The Island Queen | Page 7

her hands.
"Never fear, lad," said his brother in reassuring tones, "she'll soon come
round. Lend a hand to lift her."
They bore the fainting girl up the beach, and laid her on a grassy spot
under a bush. And now Dominick was glad to find that he had been
mistaken in supposing that the coral reef was a mere sandbank,
destitute of vegetation. Indeed, before landing, he had observed that
there were a few trees on the highest part of it. He now perceived that
there was quite a little grove of cocoa-nut palms, with a thicket of
underwood around them, which, if not extensive, was at all events
comparatively dense. He pointed out the fact to Otto, who was chafing
his sister's hands.

"Ay," responded Otto, "and the island on the other side must be a
goodish big one, for I got a glimpse of it through the trees as we came
rushing in on that monstrous wave."
In a short time Pauline recovered, and Dominick returned to the water's
edge with Otto.
"Our first care must be," he said, "to save our little boat if we can, for it
is the only means we have of escaping from this island."
"Escaping!" repeated Otto, in surprise. "I don't want to escape from it,
Dom."
"Indeed! why not?"
"Why, because I've dreamed about being cast on a desolate island
hundreds of times, and I've read about Robinson Crusoe, and all the
other Crusoes, and I've longed to be cast on one, and now I am cast on
one, so I don't want to escape. It'll be the greatest fun in the world. I
only hope I won't wake up, as usual, to find that it's all a dream!"
Dominick laughed (not scornfully, by any means) at the boy's
enthusiasm; nevertheless he had strong sympathy with him, for the
period had not passed so long ago when he himself entertained a very
vivid impression of the romance of such a situation, and he did not
trouble his mind about the stern realities.
"I sincerely hope it may come up to your expectations, Otto, my boy;
nevertheless we must secure the boat for fishing purposes, even though
we don't try to escape in it."
"For fishing! why, we have neither hooks nor lines."
"True, lad; but we have got fingers and brains. It strikes me that we
shall have occasion to use all our powers and possessions if we are not
to starve here, for the reef seems to have very little vegetation on it, and
there is sure to be a lagoon of water on the other side, separating it from
the island beyond."

"I wonder if there is fresh water on the reef," said Otto, with a very
sudden look of solemnity and pursing of the mouth.
"You may well ask that. I hope there is. We will go and settle the point
the moment we have secured the boat, if--"
He stopped, for he saw at that moment that the sea had taken good care
to secure the boat to itself as a plaything. Having dashed it into small
pieces, it was by that time busily engaged in tossing these about among
the foam, now hurling the splinters high upon the shore, anon sending
up long watery tongues to lick them back, and then casting them under
the incoming rollers, to be further reduced into what is usually styled
matchwood.
There was a small bay close at hand, where the sandy beach was strewn
with rocks, in which the sea appeared to play this game with unusual
vigour. It was a sort of hospital for marine incurables, into which the
sea cast its broken toys when tired of smashing them up, and left them
there to rot.
Regarding this spot with a thoughtful look, Dominick remarked that the
wreck which lay on the rocks off the tail of the island was by no means
the first that had taken place there.
"And won't be the last, I fancy," said Otto.
"Probably not. Indeed, from the appearance of this bay, and the fact
that an ocean current drifted us towards the spot, I should think that the
island is a particularly dangerous one for vessels. But come, we'll go
see how Pina gets on, and then proceed to examine our new home."
Returning to the place where Pauline had been left, they found the poor
girl wringing the water out of her dress. The news of the fate of the
little boat did not seem to affect her much, she did not fully appreciate
the loss, and was more taken up with the idea of thankfulness for
deliverance from death.
"May I not go with you?" she asked, on hearing that her brothers were

going to search for water.
"Certainly. I thought