Page:Ballantyne--The Battery and the Boiler.djvu/154

 "It will, indeed, Robin—a sort of compound or alternating land-and-submarine line. At one time we shall be using palm-trees for posts and carrying wires through the habitations of parrots and monkeys, at another we shall be laying them down among the sharks and coral groves."

"By the way," said Robin, "is it true that monkeys may prove to be more troublesome to us in these regions than sparrows and crows are at home?"

"Of course it is, my boy. Have you never heard that on some of our Indian lines, baboons, vultures, and other heavy creatures have sometimes almost broken down the telegraphs by taking exercise and roosting on the wires?"

"Indeed, I hope it won't be so with us. At all events, sharks won't be much tempted, I should fancy, by submarine cables."

"There 's no saying, Robin. They are not particular when hungry. By the way, I saw you talking with unusual earnestness this morning to Jim Slagg; what was the matter with him?"

"Poor fellow! you 'd scarcely believe it, to look at him," replied Robin, "but the lad is actually home-sick."

"Home-sick! Why, how 's that? If we were only a few days out from port, or even a week or two, I could understand it, but seeing that we are