tells me that they are literally "stripping" the wreck, and
nothing movable will be left on it if the weather will but hold good
long enough. No one stops to question the utility of an article found
adrift; it is seized hastily and thrown out on the reef to be
transported later to the island. Pieces of rigging, boxes of tinned
coffee, canned goods, tools, crockery, sails, awnings, etc., all come
to the beach in a promiscuous mass to be sorted out later.

_Monday, October 31._ Still at work on the wreck. Boiler set up on the
beach and connected with the distilling-coils by a piece of canvas
hose. The inner end of the coils was joined to a length of our
pilot-house speaking-tube as a return to the beach. By this
arrangement the steam passed under the cooler water of the lagoon and
was condensed as it returned to a bucket on the beach. Great joy was
expressed at the first sight of the little stream and a great fear was
lifted from our thoughts. At supper we had a cup of coffee to finish
the quarter-ration of food, which was made into a scouse as before.
The hard tack needed in making the scouse, however, will soon be
exhausted, for, excepting a small quantity saved in tins, it is
spoiling rapidly. So to-day I opened a bag of flour to ascertain if we
were to have any breadstuff. I found to my glad surprise that, with
the exception of about an inch on the outside, it was sweet and sound.
The sea water had protected it with a crust. A barrel of beans was
also found to be in good condition; so that our pile of foodstuff
under the sentry's charge begins to loom high for our safety for some
time to come.

_Tuesday, November 1._ The crew was formed into several messes to-day,
and also into watches. Each mess was provided with a tent, that for
our mess (the wardroom) being made from the Saginaw's quarter-deck
awning. Such of our dry goods and bedding as had been rescued were
removed to them, and our little camp begins to take on the appearance
of comfort.

The duties of every member of the ship's company have been so arranged
that it is hoped and expected that no one will have much time to brood
over our situation or the future.

_Wednesday, November 2._ The bad weather we have feared has arrived.
It came on suddenly this morning from the southeast with a high wind
and a heavy rainfall, and before we had been able firmly to secure the
tents. After strenuous exertion, however, we saved them from being
blown over, but were wet