The man stared wonderingly at the doctor, feeling his head all over the while, and his eyes having a puzzled look in them, as if he couldn't quite make out whether the doctor was speaking seriously. But the next moment he took it as a piece of chaff and grinned. "It's all right, sir, but it did come an awful whack against one of these nuts." "Better see if you've damaged the nut," said the doctor sarcastically. "No, never mind. Head's too soft." Ned grinned again, and gave himself a rub as he looked down at the crown of the tree and then at the broken stump, snapped off a good five-and-twenty feet from the ground. "Here," he said, turning to the group of sailors, "you were precious full of your brag about climbing, and saying I couldn't. But I did, and now let's see one of you do that." There was a roar of laughter, and Sir John turned away, but the captain spoke rather seriously. "I wouldn't advise you to do this sort of thing again, young fellow. Now then, how do you feel? Can you go on with us, or will you wait here till we come back?" "Me wait here, sir?" cried Ned. "What, all alone? No, thank you, I'm all right, sir. Walk as well as any of them." "Then whoever wants a cocoa-nut had better have it, for we go on in five minutes." "Will you give me your knife, sir?" said Ned, turning to his young master. "Thankye, sir; I know how it's done;" and chopping off the husk and the top of the soft shell of one of the great nuts, he handed it to Jack, the sailors quickly getting the rest of the others and serving them the same, to hand to Sir John, the doctor, and captain, who all partook of the deliriously cool, sub-acid pulp. Then the word was given and the march commenced once more. Whether Ned suffered or not he kept to himself, for he resumed his jacket, boots, and belts, clapped on his pith hat, and stalked off with the rest, the way seeming to grow more and more beautiful, and the natural history specimens more attractive at every hundred yards they left behind. But there was no shooting, the object of the exploration being rigorously kept in mind, and they were just rounding what seemed to be the end of a great artificial dike that ran down from the slope on their right, when one of the men cried--"Look out! They must be close here." Every one stopped short, and guns and rifles were brought to the ready. "What is it?" said the captain in a low voice. "What did you see?" "Didn't see nothing, sir," replied the man. "I smelt 'em." "What do you mean?" "Must be some huts or cottages close here, where the people keeps pigs." "Yes, look, sir," cried another man, pointing; "they've been down here to the sea." He pointed to where, about a dozen yards away, there were abundant traces of a drove of pigs, and as the captain advanced, the odour which the sailor had noticed now became plain to all.