art, so beautiful that we had
often wondered whether Adam and Eve had found Eden more sweet; and we
had seen the quiet solitudes of our paradise suddenly broken in upon by
ferocious savages, and the white sands stained with blood and strewed
with lifeless forms, yet among these cannibals we had seen many symptoms
of a kindly nature. I pondered these things much, and while I
considered them there recurred to my memory those words which I had read
in my Bible: "The works of God are wonderful, and His ways past finding
out."

After these poor savages had left us we used to hold long and frequent
conversations about them, and I noticed that Peterkin's manner was now
much altered. He did not, indeed, jest less heartily than before, but
he did so less frequently; and often there was a tone of deep
seriousness in his manner, if not in his words, which made him seem to
Jack and me as if he had grown two years older within a few days. But
indeed I was not surprised at this when I reflected on the awful
realities which we had witnessed so lately. We could by no means shake
off a tendency to gloom for several weeks afterwards; but as time wore
away, our usual good spirits returned somewhat, and we began to think of
the visit of the savages with feelings akin to those with which we
recall a terrible dream.

One day we were all enjoying ourselves in the Water Garden preparatory
to going on a fishing excursion, for Peterkin had kept us in such
constant supply of hogs that we had become quite tired of pork and
desired a change. Peterkin was sunning himself on the ledge of rock,
while we were creeping among the rocks below. Happening to look up, I
observed Peterkin cutting the most extraordinary capers and making
violent gesticulations for us to come up; so I gave Jack a push and rose
immediately.

"A sail! a sail--Ralph, look--Jack, away on the horizon there, just over
the entrance to the lagoon!" cried Peterkin as we scrambled up the
rocks.

"So it is--and a schooner, too!" said Jack as he proceeded hastily to
dress.

Our hearts were thrown into a terrible flutter by this discovery, for if
it should touch at our island, we had no doubt the captain would be
happy to give us a passage to some of the civilised islands, where we
could find a ship sailing for England or some other part of Europe.
Home, with all its associations, rushed in upon my heart like a flood;
and much though I loved the Coral Island and the bower which