near the fire; when this was done, my wife supplied me with some
wicks she had made from the threads of sailcloth; these wicks were
attached, four at a time, to a small stick; I dipped them into the wax,
and placed them on two branches of a tree to dry; I repeated this
operation as often as necessary to make them the proper thickness, and
then placed them in a cool spot to harden. But we could not forbear
trying them that very night; and, thought somewhat rude in form, it was
sufficient that they reminded us of our European home, and prolonged our
days by many useful hours we had lost before.

This encouraged me to attempt another enterprise. My wife had long
regretted that she had not been able to make butter. She had attempted
to beat her cream in a vessel, but either the heat of the climate, or
her want of patience, rendered her trials unsuccessful. I felt that I
had not skill enough to make a churn; but I fancied that by some simple
method, like that used by the Hottentots, who put their cream in a skin
and shake it till they produce butter, we might obtain the same result.
I cut a large gourd in two, filled it with three quarts of cream, then
united the parts, and secured them closely. I fastened a stick to each
corner of a square piece of sailcloth, placed the gourd in the middle,
and, giving a corner to each of my sons, directed them to rock the cloth
with a slow, regular motion, as you would a child's cradle. This was
quite an amusement for them; and at the end of an hour, my wife had the
pleasure of placing before us some excellent butter. I then tried to
make a cart, our sledge being unfitted for some roads; the wheels I had
brought from the wreck rendered this less difficult; and I completed a
very rude vehicle, which was, nevertheless, very useful to us.

While I was thus usefully employed, my wife and children were not idle.
They had transplanted the European trees, and thoughtfully placed each
in the situation best suited to it. I assisted with my hands and
counsels. The vines we planted round the roots of our trees, and hoped
in time to form a trellis-work. Of the chesnut, walnut, and
cherry-trees, we formed an avenue from Falcon's Nest to Family Bridge,
which, we hoped, would ultimately be a shady road between our two
mansions. We made a solid road between the two rows of trees, raised in
the middle and covered with sand, which we brought from the shore in our
wheelbarrows. I also made a sort of tumbril