Part 39 (1/2)

”We had no business to come so far away fro the wood In a short time our anxiety was relieved by the appearance of the doctor and Mr Griffiths

”Why, lads, what made you shout out in that fashi+on?” asked the mate

”We fancied you wanted help”

We told him of the man we had seen on the cliffs

”It's very extraordinary,” said the doctor; ”I don't think he can be a native, or he would not have shown himself in that way He must be some white man who has been left by himself on the island, and has lost his wits, as often happens under such circues visit the island, and has kept out of their way to save hi killed or uish between us and theht,” said Mr Griffiths ”We et hold of him, both for his own sake and ours He'll soon colish countryet provisions if the island produces any He can't have lived always on cocoanuts and shell-fish”

By this tier we all returned to camp, and roused up the men to prepare for breakfast

Miles Soper and Saet some cocoanuts

Some of the men went down to the shore to collect shell-fish Others made up the fire, while the e she had received, and to see how she could best be repaired

”We have a few nails, and we must try to find some substance which will answer the purpose of pitch,” observed the then her with additional planks, and get a strake put on above her gunwale It will be a work of toil to cut the planks, but it o anywhere”

At breakfast the reed to do their best to carry them out

We had first, however, to search for provisions Not knohether therethat the man we had seen was not one, the mate did not like to leave the boat unprotected

He therefore ordered Brown and one of the ether to explore the island

The mate would not allow us to separate until we had ascertained whether or not there were inhabitants besides the man we had seen on the island

One musket was left with Brown, theup the stream I have before described towards the end of the valley We looked out on either side for the stranger, but he didn't appear Some of the men declared that we had not really seen any one, and that we had mistaken a small tree or shrub for a man; but Jim and I were positive, and the doctor, at all events, believed us

On reaching the top of the hill, we looked down into a large holloater at the bottoe ferns, and various other plants The doctor said that it was the crater of a long extinct volcano, and that the whole island was volcanic There were

The doctor said that this was an active volcano; indeed, the country in that direction presented a very different aspect from the part where we had landed It was black and barren, with only here and there a few green spots We therefore turned to the east, the direction which proetable productions of soh the island appeared fertile, not a single habitation or hut could we discover The doctor supposed that this was on account of the occasional outbreak of the volcano, and that the people fro islands were afraid to take up their residence on it

We now descended the hill, and went along another valley, of course looking out all the tirove near a hollow in the side of a hill, which was partly concealed by trees, e heard a cock crow just as an English cock would do At once that sound hts, as it did those of the others, probably, rush back to our far-distant homes

”If there's a cock, there must be hens and a hen-roost hereabouts,”

observed Miles Soper, hurrying in the direction whence the sounds proceeded

We followed; there, sure enough, sheltered by the hill, and under the shade of the trees, was not only a hen-house of good size, but a hut scarcely bigger than it was neatly built and thatched with paler He himself can't be far off,” said the doctor

The hut was just large enough to hold one ether with sennit At the farther end was a bedstead covered with rough ed stool

No one had any longer any doubt that we had seen a man, or that this must be his abode, and that he lish or not was doubtful Miles Soper exa about he found a knife on a shelf close to the bed Taking it up, he exa it, and turning it round and round

”Well, that's queer, but I think I've seen this knife before,” he said

”If the owner is the lad”