sight that drew from her the shriek referred to. She gave it forth in
an ascending scale.

"Oh! Oh!! Oh!!! father! come here! quick! quick! oh!"

Never since he was a boy had the captain jumped so sharply from a
sitting posture to his legs. Every man followed suit like a
Jack-in-the-box. There was a rush as if of a tempest through the
bushes, and next moment the whole party burst upon the scene, to find
Polly--not as they had feared in some deadly peril, but--with flashing
eyes and glowing cheeks waving her arms like a windmill, and shrieking
with joy at a ship which was making straight for the island under full
sail.

The captain greeted the sight with a bass roar, Philosopher Jack with a
stentorian shout. Ben Trench did his best to follow Jack's example.
Simon O'Rook uttered an Irish howl, threw his cap into the air, and
forthwith began an impromptu hornpipe, in which he was joined by Bob
Corkey. Baldwin Burr and his comrades vented their feelings in
prolonged British cheers, and Mr Luke, uttering a squeak like a wounded
rabbit, went about wanting to embrace everybody, but nobody would let
him. In short every one went more or less mad with joy at this sudden
realisation of "hope long deferred." Only then did they become fully
aware of the depth of anxiety which had oppressed them at the thought of
being left, perhaps for years, it might be to the end of their days, on
that unknown island.

As the vessel approached, it became apparent that there was some one on
board whose temporary insanity was as demonstrative as their own, so
wild were his gesticulations.

"It's too fur off," said Baldwin, "to make out the crittur's phisog; but
if it warn't for his size, I'd say he was a monkey."

"P'r'aps it's an ourang-outang," suggested Corkey.

"Or a gorilla," said O'Rook.

"Oh!" exclaimed Polly, in a low, eager voice of surprise, "I do believe
it is Watty Wilkins!"

"Polly is right," said Philosopher Jack; "I'd know Watty's action among
a thousand."

As he spoke, the vessel rounded-to outside the reef, backed her
top-sails, and lowered a boat. At the same time the excited figure
disappeared from her bow, and reappeared, wilder than ever, in the stern
of the boat. As it crossed the lagoon, the voice of Watty became
audible, and was responded to by a succession of hearty cheers, in the
midst of which the boat was run ashore. The excited lad sprang on the
beach, and was almost annihilated by the species of