everal inches of it were reduced to charcoal, which
his stone hatchet readily cut away, and the operation was so successful
that it only required a second fire to enable him to fell the tree.

This done, he measured it off in lengths. Under each point of
measurement he piled up dry wood--which consisted merely of broken
branches--with belts of wet fibre on each side of these piles. Then,
applying a light to the fires he reduced the parts to charcoal as
before, and completed the work with the hatchet. Thus, in the course of
a single day, he felled a tall tree and cut it up into six lengths,
which he rolled down to the sea and floated off to the end of the jetty.

Next day Jarwin rose with the sun, and began to make twine of twisted
cocoanut fibre--of which there was great abundance to be had everywhere.
When a sufficient quantity had been made he plaited the twine into
cords, and the cords into stout ropes, which, although not so neat as
regular ropes, were, nevertheless, sufficiently pliable and very strong.
Several days were spent over this somewhat tedious process; and we may
mention here, that in all these operations the busy seaman was greatly
assisted by his dog, who stuck close to him all the time, encouraging
him with looks and wags of approbation.

After the ropes were made, the raft was put together and firmly lashed.
There was a mast and yard in the centre of it, and also a hollow, formed
by the omission of a log, which was just large enough to permit of the
man and his dog lying down. This hollow, slight though it was,
afterwards proved of the utmost service.

It is needless to recount all the details of the building and
provisioning of this raft. Suffice it to say that, about three weeks
after the idea of it had been conceived, it was completed and ready for
sea.

During his residence on the island, although it had only extended over a
few months, Jarwin had become very expert in the use of a sharp-pointed
pole, or javelin, with which he had become quite an adept in spearing
fish. He had also become such a dead-shot with a stone that when he
managed to get within thirty yards of a bird, he was almost certain to
hit it. Thus he was enabled to procure fish and fowl as much as he
required and as the woods abounded with cocoa-nuts, plums, and other
wild fruits, besides many edible roots, he had no lack of good fare.
Now that he was about to "go to sea," he bethought him of drying some of
the fruits a