reature with his knife. Had I been prepared, I
would have met him in the same way."

"I am very glad you did not make the experiment, Harry," I answered.
"However, it is a lesson to us not to venture into the water without
keeping a look-out; and I am very thankful that you have escaped."

"So am I," he answered; "but now, as we have got as many oysters as we
can carry, in addition to the cocoa-nuts, we may as well join our
friends and have breakfast."

"I hope that Tamaku will have managed to light a fire," said Tom; "for
though the oysters and cocoa-nuts are nice enough as they are, I don't
like raw eggs; and I have an especial fancy for some roast-duck."

As we approached the bay we saw a cloud of smoke ascending from the
sand, and we found Tamaku busily employed in blowing up a fire which he
had kindled there. We soon rejoined him, and asked why he had chosen
this spot.

"Because, you see, if I had lighted it on the grass, we might have had a
larger fire than would have been pleasant."

While we were standing round the fire, Popo came back with a breaker of
water, saying that Mr Mudge would soon follow. Wishing to surprise
him, we set to work to pluck the ducks, and spit a couple, and roast
some eggs. We were thus employed when we saw him coming leisurely
towards us; but discovering the fire, he held up his hand with a look of
astonishment, and hurried forward.

"Well, lads, you have prepared a feast," he exclaimed, sitting down on
the bank above the sand. "I little expected to have so many good
things; and I am thankful to say that I have found a stream of fresh,
cold water, issuing from the side of the hill, and falling into a deep
basin--in which I could not resist taking a bath; and I would advise you
to do the same."

We were too hungry to wait for the roast-ducks, so we sat down and
commenced our breakfast on eggs and oysters, with cocoa-nut milk. By
the time we had taken the edge off our appetites, the ducks, under
Tamaku's superintendence, were thoroughly cooked. They were pronounced
excellent, and we agreed that no aldermen could have breakfasted better.

"And what are we to do now?" I asked.

"We have no necessity to be anxious about food; we must first of all go
across to the other side of the island, which I believe is not far off,
and establish a look-out place from whence we can make signals should
any vessel pass by," answered Mudge. "You, Tillard, I suppose, will
prefer waiting t