There were seen tall cocoanuts waving upon a bright, pebbly beach, rocks covered with flowers and vines, cascades flashing and gleaming as they glittered in the sunlight, and the broad waters of silver streams, gliding along through mossy grounds.
"Beautiful," said Mary, clapping her hands. "Papa! papa! are you there?"
She spoke half plaintively, half joyfully, clasping her hands like a little child.
Brand turned aside his head. Hardened as he was, the voice went straight to his ruffian heart, and he felt at that moment as if he would give worlds had he not committed the fearful crime which, after all, had been perpetrated for nothing.
Meanwhile Turk stood gazing steadily towards one of the island bays.
"If I ain't mistaken," said he, "there's an old wreck of some kind there!"
"Ay, ay," cried Harry; "I see it—the wreck of a schooner, if we may judge by the two stumps of her masts."
It was almost sundown before the raft touched upon the beach.
"We will commence our search for traces of your father," said Harry to Mary, after all had refreshed themselves with luxurious bananas and the remains of their fish, "by visiting that old wreck. If your parent be here, he probably has visited the hulk, and perhaps left some sign of his presence; a pipe, matches or something of that sort."