The poor fellows in the boat made a hard
struggle to reach her, but long before they came near her she filled
and went down. It was after she foundered that I saw them trying to
pull to the island."
There was a long silence after Jack ceased speaking, and I have no
doubt that each was revolving in his mind our extraordinary position.
For my part, I cannot say that my reflections were very agreeable. I
knew that we were on an island, for Jack had said so, but whether it
was inhabited or not I did not know. If it should be inhabited, I felt
certain, from all I had heard of South Sea Islanders, that we should be
roasted alive and eaten. If it should turn out to be uninhabited, I
fancied that we should be starved to death. "Oh," thought I, "if the
ship had only struck on the rocks we might have done pretty well, for
we could have obtained provisions from her, and tools to enable us to
build a shelter; but now--alas! alas! we are lost!" These last words I
uttered aloud in my distress.
"Lost! Ralph?" exclaimed Jack, while a smile overspread his hearty
countenance. "Saved, you should have said. Your cogitations seem to
have taken a wrong road, and led you to a wrong conclusion."
"Do you know what conclusion _I_ have come to?" said Peterkin. "I
have made up my mind that it's capital--first-rate--the best thing
that ever happened to us, and the most splendid prospect that ever lay
before three jolly young tars.
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