ited my hooks with fat of the goat
and betook me to my angling; nor had I long to wait ere I felt a jerk
on my line, and tingling with the joy of it I whipped my rod so
furiously that my fish whirled glittering through the air, and flying
from my barbless hook lay floundering on the sands behind me; and
though of no great size yet a very good fish I thought him. And indeed
I found the fish to bite readily enough and mighty dexterous to filch
my bait, and though I lost a-many yet I, becoming more expert,
contrived to land five likely fish of different sizes and of marvellous
colouring.

So there sat I in the shade of a rock, mighty content and quite lost in
the joy of my sport until, chancing to lift my gaze, I beheld my
companion upon the rocks over against me gazing away across the
troubled ocean. And beholding all the grace of her as she stood there,
her shapely figure poised and outlined against the blue sky, her long
hair rippling in the soft wind, I clean forgot my fish, for indeed it
seemed I had not noticed the vigorous beauty of her until now. And in
this moment, as I sat staring up at her, she turned and spying me,
waved her hand in cheery greeting and begins to descend these rocks,
leaping sure-footed from ledge to ledge, lithe and graceful as any
fabled nymph or goddess of them all. But I, well knowing the danger of
these rocks, watched her with breath in check and mighty anxious until
she sprang nimbly to the sands and so came running all joyous to meet
me. Hereupon I caught up my forgotten angle and found my hook empty,
whereat she must needs fall a-laughing at my discomfiture.

"O Martin" says she, "what a glory of sun and sea and sky and the wind
so sweet! Indeed it seems as nature would make us amends for the cruel
storm, for the poor trees have suffered greatly."

"Aye, comrade," quoth I, "so is there much fruit for us to gather ere
it rot, and great store of palm-nuts, which are good food and useful in
a thousand ways."

"But nature is very cruel, Martin, for I have seen many birds lying
dead and over yonder a poor goat crushed by a tree."

"Why then," says I, "these will we eat also, at least, such as we may."

"Nay, Martin, your mind runneth overmuch on food, methinks."

"Mayhap!" says I. "Howbeit here are fish to our breakfast." Hereupon
she falls on her knees to behold my catch and very full of wonder.

"Indeed," says she, "meseemeth we have strayed into Paradise, for even
the fish