ver knew they grew like that," cried Rob eagerly.

"And I must confess my ignorance, too," said Brazier.

"Ah, there's lots to learn in this world, gen'lemen," said Shaddy
quietly. "Not a very good kind o' nut, but better than nothing. Bit
too oily for me, but they'll serve as bread for our fish if we get a
couple of big stones for nutcrackers. They're precious hard."

"Then we shan't starve yet," cried Rob as he loaded himself with the
cannon-ball-like fruit--pockets, cap, and as many as he could hold in
his arms.

"Starve? I should think not," cried Shaddy, "and these here outsides'll
have to serve for teacups."

"Without tea, Shaddy?"

"Who says so, my lad? You wait, and we'll find cocoa and mate, and who
knows but what we may hit upon coffee and chocolate? Why, I won't swear
as we don't find sugar-cane. 'T all events, we're going to try."

"Well, Naylor, you are putting a different complexion on our prospects,"
said Brazier, who had joined them.

"Yes, sir, white one instead of a black one. Next thing is to get a
roof over our heads ready for the heavy rains, and then we've got to
save all the feathers of the birds we catch or shoot for feather beds.
We shall have a splendid place before we've done, and you can mark out
as big an estate as you like. But come along; I'm thinking that fish
must be done."

Upon Shaddy sweeping its envelope clean of the embers, he found it was
quite done, and soon served it out brown and juicy upon a great
banana-like leaf.

"Now, gentlemen, grace! and fall to," said their cook merrily. "Nuts
afterwards when I've found two big stones."

There was not much of the delicious fish left when a quarter of an hour
had passed, and then Rob uttered a grumble.

It was very good, he said, only they had no salt.

"If you'd only spoken a bit sooner, Master Rob, I could have got you
some pepper," said Shaddy, "but salt? Ah, there you beat me altogether.
It's too far to send down to the sea."

CHAPTER TWENTY TWO.

BRAVE EFFORTS.

That same afternoon after a quiet discussion of their position, the
result of which was to convince Brazier and Rob of the utter
hopelessness of any attempt to escape, they joined with Shaddy in the
most sensible thing they could do, namely, an attempt to forget their
sorrow and misery in hard work.

"If we want to be healthy," Shadrach had said, "we must first thing get
a shelter over our heads where we can sleep at nights, clear of the