you all the things that the Twins and their father and
mother did on that island, it would make a book as big as the
dictionary; so I can only tell you a very little about the wonderful
days that followed. In the first place, they soon found out that it was
a wonderful island. Small as it was, it had the most astonishing things
in it.

There were great cliffs and jagged rocks along its coast in some places,
and there were beautiful broad sandy beaches right next to them. The
waves had washed holes clear through some of these great rocks and left
them standing there like huge ruins.

The beaches were covered with star-fish and beautiful shells and seaweed
and crabs and jelly-fish and stones of all colours. The Twins found
something new every time they played there.

Inland there were hills and valleys with sparkling streams of clear
water running through them. There were sunny open meadows where bison
grazed. In the woods there were deer and small game of all kinds, but
though Hawk-Eye went everywhere in the days that followed the
earthquake, he never saw a sign of a cave bear or of tigers or lions, or
any of the more savage beasts which made life in their old home so full
of terror.

Neither did he find a trace of any other human beings.

The season was early on the warm southern side of the island. The wild
fruit trees were already in blossom, making the air sweet with
fragrance, and giving promise of fruit later on.

There were all sorts of wild flowers and all kinds of trees in the
woods, and everything was so beautiful and seemed so safe that it was
easy to believe, as Limberleg said, that the water gods did mean to take
care of them.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Two.

One day when Hawk-Eye and Limberleg had gone deer-hunting, Firetop and
Firefly climbed a high cliff on the east coast to hunt for pigeons'
eggs. From the top of the hill, they could see for miles and miles in
every direction. The cliffs were on a long point of land, and behind
the point was a deep bay, where all sorts of things could be picked up,
when the tide was low. In a cleft of the rock Firetop found a nest with
four eggs in it. He and Firefly were sitting on top of the hill eating
them, when Firefly saw a queer black spot part way down the cliff,
toward the east.

"What's that?" she said, pointing.

"Let's go and find out," said Firetop.

They climbed cautiously down to a