eave the hooker's bones on yon island if we can help it. Well,
there! belay all! How is that, Ned; shall we weather the southernmost
point, think ye?"

"Yes," answered Ned, "and plenty to spare, if there is no current to set
us to leeward."

The island was now to leeward of the ship, stretching along the horizon
on her larboard beam, the northern extremity being well on her quarter,
whilst the southern end, with an outlying reef, lay about three points
on her lee-bow. Anxious to see and learn as much as possible of the
place which was to be the--possibly life-long--abode of those who had
suddenly seemed so dear to him, Ned again had recourse to his telescope,
with which he forthwith proceeded to carefully scan the island.

It measured, from north to south, about six miles, as nearly as the lad
could estimate it; what its measurement might be in the other direction
it was not then possible to say. The land was very high, especially
toward the centre of the island; and one of the first things which
attracted Ned's attention was a remarkable cliff, apparently quite
perpendicular, which traversed the island from north to south, seemingly
about four hundred feet high, and which sprang sheer out of the ridge of
a lofty hill which appeared to form the back-bone, as it were, of the
island. This cliff seemed to Ned to divide the island into two distinct
parts; for it terminated, both to north and to south, in a terrific
precipice falling sheer down to the sea, which foamed and chafed at its
base. This gave the island a most peculiar appearance, suggesting the
idea that at some distant period of the world's history a mighty
convulsion had occurred, rending the rocks violently asunder and forcing
a portion of them--namely, that which formed the land in sight--far
above the level of the rest. To the eastward, or landward of the
remarkable cliff already referred to, Ned could see the steep conical
summit of a lofty mountain, apparently about four miles inland; but the
cliff was too high to allow of his seeing any other portion of the
island beyond it. The land was covered with wood from the base of the
cliff clear down to the inner margin of the beach, and, with the aid of
his glass, Ned could detect the feathery fronds of cocoanut and other
palms, as well as the less lofty foliage of the useful banana.
Meanwhile, the ship had by this time reached a point which enabled the
lad to make out that the long line of breakers whi