empowered to break up the longboat in default of finding any elsewhere,
for they would not want to use it again--a small light carriage with
large broad wheels similar to those commonly used in transporting life-
boats from place to place along the coast, when their services are
suddenly required at some spot remote from their station and it would
take too long to send them round by sea.

This carriage, of course, was for the accommodation of the jolly-boat,
whenever it should be found necessary for it to abandon its more
congenial element the water, for the land; and as the wheels required
some delicacy of manipulation, it was a lucky thing that the mutineers
had forgotten to take Ben's tool-chest out of the longboat, and that it
had been restored to his possession. Otherwise, the old man-o'-war's
man would have been unable to have completed satisfactorily the
difficult task set him with only an old axe and a hammer for his
available tools, as had been the case when the house was being built.

Such of the party as were not assisting the carpenter were set to work
collecting and curing everything in the shape of food, or provisions of
any sort that came to hand--the rabbit warren being depopulated and wild
ducks slaughtered to such an extent that the latter abandoned the
valley; while, the last remaining birds in the penguin colony, old and
young alike, were sacrificed to appease the craving gods of the common
larder.

Neither were the ladies idle; for, Kate Meldrum and Mrs Major Negus
were employed making canvas bags for the stowage of all these good
things in proper ship-shape fashion. Even Master Maurice--the whilom
"Imp," who had almost been reformed by his experience amongst the
penguins--and Miss Florry, had their services requisitioned in one way
or other.

One and all, without exception, had each something to do!

"I guess, mister," said Mr Lathrope a week later on, when he and Mr
Meldrum were returning from an unsuccessful foray on the adjacent
marshes that had been the haunt of the wild fowl--without once getting a
shot, much less bagging a duck to reward their trouble,--"this'll be a
tall moving; and the sooner we make tracks the better now, since all the
game's skeart. I don't see nary a grasshopper to aim at!"

"The arrangements are all completed," replied the other, "and I have
determined to start to-morrow. As you say, there's nothing to be gained
by our waiting any longer; so, as we've now as