y without much labour.

Having an eye to the presence of the children upon this islet, Gaunt was
peculiarly inquisitive in the matter of reptiles, and it was a great
relief to his mind to discover that if any such were on the islet they
were so scarce that during his entire search round and through it he did
not encounter a single snake. So far as he could see there were no
animals to be found upon it, though birds were, of course, in as great
variety and numbers as they were on the mainland of the large island.

He was fortunate enough to find, not very far from the spot on which he
had landed, a shelving piece of beach running down into deep water,
which would serve him admirably as a site on which to build his proposed
boat, and near it--distant, in fact, not more than two hundred yards--
there was a small grove of palms and other trees which would serve
admirably as a shelter from the sun for his proposed house.

His survey of the islet completed, he again entered the water, and, with
his raft of rushes ahead of him as before, quietly paddled across to the
shore on the right back of the stream, which he now proposed to follow
down to its junction with the sea. A walk of about six miles brought
him to the mouth of the little estuary, which he found perfectly
concealed from the sea, in consequence of the river taking a sudden bend
and then doubling again almost upon itself between two low bluffs which
rose steeply out of the sea.

At this point there was no beach whatever, the shore being rocky and
precipitous; but somewhat further on the slopes of the land became
gentle, and a sandy beach was met with which, after a walk of some seven
or eight miles, brought him out at the spot on which he had originally
been landed from the ship, and within full sight of the encampment where
dwelt the rest of the party.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN.

GAUNT'S PONTOON RAFT.

His arrival, which took place just as tea was about being served in the
camp, was greeted with great rejoicing by all hands, but especially by
Mrs Gaunt; who, notwithstanding the assurances of Doctor Henderson, was
beginning to feel serious alarm on account of her husband's prolonged
absence.

Of course there was much to tell on both sides. The principal item of
news from the Doctor was that he and Nicholls had between them
contrived, during the two days of Gaunt's absence, to erect a very roomy
and by no means uncomfortable shelter for the men of the party;