The Coral Island

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Robert Michael Ballantyne. The Coral Island

Chapter One. Beginning—My early life and character—I thirst for adventure in foreign lands, and go to sea

Chapter Two. The departure—The sea—My companions—Some account of the wonderful sights we saw on the great deep—A dreadful storm and a frightful wreck

Chapter Three. The Coral Island—Our first cogitations after landing and the result of them—We conclude that the island is uninhabited

Chapter Four. We examine into our personal property, and make a happy discovery—Our island described—Jack proves himself to be learned and sagacious above his fellows—Curious discoveries—Natural lemonade!

Chapter Five. Morning, and cogitations connected therewith—We luxuriate in the sea, try our diving powers, and make enchanting excursions among the coral groves at the bottom of the ocean—The wonders of the deep enlarged upon

Chapter Six. An excursion into the interior in which we make many valuable and interesting discoveries—We get a dreadful fright—The bread-fruit tree—Wonderful peculiarity of some of the fruit-trees—Signs of former inhabitants

Chapter Seven. Jack’s ingenuity—We get into difficulties about fishing, and get out of them by a method which gives us a cold bath—Horrible encounter with a shark

Chapter Eight. The beauties of the bottom of the sea tempt Peterkin to dive—How he did it—More difficulties overcome—The water garden—Curious creatures of the sea—The tank—Candles missed very much, and the candle-nut tree discovered—Wonderful account of Peterkin’s first voyage—Cloth found growing on a tree—A plan projected, and arms prepared for offence and defence—A dreadful cry

Chapter Nine. Prepare for a journey round the island—Sagacious reflections—Mysterious appearances and startling occurrences

Chapter Ten. Make discovery of many excellent roots and fruits—The resources of the coral island gradually unfolded—The banyan tree—Another tree which is supported by natural planks—Water-fowl found—A very remarkable discovery, and a very peculiar murder—We luxuriate on the fat of the land

Chapter Eleven. Effects of overeating, and reflections thereon—Humble advice regarding cold water—The “horrible cry” accounted for—The curious birds called penguins—Peculiarity of the cocoa-nut palm—Questions on the formation of coral islands—Mysterious footsteps—Strange discoveries and sad sights

Chapter Twelve. Something wrong with the tank—Jack’s wisdom and Peterkin’s impertinence—Wonderful behaviour of a crab—Good wishes for those who dwell far from the sea—Jack commences to build a little boat

Chapter Thirteen. Notable discovery at the spouting cliffs—The mysterious green monster explained—We are thrown into unutterable terror by the idea that Jack is drowned—The diamond cave

Chapter Fourteen. Strange peculiarity of the tides—Also of the twilight—Peterkin’s remarkable conduct in embracing a little pig and killing a big sow—Sage remarks on jesting—Also on love

Chapter Fifteen. Boat-building extraordinary—Peterkin tries his hand at cookery, and fails most signally—The boat finished—Curious conversation with the cat, and other matters

Chapter Sixteen. The boat launched—We visit the coral reef—The great breaker that never goes down—Coral insects—The way in which coral islands are made—The boats sail—We tax our ingenuity to form fish-hooks—Some of the fish we saw—And a monstrous whale—Wonderful shower of little fish—Waterspouts

Chapter Seventeen. A monster wave and its consequences—The boat lost and found—Peterkin’s terrible accident—Supplies of food for a voyage in the boat—We visit Penguin Island, and are amazed beyond measure—Account of the penguins

Chapter Eighteen. An awful storm and its consequences—Narrow escape—A rock proves a sure foundation—A fearful night and a bright morning—Deliverance from danger

Chapter Nineteen. Shoemaking—The even tenor of our way suddenly interrupted—An unexpected visit and an appalling battle—We all become warriors, and Jack proves himself to be a hero

Chapter Twenty. Intercourse with the savages—Cannibalism prevented—The slain are buried and the survivors depart, leaving us again alone on our Coral Island

Chapter Twenty One. Sagacious and moral remarks in regard to life—A sail!—An unexpected salute—The end of the black cat—A terrible dive—An incautious proceeding and a frightful catastrophe

Chapter Twenty Two. I fall into the hands of pirates—How they treated me, and what I said to them—The result of the whole ending in a melancholy separation and in a most unexpected gift

Chapter Twenty Three. Bloody Bill—Dark surmises—A strange sail, and a strange crew, and a still stranger cargo—New reasons for favouring missionaries—A murderous massacre, and thoughts thereon

Chapter Twenty Four. Bloody Bill is communicative and sagacious—Unpleasant prospects—Retrospective meditations interrupted by volcanic agency—The pirates negotiate with a Feejee chief—Various etceteras that are calculated to surprise and horrify

Chapter Twenty Five. The sandal-wood party—Native children’s games somewhat surprising—Desperate amusements suddenly and fatally brought to a close—An old friend recognised—News—Romata’s mad conduct

Chapter Twenty Six. Mischief brewing—My blood is made to run cold—Evil consultations and wicked resolves—Bloody Bill attempts to do good, and fails—The attack—Wholesale murder—The flight—The escape

Chapter Twenty Seven. Reflections—The wounded man—The squall—True consolation—Death

Chapter Twenty Eight. Alone on the deep—Necessity the mother of invention—A valuable book discovered—Natural phenomenon—A bright day in my history

Chapter Twenty Nine. The effect of a cannon-shot—A happy reunion of a somewhat moist nature—Retrospect and explanations—An awful dive—New plans—The last of the Coral Island

Chapter Thirty. The voyage—The island, and a consultation in which danger is scouted as a thing unworthy of consideration—Rats and cats—The native teacher—Awful revelations—Wonderful effects of Christianity

Chapter Thirty One. A strange and bloody battle—The lion bearded in his den—Frightful scenes of cruelty, and fears for the future

Chapter Thirty Two. An unexpected discovery, and a bold, reckless defiance, with its consequences—Plans of escape, and heroic resolves

Chapter Thirty Three. The flight—The pursuit—Despair and its results—The lion bearded in his den again—Awful danger threatened and wonderfully averted—A terrific storm

Chapter Thirty Four. Imprisonment—Sinking hopes—Unexpected freedom to more than one, and in more senses than one

Chapter Thirty Five. Conclusion

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It was a bright, beautiful, warm day when our ship spread her canvas to the breeze and sailed for the regions of the south. Oh, how my heart bounded with delight as I listened to the merry chorus of the sailors while they hauled at the ropes and got in the anchor! The captain shouted; the men ran to obey; the noble ship bent over to the breeze, and the shore gradually faded from my view; while I stood looking on, with a kind of feeling that the whole was a delightful dream.

The first thing that struck me as being different from anything I had yet seen during my short career on the sea, was the hoisting of the anchor on deck and lashing it firmly down with ropes, as if we had now bid adieu to the land for ever and would require its services no more.

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“Nectar! perfect nectar!—I say, Jack, you’re a Briton—the best fellow I ever met in my life—Only taste that!” said he, turning to me and holding the nut to my mouth. I immediately drank, and certainly I was much surprised at the delightful liquid that flowed copiously down my throat. It was extremely cool, and had a sweet taste, mingled with acid; in fact, it was the likest thing to lemonade I ever tasted, and was most grateful and refreshing. I handed the nut to Jack, who, after tasting it, said, “Now, Peterkin, you unbeliever! I never saw or tasted a cocoa-nut in my life before, except those sold in shops at home; but I once read that the green nuts contain that stuff; and you see it is true.”

“And, pray,” asked Peterkin, “what sort of ‘stuff’ does the ripe nut contain?”

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