n my own account as well as
yours," observed Dominick, "but it behoves us now to look for a night's
lodging, for the sun is sinking fast, and it would not be pleasant to
lie down on the bare ground shelterless, fine though the climate is.
Come, we will return to the place where we landed, and search for a cave
or a bit of overhanging rock."

The best sleeping-place that they had up to that time discovered was
undoubtedly the grove in which they had found the graves of the
shipwrecked crew, but, as Otto truly remarked, it would probably result
in uncomfortable dreams if they were to go to sleep in a burying-ground,
alongside of a skeleton.

Accordingly they returned to the beach, and sought for some time among
the _debris_ of the boat for anything useful that might have been washed
up, but found nothing. Then they went along-shore in the direction of
the wreck which had raised their hopes so high that day when first seen,
but nothing suitable was discovered until they rounded a low point of
rocks, when Pauline came to a sudden pause.

"Look! a golden cave!" she exclaimed, pointing eagerly to a grassy spot
which was canopied by feathery palms, and half enclosed by coral rocks,
where was a cavern into which the sinking sun streamed at the moment
with wonderful intensity.

Their home for that night obviously lay before them, but when they
entered it and sat down, their destitution became sadly apparent. No
beds to spread, no food to prepare, nothing whatever to do but lie down
and sleep.

"No matter, we're neither hungry nor thirsty," said Dominick, with an
air of somewhat forced gaiety, "and our clothes are getting dry. Come,
sister, you must be weary. Lie down at the inner side of the cave, and
Otto and I, like faithful knights, will guard the entrance. I--I wish,"
he added, in a graver tone, and with some hesitation, "that we had a
Bible, that we might read a verse or two before lying down."

"I can help you in that," said his sister, eagerly. "I have a fair
memory, you know, and can repeat a good many verses."

Pauline repeated the twenty-third Psalm in a low, sweet voice. When she
had finished, a sudden impulse induced Dominick, who had never prayed
aloud before, to utter a brief but fervent prayer and thanksgiving.
Then the three lay down in the cave, and in five minutes were sound
asleep.

Thus appropriately did these castaways begin their sojourn on a spot
which was destined to be their home for a l