and mine should first be made known
to the public.

For they felt certain their adventures were quite unique in the annals of
civilisation, and they loved to think they would have an opportunity of
"lionising" me when we should return to Europe. They would not hear me
when I protested that such a course would, from my point of view, be
extremely unpleasant and undignified--even painful.

Every day we kept a good look-out for passing ships; and from twenty to
forty catamarans were always stationed on the beach in readiness to take
us out to sea should there be any hope of a rescue. As my knowledge of
English was at this time not very perfect, the girls took it upon
themselves to improve me, and I made rapid progress under their vivacious
tuition. They would promptly correct me in the pronunciation of certain
vowels when I read aloud from the only book I possessed--the Anglo-French
Testament I have already mentioned. They were, by the way, exceedingly
interested in the records of my daily life, sensations, &c., which I had
written in _blood_ in the margins of my little Bible whilst on the island
in Timor Sea. About this time I tried to make some ink, having quill
pens in plenty from the bodies of the wild geese; but the experiment was
a failure.

Both girls, as I have already hinted, had wonderful memories, and could
recite numberless passages which they had learnt at school. Blanche, the
elder girl, would give her sister and myself lessons in elocution; and I
should like to say a word to teachers and children on the enormous
utility of _committing something to memory_--whether poems, songs, or
passages from historical or classical works. It is, of course, very
unlikely that any one who reads these lines will be cast away as we were,
but still one never knows what the future has in store; and I have known
pioneers and prospectors who have ventured into the remoter wilds, and
emerged therefrom years after, to give striking testimony as to the
usefulness of being able to sing or recite in a loud voice.

Sometimes we would have an improvised concert, each of us singing
whatever best suited the voice; or we would all join together in a
rollicking glee. One day, I remember, I started off with--

"A notre heureux sejour,"

but almost immediately I realised how ridiculously inappropriate the
words were. Still, I struggled on through the first verse, but to my
amazement, before I could start the second, the girl