"
"What good will that do us!" said Peterkin; "there's wood enough on the
island to make a thousand oars."
"Ay, lad," replied Jack; "but there's a bit of hoop-iron at the end of
it, and that may be of much use to us."
"Very true," said I, "let us go fetch it;" and with that we all three
rose and hastened down to the beach. I still felt a little weak from
loss of blood, so that my companions soon began to leave me behind; but
Jack perceived this, and, with his usual considerate good-nature,
turned back to help me. This was now the first time that I had looked
well about me since landing, as the spot where I had been laid was
covered with thick bushes, which almost hid the country from our view.
As we now emerged from among these and walked down the sandy beach
together, I cast my eyes about, and truly my heart glowed within me and
my spirits rose at the beautiful prospect which I beheld on every side.
The gale had suddenly died away, just as if it had blown furiously till
it dashed our ship upon the rocks, and had nothing more to do after
accomplishing that. The island on which we stood was hilly, and covered
almost everywhere with the most beautiful and richly coloured trees,
bushes, and shrubs, none of which I knew the names of at that time,
except, indeed, the cocoa-nut palms, which I recognised at once from
the many pictures that I had seen of them before I left home. A sandy
beach of dazzling whiteness lined this bright green shore, and upon it
there fell a gentle ripple of the sea.
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