at. Breakfast over, Bates
made a damper, which was cooked in the ashes, and then another council
was held as to future habitation.

It was clearly evident that they could not sleep in the open air. It was
the middle of summer, and though no annoyance from rain was apprehended,
the heat in the middle of the day was most oppressive. Moreover, it was
absolutely necessary that Mrs. Vickers and the child should have some
place to themselves. At a little distance from the beach was a sandy
rise, that led up to the face of the cliff, and on the eastern side of
this rise grew a forest of young trees. Frere proposed to cut down
these trees, and make a sort of hut with them. It was soon discovered,
however, that the pocket knives were insufficient for this purpose, but
by dint of notching the young saplings and then breaking them down, they
succeeded, in a couple of hours, in collecting wood enough to roof
over a space between the hollow rock which contained the provisions and
another rock, in shape like a hammer, which jutted out within five
yards of it. Mrs. Vickers and Sylvia were to have this hut as a
sleeping-place, and Frere and Bates, lying at the mouth of the larder,
would at once act as a guard to it and them. Grimes was to make for
himself another hut where the fire had been lighted on the previous
night.

When they got back to dinner, inspirited by this resolution, they found
poor Mrs. Vickers in great alarm. Grimes, who, by reason of the dint
in his skull, had been left behind, was walking about the sea-beach,
talking mysteriously, and shaking his fist at an imaginary foe. On going
up to him, they discovered that the blow had affected his brain, for he
was delirious. Frere endeavoured to soothe him, without effect; and at
last, by Bates's advice, the poor fellow was rolled in the sea. The cold
bath quelled his violence, and, being laid beneath the shade of a rock
hard by, he fell into a condition of great muscular exhaustion, and
slept.

The damper was then portioned out by Bates, and, together with a small
piece of meat, it formed the dinner of the party. Mrs. Vickers reported
that she had observed a great commotion on board the brig, and thought
that the prisoners must be throwing overboard such portions of the cargo
as were not absolutely necessary to them, in order to lighten her. This
notion Bates declared to be correct, and further pointed out that the
mutineers had got out a kedge-anchor, and by hauling on t