but we were so little used to sleeping in the open
air that we did not quite relish the idea of lying down without any
covering over us. Besides, our bower would shelter us from the
night-dews or rain, if any should happen to fall. Having strewed the
floor with leaves and dry grass, we bethought ourselves of supper.

But it now occurred to us, for the first time, that we had no means of
making a fire.

"Now, there's a fix! What shall we do?" said Peterkin, while we both
turned our eyes to Jack, to whom we always looked in our difficulties.
Jack seemed not a little perplexed.

"There are flints enough, no doubt, on the beach," said he; "but they
are of no use at all without a steel. However, we must try." So
saying, he went to the beach, and soon returned with two flints. On one
of these he placed the tinder, and endeavoured to ignite it; but it was
with great difficulty that a very small spark was struck out of the
flints, and the tinder, being a bad, hard piece, would not catch. He
then tried the bit of hoop-iron, which would not strike fire at all; and
after that the back of the axe, with no better success. During all
these trials Peterkin sat with his hands in his pockets, gazing with a
most melancholy visage at our comrade, his face growing longer and more
miserable at each successive failure.

"Oh dear!" he sighed; "I would not care a button for the cooking of our
victuals--perhaps they don't need it--but it's so dismal to eat one's
supper in the dark, and we have had such a capital day that it's a pity
to finish off in this glum style. Oh, I have it!" he cried, starting
up: "the spy-glass--the big glass at the end is a burning-glass!"

"You forget that we have no sun," said I.

Peterkin was silent. In his sudden recollection of the telescope he had
quite overlooked the absence of the sun.

"Ah, boys, I've got it now!" exclaimed Jack, rising and cutting a branch
from a neighbouring bush, which he stripped of its leaves. "I recollect
seeing this done once at home. Hand me the bit of whip-cord." With the
cord and branch Jack soon formed a bow. Then he cut a piece about three
inches long off the end of a dead branch, which he pointed at the two
ends. Round this he passed the cord of the bow, and placed one end
against his chest, which was protected from its point by a chip of wood;
the other point he placed against the bit of tinder, and then began to
saw vigorously with the bow, just as a black