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THE LIBRARY 
 
 OF 
 
 THE UNIVERSITY 
 
 OF CALIFORNIA 
 
 PRESENTED BY 
 
 PROF. CHARLES A. KOFOID AND 
 
 MRS. PRUDENCE W. KOFOID 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 OR 
 
 THE WRECK OF THE "PACIFIC" 
 
ROUTLEDGE'S EDITIONS 
 
 OF 
 
 CAPTAIN MARRYAT'S 
 
 NOVELS and TALES 
 
 King's Own Edition. In 24 vols., with 6 photo- 
 
 gravures in each. Vols. 1-19 each con- 
 
 tain an Introduction by W. L. COURTNEY, 
 
 M.A., LL.D. Crown 8vo. -}>s. 6d. each. 
 
 The only complete uniform edition published. 
 
 1. * The King's Own. 
 
 13. * Olla Podrida 
 
 2. * Frank Mildmay. 
 
 14. * Poor Jack. 
 
 3. * Newton Forster. N 
 
 15, * The Poacher. 
 
 4. * Peter Simple. 
 
 16. * Percival Keene. 
 
 5. * Jacob Faithful. 
 
 17 * Monsieur Violet. 
 
 6. * The Pacha of Many 
 
 18. * The Privateersman. 
 
 Tales. 
 
 19. * Valerie : an Auto- 
 
 7. * Japhet in Search of 
 
 biography. 
 
 a Father. 
 
 
 8. * Mr. Midshipman 
 
 Books for Boys and Girls. 
 
 Easy. 
 
 Children of the New 
 
 9. *The Pirate; The 
 
 Forest. 
 
 Three Cutters. 
 
 The Little Savage. 
 
 10. *The Dcg Fiend 
 
 * Masterman Ready. 
 
 (Snarleyow). 
 
 Settlers in Canada. 
 
 11. * Rattlin the Reefer. 
 
 Scenes in Africa; or, 
 
 12. * The Phantom Ship. 
 
 The Mission. 
 
 Frank Mildmay Edition. 20 vols., as starred 
 
 ( * ) above. Crown 8vo. 2s. each. 
 
Masterman Ready* 
 
MASTEKMAIST READY 
 
 THE WRECK OF THE "PACIFIC" 
 
 WRITTEN FOR YOUNG PEOPLE 
 
 BY 
 
 CAPTAIN MARRYAT 
 
 LONDON 
 
 GEORGE ROUTLEDGE AND SONS, Limited 
 
 BROADWAY HOUSE, CARTER LANE, E.C. 
 
Printed by Ballantynk, Hanson &* Co. 
 At the Ballantyne Press, Edinburgh 
 

 PREFACE 
 
 I PROMISED my children to write a book for them. It 
 was a hasty promise, for I never considered whether I was 
 capable of so doing. On my requesting to know what kind 
 of a book they would prefer, they said that they wished 
 me to continue a work called the e< Swiss Family Robinson/' 
 which had never been completed, and which appeared 
 peculiarly to interest them. I sent for the work and read it : 
 it was originally written in German, translated into French, 
 and from French into English, — a very fair evidence of its 
 merits as amusing to children ; but I found difficulties which 
 were to me insurmountable, and which decided me not to 
 continue that work, but to write another in the same style ; 
 and I mention this more with a view to prevent any accusa- 
 tion of plagiarism, than with any intent to depreciate the 
 work referred to. I have said that it is very amusing ; but 
 the fault which I find in it is, that it does not adhere to the 
 probable, or even the possible, which should ever be the case 
 in a book, even if fictitious, when written for children. I 
 pass over the seamanship, or rather the want of it, which 
 occasions impossibilities to be performed on board of the 
 wreck, as that is not a matter of any consequence : as in the 
 comedy, where, when people did not understand Greek, 
 Irish did just as well, so it is with a large portion of the sea- 
 manship displayed in naval writings. But what compelled 
 me to abandon the task was, that much ignorance, or care- 
 lessness, had been displayed in describing the vegetable and 
 
 M313599 
 
PREFACE 
 
 animal productions of the island on which the family had 
 been wrecked. The island is supposed to be far to the south- 
 ward, near to Van Diemen's Land ; yet, in these temperate 
 latitudes, we have not only plants, but animals, introduced 
 which could only be found in the interior of Africa or the 
 torrid zone, mixed up with those really indigenous to the 
 climate. This was an error which I could not persuade 
 myself to follow up. It is true that it is a child's book ; 
 but I consider, for that very reason, it is necessary that the 
 author should be particular in what may appear to be trifles, 
 but which really are not, when it is remembered how strong 
 the impressions are upon the juvenile mind. Fiction, when 
 written for young people, should, at all events, be based upon 
 truth ; and I could not continue a narrative under the 
 objections which I have stated. 
 
 Whether I have succeeded or not in the construction of 
 my own, is another question. I shall, however, take the 
 opinions of the children, rather than of the critics, on this 
 point. My idea is, to show the practical man in Ready and 
 the theoretical in the father of the family ; and, as the work 
 advances, to enter more deeply into questions which may 
 induce children to think, or, by raising their curiosity, 
 stimulate them to seek for information. 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 PAGB 
 
 Preface v 
 
 Plan xvii 
 
 Note xix 
 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 Ship before the wind — Stormy petrels — Character of Ready — De- 
 scription of the ship and her crew . .... 1 
 
 CHAPTER II 
 
 Some account of William and his parents — A calm — Accidents 
 during the gale — Shepherds' dogs, Romulus and Remus — 
 Nearing the land 4 
 
 CHAPTER III 
 
 Ship in Table Bay — Table Mountain — Going on shore — Botanic 
 Gardens — Secretary birds — Den of lions — Tommy in danger, 
 and much frightened — Return on board 8 
 
 CHAPTER IV 
 
 A dead calm — Albatross — Symptoms of a storm — Preparations 
 for a storm — Dreadful storm — Struck by lightning — Terrible 
 wreck and loss of life 12 
 
 CHAPTER V 
 
 Sailors never discouraged — Anxiety of the captain — Storm re- 
 newed — Pride of man humbled — Ready's foreboding — Uncer- 
 tainty of life— Naval profession considered . . . .16 
 
CONTENTS 
 CHAPTER VI 
 
 PAOB 
 
 Confusion in the cabin — Captain struck senseless — Symptoms of 
 insubordination — Mackintosh's advice — Preparations for 
 quitting ship — Distress of Mr. Seagrave — Noble conduct of 
 Ready — Departure of the crew 21 
 
 CHAPTER VII 
 
 Despair of Mr. Seagrave — Mr. Seagrave comforted by Ready — 
 Exertions of William and Ready — Signs of land — Gloomy 
 prospects — Hope restored — Discovery of land — Steer for land 
 — Ship on coral rocks 27 
 
 CHAPTER VIII 
 
 Alarm of Mrs. Seagrave — Mr. Seagrave repines, and is rebuked 
 by Ready — Recovers his self-possession — Inventory of live 
 stock — Preparations for landing 34 
 
 CHAPTER IX 
 
 Getting out the boat — Mr. Seagrave and Ready land and re- 
 connoitre the island — Return on board — Delight of Tommy 
 — Removal to the island — Erection of a tent — Ready returns 
 to the ship . . .38 
 
 CHAPTER X 
 
 Tommy in mischief — Tommy mounts guard — Mrs. Seagrave is 
 landed — Arrival at the tent — Exhaustion of Ready — Thanks- 
 giving to Providence 42 
 
 CHAPTER XI 
 
 Mr. Seagrave's gratitude— How to produce fire— Return to the 
 
 vessel — Unloading the vessel — Preparation for breakfast . 46 
 
 CHAPTER XII 
 
 Ready taken by surprise— Assembled at breakfast— Danger of 
 sharks — Landing useful articles — Pig and shark — Prognos- 
 tics of the weather — Value of the cocoa-nut tree — Brotherly 
 feeling 49 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 CHAPTER XIII 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Exploring party formed — Mrs. Seagrave's anxiety— Ready's dis- 
 interestedness — Preparations for the journey — Tommy at the 
 grindstone— The parting 55 
 
 CHAPTER XIV 
 
 Commencement of journey — Novel way-marks — Anxiety about 
 water — Sudden alarm — Prepare for the worst — Pigs in the 
 grove — Change of scene— They discover the sea ... 58 
 
 CHAPTER XV 
 
 A beautiful scene — Sea anemones — A turtle — An important dis- 
 covery — The hour of rest 63 
 
 CHAPTER XVI 
 
 Search for water — Sagacity of dogs — Water discovered — Site for 
 
 a new house — A shark — Bonettas — Return to the cove . . 67 
 
 CHAPTER XVII 
 
 Symptoms of an approaching storm — Hauling up the boat — 
 Threatening appearances— Ready exposed to the storm — All 
 
 for the worst 71 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII 
 
 Furious storms — Tents blown down — Morning after the storm — 
 
 Fine weather prophesied — Ready's plans for the day . . 74 
 
 CHAPTER XIX 
 
 Collecting the stores — Cow devoured by sharks — Abundance of 
 water — Coral insects — Formation and growth of coral rocks 
 
 — Wonders of nature 77 
 
 ix 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 CHAPTER XX 
 
 PAG! 
 
 Preparations for removing— A trip in the boat— Visit to the 
 
 spring — Mrs. Seagrave's anticipations 81 
 
 CHAPTER XXI 
 
 Ready lands the cargo on the beach — Arrival of William and 
 Juno — Proposal to build a house, and make a garden and 
 pond — Ready's age and habits — Arrangements for cooking — 
 Ready finds a turtle 84 
 
 CHAPTER XXII 
 
 The tents taken down — Depart for the new residence — Arrival 
 of Mrs. Seagrave — Ready's congratulations and plans for the 
 future — Dine off turtle-soup — Gratitude to God ... 88 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII 
 
 Ready's mode of sinking a well — Mr. and Mrs. Seagrave rejoice 
 in their new abode — Ready uses the gimlet and sinks the 
 cask 92 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV 
 
 Plan of operations — Trees to be cut down — Spot for a garden and 
 
 a turtle-pond — Juno and William at work .... 95 
 
 CHAPTER XXV 
 
 Ready's plans as to the future garden — Tommy very naughty — 
 
 He makes himself ill by eating castor-oil beans . . .198 
 
 CHAPTER XXVI 
 
 Tommy makes a garden, and gets some useful advice — Tommy 
 and the goat — Cocoa-nuts— Progress of operations — Turtle- 
 pond .101 
 
 x 
 
CONTENTS 
 CHAPTER XXVII 
 
 PAGH 
 
 Turning turtles — On fishing — Pond finished — Spaniards and Portu- 
 guese — Colonies — On the mother -country and her colonies — 
 Rise and fall of nations — History of the Moors in Spain . 104 
 
 CHAPTER XXVIII 
 
 Preparing for fishing — Fortunate escape — Successful fishing — 
 Ready reproves William — William's fish — Felling cocoa-nut 
 trees 110 
 
 CHAPTER XXIX 
 
 Building the house — Rainy season — Gratitude to God for His 
 
 mercies 113 
 
 CHAPTER XXX 
 
 Juno and Ready — Going the rounds — The boat drifted— Sheep 
 and goats — The kids — Council held — Man-of-war discipline 
 — Boat to be secured— Arrangements 115 
 
 CHAPTER XXXI 
 
 Boat secured — Fishing — Storm — Arranging house — Ready's 
 
 History— Consolation— To bed 120 
 
 CHAPTER XXXII 
 
 Finds the fowls — Fowl-house — Ready's history .... 129 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIII 
 
 Turtle-soup— Speculations — Commence out-house — Tommy in dis- 
 grace — Thimble found — Tommy forgiven — Ready's history . 133 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIV 
 
 House struck with lightning— Juno stunned— Goat killed — Thanks 
 for preservation — Lightning conductor — Ready's narrative — 
 Fishing 140 
 
CONTENTS 
 CHAPTER XXXV 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Building store-house— On the beach— Employment happiness — 
 Tommy killing beetles — Creation — The heavens — Chris- 
 tianity 149 
 
 CHAPTER XXXVI 
 
 Stacking fuel— Salt-pan — Chance of relief — Women — Ready's 
 
 narrative 155 
 
 CHAPTER XXXVII 
 
 Fish-pond — Wheeling stones — Alligator — Shark — Pigs — Dogs — 
 
 Ready's narrative 162 
 
 CHAPTER XXXVIII 
 
 William taken ill— Ready bleeds him — William in a fever — Out of 
 
 danger — Recovering — Ready's narrative 169 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIX 
 
 South Sea Islands — Andaman Isles — Typhoon and monsoon — 
 Trade-winds — Gulf Stream — Land and sea breezes — Ready's 
 narrative 178 
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 
 Tommy wants some eggs — Eggs missing — Tommy caught in a 
 
 trap — Tommy in prison — Ready's narrative . . . .186 
 
 CHAPTER XLI 
 
 Survey agreed upon — Remarks of Ready — Anticipations and 
 
 wishes 193 
 
 CHAPTER XLII 
 
 Set off on survey — Steering by compass through the wood — 
 Mummy — Clearing the wood — Rainy season unhealthy — Dis- 
 covery — Banana — Pepper — Prickly pear— Guava — Parrots — 
 Yams — Pigs — Sea-birds' nests — Harbour for boat — Crawfish 
 and oysters — Return home — Hemp — Wild grape — Projected 
 
 work 197 
 
 xii 
 
CONTENTS 
 CHAPTER XLIII 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Vessel in sight— William and Ready — The telescope— Flagstaff— 
 Air bedding — Hoist ensign and flag — Jot of the party — Hopes 
 and fears — Vessel hauls off — Disappointment .... 208 
 
 CHAPTER XLIV 
 
 Grief and despair — The Bible— Chances— Gale breaking — Canoe 
 seen — Island women— Savages — Surmises — Women taken to 
 *»he house — Hopes and fears — Indian women escape — Council 
 held — Plans proposed — Resignation 214 
 
 CHAPTER XLV 
 
 Indecision — Consultation — Prepare to resist the savages . . 222 
 
 CHAPTER XLVI 
 
 Passage through the reef — Looking for the harbour — Tommy and 
 
 the crayfish — Tommy sulky 226 
 
 CHAPTER XLVII 
 
 Going round to the harbour — Banana clump — Digging for water 
 
 Tents pitched — Return to bay — Fowls and chickens . . 229 
 
 CHAPTER XL VIII 
 
 Arrival at tents— Pigs in yams — Occupy their new residence — 
 
 Arrangements 232 
 
 CHAPTER XLIX 
 
 Fencing the yams— Departure for cove— Ready and Mr. Sea grave 
 
 at the cove— Readv's reflections— Examine beach . . • 235 
 
 CHAPTER L 
 
 Examination of stores— Variety of articles saved from the wreck 
 
 —Books . 238 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 CHAPTER LI 
 
 paos 
 
 Stores examined — Return — Pig killed — Fish caught — Tommy 
 
 and pig — Tommy and gun — Tommy frightened — Tommy 
 
 punished 242 
 
 CHAPTER LII 
 
 Preparations — Departure — Chickens — Carrying stores — Dog 
 
 carries the letter 246 
 
 CHAPTER LIII 
 
 Dog returns — Letter answered — Pigeons — Another letter — Return 
 
 to tents — Conversation — Reason and instinct — Animals . . 249 
 
 CHAPTER LIV 
 Conversation renewed — Animals ....... 254 
 
 CHAPTER LV 
 
 Stores removed — Last trip to the cove — Ship — Arrival at harbour 
 
 —Tommy 258 
 
 CHAPTER LVI 
 Sunday rest — Arrangements / . 261 
 
 CHAPTER LVII 
 
 Return to bay — Stockade commenced — Keeping watch — Look-out 265 
 
 CHAPTER LVIII 
 
 Tommy missing — Adrift in the boat — Ready in the water — His 
 danger — Boat sinking — Ready and Tommy saved — Ready and 
 
 William— Thanksgivings 269 
 
 xiv 
 
CONTENTS 
 CHAPTER LIX 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Stockade and house finished — Water-cask — Consultation — Go into 
 
 stockade — Turn turtle . 273 
 
 CHAPTER LX 
 
 Washing — Yams — Change of wind — Looking out — Discover canoes 
 under sail with savages in large force — Mr. and Mrs. Sea- 
 grave 277 
 
 CHAPTER LXI 
 
 Preparations — All prepared — Canoes on the reef — Savages land — 
 
 Retreat to stockade 281 
 
 CHAPTER LXII 
 
 Savages approach — Attack — Savage chief shot — Savages retire 
 and hold a council — Water all gone — Discussion — Want of 
 water 284 
 
 CHAPTER LXIII 
 
 Second attack — Savages retire — Proposed defence — Thirst in- 
 creases — Discussion— Another day — Look-out . . . 289 
 
 CHAPTER LXIV 
 
 Council of savages — Consultation — Distress for water — Proposi- 
 tion of Ready — Ready procures water, and is wounded by a 
 savage — Water supplied 293 
 
 CHAPTER LXV 
 
 Ready's wound— Mrs. Seagrave - Ready and William — The look- 
 out — Attack of stockade — Relief at hand — Savages dispersed 
 — Captain Osborn arrives ........ 297 
 
 xv 
 
CONTENTS 
 CHAPTER LXVI 
 
 PAGS 
 
 Explanation — Captain Osborn and Ready — Ready's death — Regret 
 
 — Arrangements — Stock left on the island .... 302 
 
 CHAPTER LXVII 
 
 Ready's grave — Regrets — Juno in sorrow — Conversation — Remarks 
 on Ready — Ready's funeral — Love for the island — Schooner 
 sails — Arrival at Sydney — The Seagrave family . . 307 
 
NOTE 
 
 JL HE author of this little work has received a letter from 
 one of the family of the Mastermans, stating that an un- 
 pleasant feeling has been created by his assuming that name 
 for the godfather of Masterman Ready, inasmuch as the 
 character of the godfather is not one that is at all enviable. 
 What might make it appear that he had actually referred 
 to one of the members of that family in this work of fiction 
 is, that, by the strangest coincidence, there have been 
 Mastermans, for nearly a century, residing at South Shields, 
 and as ship owners and builders, so that, by a mere chance, 
 he has not only assumed the name, but the residence and the 
 occupation, of the parties. It is therefore his duty to 
 state that this coincidence, strange as it is, was quite an 
 accident, and that he never could or would have taken a 
 step which could cause any pain or annoyance to so respect- 
 able a family. 
 
 XIX 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 OR 
 
 THE WRECK OF THE " PACIFIC" 
 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 Ship before the wind — Stormy petrels — Character of Ready — 
 Description of the ship and her crew. 
 
 XT was in the month of October, 18 — , that the Pacific, a 
 large ship, was running before a heavy gale of wind in the 
 middle of the vast Atlantic Ocean. She had but little sail, 
 for the wind was so strong, that the canvas would have been 
 split into pieces by the furious blasts before which she was 
 driven through the waves, which were very high, and follow- 
 ing her almost as fast as she darted through their boiling 
 waters ; sometimes heaving up her stern and sinking her 
 bows down so deep into the hollow of the sea, that it ap- 
 peared as if she would have dived down underneath the 
 waves ; but she was a fine vessel, and the captain was a good 
 seaman, who did what he considered best for the safety of 
 his vessel, and then put his trust in that Providence who is ever 
 watchful over us. 
 
 The captain stood before the wheel, watching the men 
 who were steering the ship ; for when you are running before 
 a heavy gale, it requires great attention to the helm : and as 
 he looked around him and up at the heavens, he sung in a 
 low voice the words of a sea song — 
 
 ' ' One wide water all around us, 
 All above us one black sky." 
 
 1 A 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 And so it was with them ; — they were in the middle of the 
 Atlantic, not another vessel to be seen, and the heavens were 
 covered with black clouds, which were borne along furiously 
 by the gale ; the sea ran mountains high, and broke into 
 large white foaming crests, while the fierce wind howled 
 through the rigging of the vessel. 
 
 Besides the captain of the ship and the two men at the 
 wheel, there were two other personages on deck : one was 
 a young lad about twelve years old, and the other a weather- 
 beaten old seaman, whose grisly locks were streaming in the 
 wind, as he paced aft and looked over the taffrail of the 
 vessel. 
 
 The young lad, observing a heavy sea coming up to the 
 stern of the vessel, caught hold of the old man's arm, crying 
 out — " Won't that great wave come into us, Ready ? " 
 
 t( No, Master William, it will not ; don't you see how the 
 ship lifts her quarters to it ? — and now it has passed under- 
 neath us. But it might happen, and then what would 
 become of you, if I did not hold on, and hold you on also ? 
 You would be washed overboard." ] 
 
 " I don't like the sea much, Ready ; I wish we were safe 
 on shore again," replied the lad. " Don't the waves look as 
 if they wished to beat the ship all to pieces ? " 
 
 "Yes, they do; and they roar as if angry because they 
 cannot bury the vessel beneath them : but I am used to 
 them, Master Willy, and with a good ship like this, and a 
 good captain and crew, I don't care for them." 
 
 "But sometimes ships do sink, and then everybody is 
 drowned." 
 
 " Yes, Master William ; and very often the very ships sink 
 which those on board think are most safe. We can only do our 
 best, and after that we must submit to the will of Heaven." 
 
 "What little birds are those flying about so close to the 
 water ? " 
 
 "Those are Mother Carey's chickens, Master William, as 
 we sailors call them. You seldom see them except in a 
 storm, or when a storm is coming on." 
 
 The birds which William referred to were the stormy 
 petrels. 
 
 "Were you ever shipwrecked on a desolate island like 
 Robinson Crusoe ? " 
 
THE SHIP "PACIFIC" 
 
 " Yes, Master William, I have been shipwrecked ; but I 
 never heard of Robinson Crusoe. So many have been wrecked 
 and undergone great hardships, and so many more have never 
 lived to tell what they have suffered, that it's not very likely 
 that I should have known that one man you speak of, out of 
 so many." 
 
 11 Oh ! but it's all in a book which I have read. I could 
 tell you all about it — and so I will when the ship is quiet 
 again ; but now I wish you would help me down below, for 
 I promised mamma not to stay up long." 
 
 " Then always keep your promise like a good lad," replied 
 the old man ; " now give me your hand, and I'll answer for 
 it that we will fetch the hatchway without a tumble; and 
 when the weather is fine again, I'll tell you how I was 
 wrecked, and you shall tell me all about Robinson Crusoe." 
 
 Having seen Master William safe to the cabin door, the 
 old seaman returned to the deck, for it was his watch. 
 
 Masterman Ready, for such was his name, had been more 
 than fifty years at sea, having been bound apprentice to a 
 collier which sailed from South Shields, when he was only 
 ten years old. His face was browned from long exposure, 
 and there were deep furrows on his cheeks, but he was still 
 a hale and active man. He had served many years on board 
 of a man-of-war, and had been in every climate : he had 
 many strange stories to tell, and he might be believed even 
 when his stories were strange, for he would not tell an un- 
 truth. He could navigate a vessel, and, of course, he could 
 read and write ; he had read his Bible over and over again. 
 The name of Ready was very well suited to him, for he was 
 seldom at a loss ; and in cases of difficulty and danger, the 
 captain would not hesitate to ask his opinion, and frequently 
 take his advice. He was on board as second mate of the 
 vessel. 
 
 The Pacific was, as we have before observed, a very fine 
 ship, and well able to contend with the most violent storm. 
 She was of more than four hundred tons burthen, and was 
 then making a passage out to New South Wales, with a 
 valuable cargo of English hardware, cutlery, and other manu- 
 factures. The captain was a good navigator and seaman, and 
 moreover a good man, of a cheerful, happy disposition, always 
 making the best of everything, and when accidents did 
 
 3 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 happen, always more inclined to laugh than to look grave. 
 His name was Osborn. The first mate, whose name was 
 Mackintosh, was a Scotsman, rough and ill-tempered, but 
 paying strict attention to his duty — a man that Captain 
 Osborn could trust, but whom he did not like. 
 
 Ready we have already spoken of, and it will not be 
 necessary to say anything about the seamen on board, except 
 that there were thirteen of them, hardly a sufficient number 
 to man so large a vessel ; but just as they were about to 
 sail, five of the seamen, who did not like the treatment they 
 had received from Mackintosh, the first mate, had left the 
 ship, and Captain Osborn did not choose to wait until he 
 could obtain others in their stead. This proved unfortunate, 
 as the events which we shall hereafter relate will show. 
 
 CHAPTER II 
 
 Some account of William and his parents — A calm — Accidents 
 during the gale — SJ^herds' dogs, Romulus and Remus— 
 Nearing the land. 
 
 MASTER WILLIAM, whom we have introduced to the 
 reader, was the eldest boy of a family who were passengers 
 on board, consisting of the father, mother, and four children : 
 his father was a Mr. Seagrave, a very well-informed clever 
 man, who having for many years held an office under govern- 
 ment at Sydney, the principal town in New South Wales, 
 was now returning from a leave of absence of three years. 
 He had purchased from the government several thousand 
 acres of land ; it had since risen very much in value, and the 
 sheep and cattle which he had put on it were proving a source 
 of great profit. His property had been well managed by the 
 person who had charge of it during his absence in England, 
 and he was now taking out with him a variety of articles of 
 every description for its improvement, and for his own use, 
 such as furniture for his house, implements of agriculture, 
 seeds, plants, cattle, and many other things too numerous to 
 mention. 
 
 Mrs. Seagrave was an amiable woman, but not in very 
 
 4 
 
WILLIAM AND HIS PARENTS 
 
 strong health. The family consisted of William, who was 
 the eldest, a clever steady boy, but, at the same time, full of 
 mirth and humour ; Thomas, who was six years old, a very 
 thoughtless but good-tempered boy, full of mischief, and 
 always in a scrape ; Caroline, a little girl of seven years ; and 
 Albert, a fine strong little fellow, who was not one year old : 
 he was under the charge of a black girl who had come from 
 the Cape of Good Hope to Sydney, and had followed Mrs. 
 Seagrave to England. We have now mentioned all the people 
 on board of the Pacific ; perhaps we ought not to forget two 
 shepherds' dogs, belonging to Mr. Seagrave, and a little 
 terrier, which was a great favourite of Captain Osborn, to 
 whom she belonged. And now we will proceed : — It was not 
 until the fourth day from its commencement that the gale 
 abated, and then it gradually subsided until it was nearly a 
 calm. The men who had been watching night after night 
 during the gale, now brought all their clothes which had 
 been drenched by the rain and spray, and hung them up in 
 the rigging to dry : the sails also which had been furled, and 
 had been saturated by the wet, were now loosened and spread 
 out that they might not be mildewed. The wind blew mild 
 and soft, the sea had gone down, and the ship was running 
 through the water at the speed of about four miles an hour. 
 Mrs. Seagrave, wrapped up in a cloak, was seated upon one 
 of the arm-chests near the stern of the ship, her husband and 
 children were all with her enjoying the fine weather, when 
 Captain Osborn, who had been taking an observation of the 
 sun with his sextant, came up to them. 
 
 " Well, Master Tommy, you are very glad that the gale is 
 over ? " 
 
 " I didn't care," replied Tommy, <e only I spilt all my soup. 
 But Juno tumbled off her chair, and rolled away with the 
 baby, till papa picked them both up." 
 
 " It was a mercy that poor Albert was not killed," observed 
 Mrs. Seagrave. 
 
 " And so he might have been, if Juno had not thought only 
 of him and nothing at all about herself," replied Mr. Seagrave. 
 
 " That's very true, sir," replied Captain Osborn. "She 
 saved the child, and, I fear, hurt herself." 
 
 " I thump my head very hard," said Juno, smiling. 
 
 "Yes, and it's lucky that you have a good thick woolly 
 
 5 
 
Masterman ready 
 
 coat over it," replied Captain Osborn, laughing. "Never 
 mind, Juno, you are a good girl." 
 
 " It is twelve o'clock by the sun, sir," said Mackintosh, the 
 first mate, to the captain. 
 
 "Then bring me up the latitude, Mr. Mackintosh, while 
 I work out the longitude from the sights which I took this 
 morning. In five minutes, Mr. Seagrave, I shall be ready 
 to prick off over our place on the chart." 
 
 " Here are the dogs come up on deck," said William ; 
 " I dare say they are as glad of the fine weather as we are. 
 Come here, Romulus ! Here, Remus ! — Remus ! " 
 
 "Well, sir," said Ready, who was standing by them with 
 his quadrant in his hand, u I should like to ask you a ques- 
 tion. Those dogs of yours have two very odd names which 
 I never heard before. Who were Romulus and Remus ! " 
 
 "Romulus and Remus," replied Mr. Seagrave, "were the 
 names of two shepherds, brothers, who in ancient days 
 founded the city of Rome, which eventually became the 
 largest and most celebrated empire in the world. They 
 were the first kings of Rome, and reigned together. 
 
 "And they were suckled by a wolf, Ready," continued 
 William ; " what do you think of that ? " 
 
 " It was a queer kind of wet nurse, Master William," 
 replied Ready. 
 
 " And Romulus killed Remus," said William. 
 
 " No wonder, after the way he was brought up, Master 
 William," answered Ready ; "but why did he kill him ?" 
 
 "For jumping too high," replied William, laughing. 
 
 "Is Master William joking?" said Ready, appealing to 
 Mr. Seagrave. 
 
 "Yes, he is, and he is not. History says that Remus 
 affronted Romulus by leaping over a wall he had raised, and 
 Romulus, in his anger, took away his life ; but the history of 
 early days is not to be depended upon." 
 
 " No, nor the brothers either, it appears," replied Ready ; 
 " however, it is the old story — two of a trade can never agree. 
 One sometimes hears of Rome now — is that the same place ? " 
 
 "Yes," replied William, "it is the remains of the old 
 city." 
 
 " Well, one lives and learns," said Ready ; " I have learnt 
 something to-day, which every one will to the last day of 
 
 6 
 
JUNO 
 
 his life, if he will only ask questions. I'm an old man, and 
 perhaps don't know much, except in the seafaring way ; but 
 I should have known much less if I did not ask for informa- 
 tion, and was not ashamed to acknowledge my ignorance ; 
 that's the way to learn, Master William." 
 
 u Very good advice, Ready — and, William, I hope you will 
 profit by it," said Mr. Seagrave ; "never be ashamed to ask 
 the meaning of what you do not understand." 
 
 " I always do, papa. Do I not ask you questions, Ready ? " 
 
 " Yes, you do, and very clever questions for a boy of your 
 age, Master William ; and I only wish that I could answer 
 them better than I can sometimes." 
 
 " I should like to go down now, my dear," said Mrs. 
 Seagrave ; "perhaps Ready will see the baby down safe." 
 
 "That I will, ma'am," said Ready, putting his quadrant 
 on the capstern : "now, Juno, give me the child, and go 
 down first ; — stern foremost, you stupid girl ! how often do 
 I tell you that ? Some day or another you will come down 
 with a run." 
 
 " And break my head," said Juno. 
 
 " Yes, or break your arm ; and then who is to hold the 
 child?" 
 
 As soon as they were all down in the cabin, the captain 
 and Mr. Seagrave marked the position of the vessel on the 
 chart, and found that they were one hundred and thirty 
 miles from the Cape of Good Hope. 
 
 " If the wind holds, we shall be in to-morrow," said Mr. 
 Seagrave to his wife. "Juno, perhaps you may see your 
 father and mother." 
 
 Poor Juno shook her head, and a tear or two stole down 
 her dark cheek. With a mournful face she told them, that 
 her father and mother belonged to a Dutch boor, who had 
 gone with them many miles into the interior : she had been 
 parted from them when quite a little child, and had been 
 left at Cape Town. 
 
 " But you are free now, Juno," said Mrs. Seagrave ; " you 
 have been to England, and whoever puts his foot on shore 
 in England, becomes from that moment free." 
 
 " Yes, missy, I free ; but still I have no fader or moder," 
 replied Juno, weeping. But little Albert patted her cheek, and 
 she was soon smiling again, and playing with the little boy. 
 
 7 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 CHAPTER III 
 
 Ship in Table Bay — Table Mountain — Going on shore — Botanic 
 Gardens — Secretary birds — Den of lions — Tommy in danger, 
 and much frightened — Return on board. 
 
