fied their eyes with the superb prospect which lay
spread out before them and beneath their feet, the happy wanderers--for
happy they somehow were, notwithstanding all the unpleasant
peculiarities of their position--set out to retrace their steps,
reaching their boat about an hour later; when, taking advantage of the
shade afforded by a few bushes which grew on the edge of an overhanging
bank, they seated themselves on an outcropping rock and did the fullest
justice to the luncheon which the friendly steward had put up for them.

It was two o'clock in the afternoon by the time that this meal was
disposed of, when Sibylla expressed a desire to have a nearer view of
the lofty cliffs bounding the outer basin than she had been able to
obtain on the previous day when the ship entered the harbour. The boat
was accordingly got afloat and leisurely pulled by Ned close along the
northern shore. In due time the dinghy passed between the northern and
southern bluffs and entered the outer basin, the water being still
smooth enough to allow of her keeping within oar's length of the shore;
and now they began to realise the majestic and indeed terrific character
of the nearly vertical rocky walls which shot sheer out of the water and
towered far away above their heads. The qualifying word "nearly" is
used advisedly in speaking of the vertical rise of these cliffs,
because, whereas when they were passed in mid-channel they had the
appearance of being absolutely perpendicular, it was now seen that they
had a slight--a very slight--backward slope.

The faces of these cliffs were, as has before been stated, so densely
clothed with vegetation, mostly in the form of thick-growing shrubs--
though trees of quite respectable size were by no means wanting--that
but little of the actual rock was to be seen; and here and there among
these shrubs and trees monkeys could be seen swinging from bough to
bough, whilst thousands of birds darted in and out and flitted to and
fro among the branches. One of these latter at length so strongly
attracted Sibylla's admiring attention that she pointed it out to Ned.

"By George!" the lad exclaimed rapturously, "that is a beauty, and no
mistake; I must have him. I have long been intending to make a
collection of tropical birds for my father, and I might as well begin
now; it seems to me that I shall have an opportunity of making a very
respectable collection here whilst the mutineers are busy carrying out