Part 5 (1/2)
Ready and Willia, they found that the ground was not so level as it had been - soradually up hill, at others down
”I alad to find the island is not so flat here; we have a better chance of finding water”
”It is much steeper before us,” replied Williaround now becah still covered with cocoa-nut trees, even thicker together than before They continued theirat the compass, until William showed symptoet through than at first
”How many miles do you think we have walked, Ready?” said willy
”About eight, I should think”
”Not ht?”
”No; I do not think that we haveby cohter before us, now that we are at the top of this hill”
”It does, Ready; I fancy I can see the blue sky again”
”Your eyes are younger than mine, William, and perhaps you may - however, we shall soon find out”
They now descended into a sain As soon as they arrived at the top, William cried out, ”The sea, Ready! there's the sea!”
”Very true, Williaht we never should get out of that nasty wood again,” said William, as he impatiently pushed on, and at last stood clear of the cocoa-nut grove Ready soon joined him, and they surveyed the scene before them in silence
Chapter XV
”Oh! how beautiful!” exclaimed Williaht the other side of the island very pretty, but it's nothing compared to this”
”It is very beautiful,” replied Ready, thoughtfully
A rove terminated about a quarter of a mile from the beach, very abruptly, for there was a rapid descent for about thirty feet from where they stood to the land below, on which was a rass knolls and brushwood, to about fifty yards fro white sand, occasionally divided by narrow ridges of rock which ran inland The water was a deep blue, except where it was broken into white foam on the reefs, which extended for miles from the beach, and the rocks of which now and then showed theannets and men-of-war birds, while others wheeled in the air, every now and then darting down into the blue sea, and bringing up in their bills a fish out of the shoals which rippled the water, or bounded clear of it in their gambols The form of the coast was that of a horse-shoe bay - two points of land covered with shrubs extending far out on each side The line of the horizon, far out at sea, was clear and unbroken
Ready re; he scanned the horizon right and left, and then he turned his eyes along the land At last Willia of, Ready?”
”Why, I a that we must look for water as fast as we can”
”But why are you so anxious?”
”Because I can see no island to leeward of us as I expected, and therefore there is less chance of getting off this island; and this bay, although very beautiful, is full of reefs, and I see no inlet, which e at first sight Let us now sit down and take our dinner, and after that ill explore a little”
Ready cut tide marks in the stems of the cocoa-nut trees, and then descended with Williaround, where they sat down to eat their dinner As soon as their e, and Ready turned his eyes inland to see if he could discover any little ravine or hollohich ht be likely to contain fresh water ”There are one or two places there,” observed Ready, pointing to theer, ”where the water has run down in the rainy season: we must examine them carefully, but not noant to find out whether there is any h this reef of rocks, or othere shall have very hard work (if we change our abode to this spot) to bring all our stores through that wood; so ill pass the rest of this day in exa the coast, and to-s, Ready, they are drinking the sea-water, poor things!”
”They won't drink much of that, I expect; you see they don't like it already”
”How beautiful the corals are - look here, they grow like little trees under the water, - and look here, here is really a flower in bloo on that rock just below the water”
”Put your finger to it, Master William,” said Ready
William did so, and the flower, as he called it, immediately shut up
”Why, it's flesh, and alive!”
”Yes, it is; I have often seen them before: they call them sea-anemones - they are animals; but I don't knohether they are shell-fish or not Now, let us walk out to the end of this point of land, and see if we can discover any opening in the reef The sun is going down, and we shall not have ht, and then we must look out for a place to sleep in”
”But what is that?” cried Willia?”
”That's what I'lad to see, Willia to drop their eggs, and then they bury them in the sand”
”Can't we catch theo about it quietly; but you o behind them, or they will throw such a shower of sand upon you, with their hind flappers or fins, that they would blind you and escape at the saet at their heads and turn them over on their backs by one of the fore-fins, and then they cannot turn back again”
”Let us go and catch that one”
”I should think it very foolish to do so, as we could not take it away, and it would die to-morrow from the heat of the sun”
”I did not think of that, Ready; if we come to live here, I suppose we shall catch them whenever ant them”
”No, we shall not, for they only co-season; but ill et out of, but which the sea flows into; and then e catch them ill put them into it, and have them ready for use as we require theood plan,” replied Willia their way through the brushhich grew thick upon the point of land, soon arrived at the end of it
”What is that out there?” said Williaht of where they stood