We were about to commence the exploration of this
valley when Peterkin stopped us, and directed our attention to a very
remarkable appearance in advance along the shore.

"What's yon, think you?" said he, levelling his spear as if he expected
an immediate attack from the object in question, though it was full
half-a-mile distant.

As he spoke, there appeared a white column above the rocks, as if of
steam or spray. It rose upwards to a height of several feet, and then
disappeared. Had this been near the sea, we would not have been so
greatly surprised, as it might in that case have been the surf, for at
this part of the coast the coral reef approached so near to the island
that in some parts it almost joined it. There was, therefore, no lagoon
between, and the heavy surf of the ocean beat almost up to the rocks.
But this white column appeared about fifty yards inland. The rocks at
the place were rugged, and they stretched across the sandy beach into
the sea. Scarce had we ceased expressing our surprise at this sight
when another column flew upwards for a few seconds, not far from the
spot where the first had been seen, and disappeared; and so, at long,
irregular intervals, these strange sights recurred. We were now quite
sure that the columns were watery, or composed of spray; but what caused
them we could not guess, so we determined to go and see.

In a few minutes we gained the spot, which was very rugged and
precipitous, and, moreover, quite damp with the falling of the spray.
We had much ado to pass over dry-shod. The ground, also, was full of
holes here and there. Now, while we stood anxiously waiting for the
reappearance of these waterspouts, we heard a low, rumbling sound near
us, which quickly increased to a gurgling and hissing noise, and a
moment afterwards a thick spout of water burst upwards from a hole in
the rock and spouted into the air with much violence, and so close to
where Jack and I were standing that it nearly touched us. We sprang
aside, but not before a cloud of spray descended and drenched us both to
the skin.

Peterkin, who was standing farther off; escaped with a few drops, and
burst into an uncontrollable fit of laughter on beholding our miserable
plight.

"Mind your eye!" he shouted eagerly; "there goes another!" The words
were scarcely out of his mouth when there came up a spout from another
hole, which served us exactly in the same manner as before.

Peterkin now shrieked