 JL HE next morning the Pacific arrived at the Cape and 
 anchored in Table Bay. 
 
 " Why do they call this Table Bay, Ready ? " said William. 
 
 " I suppose it's because they call that great mountain the 
 Table Mountain, Master William ; you see how flat the 
 mountain is on the top." 
 
 " Yes, it is quite as flat as a table." 
 
 u Yes, and sometimes you will see the white clouds rolling 
 down over the top of it in a very curious manner, and that 
 the sailors call spreading the tablecloth : it is a sign of bad 
 weather." 
 
 "Then I hope they will not spread the tablecloth while 
 we are here, Ready," said William, "for I shall certainly 
 have no appetite. We have had bad weather enough 
 already, and mamma suffers so much from it. What a pretty 
 place it is ! " 
 
 " We shall remain here two days, sir," said Captain Osborn 
 to Mr. Seagrave, " if you and Mrs. Seagrave would like to go 
 on shore." 
 
 " I will go down and ask Mrs. Seagrave," said her husband, 
 who went down the ladder, followed by William. 
 
 Upon the question being put to Mrs. Seagrave, she replied 
 that she was quite satisfied with the ship having no motion, 
 and did not feel herself equal to going on shore; it was 
 therefore decided that she should remain on board with the 
 younger children, and that, on the following day, Mr. Sea- 
 grave should take William and Tommy to see Cape Town, 
 and return on board before night. 
 
 The next morning, Captain Osborn lowered down one of 
 the large boats, and Mr. Seagrave, accompanied by Captain 
 Osborn, went on shore with William and Tommy. Tommy 
 had promised his mamma to be very good ; but that he 
 always did, and almost always forgot his promise directly he 
 
 8 
 
BOTANIC GARDENS 
 
 was out of sight. As soon as they landed, they went up to 
 a gentleman's house, with whom Captain Osborn was ac- 
 quainted. They stayed for a few minutes to drink a glass 
 of lemonade, for it was very warm ; and then it was proposed 
 that they should go to the Company's Gardens and see the 
 wild beasts which were confined there, at which William was 
 much delighted, and Tommy clapped his hands with joy. 
 
 "What are the Company's Gardens, papa?" inquired 
 William. 
 
 "They were made by the Dutch East India Company, at 
 the time that the Cape of Good Hope was in their possession. 
 They are properly speaking, Botanical Gardens ; but, at the 
 same time, the wild animals are kept there. Formerly there 
 were a great many, but they have not been paid attention to 
 lately, for we have plenty of these animals in England now." 
 
 " What shall we see ? " said Tommy. 
 
 "You will see lions, Tommy, a great many in a large den 
 together," said Captain Osborn. 
 
 " Oh ! I want to see a lion." 
 
 "You must not go too near them, recollect." 
 
 "No, I won't," said Tommy. 
 
 As soon as they entered the gates, Tommy escaped from 
 Captain Osborn, and ran away in his hurry to see the lions ; 
 but Captain Osborn caught him again, and held him fast by 
 the hand. 
 
 "Here is a pair of very strange birds," said the gentleman 
 who accompanied them ; " they are called Secretaries, on 
 account of the feathers which hang behind their heads, as 
 the feather of a pen does when a clerk puts it behind his ear : 
 but they are very useful, for they are snake-killers ; indeed, 
 they would, if they could, live altogether upon snakes, which 
 they are very great enemies to, never letting one escape. 
 They strike them with their feet, and with such force as to 
 kill them immediately." 
 
 "Are there many snakes in this country?" inquired William. 
 
 " Yes, and very venomous snakes," replied Mr. Seagrave, 
 " so that these birds are very useful in destroying them. You 
 observe, William, that the Almighty, in His wisdom, has so 
 arranged it, that no animal (especially of a noxious kind) shall 
 be multiplied to excess, but kept under by being preyed upon 
 by some other ; indeed, wherever in any country an animal 
 
 9 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 exists in any quantity, there is generally found another animal 
 which destroys it. The Secretary inhabits this country where 
 snakes exist in numbers, that it may destroy them : in England 
 the bird would be of little value/' 
 
 " But some animals are too large or too fierce to be 
 destroyed by others, papa ; for instance, the elephant and the 
 lion." 
 
 "Very true ; but these larger animals do not breed so fast, 
 and therefore their numbers do not increase so rapidly. For 
 instance, a pair of elephants will not have more than one young 
 one in the space of two years or more ; while the rabbits, 
 which are preyed upon and the food of so many other beasts 
 as well as birds, would increase enormously, if they were not 
 destroyed. I have read that a pair of rabbits, from them- 
 selves and their progeny also breeding so fast, will arrive to 
 many hundreds in the course of a single year. Examine 
 through the whole of creation, and you will find that there is 
 an unerring Hand, which invariably preserves the balance 
 exact; and that there are no more mouths than for which food 
 is provided, although accidental circumstances may for a time 
 occasion a slight alteration." 
 
 They continued their walk until they came to the den of 
 the lions. It was a large place, enclosed with a strong and 
 high wall of stone, with only one window to it for the visitors 
 to look at them, as it was open above. This window was wide, 
 and with strong iron bars running from the top to the 
 bottom ; but the width between the bars was such that a 
 lion could put his paw out with ease ; and they were there- 
 fore cautioned not to go too near. It was a -fine sight to see 
 eight or ten of these noble-looking animals lying down in 
 various attitudes, quite indifferent apparently to the people 
 outside basking in the sun, and slowly moving their tufted 
 tails to and fro. William examined them at a respectful 
 distance from the bars ; and so did Tommy, who had his 
 mouth open with astonishment, in which there was at first 
 not a little fear mixed, but he soon got bolder. The gentle- 
 man who had accompanied them, and who had been long at 
 the Cape, was relating to Mr. Seagrave and Captain Osborn 
 some very curious anecdotes about the lion. William and 
 they were so interested, that they did not perceive that 
 Tommy had slipped back to the grated window of their den. 
 
 10 
 
tommy in Danger 
 
 Tommy looked at the lions, and then he wanted to make 
 them move about : there was one fine full-grown young lion, 
 about three years old, who was lying down nearest to the 
 window ; and Tommy took up a stone and threw it at him : 
 the lion appeared not to notice it, for he did not move, 
 although he fixed his eyes upon Tommy ; so Tommy became 
 more brave, and threw another, and then another, approach- 
 ing each time nearer to the bars of the window. 
 
 All of a sudden the lion gave a tremendous roar, and 
 sprang at Tommy, bounding against the iron bars of the 
 cage with such force that, had they not been very strong, it 
 must have broken them. As it was, they shook and rattled so 
 that pieces of mortar fell from the stones. Tommy shrieked ; 
 and, fortunately for himself, fell back and tumbled head over 
 heels, or the lion's paws would have reached him. Captain 
 Osborn and Mr. Seagrave ran up to Tommy and picked him 
 up : he roared with fright as soon as he could fetch his 
 breath, while the lion stood at the bars, lashing his tail, 
 snarling and showing his enormous fangs. 
 
 "Take me away — take me on board the ship," cried 
 Tommy, who was terribly frightened. 
 
 "What did you do, Tommy?" said Captain Osborn. 
 
 "I won't throw any more stones, Mr. Lion; I won't 
 indeed," cried Tommy, looking terrified towards the animal. 
 
 Mr. Seagrave scolded Tommy well for his foolish conduct, 
 and by degrees he became more composed ; but he did not 
 recover himself until they had walked some distance away 
 from the lions' den. 
 
 They then looked at the other animals which were to be 
 seen, Tommy keeping a most respectful distance from every 
 one of them. He wouldn't even go near to a Cape sheep 
 with a broad tail. 
 
 When they had seen everything, they went back to the 
 gentleman's house to dinner ; and after dinner they returned 
 on board, when Tommy's adventure with the lion was told 
 to his mother, who declared that she never should be able 
 to trust him out of her sight. 
 
 11 
 
MASTEHMAN READY 
 
 CHAPTER IV 
 
 A dead calm— Albatross — Symptoms of a storm — Preparations 
 for a storm — Dreadful storm — Struck by lightning — Terrible 
 wreck and loss of life. 
 
 _LHE following morning the fresh water and provisions 
 were received on board, and once more the Pacific stretched 
 her broad canvas to the winds, and there was every prospect 
 of a rapid voyage, as for many days she continued her passage 
 with a fair wind and flowing sheet. But this did not con- 
 tinue : it fell calm, and remained so for nearly three days, 
 during which not a breath of wind was to be seen on the 
 wide expanse of water ; all nature appeared as if in repose, 
 except that now and then an albatross would drop down at 
 some distance from the stern of the vessel, and, as he swam 
 lazily along with his wings half furled, pick up the fragments 
 of wood which had been thrown over the side. 
 
 " What great bird is that, Ready ? " inquired William. 
 
 " It is an albatross, Master William, the largest sea-bird 
 we have. Their wings are verv Ions:. I have seen them 
 shot, and they have measured eleven feet from the tip of 
 one wing to the tip of the other when the wings have been 
 spread out." 
 
 " It is the first one that I have seen," said William. 
 
 " Because you seldom meet them north of the Cape, sir ; 
 people do say that they go to sleep on the wing, balancing 
 themselves high up in the air." 
 
 " Papa," said William, turning to Mr. Seagrave, who stood 
 by, u why is it that one bird can swim and another cannot ? 
 You recollect when Tommy drove the hens into the large 
 pond, they flounced about, and their feathers became wet, 
 and would support them no longer, and then they were 
 drowned. Now, how does a sea bird contrive to remain so 
 long on the water ? " 
 
 " Because a sea bird, William, is provided with a sort of oil 
 on purpose to anoint the outside of its feathers, and this oil 
 prevents the water from penetrating them. Have you not 
 observed the ducks on shore dressing their feathers with 
 
 12 
 
SYMPTOMS OF A STORM 
 
 their bills ? They were then using this oil to make their 
 feathers waterproof." 
 
 " How odd ! " 
 
 " Don't say how odd, William ; that is not an expression to 
 use when we talk of the wonderful provisions made by the 
 Almighty hand, who neglects not the meanest of His creatures 
 — say rather, how wonderful ! " 
 
 " That's very true, sir," observed Ready ; " but still you 
 must not be too hard upon Master William, for I have heard 
 many a grown-up man make use of the same expression." 
 
 "They were not better taught when they were young, 
 Ready." 
 
 " Perhaps so, sir ; and Master William should be thankful 
 that he has a father who does take the trouble. But here 
 comes Juno to tell you that tea is ready." 
 
 On the third day ,of the calm, the barometer fell so low 
 as to induce Captain Osborn to believe that they should have 
 a severe gale, and every preparation was made to meet it, 
 should it come on. Nor was he mistaken : towards midnight 
 the clouds gathered up fast, and as they gathered up in thick 
 piles, heaped one over the other, the lightning darted through 
 them in every direction ; and as the clouds rose up, so did 
 the wind, but at first only in heavy gusts, and then lulling 
 again to a calm. 
 
 " Ready," said Captain Osborn, " how do you think we 
 shall have the wind ?" 
 
 "Why, Captain Osborn, to tell you the truth, I don't 
 think it will be steady to one point long. It may at first 
 blow hard from the north, but it's my idea it will shift soon 
 to some other quarter, and blow still harder." 
 
 " What think you, Mackintosh ? " 
 
 " We'll have plenty of it, and a long steady gale, that's my 
 notion ; and the sooner we ship the dead lights the better." 
 
 Mr. Seagrave, with William, happened to be standing by 
 at the time of this conversation, and at the term dead lights 
 Willy's face expressed some anxiety. Ready perceived it, 
 and said — 
 
 " That's a foolish name they give to the shutters which go 
 over the cabin-windows to prevent the water from breaking 
 into the cabin when a vessel sails before the wind ; you know 
 we had them on the last time that we had a gale, so don't 
 
 13 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 you go down to frighten your mother by telling her that the 
 dead lights are shipped." 
 
 "I was not afraid, Ready, but I was thinking of my 
 mother, I acknowledge ; she has been so very weak these 
 last two days." 
 
 "But, Ready," said Captain Osborn, "why do you think 
 that we shall have a shift of wind ? " 
 
 " Well, I don't know ; perhaps I was wrong," replied the 
 old man, u and Mr. Mackintosh is right : the wind does seem 
 to come steady from the north-east, that's certain ;"" and 
 Ready walked away to the binnacle, and looked at the 
 compass. Mr. Seagrave and William then went below, and 
 Mr. Mackintosh went forward to give his orders. As soon 
 as they were all gone, Ready went up again to Captain 
 Osborn, and said — 
 
 "Captain Osborn, it's not for me to contradict Mr. 
 Mackintosh, but that's of little consequence in a time like 
 this : I should have held to my opinion, had it not been that 
 the gentleman passenger and his son were standing by, but 
 now, as the coast is clear, I tell you that we shall have some- 
 thing worse than a gale of wind. I have been in these 
 latitudes before, and I am an old seaman, as you know. 
 There's something in the air, and there has been something 
 during the last three days of calm, which reminds me too 
 well of what I have seen here before; and I am sure that 
 we shall have little better than a hurricane, as far as wind 
 goes — and worse in one point, that it will last much longer 
 than hurricanes generally do. I have been watching, and 
 even the birds tell me so, and they are told by their nature, 
 which is never mistaken. That calm has been nothing more 
 than a repose of the winds previous to their being roused up 
 to do their worst ; and that is my real opinion." 
 
 "Well, and I'm inclined to agree with you, Ready, so we 
 must send top-gallant yards down on deck, and all the small 
 sails and lumber out of the tops. Get the try-sail aft and 
 bent, and lower down the gaff. I will go forward." 
 
 They had no time to lose : their preparations were hardly 
 complete before the wind had settled to a fierce gale from 
 the north-east. The sea rose rapidly; topsail after topsail 
 was furled ; and by dusk the Pacific was flying through the 
 water with the wind on her quarter, under reefed foresail 
 
 14 
 
STRUCK BY LIGHTNING 
 
 and storm staysail. It was with difficulty that three men at 
 the wheel could keep the helm, such were the blows which 
 the vessel received from the heavy seas on the quarter. Not 
 one seaman in the ship took advantage of his watch below 
 to go to sleep that night, careless as they generally are ; the 
 storm was too dreadful. About three o'clock in the morning 
 the wind suddenly subsided ; it was but for a minute or two, 
 and then it again burst on the vessel from another quarter 
 of the compass, as Ready had foretold, splitting the foresail 
 into fragments, which lashed and flogged the wind till they 
 were torn away by it, and carried far to leeward. The 
 heavens above were of a pitchy darkness, and the only light 
 was from the creaming foam of the sea on every side. The 
 shift of wind, which had been to the west-north-west, com- 
 pelled them to alter the course of the vessel, for they had 
 no chance but to scud, as they now did, under bare poles ; 
 but in consequence of the sea having taken its run from 
 the former wind, which had been north-east, it was, as sailors 
 call it, cross, and every minute the waves poured over the 
 ship, sweeping all before their weight of waters. One poor 
 man was washed overboard, and any attempt made to save 
 him would have been unavailing. Captain Osborn was stand- 
 ing by the weather gunnel, holding on by one of the belay- 
 ing pins, when he said to Mackintosh, who was near him — 
 
 " How long will this last, think you ? " 
 
 " Longer than the ship will," replied the mate gravely. 
 
 " I should hope not," replied the captain ; " still it cannot 
 look worse. What do you think, Ready?" 
 
 "Far more fear from above than from below just now," 
 replied Ready, pointing to the yardarms of the ship, to each 
 of which were little balls of electric matter attached, flaring 
 out to a point. " Look at those two clouds, sir, rushing at 
 each other ; if I " 
 
 Ready had not time to finish what he would have said, 
 before a blaze of light, so dazzling that it left them all in 
 utter darkness for some seconds afterwards, burst upon their 
 vision, accompanied with a peal of thunder at which the 
 whole vessel trembled fore and aft. A crash — a rushing 
 forward — and a shriek were heard, and when they had re- 
 covered their eyesight, the foremast had been rent by the 
 lightning as if it had been a lath, and the ship was in flames; 
 
 15 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 the men at the wheel, blinded by the lightning, as well as 
 appalled, could not steer ; the ship broached to — away went 
 the mainmast over the side — and all was wreck, confusion, 
 and dismay. 
 
 Fortunately the heavy seas which poured over the fore- 
 castle soon extinguished the flames, or they all must have 
 perished ; but the ship lay now helpless, and at the mercy of 
 the waves beating violently against the wrecks of the masts 
 which floated to leeward, but were still held fast to the 
 vessel by their rigging. As soon as they could recover from 
 the shock, Ready and the first mate hastened to the wheel 
 to try to get the ship before the wind ; but this they could 
 not do, as, the foremast and mainmast being gone, the 
 mizzenmast prevented her paying off and answering to the 
 helm. Ready, having persuaded two of the men to take the 
 helm, made a sign to Mackintosh (for now the wind was so 
 loud that they could not hear each other speak), and, going 
 aft, they obtained axes, and cut away the mizzen-rigging ; the 
 mizzen-topmast and head of the mizzenmast went over the 
 side, and then the stump of the foremast was sufficient to get 
 the ship before the wind again. Still there was much delay 
 and much confusion, before they could clear away the wreck 
 of the masts ; and, as soon as they could make inquiry, they 
 found that four of the men had been killed by the lightning 
 and the fall of the foremast, and there were now but eight 
 remaining, besides Captain Osborn and his two mates. 
 
 CHAPTER V 
 
 Sailors never .discouraged — Anxiety of the captain — Storm 
 renewed — Pride of man humbled — Ready's foreboding — Un* 
 certainty of life — Naval profession considered. 
 
 JAILORS are never discouraged by danger as long as they 
 have any chance of relieving themselves by their own exertions. 
 The loss of their shipmates, so instantaneously summoned 
 away, — the wrecked state of the vessel, — the wild surges 
 burying them beneath their angry waters, — the howling of 
 the wind, — the dazzling of the lightning, and the pealing of 
 
 16 
 
ANXIETY OF THE CAPTAIN 
 
 the thunder, did not prevent them from doing what their 
 necessity demanded. Mackintosh, the first mate, rallied the 
 men, and contrived himself to fix a block and strap to the 
 still smoking stump of the foremast ; a rope was rove through 
 the block, and the maintop-gallant sail hoisted, so that the 
 vessel might run faster before the gale, and answer her helm 
 better than she did. 
 
 The ship was again before the wind, and comparatively 
 safe, notwithstanding the heavy blows she now received from 
 the pursuing waves. Night again came on, but there was no 
 repose, and the men were worn out with exposure and 
 fatigue. Captain Osborn and Ready had often gone down to 
 afford some assistance and comfort to the passengers in the 
 cabin. Mrs. Seagrave, worn out with fear and anxiety, had 
 become seriously unwell, and her husband watched her ; the 
 children were persuaded to remain in their beds, and the 
 infant never left the arms of the patient and unwearied 
 Juno. 
 
 The third day of the gale dawned, but the appearances 
 were as alarming as ever : the continual breaking of the seas 
 over the stern had washed away the binnacles, and it was 
 impossible now to be certain of the course the ship had been 
 steered, or the distance which had been run ; the leaky state 
 of the vessel proved how much she had already suffered from 
 the violent shocks which she had received, and the certainty 
 was apparent, that if the weather did not abate, she could 
 not possibly withstand the force of the waves much longer. 
 
 The countenance of Captain Osborn showed great anxiety: 
 he had a heavy responsibility on his shoulders — he might 
 lose a valuable ship, and still more valuable cargo, even if 
 they did not all lose their lives ; for they were now approach- 
 ing where the sea was studded with low coral islands, upon 
 which they might be thrown by the waves and wind, without 
 having the slightest power to prevent it in their present 
 disabled condition. 
 
 Ready was standing by him when Captain Osborn said — 
 
 " I don't much like this, Ready ; we are now running on 
 danger, and have no help for it." 
 
 "That's true enough," replied Ready; "we have no help 
 for it; it is God's will, sir, and His will be done." 
 
 "Amen," replied Captain Osborn solemnly; and then he 
 
 17 b 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 continued, after a pause, "There were many captains who 
 envied me when I obtained command of this fine ship, — 
 would they change with me now ? " 
 
 " I should rather think not, Captain Osborn, but you never 
 know what the day may bring forth. You sailed with this 
 vessel, full of hope — you now, not without reason, feel some- 
 thing approaching to despair ; but who knows ? it may please 
 the Almighty to rebuke those angry winds and waves, and 
 to-morrow we may again hope for the best; at all events 
 you have done your duty — no man can do more. I do wish 
 that Mr. Mackintosh would not swear so ; I always think 
 that the winds blow harder, as if angry that their Divine 
 Master should be defied by such poor worms as we are." 
 
 " You are right," replied Captain Osborn ; "but hold hard, 
 Ready, that sea's aboard of us." 
 
 Ready had just time to cling with both hands to the belay- 
 ing pins when the sea poured over the vessel, with a volume 
 of water which for some time swept them off their legs ; they 
 clung on firmly, and at last recovered their feet. 
 
 "She started a timber or two with that blow, I rather 
 think," said Ready, as he took off his hat to shake the water 
 from it. 
 
 " I'm afraid so ; the best vessel ever built could not stand 
 such shocks long," replied Captain Osborn ; " and at present, 
 with our weak crew, I do not see that we can get more sail 
 upon her." 
 
 All that night the ship flew in darkness before the gale. 
 At daybreak the wind abated, and the sea went down : the 
 ship was, however, still kept before the wind, for she had 
 suffered too much to venture to put her broadside to the 
 sea. Preparations were now made for getting up jury-masts ; 
 and the worn-out seamen were busily employed, under the 
 direction of Captain Osborn and his two mates, when Mr. 
 Seagrave and William came upon deck. 
 
 William stared about him : he perceived, to his astonish- 
 ment, that the tall masts, with all their rigging and sails, 
 had disappeared, and that the whole deck was in a state of 
 confusion and disorder. 
 
 "See, my child," said Mr. Seagrave, "the wreck and 
 devastation which are here. See how the pride of man is 
 humbled before the elements of the great Jehovah." 
 
 18 
 
SEAMEN NEVER AT A LOSS 
 
 "Ay, Master Willy/' said old Ready, "look around you, as 
 you well may. Do you remember the verses in the Bible ? — 
 if not, I remember them well, for I have often read them, 
 and have often felt the truth of them : ' They that go down 
 into the sea in ships, that do business in great waters, these 
 see the works of the Lord, and His wonders in the deep.' " 
 
 "But, father," said Willy after a pause, "how shall we 
 ever get to Sydney without masts or sails?" 
 
 "Why, Master William," replied Ready, "we must do 
 what we can : we sailors are never much at a loss, and I 
 dare say before night you will find us under some sort of 
 sail again. We have lost our great masts, so we must put 
 up jury-masts, as we call them, that is, little ones, and 
 little sails upon them ; and, if it pleases God, we shall see 
 Sydney yet. How is madam, sir?" continued Ready to Mr. 
 Seagrave ; " is she better ? " 
 
 " I fear she is very weak and ill," replied Mr. Seagrave ; 
 ''nothing but fine weather will do her any good. Do you 
 think that it will be fine now ? " 
 
 " Why, sir, to tell you the truth, I fear we shall have more 
 of it yet : I have not given my thoughts to the captain, as 
 I might be mistaken ; but still I think so — I've not been 
 fifty years at sea without learning something. I don't like 
 the gathering of that bank there, Mr. Seagrave, and I 
 shouldn't wonder if it were to blow again from the very 
 same quarter, and that before dark." 
 
 "God's will be done," replied Mr. Seagrave, "but I am 
 very fearful about my poor wife, who is completely worn to 
 a shadow." 
 
 " I shouldn't think so much about that, sir, as I really 
 never knew of people dying that way, although they suffer 
 much. Master William, do you know that we have lost 
 some of our men since you were down below ?" 
 
 "No — I heard the steward say something outside about 
 the foremast ; but I did not like to ask, as mamma was so 
 frightened." 
 
 " You were a kind boy for that, Master William ; but 
 hear me, — we have lost five of our smartest and best men — 
 Wilson was washed overboard — Fennings and Masters struck 
 dead with the lightning — and Jones and Emery crushed by 
 the fall of the foremast. Master William, did any of these 
 
 1R 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 men imagine, when they left the Cape, or indeed the day 
 or the hour before it happened, that their souls were to 
 be required of them, and their bodies should be now floating 
 hundreds of miles from the land ? You are young, Master 
 Willy, but you cannot think too early of your Maker, or 
 call to mind what they say in the burial service, — { In the 
 midst of life we are in death.' " 
 
 "Thank you, Ready, thank you for the lesson you have 
 given my son/' said Mr. Seagrave ; "and, William, treasure 
 it up in your memory." 
 
 " Yes, Master William, they are the words of an old man 
 who has seen many and many a one who was full of youth 
 and spirits called away before him, and who is grateful to 
 God that He has been pleased to preserve his life, and allow 
 him to amend his ways. We must seek the Lord in our 
 youth, and then we shall be prepared when He thinks fit to 
 summon us away." 
 
 " I have been thinking," said Mr. Seagrave, after a silence 
 of a minute or two, "that a sailor has no right to marry." 
 
 " I've always thought so, sir," replied Ready ; " and I 
 dare say many a poor deserted sailor's wife, when she has 
 listened to the wind and rain in her lonely bed, has thought 
 the same." 
 
 " With my permission," continued Mr. Seagrave, " my boys 
 shall never go to sea if there is any other profession to be 
 found for them." 
 
 " Well, Mr. Seagrave, they do say that it's no use baulking 
 a lad if he wishes to go to sea, and that if he is determined, 
 he must go ; now I think otherwise — I think a parent has a 
 right to say no, if he pleases, upon that point; for you see, 
 sir, a lad, at the early age at which he goes to sea, does not 
 know his own mind. Every high-spirited boy wishes to go 
 to sea — it's quite natural ; but if the most of them were to 
 speak the truth, it is not that they so much want to go to 
 sea, as that they want to go from school or from home, where 
 they are under the control of their masters or their parents." 
 
 "Very true, Ready; they wish to be, as they consider 
 they will be, independent." 
 
 " And a pretty mistake they make of it, sir. Why, there 
 is not a greater slave in the world than a boy who goes to 
 sea, for the first few years after his shipping : for once they 
 
 20 
 
NAVAL PROFESSION CONSIDERED 
 
 are corrected on shore, they are punished ten times at sea, 
 and they never again meet with the love and affection they 
 have left behind them. It is a hard life, and there have 
 been but few who have not bitterly repented it, and who 
 would not have returned, like the prodigal son, and cast 
 themselves at their fathers' feet, only that they have been 
 ashamed." 
 
 " That's the truth, Ready, and it is on that account that I 
 consider that a parent is justified in refusing his consent to 
 his son going to sea, if he can properly provide for him in 
 any other profession. There never will be any want of 
 sailors, for there always will be plenty of poor lads whose 
 friends can do no better for them ; and in that case the sea- 
 faring life is a good one to choose, as it requires no other 
 capital for their advancement than activity and courage." 
 
 "Exactly what I thought myself, sir," replied Ready. 
 " May I ask how Master Tommy and the other children are, 
 and poor Juno ? " 
 
 " They are all quite well, although they have been a little 
 bruised with sliding about," replied Mr. Seagrave ; "but I 
 must stay here no longer, Mrs. Seagrave will want me in the 
 cabin. William, will you stay on deck ? " 
 
 " Better not, Master William, we are all too busy, and I 
 cannot look after you now : there'll be no sleep this night 
 for any of us, fair or foul; we are weak-handed now. So 
 good night, gentlemen, both of you." 
 
 CHAPTER VI 
 
 Confusion in the cabin — Captain struck senseless — Symptoms 
 of insubordination — Mackintosh's advice — Preparations for 
 quitting ship — Distress of Mr. Seagrave — Noble conduct of 
 Beady — Departure of the crciv. 
 
 MR. SEAGRAVE and William went down below into the 
 cabin, where they found that there was plenty of employ- 
 ment ; the steward had brought a basin of very hot pea-soup 
 for the children. Tommy, who was sitting up in the' bed- 
 place with his sister, had snatched it out of Juno's left hand. 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 for she held the baby with the other, and in so doing, had 
 thrown it over Caroline, who was screaming ; while Juno, in 
 her hurry to assist Caroline, had slipped down on the deck 
 with the baby, who was also crying with fright, although not 
 hurt. Unfortunately, Juno had fallen down upon Vixen the 
 terrior, who in return had bitten her in the leg, which had 
 made Juno also cry out ; while Mrs. Seagrave was hanging 
 her head out of her standing bed-place, frightened out of 
 her wits at the accident, but unable to be of any assistance. 
 Fortunately, Mr. Seagrave came down just in time to pick up 
 Juno and the baby, and then tried to comfort little Caroline, 
 who after all was not much scalded, as the soup had had 
 time to cool. 
 
 " Massa Tommy is a very naughty boy," cried Juno, 
 rubbing her leg. Master Tommy thought it better to say 
 nothing — he was duly admonished — the steward cleaned up 
 the mess, and order was at length restored. 
 
 In the meantime they were not idle upon deck : the 
 carpenter was busy fixing a step for one of the spare topmasts 
 instead of a mainmast, and the men were fitting the rigging-, 
 the ship unfortunately had sprung a leak and four hands at 
 the pumps interfered very much with their task. As Ready 
 had prophesied, before night the gale blew, the sea rose 
 again with the gale, and the leaking of the vessel increased 
 so much, that all other labour was suspended for that at the 
 pump. For two more days did the storm continue, during 
 which time the crew were worn out with fatigue — they could 
 pump no longer : the ship, as she rolled, proved that she had 
 a great deal of water in her hold — when, melancholy as were 
 their prospects already, a new disaster took place, which was 
 attended with most serious results. Captain Osborn was on 
 the forecastle giving some orders to the men, when the strap 
 of the block which hoisted up the maintop-gallant yard on 
 the stump of the foremast gave way, the yard and sail came 
 down on the deck, and struck him senseless. As long as 
 Captain Osborn commanded them, the sailors had so high an 
 opinion of his abilities as a seaman, and were so encouraged 
 by his cheerful disposition, that they performed their work 
 well and cheerfully ; but now that he was, if not killed, at 
 all events senseless and incapable of action, they no longer 
 felt themselves under control. Mackintosh was too much 
 
 22 
 
MACKINTOSH'S PROPOSITION 
 
 disliked by the seamen to allow his words to have any weight 
 with them. They were regardless of his injunctions or re- 
 quests, and they now consulted among themselves. 
 
 "The gale is broke, my men, and we shall have fine 
 weather now," observed Ready, going up to the sailors on 
 the forecastle. "The wind is going down fast." 
 
 "Yes," replied one of the men, "and the ship is going 
 down fast, that's quite as certain." 
 
 " A good spell at the pumps would do us some good now," 
 replied Ready. " What d'ye say, my lads ? " 
 
 " A glass of grog or two would do us more," replied the 
 seaman. "What d'ye say, my boys ? I don't think that the 
 captain would refuse us, poor fellow, if he could speak." 
 
 " What do you mean to do, my lads ? " inquired Mack- 
 intosh : "not get drunk, I hope ? " 
 
 " Why not ? " observed another of the men ; " the ship 
 must go down soon." 
 
 "Perhaps she may — I will not deny it," said Mackintosh; 
 " but that is no reason why we should not be saved : now, if 
 you get drunk, there is no chance of any one being saved : 
 and my life is precious to me. I'm ready to join with you in 
 anything you please, and you may decide what is to be done ; 
 but get drunk you shall not, if I can help it, that's certain." 
 
 " And how can you help it ? " replied one of the seamen 
 surlily. 
 
 "Because two resolute men can do a great deal — I may 
 say three, for in this instance Ready will be of my side, and 
 I can call to my assistance the cabin passenger — recollect 
 the firearms are all in the cabin. But why should we 
 quarrel ? — say at once what you intend to do ; and if you 
 have not made up your minds, will you listen to what I 
 propose ? " 
 
 As Mackintosh's courage and determination were well 
 known, the seamen again consulted together, and then asked 
 him what he proposed. 
 
