heir rapid
movements.

I often thought as I lay in my hammock how I should have liked a
squirrel or two to be climbing about the branches above me; but one is
never contented with what is allotted them. Probably had I possessed a
squirrel or two, I should have longed for a few monkeys, and having
them, should have wished for something else.

Altogether I was perfectly contented with my lot, especially after the
melancholy of the first week had worn off, except just now and again a
particularly dismal feeling would assert itself, which I could not shake
off; but I simply attributed this to dull weather or over exertion. It
was nothing worth mentioning.

My spirits are like a barometer; when the sun shines and the weather is
warm I am up; when it is wet and dull I am down, and I think this is the
case with many persons; in fact, I believe weather has a greater
influence on our lives than we are aware of. Statistics go to prove
this; for instance, more marriages take place during the five months,
June to September, than in the other seven colder months. From gaiety to
despair,--more suicides take place at the fall of the year than at any
other period. Rodent slaughter commenced this chapter and suicide ends
it; this puts me in mind of the Marriage Service, which commences
"Dearly" and ends with "amazement."

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CHAPTER VII.

I BUILD A CURIOUS "BOX" BOAT--AN UNPLEASANT NIGHT AT SEA--MY SUNDAY
SERVICE--THE POEM, "ALEXANDER SELKIRK"--ITS APPLICABILITY TO MY
LOT.

During the summer my roving propensities began to assert themselves, and
I longed to go farther _afield_ over the sea. I bethought me how I might
contrive myself a boat in which to venture into the offing with, as my
canoe was too frail to go far from shore.

I looked around to see what I could utilize, and found I had a few inch
boards and plenty of rivets, nails, and screws; but after overhauling my
stock I came to the conclusion that my materials would not warrant my
commencing a craft of any size, so for several days I gave up the
project, till one day visiting the boathouse I cast my eyes on the large
tin-lined packing cases in which my goods had been packed. Why not
utilize these? There were four of them. Three were of the same
dimensions, namely, four feet long, three feet wide, and two and a half
feet deep; while the fourth was three feet and a half