captain, and permission being given, the young castaway went on
a brief hunt. The birds were so thick that he had little
difficulty in bringing down several dozen.

"Now we can have a bird pot-pie for supper," declared Mr. Carr, and
he looked greatly pleased, and so did the others.

All realized that the island upon which they had landed was not to
be compared to that upon which they had previously been cast. The
trees were of small account, none of them bearing fruit fit to eat.
Some of the bushes contained berries, and Ned began to gather a
cupful.

"Go slow there, Ned," said the captain. "They may be poisonous."

"They can't be--for I saw the birds feeding on, them," said Bob.

"Oh, well, then it is all right."

But the berries proved rather bitter to the taste and nobody felt
like eating many of them. Tim started a fire, and over this they
broiled and roasted the birds, each fixing the evening meal in the
way that best suited him.

"Are there any cannibals here?" asked Mr. Tarbill.

"I don't believe there is a soul on the island besides ourselves,"
answered the captain.

"I can't go to sleep if there are cannibals," groaned the nervous
passenger.

As late as it was, Bob, Ned and the captain took a tramp around the
island. It was not over a quarter of a mile long and an eighth of
a mile wide. There was fairly good walking close to the shore, but
the interior was a mass of stunted trees, thorny bushes and long
trailing vines, to get through which was impossible.

"I haven't seen what I'd like most to see," said the captain, after
the walk was ended.

"What is that?" questioned Bob.

"A spring of good, fresh water."

"That's so--we didn't see any spring at all!" exclaimed Ned Scudd.
"Too bad! We need water."

The castaways were thoroughly tired out, and that night all went to
bed and slept soundly. Nothing came to disturb them, although at
daybreak Mr. Tarbill leaped up in alarm.

"Hark!" he cried. "Somebody is coming! It must be the cannibals!"

"What!" exclaimed Captain Spark, and he jumped up, followed by the
others.

Then all listened. From the interior of the little island came a
most unearthly screaming.

"Somebody is being murdered!" gasped Mr. Tarbill, and sank on his
knees. "Oh, oh, why did I leave home!"

They listened intently, and then Mr. Carr set up a laugh.

"What is it?" asked Bob, curiously.

"Parrots, my boy, nothing but parrots."

"To be sure--I should have