 "We have one good boat left, the new yawl on the 
 booms : the others, as you know, are washed away, with the 
 exception of the little boat astern, which is useless, as she is 
 knocked almost to pieces. Now we cannot be very far from 
 some of the islands, indeed I think we are among them now. 
 Let us fit out the boat with everything which we require, go 
 
 23 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 about our work steadily and quietly, drink as much grog now 
 as will not hurt us, and take a good provision of it with us. 
 The boat is complete with her masts, sails, and oars ; and it's 
 very hard if we do not save ourselves somewhere. Ready, 
 do I give good advice or not ? " 
 
 " You give very good advice, Mackintosh — only what is to 
 become of the cabin passengers, the women, and children ? 
 And are you going to leave poor Captain Osborn, who lays 
 there abaft, breathless and insensible ? or what do you mean 
 to do ? " 
 
 " We won't leave the captain," said one of the seamen. 
 
 " No — no ! " exclaimed the others. 
 
 " And the passengers ? " 
 
 "Very sorry for them,'' replied the former spokesman; 
 " but we shall have enough to do to save our own lives ; the 
 boat is not over large." 
 
 "Well, my lads, I agree with you," said Mackintosh. 
 u Charity begins at home. What do you say, then ? — shall 
 it be so ? " 
 
 "Yes," replied the seamen unanimously; and Ready knew 
 that it was in vain to expostulate. They now set about 
 preparing the boat, and providing for their wants. Biscuits, 
 salt pork, two or three small casks of water, and a barrel of 
 rum were collected at the gangway ; Mackintosh brought up 
 his quadrant and a compass, some muskets, powder, and shot ; 
 the carpenter, with the assistance of another man, cut away 
 the ship's bulwarks down to the gunnel, so as to enable them 
 to launch the boat overboard, for they could not of course 
 hoist her out now that the masts were gone. In an hour 
 everything was prepared. A long rope was made fast to the 
 boat, which was brought to the gunnel ready for launching 
 overboard, and the ship's broadside was brought to the wind. 
 Ready had taken no part in their labour; he had once or 
 twice sounded the well, to ascertain if the water gained 
 upon the ship, and then sat down by the side of Captain 
 Osborn, who still remained insensible from the blow which 
 he had received on his head. As the ship was brought to the 
 wind, Mr. Seagrave came on deck and looked around him. 
 
 He perceived the boat ready for launching, the provisions 
 and water at the gangway, the ship brought to the wind, 
 and rolling slowly to the heave of the sea ; at last he saw 
 
 24 
 
DISTRESS OF MR. SEAGRAVE 
 
 Ready sitting down by Captain Osborn, who was apparently 
 dead. "What is all this, Ready?" inquired Seagrave. "Are 
 they going to leave the ship ? have they killed Captain 
 O shorn ? " 
 
 " No, sir — not quite so bad as that. Poor Captain Osborn 
 was struck down by the fall of the yard, and has been insen- 
 sible ever since : but, as to the other matter, I fear that is 
 decided ; you see they are launching the boat/' 
 
 " But my poor wife, she will never be able to go — she 
 cannot move — she is so ill ! " 
 
 " I'm afraid, Mr. Seagrave, that they have no idea of taking 
 either you, or your wife, or your children, with them." 
 
 " What ! leave us here to perish ? Merciful Heaven ! how 
 cruel — how barbarous ! " 
 
 "It is not kind, Mr. Seagrave, but still you see it is the 
 law of nature. When it is a question of life, it is every one 
 for himself, for life is sweet : they are not more unkind than 
 they would be to each other, if there were too many for the 
 boat to hold. I've seen all this before in my time," replied 
 Ready gravely. 
 
 " My wife ! my children ! " cried Mr. Seagrave, covering 
 his face with his hands. " But I will speak to them," con- 
 tinued he after a pause ; " surely they will listen to the 
 dictates of humanity ; at all events, Mr. Mackintosh will have 
 some power over them. Don't you think so, Ready ? " 
 
 "Well, Mr. Seagrave, if I must speak, I confess to you 
 that there is not a harder heart among them than that of 
 Mr. Mackintosh, and it's useless speaking to him or any one 
 of them; and you must not be too severe upon them neither: 
 the boat is small, and could not hold more people with the 
 provisions which they take with them — that is the fact. If 
 they were to take you and your family into the boat, it 
 might be the cause of all perishing together ; if I thought 
 otherwise I would try what I could do to persuade them, but 
 it is useless." 
 
 " What must be done then, Ready ? " 
 
 "W T e must put our trust in a merciful God, Mr. Seagrave, 
 who will dispose of us as He thinks fit." 
 
 " We must. What ! do not you go with them ? " 
 
 " No, Mr. Seagrave. I have been thinking about it this 
 last hour, and I have made up my mind to remain with you. 
 
 25 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 They intend to take poor Captain Osborn with them, and 
 give him a chance, and have offered to take me ; but I shall 
 stay here." 
 
 " To perish ? " replied Mr. Seagrave with surprise. 
 
 " As God pleases, Mr. Seagrave. I am an old man, and 
 it is of little consequence ; and I hope that I am a prepared 
 man as far as I have been able. I tell you, Mr. Seagrave, 
 I think much more of your children than I do for myself. 
 I care little whether I am taken away a year or two sooner, 
 but I do not like to see blossoms cut off in early spring : I 
 may be of use if I remain, for I've an old head upon my 
 shoulders, and I could not leave you all to perish when you 
 might be saved if you only knew how to act. But here the 
 seamen come — the boat is all ready, and they will now take 
 poor Captain Osborn with them." 
 
 The sailors came aft, and lifted up the still insensible 
 captain. As they were going away one of them said, " Come, 
 Ready, there's no time to lose." 
 
 " Never mind me, Williams ; I shall stick to the ship," 
 replied Ready. " I wish you success with all my heart : and, 
 Mr. Mackintosh, I have but one promise to exact from you, 
 and I hope you will not refuse me ; which is, that if you 
 are saved, you will then not forget those you leave here on 
 board, and take measures for their being searched for among 
 the islands." 
 
 "Nonsense, Ready! come into the boat," replied the first 
 mate. 
 
 " I shall stay here, Mr. Mackintosh ; and I only beg that 
 you will promise me what I ask. Acquaint Mr. Seagrave's 
 friends with what has happened, and where it is most likely 
 we may be found, if it please God to save us : that is all that 
 is necessary. Do you promise me that ! " 
 
 "Yes, I do, Ready, if you are determined to stay; but," 
 continued he, going up to Ready, and whispering to him, 
 " it is madness : — come away, man ! " 
 
 "Good-bye, Mr. Mackintosh," replied Ready, extending 
 his hand. "You will keep your promise?" 
 
 After much further expostulation on the part of Mackintosh 
 and the seamen, to which Ready gave a deaf ear, the boat 
 was pushed off, and they made sail to the north-east. 
 
 26 
 
MR. SEAGRAVE'S DESPAIR 
 
 CHAPTER VII 
 
 Despair of Mr. Seagrave — Mr. Seagrave comforted by Ready — 
 Exertions of William and Ready — Signs of land— Gloomy 
 prospects — Hope restored — Discovery of land— Steer for land 
 — Ship on coral rocks. 
 
 _T OR some time after the boat had shoved off from the 
 ship, old Ready remained with his arms folded, watching it 
 in silence. Mr. Seagrave stood by him ; his heart was too 
 full for utterance, for he imagined that as the boat increased 
 her distance from the vessel, so did every ray of hope depart, 
 and that his wife and children, himself, and the old man 
 who was by his side, were doomed to perish. His counte- 
 nance was that of a man in utter despair. At last old 
 Ready spoke. 
 
 "They think that they will be saved and that we must 
 perish, Mr. Seagrave ; they forget that there is a Power 
 above, who will Himself decide that point — a power compared 
 to which the efforts of weak man are as nought." 
 
 "True," replied Mr. Seagrave in a low voice; "but still 
 what chance we can have on a sinking ship, with so many 
 helpless creatures around us, I confess that I cannot 
 imagine." 
 
 "We must do our best, and submit to His will," replied 
 Ready, who then went aft, and shifted the helm, so as to 
 put the ship again before the Mind. 
 
 As the old man had foretold to the seamen before they 
 quitted the vessel, the gale was now over, and the sea had 
 gone down considerably. The ship, however, dragged but 
 slowly through the water, and after a short time Ready 
 lashed the wheel, and went forward. On his return to the 
 quarter-deck, he found Mr. Seagrave had thrown himself 
 down (apparently in a state of despair) upon the sail on 
 which Captain Osborn had been laid after his accident. 
 
 " If you are praying, Mr. Seagrave, I am sorry to interrupt 
 you, but if you are not, but are overcome with your situation, 
 perhaps I may be able to give you some little hope." 
 
 " I have been praying," replied Mr. Seagrave, raising him- 
 
 27 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 self up, " and, since that, I have been trying to collect my 
 thoughts, which I acknowledge to be very confused. The 
 great pang will be to communicate to my wife our hopeless 
 situation." 
 
 " If I thought our situation hopeless," replied Ready, " I 
 would candidly say so ; but there always is hope, even at the 
 very worst, — and there always ought to be trust in that God 
 without whose knowledge not a sparrow falls to the ground. 
 But, Mr. Seagrave, I shall speak as a seaman, and tell you 
 what our probabilities are. The ship is half-full of water, 
 from her seams having opened by the straining in the gale, 
 and the heavy blows which she received ; but, now that the 
 gale has abated, she has recovered herself very much. I 
 have sounded the well, and find that she has not made many 
 inches within the last two hours, and probably, as she closes 
 her seams, will make less. If, therefore, it pleases God that 
 the fine weather should continue, there is no fear of the 
 vessel sinking under us for some little time ; and as we are 
 now amongst the islands, it is not impossible, nay, it is very 
 probable, that we may be able to run her ashore, and thus 
 save our lives. I thought of all this when I refused to go in 
 the boat, and I thought also, Mr. Seagrave, that if you were 
 to have been deserted by me as well as by all the rest, you 
 would have been unable yourself to take advantage of any 
 chances which might turn up in your favour, and therefore I 
 have remained, hoping, under God's providence, to be the 
 means of assisting you and your family in this sore position. 
 I think now it would be better that you should go down into 
 the cabin, and with a cheerful face encourage poor Mrs. 
 Seagrave with the change in the weather, and the hopes of 
 arriving in some place of safety. If she does not know that 
 the men have quitted the ship, do not tell her ; say that the 
 steward is with the other men, which will be true enough, 
 and, if possible, leave her in the dark as to what has taken 
 place ; Master William can be trusted, and if you will send 
 him here to me, I will talk to him. What do you think, Mr. 
 Seagrave ? " 
 
 ** I hardly know what to think, Ready, or how sufficiently 
 to thank you for your self-devotion, if I may so term it, in 
 this exigency. That your advice is excellent and that I 
 shall follow it, you may be assured : and, should we be saved 
 
 28 
 
MR. SEAGRAVE COMFORTED BY READY 
 
 from the death which at present stares us in the face, my 
 gratitude " 
 
 "Do not speak of that, sir, I am an old man with few 
 wants, and whose life is of little use now. All I wish to feel 
 is, that I am trying to do my duty in that situation into 
 which it has pleased God to call me. What can this world 
 offer to one who has roughed it all his life, and who has 
 neither kith nor kin that he knows of to care about his 
 death ? Thank you kindly, Mr. Seagrave, nevertheless : now 
 I think you had better go down, and I will look about me a 
 little." 
 
 Mr. Seagrave pressed the hand of Ready, and went down 
 without making any reply. He found that his wife had 
 been asleep for the last hour, and was not yet awake. The 
 children were also quiet in their beds. Juno and William 
 were the only two who were sitting up. 
 
 William made a sign to his father that his mother was 
 asleep, and then said in a whisper, " I did not like to leave 
 the cabin while you were on deck, but the steward has not 
 been here these two hours : he went to milk the goat for 
 baby and has not returned. We have had no breakfast, 
 none of us." 
 
 "William, go on deck," replied his father; "Ready wishes 
 to speak to you — I will stay here." 
 
 William went on deck to Ready, who soon explained to 
 him the position in which they were placed ; he pointed out 
 to him the necessity of his doing all he could to assist his 
 father and him, and not to alarm his mother in her precarious 
 state of health. William, who, as it may be expected, looked 
 very grave, did, however, immediately enter into Ready's 
 views and proceeded to do his best. " Now, Ready," said he, 
 "you know the steward has left with the other men, and 
 when my mother wakes she will ask why the children have 
 had no breakfast. What can I do ? " 
 
 " I don't know ; but I think you can milk one of the goats 
 if I show you how, while I go and get the other things ready ; 
 I can leave the deck, for you see the ship steers herself very 
 nicely ; — and, Master William, I have sounded the well just 
 before you came up, and I don't think she makes much water ; 
 and," continued he, looking round him, and up above, "we 
 shall have fine weather, and a smooth sea before night." 
 
 29 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 By the united exertions of Ready and William the break- 
 fast was prepared while Mrs. Seagrave still continued in a 
 sound sleep. The motion of the ship was now very little : 
 she only rolled very slowly from one side to the other, for 
 she was heavy with the water which had leaked into her ; 
 the sea and wind had gone down, and the sun shone brightly 
 over their heads; the boat had been out of sight some time, 
 and the ship did not go through the water faster than three 
 miles an hour, for she had no other sail upon her than the 
 maintop-gallant-sail hoisted up on the stump of the foremast. 
 Ready, who had been some time down in the cabin, proposed 
 to Mr. Seagrave that Juno and all the children should go on 
 deck. "They cannot be expected to be quiet, sir; and, now 
 that madam is in such a sweet sleep, it would be a pity to 
 wake her. After so much fatigue she may sleep for hours, 
 and the longer the better, for you know that (in a short time, 
 I trust), she will have to exert herself." Mr. Seagrave agreed 
 to the good sense of this proposal, and went on deck with 
 Juno and the children, leaving William in the cabin to watch 
 his mother. Poor Juno was very much astonished when she 
 came up the ladder and perceived the condition of the vessel, 
 and the absence of the men ; but Mr. Seagrave told her what 
 had happened, and cautioned her against saying a word to 
 Mrs. Seagrave. Juno promised that she would not ; but the 
 poor girl perceived the danger of their position, and, as she 
 pressed little Albert to her bosom, a tear or two rolled down 
 her cheeks — she was not thinking of herself, but of what 
 would become of her little charge. Even Tommy and 
 Caroline could not help asking where the masts and sails 
 were, and what had become of Captain Osborn. 
 
 "Look there, sir," said Ready, pointing out some floating 
 seaweed to Mr. Seagrave. 
 
 " I perceive it," said Mr. Seagrave ; " but what then ? " 
 
 "That by itself would not be quite proof," replied Ready, 
 "but we sailors have other signs and tokens. Do you see 
 those birds hovering over the waves ?" 
 
 " I do." 
 
 " Well, sir, those birds never go far from land, that's all : 
 and now, sir, I'll go down for my quadrant ; for, although I 
 cannot tell the longitude just now, at all events I can 'find 
 put the latitude we are in, and then by looking at the chart 
 
 30 
 
MR. SEAGRAVE'S REFLECTIONS 
 
 shall be able to give some kind of guess where about we are, 
 if we see land soon." 
 
 "It is nearly noon now," observed Ready, reading off his 
 quadrant, " the sun rises very slowly. What a happy thing a 
 child is ! Look, sir, at those little creatures playing about, 
 and as merry now, and as unaware of danger, as if they were 
 at home in their parlour. Although nothing pains me more 
 when it does take place, I often think, sir, it is a great 
 blessing for a child to be called away early ; and that it is 
 selfish in parents to repine." 
 
 "Perhaps it is," replied Mr. Seagrave, looking mournfully 
 at his children. 
 
 "It's twelve o'clock, sir. I'll just go down and work the 
 latitude, and then I'll bring up the chart." 
 
 Mr. Seagrave remained on deck. He was soon in deep 
 and solemn thought ; nor was it to be wondered at — the ship 
 a wreck and deserted — left alone on the wide water with his 
 wife and helpless family, with but one to assist him : had 
 that one deserted him as well as the rest, what would have 
 been his position then ? utter helplessness ! And now what 
 had they to expect ? Their greatest hopes were to gain some 
 island, and, if they succeeded, perhaps a desert island, 
 perhaps an island inhabited by savages — to be murdered, or 
 to perish miserably of hunger and thirst. Or, allowing that 
 they did find the means of subsistence, what then ? Were 
 they to remain there for their lives, and die unknown and 
 unheeded ? It was not until some time after these reflections 
 had passed through his mind, that Mr. Seagrave could recall 
 himself to a sense of thankfulness to the Almighty for having 
 hitherto preserved them, or could say with humility, "O Lord! 
 Thy will, not mine, be done." But, having once succeeded 
 in repressing his murmurs and his doubts of the goodness 
 of Providence, he then felt that he had courage and faith to 
 undergo every trial which might be imposed upon him. 
 
 "Here is the chart, sir," said Ready, "and I have drawn a 
 pencil line through our latitude : you perceive that it passes 
 through this cluster of islands ; and I think we must be 
 among them, or very near. Now I must put something on 
 for dinner, and then look sharp out for the land. Will jrou 
 take a look round, Mr. Seagrave, especially ahead and on 
 the bows ? " 
 
 31 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 Ready went down to see what he could procure for dinner, 
 as the seamen, when they left the ship, had collected almost 
 all which came first to hand. He soon procured a piece of 
 salt beef and some potatoes, which he put into the saucepan, 
 and then returned on deck. 
 
 Mr. Seagrave was forward, looking over the bows, and 
 Ready went there to him. 
 
 "Ready, I think I see something, but I can hardly tell 
 what it is ; it appears to be in the air, and yet it is not 
 clouds. Look there, where I point my finger." 
 
 "You're right, sir," replied Ready, "there is something; 
 it is not the land which you see, but it is the trees upon the 
 land which are refracted, as they call it, so as to appear, as 
 you say, as if they were in the air. That is an island, sir, 
 depend upon it ; but I will go down and get my glass." 
 
 " It is the land, Mr. Seagrave," said Ready, after examining 
 it with his glass — "yes, it is so," continued he, musing; "I 
 wish that we had seen it earlier; and yet we must be 
 thankful." 
 
 " Why so, Ready ? " 
 
 " Only, sir, as the ship forges so slowly through the water, 
 I fear that we shall not reach it before dark, and I should 
 have wished to have had daylight to have laid her nicely 
 on it." 
 
 "There is very little wind now." 
 
 "Well, let us hope that there will be more," replied 
 Ready ; " if not, we must do our best ; — but I must now go 
 to the helm, for we must steer right for the island ; it would 
 not do to pass it, for, Mr. Seagrave, although the ship does 
 not leak so much as she did, yet I must now tell you that 
 I do not think that she could be kept more than twenty-four 
 hours above water. I thought otherwise this morning when 
 I sounded the well ; but when I went down in the hold for 
 the beef, I then perceived that we were in more danger than 
 I had any idea of: however, there is the land, and every 
 chance of escape; so let us thank the Lord for all His 
 mercies." 
 
 " Amen ! " replied Mr. Seagrave. 
 
 Ready went to the helm and steered a course for the land, 
 which was not so far distant as he had imagined, for the 
 island was very low : by degrees the wind freshened up, and 
 
 32 
 
SHIP ON CORAL ROCKS 
 
 they went faster through the water ; and now, the trees, 
 which had appeared as if in the air, joined on to the land, 
 and they could make out that it was a low coral island 
 covered with groves of cocoa-nuts. Occasionally Ready gave 
 the helm up to Mr. Seagrave, and went forward to examine. 
 When they were within three or four miles of it, Ready came 
 back from the forecastle, and said, "I think I see my way 
 pretty clear, sir : you see we are to the windward of the 
 island, and there is always deep water to the windward of 
 these sort of isles, and reefs and shoals to leeward ; we must, 
 therefore, find some little cleft in the coral rock to dock her 
 in, as it were, or she may fall back into deep water after she 
 has taken the ground, for sometimes these islands run up 
 like a wall, with forty or fifty fathom of water close to the 
 weather-sides of them ; but I do see a spot where I think 
 she may be put on shore with safety. You see those three 
 cocoa-nut trees close together on the beach ? Now, sir, I 
 cannot well see them as I steer, so do you go forward, and 
 if I am to steer more to the right, put out your right hand, 
 and if to the left, the same with your left ; and when the 
 ship's head is as it ought to be, then drop the hand which 
 you have raised. " 
 
 " I perfectly understand you, Ready," replied Mr. Seagrave, 
 who then went forward and directed the steering of the 
 vessel as they neared the island. When they were within 
 half a mile of it, the colour of the water changed, very much 
 to the satisfaction of Ready, who knew that the weather-side 
 of the island would not be so steep as was usually the case : 
 still it was an agitating moment as they ran on to the beach. 
 They were now within a cable's length, and still the ship 
 did not ground ; a little nearer, and there w r as a grating at 
 her bottom — it was the breaking off of the coral-trees which 
 grew below like forests under water — again she grated, and 
 more harshly, then struck, and then again ; at last she struck 
 violently, as the swell lifted her further on, and then remained 
 fast and quiet ; Ready let go the helm to ascertain the posi- 
 tion of the ship. He looked over the stern and around the 
 ship, and found that she was firmly fixed, fore and aft, upon 
 a bed of coral rocks. 
 
 33 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 CHAPTER Till 
 
 Alarm of Mrs. Seagrave — Mr. Seagrave repines, and is rebuked 
 by Ready — Recovers his self-possession — Inventory of livestock 
 — Preparations for landing. 
 
 ALL'S well so far, sir," said Ready to Mr. Seagrave ; u and 
 now let us return thanks to Heaven." 
 
 Ready kneeled down on the deck, took off his hat, and 
 remained a short time in prayer. Mr. Seagrave did the 
 same : the children at first looked on, and wondered, and 
 then knelt down by the side of them, following the example 
 of Juno. 
 
 As they rose William came up and said, " Father, my 
 mother has sent me to you ; she was awakened by the noise 
 under the ship's bottom, and is frightened — will you go 
 down to her ? " 
 
 "Yes, my child, directly," said Mr. Seagrave. 
 
 "What is the matter, my dear — and where have you all 
 been?" exclaimed Mrs. Seagrave, when her husband went 
 down below. " I have been so frightened — I was in such 
 a sound sleep, and I was awakened with such a dreadful 
 noise." 
 
 " Be composed, my dear," replied Mr. Seagrave ; u we have 
 been in great danger, and are now, I trust, in safety. Tell 
 me, are you not better for your long sleep ? " 
 
 " Yes, much better — much stronger ; but do tell me what 
 has happened." 
 
 "Much took place, dearest, before you went to sleep, 
 which was concealed from you ; but now, as I expect we 
 shall all go on shore in a short time " 
 
 " Go on shore, my dear ? " 
 
 " Yes, on shore. Now be calm, and hear what has happened, 
 and how much we have reason to be grateful to Heaven." 
 
 Mr. Seagrave then entered into a detail of all that had 
 passed. Mrs. Seagrave heard him without reply ; and when 
 he had finished, she threw herself in his arms and wept 
 bitterly. 
 
 34 
 
MR. SEAGRAVE REPINES 
 
 Mr. Seagrave remained with his wife, using all his efforts 
 to console her, until Juno reappeared with the children, for 
 it was now getting late ; and then Mr. Seagrave returned on 
 deck to consult with Ready. 
 
 rt Well, sir," said Ready, when Mr. Seagrave went up to 
 him, u I have been looking well about me, and I think that 
 we have great reason to be thankful. The ship is fast enough, 
 and will not move until some violent gales come on and 
 break her up ; but of that there is no fear at present : the 
 little wind that there is, is going down, and we shall have a 
 calm before morning." 
 
 u I grant that there is no immediate danger, Ready ; but 
 how are we to get on shore ? — and, when on shore, how are 
 we to exist ? " 
 
 "I have thought of that too, sir, and I must have your 
 assistance, and even that of Master William, to get the 
 little boat on board to repair her : her bottom is stove 
 in, it is true, but I am carpenter enough for that, and 
 with some well-tarred canvas, I can make her sufficiently 
 water-tight to land us all in safety, until I have an 
 opportunity of putting her in better order. We must set 
 to at daylight." 
 
 " And when we get on shore ? " 
 
 "Why, Mr. Seagrave, where there are cocoa-nut trees in 
 such plenty as there are on that island, there is no fear of 
 starvation, even if we had not the ship's provisions. I expect 
 a little difficulty with regard to water, for the island is low — 
 very low, and small ; but we cannot expect to find everything 
 exactly as we wish." 
 
 "I am thankful to the Almighty for our preservation, 
 Ready ; but still there are feelings which I cannot get over. 
 Here we are cast away upon a desolate island, which perhaps 
 no ship may ever come near, so that there is little chance of 
 our being taken off. Here we may live and die — here my 
 children may grow up, — yes, grow old, after they have buried 
 you, their father, and their motherland follow us to the same 
 tomb. All their prospects in life, all mine — all blasted — all 
 my hopes overthrown — it is a melancholy and cruel fate, 
 Ready, and that you must acknowledge." 
 
 " Mr. Seagrave, as an old man compared to you, I may 
 venture to say that you are ungrateful to Heaven to give 
 
 35 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 way to these repinings. What is said in the book of Job ? 
 'Shall we receive good of the Lord, and shall we not receive 
 evil ?' Besides, who knows whether good may not proceed 
 from what appears evil ? You talk of your children and of 
 their prospects, Mr. Seagrave, but can you tell what might 
 have happened if you had arrived at Sydney, and had followed 
 up your worldly concerns ? Most children promise fair ; but, 
 when they arrive at manhood, do they always prove equal to 
 the expectations of their parents ? Who knows but what this 
 visitation upon them may have preserved them from wicked- 
 ness, or from a violent death in the midst of their wickedness 
 — from being cut off in their prime — from disgracing you and 
 their good mother? I beg your pardon, Mr. Seagrave, I 
 hope I have not offended you ; but indeed, sir, I felt that it 
 was my duty to speak as I have done." 
 
 " You have reproved me very justly, Ready ; and I thank 
 you for it," replied Mr. Seagrave ; w I will repine no more, 
 but make the best of it." 
 
 " And trust in God, sir, who, if He thinks fit, will restore 
 you once more to your friends, and increase tenfold your 
 flocks and herds." 
 
 " That quotation becomes very apt, Ready," replied Mr. 
 Seagrave, smiling, u considering that all my prospects are in 
 flocks and herds upon my land in New South Wales. I must 
 put myself under your orders ; for, in our present position, 
 you are my superior — knowledge is power. Can we do 
 anything to-night ? " 
 
 " I can do a little, Mr. Seagrave ; but you cannot assist 
 me till to-morrow morning, except indeed to help me 
 to drag these two spars aft ; and then I can rig a pair 
 of sheers, and have them all ready for hoisting up to- 
 morrow morning to get the boat in. You see, with so 
 little strength on board, and no masts, we shall be obliged 
 to contrive." 
 
 Mr. Seagrave assisted Ready in getting the two spars aft, 
 and laid on the spot which was required. "There now, 
 Mr. Seagrave, you may go down below. Master William had 
 better let loose the two dogs, and give them a little victuals, 
 for we have quite forgot them, poor things. I shall keep 
 watch to-night, for I have plenty to do, and plenty to think 
 of; so, good night, sir." 
 
 36 
 
INVENTORY OF LIVE STOCK 
 
 Mr. Seagrave wished Ready good night, and went below. 
 Ready remained on deck, lashing the heads of the spars, and 
 fixing his tackles ready for the morrow. When all was done, 
 he sat down upon one of the hencoops aft, and remained in 
 deep thought. At last, tired with watching and exertion, the 
 old man fell asleep. He was awakened at daylight by the 
 dogs, who had been set at liberty, and who, after walking 
 about the ship and finding nobody, had then gone to sleep at 
 the cabin-door. At daybreak they had roused up, and going 
 on deck had found old Ready asleep on the hencoop, and 
 were licking his face in their joy at having discovered him. 
 "Ay," said the old man, as he got off the hencoop, "you'll 
 all three be useful, if I mistake not, by-and-by. Down, 
 Vixen, down — poor creature, you've lost a good master, 
 I'm afraid." 
 
 " Stop — now let me see," said Ready, talking to himself; 
 "first — but I'll get the logboard and a bit of chalk, and 
 write them down, for my memory is not quite so good 
 as it was." 
 
 Ready placed the logboard on the hencoop, and then wrote 
 on it with the chalk : — "Three dogs, two goats, and Billy the 
 kid (I think there's five pigs) ; fowls (quite enough) ; three 
 or four pigeons (I'm sure) ; the cow (she has lain down and 
 won't get up again, I'm afraid, so Ave must kill her) ; and 
 there's the Merino ram and sheep belonging to Mr. Seagrave 
 — plenty of live stock. Now, what's the first things we must 
 get on shore after we are all landed — a spar and topgallant- 
 sail for a tent, a coil or two of rope, a mattress or two for 
 madam and the children, two axes, hammer and nails, some- 
 thing to eat — yes, and something to cut it with. There, that 
 will do for the present," said old Ready, getting up. " Now 
 I'll just light the fire, get the water on, and, while I think of 
 it, boil two or three pieces of beef and pork to go on shore 
 with them ; and then I'll call up Mr. Seagrave, for I reckon 
 it will be a hard day's work : and may we have God's 
 blessing on it ! " 
 
 37 
 
MASTERMAN ready 
 
 CHAPTER IX 
 
 Getting out the boat — Mr. Seagrave and Ready land and recon* 
 noitre the island — Return on board — Delight of Tommy — 
 Removal to the island — Erection of a tent— Ready returns 
 to the ship. 
 
 jfLS soon as Ready had executed his intentions, and had fed 
 the animals, he went to the cabin, and called Mr. Seagram* 
 and William. With their assistance the sheers were raised, 
 and secured in their place ; the boat was then hooked on, 
 but, as one person was required to bear it clear of the davits 
 and tanrail, they could not hoist it in. 
 
 " Master William, will you run down to Juno, and tell her 
 to come on deck to assist us — we must all work now ? Madam 
 will hold the baby for a few minutes." 
 
 William soon returned with Juno, who was a strong 
 girl ; and with her assistance, they succeeded in getting 
 the boat in, and then they sent Juno down again into the 
 cabin. 
 
 The boat was turned over, and Ready commenced his work ; 
 while Mr. Seagrave, at his request, put the pitch-pot on the 
 galley fire, all ready for pitching the canvas when it was nailed 
 on. It was not till dinner-time that Ready, who had worked 
 hard, could patch up the boat ; he then payed the canvas 
 and the seams which he had caulked with pitch both inside 
 and out. 
 
 " I think we shall do now, sir," said Ready ; " we'll drag 
 her to the gangway and launch her. It's fortunate for us 
 that they did clear away the gunnel, as we shall have no 
 trouble." 
 
 A rope was made fast to the boat, to hold her to the ship : 
 she was then launched over the gunnel by the united exer- 
 tions of Mr. Seagrave and Ready, and to their great satisfac- 
 tion she appeared to leak very little. 
 
 " Now, sir," said Ready, " what shall we do first — take some 
 things on shore, or some of the children ? " 
 
 " What do you say, Ready ? " 
 
 " Why then, sir, with submission to you, I think as the 
 
 38 
 
LANDING ON THE ISLAND 
 
 water is as smooth as glass, and we can land anywhere (for 
 which we ought to be most thankful, having women and 
 infants to take on shore), that you and I had better go first 
 to reconnoitre, — it is not two hundred yards to the beach, and 
 we shall lose but little time." 
 
 "Very well, Ready, I will first run down and tell my 
 wife." 
 
 "And, in the meanwhile, I'll put the sail into the boat, 
 and one or two other things; it will be so much time 
 saved." 
 
 Ready put the sail in, an axe, a musket, and some cord. 
 Mr. Seagrave came up again ; they both got into the boat, 
 and pulled on shore. 
 
 When they landed they found that they could see nothing 
 of the interior of the island, the cocoa-nut groves were so 
 thick ; but to their right they perceived, at about a quarter 
 of a mile off, a small sandy cove, with brushwood growing in 
 front of the cocoa-nut trees. 
 
