venomous ants which
infested the island. In short, as Percival said to himself, the Rocas
Reef was about as little like Robinson Crusoe's island as it could
possibly be. Life would be greatly ameliorated if goats and parrots
could be found amongst the rocks; shell-fish and sea-fowl were a poor
exchange for them; and an island that was "desert" in reality as well as
in name, was a decidedly prosaic place on which to spend a few days, or
weeks, or months. Of course he made none of these remarks in public; he
contented himself with humming in an undertone the words of Alexander
Selkirk, as interpreted by Cowper:--

"I am monarch of all I survey,
My right there is none to dispute--"

a quotation which brought a meaning smile to Mackay's face, whereupon
Percival laughed and checked himself.

"How are you to-day?" he said, addressing the steerage passenger with
some show of good-humoured interest. Mackay was lying on the sand,
propped up against the wall of the hut, and Percival was breaking his
nails over an obstinate screw which was deeply embedded in a thick piece
of wood.

"Better, thanks." The voice was curiously hoarse and gruff.

"Jackson isn't a bad surgeon, I fancy."

"Not at all."

"Lucky for you that he was saved."

"I owe my life twice to him and once to you."

"I hope you think it's something to be grateful for," said Percival,
carelessly. "You've had some escapes to tell your friends about when you
get home."

Mackay turned aside his head. "I have no friends to tell," he said,
shortly.

"Ah! more's the pity. Well, no doubt you will make some in
Pernambuco--when you get there."

"Do you think we ever shall get there?"

Percival shot a rather displeased glance at him. "Don't go talking like
that before the men," he said.

"I am not talking before the men," rejoined the steerage passenger, with
a smile: "I am talking to you, Mr. Heron. And I repeat my question--Do
you think we shall ever get to Pernambuco?"

"Yes," said Percival, stoutly. "A ship will see our signal and call for
us."

"It's a very small flag," said Mackay, in a significant tone.

"Good Heavens!" burst out Percival, with the first departure from his
good-humoured tone that Mackay had heard from him: "why do you take the
trouble to put that side of the question to me? Don't you think I see it
for myself? There is a chance, if it is only a small one; and I'm not
going to give up hope--yet."

Then he walked away, as i