ance, few of them were likely to prove palatable to
the taste. Some, Silva thought, were altogether poisonous; and those we
cooked had very little flavour.

"If we had but a canoe we might go off into deeper water, and then we
might catch a greater variety, and many fish very fit for food," he
remarked, eyeing as he spoke several trees which, he said, would make
good canoes. One or more canoes we accordingly resolved to have; so at
once we set to work to cut down a couple of trees. That operation our
axes quickly accomplished. It did not take us long to fashion the
outside. To scoop out the inside was more difficult. Our axes did the
rougher portion, and then we heated stones and bits of iron, and burned
out the remainder, scraping off the black part with our knives. In
about a week we had a couple of small canoes completed, with seats
across, and with three paddles in each. Silva took charge of one,
Cousin Silas of the other. The doctor and I went with him, while Ben
and Jerry accompanied Silva.

With no little satisfaction we launched our fleet into the lagoon. Both
canoes swam very well, and off we paddled with great delight across the
lagoon. How bright and clear were its waters! It was almost impossible
to estimate their depth, we could so completely see down to the bottom.
After pulling some time, we rested on our oars. As we looked over the
side, how beautiful was the sight which met our view! It was like a
fairy land. Coral rocks of the most fantastic shapes sprung up around.
Caverns, and arches, and columns, and pinnacles appeared. Gorgeous and
varied were the hues. There were white, and blue, and yellow
corallines. Among them grew marine vegetables of every description.
Here the delicate sea-green stem of the fucas twisted round a rock; and
near it the ocean fan expanded its broad leaves. Every point was
occupied by some feathery tuft of lovely tints, while from each cleft
projected the feelers of some sea-anemone or zoophyte. Among the
heights of the submarine landscape moved thousands of living beings, to
which the doctor gave some learned names which I do not pretend to
remember. Some he called chetodons. They were flat and of an oval
form, of a rich silvery hue, and had blue stripes downwards. They swam
in a perpendicular position, with one long, slender fin from the back
curving upwards, and another from the opposite side curving downwards.
Several came and looked at us, as if to i