ed with renewed concentration to the war. Standing
far off in both mind and body, he was able to contemplate it as a whole
and also to see it in all its parts. And the more he looked at it the
surer he was that England and her colonies would succeed. Distance and
perspective gave him confidence. The French generals and French soldiers
had done wonders, nobody could be braver or more skilful than they, but
they could not prevail always against superior might and invincible
tenacity.

Sitting on the ground and looking at the white surf breaking on the
rocks, he ended the war in the way he wished. The French and Canada were
conquered completely and his own flag was victorious everywhere.
Braddock's defeat and Ticonderoga were but incidents which could delay
but which could not prevent.

But he did not spend too much time in reflection. He was too young for
that, and his years in the wilderness helped him to bear the burden of
being alone. Rifle on shoulder, he explored every part of the island,
finding that his domain presented no great variety. There was much
forest, and several kinds of tropical fruits were for his taking, but
quadruped life was limited, nothing larger than small rodents.
Well-armed as he was, he would have preferred plenty of big game. It
would have added spice to his life, much of which had been spent in
hunting with Willet and Tayoga. Excitement might have been found in
following bear or deer, but he knew too well ever to have expected them
on an island in summer seas.

There was some sport in fishing. Plenty of tackle had been found among
the ship's stores, and he caught good fish in the larger lake. He also
tried deep sea fishing from the dinghy, but the big fellows bit so fast
that it soon ceased to be of interest. The fish, though, added freshness
and variety to his larder, and he also found shellfish, good and
wholesome when eaten in small quantities, along the shore.

He went often to the highest hill in the center of the island, where he
would spend long periods, examining the sea from horizon to horizon with
his strong glasses, searching vainly for a sail. He thought once of
keeping a mighty bonfire burning every night, but he reconsidered it
when he reflected on the character of the ship that it might draw.

Both the Bahamas and the West Indies--he did not know in which group he
was--swarmed then with lawless craft. For nearly two hundred years
piracy had been common, and in a time of wa