ed
over an armful of specimens of plants and flowers, which had long been
accumulating for an "herbarium." Max, however, averred that they were a
part of the materials for a treatise on "The Botany of Polynesia," which
Arthur cherished the ambitious design of composing, and which was to be
published with coloured plate, simultaneously with the history of our
adventures. In order that he too might have some indoor occupation
during the anticipated bad weather, Max provided himself with a huge
log, hacked and sawed with great labour, from a bread-fruit tree, blown
down in the last gale, out of which he declared it to be his purpose to
build a miniature ship, destined to convey the aforesaid history,
together with Arthur's botanical treatise, to America.

The day fixed for our final migration to "Lake Laicomo," at length
arrived, and taking a farewell for "the season," of our deserted
tenement at Castle-hill, we set out for the cabin, to spend our first
night there. It was not without some feelings of regret that we left a
spot now become so familiar, to bury ourselves in the woods out of sight
of the sea. It seemed almost like going again into exile. Johnny, in
particular, felt greatly humiliated, at being obliged to abandon the
house which had cost us so much toil, to take refuge in one constructed
by others. He seemed to look upon this as a kind of tacit admission of
our own utter incapacity to provide for ourselves in that respect.

On arriving at the cabin, we were somewhat surprised to see our
democratic friend the parrot, perched over the door, as if waiting to
welcome us to our new quarters. He appeared to be in no degree
disturbed at our approach, but greeting us with one or two boisterous
"Vive Napoleons!" maintained his position until we had passed into the
house, when he flew in also, and alighting on the shelf against the
wall, seemed to feel as much at home as any one. Johnny sagely
suggested that he knew that the rainy season was coming on, and was
anxious to establish himself in comfortable quarters until it was over:
possibly this supposition did our visitor injustice, by ascribing to him
motives more selfish and interested, than those by which he was really
actuated. It is more charitable to believe, that having been once
accustomed to human companionship, and being weary of his solitary life
in the woods, where his vocal accomplishments were wasted on the desert
air, he now sought our society,