“So I saw,” I replied; “and I observed that you very nearly caught that fish by the tail. It would have done capitally for breakfast if you had.”
“Breakfast enough here,” said he, holding up the oysters, as we landed and ran up the beach. “Hallo! Peterkin, here you are, boy. Split open these fellows while Ralph and I put on our clothes. They’ll agree with the cocoa nuts excellently, I have no doubt.”
Peterkin, who was already dressed, took the oysters, and opened them with the edge of our axe, exclaiming, “Now, that is capital. There’s nothing I’m so fond of.”
“Ah! that’s lucky,” remarked Jack. “I’ll be able to keep you in good order now, Master Peterkin. You know you can’t dive any better than a cat. So, sir, whenever you behave ill, you shall have no oysters for breakfast.”
“I’m very glad that our prospect of breakfast is so good,” said I, “for I’m very hungry.”
“Here, then, stop your mouth with that, Ralph,” said Peterkin, holding a large oyster to my lips. I opened my mouth and swallowed it in silence, and really it was remarkably good.
We now set ourselves earnestly about our preparations for spending the day. We had no difficulty with the fire this morning, as our burning-glass was an admirable one; and while we roasted a few oysters and ate our cocoa nuts, we held a long, animated conversation about our plans for the future. What those plans were, and how we carried them into effect, the reader shall see hereafter.
CHAPTER VI.
An excursion into the interior, in which we make many valuable and interesting discoveries—We get a dreadful fright—The bread-fruit tree—Wonderful peculiarity of some of the fruit trees—Signs of former inhabitants.
Our first care, after breakfast, was to place the few articles we possessed in the crevice of a rock at the farther end of a small cave which we discovered near our encampment. This cave, we hoped, might be useful to us afterwards as a store-house. Then we cut two large clubs off a species of very hard tree which grew near at hand. One of these was given to Peterkin, the other to me, and Jack armed himself with the axe. We took these precautions because we purposed to make an excursion to the top of the mountains of the interior, in order to obtain a better view of our island. Of course we knew not what dangers might befall us by the way, so thought it best to be prepared.