off."

And, allowing Flora first to withdraw into the open air, he closed the
chests again, extinguished the candles, and, rearranging the bushes in
front of the cave so as effectually to conceal its entrance, left the
spot.

For some time after this nothing of importance occurred to vary the
monotony of existence on the island, Leslie devoting himself
energetically to the important work of providing the material for and
constructing the ways upon which he intended to build his cutter. This
heavy task absorbed rather more than two months of his time; for it was
laborious work, involving the handling of heavy masses of timber, which
could only be done with the aid of tackles and other appliances,
supplemented by the ingenuity of the highly trained sailor; moreover,
Leslie was one of those individuals who believed in the wisdom of doing
everything thoroughly well at first rather than incur the risk of being
obliged to undo much of his work and do it all over again. But at
length the ways were completed to his satisfaction; and, that done, the
job of laying the keel and setting up the ready-made frames of the
cutter in their correct respective positions and securing them there was
comparatively simple and easy. This occupied exactly a month, at the
end of which time the completed skeleton of the cutter stood revealed
upon the stocks, to Dick's supreme gratification and Flora's wonder and
admiration. And, indeed, Leslie had ample cause to be both satisfied
and delighted; for this completed skeleton displayed the form of a
remarkably handsome boat, possessed of exceptionally fine flowing lines,
with a keen entrance and a perfectly clean delivery, yet with a
splendidly powerful mid-section, and a depth of hull that promised great
weatherliness with an ample sufficiency of freeboard. It was evident
that her design had emanated from the drawing-board of a naval architect
of quite unusual ability, for her shape seemed to promise the speed of
the racer with the seaworthiness of the cruiser; indeed, as Dick was
never tired of asserting, she could not have been more perfectly
suitable for his purpose had she been specially designed for it. "Give
me another hand to keep watch and watch with me, and I'll take her round
the world!" he was wont to declare, when summing up the good points of
the craft. It was at this stage of affairs, namely, when the skeleton
framework of the cutter had been completely set up, and Leslie was
p