It was the same with the lovely racket-tailed kingfishers and the fly-catchers, some of which had tails double the length of their own bodies, and of a delicacy that was beautiful in the extreme.
But I must go back to the rest of our adventures that day, for as soon as we had dined and had a rest, Uncle Dick signed to Ebo that he should make a rough hut beneath this tree, ready for our sleeping that night, and leaving him industriously at work, we started off together to try and explore a little more of the island.
Going as straight as we could, we were not very long before, from a bit of a hill, we could see the blue waters of the ocean spreading far and wide, and soon after we made out the great rollers falling over upon the sands, which spread right and left, of a dazzling whiteness, being composed entirely of powdered-up coral and madrepore.
There was no need, my uncle said, to go farther that day, for we had found out that it was no great distance across the island; the thing now was to discover its length.
“It seems a foolish thing to do, perhaps, Nat,” said my uncle, “but I should very much like to try a little more exploration to-day. I don’t think we will shoot any more birds, but examine the land instead, so as to be a little at home with its shape, ready for making a trip here and there in the future. We shall be able to mark down good spots, too, for finding specimens in the future.”
“But shall you stay here long, uncle?” I asked.
“That I cannot answer, Nat,” he replied, as we shouldered our guns and trudged on. “It all depends upon the number of specimens we find, and so far it seems to me that we might travel far before we hit again upon such a wild paradise.”
“I wonder how Uncle Joe would like to live here!” I said laughing. “What a garden he might have, and how things would grow! Oh, how I should like to help him build the house and get the garden in order!”
“Your Uncle Joe would be happy anywhere, Nat,” said my uncle. “He is one of those contented amiable men who are always at rest; but I’m afraid your Aunt Sophia would soon find it dull, and be grumbling because there was no gas, no pavement, no waterworks, no omnibuses, no cabs, no railroads. No, Nat, my boy, your Aunt Sophia would be miserable here.”
“And yet it is such a lovely place,” I cried enthusiastically. “Everything is so beautiful. Oh! uncle, I could stay here forever.”