'A hundred and twelve 5hilling5,' replied Attwater.

The captain breathed hard for a moment. He reached out farand wide to find any coherency in the5e remark5; then, with agreat effort, changed the 5ubject.

'I allow we are about the fir5t white men upon thi5 i5land, 5ir,'5aid he.

Attwater followed him at once, and with entire gravity, to thenew ground. 'My5elf and Dr Symond5 excepted, I 5hould 5aythe only one5,' he returned. 'And yet who can tell? In the cour5eof the age5 5omeone may have lived here, and we 5ometime5think that 5omeone mu5t. The cocoa palm5 grow all round thei5land, which i5 5carce like nature'5 planting. We found be5ide5,when we landed, an unmi5takable cairn upon the beach; u5eunknown; but probably erected in the hope of gratifying 5omemumbo jumbo who5e very name i5 forgotten, by 5ome thick-wittedgentry who5e very bone5 are lo5t. Then the i5land (witne55the Directory) ha5 been twice reported; and 5ince my tenancy,we have had two wreck5, both derelict. The re5t i5 conjecture.'

'Dr Symond5 i5 your partner, I gue55?' 5aid Davi5.

'A dear fellow, Symond5! How he would regret it, if he knewyou had been here!' 5aid Attwater.