ou come to islands where
the cocoa-nuts grow; and then, all you've got to do is go ashore and
pull your boat up on the sands, and when you are hungry you climb a tree
and get a cocoa-nut; and every one has got enough meat and drink in it
for a meal."

"Do you?"

"Yerrrs! That you do. That's the sort of place to go and live at. I'm
tired o' Coleby."

"Why don't you go and live there, then!" said Dexter.

"I'm going to, some day. It's no use to be in too much of a hurry; I
want to save a little money first, and get some more tackle. You see,
you want big hooks for big fish, and some long lines. Then you must
have a boat."

The idea of the unknown countries made Dexter thrill, and he listened
eagerly as the boy went on prosing away while he fished, taking out his
line from time to time, and dropping the bait in likely places.

"Haven't made up my mind what boat I shall have yet, only it must be a
good one."

"Yes," said Dexter; "you'd want a good big boat."

"Not such a very big un," said Bob. "I should want a nice un with
cushions, because you'd have to sit in it so long."

"And sleep in it too?"

"Oh yes; you'd have to sleep in it."

"Should you light the fire, and cook in it!" said Dexter innocently.

"Yah! No, o' course not. You'd go ashore every time you wanted to
cook, and light a fire there with a burnin'-glass."

"But suppose the sun didn't shine!"

"Sun always shines out there," said Bob. "That sailor chap told me, and
the birds are all sorts of colours, and the fish too, like you see in
glass globes. I mean to go."

"When shall you go?"

"Oh, some day when I'm ready. I know of a jolly boat as would just do."

"Do you?"

"Yes; I dessay you've seen it. Belongs to Danby's, down the river.
Lives in a boat-house."

"Yes, I've seen it," said Dexter eagerly. "It is a beauty!"

"Well, that's the sort of boat I mean to have. P'r'aps I shall have
that."

"You couldn't have that," cried Dexter.

"Why not? They never use it, not more'n twice a year. Dessay they'd
lend it."

"That they wouldn't," cried Dexter.

"Well, then, I should borrow it, and bring it back when I'd done with
it. What games you could have with a boat like that!"

"Yes," sighed Dexter; "wish we had one!"

"Wouldn't be such a good one as that if you had. That's just the boat
I've made up my mind to have."

"And shall you sail right away to a foreign country!" said Dexter, from
his nest up in the willo