While the mother packed everything up, Fritz and I got some sugar-cane shoots which I wished to plant, and then we returned to the shore and again embarked.
Before returning to Whale Island, I felt a strong wish to round Cape Disappointment and survey the coast immediately beyond, but the promontory maintained the character of its name, and we found that a long sandbank, as well as hidden reefs and rocks, ran out a great way into the sea.
Fritz espying breakers ahead, we put about at once, and aided by a light breeze, directed our course toward Whale Island.
On landing, I began at once to plant the saplings we had brought. The boys assisted me for a while, but wearied somewhat of the occupation, and one after another went off in search of shells and coral, leaving their mother and me to finish the work.
Presently Jack came back, shouting loudly:
"Father! Mother! do come and look. There is an enormous skeleton lying here; the skeleton of some fearful great beast—a mammoth, I should think."
"Why, Jack!" returned I, laughing, "have you forgot our old acquaintance, the whale? What else could it be?"
"Oh, no, father, it is not the whale. This thing has not fish bones, but real good, honest, huge beast bones. I don't know what can have become of the whale—floated out to sea, most likely. This mammoth is ever so much bigger. Come and see!"
As I was about to follow the boy, a voice from another direction suddenly cried:
"Father! father! a great enormous turtle! Please make haste. It is waddling back to the sea as hard as it can go, and we can't stop it."