268 ALL ABOARD FOR SUNRISE LANDS.

up his hand after the bowl. At that moment the sea. gave an extra
pitch, and, as he was saying again, “ suthin’ nice comin’,” down tumbled
the bowl of chowder! Siah saw it on its way, and turning round
tried to dodge it, only to catch its contents on his dark Wc: now
covered with a savory but unwelcome cap.

“ Anybody lookin’ ?” thought Siah.

There was a roar from three or four dark woollen shirts near the
forecastle, and Siah was glad to steal away and wipe in secret the
new kind of hair-oil from his head.

That day Ralph and Rick both declared to Jack Bobstay that
they saw “ bushes” off in the water.

“ Bushes, boys! Those are coral’ islands.”

“Oh, tell us about them.”

“Well, I have been on them, and so know something about them ;
but if you want a full account, sure and reliable, you go to the
cap'n.”

Uncle Nat acceded to the boys’ request fcr mformation; and that
afternoon they were all upon the quarter-deck, ready to take up the
interesting subject of coral and coral islands.

“May I not get Siah, uncle?”

“Yes, Rick, if he is off duty.”

“ And may I come too?” asked the doctor.

“Oh, certainly.”

The captain was soon ringed by a circle of listeners, and no one
was, more attentive than Siah, who regarded Uncle Nat’s head as
a kind of book-case packed with volumes.

“You want to know something about these coral islands we occa-
sionally pass. Let us then begin with the coral itself.

“To produce coral a little animal is at. work, called a poly: a tic”
creature. having a mouth, having also a stomach, and that 1s apovt