Morning, and cogitations connected therewith - We luxuriate in the sea, try our diving powers, and make enchanting excursions among the coral groves at the bottom of the ocean - The wonders of the deep enlarged upon.
WHAT a joyful thing it is to awaken, on a fresh glorious morning, and find the rising sun staring into your face with dazzling brilliancy! - to see the birds twittering in the bushes, and to hear the murmuring of a rill, or the soft hissing ripples as they fall upon the sea-shore! At any time and in any place such sights and sounds are most charming, but more especially are they so when one awakens to them, for the fist time, in a novel and romantic situation, with the soft sweet air of a tropical climate mingling with the fresh smell of the sea, and stirring the strange leaves that flutter overhead and around one, or ruffling the plumage of the stranger birds that fly inquiringly around, as if to demand what business we have to intrude uninvited on their domains.When I awoke on the morning after the shipwreck, I found myself in this most delightful condition; and, as I lay on my back upon my bed of leaves, gazing up through the branches of the cocoa-nut trees into the clear blue sky, and watched the few fleecy clouds that passed slowly across it, my heart expanded more and more with an exulting gladness, the like of which I had never felt before.While Imeditated, my thoughts again turned to the great and kind Creator of this beautiful world, as they had done on the previous day, when I first beheld the sea and the coral reef, with the mighty waves dashing over it into the calm waters of the lagoon.
While thus meditating, I naturally bethought me of my Bible, for Ihad faithfully kept the promise, which I gave at parting to my beloved mother, that I would read it every morning; and it was with a feeling of dismay that I remembered I had left it in the ship.Iwas much troubled about this.However, I consoled myself with reflecting that I could keep the second part of my promise to her, namely, that I should never omit to say my prayers.So I rose quietly, lest I should disturb my companions, who were still asleep, and stepped aside into the bushes for this purpose.
On my return I found them still slumbering, so I again lay down to think over our situation.Just at that moment I was attracted by the sight of a very small parrot, which Jack afterwards told me was called a paroquet.It was seated on a twig that overhung Peterkin's head, and I was speedily lost in admiration of its bright green plumage, which was mingled with other gay colours.
While I looked I observed that the bird turned its head slowly from side to side and looked downwards, fist with the one eye, and then with the other.On glancing downwards I observed that Peterkin's mouth was wide open, and that this remarkable bird was looking into it.Peterkin used to say that I had not an atom of fun in my composition, and that I never could understand a joke.In regard to the latter, perhaps he was right; yet I think that, when they were explained to me, I understood jokes as well as most people:
but in regard to the former he must certainly have been wrong, for this bird seemed to me to be extremely funny; and I could not help thinking that, if it should happen to faint, or slip its foot, and fall off the twig into Peterkin's mouth, he would perhaps think it funny too! Suddenly the paroquet bent down its head and uttered a loud scream in his face.This awoke him, and, with a cry of surprise, he started up, while the foolish bird flew precipitately away.
"Oh you monster!" cried Peterkin, shaking his fist at the bird.
Then he yawned and rubbed his eyes, and asked what o'clock it was.
I smiled at this question, and answered that, as our watches were at the bottom of the sea, I could not tell, but it was a little past sunrise.
Peterkin now began to remember where we were.As he looked up into the bright sky, and snuffed the scented air, his eyes glistened with delight, and he uttered a faint "hurrah!" and yawned again.
Then he gazed slowly round, till, observing the calm sea through an opening in the bushes, he started suddenly up as if he had received an electric shock, uttered a vehement shout, flung off his garments, and, rushing over the white sands, plunged into the water.The cry awoke Jack, who rose on his elbow with a look of grave surprise; but this was followed by a quiet smile of intelligence on seeing Peterkin in the water.With an energy that he only gave way to in moments of excitement, Jack bounded to his feet, threw off his clothes, shook back his hair, and with a lion-like spring, dashed over the sands and plunged into the sea with such force as quite to envelop Peterkin in a shower of spray.Jack was a remarkably good swimmer and diver, so that after his plunge we saw no sign of him for nearly a minute; after which he suddenly emerged, with a cry of joy, a good many yards out from the shore.
