he one we were already on, and we observed that the one to the
eastward of us was, like our own, fire-swept; also that at one point it
was separated from our island by a channel only about half a mile wide.
To the northward of that island we saw another, with small groups of
trees dotted about here and there upon it, while the remainder of its
surface appeared to be covered with corn-fields or something similar; so
it is not to be wondered at if we jumped to the conclusion that we
should find you established there. So we made a start by heading for
the narrowest part of the channel between our own island and the next
one, carrying with us as much fruit as we could handle, for we knew not
when or where we should find more.

"Upon reaching the channel the question that confronted us was: How were
we going to get across? We could see but one way, and that was to swim
it. But what about sharks? We had already lost one of our number
through them, and we had no desire that a similar fate should befall
either of us. Therefore we camped alongside that channel two days, and
while one of us foraged for food, the other just sat and intently
watched the water. And when the evening of the second day arrived
without disclosing any sign of sharks in the channel, we agreed to risk
the passage; so we stripped off our clothes--or what remained of them--
made them into a bundle, secured them upon our heads, and waded in.

"We got across safely, and were lucky enough to land just where a little
stream of fresh water came down from the hill that rose in the middle of
the island. We camped alongside the stream that night, and made our
supper of melons and ground-nuts that had grown since the passage of the
fire over the land. On the following day we proceeded inland, following
the course of the stream and heading toward the top of the hill, from
which we hoped to obtain a little further knowledge of the geography of
the group and also, it might be, some more definite information as to
your own whereabouts. And we were successful in both particulars, for
while we were on the top of that hill we saw your sailing boat coming
round the eastern end of the island across the channel northward of us.
Watching you, we saw you land on that island, stay there a while, and
then sail away again in a north-easterly direction. Upon seeing this,
Dirk and I came to the conclusion that the proper thing for us to do
would be to descend to the beach,