ich might exist on the island. We
had frequently caught sight in the distance of creatures moving about
among the thickly-growing trees, but had been unable to tell what they
were. We had also seen movements amongst the dense mass of leaves which
covered the ground, and had supposed them to be lizards and snakes, or
other crawling things.

As soon as our house was finished we manufactured a sago oven, which we
baked in the sun. It was, however, of a very fragile nature, and we
feared would not answer very well for our cakes--to use it, indeed, we
were obliged to increase its size. When all was ready, we prepared some
cakes. This we did by drying the sago thoroughly in the sun, then
pounding it in a shell into a fine powder. Keeping some of the powder
to sprinkle the oven with, we made the rest into cakes. Having got the
oven heated, we put in our baking-pan, with a piece of palm-leaf over
it, and then closed up the hole with stones and earth. In a short time
we again opened the mouth of the oven, when lo, and behold, our pan had
burst asunder, and though the cakes were pretty well done, pieces of
clay were sticking to them on every side. It took us some time to pick
them out before the cakes were at all fit to eat; indeed, an epicure
would certainly not have considered them palatable. What would we not
have given for a good pot in which to boil our water, and a well-made
pan for baking our cakes!

"There is no use wishing for them," exclaimed Oliver; "we must make the
best use of the materials at hand."

We determined not to be defeated, and our next pan was made of clay, and
strengthened with pieces of bamboo in the inside. We began baking it in
the sun, and then carried it to our oven, which was only slightly
heated. We then added more fuel, and closed it up. On opening it we
only let in a little air at a time, and this allowed it to cool slowly.
On taking it out, not a crack was perceptible. On examining it, when it
was thoroughly cool, we had hopes that it would answer better than its
predecessor. The next time we made some cakes we pounded some cocoa-nut
with them. We then heated our oven, and put in our pan full of cakes.
In about five or six minutes we again opened it, and drawing out the
pan, we saw the cakes well cooked, and the pan unbroken.

We had been too busy to go hunting; but we determined, as soon as our
house was completed in every respect, to do so systematically. We hoped
to have