ry favourably towards each other.

We soon worked through the short passage in the reef, and then stood
away to the westward, rounding the southern extremity of the island very
shortly afterwards. The moment that we cleared this point, and opened
the western side of the island, Bob shouted, "Ah! there lies the dear
old barkie, sure enough. Look at her, Harry, lad. She's sorely mauled
about, poor old beauty, but I should still ha' knowed her anywheres, as
far as these old eyes could see her."

There, indeed, lay the wreck of the _Amazon_, close to the beach, about
two miles off, and sorely mauled about she was; so much so, that I
greatly doubted whether Bob would ever have identified her as our old
ship, had not my father's presence, and the story we had already heard
of her loss, assisted him. Her three lower-masts were still standing,
but the whole of her upper works were gone, and I at first supposed that
they had been used for fire-wood, until we opened up a tiny bay somewhat
nearer us to the southward, and saw a small vessel in process of being
built on the beach.

"You have established a ship-yard here, I see, sir," I remarked, as this
object came in view.

"Yes," answered my father; "but we have made but poor progress, so far.
You will be of the greatest assistance to us, my dear boy--you and
Robert here. Since you have managed to turn out such a sweet little
craft as this cutter, I shall be strongly inclined to pull our work to
pieces and begin all over again."

"How do you mean, sir?" I inquired. "You surely do not imagine that
Bob and I built this cutter?"

"Did you not?" returned my father. "Then where did you pick her up?"

"She was built on the Thames," I replied; "and Bob and I have managed to
bring her out here between us."

My father was greatly surprised at hearing this, but as we were now
approaching the anchorage, it was decided to defer all explanations
until we could have an opportunity of proceeding with them in a
straightforward fashion. Sail was shortened, and in about ten minutes
afterwards we dropped our anchor in a pretty little well-sheltered bay,
within a couple of cables' length of the beach, and in full view of a
neat little cottage constructed of bamboo, which stood on a lawn of
about an acre in extent, environed with beautiful tropical trees and
plants.

Winter was down on the beach full of curiosity respecting the new-
comers, and I will leave to the reader's imaginat