urbished up the old pistol, with which
Peterkin is a crack shot now. But to continue. We did not find any
other vestige of you on the reef, and finally gave up all hope of ever
seeing you again. After this the island became a dreary place to us,
and we began to long for a ship to heave in sight and take us off. But
now that you're back again, my dear fellow, it looks as bright and
cheerful as it used to do, and I love it as much as ever.

"And now," continued Jack, "I have a great desire to visit some of the
other islands of the South Seas. Here we have a first-rate schooner at
our disposal, so I don't see what should hinder us."

"Just the very thing I was going to propose!" cried Peterkin. "I vote
for starting at once."

"Well, then," said Jack, "it seems to me that we could not do better
than shape our course for the island on which Avatea lives, and
endeavour to persuade Tararo to let her marry the black fellow to whom
she is engaged instead of making a `long pig' of her. If he has a spark
of gratitude in him, he'll do it. Besides, having become champions for
this girl once before, it behoves us, as true knights, not to rest until
we set her free; at least, all the heroes in all the story-books I have
ever read would count it foul disgrace to leave such a work unfinished."

"I'm sure I don't know or care what your knights in story-books would
do," said Peterkin; "but I'm certain that it would be capital fun, so
I'm your man whenever you want me."

This plan of Jack's was quite in accordance with his romantic, impulsive
nature; and having made up his mind to save this black girl, he could
not rest until the thing was commenced.

"But there may be great danger in this attempt," he said at the end of a
long consultation on the subject. "Will you, lads, go with me in spite
of this?"

"Go with you!" we repeated in the same breath.

"Can you doubt it?" said I.

"For a moment?" added Peterkin.

I need scarcely say that having made up our minds to go on this
enterprise, we lost no time in making preparations to quit the island;
and as the schooner was well laden with stores of every kind for a long
cruise, we had little to do except to add to our abundant supply a
quantity of cocoa-nuts, bread-fruit, taro, yams, plums, and potatoes,
chiefly with the view of carrying the fragrance of our dear island along
with us as long as we could.

When all was ready, we paid a farewell visit to the different familia