narrative.

CHAPTER EIGHT.

"I wish you to understand," said he, "that my unwillingness to go on
with my history proceeds from my being obliged to make known to you the
hatred that subsisted between your father and me; but if you will
recollect, that we both had, in our early days, been striving to gain
the same object--I mean your mother--and also that he had taken, as it
were, what I considered to have been my place, in other points--that he
had been successful in life, and I had been unfortunate, you must not
then be surprised at my hating him as I did."

"I understand nothing about your feelings," replied I; "and why he
injured you by marrying my mother, I cannot see."

"Why, I loved her."

"Well, suppose you did, I don't know what love is, and therefore cannot
understand it, so tell me the story."

"Well then, when I left off, I told you that we had ventured to land
upon this island, by running the boat into the bathing-pond; but in so
doing, the boat was beaten to pieces, and was of no use afterwards. We
landed, eight persons in all; that is, the captain, your father, the
carpenter, mate, and three seamen, besides your mother. We had
literally nothing in the boat except three axes, two kids, and the two
pannikins, which we have indeed now; but as for provisions, or even
water, we had none of either. Our first object, therefore, was to
search the island to obtain water, and this we soon found at the rill
which now runs down by the side of the cabin. It was very fortunate for
us that we arrived exactly at the time that the birds had come on the
island and had just laid their eggs; if not, we must have perished with
hunger, for we had not a fish hook with us, or even a fathom of line.

"We collected a quantity of eggs, and made a good meal, although we
devoured them raw. While we were running about, or rather climbing
about, over the rocks; to find out what chance of subsistence we might
have on the island, the captain and your father remained with your
mother, who sat down in a sheltered spot near to the bathing-pool. On
our return in the evening, the captain called us all together, that he
might speak to us; and he said, that if we would do well, we must all
act in concert; that it also would be necessary that one should have the
command and control of the others; that without such was the case,
nothing would go on well;--and he asked us if we did not consider that
what he said was true. We all a