eeping
reptile or fast-rooted forest tree.

The meal of oyster-meat had restored to healthy action the long-fasting
stomachs of the castaways; the durion fruit, coming like a _dessert_,
had no doubt acted with an exceedingly beneficial effect; but not till
they had partaken of the true "staff of life"--represented in one of its
elementary forms, the egg--did they feel their blood running in its
right channels, alike restoring their vigour and strength.

Murtagh was one of the first to feel revivified, and declare himself
ready for anything. But they were all much invigorated, and began to
think and talk of plans for the future. The question, of course, was,
how they should quit the shore on which shipwreck, and afterwards a
chance wind, had cast them? So far the coast appeared to be
uninhabited, and although not so very inhospitable, as their experience
had proved, still it would never do for them to remain there.

The American merchant-skipper had no ambition to match the Scotchman
Selkirk, and make a second Crusoe of himself. Neither would Murtagh or
the Malay have cared to act as his man Friday for any very prolonged
period of hermitage, so long as there was a mode of escaping from it.

During the remainder of that evening, therefore, they talked of a change
of quarters, and discussed various plans for bringing this about. It
was a question whether they should take to their boat and again put out
to sea, or endeavour, by an overland expedition, to reach some part of
the coast where they might find a European, and therefore a civilised,
settlement. Captain Redwood knew there were more than one of these on
the great island of Borneo. There were the Dutch residencies of Sambas
and Sarabang; the English government depot on the islet of Labuan; and
the strange heterogeneous settlement--half colony, half kingdom--then
acknowledging the authority of the bold British adventurer, Sir James
Brooke, styled "Rajah of Sarawak." If any of these places could be
attained, either coastwise or across country, our castaways might
consider their sufferings at an end; and it was only a question which
would be the easiest to reach, and what the best way of reaching it.

After due consideration, Labuan was the point decided upon. From that
part of the coast Captain Redwood supposed himself to be, it was by far
the nearest civilised settlement--in fact, the only one that offered a
chance of being reached by travellers circumsta