ed two uprights at
each side of the cavern's mouth, and connected each pair by a beam; a
netting laid on these, and, covered with gigantic leaves from the
prostrate palms, made a sufficient roof in this sheltered spot. On this
terrace they could sit even in the rain, and view the sea. Helen cooked
in the cave, but served dinner up on this beautiful terrace. So now she
had a But and a Ben, as the Scotch say. He got a hogshead of oil from the
sea-lion; and so the cave was always lighted now, and that was a great
comfort, and gave them more hours of indoor employment and conversation.
The poor bugbear really brightened their existence. Of the same oil,
boiled down and mixed with wood-ashes, he made soap, to Helen's great
delight. The hide of this animal was so thick he could do nothing with it
but cut off pieces to make the soles of shoes, if required. But the seals
were miscellaneous treasures. He contrived with guano and aromatics to
curry their skins; of their bladders he made vile parchment, and of their
entrails gut, cat-gut and twine, beyond compare. He salted two cubs, and
laid up the rest in store, by inclosing large pieces in clay. When these
were to be used, the clay was just put into hot embers for some hours,
then broken, and the meat eaten with all its juices preserved.

Helen cooked and washed, and manufactured salt; and collected quite a
store of wild cotton, though it grew very sparingly and it cost her hours
to find a few pods. But in hunting for it she found other things--health,
for one. After sunset she was generally employed a couple of hours on
matters which occupy the fair in every situation of life. She made
herself a sealskin jacket and pork-pie hat. She made Mr. Hazel a man's
cap of sealskin with a point. But her great work was with the cotton,
which will be described hereafter.

However, for two hours after sunset, no more (they rose at peep of day),
her physician allowed her to sit and work; which she did, and often
smiled, while he sat by and discoursed to her of all the things he had
read, and surprised himself by the strength and activity of his memory.
He attributed it partly to the air of the island. Nor were his fingers
idle even at night. He had tools to sharpen for the morrow, glass to make
and polish out of a laminated crystal he had found. And then the
hurricane had blown away, among many properties, his map; so he had to
make another with similar materials. He completed the map in due