e lagoon. At first they
were unable to decide which varieties were edible, until a happy
expedient occurred to the girl.

"The seabirds can tell us," she said. "Let us spread out our haul on
the sands and leave them. By observing those specimens seized by the
birds and those they reject we should not go far wrong."

Though her reasoning was not infallible it certainly proved to be a
reliable guide in this instance. Among the fish selected by the
feathered connoisseurs they hit upon two species which most resembled
whiting and haddock, and these turned out to be very palatable and
wholesome.

Jenks knew a good deal of botany, and enough about birds to
differentiate between carnivorous species and those fit for human food,
whilst the salt in their most fortunate supply of hams rendered their
meals almost epicurean. Think of it, ye dwellers in cities, content
with stale buns and leathery sandwiches when ye venture into the wilds
of a railway refreshment-room, these two castaways, marooned by queer
chance on a desert island, could sit down daily to a banquet of
vegetable soup, fish, a roast bird, ham boiled or fried, and a sago
pudding, the whole washed down by cool spring water, or, should the
need arise, a draught of the best champagne!

From the rusty rifles on the reef Jenks brought away the bayonets and
secured all the screws, bolts, and other small odds and ends which
might be serviceable. From the barrels he built a handy grate to
facilitate Iris's cooking operations, and a careful search each morning
amidst the ashes of any burnt wreckage accumulated a store of most
useful nails.

The pressing need for a safe yet accessible bathing place led him and
the girl to devote one afternoon to a complete survey of the
coast-line. By this time they had given names to all the chief
localities. The northerly promontory was naturally christened North
Cape; the western, Europa Point; the portion of the reef between their
habitation and Palm-tree Rock became Filey Brig; the other section
North-west Reef. The flat sandy passage across the island, containing
the cave, house, and well, was named Prospect Park; and the extensive
stretch of sand on the south-east, with its guard of broken reefs, was
at once dubbed Turtle Beach when Jenks discovered that an immense
number of green turtles were paying their spring visit to the island to
bury their eggs in the sand.

The two began their tour of inspection by passing the scene of t