CHAPTER VI.



An excursion into the interior, in which we make many valuable and
interesting discoveries - We get a dreadful fright - The bread-
fruit tree - Wonderful peculiarity of some of the fruit trees -
Signs of former inhabitants.


OUR first care, after breakfast, was to place the few articles we
possessed in the crevice of a rock at the farther end of a small
cave which we discovered near our encampment. This cave, we hoped,
might be useful to us afterwards as a store-house. Then we cut two
large clubs off a species of very hard tree which grew near at
hand. One of these was given to Peterkin, the other to me, and
Jack armed himself with the axe. We took these precautions because
we purposed to make an excursion to the top of the mountains of the
interior, in order to obtain a better view of our island. Of
course we knew not what dangers might befall us by the way, so
thought it best to be prepared.

Having completed our arrangements and carefully extinguished our
fire, we sallied forth and walked a short distance along the sea-
beach, till we came to the entrance of a valley, through which
flowed the rivulet before mentioned. Here we turned our backs on
the sea and struck into the interior.

The prospect that burst upon our view on entering the valley was
truly splendid. On either side of us there was a gentle rise in