 " That," said Ready, pointing to it, u must be our location, 
 as the Americans call it. Let us get into the boat again, Mr. 
 Seagrave, and pull to it ; it is but a little way to pull, but a 
 long way to carry the things in the boat." 
 
 In a few minutes they arrived at the cove, the water was 
 shallow, and as clear as crystal. Beneath the boat's bottom 
 they could see beautiful shells, and the fish darting about in 
 every direction. 
 
 The sand extended about forty yards from the water, and 
 then commenced the brushwood which ran back about forty 
 yards further, intermingled with single cocoa-nut trees, until 
 it joined the cocoa-nut grove. They pulled the boat in and 
 landed. 
 
 " What a lovely spot this is ! " exclaimed Mr. Seagrave : 
 " and perhaps mortal man has never yet visited till now : 
 those cocoa-nuts have borne their fruit year after year, 
 have died, and others have sprung up in their stead ; and 
 here has this spot remained, perhaps for centuries, all ready 
 for man to live in, and to enjoy whenever he should come 
 to it." 
 
 "Providence is bountiful, Mr. Seagrave," replied Ready, 
 "and supplies our wants when we least expect it. If you 
 please we will walk a little way into the wood ; take the 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 gun as a precaution, sir, not that there appears to be much 
 occasion for it — there is seldom anything wild on these small 
 islands, except a pig or two has been put on shore by con- 
 siderate Christians. I once sailed with a captain on these 
 seas, and he never landed on a desolate island without 
 putting a couple of pigs or something on shore to breed in 
 case anybody should hereafter be shipwrecked ; it was a 
 kind thought." 
 
 " It was, Ready ; well, now that we are in the grove, what 
 do you think ? " 
 
 " I was looking for a place to fix a tent up for the present, 
 sir, and I think that on that little rise would be a very good 
 place, till we can look about us and do better ; but we have 
 no time now, sir, for we have plenty of trips to make before 
 nightfall. If you please, we'll haul the sail and other articles 
 on to the beach, and then return on board." 
 
 As they were pulling the boat back, Ready said, "I've 
 been thinking about what is best, Mr. Seagrave. Would 
 Mrs. Seagrave mind your leaving her ? — If not, I should say 
 we should have Juno and Master William on shore first, as 
 they can be of use." 
 
 " I do not think that she will mind being left on board 
 with William and the children, provided that I return 
 for her when she is to come on shore herself with the 
 baby." 
 
 "Well, then, let Master William remain on board, if 
 you please, sir. I'll land you and Juno, Master Tommy, 
 and the dogs, this time, for they will be a protection in 
 case of accidents. You and Juno can be doing something 
 while I return by myself for the other articles we shall 
 require." 
 
 As soon as they arrived on board Mr. Seagrave went down 
 to cheer his wife with the account of what they had seen, 
 and he obtained her consent to the arrangement made by 
 Ready. While he was down below Ready had cast off the 
 lashings of the two spars which had formed the sheers, and 
 dragging them forward, had launched them over the gunnel, 
 with lines fast to them, ready for towing on shore. In a few 
 minutes Juno and Tommy made their appearance on deck ; 
 Ready put some tools into the boat, and a couple of shovels, 
 which he brought up when he went for the dogs, and once 
 
 40 
 
ERECTION OF A TENT 
 
 more they landed at the sandy cove. Tommy stared about 
 him a great deal, but did not speak, until he saw the shells 
 lying on the beach, when he screamed with delight, and 
 began to pick them up as fast as he could ; the dogs barked 
 and galloped about, overjoyed at being once more on shore ; 
 and Juno smiled as she looked around her, saying to Ready, 
 u What a nice place ! " 
 
 " Now, Mr. Seagrave, I'll remain on shore with you a little. 
 First, we'll load the musket in case of need, and then you 
 can put it out of the way of Master Tommy, who fingers 
 everything, I observe. We will take up the sail between us. 
 Juno, you can carry the tools ; and then we can come back 
 again for the spars, and the rope, and the other things. 
 Come, Master Tommy, you can carry a shovel, at all events, 
 and that will make you of some use. We must all work 
 now." 
 
 Having taken all these things to the little knoll which 
 Ready had pointed out before, they returned for the spars ; 
 and in two trips they had carried everything there, Tommy 
 with the second shovel on his shoulder, and very proud to be 
 employed. 
 
 " Here are two trees which will answer our purpose pretty 
 well," said Ready, " as they are far enough apart : we must 
 lash the spars up to them, and then throw the sail over, and 
 bring it down to the ground at both ends ; that will be a 
 beginning, at all events ; and I will bring some more canvas 
 on shore, to set up the other tent between these other trees, 
 and also to shut up the two ends of both of them ; then 
 we shall have a shelter for madam and Juno, and the 
 younger children, and another for Master William, Tommy, 
 and ourselves. Now, sir, I'll just help you to lash the 
 spars, and then I'll leave you to finish while I go on board 
 again." 
 
 " But how can we reach so high, Ready ? " 
 
 "Why, sir, we can manage that by first lashing a spar as 
 high as we can conveniently reach, and then standing on 
 that while we lash the other in its proper place. I shall 
 bring another spar on shore, that we may do the same when 
 we set up the other tent." 
 
 Having by this plan succeeded in lashing the spar high 
 enough, and throwing the sail over the spar. Ready and Mr. 
 
 41 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 Seagrave spread it out, and found that it made a very good- 
 sized tent. 
 
 " Now, sir, I'll return on board ; in the meantime if you 
 can cut pegs from the brushwood to fasten the sail down to 
 the ground, and then with the shovel cover the bottom 
 of it with sand to keep it down, it will be close enough 
 when it is all finished. There's my knife, sir, if you haven't 
 got one." 
 
 " I shall do very well," replied Mr. Seagrave ; " Juno 
 can help me to pull the canvas out tight when I am 
 ready." 
 
 " Yes ; and in the meantime, Juno, take a shovel, and 
 level the inside of the tent nice and smooth, and throw out 
 all those old cocoa-nut leaves, and look if you see any vermin 
 lurking among them. Master Tommy, you must not run 
 away ; and you must not touch the axes, they will cut you if 
 you do. It may be as well to say, Mr. Seagrave, that should 
 anything happen, and you require my assistance, you had 
 better fire off the gun, and I will come on shore to you 
 immediately. But that's not very likely," continued Ready, 
 who then walked down to the beach, and stepping into the 
 boat, pulled on board of the ship. 
 
 CHAPTER X 
 
 Tommy in mischief— Tommy mounts guard — Mrs. Seagrave 
 is landed — Arrival at the tent — Exhaustion of Ready — 
 Thanksgiving to Providence. 
 
 W HEN Ready returned on board he first went down into 
 the cabin to acquaint Mrs. Seagrave and William with what 
 they had done. Mrs. Seagrave naturally felt anxious about 
 her husband being on shore alone, and Ready informed her 
 that they had agreed that if anything should occur Mr. 
 Seagrave would fire the musket. He then went down into 
 the sail-room to get some canvas, a new topgallant-sail 
 which was there, and a palm and needles with twine. 
 Scarcely had he got them out, and at the foot of the ladder, 
 when the report of the musket was heard, and Mrs. Seagrave 
 
 42 
 
Tommy in mischief 
 
 rushed out of the cabin in the greatest alarm ; Ready seized 
 another musket, jumped into the boat, and pulled on shore 
 as fast as he could. On his arrival, quite out of breath, for 
 as he pulled on shore he had his back towards it, and could 
 see nothing, he found Mr. Seagrave and Juno busy with the 
 tent, and Master Tommy sitting on the ground crying very 
 lustily. It appeared that, while Mr. Seagrave and Juno 
 were employed, Master Tommy had crept away to where the 
 musket was placed up on end against a cocoa-nut tree, and 
 after pulling it about some little while, had touched the 
 trigger. The musket went off; and, as the muzzle was 
 pointed upwards, the charge had brought down two large 
 cocoa-nuts, which fell close to where Tommy was under the 
 tree, and, had they hit him, would certainly have killed him. 
 Mr. Seagrave, who was aware what an alarm this would 
 produce on board the vessel, had been scolding him soundly, 
 and now Master Tommy was crying, to prove how very 
 penitent he was. 
 
 w I had better return on board immediately, sir, and tell 
 Mrs. Seagrave," said Ready. 
 
 " Do, pray, my good fellow," replied Mr. Seagrave. 
 
 Ready then returned to the ship and explained matters, 
 and then recommenced his labour. 
 
 Having put into the boat the sailmaker's bag, with palm 
 and needles, two mattresses, and blankets from the captain's 
 state-room, the saucepan with the beef and pork, and a spar 
 which he towed astern, Ready found that he had as much 
 as he could carry ; but, as there was nobody but himself in 
 it, he came on shore very well. Having, with the assistance 
 of Mr. Seagrave and Juno, got all the things up to the knoll, 
 Ready lashed the spar up for the second tent, and then 
 leaving them to fix it up like the other, he returned again 
 on board. Juno had cleaned the tent out very nicely, and 
 said that she had not found any animals or insects among 
 the leaves. Before he went Ready gave Tommy a stick, and 
 told him to watch the beef and pork, and not allow the dogs 
 to eat it all up, and Tommy, who was on his good behaviour, 
 stood sentry over it as grave as a judge. Ready made two 
 other trips to the ship, bringing with him more bedding, a 
 bag of ship's biscuits, another of potatoes, plates, knives and 
 forks, spoons, frying-pans and other cooking utensils, and a 
 
 43 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 variety of other articles. He then showed Juno how to fill 
 up the ends of the first tent with the canvas and sails he had 
 brought on shore, so as to enclose it all round ; Juno took 
 the needle and twine, and worked very well. Ready, satis- 
 fied that she would be able to get on without them, now 
 said, " Mr. Seagrave, we have but two hours more daylight, 
 and it is right that Mrs. Seagrave should come on shore now; 
 so, if you please, we'll go off and fetch her and the children. 
 I think we shall be able to do very well for the first night ; 
 and if it pleases God to give us fine weather, we may do a 
 great deal more to-morrow — indeed, as long as the fine 
 weather lasts, we must work hard in getting things on 
 shore, for one good gale would, in all probability, beat the 
 vessel to pieces. I stowed the hold myself, and know where 
 most of the things are to be found, but I fear it will 
 not be possible to get out many articles which would be 
 useful." 
 
 As soon as they arrived on board, Mr. Seagrave went down 
 to his wife to propose her going on shore. She was much 
 agitated, and very weak from her illness, but she behaved 
 courageously notwithstanding, and, supported by her hus- 
 band, she gained the deck, William following with the baby, 
 and his little sister Caroline carried by Ready. With some 
 difficulty they were all at last placed in the boat and shoved 
 off; but Mrs. Seagrave was so ill, that her husband was 
 obliged to support her in his arms, and William took an oar. 
 They landed very safely, and carried Mrs. Seagrave up to 
 the tent, and laid her down on one of the mattresses. She 
 asked for a little water. 
 
 ei And I have forgotten to bring any with me ; well, I am 
 a stupid old man ; but I'll go on board directly," said Ready : 
 " to think that I should be so busy in bringing other things 
 on shore and forget the greatest necessary in life ! The fact 
 is, I intended to look for it on the island as soon as I could, 
 as it would save a great deal of trouble." 
 
 Ready returned on board as fast as he could, and brought 
 on shore two kegs of fresh water, which he and William 
 rolled up to the tent. 
 
 Juno had completely finished her task, and Mrs. Sea- 
 grave having drank some water, declared that she was much 
 better. 
 
 44 
 
THANKSGIVING TO PROVIDENCE 
 
 " I shall not return on board any more to-night/' said 
 Ready, " I feel tired — very tired indeed." 
 
 "You must be, my good man/' replied Mr. Seagrave ; "you 
 have been up many nights, and have worked very hard all 
 day. Do not think of doing any more." 
 
 " And I haven't touched food this day, or even quenched 
 my thirst," replied Ready, sitting down. 
 
 " You are ill, are you not, Ready ? " said William. 
 
 " A little faint, Master William ; I'm not so young as I was. 
 Could you give me a little water ? " 
 
 " Stop, William, I will," said Mr. Seagrave, taking up a tin 
 can which had been filled for his wife : " here, Ready, drink 
 this." 
 
 " I shall be better soon, sir ; " I'll just lie down a little, 
 and then I'll have a biscuit and a little meat." 
 
 Poor old Ready was indeed quite tired out ; but he ate 
 something, and felt much revived. Juno was very busy ; she 
 had given the children some of the salt meat and biscuit to 
 eat. The baby, and Tommy, and Caroline had been put to 
 bed, and the second tent was nearly ready. 
 
 "It will do very well for to-night, Juno," said Mr. Sea- 
 grave ; " we have done work enough for this day." 
 
 "Yes, sir," replied Ready, "and I think we ought to 
 thank God for His mercies to us before we go to sleep. 
 Have we not much to thank Him for ? Had the weather 
 been bad, and the water rough, should we have been so 
 comfortably on shore as we are now ? Has it not been a 
 mercy ? " 
 
 " You remind me of my duty, Ready ; let us thank Him 
 for His goodness, and pray to Him for His protection before 
 we go to sleep." 
 
 " Do, my dear husband," said Mrs. Seagrave from her 
 tent; " I can hear you and join with you." 
 
 Mr. Seagrave then offered up a prayer of thankfulness; 
 and they all retired to rest. 
 
 45 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 CHAPTER XI 
 
 Mr. Seagrave' s gratitude — How to produce fire — Bet urn to the 
 vessel — Unloading the vessel — Preparation for breakfast. 
 
 J\XR. SEAGRAVE was the first who awoke and rose from his 
 bed on the ensuing morning. He stepped out of the tent, 
 and looked around him. The sky was clear and brilliant. A 
 light breeze ruffled o'er the surface of the water, and the tiny 
 waves rippled one after another upon the white sand of the 
 cove. To the left of the cove the land rose, forming small 
 hills, behind which appeared the continuation of the cocoa- 
 nut groves. To the right, a low ridge of coral rocks rose 
 almost as a wall from the sea, and joined the herbage and 
 brushwood at about a hundred paces, while the wreck of the 
 Pacific, lying like some huge stranded monster, formed the 
 prominent feature in the landscape. The sun was powerful 
 where its beams could penetrate ; but where Mr. Seagrave 
 stood, the cocoa-nuts waved their feathering leaves to the 
 wind, and offered an impervious shade. A feeling of the ex- 
 treme beauty of the scene, subdued by the melancholy created 
 by the sight of the wrecked vessel, pervaded the mind of 
 Mr. Seagrave as he meditated over it. 
 
 "Yes," thought he, "if tired with the world and its 
 anxieties, I had sought an abode of peace and beauty, it 
 would have been on a spot like this. How lovely is this 
 scene ! — what calm — what content — what a sweet sadness 
 does it create ! How mercifully have we been preserved 
 when all hope appeared to be gone ; and how bountifully 
 have we been provided for, now that we have been saved, 
 — and yet I have dared to repine, when I ought to be full of 
 gratitude ! May God forgive me ! Wife, children, all safe, 
 nothing to regret but a few worldly goods and a seclusion 
 from the world for a time — yes, but for how long a time ! — 
 What ! rebellious still ! — for the time that it shall please God 
 in His wisdom to ordain." Mr. Seagrave turned back to his 
 tent. William, Tommy, and old Ready still remained fast 
 asleep. "Excellent old man," thought Mr. Seagrave, "if 
 
 46 
 
HOW TO PRODUCE A FIRE 
 
 ever we return to the busy scenes of life, your kindness and 
 your Christian feelings shall have their reward, as far as it is 
 in my power to repay you. What a heart of oak is hid under 
 that rugged bark ! — Had it not been for his devotion — his 
 utter sacrifice of self — where might I and all those dear help- 
 less creatures have been now ? Sleep on, good old man, and 
 may Heaven bless you ! " 
 
 The dogs, who had crept into the tent and laid themselves 
 down upon the mattresses by the side of William and 
 Tommy, now fawned upon Mr. Seagrave. William woke up 
 with their whining, and having received a caution from his 
 father not to wake old Ready, he dressed himself and came 
 out. 
 
 " Had I not better call Juno, father ? " said W T illiam ; (t I 
 think I can, without waking mamma, if she is asleep." 
 
 " Then do, if you can, my boy ; and I will see what cook- 
 ing utensils Ready has brought on shore." 
 
 William soon returned to his father, stating that his mother 
 was in a sound sleep, and that Juno had got up without 
 waking her or the two children. 
 
 " Well, we'll see if we cannot get some breakfast ready 
 for them, William. Those dry cocoa-nut leaves will make an 
 excellent fire." 
 
 " But, father, how are we to light the fire ? we have no 
 tinder-box or matches." 
 
 " No ; but there are other ways, William, although, in 
 most of them, tinder is necessary. The savages can produce 
 fire by rubbing a soft piece of wood against a hard one. I'm 
 afraid that we should be a long while doing that, but we 
 have gunpowder, and can make tinder by wetting it and 
 rubbing it on a rag or piece of paper, or indeed a piece of 
 soft wood ; and we have two ways of igniting gunpowder — 
 one is by a flint and steel, and the other by collecting the 
 sun's rays into one focus by a magnifying glass." 
 
 " We have no magnifying glass." 
 
 " No, but we can obtain one out of a telescope when we 
 go on board again ; at present we have no other means than 
 with the musket." 
 
 "But, father, when we have lighted the fire, what have 
 we to cook ? we have no tea or coffee." 
 
 " No, I do not think we have/' replied Mr. Seagrave. 
 
 47 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 " But we have potatoes, father." 
 
 "Yes, William, but don't you think it would be better 
 if we made our breakfast off the cold beef and pork and 
 ship's biscuit for once, and not use the potatoes ? we may- 
 want them all to plant, you know ; but why should we not 
 go on board of the ship ourselves ? you can pull an oar pretty 
 well, and we must all learn to work now, and not leave 
 everything for poor old Ready to do. It will be some time 
 before we are as handy as that old man, or as prepared to 
 meet every difficulty. Come, William. " 
 
 Mr. Seagrave then went down to the cove ; the little boat 
 was lying on the beach, just lifted by the rippling waves ; 
 they pushed her off, and got into her. "I knew where 
 the steward kept the tea and coffee, father," said William, 
 as they pulled on board ; " mamma would like for some break- 
 fast, I'm sure, and I'll milk the goats for baby." 
 
 Although they were neither of them very handy at the 
 oar, they were soon alongside of the ship ; and, having made 
 the boat fast, they climbed on board. 
 
 William first went down to the cabin for the tea and coffee, 
 and then left his father to collect other things while he 
 went to milk the goats, which he did in a tin pan. He 
 then poured the milk into a bottle, which he had washed 
 out, that it might not be spilt, and went back to his father. 
 
 "I have filled these two baskets full of a great many 
 things, William, which will be very acceptable to your 
 mamma. What else shall we take ? " 
 
 " Let us take the telescope, at all events, father ; and let 
 us take a whole quantity of clothes — they will please mamma: 
 the clean ones are all in the drawers — we can bring them 
 up in a sheet ; and then, father, let us bring some of the 
 books on shore ; and I'm sure mamma will long for her 
 Bible and prayer-book ; — here they are." 
 
 "You are a good boy, William," replied Mr. Seagrave. 
 "I will now take those things up to the boat, and then 
 return for the rest." 
 
 In a short time everything was put into the boat, and 
 they pulled on shore again. They found Juno, who had 
 been washing herself, waiting for them at the cove, to assist 
 to take up the things. 
 
 " Well, Juno, how do you find yourself this morning ? " 
 
 48 
 
JUNO WASHES THE CHILDREN 
 
 " Quite well, massa," said Juno : and then pointing to the 
 clear water, she said, " Plenty fish here." 
 
 "Yes, if we only had lines/' replied Mr. Seagrave. "I 
 think Ready has both hooks and lines somewhere. Come, 
 Juno, take up this bundle of linen to your tent : we can 
 manage all the rest." 
 
 "Then, Juno, you may as well take this bottle of milk, 
 which I got for little Albert's breakfast." 
 
 "Tankee, Massa William; dat very good of you." 
 
 " And you must be quick, Juno ; for there's Tommy on 
 his legs, and running about in his shirt." 
 
 When they arrived at the tent they found that every one 
 was awake except old Ready, who appeared still to sleep 
 very sound. Mrs. Seagrave had passed a very good night, 
 and felt herself much refreshed. William made some touch- 
 paper, which he lighted with one of the glass s from the 
 telescope, and they soon had a good fire. Mr. Seagrave 
 went to the beach, and procured three large stones to rest 
 the saucepan on ; and in half-an-hour the water was boiling 
 and the tea made. 
 
 CHAPTER XII 
 
 Beady taken by surprise— Assembled at breakfast— Danger of 
 sharks — Landing usefid articles — Pig and shark — Prognostics 
 of the weather — Value of the Cocoa-nut tree — Brotherly 
 feeling. 
 
 tl UNO had taken the children down to the cove, and, 
 walking out into the water up to her knees, had dipped them 
 in all over, as the shortest way of washing them, arid had 
 then dressed them and left them with their mother, while she 
 assisted William to get the cups and saucers and plates for 
 breakfast. Everything was laid out nice and tidy between 
 the two tents, and then William proposed that he should 
 awaken old Ready. 
 
 "Yes, my boy, you may as well now — he will want his 
 breakfast, and, besides, he would not like to be away when 
 we all meet to return thanks to God before we sit down to 
 our meal." 
 
 49 d 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 William went and pushed Ready on the shoulder. 
 " Ready, have you had sleep enough ? " said William, as the 
 old man sat up. 
 
 " Yes, Master William ; I have had a good nap, I expect ; 
 and now I will get up, and see what I can get for breakfast 
 for you all." 
 
 a Do," replied William, laughing. 
 
 Ready was soon dressed, for he had only taken off his 
 jacket when he laid down. He put it on, and came out of 
 the tent; when, to his astonishment, he found the whole 
 party (Mrs. Seagrave having come out with the children) 
 standing round the breakfast, which was spread on the 
 ground. 
 
 "Good morning, Ready," said Mrs. Seagrave, extending 
 her hand. Mr. Seagrave also shook hands with him. 
 
 " You have had a good long sleep, Ready," said Mr. Sea- 
 grave, "and I would not waken you after your fatigue of 
 yesterday." 
 
 " I thank you kindly, sir ; and I am glad to see that 
 madam is so well : and I am not sorry to see that you can 
 do so well without me," continued Ready, smiling. 
 
 "Indeed, but we cannot, I'm afraid," replied Mrs. Sea- 
 grave ; " had it not been for you and your kindness, where 
 should we have been now ? " 
 
 "We can get a breakfast ready without you," said Mr. 
 Seagrave ; " but without you, my good fellow, I think we 
 never should have required another breakfast by this time ; 
 but we will tell Ready all we have done while we eat our 
 breakfast : now, my dear, if you please." Mrs. Seagrave 
 then read a chapter from the Bible, and afterwards they all 
 knelt down while Mr. Seagrave offered up a prayer. 
 
 While they were at breakfast, William told Ready how 
 they had gone on board, and what they had brought on 
 shore, and he also mentioned how Juno had dipped all the 
 children in the sea. 
 
 " But Juno must not do that again," replied Ready, " until 
 I have made all safe ; you know that there are plenty of 
 sharks about these islands, and it is very dangerous to go 
 into the water." 
 
 " Oh, Mr. Seagrave, what an escape they have had ! " cried 
 Mrs. Seagrave, shuddering. 
 
A LEAKY BOAT 
 
 " It's very true/' continued Ready ; " but they don't keep 
 so much to the windward of the islands where we are at 
 present; but still that smooth cove is a very likely place 
 for them to come into; so it's just as well not to go in 
 again, Juno, until I have time to make a place for you to 
 bathe in in safety ; but we have plenty to do before we 
 think of that, and as soon as we can get as much as we 
 want from the ship, we must decide whether we shall stay 
 here or not." 
 
 et Stay here or not, Ready ! — what do you mean ? " 
 
 u Why, we have not yet found any water, and that is the 
 first necessary of life — if there is no water on this side of the 
 island, we must pitch our tents somewhere else." 
 
 "That's very true," replied Mr. Seagrave ; "I wish we 
 could find time to explore a little." 
 
 " So we can, sir ; but we must not lose this fine weather. 
 It may be rough to-morrow, and then we shall not be able 
 to get anything from the ship. We had better go now. 
 You, sir, William, and me. You and William can remain on 
 board to collect the things, and I will land them on the 
 beach for Juno to bring up." 
 
 The whole day was spent in landing every variety of 
 article which they thought could be useful. All the small 
 sails, cordage, twine, canvas, small casks, saws, chisels, and 
 large nails, and elm and oak plank, were brought on shore 
 before dinner. After they had taken a hearty dinner, they 
 went to work again. The cabin tables and chairs, all their 
 clothes, some boxes of candles, two bags of coffee, two of 
 rice, two more of biscuits, several pieces of beef and pork, 
 and bags of flour, for they could not manage to get a whole 
 cask out, some more water, the grindstone, and Mrs. Sea- 
 grave's medicine chest were then landed. When Ready 
 came off again, he said, "Our poor boat is getting very 
 leaky, and will not take much more on shore without being 
 repaired ; and Juno has not been able to get half the things 
 up — they are too heavy for one person — I think we shall do 
 pretty well now, Mr. Seagrave ; and we had better, before it 
 is dark, get all the animals on shore. I don't much like to 
 trust them to swim on shore, but they are awkward things in 
 a boat. We'll tiy a pig, at all events ; and while I get one 
 up, do you and Master William tie the legs of the fowls, and 
 
 51 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 put them into the boat; as for the cow, she cannot be 
 brought on shore, she is still lying down, and, I expect, 
 won't get up again any more ; it is the way with those 
 animals ; however, I have given her plenty of hay, and, 
 if she don't rise, why, I will kill her, and we can salt her 
 down." 
 
 Ready went down below, and the squealing of the pig 
 was soon heard ; he came on deck with it hanging over 
 his back, by the hind legs, and threw it into the sea over 
 the gunnel : the pig floundered at first ; but after a few 
 seconds, turned its head away from the ship and swam for 
 the shore. 
 
 " He goes ashore straight enough," said Ready, who, with 
 Mr. Seagrave and William, was watching the animal ; but a 
 minute afterwards, Ready exclaimed — 
 
 " I thought as much — we've lost him ! " 
 
 " How ? " replied Mr. Seagrave. 
 
 " D'ye see that black thing above water pushing so fast to 
 the animal ? — that's the back fin of a shark, and he will have 
 the poor thing — there, he's got him ! " said Ready, as the 
 pig disappeared under the water with a heavy splash. 
 " Well, he's gone ; better the pig than your little children, 
 Mr. Seagrave." 
 
 et Yes, indeed, God be praised ! — that monster might have 
 been close to them at the time that Juno took them into 
 the water." 
 
 "He was not far off, I reckon," replied Ready ; " however, 
 he must be content with what he has got, for he'll get no 
 more. We'll go down now and tie the legs of the other four 
 pigs, and bring them up ; with what's already in the boat 
 they will be a good load." 
 
 As soon as the pigs were in the boat, Ready sculled it on 
 shore, while Mr. Seagrave and William brought up the goats 
 and sheep ready for the next trip. Ready soon returned. 
 " Now this will be our last trip for to-day, and, if I am any 
 judge of the weather, our last trip for some days ; it is bank- 
 ing up very thick in the offing. This trip we'll be able to 
 put into the boat a bag of corn for the creatures, in case 
 we require it, and then we may say good-bye to the ship for 
 a day or two at least. I have given the cow water, left a 
 bucket or two with her, and a truss of hay ; but 1 don't much 
 
 52 
 
A GOOD DAY'S WORK 
 
 expect we shall find her alive when we come back to the 
 ship again." 
 
 They then all got into the boat, which was very deeply 
 laden, for the corn was heavy, but they got safe on shore, 
 although they leaked very much. Having landed the goats 
 and sheep, William led them up to the tent, where they 
 remained very quietly ; the pigs had run away, and so had 
 the fowls ; but this was to be expected. The beach was 
 quite covered with the quantity of things they had brought 
 on shore. 
 
 " That's what I call a good day's work, Mr. Seagrave," said 
 Ready ; " the little boat has done its duty well ; but we must 
 not venture in her again until I have put her into a little 
 better condition." 
 
 They were not at all sorry, after their hard day's work, to 
 find that Juno had prepared coffee for them ; and while they 
 were drinking it, they narrated to Mrs. Seagrave the tragical 
 death of the poor pig by the shark. Mrs. Seagrave embraced 
 her little boy, who was in her arms, when she heard the tale ; 
 and when she lifted up her head again, there was a tear of 
 thankfulness rolling down her cheek. Poor Juno appeared 
 quite frightened at the danger which the children had been 
 in, even now that it was all over. 
 
 "We shall have plenty to do here to-morrow," observed 
 Mr. Seagrave, " in getting things into their places." 
 
 " We shall have plenty to do for some time, I expect," 
 replied Ready. " In two months, or thereabouts, we shall 
 have the rainy season come on, and we must be under cover 
 before that time, if we possibly can. We can't expect this 
 weather to last all the year round." 
 
 "What's the first thing we must do, Ready?" inquired 
 Mr. Seagrave. 
 
 '/ To-morrow, we had better fix up another tent or 
 two, to stow away all the articles we have brought on shore : 
 that will be one good day's work ; we shall then know 
 where to lay our hands upon everything, and see what 
 we want." 
 
 " That's very true ; and what shall we do then ? " 
 
 " Why, then, sir, I think we must make a little expedition 
 to explore the island, and find out where we must build 
 our house." 
 
 53 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 " Can we build a house ? " said William. 
 
 " Oh yes, sir, and with more ease than you would think. 
 There's no [tree so valuable as the cocoa-nut tree ; and the 
 wood is so light that we can easily move it about/' 
 
 " Why, what are the great merits of the cocoa-nut tree ? " 
 said Mrs. Seagrave. 
 
 " I'll tell you, madam : in the first place, you have the 
 wood to build the house with ; then you have the bark with 
 which you can make ropes and lines, and fishing-nets if you 
 please ; then you have the leaves for thatching your house, 
 and also for thatching your head if you please, for you may 
 make good hats out of it, and baskets also ; then you have 
 the fruit, which, as a nut, is good to eat and very useful in 
 cooking ; and in the young nut is the milk, which is also 
 very wholesome ; then you have the oil to burn, and the 
 shell to make cups of, if you haven't any, and then you can 
 draw toddy from the tree, which is very pleasant to drink 
 when fresh, but will make you tipsy if it is kept too long ; 
 and then, after that, you may turn the toddy into arrack, 
 which is a very strong spirit. Now there is no tree which 
 yields so many useful things to man, for it supplies him with 
 almost everything." 
 
 "I had no idea of that," replied Mrs. Seagrave. 
 
 " At all events, we've plenty of them," said William. 
 
 w Yes, Master William, there's no want of them ; and 
 I am glad of it, for had there been but few, I should not 
 have liked to destroy them. People might be wrecked 
 here, as well as ourselves, and without the good fortune 
 that we have had in getting so many necessaries, and 
 more than necessaries, on shore ; and they might be obliged 
 to depend wholly upon the cocoa-nut trees for their 
 support." 
 
 " Well, I think it's time for us all to go to bed," said Mr. 
 Seagrave. u William, bring your mamma the Bible." 
 
 54 
 
AN EXPLORING PARTY 
 
 CHAPTER XIII 
 
 Exploring party formed — Mrs. Seagrave's anxiety — Ready's 
 disinterestedness — Preparations for the journey — Tommy at 
 the grindstone — The parting. 
 
 W E shall, for the future, omit the regular daily routine of 
 our party on the island, as we shall have quite enough to do 
 to narrate the various incidents which each day brought 
 forth. When breakfast was over the next morning, Ready 
 observed, " Now, Mr. Seagrave, we must hold a council of 
 war, and decide upon an exploring party for to-morrow ; 
 and, when we have settled that, we will find some useful 
 way of employing ourselves for the rest of the day. The 
 first question is, of whom is the party to consist ? — and upon 
 that I wish to hear your opinion." 
 
