y interfered with.

As for Tartlet, he was not the sort of man to be humbugged. For his part
he would admit nothing, neither the sham shipwreck, nor the sham
savages, nor the sham animals, and above all he would never give up the
glory which he had gained in shooting with the first shot from his gun
the chief of the Polynesian tribe--one of the servants of the Kolderup
establishment, who turned out to be as well as he was.

All was described, all was explained, except the serious matter of the
real wild beasts and the unknown smoke. Uncle Will became very
thoughtful about this. But, like a practical man, he put off, by an
effort of the will, the solution of the problems, and addressing his
nephew,--

"Godfrey," said he, "you have always been so fond of islands, that I am
sure it will please you to hear that this is yours--wholly yours! I make
you a present of it! You can do what you like with it! I never dreamt of
bringing you away by force; and I would not take you away from it! Be
then a Crusoe for the rest of your life, if your heart tells you to--"

"I!" answered Godfrey. "I! All my life!"

Phina stepped forward.

"Godfrey," she asked, "would you like to remain on your island?"

"I would rather die!" he exclaimed.

But immediately he added, as he took the young lady's hand,--

"Well, yes, I will remain; but on three conditions. The first is, you
stay with me, dearest Phina; the second is, that Uncle Will lives with
us; and the third is, that the chaplain of the _Dream_ marries us this
very day!"

"There is no chaplain on board the _Dream_, Godfrey!" replied Uncle
Will. "You know that very well. But I think there is still one left in
San Francisco, and that we can find some worthy minister to perform the
service! I believe I read your thoughts when I say that before to-morrow
we shall put to sea again!"

Then Phina and Uncle Will asked Godfrey to do the honours of his island.
Behold them then walking under the group of sequoias, along the stream
up to the little bridge.

Alas! of the habitation at Will Tree nothing remained. The fire had
completely devoured the dwelling in the base of the tree! Without the
arrival of William W. Kolderup, what with the approaching winter, the
destruction of their stores, and the genuine wild beasts in the island,
our Crusoes would have deserved to be pitied.

"Uncle Will!" said Godfrey. "If I gave the island the name of Phina, let
me add that I gave our dwelling the na