whether any
more of the timbers remained there, a "find" was discovered which
greatly rejoiced Snowball's heart when it was brought on shore.

This was nothing less than one of the ship's coppers, which had become
detached from the galley framework and in falling on to the reef had
managed to get securely fixed between the rocks, just a little below the
surface of the water. A couple of the men were easily able to pull it
up into the jolly-boat, where, on being inspected, it was found
perfectly sound and as good as ever!

"Golly, massa," exclaimed the darkey, when Mr Meldrum presented him
with the recovered copper--which Snowball looked upon almost as the
apple of his eye--"me able cook pea-shoop now, sah, and bile de beef in
'spectable style, sah! Dat sospan, massa, no good for ship's company.
Um bile, and bile, and bile, and nebbah bile enuff!"

"Ah! mind you don't go cooking too extravagantly," said Mr Meldrum.
"If I see you wasting anything, I'll taboo the copper."

"Lor, massa, I'se too careful for dat," replied the negro cook, with a
grin which displayed his ivory-mounted mouth from ear to ear; "when de
men sing out for more thoop, why, sah, I just water um grog! Yah, yah!
ho, ho!" and he burst into a roar of laughter in which those around
could not help joining, the darkey's hearty merriment was so contagious.

CHAPTER TWENTY SIX.

KERGUELEN CABBAGE.

While Mr McCarthy and the jolly-boat's crew were thus trying to save
all the "flotsam and jetsam" they could from the wreck, Ben Boltrope and
those of the crew told off to help him, as "carpenter's mates," were as
busy as bees house-building, if running up the shanty which Mr Meldrum
had designed could be so designated; while the rest of the party were
lending all the aid they could in fetching and carrying what the actual
workers required.

It was only a rough wooden hut, or rather "composite" structure; but as
it was more than probable that it would have to be the home of the
shipwrecked people for some five months at the least, no trouble or
pains were spared in endeavouring to make it as substantial and
comfortable under the circumstances as Ben and his active assistants
could effect with the limited means at their command.

The gable-end of the cliff, under whose lee the hut was erected, so as
to gain shelter from the southward and westward winds, which seemed to
be the most prevalent on the coast, presented a flat and even face, just
like a s