s kept us on this side of the stream, we did not know in what state
we should find our crops at The Nest.

One day we all set out for our old home. We found our corn fields of a
rich brown hue, and saw that the wheat was, for the most part, fit to
reap. This, and a large patch of rye we cut down, and, as we did so,
whole flocks of birds took to wing when we got near them, while quails
were seen to run off at the sight of our dogs, who had no lack of sport
that day.

We laid by the seed that was quite ripe till the time should come for us
to sow it, and put the rest in sacks. Some of the wheat was laid up in
sheaves till we should have time to beat out the grain.

When we left The Nest for the Cave, we could not find the hand mill that
we had brought from the ship. This now came to light, and we took care
to pack it up to take with us, as we should want it to grind our corn.

That night we slept once more in the great tree; but I must say that we
did not now sleep so sound there as we used to do, nor did we feel so
safe as we did in our rooms at Rock House.

The next day we were to start a plan by means of which our live stock
would not want so much of our care. They had bred so fast that we could
well spare some of them, and these I thought might be left in some place
to seek their own food, and yet be in reach should we want them.

My wife took from her hen roost ten young fowls, and I took four young
pigs, four sheep, and two goats. These we put in our large cart, with
such tools as we thought we should need, tied the black ox, the cow, and
the ass to the shafts, and then set off from The Nest.

We had to cross a wide plain, and here we met with some dwarf plants on
which, as Jack would have it, grew snow balls.

Fritz ran to see what they were, and brought me a twig to which clung
balls of snow white down. I held it up to show my wife, for I knew the
sight would please her still more than her sons.

"See," said I, "this is the COT-TON plant, which you have oft tried to
find. It seems to grow here as thick as weeds, and, if I am a judge, it
is of the best kind."

We got as much of this as our bags would hold, and my wife took care to
pluck some of the ripe seed, that we might raise a crop in our grounds
at Tent House.

At the end of the plain we came to the brow of a high hill, from which
the eye fell on a view the like of which we had not yet seen. Trees of
all kinds grew on the sides of the hill, and a c