struct something which should
effectually serve its purpose. And after all, when the work came to be
undertaken, it was found that it took but little if any longer time than
would have been required to put up a wood house, and to surround it with
an effective palisade.

Another month saw the fort so far completed that Gaunt thought he might
now safely take in hand the saw-mill upon which he had set his mind; and
he and the skipper accordingly devoted themselves henceforward to that
undertaking, finishing it within a few days of the date when Henderson
reported that all was done at the fort which at that time was deemed
necessary. The doctor and his party now took to the woods armed with
their axes, and began the important task of selecting and felling the
timber for the proposed boat, the design for which Gaunt had been
diligently working upon whenever he could find a spare hour or two to
devote to the purpose. As ultimately worked out this design was for a
cutter, to be of twelve feet beam, forty feet long on the load-water
line, and of such a depth as would not only afford comfortable head-room
in the cabins, but also give the craft a good hold of the water and make
her very weatherly. These dimensions, it was considered, were
sufficient for perfect sea-worthiness, whilst the various timbers would
be of a scantling light enough to permit of their being handled and
placed in position with comparative ease with the limited power at their
command. The greatest care was exercised in the selection of the
timber, it being necessary to choose not only that which was thoroughly
sound, but also such as could without very much labour be conveyed to
the saw-mill. This latter necessity, or rather the actual labour of
conveying the timber to the mill, caused their progress to be somewhat
less rapid than they had anticipated, especially as Nicholls was now
busily engaged at the smithy preparing the bolts, fastenings, and other
iron work for the little craft; but, notwithstanding all, the work
advanced with fairly satisfactory rapidity. It had been decided that
the whole of the timber should be cut, sawn, and stacked in the ship-
yard before even the keel-blocks were laid down, so that it might become
at least partially seasoned before being worked into the hull, and this
was accomplished in rather less than a couple of months.

At length the day arrived when, everything being ready, the keel of the
vessel was to be laid dow