“Yes, there is evidently a herd of wild pigs in the island, if not several. They have been down here lately.”
“But surely there would not be wild boars and sows in an island like this?” said Sir John.
“No,” said the captain, “but pigs that have run wild. You see, the old voyagers left two or three pairs in a good many places, and they have increased largely. This must have been one of the favoured islands.”
Further proof was given a short distance farther on, for they had a glimpse of a herd which seemed to be fifty or sixty strong, whose leaders stood grunting and staring at the new-comers for a moment or two before whisking round and dashing off among the trees, to be hidden directly by the low growth, a head or a tail being seen at intervals; and then every sign was gone.
“Well,” said the doctor to Jack, “that’s another discovery to the good: fresh pork and poultry.”
“You can’t eat parrots,” said Jack, laughing.
“Why?” said the doctor.
“Oh, those highly-coloured birds can’t be good.”
“Wait a bit, my young philosopher. I never knew that gaily-coloured barn-door cockerels were ‘bad’, and I know that a young peacock is as good as a pheasant; so where is your theory now?”
“Yes, Jack, you are beaten,” said Sir John merrily.