we both
felt sanguine about finding our treasure-island; and if the account we
had received of it was true, there was more wealth there than we had the
means of taking away with us; still, we could not resist the temptation
to secure this, comparatively speaking, small windfall that had come in
our way, so we persevered; and we certainly had no reason to be
dissatisfied with our reward.

When all was over we found that our acquisition amounted to about a
quart-measure full of seed-pearls, and a similar measure full of pearls,
of a large size, ranging from the size of peas to, in one instance, a
splendid fellow fully as large as a pigeon's egg, many others being
nearly as fine.

This task occupied us all the morning, and when it was finished we
returned to the cutter, and at once set about taking our boat to pieces
and stowing her away below.

This done, we took dinner, immediately after which Bob and I got the
canvas set, hove up our anchor, and stood away for the western passage
through the reef.

This passage was much wider than the one by which we had entered, and
not nearly so crooked; and as we were just within the influence of the
trade-winds, and it trended generally in a westerly direction, we had a
fair wind through, so we had no difficulty whatever in passing out
between the reefs, which we did under easy sail; getting the gaff-
topsail and spinnaker upon the craft, however, as soon as we were fairly
outside.

The wind was blowing fresh, but steady, from about south-east, and as
our course was west-north-west, we flew merrily away very nearly dead
before the wind, with our spinnaker boomed out to port.

Bob took the afternoon watch, and I retired below and lay down, as it
was my eight hours out that night.

Ella remained on deck chatting gaily with Bob, and busying herself with
some mysterious bit of sewing, and I soon dropped off into a doze.

Nothing of importance occurred for the remainder of that day, nor during
the next.

Ella now regularly kept the first night-watch with me, whenever it was
my eight hours out, and many a pleasant chat did we have together; and
more and more reason did I see for congratulating myself upon my choice
of a bride, hasty as that choice had been.

Now that we had had an explanation, and there no longer existed any
reason for the fair girl's concealing her ardent attachment to me, many
little puzzling peculiarities and contradictions, which I had before
observed i