m to heave
us overboard again. This gave time to Silva, who at once recognised us,
to form a scheme for saving our lives. Going up to us, he welcomed us
as old comrades, hinting that we had some mysterious powers which
enabled us to go about over the ocean wherever we liked, seated on our
cloaks, or in cocoa-nut shells for aught I know. The pirates on hearing
this, received us in a very friendly way, and all of them swore that no
harm should happen to us. However, when we were required to take the
oaths of the fraternity, and steadily refused, some of them began to
suspect that Silva had been deceiving them. Our punt alongside showed
that at all events we had not come on board on our cloaks. However, as
they had sworn no harm should come to us, they kept their word, with the
intention of landing us, as they have done, on this or some other
uninhabited island. After Silva had lost his authority, I suspect that
our treatment would have been very different to what we found it at
first."

"Well, Mr Brand, we are so very glad that you and Ben have escaped.
What should we have done without you?" exclaimed Jerry.

I could do no more than take his hand and wring it warmly.

"Now, tell us, what do you think we ought to do next?" added Jerry.

"Make ourselves as happy as we can, and collect everything which will
serve us as food, in case we have to make a long sojourn here, which it
is, I think, very probable we shall have to do," replied Mr Brand. "A
ship may come off here in a few days or weeks, but we must remember that
perhaps months or years may pass before one is seen. I cannot say
whereabouts we are, but I suspect that the pirates would not have left
us in the usual track of vessels coming north round Cape Horn, or going
east or west. The next thing we have to do is to strip the branches off
the tallest palm on the island, and make it serve as a flag-staff.
We'll then make as large a flag as we can of our handkerchiefs and
shirts, and any stuff which will be light enough to fly well."

We very soon carried out this project, and all of us working away to
join our handkerchiefs, we had by the next afternoon a big flag flying
from what we called our mast-head.

"Why, we shall turn into regular Robinson Crusoes, if we stay here as
long as you were saying we might have to do, Mr Brand," observed Jerry,
as we were working away at our flag-staff. "I cannot say, however, that
I like the look of this island as much