or that they prefer to the finest
wines of Spain."

"That is because they have not yet tasted our Rockhouse malaga."

"Then of roasted oats, perfumed with vanilla, an excellent jelly may
be made."

"Ah! we must get mamma to try that--it will delight the young ladies."

"And, no doubt, you will profit by the occasion to partake thereof
yourself, Master Jack."

"Certainly; but I would not, for all that, seek to gratify my own
appetite under pretence of paying a compliment to our friends."

"I know an animal," said Willis, "that, for general usefulness, beats
grain all to pieces."

"Good! let us hear what it is, Willis."

"It is the seal of the Esquimaux; they live upon its flesh, and they
drink its blood."

"I scarcely think," said Jack, "that I should often feel thirsty under
such circumstances."

"The skin furnishes them with clothes, tents, and boats."

"Of which our canoe and life-preservers are a fair sample," said
Fritz.

"The fat furnishes them with fire and candle, the muscles with thread
and rope, the gut with windows and curtains, the bones with arrow
heads and harness; in short, with everything they require."

"True, Willis, in so far as regards their degree of civilization,
which is not very great, when we consider that they bury their sick
whilst alive, because they are afraid of corpses; that they believe
the sun, moon, and stars to be dead Esquimaux, who have been
translated from earth to heaven."

Whilst chatting in this way, the party had imperceptibly arrived at
Falcon's Nest, wherein they had not set foot for a fortnight
previously.

Fritz went up first, and before the others had ascended, came running
down again as fast as his legs would carry him.

"Father," he cried, in an accent of alarm, "there is a fresh litter of
leaves up stairs, which has been recently slept upon, and I miss a
knife that I left the last time we were here!"

CHAPTER VII.

THE SEARCH FOR THE UNKNOWN--THREE FLEETS ON DRY LAND--THE
INDISCRETIONS OF A SUGAR CANE--LARBOARD AND STARBOARD--THE SUPPOSED
SENSIBILITY OF PLANTS--THE FLY-TRAP--VENDETTA--ROOT AND GERM--MINE AND
COUNTERMINE--THE POLYPI--OVIPAROUS AND VIVIPAROUS--A QUID PRO QUO.

"Have any of you been at Falcon's Nest lately?" inquired Becker, when
he had verified the truth of Fritz's intelligence.

"None of us," unanimously replied all the boys.

"You will understand that the question I put to you is, under the
circumstances in which we ar