s our
subjects, I presume, since we have no man Friday, and no goats or
poll-parrots to reign over."

"Yes," said Johnny, "I suppose so; there are enough of them too."

"And some very disloyal, rebellious, and stiff-necked ones among them,"
added Max, "who ought to be dealt with as traitors forthwith--that
sturdy feathered rebel for instance, who, not regarding the
inviolability of the royal person, no longer ago than this morning laid
one of our royal majesties sprawling upon his royal back."

"And that other scaly traitor," added Browne, "who perversely refused to
come out of the water to be cooked, in accordance with the royal will,
and who nearly bit off the sacred thumb of one of our majesties, in
resisting the royal authority."

"Well, Johnny," said Max, "if we are not actually kings, we at any rate
have some royal blood upon the island. Not to speak of myself, who am
descended direct from `Kaiser Maximilien,' here is Eiulo, who is a real
prince, his father being King of the Cannibal Islands, or some other
islands in these seas."

"I wish you wouldn't speak so of Eiulo's father," said Johnny, warmly,
"he is not a cannibal, and I believe he is a very good man; I think his
islands are near here, and if we should one day get there, he would
treat us kindly, and let us go home whenever we should have an
opportunity."

"Hilloa!" cried Max, "what has put all that into your head? What do you
know about Eiulo's father, or his islands, or where they are?"

This sudden outburst of Johnny's surprised us all, with perhaps the
exception of Arthur, and we listened with some interest, as he replied
to Max's volley of questions.

"Oh, I have talked with Eiulo about it," he answered, "mostly by signs;
and he has made me understand that he believes his home is not far
distant--off in that direction, (pointing north), and that ships
sometimes stop there; and so I have been thinking that if we could only
find the way there, we should have some prospect of getting home at
last."

Upon this we became silent and thoughtful; nothing further was said,
until Johnny recurred to the question which he had started a few moments
before, and again asked where we proposed to pass the night.

"Not in those gloomy woods, I hope," said he, "where it is so lonely,
and the wind and the trees make such strange noises. I would rather
sleep down here upon the shore; this nice dry, white sand, up where the
water never comes, will make a ve