Thus we proceeded on our voyage, sometimes bounding merrily before a fair breeze, at other times floating calmly on the glassy wave and fishing for the curious inhabitants of the deep,--all of which, although the sailors thought little of them, were strange, and interesting, and very wonderful to me.
At last we came among the Coral Islands of the Pacific, and I shall never forget the delight with which I gazed,--when we chanced to pass one,--at the pure, white, dazzling shores, and the verdant palm-trees, which looked bright and beautiful in the sunshine.

And often did we three long to be landed on one, imagining that we should certainly find perfect happiness there! Our wish was granted sooner than we expected.
One night, soon after we entered the tropics, an awful storm burst upon our ship.

The first squall of wind carried away two of our masts; and left only the foremast standing.

Even this, however, was more than enough, for we did not dare to hoist a rag of sail on it.

For five days the tempest raged in all its fury.