Sue was lifted out of the boat, and then the sailors took out the basket of lunch and carried it up, putting it under some of the green, graceful palm trees. Mr. Brown told the sailors they could roam about wherever they liked, but to come back to the boat at noon, when they would be given something to eat.
“Thank you, sir,” said Will, touching his cap, and Sam did likewise. Then Mr. Brown stretched out on his back under one of the palm trees.
“Oh, it’s fine here!” he said with a long breath of contentment.
“Lovely,” agreed his wife.
“I’m going to get a cocoanut!” cried Bunny.
“Don’t eat any without showing them to us first!” warned his mother, as Sue and the little boy raced off toward another clump of trees which were laden with nuts. “He might eat the wrong thing,” she added.
“You can’t make much of a mistake with a cocoanut,” said Mr. Brown, laughing. “Still, it’s best to be on the safe side. Anyhow, they can’t open a cocoanut without help. I guess we’ll have to depend on the big knives of the sailors for that.”
A little later Bunny and Sue came running back, each with a large cocoanut, having picked them up off the ground where they had doubtless been blown by the late storm.
“Open it and let us drink some of the juice!” begged Bunny.
Mr. Brown called to the sailors, and with their heavy clasp knives they cut through the soft, but thick, fibrous husk which encloses all cocoanuts. The nut itself was much smaller than it appeared on first view, and the shell enclosing the white meat was much thinner than the husk covering.