 "Why, Ready," replied Mr. Seagrave, "it appears to me 
 that you and I should go." 
 
 "Surely not both of you, my dear," interrupted Mrs. 
 Seagrave. " You can do without my husband, can you 
 not, Ready ? " 
 
 " I certainly should have liked to have had Mr. Seagrave 
 to advise with, ma'am," replied Ready; "but still I have 
 thought upon it, and do not think that Master William would 
 be quite sufficient protection for you ; or, at all events, you 
 would not feel that he was, which is much the same thing ; 
 and so, perhaps, if Mr. Seagrave has no objection, it would 
 perhaps be better that he remained with you." 
 
 "Would you go alone, then, Ready?" said Mr. Sea- 
 grave. 
 
 " No, sir, I do not think that would be right, either — some 
 accident might happen ; there is no saying what might 
 happen, although there is every appearance of safety ; but 
 we are in the hands of Providence, who doeth with us as 
 He thinks fit. I should like, therefore, to have some one 
 with me: the question is, whether it be Master William or 
 Juno ?" 
 
 "Take me," said Tommy. 
 
 " Take you, Master Tommy ! " said Ready, laughing ; "then 
 
 55 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 I must take Juno to take care of you. No ; I think they 
 cannot spare you. Your mamma will want you when we are 
 gone ; you are so useful in gathering wood for the fire, and 
 taking care of your little sister and brother, that your mother 
 cannot part with you ; so I must have either Juno or your 
 brother William." 
 
 "And which would you prefer, Ready?" said Mrs. 
 Seagrave. 
 
 " Master William, certainly, ma'am, if you will let him go 
 with me, as you could ill spare the girl. I was only afraid 
 you would raise some objection." 
 
 " Indeed, I do not like it ; I would rather lose Juno for a 
 time," replied Mrs. Seagrave. 
 
 " My dear wife," said Mr. Seagrave, "what did Ready just 
 now say ? — that we were in the hands of Providence. Re- 
 collect how Providence has preserved us in such awful dangers 
 — how we are landed in safety. And now, will you not put 
 trust in that Providence, when the dangers are, as I trust, 
 only imaginary ? " 
 
 " I was wrong, my dear husband, very wrong ; but sickness 
 and suffering have made me, I fear, not only nervous and 
 frightened, but selfish : I must and will shake it off. Hitherto 
 I have only been a clog and an encumbranee to you ; but I 
 trust I shall soon behave better, and make myself useful. If 
 you think, my dear husband, that it would be better that 
 you should go with Ready instead of William, I am quite 
 content ; I was very wrong, indeed, to raise an objection at 
 the time. Go, then, with Ready, and may Heaven protect 
 you both ! " 
 
 " No, ma'am," replied Ready, " Master William will do just 
 as well. Indeed, ma'am, I would go by myself with pleasure : 
 I have no fears of anything happening ; but still we know 
 not what the day may bring forth, and I might be taken ill 
 — I might hurt myself — I am an old man, you know ; and 
 then I was thinking that if any accident was to happen to 
 me, you might miss me — that's all — I did not say it for my 
 own sake." 
 
 " That I am sure you did not, my good old friend," replied 
 Mrs. Seagrave ; " but a mother is foolish at times." 
 
 "Over anxious, ma'am, perhaps, but not foolish, begging 
 your pardon," replied Ready. 
 
 56 
 
PREPARATIONS FOR THE JOURNEY 
 
 " Well, then, William shall go with you, Ready ; — that 
 point's settled," observed Mr. Seagrave : " what is the 
 next ? " 
 
 " The next is to prepare for our journey. We must take 
 some provisions and water with us, a gun and some ammuni- 
 tion, a large axe for me, and one of the hatchets for Master 
 William ; and, if you please, Romulus and Remus had better 
 come with us, and Vixen shall remain with you. Juno, put a 
 piece of beef and a piece of pork into the pot. Master 
 William, will you fill four quart bottles with water, while I 
 sew up a knapsack out of canvas for each of us ? " 
 
 "And what shall I do, Ready?" said Mr. Seagrave. 
 
 " Why, sir, if you will have the kindness to sharpen the 
 axe and the hatchet on the grindstone, it would be of great 
 service, and Master Tommy can turn it, he is such a strong 
 little man, and so fond of work." 
 
 Tommy jumped up directly; he was quite strong enough 
 to turn the grindstone, but he was much fonder of play than 
 work ; but as Ready had said that he was fond of it, he 
 wished to prove that such was the case, and Tommy did 
 work very hard ; for Ready, who was making the knapsacks, 
 sat by them, and when Tommy was inclined to leave off, he 
 praised him for behaving so well, and pointed out to Mrs. 
 Seagrave what a clever boy he was ; so Tommy, who liked to 
 be praised, turned the handle of the grindstone until the 
 perspiration ran down his forehead. Before they went to 
 prayers and retired for the night, the axe was sharpened, the 
 knapsacks made, and everything else ready. 
 
 " When do you intend to start, Ready ? " said Mr. Sea- 
 grave. 
 
 "Why, sir, I should like to get off at the dawn of day, 
 when the heat is not so great." 
 
 K And when do you intend to come back ? " said Mrs. 
 Seagrave. 
 
 " Why, madam, we have provisions enough for three days : 
 if we start to-morrow morning, which is Wednesday, I hope 
 to be back some time on Friday evening : but I won't be 
 later than Saturday morning if I can help it." 
 
 u Good night — and good-bye, mother," said William, " for 
 I shall not see you to-morrow." 
 
 "God bless and protect you, my dear child," replied Mrs. 
 
 57 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 Seagrave. " Take care of him, Ready, and good-bye to you 
 till we meet." 
 
 Mrs. Seagrave went into the tent to hide the tears which 
 she could not suppress. " It's all new to her now, sir," 
 observed Ready; "in a little while she won't mind it so 
 much." 
 
 " Very true, Ready," said Mr. Seagrave ; " but she is 
 nervous and weak just now ; and as she never has yet parted 
 with her children for an hour, and her boy is going she knows 
 not where, I think she takes it pretty well." 
 
 "She does, sir, she does," replied Ready: "a mother's 
 fears are as natural as a mother's love. If I find I cannot do 
 all I wish by the time agreed, I will come back at all events, 
 and start again." 
 
 "Do, Ready; that will give her confidence: and now, 
 good-bye, and may success attend you ! " 
 
 CHAPTER XIV 
 
 Commencement of journey — Novel way-marks — Anxiety about 
 water — sudden alarm — Prepare for the worst — Pigs in the 
 grove — Change of scene — They discover the sea. 
 
 XtEADY was up before the sun had appeared, and he 
 awakened William ; they dressed themselves in silence, 
 because they did not wish that Mrs. Seagrave should be dis- 
 turbed. The knapsacks had been already packed, with two 
 bottles of water in each, wrapped round with cocoa-nut 
 leaves, to prevent their breaking, and the beef and pork 
 divided between each knapsack. Ready's, which was larger 
 than William's, held the biscuit and several other things 
 which Ready had prepared in case they might require them ; 
 and round his waist he twisted two cords, to tie the dogs if 
 required. 
 
 As soon as the knapsacks were on, Ready took the axe and 
 gun, and asked William if he thought he could carry a small 
 spade on his shoulder, which they had brought on shore along 
 with the shovels. William replied that he could ; and the 
 dogs, who appeared to know they were going, were all ready 
 
 58 
 
NOVEL WAY-MARKS 
 
 standing by them, when Ready went to one of the small 
 water-casks, took a drink himself, gave one to William, and 
 then as much to the dogs as they would drink. Having done 
 this, just as the sun rose, they turned into the cocoa-nut 
 grove, and were soon out of sight of the tents. 
 
 " Now, Master William, do you know," said Ready, stopping 
 after they had walked twenty yards, * by what means we may 
 find our way back again ; for you see this forest of trees is 
 rather puzzling, and there is no path to guide us ?" 
 
 " No, I am sure I cannot tell : I was thinking of the very 
 same thing when you . spoke ; and of Tom Thumb, who 
 strewed peas to find his way back, but could not do it, because 
 the birds picked them all up." 
 
 " Well, Tom Thumb did not manage well, and we must try 
 to do better ; we must do as the Americans always do in their 
 woods, — we must blaze the trees." 
 
 " Blaze them ! what, set fire to them ? " replied William. 
 
 " No, no, Master William. Blaze is a term they use (why, I 
 know not, except that there must be a term for everything) 
 when they cut a slice of the bark off the trunk of a tree, just 
 with one blow of a sharp axe, as a mark to find their way 
 back again. They do not blaze every tree, but about every 
 tenth tree as they go along, first one to the right, and then 
 one to the left, which is quite sufficient ; and it is very little 
 trouble, — they do it as they walk along, without stopping. 
 So now we'll begin : you take the other side, it will be more 
 handy for you, to have your hatchet in your right hand ; I can 
 use my left. See now — just a slice off the bark — the weight 
 of the axe does it almost, and it will serve for a guide through 
 the forest for years." 
 
 * What an excellent plan ! " observed William, as they 
 walked along, occasionally marking the trees. 
 
 " But I have another friend in my pocket," replied Ready, 
 * and I must use him soon." 
 
 " What is that ? " 
 
 " Poor Captain Osborn's pocket-compass. You see, William, 
 the blazing will direct us how to go back again ; but it will 
 not tell us what course we are now to steer. At present, I 
 know we are going right, as I can see through the wood 
 behind us ; but by-and-by we shall not be able, and then I 
 must make use of the compass." 
 
 59 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 " I understand that very well ; but tell me, Ready, why 
 do you bring the spade with us — what will be the use of 
 it ? You never said you were going to take one yesterday 
 morning." 
 
 "No, Master William, I did not, as I did not like to 
 make your mother anxious about anything ; but the fact is, 
 I am very anxious myself about one thing, and that is as to 
 whether there is any water on this island ; if there is not, 
 we shall have to quit it sooner or later, for although we 
 we may get water by digging in the sand, it would be too 
 brackish to use for any time, and would make us all ill. We 
 have not much on shore now ; and if the bad weather comes 
 on, we may not be able to get any more from the wreck. 
 Now, very often, there will be water if you dig for it, although 
 it does not show above ground ; and therefore I brought the 
 spade." 
 
 " You think of everything, Ready." 
 
 " No, I do not, Master William ; but, in our present situa- 
 tion, I think of more things than perhaps your father and 
 mother would : they have never known what it is to be put 
 to their shifts — they have never been in situations requiring 
 them to think about such things : but a man like me, who 
 has been all his life at sea, and who has been wrecked, and 
 suffered hardships and difficulties, and has been obliged to 
 think or die, has a greater knowledge, not only from his 
 own sufferings, but by hearing how others have acted when 
 they were in distress. Necessity, they say, is the mother 
 of invention ; and it's very true, Master William, for it 
 sharpens a man's wits; and it is very curious what people 
 do contrive when they are compelled to do so, especially 
 seamen." 
 
 " And where are we going to now, Ready ?" 
 
 " Right to the leeward side of the island ; and I hope we 
 shall be there before it is dark." 
 
 " Why do you call it the leeward side of the island ? " 
 
 " Because among these islands the winds almost always 
 blow one way : we landed on the windward side ; the wind 
 is at our back ; now put up your finger, and you will feel it 
 even among the trees." 
 
 " No, I cannot," replied William, as he held up his 
 finger. 
 
 60 
 
SUDDEN ALARM 
 
 te Then wet your finger, and try again." 
 
 William wet his finger in his mouth, and held it up again : 
 u Yes, I do feel it now," said he ; " but why is that ? " 
 
 "Because the wind blows against the wet, and you feel 
 the cold." 
 
 As Ready said this, the dogs growled, then started forward, 
 and barked. 
 
 " What can be there ? " cried William. 
 
 " Stand still, Master William," replied Ready, cocking his 
 gun, " and I will go forward to see." Ready advanced 
 cautiously with the gun to his hip. The dogs barked more 
 furiously ; and, at last, out of a heap of cocoa-nut leaves 
 collected together, out burst all the pigs which had been 
 brought on shore, grunting and galloping away as fast as they 
 could, with the dogs in pursuit of them. 
 
 " It's only the pigs, Master William," said Ready, smiling ; 
 " I never thought I should be half- frightened by a tame pig. 
 Here, Romulus ! here, Remus ! come back ! " continued Ready, 
 calling to the dogs. ' e Well, Master William, this is our first 
 adventure." 
 
 " I hope we shall not meet with any one more dangerous," 
 replied William, laughing; "but I must say that I was 
 alarmed." 
 
 " No wonder ; for, although not likely, it is possible there 
 may be wild animals on this island, or even savages ; we must 
 always be prepared for the worst in an unknown country ; 
 but being alarmed is one thing, Master William, and being 
 afraid is another: a man may be alarmed, and stand his 
 ground, as you did ; but a man that is afraid will run 
 away." 
 
 "I do not think I shall ever run away and leave you, 
 Ready, if there is danger." 
 
 " I'm sure you will not, Master William ; but still you must 
 not be rash : and now we will go on again, as soon as I have 
 uncocked my gun. While I think of it, Master William, as 
 you may have to carry one very often, never by any chance 
 leave your gun cocked ; I have seen more accidents happen 
 from people cocking their guns, and forgetting to uncock 
 them afterwards, than you can have any idea of. 
 
 " Recollect, until you want to fire, never cock your gun. 
 Now, I must look at the compass, for we have turned about, 
 
 61 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 so that I do not know which way we are to go. All's right 
 now — come along, dogs ! " 
 
 Ready and William continued their way through the cocoa- 
 nut grove for more than an hour longer, marking the trees as 
 they went along; they then sat down to take their breakfast, 
 and the two dogs lay down by them. 
 
 " Don't give the dogs any water, Master William, nor any 
 of the salt meat ; give them biscuit only." 
 
 " But they are very thirsty ; may not I give them a 
 little?" 
 
 " No : we shall want it all ourselves, in the first place ; 
 and, in the next, I wish them to be thirsty. And, Master 
 William, take my advice, and only drink a small quantity of 
 water at a time : it is quite sufficient to quench the thirst ; 
 and the more you drink, the more you want/' 
 
 "Then I should not eat so much salt meat." 
 
 "Very true; the less you eat the better, unless we find 
 water, and fill our bottles again." 
 
 " But we have our axes, and can always cut down a cocoa- 
 nut, and get the milk from the young nuts." 
 
 " Very true ; and fortunate it is that we have that to 
 resort to; but still we could not do very well on cocoa- 
 nut milk alone, even if it were to be procured all the year 
 round. Now, Master William, we will go on if you do not 
 feel tired." 
 
 " Not in the least ; I am tired of seeing nothing but the 
 stems of the cocoa-nut trees, and shall be very glad when we 
 are through the wood." 
 
 "Then the faster we walk the better," said Ready; "as 
 far as I could judge as we were coming to the island, we 
 must be about half-way across now." 
 
 Ready and William recommenced their journey ; and, after 
 half-an-hour's walking, they found that the ground was not 
 so level as it had been — sometimes they went gradually 
 uphill, at others down. 
 
 " I am very glad to find the island is not so flat here, 
 Master Willy ; we have a better chance of finding water." 
 
 " But, look, it is much steeper before us," replied William, 
 as he barked a tree ; " it's quite a hill." 
 
 " So much the better — let us push on." 
 
 The ground now became more undulating, although still 
 
 62 
 
A BEAUTIFUL SCENE 
 
 covered with cocoa-nut trees, even thicker together than 
 before. They continued their march, occasionally looking at 
 the compass, until William showed symptoms of weariness, 
 for the wood had become more difficult to get through than 
 at first. 
 
 " How many miles do you think we have walked, Ready ? " 
 said Willy. 
 
 "About eight, I should think." 
 
 " Not more than eight ? " 
 
 " No ; I do not think that, altogether, we have made 
 more than two miles an hour : it's slow work, travelling 
 by compass, and marking the trees ; but I think the wood 
 looks lighter before us, now that we are at the top of this 
 hill." 
 
 " It does, Ready ; I fancy I can see the blue sky again." 
 
 "Your eyes are younger than mine, Master William, and 
 perhaps you may — however, we shall soon find out." 
 
 They now descended into a small hollow, and then went 
 uphill again. As soon as they arrived at the top, William 
 cried out, " The sea, Ready ! there's the sea ! " 
 
 "Very true, Master William, and I'm not sorry for it." 
 
 " I thought we never should have got out of that nasty 
 wood again," said William, as he impatiently pushed on ; and 
 at last stood clear of the cocoa-nut grove. Ready soon 
 joined him, and they surveyed the scene before them in 
 silence. 
 
 CHAPTER XV 
 
 A beautiful scene — Sea anemones— A turtle — An important 
 discovery — The hour of rest. 
 
 Oh ! how beautiful ! " exclaimed William at last ; "I'm sure 
 mamma would like to live here. I thought the other side 
 of the island very pretty, but it's nothing compared to 
 this." 
 
 "It's very beautiful, Master William," replied Ready 
 thoughtfully. 
 
 Perhaps a more lovely scene could scarcely be imagined. 
 The cocoa-nut grove terminated about a quarter of a mile 
 
 63 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 from the beach very abruptly, for there was a rapid descent 
 for about thirty feet from where they stood to the land 
 below, on which was a mixture of little grass knolls and 
 brushwood, to about fifty yards from the water's edge, where 
 it was met with dazzling white sand, occasionally divided by 
 narrow ridges of rock which ran inland. The water was of 
 a deep blue, except where it was broken into white foam 
 on the reefs, which extended for miles from the beach, and 
 the rocks of which now and then showed themselves above 
 water. On the rocks were perched crowds of gannets and 
 men-of-war birds, while others wheeled in the air, every 
 now and then darting down into the blue sea, and bringing 
 up in their Inlls a fish out of the shoals which rippled the 
 water, or bounded clear of it in their gambols. The form 
 of the coast was that of a horseshoe bay — two points 
 of land covered with shrubs extending far out on each 
 side. The line of the horizon, far out at sea, was clear 
 and unbroken. 
 
 Ready remained for some time without speaking ; he 
 scanned the horizon right and left ; he surveyed the reefs 
 in the distance ; and then he turned his eyes along the land. 
 At last William said — 
 
 " What are you thinking of, Ready ? " 
 
 u Why, I am thinking that we must look for water as fast 
 as we can." 
 
 " But why are you so anxious ? " 
 
 " Because, Master Willy, I can see no island to leeward of 
 us as I expected, and therefore there is less chance of getting 
 off this island ; and this bay, although very beautiful, is full 
 of reefs, and I see no inlet, which makes it awkward for 
 many reasons. But we cannot judge at first sight. Let us 
 now sit down and take our dinner, and after that we will 
 explore a little. Stop — before we leave where we stand we 
 must make a good mark upon the trees close to where we 
 have come out of the wood, or we shall not find our blaze 
 again in a hurry when we wish to go back again." 
 
 Ready cut two wide marks in the stems of the cocoa-nut 
 trees, and then descended with William to the low ground, 
 where they sat down to eat their dinner. As soon as their 
 meal was finished they first walked down to the water's edge, 
 and Ready turned his eyes inland to see if he could discover 
 
 64 
 
SEA ANEMONES 
 
 any little ravine or hollow which might be likely to contain 
 fresh water. " There are one or two places there/' observed 
 Ready., pointing to them with his finger, "where the water 
 has run down in the rainy season : we must examine them 
 carefully, but not now ; to-morrow will be time enough. I 
 want to find out whether there is any means of getting our 
 little boat through this reef of rocks, or otherwise we shall 
 have very hard work (if we change our abode to this spot) 
 to bring all our stores through that wood ; it would take us 
 weeks, if not months ; so we will pass the rest of this day in 
 examining the coast, Master William, and to-morrow we will 
 try for fresh water." 
 
 "Look at the dogs, Ready, they are drinking the sea- 
 water, poor things." 
 
 " They won't drink much of that, I expect ; you see they 
 don't like it already." 
 
 " How beautiful the corals are — look here, they grow like 
 little trees under the water ; and look here, here is really a 
 flower in bloom growing on that rock just below the water." 
 
 " Put your finger to it, Master William," said Ready. 
 
 William did so, and the flower, as he called it, immediately 
 shut up. 
 
 " Why, it's flesh, and alive ! " 
 
 " Yes, it is ; I have often seen them before ; they call 
 them, I think, sea anemones — they are animals ; but I don't 
 know whether they are shell-fish or not. Creation is very 
 wonderful. Now, let us walk out to the end of this point 
 of land, and see if we can discover any opening in the reef. 
 The sun is going down, and we shall not have more than an 
 hour's daylight, and then we must look out for a place to 
 sleep in." 
 
 " But what is that ? " cried William, pointing to the sand — 
 " that round dark thing ? " 
 
 " That's what I'm very glad to see, Master William : it's a 
 turtle ; they come up about this time in the evening to drop 
 their eggs, and then they bury them in the sand." 
 
 " Can't we catch them ? " 
 
 "Yes, we cas catch them if we go about it quietly; but 
 you must take care not to go behind them, or they will throw 
 such a shower of sand upon you, with their hind flappers or 
 fins, that they would blind you and escape at the same time. 
 
 65 e 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 The way to catch them is to get at their heads and turn them 
 over on their backs by one of the fore-fins, and then they 
 cannot turn back again." 
 
 " Let us go and catch that one." 
 
 " Indeed, Master William, I should think it very foolish to 
 do it, as we could not take it away, and it would die to- 
 morrow from the heat of the sun. It's not right to take 
 life away uselessly, and if we destroy that turtle now, we 
 may want it another time." 
 
 " I did not think of that, Ready : if we come to live 
 here, I suppose we shall catch them whenever we want 
 them." 
 
 w No, we shall not, for they only come on shore in the 
 breeding-season ; but we will make a turtle-pond somewhere 
 which they cannot get out of, but which the sea flows into ; 
 and then when we catch them we will put them into it, and 
 have them ready for use as we require them." 
 
 "That will be a very good plan," replied William. 
 
 They now continued their walk ; and, forcing their way 
 through the brushwood which grew thick upon the point of 
 land, soon arrived at the end of it. 
 
 a What is that out there ? " said William, pointing to the 
 right of where they stood. 
 
 " That is another island, Master William, which I am very 
 glad to see even in that direction, although it will not be so 
 easy to gain it, if we are obliged to leave this for want of 
 water ; it is, however, possible that we might. It is a much 
 larger island than this, at all events," continued Ready, 
 scanning the length of the horizon, along which he could 
 see the tops of the trees. — "Well, Master Willy, we have 
 done very well for our first day. I am rather tired, and so, 
 I presume, are you ; so now we will go and look for a place 
 to lie down and pass the night." 
 
 They returned to the high ground where the cocoa-nut 
 grove ended, and collecting together several branches and 
 piles of leaves, made a good soft bed under the trees. 
 
 " And now we'll have a little water, and go to bed. Look, 
 Master William, at the long shadow of the trees ! the sun 
 has nearly set." 
 
 " Shall I give the dogs some water now, Ready ? see, poor 
 Remus is licking the sides of the bottles." 
 
SEARCH FOR WATER 
 
 " No, do not give them any : it appears to be cruel, but I 
 want the intelligence of the poor animals to-morrow, and the 
 want of water will make them very keen, and we shall turn 
 it to good account. So now, William, we must not forget to 
 return thanks to a merciful God, and to beg His care over us 
 for this night : we little know what the day may bring forth. 
 Could you ever hrve imagined, a month back, that you would 
 be on this island in company with an old man like me, sleep- 
 ing in the open air ? If any one had told you so, you would 
 never have believed it ; yet here you are, William, and you 
 see how He disposeth of us as He thinks proper. Good 
 night, sir ! " 
 
 CHAPTER XVI 
 
 Search for water — Sagacity of dogs — Water discovered — Site 
 for a new house — A shark — Bonettas — Return to the cove. 
 
 ILLIAM slept as sound as if he had been on shore in 
 
 England upon a soft bed in a warm room — so did old Ready ; 
 and when they awoke the next morning it was broad day- 
 light. The poor dogs were suffering for want of water, and 
 it pained William very much to see them with their tongues 
 out, panting and whining as they looked up to him. " Now, 
 Master William," said Ready, "shall we take our breakfast 
 before we start, or have a walk first ? " 
 
 11 Ready, I cannot really drink a drop of water myself, and 
 I am thirsty, unless you give a little to these poor dogs." 
 
 " I pity the poor dumb creatures as much as you do, Master 
 Willy ; depend upon it, it's not out of unkindness ; on the 
 contrary, it is kindness to ourselves and them too, which 
 makes me refuse it to them ; however, if you like, we will take 
 a walk first, and see if we can find any water. Let us first go 
 to the little dell to the right, and if we do not succeed, we 
 will try farther on w r here the water has run down during the 
 rainy season." William was very glad to go, and away they 
 went, followed by the dogs, Ready having taken up the 
 spade which he carried on his shoulder. They soon came to 
 the dell, and the dogs put their noses to the ground, and 
 
 61 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 snuffed about ; Ready watched them ; at last they lay down 
 panting. 
 
 " Let us go on, sir," said Ready thoughtfully ; they went on 
 to where the run of water appeared to have been — the dogs 
 snuffed about more eagerly than before. 
 
 "You see, Master William, these poor dogs are now so 
 eager for water, that if there is any, they will find it out 
 where we never could. I don't expect water above ground, 
 but there may be some below it. This beach is hardly far 
 enough from the water's edge, or I should try in the sand 
 for it." 
 
 " In the sand ! — but would it not be salt ? " replied William. 
 
 " No ; not if at a good distance from the sea-beach, for you 
 see, William, the sand by degrees filters the sea-water fresh, 
 and very often when the sand runs in a long way from the 
 high-water mark, if you dig down, you will find good fresh 
 water, at other times it is a little brackish, but still fit for use. 
 I wish that this fact was better known among seamen than it 
 is, it would have saved many a poor fellow from a great deal 
 of agony. There's nothing so dreadful as being without water, 
 Master William. I know what it is to be on an allowance 
 of half a pint a day, and I assure you it is cruel work." 
 
 " Look, Ready, at Romulus and Remus — how hard they are 
 digging with their paws there in the hollow." 
 
 " Thanks to Heaven that they are, Master William ; you 
 don't know how happy you have made me feel ; for, to tell 
 you the truth, I was beginning to be alarmed." 
 
 u But why do they dig ? " 
 
 " Because there is water there, poor animals. Now you see 
 the advantage of having kept them in pain for a few hours ; 
 it is in all probability the saving of all of us, for we must 
 either have found water or quitted this island. Now let us 
 help the poor dogs with the spade, and they shall soon be 
 rewarded for their sufferings." 
 
 Ready walked quickly to where the dogs continued dig- 
 ging : they had already got down to the moist earth, and 
 were so eagerly at work, that it was with difficulty he could 
 get them out of his way to use his spade. He had not dug 
 two feet before the water trickled down, and in four or five 
 minutes the dogs had sufficient to plunge their noses in, and 
 to drink copiously. 
 
 68 
 
WATER DISCOVERED 
 
 " Look at them, sir, how they enjoy it, — so did the 
 Israelites fainting in the desert, when Moses struck the rock 
 of stone, and the water poured out in torrents for their 
 relief. Do you recollect that part of the Scriptures, Master 
 William?" 
 
 " To be sure I do. I have a picture of it at home.'* 
 
 " Well, I don't think any Israelite among them felt more 
 grateful than I do now, William. This was the one thing 
 wanting, but it was the one thing indispensable. Now we 
 have everything we can wish for on this island, and if we 
 are only content, we may be happy — ay, much happier than 
 are those who are worrying themselves to heap up riches, 
 not knowing who shall gather them. See, the poor animals 
 have had enough at last — and how they have swelled them- 
 selves out ! Now, shall we go back to breakfast ? " 
 
 "Yes," replied William; "I shall enjoy it now, and have 
 a good drink of water myself." 
 
 " That is a plenteous spring, depend upon it, sir," said 
 Ready, as they walked back to where they had slept and 
 left their knapsacks; "but we must clear it out further up 
 among the trees, where the sun cannot reach it, and then 
 it will be cool, and not be dried up. We shall have plenty of 
 work for the next year at least, if we remain here. Where we 
 are now will be a capital spot to build our house on." 
 
 As soon as the breakfast was over, Ready said, " Now 
 we must go down and explore the other point, — for you see, 
 Master William, I have not yet found a passage through the 
 reef, and as our little boat must come round this side of the 
 island, it is at the point on this side that I must try to find 
 an entrance. When I was on the opposite point it did 
 appear to me that the water was not broken close to this 
 point ; and should there be a passage we shall be very 
 fortunate." 
 
 They soon arrived at the end of the point of land, and 
 found that Ready was not wrong in his supposition ; the 
 water was deep, even close to the beach, and there was a 
 passage of many yards wide. The sea was so smooth, and 
 the water so clear, that they could see down to the rocky 
 bottom, and watched the fish as they darted along. " Look 
 there," said Willy, pointed out about fifty yards from the 
 beach, " a great shark, Ready." 
 
 69 
 
MAST&RMAN READY 
 
 " Yes, I see him, sir/' replied Ready : " there's plenty 
 of them here, depend upon it ; and you must be very 
 careful how you get into the water here : the sharks always 
 keep to the leeward of the island, and for one you'll find 
 where Juno bathed your little brother, you will find fifty 
 here. I'm quite satisfied now, William, we shall do very 
 well, and all we have now to think of is moving away from 
 the other side of the island as fast as possible." 
 
 " Shall we go back to-day ?" 
 
 " Yes, I think so, for we shall only be idle here, and your 
 mother is anxious about you, depend upon it. It is not 
 twelve o'clock, I should think, and we shall have plenty of 
 time ; for you see it is one thing to walk through a wood 
 and mark your way, and another to go back again with 
 the path pointed out to you. So I think we had better 
 start at once ; we will leave the spade and axe here, 
 for it is no use taking them back again. The musket I 
 will carry, for although it is not likely to be wanted, still we 
 must always be prepared. First, let us go back and look 
 at the spring, and see how the water flows, and then we 
 will be off. " 
 
 As they walked along the edge of the sandy beach they 
 found the sea-birds hovering close to them : all of a sudden 
 a large shoal of fish threw themselves high and dry on the 
 sand, and they were followed by several of a larger size, 
 which also lay flapping on the beach, while the sea-birds, 
 darting down close to the feet of William and Ready, and 
 seizing up the fish, flew away with them. 
 
 " How very strange," said William, surprised. 
 
 "Yes, sir; but you see how it is — the small fish were 
 chased by the larger ones, which are bonettas, and in their 
 fright ran upon the beach. These bonettas were so anxious 
 to catch them, that they came on shore also, and then the 
 gannets picked them all up, There's a moral in this, 
 Master William, — when people are too eager in their pursuit, 
 they run blindly into danger." 
 
 " But the little fish were not in pursuit ? " 
 
 "No; I referred to the large — with the little fish it was 
 out of the frying-pan into the fire, as the old proverb says : 
 but let us go on to the spring." 
 
 They found the hole which Ready had dug quite full of 
 
 70 
 
AN APPROACHING STORM 
 
 water, and, tasting is, it proved very sweet and good. Over- 
 joyed at this discovery, they covered up the articles they 
 agreed to leave behind them with some boughs under the 
 notched cocoa-nut tree, and, calling the dogs, set off on 
 their journey back again to the cove. 
 
 CHAPTER XVII 
 
 Symptoms of an approaching storm — Hauling tip the boat — 
 Threatening appearances — Beady exposed to the storm — All 
 prepared for the worst. 
 
 VJUIDED by the marks made on the trees, William and 
 Ready made rapid progress in their return, and in less than 
 two hours found themselves almost clear of the wood which 
 had taken them nearly eight hours to force their way through 
 on the day before. 
 
 "I feel the wind now, Ready," observed William, "and 
 we must be nearly through the wood ; but it appears to me 
 to be very dark." 
 
 "I was just thinking the same, sir," replied Ready. "I 
 should not wonder if there is a storm brewing up ; and if so, 
 the sooner we are back again the better, for your mother 
 will be frightened." 
 
