"We sha'n't starve here," said Dinny, with a grin of satisfaction, and before many minutes had passed a fire was kindled in a sheltered nook, where the flame was not likely to be seen from the sea, and as soon as it was glowing, pieces of the pig, cut in a manner which would have disgusted a butcher, were frizzling in the embers. CHAPTER FOURTEEN. "MASTER JACK." They had been a month on the island, leading a dreamy kind of existence, and had begun to sleep of a night deeply and well without starting up half a dozen times bathed in sweat, and believing that the authorities from Plantation Settlement were on their track and about to take them by surprise. The question had been debated over and over again--What were they to do? but Dinny generally had the last word. "Why, who wants to do anything? Unless a man was in Ireland, where could he be better than he is here, with iverything a man could wish for but some more powder and a wife. Eh! Master Jack, ye handsome young rascal, that's what ye're always thinking about." "Jack" gave him an angry look, and coloured. "Look at him!" cried Dinny. "There's tell-tales. Niver mind, lad, it's human nature, and we're all full of it, and a good thing, too. Now come and get some cocoa-nuts, for the powder's growing very low and we shall have to take to pig hunting instead of shooting when its done." "Jack" hesitated, and then, as if suddenly making up his mind, accompanied the Irishman to the nearest grove where the cocoa palms grew close down to the sea. Here Dinny rolled up the sleeves of his coarse and ragged shirt, and climbed one tree as a lad does a pole; but the fruit when he reached it was immature, and he threw only one of the great husks down. "We don't want dhrink, but mate," said Dinny, selecting another tree, and beginning to climb; but the day was hot, there was a languid feeling induced by the moist atmosphere, and Dinny failed three times to reach the glorious green crown of leaves where the nuts nestled, and slid down again, sore in body and in temper. "A failure, Dinny!" said Jack. "Failure! yes. Can't ye see it is?" said the Irishman sourly, as he bent down and softly rubbed the inner sides of his knees. "Here, I'm not going to do all the climbing. You have a turn." "Jack" shook his head. "No skulking!" cried Dinny; "fair-play's a jool, me lad, so up you go. Ye're younger and cleverer wid yer arms and legs than I am. Why, ye ought to go up that tree like a monkey." "Jack" shook his head and frowned. "No," he said, "I'm no climber. Let's go back." "Widout a nut, and ready to be laughed at? Not I, me lad. Now, then, I shall have to tak ye in hand and mak a man of ye. Up wid ye." He caught the youth by the arm, and drew him, half-resisting, toward the tree. "No, no, Dinny. Nonsense! I could not climb the tree." "Bedad, an' ye've got to climb it!" cried Dinny. "Now, thin, take howld tightly, and up you go."