dig a pitfall and catch a porker the
better," said Tom.

"That will be the very thing I'll set about to-morrow morning, with Tim
as my mate," answered Pat.

Tim agreed, and so it was arranged.

"I should like to get half a dozen hogs well salted and smoked, so that
there may be no fear of the meat turning bad," said Tom; "we cannot tell
how long our voyage may last, and it will not do for us to run short of
provisions if we can help it. We must also catch and cure a supply of
fish, and they, with the yams, will serve us for provisions. Nothing
else will be likely to keep, though perhaps we may obtain birds and
vegetables at some of the islands we may pass."

"But it won't do to land, sir, unless we know the people who inhabit
them," said Pat. "Where I was living so long they would have knocked
any visitors on the head and eaten them up, to a certainty."

"My belief is that the people on this side of the equator are generally
well disposed towards strangers," said Tom. "I heard the commander say
so only a short time ago, and he had been reading some books on the
subject." So altogether Tom was persuaded and imbued his companions
with the same idea that the proposed voyage could be performed without
any extraordinary risk, and all hands looked forward to the time when
they might venture to commence it--not that they were tired of remaining
on the island--but even the men had no wish to spend their days there,
and the midshipmen were naturally anxious to be employed on active
service. Next morning, Tom, having gone as usual to the flag-staff to
take a look out, as he was descending, saw several dark objects moving
on the sand of the bay below him. Some were far up on the dry sand,
others nearer the water. "Those must be turtle," he said to himself;
"we may catch some of them if we are quick about it, before they return
to the water." He hurried back to the camp and told his companions what
he had seen. They all followed him as fast as they could scamper
towards the bay. Each man got hold of a stick or weapon of some sort.
The instinct of the turtle telling them that enemies were approaching,
those farthest up the beach began to make their way, vigorously working
their fins, towards the water. Tom and Desmond, who were ahead, managed
to get their sticks under a good-sized one, which they turned over
without much difficulty, and they then attacked three others in
succession, throwing them over on their backs