y built--Mr Meldrum
having hinted on the previous evening of some more substantial structure
being necessary than the tent, which had been only put up for temporary
accommodation on their first landing on the island.

The several articles that had been collected being now put on board the
jolly-boat, in addition to the accommodation chair, which was cut from
the slings, at McCarthy's especial request, and lowered down on
board--"jest to plaze the meejor," as he said, alluding to Mrs Negus's
weakness for sitting in high places during the voyage. Frank then
descended with the cat in his arms and took a seat in the stern-sheets,
the first mate very good-naturedly pulling the stroke-oar on the return
journey in his place; and, all these little matters being thus arranged,
Pussy's rescuers started again for the shore. The tide, luckily, was
with them all the way; so they accomplished the distance back to the
beach inside the fiord in very nearly half the time they had taken in
rowing out to the ship--getting everything ashore and the jolly-boat
hauled up safely beyond high-water mark with none of the trouble they
had anticipated on setting out, the wind and sea having both calmed down
in the interim.

Kate's thanks to Frank need not be alluded to:-- they were simply
inexpressible; but, if Puss is described to have been pleased when she
was first released from captivity and an untimely end on board the
shipwrecked vessel, what can be said for her raptures now that she was
landed on _terra firma_--which she probably had never expected to see
again--especially when she recognised the bevy of old friends amongst
whom she found herself alive once more.

"I guess," said Mr Lathrope, as he watched her affectionate antics,
"the stoopid old cuss will purr herself to potato parings, and rub all
her darned fur inter a door-mat with joy!"

CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR.

AN AFTERNOON CALL.

"I'm glad you brought the skylight," said Mr Meldrum to the first mate
when the excitement attending the return of the boat's crew with Miss
Pussy had somewhat calmed down. "Its the very thing we'll want
presently!" He then proceeded to show Mr McCarthy what he and those
who had remained ashore had done during the absence of the others.

Adjoining the site of the tent, and under the lee of a sort of gable-end
of the cliffs, a piece of ground had been cleared of the snow close to a
freshwater tarn some little distance above the sea-shore, where