and your soul." So I felt much comforted when I thought thereon.

The ship was now very near the rocks. The men were ready with the
boat, and the captain beside them giving orders, when a tremendous
wave came towards us. We three ran towards the bow to lay hold of
our oar, and had barely reached it when the wave fell on the deck
with a crash like thunder. At the same moment the ship struck, the
foremast broke off close to the deck and went over the side,
carrying the boat and men along with it. Our oar got entangled
with the wreck, and Jack seized an axe to cut it free, but, owing
to the motion of the ship, he missed the cordage and struck the axe
deep into the oar. Another wave, however, washed it clear of the
wreck. We all seized hold of it, and the next instant we were
struggling in the wild sea. The last thing I saw was the boat
whirling in the surf, and all the sailors tossed into the foaming
waves. Then I became insensible.

On recovering from my swoon, I found myself lying on a bank of soft
grass, under the shelter of an overhanging rock, with Peterkin on
his knees by my side, tenderly bathing my temples with water, and
endeavouring to stop the blood that flowed from a wound in my
forehead.



CHAPTER III.



The Coral Island - Our first cogitations after landing, and the