that piece
of old china, and I kept it carefully in one pocket, with my knife in
the other; and we made up a big fire, almost enough to roast an ox,
though we had nothing but a few cockles to cook by it. However, the
food, such as it was, put a little more spirit into us, and we set out
to see what sort of a country we had been left on. It was not very
large; but we saw a number of parrots and parroquets up in the trees,
and many other birds, but we had not much chance of getting them.
Still, we all agreed we would do our best.

"Well, we walked and walked along the shore, and now and then went
inland; but we could not make much way there, on account of the trees.
At last, looking up, I saw some tall palm-trees, and at the top of them
there were some cocoa-nuts. You may be sure we set to work to get up at
them; but it is pretty hard work climbing a cocoa-nut tree without
ropes, not like swarming up a mast. However, Roger Trew did haul
himself up; but then, you see, there are not many men who have got arms
like his, and they are better by half than legs for climbing trees.
That is why the monkeys have them so strong, I suppose. To be sure,
some of them have got tails to help them. Do you know, I have often
thought what convenient things tails would be to sailors, if they could
catch hold by them as monkeys do. Howsomedever, Roger got to the top at
last, and then he sent thundering down a dozen cocoa-nuts or more. Some
of our fellows thought they were to be eaten husk and all, and cried out
they did not think that would do them much good. At last we got them
broken open, and sucked away at the juice inside, which had begun to
turn almost into milk. They were more than ripe. It is said that young
cocoa-nuts have far more juice and are far better than the old ones.
Still, you may be sure, we were very glad to get these at any price; and
having found some trees, we had fair hopes of finding more. Still,
cocoa-nuts and shell-fish, though they may keep body and soul together,
after a time do little more than that; and we all became thinner and
thinner. I am not at all sure that we should have lived many weeks
longer, so thin and wretched did we get, when at last a sail appeared in
sight. Our hearts beat pretty quick when we thought that after all she
might not come near the island. Oh! how eagerly we watched her. Now
she seemed to be standing away; now, once more, she tacked, and stood
towards the island. Ther