ast, searching for freight, whereupon our visitor
said: 'Why don't you make for the Lacepede Islands, off the north-west
Australian coast, and load guano, which you can get there for nothing?'
We said we did not possess the necessary requisites in the shape of
shovels, sacks, punts, wheel-barrows, and the like. These were promptly
supplied by the other captain in part payment for the provisions we let
him have. Thus things were eventually arranged to the entire
satisfaction of both parties, and then the _Alexandria_ (I think that was
the name of the ship) proceeded on her way to Port Louis, whilst we
directed our course to the Lacepede Islands.

"In due time we reached a guano islet, and the crew quickly got to work,
with the result that in a very short time we had a substantial cargo on
board. A day or two before we were due to leave, we went to father and
told him we wanted very much to spend an evening on the island to visit
the turtle-breeding ground. Poor father, indulgent always, allowed us to
go ashore in a boat, under the care of eight men, who were to do a little
clearing-up whilst they were waiting for us. We found, as you may
suppose, a great deal to interest us on the island, and the time passed
all too quickly. The big turtles came up with the full tide, and at once
made nests for themselves on the beach by scraping out with their hind-
flippers a hole about ten inches deep and five inches in diameter. The
creatures then simply lay over these holes and dropped their eggs into
them. We learned that the number of eggs laid at one sitting varies from
twelve up to forty. We had great fun in collecting the eggs and
generally playing with the turtles. I am afraid we got out of sight of
the men, and did not notice that the weather showed decided signs of a
sudden change. When at length the crew found us it was past
midnight--though not very dark; and though we ought to have been making
preparations for returning to the ship, it was blowing hard. On account
of this, the crew said they did not consider it advisable to launch the
boat; and as we had our big cloaks with us, it was decided to remain on
the island all night to see if the weather improved by the morning. Our
ship was anchored fully three miles away, outside the reefs, and it would
have been impossible, in the sea that was running, to pull out to her.
There was only one white man among our protectors, and he was a
Scotchman. The men made a fi