rocks.
Oh, Atam-or! life is better than death, and we can live here, and we
can be happy. This shall be better to us than the lands of the Orin,
for we shall be alone, and we shall be all in all to one another."

I could not help laughing, and I said:

"Layelah, this is not the language of the Kosekin. You should at once
go to the other side of this island, and sit down and wait for death."

"Never," said Layelah; "you are mine, Atam-or, and I never will leave
you. If you wish me to die for you, I will gladly lay down my life;
but I will not leave you. I love you, Atam-or; and now, whether it be
life or death, it is all the same so long as I have you."

Our submersion in the sea and our long exposure afterward had chilled
both of us, but Layelah felt it most. She was shivering in her wet
clothes in spite of my coat which I insisted on her wearing, and I
determined, if possible, to kindle a fire. Fortunately my powder was
dry, for I had thrown off my flask with my coat before jumping into
the sea, and thus I had the means of creating fire. I rubbed wet
powder over my handkerchief, and then gathered some dried sticks and
moss. After this I found some dead trees, the boughs of which were
dry and brittle, and in the exercise I soon grew warm, and had the
satisfaction of seeing a great heap of fagots accumulating. I fired
my pistol into the handkerchief, which, being saturated with powder,
caught the fire, and this I blew into a flame among the dried moss.
A bright fire now sprang up and blazed high in the air; while I, in
order to have an ample supply of fuel, continued to gather it for a
long time. At length, as I came back, I saw Layelah lying on the sand
in front of the fire, sound asleep. I was glad of this, for she was
weary, and had seemed so weak and tremulous that I had felt anxious;
so now I arranged my coat over her carefully, and then sat down for a
time to think over this new turn which my fortune had taken.

This island was certainly very unlike Magones, yet I had no surety but
that it might be equally destitute of food. This was the first
question, and I could not think of sleep until I had found out more
about the place. The aurora light, which constantly brightens and
lessens in this strange world, was now shining gloriously, and I set
forth to explore the island. The beach was of fine sand all the way.
The water was smooth, and shut in on every side by an outer reef
against which the sea-waves broke i