“What are we going to do? We’ll have to eat lobster, or starve.” “I feel,” said Phil, “that I’m growing to be a lobster myself; my skin is turning quite hard.” “I’m beginning to lose faith in desert islands,” said Arthur. “Yes,--they’re a failure.” “But how do we know?” said Bart. “We haven’t explored yet. We don’t know half of what may be on the island.” “We know pretty well what there is,” said Bruce. “Spruce trees, maple trees, moss, and rocks,--that’s about all.” “Unfortunately, it isn’t a South Sea island, and so we can’t expect to pull cocoa-nuts from the trees, or have bread-fruit for our breakfasts. There are no mangoes, no bananas, no oranges, no grapes, no nothing, unless we choose to eat bark and fir cones.” “The next time we try a desert island, boys, I move that we make tracks for the Pacific Ocean,” said Arthur. “I second that motion,” cried Phil. “It’s rather odd,” said Bart, “that all of us should get tired of lobster at the same time.” “It would be odder yet,” said Tom, “if any of us had been able to stand it any longer.” “That’s about the thing,” said Bruce. “And so the question remains yet,” said Arthur, “What are we going to do?” No one answered. They all sat looking at the fire. Phil seized some brush and flung it on; the flames caught it, and crackled through it, and dashed up fiercely and brightly, lighting up five very hungry, very tired, and very discontented faces. “Hurrah!” cried Bart at last, starting to his feet. “Hurrah! I have it!” “What’s that?” “Gulls’ eggs!” said Bart. “Not bad,” said Bruce. “At any rate we can try it. Perhaps we may find some young gulls. They eat young rooks in England; why shouldn’t young gulls be good?” “We’ll try it to-morrow,” said Tom. “At any rate,” said Bart, “it all comes to this. We must explore the island. I’ve got my pistol. Who knows what may turn up. We may come across lots of rabbits, or, at any rate, wild fowl. Come, now, things are not so bad after all. Tomorrow will show us what the chances are for our dinner table.” This was now the only consolation they had. The lobsters had grown abhorrent, and they could not think of touching them any more. Hungry as they were after all their hard work, they threw aside the only food that they could get. They were compelled to go supperless to bed, and there dream of more agreeable food. Fortunately, though they could not eat, they could sleep; and soon all were wandering far away in the land of Nod. IX. _Exploring.--A wild Walk.--On the Lookout for Prey.--What is it?--Is it a wild Goose?--Tremendous Sensation, the Explorers being as much astounded as Robinson Crusoe was when he discovered the human Footprints in the Sand._