se my mother."

"That reason is almost sufficient to plead your pardon, my dear boy,"
replied Ready; "but don't do so again. And now let us say no more about
it; nobody will know that you have been in danger, and there's no harm
done; and you mustn't mind an old man scolding you a little."

"No, indeed, Ready, I do not, for I was very thoughtless; but I had no
idea that there was danger."

"There's your mother coming out of her tent," replied Ready.
"Good-morning, madam. Do you know what William has done for you last
night? Look, here are two beautiful fish, and very excellent eating
they are, I can tell you."

"I am quite delighted," replied Mrs Seagrave.

Tommy clapped his hands and danced about, crying, "Fried fish for
dinner;" and Juno said, "Have very fine dinner to-day, Missy Caroline."

After breakfast they all set out for the grove, where Ready had been
cutting down the trees, taking with them the wheels and axle, and a
couple of stout ropes. Mr Seagrave and Ready cut down the trees and
slung them to the axle, and Juno and William dragged them to the spot
where the house was to be built.

They were not sorry when dinner was ready, for it was very hard work.

That night, tired as they were, Ready and William went out, and turned
eight more turtle. They continued felling the cocoa-nut trees and
dragging the timber for the remainder of the week, when they considered
that they had nearly enough, and on Tuesday morning they commenced
building the house.

CHAPTER TWENTY NINE.

Ready had cut out and prepared the door-posts and window-frames from
timber which he had towed round from the cove. He now fixed four poles
in the earth upright at each corner, and then, with the assistance of
Mr Seagrave, notched every log of cocoa-nut wood on both sides, where
it was to meet with the one crossing it, so that, by laying log upon log
alternately, they fitted pretty close, and had only to have the chinks
between them filled in with cocoa-nut leaves twisted very tight, and
forced between them: this was the work of William and Juno when no more
logs were ready for carrying; and, by degrees, the house rose up from
its foundation. The fireplace could not be made at once, as they had
either to find clay, or to burn shells into lime and build it up with
rocks and mortar; but a space was left for it. For three weeks they
worked very hard: as soon as the sides were up, they got on the whole of
the roof and rafters