eal came to an end. The fowls came round us to
pick up the stray crumbs we had let fall, and my wife took out her bag
of grain and fed the cocks and hens, and sent them to roost on the top
of our tent.

We took care to load our fire-arms, in case we might need them in the
night; sang a hymn of praise to God, and then left our fate in His
hands.

CHAPTER III.

As soon as I heard the cock crow, and saw by the light that it was break
of day, I got out of bed and spoke to my wife as to what we should do
next.

"First," said I, "Fritz and I will make a tour of the coast and try to
find some of the men who left the ship, for if they are here they may be
in want."

"But," said Fritz, who had heard me from his bed, "why should we search
for those who left us to die on the wreck?"

"Well, I will tell you," said I. "First, we should do to them as we
would wish them to do to us, not as they have done; next, we know that
they took no food with them, and we should not leave them to starve;
and last, it may be that they can help us, though now they stand more in
need of our aid."

The boys were soon up, and we all sat down to a good meal. That done,
Fritz and I got our guns. I put a pair of small arms in his belt, gave
him a game bag, and told him to take an axe. I took some food for us
both, and a full flask, out of which we could drink if we should stray
far from a stream.

When we took our leave, my wife and the three boys were in tears. The
dog Bill we left to guard the tent, but Turk went with us, and ran by
our side.

We soon got to the banks of a stream; but then had to make our way down
its course. It took us some time to reach the sea shore. There was not a
boat to be seen, or any sign that the ship's crew had found the land. We
left the shore, and went through a wood full of tall trees. Here Fritz
struck some hard thing on the ground with his foot, which we found to be
a CO-COA NUT. He gave it a blow with his axe, and broke the shell, and
we both sat down to rest, and eat the nut.

At the end of the wood we came to a plain which gave us a clear view
of the place. Fritz, who was on the look out, ran off with Turk to some
strange trees that he saw on the right.

When I got up to him, it gave me no small joy to find that it was a
gourd tree.

"Try," said I, "if you can get hold of one of those queer lumps that
grow on it."

With that he brought one down, and we had a look at it.

"Now, of this," said I,