ing expedition in the nearest patch of forest, or for a party to go
down to the lagoon, cross it to the reef, and spend the time with better
or worse luck fishing with lines, or collecting the abundant molluscs
which formed a dainty addition to their food.

And at last, a month of exactly four weeks from the day they began, the
lugger stood up near to the end of the two-mile land voyage, close to
the sands, with the cocoa-nut grove beginning on either side, just at
the edge of the land which had not been swept by the earthquake wave.

That afternoon there was a desperate fight with the soft, yielding sand,
into which the well-worn bearers and blocks used under the lugger's keel
kept on sinking so deeply that it seemed as if fresh means must be
contrived for getting the boat quite to the water's edge.

"I'm about done," said Mr Rimmer, as he stood with a huge mallet in his
hand; "this sand gives way directly. We shall have to get her back and
make for the cocoa-nut trees, but I doubt whether they will bear the
strain if we get a cable and blocks at work."

"But look here," said Oliver, "I'm not a sailor, but it seems to me--"

He stopped short, and Mr Rimmer looked at him smiling, but Oliver
remained silent.

"He thinks it would be a good plan to put some preserving soap on the
lugger," said Panton laughing.

"No, I don't," said Oliver, "but I was thinking that it would not be a
bad plan to drag the brig's anchor down here, and get it out in the
lagoon, and then fix up the capstan on board the lugger and work it
there."

"No," said the mate, "it would drag her bows down and wedge her more
fast."

"I had not done," said Oliver.

"Well, what would you do then?" asked the mate.

"Dig a trench just a little wider than the keel, right away down to the
shore, and let the water in at high tide."

"It would all soak away."

"At first," said Oliver. "After a time it would be half sand, half
water, and yielding enough to let the keel go through like a quicksand."

"He's right," cried Mr Rimmer, and the men set to work spending two
whole days digging what resembled a pretty good ditch in the sand, and
leading from the embedded keel right out nearly to the edge of the
water.

While this was going on one of the brig's anchors was lowered down into
the dinghy and laid across a couple of pieces of wood, then, with a
couple of planks for the keel to run upon, each being taken up in turn
and laid end on to the other,