of
bringing the day's work to a close, we all seated ourselves at the small
cabin-table, and discussed our meal with a luxurious enjoyment of the
perfect steadiness of the cutter, and of the absence of all anxiety of
every kind, which was quite a novelty. We finished the meal by
lamplight, and then adjourned to the deck, where, as was our regular
custom, Bob and I smoked our evening pipes.

Those only who have endured the monotony of a long sea-voyage can
understand the pleasure with which we regarded our surroundings, and
compared them with those of many an evening past. The night had
completely closed in, and the deep, unclouded purple vault above was
thickly studded with stars, which, unlike those in the northern
hemisphere, instead of _glittering_ spark-like and cold, beamed with the
deep, mellow lustre of the softest lamps, each being clearly reflected
in the mirror-like surface of the unruffled lagoon.

We were, as I believe I have said before, on the western or lee-side of
the island, so completely sheltered from the wind by the thick-
clustering trees and shrubs which covered its surface, that only the
faintest zephyr could approach us, though it swept briskly through the
topmost branches of the cocoa-nuts, gently agitating their leaves, and
producing a soft rustling sound, above which the loud roar of the surf
beating on the reef to windward could be distinctly heard. Mingling
with this, there issued from the shore a continuous chirping and singing
from innumerable multitudes of insects, which, swelling shrill and high,
merged into one vast wave of sound, which completely filled the air.
Tens of thousands of fire-flies flitted to and fro, their tiny sparks
gleaming brilliantly against the dark background of dense foliage; and,
if we looked over the side for a moment, we saw the deep obscurity of
the tranquil ocean constantly flashing into sudden brightness, as a long
trail of pale phosphorescent sparks, or a momentary halo, betrayed the
movement of some finny denizen of the deep.

We remained on deck until nearly midnight, when, having observed nothing
whatever to excite the slightest apprehension as to our absolute safety,
we resolved to dispense with the formality of a watch; and therefore all
retired below, with an understanding that the morrow was to be observed
as a strict holiday by all hands.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN.

AT CLOSE QUARTERS WITH A SHARK.

I awoke soon after sunrise the next morning, a