LANDFALL AND ISLAND SURVIVAL 
33 
water, being lighter than sea water, has a tendency to remain 
on the surface of salty water and that seeping through the sand 
may be a bit fresher than the sea water. 
A little salt is good for you in the tropics where excessive 
perspiration robs the body of natural salts, but remember that 
too much salt is bad. Yery limited quantities of the brackish 
water should be taken the first day or sickness will result. 
This is equally true of any other water drunk after a long pe- 
riod of thirst. Sip it up slowly or you will throw it up. In 
some cases it is possible to obtain slightly better water than 
that from the holes along the beach. There are some of the 
low sand islands in the Pacific area that rise from the beach to 
an elevation of 30 to 40 feet and from this high point slope 
toward a central basin which may or may not contain a lagoon 
of salt water. By digging near the foot of the inner slope, 
water may be found at a depth of from 3 to 5 feet, especially 
if there have been relatively recent rains. As in the case of 
the wells along the beach, do not dig too deep or it will fill with 
salt water. Stop at the first water found and after the bottom 
of the hole has filled skim the water off the top to get the 
fresher part of it. Care should be taken not to stir up all 
of the water at the bottom of such a well or it may be as salty 
as that along the beach. The water thus obtained may be dis- 
colored and somewhat brackish but it can be used. 
Upon atolls or coral islands which do not have enough rain- 
fall to support trees, you will find a weed known as pigweed, or 
purslane. To alleviate thirst, chew the fleshy, reddish-green 
leaves and stems. The weed stands 8 inches high and covers 
the ground in patches. No other atoll plant is like it. (Mg. 
8.) On islands covered with jungle there are often air plants 
