appeared to be discussing with much interest.

A breeze springing up, we returned to the ship, and toward evening,
still steering northward, the floating island was lost to view.

We were now in better spirits than heretofore. We had filled our water
tanks from the ice floes, and supplied ourselves with sufficient fresh
seal meat to last until we came to a warmer climate, to begin again our
search for the Island of Gems. The men we had with us upon this voyage
were a better class than were the crew of the "Endraght", and we had no
fear of mutiny. There were grumblings occasionally at the length of
the voyage, but these vanished at each fresh adventure. Sailors, as a
rule, are easily led, and if there is no evil influence at work among
them they seldom incline to mutiny when they know that the safety of
all depends upon discipline and obedience to the captain's orders.



CHAPTER XIV

AN OLD ACQUAINTANCE


Most of the islands we visited on our return to the South Seas we found
to be inhabited. But some, although well-wooded, and possessing a
luxuriant vegetation, were unoccupied except by sea-fowl. It was toward
one of these islands we now directed our course in order to fill our
water tanks, when we observed a solitary figure upon the beach whose
hair and beard hung down in a tangled mass upon his chest and
shoulders, while the skins of some small fur-coated animal, roughly