."

"We may as well all go, Stephen; we have nothing to do here, and at any
rate it is cooler in the forest than it is on the sands. We shall want a
good stock of thorns, for we are sure to break lots of them in making the
holes."

"I have a thing in my knife that will do for that, sir," Joyce said; and
he produced from his pocket a knife with many blades, one of them being a
long pricker. "It was given to me the day before we sailed, and I have
always wondered what use that thing could ever be. Here is a use for it at
last."

"Capital, Joyce! That is just the thing. There is flint and steel, and a
tinder-box in the locker, and our best plan will be to make a fire and
heat that pricker of yours red-hot. It would make the work a great deal
easier, and there will be less risk of breaking it or of splitting the
wood. So now we will collect dry wood and creepers and leave the thorns
alone."

This was done; but when they returned to the edge of the forest all agreed
that they should lie down there in the shade until the sun had lost its
power, for their position being almost on the equator the heat out on the
sand was unbearable.

"It will be as well for one to keep a watch, lads," the mate said. "We
have seen no signs of natives, but there may be some about. The sun is
nearly overhead, so it will be another four or five hours before we can
set to work. I will take the first watch. In an hour I will wake Mr.
Joyce; Mr. Embleton will follow him; then you, Nixon; that will take us on
till it's time to move."

These arrangements were carried out, and as the sun sank towards the
horizon the party went down to the beach. Some rotten wood was crumbled up
and a fire quickly made, then the work of boring the holes began, and was
kept up all night. As it was necessary to put them very closely together,
and the piercer had to be heated two or three times for each hole, two
worked by turns while the rest slept, and by sunrise the holes were all
finished. Then the work of sewing the planks together began, the boat
being turned on its side to allow the string, as they called it, to be
passed backwards and forwards. In two hours their work was completed.
Stephen cut off four or five inches of duck from the bottom of each leg of
his trousers, and unravelling the thread he and the mate pressed it into
the seams as fast as the sewing was completed.

"I think that that will do," the mate said, looking with a satisfied air
at the work