o keep them alive until the flesh of the first
was consumed. They might exist on their backs, he knew, for a
considerable time, but he rightly feared that the heat would kill them,
unless he could bring up a sufficient quantity of water to pour over
them. This would be a severe task, and it appeared to him that the best
thing he could do would be to build a pen, and enclose these and any
others he might catch on subsequent nights. He accordingly at once, as
the moon was bright, set about carrying out his intention. By actively
plying his axe, he cut down a number of thick stakes, which he drove
into the sand just above high-water mark, so that by digging a channel
he might let the sea in at every high tide. As he had abundance of
rope, he lashed some cross bars along the sides, so as to keep the
stakes firm. He saw there was no necessity for putting the
perpendicular stakes close together, as the turtles were upwards of two
feet across, and could not manage to get through a less space. In a
couple of hours he had finished his task, and dragging back the turtles
he allowed them to crawl about in their natural position. He waited
until the next morning to roof in his pen, which was necessary, he saw,
for the sake of keeping the turtles cool.

"You have worked hard, my dear Hargrave," said Lord Reginald, when he
returned. "I should not have thought of attempting the task until
to-morrow morning. It would have taken me the whole day, or probably
longer. As soon as I am well, you must teach me how to use your tools,
and let me help you, for I have no desire to eat the bread of idleness."

"I have been accustomed to carpentering since I was a boy, so that what
your lordship would find difficult would prove easy to me," answered
Dick; "but I should be very thankful if your lordship will think fit to
work at the canoe which I thought of building before you were taken ill.
I haven't seen a single vessel pass since we have been here, and
perhaps none will come near us for many months to come. We might find
it necessary to quit the island to rejoin our ship or to get on board
some other vessel. In the mean time we may use our boat to go out
fishing, and thus obtain a change of diet."

"A boat! Do you really mean to say that you could build a boat?" asked
Lord Reginald in a tone of surprise.

"I intend to try and do so, for though I have never actually built one,
I have assisted in repairing several, and know how t