"I dare say they have littered by this time, sir; they have no want of food."
"But can they eat the cocoa-nuts?"
"Not the old ones, but they can the young ones, which are constantly dropping from the trees, and then there's plenty of roots for them. If we stay long here we shall soon have good sport hunting them; but we must be very careful; for although they were tame pigs when we brought them on shore, they will be wild and very savage in a very short time."
"How must we hunt them?" said Mr. Seagrave.
"Why, sir, with the dogs, and then shoot them. I am glad that Vixen will have pups soon; we shall want more dogs."
"Shall we not have more mouths than we can find food for?"
"Never fear that, sir, as long as we have the sea to fish in. Dogs live very well upon fish, even if it is raw."
"We shall have some lambs soon, Ready, shall we not?"
"Yes, sir, I expect very soon. I wish we had more food for the animals: they are put rather hard to it just now; but next year, if we find more food on the island, we must keep the grass near home, to make hay and stack it for the winter time - or the rainy season rather, for there is no winter in these latitudes. I'm pretty sure we shall find some clear land on the south of the island, for the cocoa-nut grove does not extend so close to the water on that side as it does on the north."
"I do so long to go on our exploring party," said William.