iles that we again came upon the ruin wrought by the flames, which, we
found, had swept right across the island, leaving the area above
referred to untouched, while to the southward, as far as the eye could
see, all was black ruin and desolation. At this point, too, signs of
the devastation wrought upon the animal life of the island began to
reveal themselves in the shape first of isolated carcasses, and then of
groups of the same, rapidly becoming more numerous and more crowded as
the boat glided along southward within a stone's throw of the beach.

As I was exceedingly anxious to discover whether or not the apes had
escaped the destruction that had overtaken the other creatures
inhabiting the two fire-stricken islands, we landed at various points
along the beach, and made short investigating excursions inland, coming
upon the remains of animals and reptiles of several different kinds--the
variety indeed was astonishing--including, I regretted to see, two or
three varieties of deer; and at length we found the half-consumed
carcasses of three apes, close together; but we found no more that day.
It was by this time drawing on toward sunset; accordingly we made sail
for the wreck of the brigantine, and took up our quarters aboard her for
the night.

Early on the following morning we resumed our inspection of West Island,
starting at the point where we had left off on the previous evening, and
on this day we came upon the remains of two more apes, several miles
apart. But although those five carcasses of apes were all that we
found, it was of course quite possible that there might have been many
more, for our excursions inland were necessarily of very limited extent.
To have made anything approaching a complete examination of the burnt
area would have been the work of weeks, rather than of days, and I was
indisposed to devote very much time to such an undertaking. Moreover,
the effluvium arising from so many rapidly decomposing carcasses was, of
itself, a sufficient deterrent.

But slight and limited as was our examination, it sufficed to prove that
the island must have literally swarmed with animal life, several species
of which were, as in the case of those found on Apes' Island, quite new
to me; and late in the day, having extended our walk to the crest of a
hill, we discovered that there was, a little south of the middle of the
island, a triangular-shaped lake, about six miles long by about five
miles broad at its