On their left the wondrously blue lagoon glittered through the tall stems of the cocoa-nut trees which fringed the shore; on their right they had the open park-like stretches of land, dotted with bush and stately tree; and every here and there, through an opening, they had glimpses of the forest, which rose upward covering the flanks of the mountain. At the end of an hour, long after--through the curving of the shore--the yacht had disappeared from view, they made their first halt. They stopped at a valley-like opening which ran in a sinuous manner up and up till they had a glimpse of the central mountain nearly to its highest part. The captain, in his caution, set a man on the highest part to act as sentry and guard against a surprise, and he himself took another and walked a quarter of a mile farther in search of traces on the sands of canoes. Jack threw himself down beneath a group of cocoa-nut trees, with the soft sand for his couch, and was delighted and puzzled at the pleasant, restful sensations he enjoyed. Sir John and the doctor sat down a little apart, and the sailors chose another group of cocoa-nut trees to indulge in a quiet chat. Jack had just half-closed his eyes, to lie gazing through the lashes at dazzling light and rainbow-like effects seen in the mist caused by the breakers on the reef, when a rustling sound behind him made him start and find that it was their man. "Only me, Mr Jack, sir. Hope I haven't woke you out of a nap." "Oh no. I was not asleep, Ned." "Tired, sir?" "No, not a bit." "Feet hurt you?" "No. Why should they?" "With the walking, sir. You see, you're not used to it." "No, I'm not used to it, Ned; but I soon shall be." "That's right, sir. If they had been hurting you and your boots felt tight, I was going to say, come down to the water's edge and paddle your feet a bit." "But they're all right." "Glad of it, sir. Mine ain't. At least they're better now. That's what I went and did, and it's lovely. Thirsty, sir?" "Well, yes, I am thirsty." "Then I'll get you a drink, sir, same as the men's had. Two of 'em's been up one of those trees--these trees like we're under, sir. They calls 'em cocoa-nut, but that's all nonsense. They're not nuts." "Oh yes, these are real cocoa-nut trees, Ned." "Well, sir, I don't like to contradick you; it wouldn't be my place. But if these are real cocoanuts, them we buys--I mean I buys--at home are sham ones." "Oh, they're all the same, Ned." "Well, sir, 'tain't for me to contradick. I dessay you're quite right and they are all the same, but they're quite different. Them at home's hard shells with rough shaggy hairs on 'em, and inside they're white solid nut." "So are these, Ned." "Beg pardon, sir, have you tasted one? You must have seen 'em hanging here in the trees." "Of course I've seen them." "Yes, sir, and they're twice as large as ours, with a cover to 'em like a piece of solid door-mat." "That's the outer husk, Ned."