before her. It had touched the feelings of
both; and rendered them desirous of providing her with some kind of food
more congenial to the delicate palate of the child.

Long before they had any intention of abandoning the dead body of the
whale,--in fact shortly after taking possession of it,--Ben Brace,
assisted by Snowball and little William,--the latter having also mounted
upon the monster's back,--cut open the great cavity of the "case" with
the axe; and then inserting a large tin pot,--which had turned up in the
sailor's sea-kit,--drew it put again full of liquid spermaceti.

This was carried down to the deck of the _Catamaran_ when the process of
making a fire was instantly proceeded with.

By means of some untwisted strands of tarry rope, ingeniously inserted
into the oil, the pot was converted into a sort of open lamp,--which
only required to be kindled into a flame.

But Ben Brace had not been smoking a pipe for a period of nearly thirty
years, without being provided with the means of lighting it. In the
same depository from which the tin pot had been obtained was found the
proper implements for striking a light,--flint, steel, and tinder,--and,
as the latter, within the water-tight compartment of the
man-o'-war's-man's chest, having been preserved perfectly dry, there was
no difficulty in setting fire to the oil.

It was soon seen burning up over the rim of the pot with a bright clear
flame; and a large flake of the dried fish being held over the blaze, in
a very short space of time became done to a turn.

This furnished all of them with a meal much more palatable than any they
had eaten since they had been forced to flee from the decks of the
burning _Pandora_.

CHAPTER SIXTY ONE.

AN ASSEMBLY OF SHARKS.

As the spermaceti in the pot still continued to blaze up,--the wick not
yet having burnt out,--it occurred to Snowball to continue his culinary
operations, and broil a sufficient quantity of the dead fish to serve
for supper. The ex-cook, unlike most others of his calling, did not
like to see his fuel idly wasted: and therefore, in obedience to the
thought that had suggested itself, he brought forth another flake of
shark-flesh, and submitted to the flames, as before.

While observing him in the performance of this provident task, a capital
idea also occurred to Ben Brace. Since it was possible thus to cook
their supper in advance, why not also their breakfast for the following
morning,