 As they proceeded, the rustling and waving of the boughs 
 of the trees, and ever and anon a gust of wind, followed by 
 a moaning and creaking sound, proved that such was the 
 fact; and as they emerged from the grove, they perceived 
 that the sky, as it became visible to them, was of one dark 
 leaden hue, and no longer of the brilliant blue which it 
 usually had presented to their sight. 
 
 " There is indeed a gale coming on, Master William," said 
 Ready, as they cleared the wood ; " let us go on to the huts as 
 fast as possible, for we must see that all is as secure as we 
 can make it." 
 
 The dogs now bounded forward ; and at their appearance 
 at the huts Mr. Seagrave and Juno came out, and seeing 
 Ready and William advancing, made known the welcome 
 tidings to Mrs. Seagrave, who, with the children, had 
 
 71 
 
MASTERMAN ready 
 
 remained within. In a moment more William was pressed 
 in his mother's arms. 
 
 " I am glad that you are come back, Ready," said Mr. 
 Seagrave, shaking him by the hand after he had embraced 
 William, "for I fear that bad weather is coming on." 
 
 " I am sure of it," replied Ready, " and we must expect a 
 blusterous night. It indeed looks threatening. This will be 
 one of the storms which are forerunners of the rainy season. 
 However, sir, we have good news for you, and must only 
 take this as a warning to hasten our departure as soon as 
 possible. We shall have fine weather after this for a month 
 or so, although we must expect a breeze now and then. 
 However, we must work hard, and do our best; and now, 
 if you please, sir, you and Juno, Master William and I, will 
 take the first precaution necessary, which is, to go down and, 
 between us, haul up our little boat as far from the beach 
 as we possibly can, for the waves will be high and run a long 
 way up, and our boat will be our main dependence soon." 
 
 The four went down as soon as Ready had sawed the ends 
 of the spars which had been cut off, into three rollers, to fix 
 under the keel ; with the help afforded by them, the boat was 
 soon hauled up high into the brushwood, where it was con- 
 sidered by Ready to be perfectly safe. 
 
 " I meant to have worked upon her immediately," observed 
 Ready; "but I must wait now till the gale is over; and I 
 did hope to have got on board once more, and look after 
 some things which I have since remembered would have 
 been useful, and to see if that poor cow was alive yet ; but 
 I strongly suspect," continued he, looking at the weather, 
 " that we shall never go on board of that poor vessel again. 
 Hear the moaning of the coming storm, sir; look how the 
 sea-birds wheel above and scream, as if to proclaim her doom ; 
 but we must not wait here, sir, now — the tents must be 
 made more secure, for they will have to hold up against no 
 small force of wind, if I mistake not ; it won't do for madam 
 and the children to be blown into the woods." When they 
 arrived at the tents they found Master Tommy, who had 
 come out to speak to them. 
 
 " Well, Tommy, how are you ? " said William. 
 
 " I am very well, and so is mamma ; we did not want you 
 to come back — I took care of them all." 
 
 72 
 
THREATENING APPEARANCES 
 
 "I don't doubt but you were very useful, Master Tommy/' 
 replied Ready ; u now you must come and help us get some 
 cord and canvas out of the stores, that we may prevent the 
 rain from coming into your mamma's tent ; so take my hand, 
 and come along, and leave William to tell mamma what we 
 have been doing." 
 
 Ready, assisted by Mr. Seagrave, got out some heavy 
 canvas and lines, and commenced putting it as a double cover 
 over the tents, to keep out the rain ; they also secured the 
 tents with guys and stays of rope, so as to prevent them 
 being blown down ; while Juno with a shovel deepened the 
 trench which had been made round the tents, so that the 
 water might run off more easily. They did not leave off 
 work until all was completed, and then they sat down to 
 a late meal. During the time they were at work Ready had 
 made Mr. Seagrave acquainted with what they had discovered 
 and done during the exploring expedition, and the adventure 
 with the pigs made them all laugh heartily. 
 
 As the sun went down, the weather threatened still more ; 
 the wind now blew strong, and the rocky beach was lashed 
 by the waves and white with spray, while the surf roared as 
 it poured in and broke upon the sand in the cove. The 
 whole family had retired to bed except Ready, who said that 
 he would watch the weather a little before he turned in. 
 The old man walked towards the beach, and leaned against 
 the gunnel of the little boat, which they had hauled up in 
 the brushwood, and there he remained with his keen grey 
 eye fixed upon the distance, which was now one opaque 
 mass, except where the white foam of the waters gleamed 
 through the darkness of the night! "Yes!" thought he; 
 "the winds and the waves are summoned to do His bidding, 
 and evenly do they work together — as one rises, so does the 
 other ; when one howls, the other roars in concert — hand in 
 hand they go in their fury and their force. Had they been 
 called up but one week since, where would have been those 
 who have now been, as it were, entrusted to my weak help ? 
 The father, the mother, the children, the infant at the breast, 
 and I, the grey-headed old man, — all buried fathoms deep, 
 awaiting our summons ; but they were restrained by His 
 will, and by His will we were saved. Will those timbers 
 which bore us here so miraculously hold together till 
 
 73 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 morning ? I should think not. What are the iron bolts and 
 fastenings of weak man compared with the force of God's 
 elements ; they will snap as yarns ; and by to-morrow's dawn, 
 the fragments of the stout ship will be washing and tossing 
 on the wild surf. Well, it will be a kindness to us, for the 
 waters will perform the labour which we could not ; they 
 will break up the timbers for our use, and throw on shore 
 from the hold those articles which we could not reach with 
 our little strength. We shall have more cause to be thankful." 
 A sharp flash of lightning struck upon the old man's eyes, 
 and obstructed his vision for the moment. "The storm 
 will soon be at its height," thought he; "I will watch the 
 tents, and see how they stand up against its force." Ready 
 turned away to walk to the tents ; and, as he did so, the rain 
 came pattering down, and the wind howled louder than 
 before. In a minute or two the darkness became so intense 
 that he could hardly find his way back to the tents. He 
 turned round, but could not see, for he was blinded by the 
 heavy rain. As nothing could be done, the old man went 
 Into the tent, and sheltered himself from the storm, al- 
 though he would not lie down, lest his services might 
 be required. Although the others had retired to bed, with 
 the exception of Tommy and the children, they had not 
 taken off their clothes ; Mr. Seagrave had thrown himself 
 down without undressing ; and William, perceiving this, had 
 done the same. Mrs. Seagrave, although she would not 
 show her alarm, had also remained dressed, and Juno had 
 followed her example. 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII 
 
 Furiotis storm— Tents blown down — Morning after the storm 
 — Fine weather prophesied — Beady' s plans for the day. 
 
 JL HE storm now raged furiously, the lightning was accom- 
 panied by loud peals of thunder, and the children awoke and 
 cried with fright, till they were hushed to sleep again. The 
 wind howled as it pressed with all its violence against the 
 tents, while the rain poured off in torrents. One moment 
 
 74 
 
FURIOUS STOfcM 
 
 the canvas of the tents would bulge in, and the cords which 
 held it strain and crack ; at another, an eddy of wind would 
 force out the canvas, which would flap and flap, while the 
 rain found many an entrance. The night was intensely dark, 
 and the fury of the elements was horrible. As we stated in 
 the first part of our narrative, the tent in which Mrs. Sea- 
 grave and the children reposed was on the outside of the 
 others, and therefore the most exposed. It was about mid- 
 night that the wind burst on them with greater violence 
 than before. A loud crash was heard by Ready and Mr. 
 Seagrave, followed by the shrieks of Mrs. Seagrave and Juno ; 
 the pegs of the tents had given way, and the inmates were 
 exposed to the fury of the elements. Ready rushed out, 
 followed by Mr. Seagrave and William. So strong was the 
 wind and beating rain, and such was the darkness, that it 
 was with some difficulty that by their united efforts the 
 women and children could be extricated. Master Tommy 
 was the first taken up by Ready ; his courage had all gone, 
 and he was bellowing most furiously. William took Albert 
 in charge and carried him into the other tent, where Tommy 
 sat in his wet shirt roaring most melodiously. Juno, Mrs. 
 Seagrave, and the little girl were at last carried away and 
 taken into the other tent ; fortunately no one was hurt, 
 although the frightened children could not be pacified, and 
 joined a chorus with Tommy ; but it was of little consequence, 
 for the wind was so loud that they could scarcely hear one 
 another speak. Nothing more could be done except putting 
 the children into the beds, and then the whole party sat up 
 the remainder of the night listening to the noise of the wind, 
 the roaring of the sea, and the loud patters of the rain against 
 the canvas ; and a dreadful and weary and melancholy night 
 did they pass, anxiously waiting for the morning. At dawn 
 of day Ready went out of the tent, and found that the gale 
 had spent its force, and had already much abated ; but it 
 was not one of those bright glorious mornings to which they 
 had been accustomed since their arrival at the island : the 
 sky was still dark, and the clouds were chasing each other 
 wildly ; there was neither sun nor blue sky to be seen : it 
 still rained, but only at intervals, and the earth was soft and 
 spongy ; the little cove, but the day before so beautiful, was 
 now a mass of foaming and tumultuous waves, and the surf 
 
 75 
 
xMASTERMAN READY 
 
 was thrown many yards upon the beach : the horizon was 
 confused — you could not distinguish the line between the 
 water and the sky, and the whole shore of the island 
 was lined with a white foam. Ready turned his eyes to 
 where the ship had been fixed on the rocks : it was no longer 
 there — the whole frame had disappeared ; but the frag- 
 ments of it, and the contents of the holds, were floating 
 about in every direction, or tossing amongst the surf on 
 the beach. 
 
 " I thought as much," said Ready, pointing to where the 
 ship had laid, as he turned round and found that Mr. Seagrave 
 had followed him ; " look, sir, this gale has broken her up 
 entirely. This is a warning to us not to remain here any 
 longer : we must make the most of the fine weather which 
 we may have before the rainy season sets in — and we have 
 no time to spare, sir, I can tell you." 
 
 " I agree with you, Ready," replied Mr. Seagrave, — " and 
 there is another proof of it," pointing to the tent which had 
 been blown down. " It was a good mercy that none of them 
 were hurt." 
 
 u Very true, sir ; but the gale is breaking, and we shall have 
 fine weather to-morrow. Let us now see what we can do 
 with the tent, while Master William and Juno try if they can 
 get any breakfast." 
 
 They set to work. Ready and Mr. Seagrave made it fast 
 with fresh cords and pegs, and very soon had it all ready ; 
 but the beds and bedding were wet through. They hauled 
 over the wet canvas, and then left it to go to their breakfast, 
 to which Juno had summoned them. 
 
 "We need do no more at present, sir," said Ready, "by 
 night time it will not be so wet, and we can handle it easier. 
 I see a break in the sky now which promises fine weather 
 soon — the gale was too fierce to last long. And now, sir," 
 said Ready, " we had better work hard to-day, for we may 
 save a great many things, which may be dashed to pieces on 
 the rocks, if we do not haul them on the beach. We can do 
 without Juno; and I don't think we want Master Tommy, 
 who must stay here and take care of his mamma." 
 
 Tommy was, however, rather sulky after the events of the 
 night ; and he gave no answer. 
 
 76 
 
COLLECTING THE STORES 
 
 CHAPTER XIX 
 
 Collecting the stores—Cow devoured by sharks— Abundance of 
 water— Coral insects— Formation and growth of coral rocks 
 — Wonders of nature. 
 
 1 HEY went down to the beach. Ready first procured from 
 the stores a good stout rope ; and as the waves threw up 
 casks and timbers of the vessel, they stopped them from 
 being washed back again, and either rolled or hauled them 
 up with the rope until they were safe landed. This occupied 
 them for the major part of the day ; and yet they had not 
 collected a quarter of the articles that were in their reach, 
 independent of the quantity which floated about out at sea 
 and at the entrance of the cove. 
 
 "Well, sir," said Ready, "I think we have done a good 
 day's work ; to-morrow we shall be able to do much more, for 
 the sea you see is going down already, and the sun is showing 
 himself from the corner of that cloud. Now we will go to 
 supper, and then see if we can make ourselves more comfort- 
 able for the night." 
 
 The tent which had not been blown down was given to 
 Mrs. Seagrave and the children, and the other was fitted up 
 as well as it could be. The bedding being all wet, they pro- 
 cured some sails from the stores, which, being stowed away 
 farther in the grove, had not suffered much from the tempest ; 
 and, spreading the canvas, they lay down, and the night 
 passed without any disaster, for the wind was now lulled to a 
 pleasant breeze. 
 
 The next morning the sun shone bright — the air was fresh 
 and bracing; but a slight breeze rippled the waters, and 
 there was little or no surf. The various fragments of the 
 wreck were tossed by the little surf that still remained ; many 
 things were lying on the beach which had landed during the 
 night, and many more required but a little trouble to secure 
 them. There appeared to be a sort of indraught into the 
 cove, as all the articles which had been floating out at sea 
 were now gradually coming on shore in that direction. 
 
 77 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 Ready and Mr. Seagrave worked till breakfast-time, and had 
 by that time saved a great many casks and packages. 
 
 After breakfast they went down again to the beach and 
 resumed their labours. "Look, Ready; what is that?" said 
 William, who was with them, as he pointed to a white-looking 
 mass floating in the cove. 
 
 " That, sir, is the poor cow ; and if you look again, you will 
 see the sharks are around, making a feast of her ; don't you 
 see them ? " 
 
 "Yes, I do — what a quantity !" 
 
 " Yes, there's no want of them, Master William ; so be very 
 careful how you get into the water, and never let Master 
 Tommy go near it, for they don't care how shallow it is when 
 they see their food. But now, sir," said Ready, "I must 
 leave you and Master William to do what you can in saving 
 any more of the wreck, while I set to and put the boat in 
 proper repair ; we shall want her directly, and the sooner she 
 is in order the better." 
 
 Ready left them at their employment, and went away for 
 his tools to repair the boat. During this time Mr. Seagrave and 
 William had occupied themselves in collecting the different 
 articles thrown on shore, and rolling up the casks as far as 
 they could. As for the timbers and planks of the vessel, they 
 left them to be landed whenever chance might direct ; they 
 had more than enough for any present use, or, indeed, for 
 any use which it appeared they might have for a long 
 while. 
 
 As it would take some days for Ready to put the boat into 
 proper order, Mr. Seagrave determined that he would go to 
 the other side of the island with William, that he might 
 examine it himself; and, as Mrs. Seagrave had no objection to 
 be left with Ready and Juno, on the third day after the gale 
 they set off. William led the way, guiding his footsteps 
 through the grove by the blazing of the cocoa-nut trees ; and 
 in two hours they reached their destination. 
 
 u Is not this beautiful, father ? " said William. 
 
 "Yes, indeed it is, my dear boy," replied Mr. Sea- 
 grave. "I fancied that nothing could be more beautiful 
 than the spot where we reside on the other side of the 
 island, but this surpasses it, not only in variety, but in 
 extent.'* 
 
 78 
 
CORAL INSECTS 
 
 " And now let us examine the spring, father," said William, 
 leading the way to the ravine. 
 
 The spring was full and flowing, and the water ex- 
 cellent. They then directed their steps towards the sandy 
 beach, and, having walked some time, sat down upon a 
 coral rock. 
 
 w Who would have ever imagined, William," said Mr. Sea- 
 grave, " that this island, and so many more which abound in 
 the Pacific Ocean, could have been raised by the work of little 
 insects not bigger than a pin's head." 
 
 " Insects, father ! " replied W'illiam. 
 
 " Yes, insects. Give me that piece of dead coral, William. 
 Do you see that on every branch there are a hundred little 
 holes ? Well, in every one of these little holes once lived a 
 sea-insect ; and as these insects increase, so do the branches 
 of the coral trees." 
 
 (i Yes, I understand that ; but how do you make out that 
 this island was made by them ? that's what I want to 
 know." 
 
 w Nevertheless it is true, William, that almost all the islands 
 in these seas have been made by the labour and increase of 
 these small animals. The coral grows at first at the bottom 
 of the sea, where it is not disturbed by the winds or waves : 
 by degrees, as it increases, it advances higher and higher to 
 the surface, till at last it comes near to the top of the water ; 
 then it is like those reefs which you see out there, William, 
 and it is stopped very much in its growth by the force of 
 the winds and waves, which break it off, and of course 
 it never grows above the water, for if it did the animals 
 would die." 
 
 " Then how does it become an island ? " 
 
 " By very slow degrees ; the time, perhaps, much depend- 
 ing upon chance : for instance, a log of wood floating about, 
 and covered with barnacles, may ground upon the coral reefs ; 
 that would be a sufficient commencement, for it would remain 
 above water, and then shelter the coral to leeward of it, until 
 a flat rock had formed, level with the edge of the water. 
 The sea birds are always looking for a place to rest upon, and 
 they would soon find it, and then their droppings would, in 
 course of time, form a little patch above water, and other 
 floating substances would be thrown on it ; and land birds, 
 
 79 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 who are blown out to sea, might rest themselves on it, and 
 the seeds from their stomachs, when dropped, would grow 
 into trees or bushes." 
 
 " I understand that." 
 
 "Well then, William, you observe there is an island com- 
 menced, as it were, and, once commenced, it soon increases, 
 for the coral would then be protected to leeward, and grow 
 up fast. Do you observe how the coral reefs extend at this 
 side of the island, where they are protected from the winds 
 and waves ; and how different it is on the weather side, which 
 we have just left ? Just so the little patch above water pro- 
 tects the corals to leeward, and there the island increases 
 fast ; for the birds not only settle on it, but they make their 
 nests and rear their young, and so every year the soil in- 
 creases ; and then, perhaps, one cocoa-nut in its great out- 
 side shell (which appears as if it was made on purpose to be 
 washed on shore in this way, for it is water-tight and hard, 
 and at the same time very light, so that it floats and will 
 remain for months in the water without being injured) at 
 last is thrown on these little patches — it takes root, and be- 
 comes a tree, every year shedding its large branches, which 
 are turned into mould as soon as they decay, and then 
 dropping its nuts, which again take root and grow in this 
 mould ; and thus they continue, season after season, and 
 year after year, until the island becomes as large and as 
 thickly covered with trees as the one we are now standing 
 upon. Is not this wonderful, my dear boy ? Is not he a great 
 and good God who can make such minute animals as these 
 work His pleasure, and at the time He thinks fit produce such 
 a beautiful island as this ? " 
 
 " Indeed, indeed He is," exclaimed William. 
 
 " We only need use our eyes, William, and we shall love as 
 well as adore. Look at that shell — is it not beautifully 
 marked ? — could the best painter in the world equal its 
 colouring ? " 
 
 "No, indeed, — I should think not." 
 
 " And yet there are thousands of them in sight, and per- 
 haps millions more in the water. They have not been 
 coloured in this way to be admired, like the works of man ; 
 for this island has been till now probably without any 
 one upon it, and no one has ever seen them. It makes 
 
 80 
 
PREPARATIONS FOR REMOVING 
 
 no difference to Him, who has but to wish, and all Is 
 complete." 
 
 For a few minutes after this conversation, Mr. Seagrave 
 and William were both silent. Mr. Seagrave then rose from 
 where he was sitting : " Come, William, let us now find our 
 way back again ; we have three hours' daylight left, and shall 
 be home in good time." 
 
 "Yes, in time for supper, father," replied William, "and 1 
 feel that I shall do justice to it ; so the sooner we are off the 
 better." 
 
 CHAPTER XX 
 
 Preparations for removing — A trip in the boat — Visit to the 
 
 tyring — ilirs. Seagrave 1 s anticipations. 
 
 JJjVERYTHING was now prepared for their removal to the 
 leeward side of the island. Ready had nearly completed the 
 boat ; he had given it a thorough repair, and fitted a mast 
 and sail. William and Mr. Seagrave continued to collect and 
 secure the various articles thrown on shore, particularly such 
 as would be injured by their exposure to the weather : these 
 they rolled or carried into the cocoa-nut grove, so as to be 
 sheltered from the sun ; but there were so many things 
 thrown on shore day after day, that they hardly knew what 
 they had : but they secured case and cask one after another, 
 waiting for a better opportunity to examine their contents. 
 At last they collected a great many articles together, and, 
 with their shovels, covered them over with sand, it being- 
 impossible to get them from the beach without more time 
 than they could spare. 
 
 Neither was Mrs. Seagrave, who was now getting quite 
 strong, or Juno, idle. They had made up everything that 
 they could in packages, ready for moving to the other side of 
 the island. On the eighth day after the gale they were 
 ready, and a consultation was held. It was arranged that 
 Ready should put into the boat the bedding and canvas of 
 one tent, and should take William with him on his expedition. 
 Having transported this safe, he should return for a load of 
 the most necessary articles, and then the family should walk 
 
 £1 F 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 through the grove to the other side of the island, and remain 
 there with Mr. Seagrave while Ready and William returned 
 for the other tent ; and after that, the boat should make as 
 many trips as the weather would permit, till they had brought 
 all the things absolutely required. It was a lovely calm 
 morning when Ready and William pushed off in the boat, 
 which was well loaded ; and as soon as they were clear of the 
 cove they hoisted the sail, and went away before the wind 
 along the coast. In two hours they had run to the eastern 
 end of the island, and hauled up close in shore : the point 
 which ran out, and at the end of which there was an inlet, 
 was not a mile from them, and in a very short time they 
 had lowered the sail, and were pulling in for the sandy 
 beach. 
 
 "You see, Master William, it is fortunate for us that we 
 shall always have a fair wind when we come down loaded, 
 and only have to pull our empty boat back again." 
 
 " Indeed it is. How many miles do you think it is from 
 the cove to this part of the island ? " 
 
 " About six or seven, not more : the island, you see, is long 
 and narrow. Now let us get the things out and carry them 
 up, and then we will be back to the cove long before dark. 
 I shall be glad to be back, for your mamma was not very easy 
 in her mind at your going to sea again, Master William — I 
 saw that." 
 
 The boat was soon unloaded, but they had some way to 
 carry up the things. " We shall not mind such a gale as we 
 had the other day when our tents are pitched here, William," 
 said Ready, " for we shall be protected by the whole width 
 of the cocoa-nut grove. We shall hardly feel the wind, 
 although we shall the rain, for that will come down in 
 torrents." 
 
 H I must go and see how our spring gets on," said William, 
 " and get a drink from it." 
 
 " Do so ; and then you can follow me down to the boat." 
 
 Willy reported the spring to be up to the brim with water, 
 and that he had never drunk any water so excellent in his 
 life. They then pushed off the boat, and, after rowing for 
 about two hours or more, found themselves at the entrance 
 of the cove, and Mrs. Seagrave, with Tommy by her side, 
 waving her handkerchief to them. 
 
 82 
 
MRS. SEAGRAVE'S ANTICIPATIONS 
 
 They very soon pulled into the beach, and, landing, 
 received the congratulations of the whole party at their 
 first successful voyage, and all expressed their delight 
 at its having proved so much shorter than had been 
 anticipated. 
 
 " Tommy will go next time," said Master Tommy. 
 
 " By-and-by, when Tommy grows a little taller," replied 
 Ready. 
 
 "Massa Tommy, you come help me to milk the goats," 
 said Juno. 
 
 "Yes, Tommy milk the goats," said the little urchin, run- 
 ning after Juno. 
 
 u You must be almost tired of eating nothing but salt meat 
 and biscuit, ma'am," said Ready, as they sat down to their 
 meal ; u but when we are all safe on the other side of the 
 island we hope to feed you better. At present it is hard 
 work and hard fare." 
 
 " As long as the children are well, I care very little about 
 it ; but I must say that, after the last gale, I am as anxious 
 as you to be on the other side of the island, especially after 
 the account William has given me of it. It must be a 
 paradise ! When do we set off? " 
 
 "Not till the day after to-morrow, ma'am, I should 
 think ; for you see I must have another trip for the cooking- 
 utensils and the bundles which you have made up. If you 
 will spare Juno to walk through the wood with Master 
 William to-morrow, we will then have the tent ready for 
 you and the children. Mr. Seagrave will remain with you, 
 ma'am." 
 
 " Certainly, Ready : and had they not better lead over the 
 sheep and goats ? It will be doing something." 
 
 " I thank you for thinking of it, ma'am ; it will be so much 
 time saved." 
 
 S3 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 CHAPTER XXI 
 
 Ready lands the cargo on the beach — Arrival of William and 
 Juno — Proposal to build a house, and make a garden and 
 pond — Ready's age and habits — Arrangements for cooking- 
 Ready finds a turtle, 
 
 vJLD Ready had his boat loaded and had made sail for the 
 other side of the island long before the family were up ; indeed 
 before they were dressed he had landed his whole cargo on 
 the beach, and was sitting down quietly taking his breakfast. 
 As soon as he had eaten the beef and biscuit which he had 
 taken with him, he carried up the things which he had 
 brought, and commenced arrangements for setting up the 
 tent, intending to await the arrival of William and Juno that 
 they might assist him in getting up the spars and canvas 
 over it. 
 
 About ten o'clock William made his appearance, leading 
 one of the goats by a string, followed by the others. Juno 
 came after with the sheep, also holding one with a cord ; the 
 rest had very quietly joined the procession. " Here we are 
 at last ! " said William, laughing ; " we have had terrible 
 work in the woods, for Nanny would run on one side of a 
 tree when I went on the other, and then I had to let go the 
 string. We fell in with the pigs again, and Juno gave such 
 a squall ! " 
 
 "I tink 'em wild beast," said Juno. "Ah! what a nice 
 place ! Missis will like to live here." 
 
 " Yes, it is a very nice place, Juno ; and you'll be able to 
 wash here, and never mind about saving the water." 
 
 "I am thinking," said William, "how we are to get the 
 fowls over here ; they are not very wild, but still we cannot 
 catch them." 
 
 " I'll bring them with me to-morrow, Master William." 
 
 u But how will you catch them ? " 
 
 " Wait till they are gone to roost, and then you may catch 
 them when you please." 
 
 "And I suppose the pigeons and the pigs must run 
 wU4?" 
 
 84 
 
READY'S PROPOSALS 
 
 "The best thing we can do with them, sir; the pigs will 
 always feed themselves among the cocoa-nut trees, and will 
 breed very fast," 
 
 " Then we shall have to shoot them, I suppose ? " 
 
 "Well, Master William, so we shall ; and the pigeons also, 
 when they have become plentiful, if we remain here so long ; 
 so we shall have some game on the island. We shall soon 
 be well stocked and live in plenty. Every year, if it please 
 God, we shall be richer ; but now you must help me to get 
 the tent up and everything in order, so that your mamma 
 may find everything comfortable on her arrival, for she will 
 be very tired, I dare say, walking through the wood. It is a 
 long way for her." 
 
 " Mamma is much better than she was," replied William. 
 " I think she will soon be quite strong again, especially when 
 she conies to live at this beautiful place." 
 
 " We have a great deal of work to do, more than we can 
 get through before the rainy season, which is a pity, but it 
 can't be helped ; by this time next year we shall be more 
 comfortable." 
 
 " Why, what have Ave to do besides putting up the tents 
 and shifting over here ? " 
 
 " In the first place we have to build a house, and that will 
 take a long while ; we must contrive how we can till it's 
 finished. Then we ought to make a little garden, and sow 
 the seeds which your father brought from England with 
 him." 
 
 " Oh ! that will be a nice thing ; where shall we make it, 
 Ready ? " 
 
 " I have looked out for that : we must put a fence across 
 that point of land, and dig up all the brushwood ; the mould 
 is very good." 
 
 " Then what next ? " 
 
 "Then we shall want a storehouse for all the things 
 we have got, and all that are in the wood and on the 
 beach : we must leave them there till we have time to 
 examine them, and then 'consider what a many trips we 
 shall have to make with the little boat to bring them all 
 round." 
 
 "Yes, that is very true, Ready. Have we anything more 
 to do ? " 
 
 85 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 "Plenty; we have to build a turtle-pond and a fish-pond, 
 and a bathing-place for Juno to wash the children in." 
 
 " Yes, and myself too/' said Juno. 
 
 " Well, I dare say a little washing won't hurt you, Juno, 
 although you are a clean girl. But first, Master William, we 
 must make a proper well at the spring, so as to have plenty 
 of fresh water : now there's enough for a year's hard work 
 at least, and as we go on we shall find more wants, I have 
 no doubt." 
 
 " Well, let us once get mamma and the children here, and 
 we will work hard." 
 
 "I should wish very much to see it all done, Master 
 William," said Ready. " I hope my life will be spared till it 
 is done, at all events. I should like to leave you all comfort- 
 able, and able to get on without me." 
 
 " But why do you say that, Ready ? you are an old man, 
 but you are strong and healthy." 
 
 " I am so now ; but, Master William, what does the Book 
 say ? — ' In the midst of life we are in death.' You are 
 young and healthy, and promise a long life ; but who knows 
 but that you may be summoned away to-morrow, and your 
 father and mother weeping over your body? Can I, 
 then, an old man, worn out with hardships, expect to live 
 long ? No — no, Master William ; it is folly in the young, 
 but in an old man it is madness and wickedness. Still I 
 should like to remain here as long as I can be useful, 
 and then I trust I may depart in peace. I never wish 
 to leave this island, Master William ; and I have a kind 
 of feeling that my bones will remain on it. God's will be 
 done ! " 
 
 For some time after Ready had finished, neither of them 
 said a word, but continued their employment, stretching out 
 the canvas of the tent, and fastening it down to the ground 
 with pegs. At last William broke the silence. 
 
 " Ready, did you not say your Christian name was 
 Masterman ? " 
 
 "So it is, Master William." 
 
 " It is a very odd Christian name ! You were called after 
 some other person ? " 
 
 " Yes, I was, Master William ; he was a very rich man." 
 
 " Do you know, Ready, I should like very much if vou will 
 
 86 
 
ARRANGEMENTS FOR COOKING 
 
 one day tell me your history — I mean your whole life, from 
 the time you were a boy." 
 
 " Well, perhaps I may, Master William ; for there an 
 many parts of my life which would prove a lesson to others : 
 but that must be after we have got through our work — not 
 yet awhile." 
 
 u How old are you, Ready ? " 
 
 u I am turned of sixty-four, Master William ; that is a very 
 old age for a seaman. I could not have obtained employ- 
 ment on board of a vessel if it were not that I am well 
 known to several captains." 
 
 " But why do you say f old for a seaman ' ? " 
 
 " Because sailors live faster than other people, partly from 
 the hardships which they undergo, and partly from their own 
 fault in drinking so much spirits ; and then they are too 
 often reckless and care nothing for their healths, and so their 
 constitutions are broken up and destroyed sooner than those 
 of people on shore." 
 
 " But you never drink spirits now ? " 
 
 " No, never, Master William, but in my early days I was as 
 foolish as others. Now, Juno, we are all ready for you, and 
 you may bring in the bedding. We have two or three hours 
 yet, Master William ; what shall we do next ? " 
 
 " Had we not better make the fireplace all ready for 
 cooking ? Juno and I can bring the stones." 
 
 "You are a thoughtful boy — it was what I was going to 
 propose, if you had not. I shall be here to-morrow long 
 before any of you, and I will take care that'you have supper 
 ready upon your arrival." 
 
 "I brought a bottle of water in my knapsack," replied 
 William, " not so much for the water, as because I want to 
 milk the goats and take back the milk for baby." 
 
 "Then you proved yourself not only thoughtful but kind, 
 Master William : now while you and Juno fetch the stones, 
 I will stow away under the trees all the things which I have 
 brought down in the boat." 
 
 " Shall we let the goats and sheep loose, Ready ? " 
 
 " Oh yes — there is no fear of their straying ; the her- 
 bage here is better than on the other side, and there is 
 plenty of it. They will remain here, you may depend 
 upon it." 
 
 87 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 "Well, I will let Nanny go as soon as Juno lias milked 
 her ; but that will be the last thing to do before we go 
 back. Now, Juno, let us see how many stones we can carry 
 at once." 
 
 In an hour the fireplace was made, Ready had done alJ 
 that he could, the goats were milked and let loose, and then 
 William and Juno set off through the wood on their journey 
 back. 
 
