d for the present. But two of the definitions in
it are--DIFFICULTIES--things to be subdued; IMPOSSIBILITIES--things to be
trampled on."

"Well, subdue mine. Trample on--a sponge for me."

"That is just what I was going to do," said he; opened a clasp-knife and
jumped coolly into the river.

Helen screamed faintly, but after all the water was only up to his knees.

He soon cut a large sponge off a piece of slimy rock, and held it up to
her. "There," said he, "why, there are a score of them at your very door
and you never saw them."

"Oh, excuse me, I did see them and shuddered; I thought they were
reptiles; dormant and biding their time."

When he was out of the river again, she thought a little, and asked him
whether old iron would be of any use to him.

"Oh, certainly," said he; "what, do you know of any?"

"I think I saw some one day. I'll go and look for it."

She took the way of the shore; and he got his cart and spade, and went
posthaste to his clay-pit.

He made a quantity of bricks, and brought them home, and put them to dry
in the sun. He also cut great pieces of the turtle, and wrapped them in
fresh banana-leaves, and inclosed them in clay. He then tried to make a
large narrow-necked vessel, and failed utterly; so he made the clay into
a great rude platter like a shallow milk-pan. Then he peeled the sago-log
off which he had cut his wheels, and rubbed it with turtle fat, and,
using it as a form, produced two clay cylinders. These he set in the sun,
with bricks round them to keep them from falling. Leaving all these to
dry and set before he baked them, he went off to the marsh for
fern-leaves. The soil being so damp, the trees were covered with a
brownish-red substance, scarce distinguishable from wool. This he had
counted on. But he also found in the same neighborhood a long
cypress-haired moss that seemed to him very promising. He made several
trips, and raised quite a stack of fern-leaves. By this time the sun had
operated on his thinner pottery; so he laid down six of his large thick
tiles, and lighted a fire on them with dry banana-leaves, and cocoanut,
etc., and such light combustibles, until he had heated and hardened the
clay; then he put the ashes on one side, and swept the clay clean; then
he put the fire on again, and made it hotter and hotter, till the clay
began to redden.

While he was thus occupied, Miss Rolleston came from the jungle radiant,
carrying vegetable treasures in her apro