"I've seen a huge jack--a regular shark. I believe it was a shark--and three young wild ducks, and some more of those parrots up in the trees."
"And something under the water that made a wave, and went along--"
"What could it have been that made the wave and went along?"
"O! nothing--only a porpoise, or a seal, or a walrus--nothing! Look here--"
"But," said Mark, "the wave moved along, and I could not tell what made it."
"Magic," said Bevis. "Very likely the magician. Did you see him?"
"No; but I believe there's something very curious about this island--"
"It's enchanted, of course," said Bevis. "There's lots of things you know are there, and you can't find," said Mark; "there's a tiger, I believe, in the bushes and reeds at the other end. If I had had my spear I should have gone and looked, and there's boa-constrictors and a hippopotamus was here last night, and heaps of jolly things, and I've found a place to make a cave. Come and see," (pulling Bevis).
"I'll come," said Bevis, "in a minute. But just look, I've found out what was wrong--"
"Then let's do it, and tack and get shipwrecked, and live here. If we only had Jack's rifle."
"But we must sail properly first," said Bevis. "I shan't do anything till we can sail properly: now this is it. Look."
He showed Mark the two sketches, and how their mainsail did not reach back far enough towards the stern.
"Frances must make it larger," said Mark. "Of course that's it--it's as different as possible. And the mast ought to be higher--it would crack better, and go overboard--whop!"
"I don't know," said Bevis; "about the mast; yes, I think I will. We will make one a foot or eighteen inches higher--"
"Bigger sails will go faster, and smash the ship splendidly against the rocks," said Mark. "There'll be a crash and a grinding, and the decks will blow up, and there'll be an awful yell as everybody is gulped up but you and me."
"While we're doing it, we'll make another bowsprit, too--longer," said Bevis.
"Why didn't we think of it before," said Mark. "How stupid! Now you look at it, you can see it in a minute. And we had to sail half round the world to find it."
"That's just it," said Bevis. "You sail forty thousand miles to find a thing, and when you get there you can see you left it at home."