e
like."

This piece of news threw us into a state of great joy; for although we
were aware that the boat had been gradually getting near its completion,
it had taken so long that we did not expect it to be quite ready for at
least two or three weeks. But Jack had wrought hard and said nothing,
in order to surprise us.

"My dear fellow," cried Peterkin, "you're a perfect trump! But why did
you not tell us it was so nearly ready? Won't we have a jolly sail
to-morrow, eh?"

"Don't talk so much, Peterkin," said Jack; "and, pray, hand me a bit of
that pig."

"Certainly, my dear," cried Peterkin, seizing the axe. "What part will
you have? A leg, or a wing, or a piece of the breast--which?"

"A hind leg, if you please," answered Jack; "and, pray, be so good as to
include the tail."

"With all my heart," said Peterkin, exchanging the axe for his hoop-iron
knife, with which he cut off the desired portion. "I'm only too glad,
my dear boy, to see that your appetite is so wholesale, and there's no
chance whatever of its dwindling down into re-tail again--at least, in
so far as this pig is concerned.--Ralph, lad, why don't you laugh, eh?"
he added, turning suddenly to me with a severe look of inquiry.

"Laugh!" said I. "What at, Peterkin? Why should I laugh?"

Both Jack and Peterkin answered this inquiry by themselves laughing so
immoderately that I was induced to believe I had missed noticing some
good joke, so I begged that it might be explained to me; but as this
only produced repeated roars of laughter, I smiled and helped myself to
another slice of plantain.

"Well, but," continued Peterkin, "I was talking of a sail to-morrow.
Can't we have one, Jack?"

"No," replied Jack, "we can't have a sail; but I hope we shall have a
row, as I intend to work hard at the oars this afternoon, and if we
can't get them finished by sunset, we'll light our candle-nuts, and turn
them out of hands before we turn into bed."

"Very good," said Peterkin, tossing a lump of pork to the cat, who
received it with a mew of satisfaction. "I'll help you, if I can."

"Afterwards," continued Jack, "we will make a sail out of the cocoa-nut
cloth, and rig up a mast; and then we shall be able to sail to some of
the other islands, and visit our old friends the penguins."

The prospect of being so soon in a position to extend our observations
to the other islands, and enjoy a sail over the beautiful sea, afforded
us much delight, and aft