ch her, but long before they came near her she filled and
went down. It was after she had foundered that I saw them trying to
pull to the island."

There was a long silence after Jack had ceased speaking, and I have no
doubt that each was revolving in his mind our extraordinary position.
For my part, I cannot say that my reflections were very agreeable. I
knew that we were on an island, for Jack had said so; but whether it was
inhabited or not, I did not know. If it should be inhabited, I felt
certain, from all I had heard of South Sea Islanders, that we should be
roasted alive and eaten. If it should turn out to be uninhabited, I
fancied that we should be starved to death. "Oh," thought I, "if the
ship had only struck on the rocks we might have done pretty well, for we
could have obtained provisions from her, and tools to enable us to build
a shelter; but now--alas! alas! we are lost!" These last words I
uttered aloud in my distress.

"Lost, Ralph!" exclaimed Jack, while a smile overspread his hearty
countenance. "Saved, you should have said. Your cogitations seem to
have taken a wrong road, and led you to a wrong conclusion."

"Do you know what conclusion I have come to?" said Peterkin. "I have
made up my mind that it's capital--first-rate--the best thing that ever
happened to us, and the most splendid prospect that ever lay before
three jolly young tars. We've got an island all to ourselves. We'll
take possession in the name of the king. We'll go and enter the service
of its black inhabitants. Of course we'll rise, naturally, to the top
of affairs: white men always do in savage countries. You shall be king,
Jack; Ralph, prime minister; and I shall be--"

"The court-jester," interrupted Jack.

"No," retorted Peterkin; "I'll have no title at all. I shall merely
accept a highly responsible situation under government; for you see,
Jack, I'm fond of having an enormous salary and nothing to do."

"But suppose there are no natives?"

"Then we'll build a charming villa, and plant a lovely garden round it,
stuck all full of the most splendiferous tropical flowers; and we'll
farm the land, plant, sow, reap, eat, sleep, and be merry."

"But to be serious," said Jack, assuming a grave expression of
countenance--which, I observed, always had the effect of checking
Peterkin's disposition to make fun of everything--"we are really in
rather an uncomfortable position. If this is a desert island, we shall
have