"

The end of this speech was suddenly cut short by Jack tripping up
Peterkin's heels and tumbling him into a mass of thick shrubs, where,
finding himself comfortable, he lay still, basking in the sunshine,
while Jack and I examined the bread-fruit tree.

We were much struck with the deep, rich green colour of its broad
leaves, which were twelve or eighteen inches long, deeply indented, and
of a glossy smoothness, like the laurel. The fruit, with which it was
loaded, was nearly round, and appeared to be about six inches in
diameter, with a rough rind, marked with lozenge-shaped divisions. It
was of various colours, from light pea-green to brown and rich yellow.
Jack said that the yellow was the ripe fruit. We afterwards found that
most of the fruit-trees on the island were evergreens, and that we
might, when we wished, pluck the blossom and the ripe fruit from the
same tree. Such a wonderful difference from the trees of our own
country surprised us not a little. The bark of the tree was rough and
light-coloured; the trunk was about two feet in diameter, and it
appeared to be twenty feet high, being quite destitute of branches up to
that height, where it branched off into a beautiful and umbrageous head.
We noticed that the fruit hung in clusters of twos and threes on the
branches; but as we were anxious to get to the top of the hill, we
refrained from attempting to pluck any at that time.

Our hearts were now very much cheered by our good fortune, and it was
with light and active steps that we clambered up the steep sides of the
hill. On reaching the summit a new, and if possible a grander, prospect
met our gaze. We found that this was not the highest part of the
island, but that another hill lay beyond, with a wide valley between it
and the one on which we stood. This valley, like the first, was also
full of rich trees--some dark and some light green, some heavy and thick
in foliage, and others light, feathery, and graceful, while the
beautiful blossoms on many of them threw a sort of rainbow tint over
all, and gave to the valley the appearance of a garden of flowers.
Among these we recognised many of the bread-fruit trees, laden with
yellow fruit, and also a great many cocoa-nut palms. After gazing our
fill we pushed down the hillside, crossed the valley, and soon began to
ascend the second mountain. It was clothed with trees nearly to the
top; but the summit was bare, and in some places broken.

While o