The boat pulled up to the rocky beach of the island. It was a clear, warm-but-not-too-hot day. The waves sloshed against the boat’s wooden hull.
The men in the boat stepped out and stood on the shore. They decided to hike inland a bit.
After about an hour, they became quite thirsty and presently found a small, trickling creek. One of the men knelt down and cupped his hands, sipping the fresh and cool water. It was pure and refreshing. The two other men drank also.
It started to rain, so the three men sought shelter in a hollowed-out and welcoming gum tree.
The rain eased, and the men walked to the other side of the island. Fur seals basked happily on the rocks and in the water. They were enjoyable to watch.
The group sat on the beach to watch the sunset.
“You know,” said one man, “this place is full of natural resources. We can be rich!”
And so they felled all the trees for timber and shot all the seals for fur, and the creek was soon polluted with the blood of the seals and the dirt that humanity inevitably brings upon nature.
But the men had made a decent profit, so none of that mattered.
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