Johnny liked the spot which we occupied so well, that he proposed
"building a hut" upon it, and making it our head-quarters, as long as we
should have to stay on the island. It was certainly a pleasant site;
and, commanding as it did a wide view of the ocean, vessels could be
descried at a greater distance, and signalled with a surer prospect of
attracting notice, than from any other locality yet known to us. From
the wooded summit, the land descended on every side--towards the shore
in a series of terraces--towards the interior in one smooth and
continuous slope, after which it again rose in a succession of densely
wooded eminences, irregular and picturesque in their outlines, and each
higher than the last as you proceeded inland; the farthest of them
towering up in strong relief against the south-eastern sky. The various
shades of the masses of different kinds of foliage, with which these
heights were clothed, from that of the pale-leaved candle-nut, to the
sombre green of the bread-fruit groves, contributed greatly to the
pleasing effect of the landscape. On the right, as you looked towards
the ocean, lay the flat tract, occupied by the sea-fowl, and which
Johnny had named after them. At nearly an equal distance on the left,
the line of the beach was broken, by what appeared to be a small grove,
or clump of trees, detached from the main forest, and planted directly
on the line of the shore.
As we had concluded to suspend our explorations until the next day,
every one was left to his own resources for the remainder of the
afternoon. Johnny having set Morton at work, to make him a bow, "to
shoot birds with," began to occupy himself in the very important task of
finding an appropriate name for the height, which he finally concluded
to call "Castle-Hill," from its regular shape and bold steep outlines.
Max extended himself on his back in the coolest nook he could find, and
spreading his handkerchief over his face, to protect it from the gaudy,
but troublesome, winged insects which haunted the spot, forbade any one
to disturb him on pain of his high displeasure. Arthur, taking Eiulo
with him, proceeded upon a botanising tour about the neighbourhood, in
the hope of making some discovery that might prove useful to us. For my
own part, happening to think of the question which had been started in
the morning, as to the day of the week, I began to make a retrospect of
all that had taken place since the fearful night of the mutiny, and to
endeavour to fix the order of subsequent events, so as to arrive at the
number of days we had been at sea, and upon the island. In the course
of these calculations, and while Browne and myself were discussing the
matter, he suggested the want of pencil and paper. I found that the
last leaf had been torn from my pocket-book, and the rest were in an
equally destitute condition. In this strait, I remembered having heard
Arthur describe the manner in which the native children had been taught
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