can get any help or some
provisions to keep us going until a ship passes."

"That's weel, vara weel," said Mr Macdougall, with an approving cough.

"And if our quest should be unsuccessful, why, we must proceed to Good
Success Bay--that point to the south-east of the mainland, opposite
Staten Island--where there'll be more chance of our intercepting a
vessel."

"Hech, mon, but it's a gude long deestance, I reecken?" replied the
mate, in a questioning way.

"About a hundred miles I make it," said the skipper, measuring the space
on his chart with his fingers, for lack of a pair of callipers. "But,
with the southerly and westerly wind that we nearly always have here,
the boats ought to fetch the place in a couple of days at most."

"Vara weel, Cap'en, I'm ae weelin' to agree to eenything; but I misdoubt
tak'ing to the sea since more in yon open boat. 'Twas only the grace o'
Proveedence that saved us in landin' here, and we didna get clear off
then!"

"No, we didn't," said the skipper, with a chuckle. "But we won't essay
that long trip yet awhile--at all events, not until we are forced to.
We will try the islands near us first; and then, if we meet with no luck
there, why, we'll shape a course for Good Success Bay."

"All richt, I'm agree'ble," answered Mr Macdougall, quite satisfied
that we were not going to put to sea again in a hurry in our frail
craft, which were indeed not very staunch to brave the perils of the
open sea; so it was decided, accordingly, that the jolly-boat, with a
picked party, should proceed the next day on a surveying tour amongst
the neighbouring islands.

The following morning, therefore, Captain Billings, Jorrocks, and I,
with three of the sailors--Mr Macdougall being left behind at his own
request in charge of the remainder of the crew--started on the
investigating expedition, directing the boat first towards a small
island lying-to the westwards, and the closest to us of all that we
could distinguish from the beach where our camp was.

This island, however, we found to be uninhabited, and even more bare and
sterile than the one we had landed on; so, hoisting the small lugsail
which the jolly-boat carried, we made over more to the north-west,
towards Wollaston Island, the largest in the archipelago, and about the
same distance away from us that the Isle of Wight is from Selsea Bill.

On reaching this we found a couple of native families living on the
shore in rude huts, composed