ou finds pearls inside 'em, some of 'em worth ever so much."

"Oh, doctor, what a place we've come to," said Carey, excitedly. "Isn't
it lucky we were wrecked?"

"That's a matter of opinion, my boy," said the doctor, drily.

"'Scuse me, Master Carey, sir," said the old sailor, with a peculiar
smile.

"Excuse you--what for?"

"What I'm going to say, sir," said the old fellow, as he leaned against
the handle of the big oar as he steered. "You've got a very
nice-looking nose, sir. It's a bit big for your size, but it's a nice
tempting-looking nose all the same."

"Is it?" said Carey, shortly, and his disengaged hand went up to the
organ in question. "I daresay it is. I don't know; but why do you want
to meddle with it?"

"I don't, sir; I only want to keep anything else from having a go at
it."

"What is likely to have a `go' at it, as you say?"

"Young shark might be tempted, sir."

"Pooh! Nonsense! But are there sharks in this lagoon?"

"Thousands, I'll be bound, sir. So don't you never try to bathe. What
do you say to running up between those two bits of bare reef, sir--sort
o' canal-like place? We could run right up to the sand there."

"Try it," said the doctor, and the raft was steered between the long
ridges of coral, whose points stood just out of the water. Carey had
the satisfaction of seeing that there was a shoal of fish being driven
along the watery passage to the shallow at the end, over which they
splashed and floundered till they reached deep water again and swam
away.

"Some o' they would have done for the frying-pan, sir, if we'd had a net
handy," said Bostock. "We must come prepared another time."

The raft grounded the next minute in what seemed to be a magnificent
marine aquarium, into the midst of whose wonders the old sailor stepped
to mid-thigh, crunching shells and beautiful pieces of coral in a way
which made Carey shiver.

"All right, sir, there's millions more," he said, coolly. "Now, doctor,
there's no need for you to step down," he continued; "it's wonderful
slimy, and there's shells and things sharp enough to cut through your
boots. You give me the guns and basket, and I'll take 'em up on the
sands and come back for you. I'm more used to the water than you are."

The doctor nodded and handed the two double guns they had brought, along
with the basket of provisions, with which Bostock waded ashore,
returning directly to take the doctor on his back, after which