and Bostock was evidently of the same opinion,
for he bent down softly to pick up a little coil of fine rope to make a
noose at one end.

"You just make the other end fast to one of the planks, sir," he
whispered. "He'll make a big rush as soon as he feels the rope."

Bostock crept forward softly and knelt down ready, with the raft gliding
right for the sl