ays; "but come along o' me on deck. I've saved this here on
purpose for you to see."

"Pah! How nasty!" cried the boy, as Bostock brought forward an iron
bucket containing the internal parts of the pigeons.

"Don't look very nice, but I thought I'd save it till you come."

"What for?"

"Come and see. I'm just going to chuck it overboard and wash out the
bucket."

Carey grasped the man's reason directly, and they went on deck to the
side where the water was deepest.

As they looked over the side they could gaze down through the
crystal-clear water into the groves of seaweed and shrubberies of coral,
where the anemones and star-fish were dotting every clear spot with what
looked like floral beauties.

"Seems a shame to throw all that filth overboard, and spoil all that
lovely clearness," said Carey.

"Do it, sir? Ah, it won't spoil it long. There's them there as'll
think it good enough, and in five minutes the water'll be as clear as
ever."

"But I don't see a single fish."

"More do I, sir, but they're all about somewhere. Ah, look yonder;
there's one of them black and yaller snakes. He's a big thick one too.
See him?" said the man, pointing.

"No--yes, I do," cried the boy eagerly, and he shaded his eyes to watch
the strikingly coloured reptile lying apparently asleep on the surface,
twined up in graceful curves, some thirty yards away.

"You see if he don't go like a shot as soon as I make a splash."

A line was attached to the handle of the bucket, which was then raised
from the deck.

"Stand clear," cried Bostock, and with a dexterous heave he spread its
contents far and wide, dropping the bucket directly after to fill itself
and be washed clean.

"Where's the snake?" he said.

"It went down like a flash, Bob; but what a horrid mess, and there are
no fish."

"Aren't there?" said the old fellow, coolly.

"Yes! hundreds; where did they all come from?"

"Oh, from below, I suppose," and after giving the bucket three or four
rinses the old sailor stood watching the water, now alive with
good-sized fish, darting about and bearing off every scrap of the
refuse, not even a floating feather being left, so that in five minutes
the water was as crystal-clear as ever.

"What do you think of that, sir?" said Bostock, smiling. "Fish are
pretty hungry about here. Be 'most ready to eat a chap who was having a
swim."

"It's plain enough that we could catch plenty from the deck here."

"Yes, sir