al
calves. The next morning they were contentedly lying down outside of the
enclosure which held their team.

Didn't "Baby" enjoy the milk! So did the boys. The cattle had not
strayed away far, but merely found a better feeding ground. The barley
field had been exhausted.

"If there is anything I missed on the journey, it was the clock. I don't
like guessing at time," was George's comment, after they had fully gone
over their experiences on the trip.

"I suppose," said Harry, "we can make watches, but they will be rather
cumbersome, because our tools are not very delicate. What do you think,
Professor?"

"That is for you to decide. I am of the opinion that as we have a pretty
good clock, and as it is susceptible of being nicely regulated, we could
put in our time more profitably in doing some other much needed work."

"What is that? I am willing to do anything?"

"We have some hides that need tanning, and the fresh bear pelt must be
cured. As our herd of cattle has increased we might slaughter several of
them, so that we can dehair the pelts and tan them all at the same time;
then we need some contrivances to enable us to determine the location of
our island; and also to afford a means to measure distances in
traveling, because, I presume, you are just as anxious as ever to know
what we have on the island."

There was a hearty assent to this view of the situation.

"I want to do everything we can to learn about our surroundings," was
George's response; "and I would like to have the fire, and the mystery
of the boat, and the flagpole cleared up."

The thing which most interested Harry after their return, was the
disposition of the barley which they had harvested before the last
journey was undertaken. This was welcomed by the Professor as a
necessity. Accordingly a level floor was provided, on which was spread a
thick layer of barley stalks, and this was beaten with flails. A flail
is simply a piece of wood about the thickness and length of a broom
handle. To this was attached, by means of leather strips, a club, not
unlike a baseball bat, so the bat portion swung on the end of the
handle, and in this manner the barley was threshed out.

[Illustration: _Fig. 7. Threshing Flail._]

Before the invention of the threshing machine this was the universal
method of threshing, although it was also customary to tramp it out with
horses, which were driven over a thick layer of the straw hour after
hour.

In one day