ed to the shore again and explored the coast. At the end of three
hours he said disgustedly, 'What a liar Ballantyne was!' and was just
sinking down exhausted, when his heart gave a big _plump!_ and stood
still, for there before him was a well-trodden path.

At first, hungry as he was, Chimp's feeling was grief at the discovery
that after all the island was not uninhabited, but his regret soon faded
before the anticipation of the meal he would devour in the abode to
which the pathway led, and he struck into it with new vigour, taking the
inland direction. The path rose with every step. At last, a mile or so
from the sea, it turned abruptly round a boulder, and Chimp suddenly
found himself in the presence of an elderly man with a long grey beard,
who was sitting at a table in the entrance of a cave, writing.

The meeting seemed to be the most unexpected thing that had ever
happened to either of them, for the elderly man rose with a start that
upset both ink and table, and Chimp caught himself looking round for
something to cling to for support. Not finding anything, he sat down on
the ground and stared at the elderly man. He would have liked to have
gone forward to pick up the ink-bottle, but dared not, on account of a
peculiar feeling in his knees. Meanwhile the elderly man stared at the
boy, and Chimp wondered if he ever would speak, and if it would be in
English when he did. After a long pause the elderly man picked up the
ink. Then looking at Chimp still more curiously through his spectacles,
he spoke.

'What are you?' he asked, in good English.

'My name,' said Chimp, 'is Alexander Joseph Chemmle.'

'No, no,' the elderly man replied, 'I mean, what are you--what? Not a
boy, are you? Not really and truly a boy! Oh say, say you are a boy!'

'Yes,' said Chimp, although for the moment, so intense and unreasonable
was the other's excitement about the matter, he almost doubted it. 'Yes,
I'm a boy.'

'A boy! a boy!' the elderly man exclaimed joyfully. 'Eureka!' Then he
grew calmer, and continued: 'Dear me, this is very interesting. A most
fortunate chance! A boy, you say. How extremely happy an accident. Now
what kind of boy might you be?'

Chimp was puzzled. 'I suppose,' he thought, 'I ought to call myself a
good boy, and yet that isn't exactly how Porker would describe me. And
what is more, good boys are such saps.' Then he spoke aloud: 'Well, sir,
I'm a fairish specimen of a boy, I think.'

'Good!' said the eld