ou would have been guilty of his death; and you ought to be
thankful to me for saving you from committing so great a crime."

"Ho, ho, ho!" laughed the skipper, and his mate and crew laughed in
chorus. After the crew had rowed for some time, an island appeared in
view, with dunes, or sandhills, rising over a considerable portion. It
was a barren-looking spot, as far as the Count could judge in the fast
increasing gloom of night.

"We are going to put into the shore there," said the skipper, pointing
to it. "If you take my advice, you will land."

"But that is not the sort of place to which I wish to go," said the
Count. "My object on board your barge was to take a passage to some
habitable region, where I could obtain food, rest, and shelter."

"The sea-gulls will afford you plenty of food; as to rest, you can lie
down on the sand; and as for shelter, your pocket-handkerchief will
afford you as much as you are likely to find."

"I protest against being so treated," said the Count, naturally growing
indignant.

"To whom do you protest," asked the skipper, "to me or my crew? There's
no one else to hear you, and we do not care the snuff of a candle for
your protestations."

The mate and the crew uttered not a word.

"I must submit to my hard destiny," thought the Count; "I have not made
a very brilliant commencement of my sporting adventures, but I set out
with the intention of shooting birds, and apparently the island abounds
with them."

In a short time the barge touched the sandy beach.

"You will step on shore, Count Funnibos," said the skipper, with an
ill-favoured grin on his countenance.

"But I have paid my passage-money, and I protest."

"We settled that point some time ago," said the skipper; "you will step
on shore, as I have just remarked."

The Count looked at the mate and the crew. Their countenances wore the
same ill-favoured expression as did that of the skipper. They merely
placed a plank from the bow of the barge to the beach.

"You will walk along the plank, Count Funnibos," said the skipper.

The Count took up his knapsack, his gun, and his telescope, and,
shrugging his shoulders with as dignified an air as he could assume,
obeyed. The moment he had set foot on the island, the plank was
withdrawn and his retreat cut off. Directly afterwards the mate and the
crew shoved the barge away from the shore, and began rowing as before,
while the skipper resumed his seat at the helm, an