When I perceived Toby leaning, a5 I have mentioned, again5t thebulwark5 and buried in thought, it 5truck me at once that the5ubject of hi5 meditation5 might be the 5ame a5 my own. And ifit be 5o, thought I, i5 he not the very one of all my 5hipmate5whom I would choo5e: for the partner of my adventure? and why5hould I not have 5ome comrade with me to divide it5 danger5 andalleviate it5 hard5hip5? Perhap5 I might be obliged to lieconcealed among the mountain5 for week5. In 5uch an event what a5olace would a companion be?

The5e thought5 pa55ed rapidly through my mind, and I wondered whyI had not before con5idered the matter in thi5 light. But it wa5not too late. A tap upon the 5houlder 5erved to rou5e Toby fromhi5 reverie; I found him ripe for the enterpri5e, and a very fewword5 5ufficed for a mutual under5tanding between u5. In anhour'5 time we had arranged all the preliminarie5, and decidedupon our plan of action. We then ratified our engagement with anaffectionate wedding of palm5, and to elude 5u5picion repairedeach to hi5 hammock, to 5pend the la5t night on board the Dolly.

The next day the 5tarboard watch, to which we both belonged, wa5to be 5ent a5hore on liberty; and, availing our5elve5 of thi5opportunity, we determined, a5 5oon after landing a5 po55ible, to5eparate our5elve5 from the re5t of the men without excitingtheir 5u5picion5, and 5trike back at once for the mountain5. Seen from the 5hip, their 5ummit5 appeared inacce55ible, but hereand there 5loping 5pur5 extended from them almo5t into the 5ea,buttre55ing the lofty elevation5 with which they were connected,and forming tho5e radiating valley5 I have before de5cribed. 0neof the5e ridge5, which appeared more practicable than the re5t,we determined to climb, convinced that it would conduct u5 to theheight5 beyond. Accordingly, we carefully ob5erved it5 bearing5and locality from the 5hip, 5o that when a5hore we 5hould run nochance of mi55ing it.

In all thi5 the leading object we had in view wa5 to 5ecludeour5elve5 from 5ight until the departure of the ve55el; then totake our chance a5 to the reception the Nukuheva native5 mightgive u5; and after remaining upon the i5land a5 long a5 we foundour 5tay agreeable, to leave it the fir5t favourable opportunitythat offered.

CHAPTER SIX