two mates and ten men belonging to the brig embarked in the
long-boat, leaving the boatswain and two others, one of whom was the
carpenter's mate.

We parted on friendly terms from our late shipmates, praying that they
might have a prosperous voyage. As we watched them standing down the
river with a light breeze from the northward, Mudge, from what he said,
could not help regretting, I suspect, that he had not been able to
accompany them; for it was certainly his duty, as it was mine and
Tommy's, to try and get on board our ship again. But, on the other
hand, he could not bring himself to desert my father; and, of course, it
was still more my duty to remain with him.

All this time we had been getting on with the house, which was now
nearly completed; and Dick Joint, the carpenter's mate, was making a
sash for the window of my mother's room, and had also undertaken to make
various articles of furniture. We had brought on shore the cabin-table,
with three folding-chairs; as also two cots, for my mother and Edith.

I have, by-the-by, said nothing about them. They were always busily
employed; but Edith suffered much from the heat, which was very
considerable under the cliff, satisfactory as the situation was in other
respects. My father sometimes spoke of moving on to the downs: but the
objections to this were, that we should be at a distance from the water;
that we should have a difficulty in carrying up our heavy goods; and
that we should be more exposed in the event of our being attacked by
hostile natives; while at times the heat was greater on the downs than
close to the water.

Edith thought that she should feel better if she could take a row on the
river; so, of course, Harry and I, and Pierce and Tommy, offered to take
her out whenever she wished to go. The boat being a light one, even two
of us could manage it with perfect ease; and we thus daily, and
sometimes twice a day, made a trip to the mouth of the river. To
shelter her from the sun, we formed an awning over the stern of the
boat; and carried a cushion on which she could recline.

Nanny the goat, whenever she saw her mistress embarking, leaped on
board; and seemed, indeed, to consider herself part of the crew. Tom
declared that he thought she would soon learn to row with her horns; but
to this, when he made the attempt to teach her, she decidedly objected,
and preferred lying down quietly by the side of Edith.

We had found a supply of fishin