hope for Aladdin's Lamp, Prince Hassan's Carpet,
Green's Balloon, a Railway over the Sea. Hope nothing, and you won't be
disappointed."

_Mother._--"You are cruel, Schillie."

_Schillie._--"Face the worst at once, it will save you much sorrow
hereafter. Now say no more, but scrape up a smile for those poor girls
if you can."

Even this uncomfortable conversation proved of so much relief to us two
that we were more cheerful that evening at tea, and consequently the
poor children took courage to be also a little more lively. But we were
hurried to our different shelters by a clap of thunder and flash of
lightning, unlike anything we had ever seen before, and the rain fell in
large splashing drops. In the middle of the night, we were awakened by
repeated peals of thunder crashing over our heads, while the lightning
played incessantly, beautiful but most awful to behold. The rain at
first came in gusts, but after a while, such a deluge poured down upon
us, that in half an hour our little frail huts were beaten down over our
heads. One minute's exposure to the sheets of water that were descending
drenched us through. With difficulty we crawled to a little cavern,
which just held us, and also permitted the servants to change the
children's dripping clothes, and thus passed the whole night; but the
sun arose as bright as ever, rendering the scene more brilliant and
lovely, from the innumerable rain-drops bespangling everything. Not all
the cold, misery, and discomfort we had undergone, besides losing our
rest, prevented us exclaiming at the fresh beauty of the verdure and
trees, and the sweet smell of the thirsty earth as we emerged from our
cavern.

We had first to light a great fire, and then to spread all the bedding
on the rocks to dry in the sun. We soon warmed some water, and drank hot
tea and coffee; but Madame showed symptoms of a violent cold, and little
Felix and Winny shivered and shook as if in an ague fit. The poor little
huts were entirely ruined, and what was worse still, all our stores and
the different things belonging to La Luna, though carefully covered with
sail cloth and other things, were yet evidently much damaged by the wet;
in fact, it was not this day only that we had to deplore the effect of
the night storms catching us so unprepared. We suffered for it, as will
be seen hereafter, the whole time we were on the island. However, we
could now only think of making ourselves comfortable again. Of cou