r things, in my opinion."

At this moment the dogs dashed among the broad yam leaves, and commenced
baying; there was a great rustling and snorting.

"What's that?" cried William, who had been stooping down to examine the
yam plant, and who was startled at the noise.

Ready laughed heartily. "It isn't the first time that they've made you
jump, William."

"Why, it's our pigs, isn't it?" replied William.

"To be sure; they're in the yam patch, very busy feeding on them, I'll
be bound."

Ready gave a shout, and a grunting and rushing were heard among the
broad leaves, and, very soon, out rushed, instead of the six, about
thirty pigs large and small; who, snorting and twisting their tails,
galloped away at a great rate, until they gained the cocoa-nut grove.

"How wild they are, Ready!" said William.

"Yes, and they'll be wilder every day; but we must fence these yams from
them, or we shall get none ourselves."

"But they'll beat down the fence before it grows up."

"We must pale it with cocoa-nut palings, and plant the prickly pears
outside. Now, we'll go down to the sea-side."

As they neared the rocks, which were bare for about fifty yards from the
water's edge, Ready said, "I can tell you now what those white patches
on the rocks are, William; they are the places where the sea-birds come
to every year to make their nests, and bring up their young. They
always come to the same place every year, if they are not disturbed."
They soon arrived at the spot, and found it white with the feathers of
birds, mixed up with dirt.

"I see no nests, Ready, nor the remains of any."

"No, they do not make any nests, further than scratching a round hole,
about half an inch deep, in the soil, and there they lay their eggs,
sitting quite close to one another; they will soon be here, and begin to
lay, and then we will come and take the eggs, if we want any, for they
are not bad eating."

"Why, Ready, what a quantity of good things we have found out already!
This has been a very fortunate expedition of ours."

"Yes, it has; and we may thank God for his goodness, who thus provides
for us so plentifully in the wilderness."

"Do you know, Ready, I cannot help thinking that we ought to have built
our house here."

"Not so, William; we have not the pure water, recollect, and we have not
the advantages of the sandy beach, where we have our turtle- and
fish-pond. No; we may feed our stock here; we may gather the fruit,
tak