ng on to the mainland, no great
length of enclosure would be required.

"You see, sir," said Ready, "we can wait till after the rainy season is
over before we put up the fence, and we can prepare it in the meantime,
when the weather will permit us to work. The seeds and potatoes will
not come up until after the rains are finished; so all we have to do is
to dig up the ground, and put them in as fast as we can. We cannot make
a large garden this year; but our potatoes we must contrive to get in,
if we cannot manage anything else."

"If we have no fence to make," replied Mr Seagrave, "I think we shall
be able to clear away quite enough ground in a week to put in all that
we require."

"The first job will be to pull up the small brushwood," said Ready, "and
turn up the ground; the larger plants we must leave, if we have not
time. Tommy might be of some use here in taking away the shrubs as you
pull them up; but we had better now go on to the grove, and choose the
spot for cutting down the trees. I have made my mark."

Ready and Mr Seagrave proceeded in the direction which the former had
pointed out, until they arrived at a spot on a rising ground, where the
trees were so thick that it was not very easy to pass through them.

"There is the place," said Ready. "I propose to cut all the timber we
want for the houses out of this part of the grove, and to leave an open
square place, in the centre of which we will build our storerooms. You
see, sir, if necessary, with a very little trouble we might turn it into
a place of protection and defence, as a few palisades here and there
between the trees would make it, what they call in the East Indies, a
stockade."

"Very true, but I trust we shall not require it for such a purpose."

"I hope so too, but there is nothing like being prepared; however, we
have plenty to do before we can think of that. Now, sir, as dinner is
ready, suppose we return, and after dinner we will both commence our
tasks."

Juno and William returned to the dinner which Mrs Seagrave had
prepared. They were both very warm with their work, which was very
hard, but very eager to finish their task. After dinner was over, Mrs
Seagrave requested her husband, as he was about to go down to the point,
with the spade and a small hatchet in his hand, to take Tommy with him,
as she had a great deal to do, and could not watch him as well as the
baby and Caroline. So Mr Seagrave took Tommy by the hand, and