.
Every drop o' blood in your body has gone to your head."

"No wonder," gasped Isaac, "if you'd bin hangin' by one fut half as
long, your blood would have blowed your head off altogether."

"There now, sit down a minute, and you'll be all right," said Christian.
"How did it happen?"

To this Martin replied that it was simple enough. He had fallen a few
yards behind, and, taking a wrong turn, had come on a hole, into which
he looked. Seeing something like a light at the bottom of it, he
stooped down to look further, slipped on the rocks, and went in head
foremost, but was arrested by his foot catching between two rocks and
getting jammed.

In this position he would soon have perished had not his comrades come
to the rescue.

With some curiosity they now proceeded to examine the hole. It turned
out to be the entrance to a cave which opened towards the northern side
of the island, and from which a splendid sweep of the sea could be seen,
while in the immediate neighbourhood, far down the precipices,
innumerable sea-birds were seen like flakes of snow circling round the
cliffs. A few of the inquisitive among these mounted to the giddy
height of the cave's seaward-mouth, and seemed to gaze in surprise at
the unwonted sight of man.

"A most suitable cavern for a hermit or a monk," said Brown.

"More fit for a monkey," said Martin.

"Not a bad place of refuge in case our retreat should be discovered,"
observed Christian.

"H'm! the Mutineers' Retreat," muttered John Adams, in a slightly bitter
tone.

"A few resolute men," continued Christian, taking no notice of the last
remark, "could hold out here against a hundred--at least while their
ammunition lasted."

He returned as he spoke to the cave's landward entrance, and clambered
out with some difficulty, followed by his companions. Proceeding with
their investigations, they found that, while a large part of the island
was covered with rich soil, bearing fruit-trees and shrubs in abundance,
the remainder of it was mountainous, rugged, and barren. They also
ascertained that, although the place had been inhabited in times long
past, there seemed to be no inhabitants at that time to dispute their
taking possession. Satisfied with the result of their investigations,
they descended to their encampment on the table-land close to the
heights above Bounty Bay.

On drawing near to the clearing they heard the sound of voices raised as
if in anger.

"It's Quinta