's compass, a tin pail full of biscuits, Isobel's
botanical case for specimens, and a stout stick apiece, the four friends
set out on their pioneering expedition with all the enthusiasm of a band
of explorers penetrating into the heart of an unknown continent, or a
Roman legion bent on the conquest of some distant Albion. As the
geography books determine an island to be "a piece of land surrounded by
water," the particular spot in question could only claim to justify its
name at high tide, since at low water it was joined to the mainland, and
by scrambling over the rocks and jumping a few channels which the sea
had left behind, any one could reach it quite easily dry shod. The
children marched sturdily along over the wet sands, with a pause here
and there to dive after a particularly interesting crab, or to float a
jelly-fish left stranded by the tide, in the deeper water. Charlie,
however, would not allow many digressions, and hurried them as fast as
possible towards the object of their journey. The island, on a nearer
view, proved to be a bare, craggy spot, about half a mile in length by a
quarter in breadth, bounded by steep cliffs which supported a rocky
plateau covered with short rough grass and sea pinks, and honeycombed in
every direction with rabbit burrows. It seemed the haunt of innumerable
gulls, guillemots, and puffins, for whole flocks of them flew away,
wheeling overhead in wide circles, and uttering loud, piercing cries in
protest at the invasion of their rocky stronghold.

"We'd better do the thing thoroughly. Suppose we start from this big
rock and walk right round the island," suggested Isobel. "I have a piece
of paper and a pencil in my pocket, and I'll draw a map of it as we go
along, and we'll give names to all the capes and bays and headlands."

"Stunning!" agreed Charlie. "This rock can be 'Point Set-Off,' and we
can take it in turns to christen the other places. I don't believe the
island itself has a name; we shall each have to suggest something, and
then put it to the vote. I'm for 'Craggy Holme' myself, but we won't
decide anything yet until we have been completely over it."

Thrilled with the excitement of the occasion, the pioneers started on
their tour of inspection, noting with approval that the pools at the
foot of the cliff were full of sea anemones, star-fishes, hermit crabs,
periwinkles, whelks, pink sea-weed, and a wealth of desirable treasures;
that the brambles which grew on the sl