CHAPTER THIRTY ONE.
HOW THEY ENTERED CRATER BAY.
The birds were now stowed away in the bows and stern, the former lot being investigated with plucking views by Jack, who, however, was stopped by his master and forced to seat himself on one of the thwarts, where he sat eyeing the game and evidently longing to begin, while the boat was now once more propelled swiftly, and judging from the numbers of these curious birds they saw, it seemed that a supply for food was not likely to fail for some time to come.
They rowed steadily on for quite a couple of hours more, beyond where Mark and the major had their encounter with the supposed savage, but there was no sign of the ship.
"He didn't dream it, did he ?" said the mate gruffly, as he stood up and scanned the line of coast in front.
"He could not," said the captain smiling.

"His coming here was no dream." "No; we did not bring him," assented the mate.

"Let's see; we are going due west now.

No doubt, I think, about this being an island." "Not the least," said the captain.

"Come on now and let's take the oars." They changed places with the men, Mark also taking his turn, and pulled steadily for quite a couple of hours more, but still there was no sign of the ship; and at last, as they came abreast of a little stream flowing down from a gorge in a high and rocky part of the land to leap from rock to rock with a musical plashing before it came gurgling through the sand, they decided to land, go and find a shady spot, and there rest and partake of the provisions with which they were prepared.
The boat was run ashore, the grapnel placed on the sand, and as they leaped on to the level surface one by one they reeled and caught at the air to save themselves from falling, for the sand seemed to heave like the sea.
"Are we giddy from rowing in the sun ?" said the captain excitedly.
"No; the earth moved.