ast they broke out clear of them, and
then looked around them for a short time without speaking. The sea was
about half a mile distant, and the intervening land was clear, with
fresh blades of grass just bursting out of the earth, composing a fine
piece of pasture of at least fifty acres, here and there broken with
small patches of trees and brushwood; there was no sandy beach, but the
rocks rose from the sea about twenty to thirty feet high, and were in
one or two places covered with something which looked as white as snow.

"Well, Ready," said William, "there will be no want of pasture for our
flock, even if it increases to ten times its number."

"No," replied Ready, "we are very fortunate, and have great reason to be
thankful; this is exactly what we required; and now let us go on a
little, and examine these patches of wood, and see what they are. I see
a bright green leaf out there, which, if my eyes do not fail me, I have
seen many a time before." When they arrived at the clump of trees which
Ready had pointed out, he said, "Yes, I was right. Look there, this is
the banana; it is just bursting out now, and will soon be ten feet high,
and bearing fruit which is excellent eating; besides which the stem is
capital fodder for the beasts."

"Here is a plant I never saw before," said William, pulling off a piece
of it, and showing it to Ready.

"But I have, William. It is what they call the bird's-eye pepper; they
make Cayenne pepper out of it. Look, the pods are just formed; it will
be useful to us in cooking, as we have no pepper left. You see,
William, we must have some birds on the island; at least it is most
probable, for all the seeds of these plants and trees must have been
brought here by them. The banana and the pepper are the food of many
birds. What a quantity of bananas are springing up in this spot; there
will be a little forest of them in a few weeks."

"What is that rough-looking sort of shrub out there, Ready?"

"I can't see so well as you, William, so let us walk up to it. Oh, I
know it now; it is what they call the prickly pear in the West Indies.
I am very glad to have found that, for it will be very useful to us."

"Is it good eating, Ready?"

"Not particularly; and the little spikes run into your fingers, and are
very difficult to get rid of; but it is not bad by way of a change. No,
the use it will be to us is to hedge in our garden, and protect it from
the animals; it makes a ca