Yonder islands are the Islands of Engano."
In the surprise which her words occasioned I almost forgot the anger
which had begun to burn within me when I thought of how basely I had
been betrayed. Before me were the wonderful Male and Female Islands,
fabled by Marco Polo. I had come upon this voyage with Dirk Hartog in
quest of adventure. Well, here was an adventure awaiting me that was
likely to prove the most remarkable I had yet encountered.
As we drew near, to one of the islands, I was impressed by the extreme
beauty of the scene. The cliffs rose to great heights, forming a dark,
clear-cut line against the sky, while between the lofty walls, verdant
valleys stretched down to the white, sandy beaches, upon which the
waves broke in glistening spume. Toward a beach, somewhere about the
centre of the island, our course was laid, and upon coming to the
shallows, the girls shipped their paddles and sprang into the water,
when, with others helping them, they ran the canoe on to the beach,
making no more of my weight than if I had been a child.
I now observed among the woods of the, very ancient stone buildings,
which, at one time, must have been occupied by a people possessing a
high state of civilization.
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