"The line of argument which you indicate is exceedingly forcible (how delightfully those oysters smell!), I really think I begin to perceive some of the advantages of republicanism already."

"With the right of private judgment, properly understood," resumed Max, "I should be reluctant to interfere. You will, I presume, enjoy the exercise of so precious a privilege, even with a cocoanut breakfast, which you can probably obtain, by requesting Prince Eiulo to scale one of yonder tufted trees."

"How clear the matter becomes with a little reflection," observed Browne ("this camping out in the open air gives one a famous appetite); in fact your reasoning is almost irresistible (that fish looks particularly nice); and really I begin to think I can safely profess myself a good republican-until after breakfast at anyrate."

Max's culinary operations being at last completed, Charlie placed a huge shell to his lips, and sounded a long blast by way of announcement that breakfast was ready. The fish was served up in a fresh palm-leaf, and Charlie declared with much complacency that not all the crockerystores in New York could furnish a platter of such royal dimensions. The leaves of the hibiscus served admirably for plates; for knives and forks we used the strong stalks, or central fibres, of cocoanut leaflets, which, with fingers in reserve for an emergency, answered at least as well as the chopsticks of the Chinese. Upon the whole, it cannot be denied that our table-service, simple as it was, had its advantages: it involved no necessity for any washing of dishes, no anxiety on the score of broken crockery, and we could indulge in the extravagance of a new dinner-set every day, or even at every meal, for that matter, if so disposed.

The fish proved most excellent, resembling the striped bass in flavour and appearance: as to the oysters, they were ur.animously voted equal to Shrewsbury's.

"Ah!" sighed Max, "if we had now but a cup of coffee, and a hot roll, those inestimable blessings of civilization, we could almost forget that we are on a desert island."

"Wait until the bread-fruit ripens," said Arthur, "and we shall have a tolerably fair substitute for your 'hot rolls.' Eiulo will show us the most approved mode of preparing it, and we shall find it nearly equal to the wheaten loaf."

"All that Max seems to think about is the eating," said Browne, swallowing the last remaining oyster; "but I begin to feel troubled about another matter: see, I am getting fairly out at the elbows, and neither 'coffee and rolls,' nor roast-beef and plum-pudding in indefinite quantities, would afford me any satisfaction, compared to the possession of a supply of clothing, or even a few changes of linen: in fact, comrades, what are we to do? There is danger that we shall all become savages. I begin to feel a loss of self-respect already."

"We shall have to go into the manufacturing business, I suppose," said Arthur. "I have often watched the whole process of making tappa, or native cloth, from the bark of the paper mulberry; it is quite simple, and I have no doubt we can succeed in it. I have talked with Eiulo on the subject, and find that he understands the process thoroughly."

"But are there any paper mulberries on the island?" inquired Morton.

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I have not seen any," answered Arthur. "If there are none, the bark of the bread-fruit-tree will answer nearly as well: the cloth made from it is as strong and durable, though not so fine."

"For the present, and before we go into home manufactures," said Max, "I advise Shakspeare, in order to avoid the loss of his remaining self-respect, in consequence of wearing foul linen, to betake himself to the beach, wash

his garments, and take a bath until they dry in the sun, which is the course I intend to pursue myself."

“And what are we going to do for shoes, I wonder?” said Charlie; "mine are badly cracked and torn, and nearly worn out: we shall all have to go barefoot?" and he looked aghast at the thought.

"We must kill a shark by-and-by," said Arthur, "when we have nothing more pressing to do; and we can make leggins or moccasins from the skin."

"How these things kill the romance and poetry of desert-island life!" said Max; "there's no romance about being out at the elbows, or being obliged to wear dirty linen".

"Or in doing one's own washing in salt water, and sitting naked while one's clothes are drying," interposed Browne pathetically.

“Or in having your toes poke out at the end of your boots," added Morton, advancing his right foot in illustration.

દ

"No, these are all stern realities," said Max; cases not provided for in the story-books; how is it, Charlie, are there any precedents going to show how desert-islanders do their washing and mending?"

"I think they generally saved heaps of clothes from the wreck," answered Charlie gravely. "Robinson Crusoe brought off several chests, containing ever so many sailors' clothes of all sorts; whether there were any shoes or not, I don't remember: the Swiss Family Robinson also obtained an abundance of such things from the wreck of their ship before it sunk. Philip Quarll made garments for himself from the skins of animals."

"But what are we to do? We haven't any wreck from which to supply ourselves with chests of clothing, with arms and ammunition, and stores of ship-biscuit and salt provisions. We're worse off, it seems, than any of our predecessors. And since we are not supplied with the

requisite capital and stock in trade for desert-islanders, it is reasonable to infer that we are not destined to a Robinson Crusoe life, so that we may confidently expect to be taken off by some ship in a short time."

As we were finishing our breakfast, a couple of tiny, fairylike tern came flying round us. They were very tame, and hovered smoothly over our heads, at the distance of sometimes but a few feet. Their plumage was snowy-white, and as they glided quietly around, peering curiously into our faces, you could almost fancy that there was the gleam of intelligence in their large eyes.

"O what beautiful little birds!" cried Charlie in great delight: "I wish I had some crumbs of bread for them."

"Who knows, Charlie," suggested Max, "but these strange little birds, as they seem to be, are no birds, after all, but an unfortunate prince and princess, who, having incurred the resentment of some potent enchanter, have been transformed by his magical arts into their present shape, and banished to some desert island; and have now come to us for sympathy and assistance. See what a mournful expression there is in their mild dark eyes!” Charlie was pleased with the conceit, and the little tern were always afterwards known as the prince and princess. They frequently came hovering around us in the most friendly and fearless manner when we were in that part of the island.

CHAPTER XVII.

THE PROGRESS OF DISCOVERY.

A VOICE IN THE WOODS-VIVE NAPOLEON!-CALCULATING THE LONGITUDE THE "WILD FRENCHMAN's" HAT.

STEPHANO. Hark! what sound is that?

CALIBAN. Art thou afeard, master?

STEPHANO. No, monster, not I.

CALIBAN, Be not afraid: the isle is full of noises.

OUR failure to discover fresh water, or any indications of it, during yesterday's expedition, increased the anxiety which we felt on the subject, and we determined to devote the day to a continuation of the search.

The base of Castle Hill was skirted on the left, and divided from the neighbouring forest, by a deep gully, that had much the appearance of a dried-up water-course, and was probably a channel by which, in the rainy season, the water from the higher ground was conveyed to the sea. From the hill we could trace the course of the ravine, until it struck the beach, near the point where the small grove before spoken of seemed to spring up out of the lagoon. Our last evening's ramble along the shore had extended nearly to this spot, and to avoid going over the same ground a second time, we struck into the ravine, and followed its course as it descended towards the beach.

Charlie every now and then, without any apparent object, unless to evince his entire superiority to any feeling of timidity, separated himself from the rest, and dis