THE "SAUCY LIZZIE." 



57 



ready to be explored, with the trees sweeping right down 

 to overshadow the beach ; in front of you the wave- 

 battered reef and the still lagoon, and nowhere the 

 faintest possible token of the presence of man. 



On the north side of the island there was another, but 

 much longer, barrier-reef, stretching across a long and 

 gently curving indentation of the shore. Both these 

 reefs, and the lagoons they include, would furnish a 

 splendid hunting gronnd for the zoologist. In company 

 with Mr. Gillam, the second officer, I spent several happy 

 mornings in a more or less amphibious condition upon the 

 reefs and shore of the northern lagoon. We used to get 

 one of the steam-launches to tow us round in a flat- 

 bottomed tarpon-boat — a hastily constructed home-made 

 affair, which, from her entirely irresponsible behaviour 

 in anything like rough water, was christened the " Saucy 

 Lizzie," She was a fine craft for bumping about among 

 the coral-heads and for accommodating our somewhat 

 messy and slimy treasures, but unless prepared to swim 

 ashore at a moment's notice, some might have found 

 fault with her, and said she had too many whims. 



On our first visit to the lagoon I had provided myself 

 with some fishing-waders and brogues, fine things in 

 theory for scrambling about on half-submerged masses 

 of coral, or even for sitting half submerged in the " Saucy 

 Lizzie," but poor affairs in practice, when waves were 

 constantly surging over the coral, making one stumble 

 and flounder about or fall through the great ragged holes, 

 made by the solvent action of the water, and also speedily 

 filling the waders. So first these came off, and then, as 

 our enthusiasm increased, various garments followed, 

 until finally we were left with nothing on but a pair of 

 brogues to protect the feet, and a simple birthday suit. 

 This left one free to be happily and carelessly marooned 

 on patches of isolated coral, which had grown up to a foot 

 or so beneath the surface ; and perfectly independent, too, 

 of our bucking craft, or of the swell, which, just inside the 

 barrier-reef, occasionally came surging along and 



