hands into the tray and had stuffed his mouth and cheeks full almost
before a man could wink! The negro would have laughed aloud, but the
danger of choking was too great; he therefore laughed internally--an
operation which could not be fully understood unless seen. "'Splosions
of Perboewatan," may suggest the thing.

Sorrow, grief--whatever it was that habitually afflicted that
monkey--disappeared for the time being, while it devoted itself heart
and soul to dinner.

Feelings of a somewhat similar kind animated Nigel as he sat leaning
back with his mouth full, a biscuit in one hand, and a drumstick in the
other, and his eyes resting dreamily on the horizon of the still
tranquil sea, while the bright sun blazed upon his already bronzed face.

To many men the fierce glare of the equatorial sun might have proved
trying, but Nigel belonged to the salamander type of humanity and
enjoyed the great heat. Van der Kemp seemed to be similarly moulded, and
as for Moses, he was in his native element--so was Spinkie.

Strange as it may seem, sea-birds appeared to divine what was going on,
for several specimens came circling round the canoe with great
outstretched and all but motionless wings, and with solemn sidelong
glances of hope which Van der Kemp evidently could not resist, for he
flung them scraps of his allowance from time to time.

"If you have plenty of provisions on board, I should like to do that
too," said Nigel.

"Do it," returned the hermit. "We have plenty of food for some days, and