 Ready went down to the beach. On his arrival there 
 he observed a small turtle : creeping up softly he got 
 between it and the water, and succeeded in turning it 
 over. "That will do for to-morrow," said he, as he stepped 
 into the boat ; and laying hold of the oars, he pulled out 
 of the bay to return to the cove. 
 
 CHAPTER XXII 
 
 The tents taken down — Depart for the new residence — Arrival 
 of Mrs. Seagrave — Ready' s congratulations and plans for 
 the future — Dine off turtle sou^) —Gratitude to God. 
 
 JLvEADY arrived at the cove, and, having hauled up the 
 boat, proceeded to the tents, where he found the whole party 
 anxiously listening to William, who was detailing what had 
 been done. The arrangements for the next day were made 
 as soon as Ready joined them. They then separated for the 
 night, but Ready and William remained until it was dark, to 
 catch the fowls and tie their legs, ready for their being put 
 in the boat the next morning. At daylight they all were 
 summoned to dress themselves as soon as possible, as Ready 
 wanted to take down the tent in which Mrs. Seagrave and 
 the children had slept ; for, with the exception of Tommy, 
 who had been admitted into the women's tent, as they 
 termed it, the others had slept upon some canvas, which they 
 had spread out under the cocoa-nut trees. All was bustle 
 and confusion ; and as soon as Mrs. Seagrave was dressed, 
 the tent was taken down, and, with all the bedding, put into 
 the boat. As soon as they had breakfasted, the plates, 
 knives and forks, and some other necessaries, were also put 
 
 88 
 
DEPART FOR THE NEW RESIDENCE 
 
 in; Ready laid the fowls on the top of all, and set off by 
 himself for their new location. 
 
 After he was gone, the rest of the party prepared for their 
 journey through the cocoa nut grove. William led the way, 
 with the three dogs close to his heels, Mr. Seagrave with the 
 baby in his arms, Juno with little Caroline, and Mrs. Seagrave 
 with Master Tommy holding her hand, and, as he said, taking 
 care of his mamma. They bade adieu with regret to the spot 
 which had first received them after their dangers ; looked 
 round once more at the cove, and the fragments of the wreck 
 and cargo, strewed about in every direction ; and then turned 
 into the wood. Ready arrived at the point, and was again 
 on shore in less than two hours after he had set off. As soon 
 as the boat was safe in, he did not wait to land his cargo, but 
 going up to the turtle which he had turned the day before, 
 he killed it, and cleaned it on the beach. He then went 
 to where they had built up the fireplace with stones, 
 made a fire, filled the iron saucepan full of water, and 
 set it on to boil; he then cut up a portion of the turtle, 
 and put it into the pot, with some slices of salt pork, 
 covered it up and left it to boil; and having hung up the 
 rest of the turtle in the shade, he went back to the beach 
 to unload the boat. He released the poor fowls, who were 
 very stiff from being so long tied by the legs, but by 
 degrees they recovered themselves, and were very busy 
 seeking for food. 
 
 Ready took up all the plates, and knives and forks, and 
 small articles, examined the saucepan, made up the fire 
 again, and then returned for the bedding and canvas of the 
 tents, with the spars which he had towed astem. It was 
 two or three hours before he had carried everything up, for 
 it was a good distance, and some of the articles were heavy, 
 and the old man was not sorry when he had finished his task, 
 and could sit down to rest himself. 
 
 " It's almost time that they should have arrived," thought 
 Ready ; " they must have started nearly four hours ago ; 
 maybe not so soon — it's no easy matter to get a convoy of 
 women and children under weigh." Ready remained a 
 quarter of an hour more watching the fire, and occasionally 
 skimming the top of the pot, when the three dogs came 
 bounding towards him. 
 
 89 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 " Well they are not far off now/' observed old Ready. 
 
 This was true : in six or seven minutes afterwards the 
 party made their appearance, very hot and very fatigued. It 
 appeared that poor little Caroline had been tired out, and 
 Juno had to carry her ; then Mrs. Seagrave complained of 
 fatigue, and they had to rest a quarter of an hour; then 
 Master Tommy, who refused to remain with his mamma, and 
 had been running backwards and forwards from one to the 
 other, had declared that he was tired, and that some one 
 must carry him, but there was no one to carry him, so he 
 began to cry and roar until they stopped for another quarter 
 of an hour till he was rested ; but as soon as they went on 
 again he again complained of being tired, and William had 
 very good-naturedly carried him pickaback for some time, 
 and in so doing he had missed the blaze cut on the trees, 
 and it was a long while before he could find it again ; then 
 baby became hungry, and he cried, and little Caroline was 
 frightened at being so long in the wood, and she cried ; and 
 Tommy, because William could carry him no longer, cried 
 louder than all the rest ; so they stopped again, and all had 
 a drink out of the bottle of water which William had brought 
 with them, after which they got on better, and arrived at 
 last so very warm and exhausted, that Mrs. Seagrave went 
 into the tent with the children to repose a little, before she 
 could even look at the place which was to be their future 
 residence. 
 
 " I think," said Mr. Seagrave, who had given the baby to 
 Juno, " that this little journey of to-day has been a pretty 
 good proof of how helpless we should have been without 
 you, Ready." 
 
 w I am glad that you are here, sir," replied Ready, " it is a 
 weight off my mind ; now you will get on better. I think 
 that after a while you may live very comfortably here ; but 
 still we have much to do. As soon as madam has rested, we 
 will have our dinner and then fix up our own tent, which 
 will be quite enough after such a hard day's work. To- 
 morrow we will begin in good earnest." 
 
 " Do you go back to the cove to-morrow, Ready ? " 
 
 " Yes, sir, we want our stores here ; I must bring some 
 beef and pork, flour and peas, besides many other things 
 which we cannot do without : it will take about three trips 
 
 90 
 
DINE OFF TURTLE SOUP 
 
 to empty our storehouses ; and as to the other things, we 
 can examine them and bring them down at our leisure — they 
 will remain there a long time without taking any harm. As 
 soon as I have made those three trips in the boat, we can 
 then work here altogether." 
 
 "But I can do something in the meantime." 
 
 " Oh yes, there is plenty for you to do." 
 
 " Shall you take William with you ? " 
 
 " No, sir ; he will be more useful here, and I can do 
 without him." 
 
 Mr. Seagrave went into the tent and found his wife much 
 refreshed ; but the children had all fallen fast asleep on the 
 beds. They waited another half-hour, and then woke Tommy 
 and Caroline, that they might all sit down to dinner. 
 
 " Dear me," exclaimed William, as Ready took the cover 
 off the saucepan, "what is it that you have so good 
 there ? " 
 
 " It's a treat I have prepared for you all," replied Ready. 
 " I know that you are tired of salt meat, so now you are going 
 to feed like aldermen." 
 
 "Why, what is it, Ready ? " said Mrs. Seagrave ; "it smells 
 very good." 
 
 " It is turtle soup, ma'am ; and I hope you will like it ; for, 
 if you do, you may often have it, now that you are on this 
 side of the island." 
 
 "Indeed, it really is excellent; but it w r ants a little salt. 
 Have you any salt, Juno ?" 
 
 " Got a little, ma'am. Very little left," replied Juno. 
 
 " What shall we do when all our salt is gone ? " said Mrs. 
 Seagrave. 
 
 " Juno must get some more," replied Ready. 
 
 " How I get salt ? — hab none left," replied Juno, looking 
 at Ready. 
 
 "There's plenty out there, Juno," said Mr. Seagrave, 
 pointing to the sea. 
 
 " I don't know where," said Juno, looking in that 
 direction. 
 
 " What do you mean, my dear ? " inquired Mrs. Sea- 
 grave. 
 
 " I only mean if we want salt we can have as much as we 
 please by boiling down salt water in the kettle, or else 
 
 91 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 making a salt pan in the rocks, and obtaining it by the sun 
 drying up the water and leaving the salt; Ready knows that 
 as well as I do. Salt is always procured in that way, either 
 by evaporation, or boiling, which is the same thing, only done 
 quicker." 
 
 " I'll soon arrange that for you, ma'am," said Ready, " and 
 show Juno hoAv to get it when she wants it." 
 
 " I am very glad to hear you say so, for I should feel the 
 want of salt very much," replied Mrs. Seagrave. " I really 
 never enjoyed a dinner so much as I have to-day." 
 
 The soup was pronounced excellent by everybody. Tommy 
 asked to be helped so often that his mother would not give 
 him any more. As soon as they had finished, Mrs. Seagrave 
 remained with the children ; and Ready and Mr. Seagrave, 
 assisted by Juno and William, got the second tent up, and 
 everything ready for the night. By the time they had 
 finished it was nearly dark. They all assembled, and re- 
 turned thanks to God for their having gained their new 
 abode ; and, tired out with the fatigue of the day, were soon 
 fast asleep. 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII 
 
 Readifs mode of sinking a well — Mr. and Mrs. Seagrave rejoice 
 in their new abode — Ready uses the gimlet and sinks the cask. 
 
 JVJ.R. SEAGRAVE was the first up on the ensuing morning ; 
 and when Ready came out of the tent, he said to him, " Do 
 you know, Ready, I feel myself much happier, and my mind 
 much more at ease, since I find myself here than I did before. 
 On the other side of the island everything reminded me that 
 we had been shipwrecked, and I could not help thinking 
 of home and my own country ; but here we appear as if 
 we had been long settled, and as if we had come here by 
 choice." 
 
 " I trust that feeling will be stronger every day, sir ; for 
 it's no use, and indeed sinful, to repine ; we have much to 
 be thankful for." 
 
 " I acknowledge it, my good man, and with all humility. 
 
 92 
 
MAKING THE WELL 
 
 What is the first thing which you wish we should set 
 about ? " 
 
 " I think, sir, the first object is to have a good supply of 
 fresh water ; and I therefore wish you and Master William — 
 (here he is. Good morning, Master William) — I was saying 
 that I thought it better that Mr. Seagrave and you should 
 clear out the spring while I am away in the boat. I brought 
 another shovel with me yesterday, and you both can work ; 
 perhaps we had better go there, as Juno, I see, is getting the 
 breakfast ready. You observe, Mr. Seagrave, we must follow 
 up the spring till we get among the cocoa-nut trees, where 
 it will be shaded from the sun ; that is easily done by digging 
 towards them, and watching how the water flows. Then, if 
 you will dig out a hole large enough to sink down in the 
 earth one of the water casks which lie on the beach, I will 
 bring it down with me this afternoon ; and then, when it is 
 fixed in the earth in that way we shall always have the cask 
 full of water for use, and the spring filling it as fast as we 
 can empty it." 
 
 " I understand you perfectly," replied Mr. Seagrave ; " that 
 shall be our task to-day while you are absent." 
 
 " Well, then, I have nothing more to do than to speak 
 to Juno about dinner," replied Ready; "and then I'll just 
 take a mouthful, and be off; — this fine weather must not 
 be lost." 
 
 Ready directed Juno to fry some pork in the frying-pan, 
 and then to cut off some slices from the turtle, and cook 
 turtle steaks for dinner, as well as to warm up the soup which 
 was left ; and then, with a biscuit and a piece of beef in his 
 hand, he went down to the boat and set off for the cove. 
 Mr. Seagrave and William worked hard ; and, by twelve 
 o'clock, the hole was quite large and deep enough, according 
 to the directions Ready had given. They then left their 
 work, and went to the tent, where they found Mrs. Seagrave 
 mending the children's clothes. 
 
 u You don't know how much happier I am now that I am 
 here," said Mrs. Seagrave, taking her husband's hand, as he 
 seated himself by her. 
 
 " I trust it is a presentiment of future happiness, my dear," 
 said Mr. Seagrave. {< I assure you that I feel the same, and 
 was saying so to Ready this morning." 
 
 93 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 " I feel that I could live here for ever, it is so calm and 
 beautiful ; but do you know I miss one thing — there are no 
 birds singing here as in our own country." 
 
 " I have seen no birds except sea-birds, and of them there 
 is plenty. Have you, William ? " 
 
 " Only once, father. I saw a flight a long way off. Ready 
 was not with me, and I could not tell what they were ; but 
 they were large birds, as big as pigeons, I should think. 
 There is Ready coming round the point," continued William. 
 " How fast that little boat sails ! It is a long pull, though, 
 for the old man when he goes to the cove. Juno, is dinner 
 ready ? " 
 
 " Yes, Massa William, very soon now." 
 
 " Let us go down and help Ready carry up some of the 
 things before dinner," said Mr. Seagrave. 
 
 They did so ; and William rolled up the empty water-cask 
 which Ready had brought with him. 
 
 The turtle-steaks were as much approved of as the turtle- 
 soup ; indeed, after having been so long on salt meat, a 
 return to fresh provisions was delightful. 
 
 "And now to finish our well," said William, as soon as 
 dinner was over. 
 
 " How hard you do work, William," said his mother. 
 
 " So I ought, mother. I must learn to do everything now." 
 
 " And that you will very soon," said Ready. 
 
 They rolled the cask to the spring, and, to their astonish- 
 ment, found the great hole which they had dug not two 
 hours before quite full of water. 
 
 " Oh dear," said William, " we shall have to throw all the 
 water out to get the cask down." 
 
 "Think a little, William," said Mr. Seagrave, "for the 
 spring runs so fast that it will not be an easy task. Cannot 
 we do something else ? " 
 
 "Why, father, the cask will float, you know," replied 
 William. 
 
 " To be sure it will as it is ; but is there no way of making 
 it sink ? " 
 
 " Oh yes. I know — we must bore some holes in the bottom, 
 and then it will fill and sink down of itself." 
 
 " Exactly, sir," replied Ready. " I expected that we should 
 ha.ve to do that, and have the big gimlet with me " 
 
 94 
 
PLAN OF OPERATIONS 
 
 Ready bored three or four holes in the bottom of the cask, 
 and as it floated the water ran into it, and by degrees it 
 gradually sunk down. As soon as the top of the cask was 
 level with the surface they filled in all round with the spade 
 and shovel, and the well was completed. 
 
 te To-morrow, when the water is settled, it will be as pure 
 and clear as crystal, and remain so, if not disturbed," ob- 
 served Ready ; " so we have done one good job to-day. Now, 
 let us bring up all the other things out of the boat." 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV 
 
 Plan of operations — Trees to be cut down — Spot for a garden 
 and a turtle-pond — Juno and William at work. 
 
 JL HE next morning, as soon as breakfast was over, Mr. 
 Seagrave observed — 
 
 " Now that we have so many things to do, I think, Ready, 
 we ought to lay down a plan of operations; method is 
 everything when work is to be done : now tell me what you 
 propose shall be our several occupations for the next week, 
 for to-morrow is Sunday, and although we have not yet been 
 able, since we have been cast on shore, to honour the day as 
 we should, I think that now we must and ought to keep 
 it holy." 
 
 " Yes, sir," replied Ready ; u and I would have proposed it 
 if you had not. To-morrow we will rest from our labour, 
 and ask God's blessing upon our endeavours during the six 
 days of the week ; and now, as to your proposition, Mr. 
 Seagrave, — shall we begin first with the lady ? " 
 
 " You must not consider that you have ladies with you 
 now, Ready," said Mrs. Seagrave, "at least, not fine ladies. 
 My health and strength are recovering fast, and I mean to 
 be very useful. I propose to assist Juno in all the domestic 
 duties, such as the cookery and washing, to look after ami 
 teach the children, mend all the clothes, and make all that 
 is required, to the best of my ability : if 1 can do more I will, 
 and, at all events, you shall often have Juno's services during 
 the best part, if not the whole of the day." 
 
 95 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 " I think we may be satisfied with that, Mr. Seagrave," 
 replied Ready. "Now, sir, the two most pressing points, 
 with the exception of building the house, are to dig up a 
 piece of ground, and plant our potatoes and seeds ; and to 
 make a turtle-pond, so as to catch the turtle and put them in 
 before the season is over." 
 
 " You are right/' replied Mr. Seagrave ; " but which ought 
 to be done first ? " 
 
 "I should say the turtle pond, as it will be only a few 
 days' work for you, Juno, and Master William. I shall not 
 want your assistance for this next week. I shall fix upon 
 some spot, not far from here, where the trees are thickest in 
 the grove, and cut them down so as to clear out a space in 
 which we will, by-and-by, build our store-rooms ; and, as soon 
 as the rainy season has gone by, we can remove all our stores 
 from the other side of the island. It will occupy me the 
 whole of the week, cutting down the trees and sawing them 
 into proper lengths, ready for building the house, and then 
 we must all join our strength and get it up without delay. We 
 must make our windows and, perhaps, our fireplace after- 
 wards ; but, at all events, we will be under cover and have 
 dry beds." 
 
 " Can you really manage to get it up in time ? How soon 
 do you expect the rains will come on ? " 
 
 " In three or four weeks : the season is not always exact, 
 but certainly not much later. After next week, I shall 
 probably have the assistance of two of you, if not of all. 
 Now I think of it, I must return to the cove." 
 
 "What for?" 
 
 "Don't you recollect, sir, your two- wheeled carriage, packed 
 up in matting, which was thrown on shore in the gale ? You 
 laughed when you saw it, and said it would be of little use 
 now; but, Mr. Seagrave, the wheels and axle will be very 
 useful, as we can make a wide path to the place when I cut 
 down the trees, and wheel out the logs much more easily than 
 we can drag or carry them." 
 
 " That is an excellent idea of yours, Ready. It will, indeed, 
 save a great deal of labour." 
 
 " I expect that it will, sir. Master William and I will go 
 away early on Monday morning, and be back before break- 
 Cast. To-day we will fix upon the spots where our garden if 
 
 £6 
 
JUNO AND WILLIAM AT WORK 
 
 to be, our turtle-pond to be made, and the trees to be cut 
 down. That shall be our business, Mr. Seagrave ; and W T illiam 
 and Juno may put things a little more to rights here, until 
 we can employ them." 
 
 Mr. Seagrave and Ready then walked down to the beach, 
 and, after surveying the reefs for some time, Ready said, 
 u You see, Mr Seagrave, we do not want too much water for 
 a turtle-pond, as if it is too deep there is a difficulty in catch- 
 ing them when we want them : what we want is a space of 
 water surrounded by a low wall of stones, so that the animals 
 cannot escape, for they cannot climb up, although they can 
 walk on the shelving sand with their flippers. Now, sir, the 
 reef here is high out of the water, and the space within the 
 reef and the beach is deep enough, and the rocks on the 
 beach nearly fill up that side and prevent them crawling 
 away by the shore. We have, therefore, little more to do 
 than to fill up the other two sides, and then our pond will 
 be complete." 
 
 " I see it will not be a very long job either, if we can find 
 loose rocks enough," replied Mr. Seagrave. 
 
 " Almost all those which are on the beach are loose," re- 
 plied Ready, " and there are plenty close to us : some of 
 them will be too heavy to carry ; but they can be brought 
 here with the aid of handspikes and crowbars — we have 
 three or four with us. Now, sir, suppose we make a signal 
 for Master William and Juno, and set them to work. They 
 may do something before dinner." 
 
 Mr. Seagrave called and waved his hat, and Juno and 
 W T illiam came down to them. Juno was ordered to go back 
 for two handspikes, while Ready explained to William what 
 was to be done. Having stayed with them and assisted them 
 for some time after Juno had returned with the implements, 
 Mr. Seagrave and Ready proceeded to the point, to fix upon 
 a spot for a garden, leaving WiUiam and Juno to continue 
 their labour. 
 
 97 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 CHAPTER XXV 
 
 Heady 1 s plans as to the future garden — Tommy very naughty — 
 He makes himself ill by eating castor-oil beans. 
 
 JMr. SEAGRAVEand Ready then continued their way along 
 the beach, until they arrived at the point which the latter had 
 considered as a convenient place to make the garden. They 
 found a sufficiency of mould, although not very deep ; and 
 as the point was narrow at its joining on to the main land, 
 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 
 must clear away this brushwood, which will not be difficult 
 where the soil is so light, and sow a portion of our seeds, 
 for 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. Master 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. There it is, about fifty yards on the side of 
 the tent. We must walk on about a hundred yards straight 
 into the grove." 
 
 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, sir/' said Ready, " I propose to cut 
 
TOMMY VERY NAUGHTY 
 
 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 store-rooms. You see, sir, if neces- 
 sary, — although, certainly, there is no appearance of its being 
 likely at present — 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, my good fellow ; but I trust we shall not re- 
 quire it for such a purpose." 
 
 " I hope so too, sir ; but there is nothing like being pre- 
 pared ; however, we have plenty to do before we can think of 
 doing that. Now, sir, as dinner is ready, suppose we return, 
 and after dinner we will both commence our tasks. I like a 
 beginning, if it be ever so small." 
 
 Juno and William returned to the dinner which Mrs. Sea- 
 grave had prepared. They were both very warm with their 
 work, which was very hard, but very eager to finish their task. 
 Master Tommy had been very troublesome during the whole 
 of the morning: he had not learnt his lesson, and had put a 
 cinder into Caroline's hand and burnt her. He was, there- 
 fore, as soon as his father was told of his bad behaviour, con- 
 demned to go without his dinner ; and he sat down very 
 sulky, looking very wistfully at the victuals as they disap- 
 peared ; but he did not cry, or ask to be forgiven. After 
 dinner was over, Mrs. Seagrave requested her husband, as he 
 was about to go down to the point, with the spade and 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 Master Tommy by the 
 hand, and led him to the point, and made him sit down close 
 to him while he cleared away the brushwood. 
 
 Mr. Seagrave worked very hard, and when he had cut 
 down and cleared a portion of the ground, he made Tommy 
 carry away to a little distance, and pile in a heap, the bushes 
 which he had cleared away. This Tommy did very unwil- 
 lingly, as he was in a bad humour. When Mr. Seagrave had 
 cleared away a large piece of ground with his hatchet, he 
 then took his spade to dig at the roots and turn up the mould, 
 leaving Tommy to amuse himself. What Tommy did for 
 about an hour, during which Mr. Seagrave worked very 
 
 99 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 diligently, his father did not observe ; but all of a sudden he 
 began to cry ; and when his father asked him the reason, he 
 did not answer, but only cried the more, until at last he put 
 his hands to his stomach, and roared most lustily. As he 
 appeared to be in very great pain, his father left off work, 
 and led him up to the tent, when Mrs. Seagrave came out, 
 alarmed at his cries. He would, however, do nothing but 
 roar, refusing to answer any questions, and his father and 
 mother could not imagine what was the matter with him. 
 Old Ready, who had heard Master Tommy screaming for so 
 long a while, thought that there might be something serious, 
 and left his work to ascertain the cause. When he heard 
 what had passed, he said — 
 
 " Depend upon it, sir, the child has eaten something which 
 has made him ill. Tell me, Tommy, what did you eat when 
 you were down there ? " 
 
 " Berries," roared Tommy. 
 
 "I thought as much, ma'am," said Ready. "\ must go 
 and see what the berries were." And the old man hastened 
 down to the place where Mr. Seagrave had been at work. 
 In the meantime Mrs. Seagrave was very much alarmed lest 
 the child should have poisoned himself, and Mr. Seagrave 
 went to search among the medicines for some castor-oil. 
 
 Ready returned just as Mr. Seagrave came back to the 
 tent with the bottle of castor-oil, and he told Ready that he 
 was about to give Tommy a dose. 
 
 " Well, sir," replied Ready, who had a plant in his hand, 
 " I don't think you should give him any, for it appears to me 
 that he has taken too much already. See, sir, this is, if I 
 recollect right, — and I'm almost sure that I am right, — the 
 castor-oil plant, and here are some of the castor-oil beans 
 which Master Tommy has been eating. Tell me, Tommy, 
 did you eat them ? " 
 
 " Yes," cried Tommy, putting both hands to his stomach. 
 
 " I thought so : give him a little warm drink, ma'am, and 
 he'll soon be better : there's no great harm done ; and it will 
 teach him not to eat berries or beans again." 
 
 What Ready said was true ; nevertheless Master Tommy 
 was very ill for the whole of the day, and was put into bed 
 very early. 
 
 100 
 
TOMMY MAKES A GARDEN 
 
 CHAPTER XXVI 
 
 Tommy makes a garden, and gets some useful advice — Tommy 
 and the goat — Cocoa-nuts — Progress of operations — Turtle- 
 pond. 
 
 JL HE next day, when Mr. Seagrave, William, Juno, and 
 Ready were all at work at their allotted tasks, Mrs. 
 Seagrave was sitting down at the front of the tent, the 
 little baby, Albert, crawling close to her, Caroline trying 
 to work with her needle, and Master Tommy was making 
 holes in the ground, and putting a small stone into each 
 hole. 
 
 u What are you doing, Tommy ? " said Mrs. Seagrave. 
 
 " I'm playing — I'm making a garden," replied Tommy. 
 
 " Making a garden ! then you ought to plant some trees 
 in it." 
 
 "No; I'm sowing seeds: look here," replied Tommy, 
 pointing to the stones. 
 
 " Stones won't grow, mamma," said little Caroline. 
 
 " No, my dear, they will not ; but the seeds of plants and 
 flowers will." 
 
 w I know that," said Tommy ; " but I'm making believe, 
 because I have no seeds." 
 
 "But you said you were sowing seeds, Tommy, and not 
 stones." 
 
 "Well, but I pretend, and that's the same thing," replied 
 Tommy. 
 
 " Not exactly, Tommy ; suppose now, instead of eating 
 those beans yesterday, you had only pretended to eat them, 
 wouldn't it have been better ? " 
 
 " I won't eat any more," replied Tommy. 
 
 " No, not of those beans ; but if you saw anything else 
 which you thought you would like, I am afraid you would 
 eat it, and be as ill and even worse than you were. You 
 should never eat anything that is not given to you." 
 
 "I like cocoa-nuts; why don't we have some to eat? 
 there's plenty there upon the trees." 
 
 " But who is to climb up so high, Tommy ? can you?" 
 101 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 " No ; but why don't Ready climb, or papa, or William ? 
 Why don't you make Juno climb ? I like cocoa-nuts." 
 
 " I suppose they will get some by-and-by, when they are 
 not so busy, but they have no time now. Don't you see how 
 hard they all work ? " 
 
 " I like turtle-soup/' replied Tommy. 
 
 " William and Juno are making a pond to put turtle in, 
 and then we shall have it oftener ; but we cannot have every- 
 thing we like when we wish for it." 
 
 ie What's a turtle, mamma ? " said little Caroline. 
 
 "It's a sort of animal that lives in the water, but it is 
 not a fish." 
 
 * I like fried fish," said Tommy ; u why don't we have 
 fried fish?" 
 
 "Because every one is too busy to catch them just now. 
 By-and-by you will have some, I have no doubt. Tommy, 
 dear, go and bring your brother Albert back ; he has crawled 
 too near to Billy the goat, and he butts sometimes." 
 
 Tommy went after the baby, who was crawling towards 
 the kid, which had now grown pretty large, and as he took 
 up his brother he kicked at the goat's head. 
 
 "Don't do that, Tommy ; he'll butt at you, and hurt you." 
 
 " I don't care," replied Tommy, holding the baby by one 
 hand while he continued to kick at Billy. Billy, however, 
 would not stand it any longer : he lowered his head, made a 
 bound at Tommy, struck him in the chest, and Tommy and 
 little Albert rolled on the ground one over the other. The 
 baby roared, and Master Tommy began to whimper. Mrs. 
 Seagrave ran up to them and caught up the baby; and 
 Master Tommy, a little alarmed, caught hold of his mother's 
 dress for protection, looking behind him at Billy, who 
 appeared very much inclined to renew the attack. 
 
 " Why don't you mind what is said to you, Tommy ? I 
 told you that he would butt you," said Mrs, Seagrave, 
 pacifying the child. 
 
 "I don't care for him," replied Tommy, who perceived 
 that the goat was walking away. 
 
 et No, you are very brave now that he is gone ; but you're 
 a very naughty boy not to mind what is said to you. Re- 
 collect the lion at the Cape." 
 
 u I don't care for a lion," replied Tommy. 
 
 102 
 
COCOA-NUTS 
 
 " No, now that there is none to be seen ; but you would 
 be very much frightened if you saw one close to you." 
 
 " I threw stones at him," said Tommy. 
 
 " Yes, you did ; and if you had not, the lion would not 
 have frightened you as he did, any more than Billy would 
 have knocked you down just now," replied Mrs. Seagrave. 
 
 " Billy never butts at me, mamma," said Caroline. 
 
 "No, my dear, because you do not tease him; but your 
 brother Tommy is very fond of teasing animals, and so he 
 gets punished and frightened. It is very wrong of him to 
 do so, especially as he is told by his father and me that he 
 ought not. Good children always obey their parents, but 
 Tommy is not a good boy." 
 
 " You said I was a good boy when I learnt my lesson well 
 this morning," replied Tommy. 
 
 " Yes, but you should always be good," replied his mother. 
 
 "I can't be always good," said Tommy ; "I'm very hungry, 
 I want my dinner." 
 
 " It is dinner-time, Tommy, that is certain, but you must 
 wait until they all come home from their work." 
 
 "There's Ready coming, with a bag on his shoulder," 
 replied Tommy. 
 
 Ready soon came up to where Mrs. Seagrave was sitting, 
 and laid down the bag. "I've brought you some young 
 cocoa-nuts, and some old ones also, from the trees that 1 
 have been cutting down." 
 
 "Oh ! cocoa-nuts — I like cocoa-nuts !" cried Tommy. 
 
 " I told you, Tommy, that we should have some by-and-by, 
 and they have come sooner than we thought. You are very 
 warm, Ready." 
 
 "Yes, ma'am," replied Ready, wiping his face; "it is 
 rather warm work, for there is no breeze in the grove to cool 
 one. Is there anything you want from the other side of the 
 island, for I shall go there directly after dinner?" 
 
 "What for?" 
 
 " I must bring the wheels to get the timber out ; for I 
 must clear it away as I go, until the path is finished. I must 
 have Master William to help me." 
 
 " William will like the trip, I do not doubt : he must be 
 tired of carrying and rolling heavy stones. I do not recollect 
 anything in particular that we want, Ready," replied Mrs. 
 
 103 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 Seagrave. " There he comes with Juno, and I see Mr. Sea- 
 grave has laid down his spade, so Caroline, dear, take care of 
 Albert, while I get the dinner for them." 
 
 Ready assisted Mrs. Seagrave, and the dinner was spread 
 out on the ground, for they had not brought the chairs and 
 tables with them to their new residence, as they thought 
 that they could do without them till the house was built. 
 William reported that Juno and he would have the turtle- 
 pond complete by the next day. Mr. Seagrave had cleared 
 sufficient ground to plant the half-sack of potatoes that they 
 had saved from the wreck, so that in a day or two they 
 would be able to put all their strength upon the cutting and 
 drawing of the timber. 
 
 After dinner William and Ready set off in the boat, and, 
 before it was dark, returned with the wheels and axle of the 
 carriage, and several other articles, to make up their load ; 
 they also had some thick timber in tow, which Ready said 
 would be required for the door-posts of the house. Mr. 
 Seagrave had left his work that afternoon, and gone to the 
 assistance of Juno, and reported that the turtle-pond, although 
 not quite finished, was so far made that the turtle could not 
 get out if they were put in. 
 
 CHAPTER XXVII 
 
 Turning turtles— On fishing — Pond finished — Spaniards and 
 Portuguese — Colonies — On the mother -country and her colonies 
 — Rise and fall of nations — History of the Moors in Spain. 
 
 lS OW, Master William/' said Ready, "if you are not very 
 sleepy, perhaps you would like to come with me to-night, 
 and see if we cannot turn some of the turtle ; for the season 
 is going away fast, and they will leave the island very 
 soon." 
 
 "Yes, I should like it very much." 
 
 "Well, then, we must wait till it is dark: there will not 
 be much moon to-night, and that is all the better." 
 
 As soon as the sun had disappeared, William and Ready 
 went down to the beach, and sat quietly on a rock. In a 
 
 104 
 
TURNING TURTLES 
 
 short time Ready perceived a turtle crawling on the sand, 
 and, desiring William to follow him without speaking, walked 
 softly down by the water's edge, so as to get between the 
 animal and the sea. 
 
 As soon as the turtle perceived them, it made for the 
 water, but they met it ; and Ready, seizing hold of one of its 
 fore-flippers, turned it over on its back. 
 
 "You see, Master William, that is the way to turn a turtle-, 
 take care that he does not catch you with his mouth, for, if 
 he did, he would bite the piece out. Recollect that : now 
 the animal cannot get away, for he can't turn over again, 
 and we shall find him here to-morrow morning ; so we will 
 now walk along the beach, and see if we cannot find some 
 more." 
 
 Ready and William remained till past midnight, during 
 which they turned sixteen turtle, large and small. 
 
 " I think that will do, Master William, for once : we have 
 made a good night's work of it, for we have provided food 
 for many days. We must, however, try again in three or four 
 days if we cannot add to our stock. To-morrow we must 
 put them all into the pond." 
 
 et How shall we carry such large animals ? " 
 
 " We need not carry them ; we must put some old canvas 
 under them, and haul them along by that means; we can 
 easily do that on the smooth sand." 
 
 "Why don't we catch some fish, Ready? We might put 
 them into the turtle-pond." 
 
 "They would not stay there long, Master William, nor 
 could we easily get them out if they did. We must make 
 a pond on purpose for fish by-and-by : we have had no time, 
 for other things have pressed upon us of more consequence. 
 I have often thought of getting some lines ready, and yet 
 the time has never come, for I feel sleepy after our day's 
 work ; but as soon as the house is built, we will have them, 
 and you shall be fisherman-in-chief, after I have once shown 
 you how." 
 
 " But the fish will bite at night, will they not ? " 
 
 " Oh yes, and better than they do in the daytime." 
 
 " Well, then, if you will get me a line, and show me how, 
 I will fish for an hour or so after the work is done ; for 
 Tommy is always asking for fried fish ; and I know mamma 
 
 105 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 is getting very tired of salt meat, and does not think it good 
 for Caroline. She was very glad when you brought the cocoa- 
 nuts the day before yesterday." 
 
 "Well, then, I will get a bit of candle to-morrow night, 
 and fit up two fishing lines. But I must go with you, Master 
 William. We don't use much candle, at all events." 
 
 " No, we are too glad to go to bed : but there are two or 
 three boxes of one sort or another up in the cove. What 
 shall we do when they are all gone ? " 
 
 "We shall have to use the cocoa-nut oil, and we shall 
 never want for that. Good-night, Master William." 
 
 The next morning before breakfast all hands were employed 
 in getting the turtle into the pond. After breakfast, William 
 and Juno finished the pond where the walls had not been 
 raised high enough ; and, when they returned to dinner, 
 reported that their task was completed. Mr. Seagrave also 
 said that he had, he thought, cleared quite ground enough 
 for the present ; and as Mrs. Seagrave wanted Juno to help 
 her to wash the linen that afternoon, it was agreed that 
 William, Ready, and Mr. Seagrave should all go down to the 
 garden, and put in the potatoes. 
 
 Ready worked with the spade, while Mr. Seagrave and 
 William cut the potatoes in pieces, so as to have an eye in 
 each piece ; and while they were thus occupied, William said 
 to his father, in the course of their conversation — 
 
 " Father, you promised me the day after we left the Cape 
 of Good Hope that you would explain to me why it was so 
 called, and also the nature of a colony. Will you do so 
 now?" 
 
 " I will, my dear boy : but you must listen to me atten- 
 tively ; and if you do not understand what I say, recollect 
 you tell me so, and I will try to explain it to you. You have 
 been told that we English are now the masters of the sea, 
 but such has not always been the case. The earliest navi- 
 gators of modern times were the Spanish and Portuguese. 
 The Spaniards discovered South America, and the Portuguese 
 the East Indies. At that time, now more than three hundred 
 years ago, England was not the powerful nation which she 
 now is, and had comparatively few ships ; neither could the 
 English, in enterprise, be compared to the Spanish and 
 Portuguese nations. The Portuguese, in attempting a 
 
 106 
 
SPANIARDS AND PORTUGUESE 
 
 passage to the East Indies, arrived at the Cape of Good 
 Hope ; but at that period ships were very small compared to 
 what they are now ; and it blew so hard about this Cape, 
 that they could not sail round it, and they at first called it 
 Cabo Tormentoso, or the Stormy Cape. At last they suc- 
 ceeded in their attempts, and then it was called the Cabo 
 da Buona Speranza, or Cape of Good Hope. They arrived 
 safe at India, and, taking possession of many parts, carried 
 on a trade which was a source of great wealth to their 
 country. You understand me ? " 
 
 " Yes, papa." 
 
 " My dear boy, you know very well that a man is born, 
 arrives at manhood and strength, grows old, decays, and 
 dies. As it is with man, so it is with nations. The Portu- 
 guese were then in their manhood as a nation ; but other 
 nations rose up in strength, and among others the Dutch, 
 who were the first to dispute with the Portuguese the 
 commerce of the Indies : gradually they wrested their colonies 
 from them, and carried on the trade in their stead. Then 
 the English forced their way there, seized upon the colonies 
 of both Dutch and Portuguese, and have ever since held 
 possession. Portugal, that was once the most enterprising 
 nation in the world, is now a mere cipher ; the Dutch have 
 gradually decreased in their importance, while the sun is 
 said, and very truly, never to set upon the English posses- 
 sions ; for, as the world turns round to it, the sun shines 
 either upon one portion or another of the globe which is a 
 colony to our country/' 
 
 * Yes, I understand perfectly, papa ; but now tell me why 
 are England and other nations so anxious to have what you 
 call colonies ? " replied William. 
 
 "Because they tend so much to the prosperity of the 
 mother-country. In their infancy they generally are an 
 expense to her, as they require her care; but as they 
 advance, they are able to repay her by taking her manu- 
 factures, and returning for them their own produce; an 
 exchange mutually advantageous, but more so to the 
 mother-country than to the colony, as the mother-country, 
 assuming to herself the right of supplying all the wants of 
 the colony, has a market for the labour of her own people, 
 without any competition. And here, my boy, you may 
 
 107 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 observe what a parallel there is between a colony and the 
 mother-country and a child and its parent. In infancy, the 
 mother-country assists and supports the colony as an infant ; 
 as it advances and becomes vigorous, the colony returns the 
 obligation : but the parallel does not end there. As soon as 
 the colony has grown strong and powerful enough to take 
 care of itself, it throws off the yoke of subjection, and de- 
 clares itself independent ; just as a son, who has grown up to 
 manhood, leaves his father's house, and takes up a business to 
 gain his own livelihood. This is as certain to be the case, as it 
 is that a bird as soon as it can fly will leave its parents' nest. 
 We have had a great example of it in the United States, 
 which, fifty years ago, were colonies to Great Britain, but 
 are now fast becoming one of the most powerful of nations." 
 
 "But is it not very ungrateful of a colony to leave the 
 mother-country, which has protected it so long, as soon as 
 it no longer requires its assistance ? " 
 
 " It may at first appear to be so ; but, on reflection, we 
 must decide otherwise : the mother-country has been more 
 than repaid for what it has done for the colony long before 
 the colony is able to throw off its dependence ; and, after a 
 certain time, the rights assumed by the mother-country 
 become too onerous to bear : you must not treat a grown-up 
 man as you would a child." 
 
 "Now, father, answer me another question. You said 
 that nations rise and fall ; and you have mentioned the 
 Portuguese as a proof. Will England ever fall, and be of 
 no more importance than Portugal is now?" 
 
 "We can only decide that question by looking into 
 history; and history tells us that such is the fate of all 
 nations. We must, therefore, expect that it will one day be 
 the fate of our dear country. At present we see no appear- 
 ance of it, any more than we perceive the latent seeds of 
 death in our own bodies ; but still the time arrives when 
 man must die, and so it must be with nations. Did the 
 Portuguese, in the height of their prosperity, ever think that 
 they would be reduced to what they are now ? Would they 
 have believed it? Yes, my dear boy, the English nation 
 must in time meet with the fate of all others. There are 
 various causes which may hasten or protract the period, 
 but, sooner or later, England will no more be mistress of the 
 seas, or boast of her possessions all over the world," 
 
 108 
 
THE MOORS IN SPAIN 
 
 " I hope it will be a long while first." 
 
 "And so does every Englishman who loves his country. 
 Recollect that when the Roman empire was in the height of 
 its power, Great Britain was peopled by mere barbarians and 
 savages. Now Rome has disappeared, and is only known in 
 history, and by the relics of its former greatness, while 
 England ranks among the highest of nations. How is the 
 major portion of the continent of Africa peopled ? by bar- 
 barians and savages ; and who knows what they may become 
 some future day ? " 
 
 " What ! the negroes become a great nation ? " 
 
 "That is exactly what the Romans might have said in 
 former days. What ! the British barbarians become a great 
 nation ? and yet they have become so." 
 
 "But the negroes, father — they are blacks." 
 
 "Very true; but that is no reason to the contrary. As to 
 darkness of the skin, the majority of the Moors are quite as 
 black as the negroes ; yet they were once a great nation, and, 
 moreover, the most enlightened nation of their time, with a 
 great many excellent qualities, full of honour, generosity, 
 politeness, and chivalry. They conquered and held the 
 major part of Spain for many hundred years ; introduced arts 
 and sciences then unknown, and were as brave and heroic as 
 they were virtuous and honourable. You have never read 
 the history of the Moors in Spain." 
 
 " No, father : I should like to read it very much." 
 
 " And you will like it much more when you have read it : 
 it is a history full of adventures and incidents, probably the 
 most amusing that were ever collected together. I have it 
 in the library which I made in the expectation of arriving at 
 Sydney ; but whether it is among the books which have been 
 saved I cannot tell : by-and-by we shall have more time to 
 look after them." 
 
 "There were two cases of books thrown ashore, I think, 
 father ? " 
 
 " Yes, two or three ; but, if I recollect right, I had fifteen 
 or sixteen altogether. — Now that we have finished cutting 
 the potatoes, let us go and assist Ready in planting them and 
 the seeds which we have brought down with us." 
 
 109 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 CHAPTER XXVIXX 
 
 Preparing for fishing — Fortunate escape — Successful fishing — 
 Beady reproves William — William's fish — Felling cocoa-nut 
 trees. 
 
 X HAT night Ready sat up for two or three hours working 
 by candlelight (William keeping him company), very busily 
 engaged fitting up the fishing-lines with leads and hooks. 
 At last two were complete. 
 
 " What bait must we use, Ready ? " 
 
 " I should think that the best would be one of the fish out 
 of the shells which are in the sand ; but a piece of pork fat 
 will, I dare say, do as well." 
 
 " And whereabouts would you fish, Ready ? " 
 
 " The best place, I should think, would be at the farther- 
 most end of the point, where I got the boat through the reef 
 — the water is deep there close to the rocks." 
 
 " I was thinking, Ready, if those gannets and men-of-war 
 birds would be good eating." 
 
 " Not very, Master William ; they are very tough and very 
 fishy : we must try for those when we can get nothing better, 
 Now that we have got in the seeds and potatoes, we must all 
 set to to-morrow morning to fell and carry the timber. I 
 think Mr. Seagrave had better use the axe with me ; and you 
 and Juno can, when I have shown you how, hang the timber 
 to the axle, and wheel it out to the place where we have 
 decided upon building the house. And now we had better 
 go to bed." 
 
 William, however, had made up his mind to do otherwise : 
 he knew that his mother would be very glad to have some 
 fish, and he determined, as the moon shone bright, to try if 
 he could not catch some before he went to bed ; so he waited 
 very quietly till he thought Ready was asleep as well as the 
 others, and then went out with the lines, and went down to 
 the beach, where he picked up three or four shells, and, 
 breaking them between two pieces of rock, took out the fish 
 and baited his hooks. He then walked to the point. It was 
 
 110 
 
FORTUNATE ESCAPE 
 
 a beautiful night ; the water was very smooth, and the moon- 
 beams pierced deep below the surface. William threw in his 
 line, and as soon as the lead touched the bottom he pulled it 
 up about a foot, as Ready had instructed him ; and he had 
 not held his line more than half a minute, when it was jerked 
 so forcibly, that not expecting it he was nearly hauled into 
 the water ; as it was, the fish was so strong that the line 
 slipped through his hand and scored his fingers ; but after a 
 time he was able to pull it in, and he landed on the beach a 
 large silver-scaled fish, weighing nine or ten pounds. As 
 soon as he had dragged it so far away from the edge of the 
 rocks as to prevent its flapping into the water again, William 
 took out the hook and determined to try for another. His 
 line was down as short a time as before, when it was again 
 jerked with violence ; but William was this time prepared, 
 and he let out the line and played the fish till it was tired, 
 and then pulled it up, and found that the second fish was 
 even larger than the first. Satisfied with his success, he 
 wound up his lines, and, running a piece of string through 
 the gills of the fish, dragged them back to the tents, and 
 hung them to the pole, for fear of the dogs eating them ; 
 he then went in, and was soon fast asleep. The next morn- 
 ing William was the first up, and showed his prizes with much 
 glee ; but Ready was very much displeased with him. 
 
 "You did very wrong, Master William, to run the risk 
 which you did. If you were resolved to catch fish, why did 
 you not tell me, and I would have gone with you ? You say, 
 yourself, that the fish nearly hauled you into the water ; 
 suppose it had done so, or suppose a small shark instead of 
 one of these gropers (as we call them) had taken the 
 bait, you must have been jerked in ; and the rocks are so 
 steep there, that you would not have been able to get out 
 again before a shark had hold of you. Think a moment, 
 Master William, of what would have been the distress of your 
 father and of me (for I love you dearly) ; think what would 
 have been the agony and despair of your poor mother, when 
 this news should have arrived, and you were not to be found, 
 and never would have been seen again." 
 
 w I was very wrong, Ready," replied William, " now that 
 I think of it ; but I wanted to surprise and please my 
 mother." 
 
 Ill 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 "That reason is almost sufficient to plead yom* pardon, my 
 dear hoy," replied Ready ; " but don't do so again. Recollect, 
 I am always willing and anxious to go with you wherever you 
 wish. 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." 
 
 a 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, madam, here are 
 two beautiful fish, and very excellent eating they are, I can 
 tell you." 
 
 " I am quite delighted," replied Mrs. Seagrave. " Tommy, 
 come here. Don't you want some fried fish ? " 
 
 " Yes," replied Tommy. 
 
 "Then look up at the pole of the tent." 
 
 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 ; and Tommy was so ravenous, although he had done 
 nothing, that at last they were obliged to prevent his eating 
 any more. 
 
 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 to commence building. Sunday was passed in devo- 
 tion and quiet. On the Monday night they turned nine more 
 turtle, and caught three large fish ; and on the Tuesday 
 morning they commenced building the house. 
 
 112 
 
BUILDING THE HOUSE 
 
 CHAPTER XXIX 
 
 Building the house — Rainy season — Gratitude to God for His 
 mercies. 
 
 JtvEADY had cut out and prepared the doorposts and 
 window-frames from the 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 latter 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 with rocks and mortar ; but a space was left for it. For 
 three weeks they worked very hard : as soon as the sides w r ere 
 up, they got on the whole of the roof and rafters ; and then, 
 with the broad leaves of the cocoa-nut trees which had been 
 cut down, Ready thatched it very strong and securely, keep- 
 ing the thatch down with the weight of heavy poles slung 
 over the top of the roof with stout ropes. At the end of the 
 three weeks the house was secure from the weather ; and it 
 was quite time, for the weather had begun to change, the 
 clouds now gathered thick, and the rainy season was com- 
 mencing. They had a very violent shower one day, and then 
 the weather cleared again. 
 
 " We have no time to lose, sir," said Ready to Mr. Seagrave. 
 " We have worked hard, but we must for a few days work 
 harder still. We must fit up the inside of the house, so as to 
 enable madam to get into it as soon as possible." 
 
 The earth in the inside of the house was then beaten down 
 hard, so as to make a floor ; and a sort of bedstead, about two 
 feet from the ground, running the whole length of the house, 
 was raised on each side of the interior : these were fitted with 
 
 113 H 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 canvas screens to let down by night. And then Ready and 
 William took the last trip in the boat to fetch down the 
 chairs and tables, which they did just before the coming on 
 of the first storm of the season. The bedding and all the 
 utensils were now taken into the house ; and a little out- 
 house was built up to cook in, until the fireplace could be 
 made. 
 
 It was late on the Saturday night that the family were 
 shifted into the new house ; and fortunate it was that they 
 had no further occasion for delay, for on the Sunday morning 
 the first storm burst upon them; the wind blew with great 
 force ; and, although they were shielded from it, still the 
 cocoa-nut trees ground and sawed each other's stems as they 
 bent their heads to its force. The lightning was vivid, and 
 the thunder appalling, while the rain descended in such a 
 continual torrent that it appeared as if another deluge was at 
 hand. The animals left the pastures, and sheltered themselves 
 in the grove ; the dogs crouched under the bed-places ; and, 
 although noonday, it was so dark that they could not see to 
 read. 
 
 "This, then, is the rainy season which you talked about, 
 Ready," said Mrs. Seagrave. "Is it always like this? If so, 
 what shall we do ? " 
 
 " No, madam ; the sun will shine sometimes, but not for a 
 long while at a time. We shall be able to get out and do 
 something every now and then almost every day, but still we 
 shall have rain, perhaps, for many days without intermission, 
 and we must work indoors ; I dare say we shall find plenty 
 to do." 
 
 " How thankful we ought to be that we have a house over 
 our heads ; why, we should have been drowned in the 
 tents ! " 
 
 te That I knew, madam, and therefore I was anxious to get 
 a house over your head ; let us thank God for it." 
 
 " Indeed we ought," observed Mr. Seagrave ; " and it is, 
 indeed, time for us to read the service. Are you ready, 
 my dear ? " 
 
 " Quite ready ; and I'm sure we shall offer up our prayers 
 this day with grateful hearts, for He has been most bountiful 
 to us." 
 
 The morning service was then performed in the new house. 
 
 114 
 
JUNO AND READY 
 
 Violent as the rain was, it did not penetrate through the 
 thatch which had been put on. Ready and William went 
 out to secure the boat, which they were afraid would be 
 injured, and returned wet to the skin. They dined off cold 
 meat, but they were very happy. The storm continued with- 
 out intermission the whole of the night, but they slept dry 
 and safe ; and, when awakened by the noise of the thunder 
 and the pelting of the rain, they thanked God that they had 
 found a dwelling in the wilderness upon which they had 
 been cast. 
 
 CHAPTER XXX 
 
 Juno and Beady — Going the rounds— The boat drifted — Sheep 
 and- goats — The kids— Council held — Man-*f-war discipline 
 — Boat to be secured — Arrangements. 
 
 AT the end of the last chapter we left off where our party 
 on the island had taken possession of their new house at 
 the commencement of the rainy season. It was on Saturday, 
 and a storm had come on, which had continued during the 
 whole night ; for the storms are very violent in the tropical 
 countries, when the rainy season (which is equivalent to our 
 winter) first makes its appearance. When, however, they all 
 rose up the next morning, the clouds had cleared off, and the 
 sun was shining bright. Ready and Juno were the first out 
 of the house — Ready with the telescope under his arm, 
 which he always took with him when he went his rounds, as 
 he termed it, in the morning. 
 
 " Well, Juno," said Ready, " this is a fine morning after 
 the rain." 
 
 " Yes, Massa Ready, very fine morning ; but how I get fire 
 light, and make kittle boil for breakfast, I really don't know 
 — stick and cocoa-nut trash all so wet." 
 
 " Before I went to bed last night, Juno, I covered up the 
 embers with ashes, put some stones over them, and then 
 some cocoa-nut branches ; so I think you will find some fire 
 there yet. You see, Juno, we must do our best ; we can't 
 do everything at once ; but next year, if we live and do well, 
 
 115 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 I dare say we shall have a stack of dry fuel, and well 
 thatched, all ready for the rainy season. I was going my 
 morning's round, but I will stay a little and help you." 
 
 "Tank you, Massa Ready ; plenty rain fall last night." 
 
 " Yes, not a little, Juno ; you must not expect to find the 
 water at the well very clear this morning ; indeed, I doubt if 
 you will see the well at all. Here's some stuff which is not 
 very wet." 
 
 " I got plenty of fire, too," replied Juno, who had removed 
 the branches and stones, and was now on her knees blowing 
 up the embers. 
 
 "You'll do very well now, Juno," said Ready; "besides, 
 Master William will be out directly — so I'll leave you." 
 
 Ready whistled to the dogs, who came bounding out, and 
 then set off on his round of inspection. He first directed 
 his steps to the well in the ravine ; but, instead of the 
 gushing spring and the limpid, clear water, with which the 
 cask sunk for a well had been filled, there was now a muddy 
 torrent, rushing down the ravine, and the well was covered 
 with it, and not to be distinguished. 
 
 "I thought as much," said Ready, musing over the im- 
 petuous stream; "well, better too much water than too 
 little." Ready waded through, as he wished to examine 
 the turtle-pond, which was on the other side of the stream. 
 Finding all right, he again crossed the water, where it was 
 now spread wide over the sandy beach, until he came to the 
 other point, where he had moored his boat, both by the 
 head and stern, with a rope, and a heavy stone made fast to 
 it, as an anchor. 
 
 From this point, as usual, he surveyed the horizon with his 
 telescope ; not that he thought that there was a chance of a 
 vessel arriving among these islands: but, still, as it was pos- 
 sible, he took the trouble : but never except when he went 
 out in the morning alone, as he was aware that the very cir- 
 cumstance of his so doing would make Mr. Seagrave melan- 
 choly and unsettled. As usual, he dropped the telescope 
 on his arm, after his survey, saying to himself, " Little use 
 doing that." 
 
 The gale having blown off shore, the boat had dragged 
 her moorings, and was so far out, that Ready could not get 
 at her. 
 
 116 
 
READY FINDS THE KIDS 
 
 " Here's a puzzle/' said the old man ; " how foolish of me 
 not to have made a line fast to the shore. I'll not trust 
 myself to John Shark by swimming to the boat." 
 
 " Let me see." Ready took the halyards and sheets belong- 
 ing to the boat's sails, which he had left on the beach, and 
 bent one on to the other until he had sufficient length of 
 rope. He then made a piece of wood, about two feet long, 
 fast by the middle to the end of the rope, and, after one or 
 two attempts, contrived to throw it into the boat. The 
 piece of wood caught under one of the thwarts, and this 
 enabled him to draw the boat to the shore. 
 
 Having bailed out the water which had fallen into her 
 during the storm, he then landed again and examined the 
 garden. 
 
 " Now to find the sheep and goats," said Ready, " and 
 then my morning's walk is over. Now, Romulus, now, 
 Remus, boys, find them out," continued he ; and the dogs, 
 who appeared to know what he was in search of, went away 
 in pursuit, and soon found the sheep and two of the goats, 
 but the third goat was not with them. 
 
 "Why, where can Black Nanny be ?" muttered old Ready, 
 stopping a little while ; at last he heard a bleat, in a small 
 copse of brushwood, to which he directed his steps, followed 
 by the dogs. " I thought as much," said the old man, as he 
 perceived Nanny lying down in the copse with two new-born 
 kids at her side. <e Come, my little fellows, we must find 
 some shelter for you," said he, taking one up under each 
 arm. " Come, Nanny. Down, Romulus, down, sir," said he to 
 the dog, who had jumped up at the kids. "How dare you, 
 sir ? Down, I say. Ay ! there you are down, sure enough." 
 And so he was, for Nanny, not liking the dog's approach to 
 her young ones, had rushed upon him, and butted him till 
 he tumbled over and over. Ready walked back to the house, 
 and brought in the kids, followed by Nanny. He found 
 Mr. and Mrs. Seagrave and the children all dressed. Caroline 
 and Tommy gave a scream of delight when they saw the 
 little kids, and even little Albert clapped his hands. As 
 soon as Ready put them down on the ground, Tommy and 
 Caroline had each of them their arms round one. 
 
 "I've brought an addition to our family, Mrs. Seagrave," 
 said Ready ; " I must request you to allow them to remain 
 
 117 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 in the house until I can knock up a little shelter for them. 
 This is only a beginning ; I expect we shall soon have 
 more." 
 
 As soon as the children could be persuaded to part with 
 the kids, Nanny was tied up in a corner, and was very 
 content with fondling and nursing her progeny. Juno and 
 William brought in the breakfast, and as soon as it was over, 
 Mr. Seagrave said, "Now, Ready, I think we must hold a 
 council, and make arrangements as to our allotted duties 
 and employments during the rainy season. We have a great 
 deal to do, and must not be idle." 
 
 " Yes, sir, we have a great deal to do, and, to get through 
 our work, we must have order and method in our doings. 
 I've lived long enough to know how much can be done by 
 regularity and discipline. Why, sir, there is more work got 
 out of men in a well-conducted man-of-war than there can in 
 the merchant service in double the time. And why so ? 
 Because everything is in its place, and there is a place for 
 everything. If you want anything, you do not lose time 
 looking for it, because you know where to lay your hand 
 upon it. Besides, sir, every man knows what he has to 
 do — and others know it also." 
 
 " I agree with you, Ready," said Mrs. Seagrave ; " method 
 is everything. While one careless little girl is looking for 
 her thimble, another will have finished her work ; and I 
 promise you that, inside of the house, as soon as we have 
 the shelves and nails put up, everything shall be in its 
 place, and there shall be a place for everything." 
 
 " I beg your pardon, madam, if I talk too much ; but I 
 assure you I never should have known what could have been 
 done by order and arrangement, if I had not been pressed 
 on board of a man-of-war. After having been so long in the 
 merchant service, where all was noise and confusion at the 
 best of times, I found that everything was done in silence ; 
 indeed, there was no occasion for any one to speak except 
 the officer carrying on duty. Every man was to his post ; 
 every one had a rope to haul upon, or a rope to let go ; the 
 boatswain piped, and in a few seconds every sail was set or 
 taken in as was required. It seemed to me at first like 
 magic. And you observe, Mr. Seagrave, that when there 
 is order and discipline, every man becomes of individual 
 
 118 
 
COUNCIL HELD 
 
 importance ; as any neglect of any one in the duty allotted 
 to him immediately puts everybody else out, and everything 
 goes wrong : besides, the blame is always certain to be given 
 to the party who is guilty. If I learnt nothing else on board 
 of a man-of-war, I learnt to make the most of time, and the 
 most of the strength which you could command." 
 
 "You are very right, Ready; you must teach us to do the 
 same," replied Mr. Seagrave. 
 
 "We have so much to do, that I hardly know where to 
 begin; yet, sir, we must work at present how we can, and 
 when we can, until we have got things into a little better 
 order. We have done well up to the present." 
 
 " What do you think we ought to do first, Ready ? " 
 
 "Well, sir, our first job will be to haul up the boat and 
 secure her from harm ; we will half dock her in the sand, 
 and cover her over, for I do not think it will be safe to go 
 in her now to the other side of the island, where the sea 
 will always be rough ; indeed, the weather will be too un- 
 certain to calculate upon even two or three hours of smooth 
 water." 
 
 "There I perfectly agree with you. Now what is the 
 next ? " 
 
 " Why, sir, we must not leave the tents where they are, 
 but take them down, and as soon as they are dry, stow them 
 away, for we may want them by-and-by ; then, sir, we must 
 build a large outhouse for our stores and provisions, with a 
 thatched roof, and a floor raised about four feet from the 
 ground ; and then, under the floor, the sheep and goats will 
 have a protection from the weather. We can easily run that 
 up ; we must cover in three sides, and that we can do with 
 cocoa-nut boughs in a very short time. Then, sir, there is 
 the fish-pond to make, and also a salt-pan to cut out of the 
 rock ; but those we must do when we have no other work. 
 Then we have two more long jobs. One is, to go through 
 the woods and examine the stores we have left on the other 
 side of the island, sort and arrange them all ready for bringing 
 here after the rains are over ; and we must also explore the 
 island a little, and find out what it produces ; for you see, 
 sir, at present we know nothing of it : we may find a great 
 many things useful to us, a great many trees and fruits, and 
 I hope and trust we may be able to find some more grass for 
 
 119 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 our live stock ; for you see, sir, if it is to increase so as to be 
 useful to us, we shall not have food for them here ; espe- 
 cially if we want more land for our seeds, which we probably 
 shall." 
 
 ct I agree with you in all you say, Ready," replied Mr. 
 Seagrave ; " now how shall we divide our strength ? " 
 
 "We will not divide at present, sir, if you please. Juno 
 has plenty to do indoors with Mrs. Seagrave ; Master William, 
 and you, and I, will first secure the boat and stow away the 
 tents and gear ; after that, we will set about the outbuilding, 
 and work at it when we can. If Juno has any time to spare, 
 she had better collect the cocoa-nut leaves, and pile them up 
 for fuel ; and Master Tommy will, I dare say, go with her, and 
 show her how to draw them along." 
 
 " Yes, I'll show her," said Tommy, getting on his feet. 
 
 " Not just now, Master Tommy," said Ready, "but as soon 
 as your mamma can spare her to go with you. Come, sir, a 
 few hours of weather like this is not to be lost," continued 
 Ready ; " we shall have more rain before the day is over, I 
 expect. If you please, sir, I will first go to the tent for the 
 shovels, and take them down with me ; then I will haul the 
 boat round to the beach and meet you there. You and 
 Master William can take some cord, tie up a large bundle 
 of cocoa-nut boughs, sling it to the wheels, and draw it down 
 to the beach and meet me." 
 
 " That will do, Ready," said Mr. Seagrave. u Come, 
 William." 
 
 CHAPTER XXXI 
 
 Boat secured — Fishing — Storm — Arranging house — Ready's 
 history — Consolation — To bed. 
 
 _olS so many cocoa-nut trees had been cut down to build the 
 house, there were plenty of boughs lying in every direction, 
 and William and Mr. Seagrave had soon procured sufficient. 
 They found, on their arrival at the beach, that Ready had 
 brought round the boat, and had laid the rollers all ready 
 for hauling it up. In a very short time the boat was 
 
 120 
 
FISHING 
 
 drawn up about ten yards from the water's edge, which 
 Ready said was quite sufficient ; they then dug from under 
 with their shovels until the boat was sunk about half down 
 in the sand. 
 
 Having filled in the sand all round her up to her gunnel, 
 the boat was then carefully covered over with the boughs, 
 which were weighed down with sand that they might not 
 be blown away. 
 
 " I don't see why you should cover the boat up in this 
 way, Ready ; the rain won't hurt her," observed William. 
 
 " No, sir, the rain won't do her any harm, but the sun will, 
 when it bursts out occasionally ; for it's very powerful when 
 it does shine, and it would split her all to pieces." 
 
 (t I forgot that," replied William. " What shall we do now, 
 Ready ? " 
 
 "Suppose, as we have two hours to dinner-time, you 
 run for the lines, Master William, and we'll try for some 
 fish." 
 
 "We cannot all three of us fish with only two lines," said 
 Mr. Seagrave. 
 
 "No, sir; and as Master William knows how to catch them 
 suppose you remain with him, and I will go up and collect 
 wood and chips for Juno's fire. She was hard pressed for it 
 this morning, it was so wet ; but, if once piled up, it will 
 soon be dry. Be careful, Mr. Seagrave, if you please, and do 
 not hold the lines tight in your hands, or you may be jerked 
 into the water. I've cautioned Master William, but it may 
 be as well for you to caution him again, for he is young and 
 very eager." 
 
 Ready met William returning with the lines, and thought 
 it right to remind him of the danger he ran when he was 
 fishing the last time, and then went on to his work, dragging 
 after him the wheels and the axe, as they were no longer 
 required at the beach. 
 
 Mr. Seagrave and William were very fortunate ; before the 
 two hours were expired they had caught eight large fish, 
 which they brought up to the house slung on the boat-hook, 
 which Ready had advised them to take with them to haul 
 the fish out of the water, that they might not break their 
 lines. Tommy hallooed loudly for fish for dinner, and as they 
 had caught so many, it was agreed that the dinner should 
 
 121 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 be put off until some should be got ready, and they were not 
 sorry to eat them instead of the salt pork which was to have 
 been their only fare on that day. 
 
 They had hardly sat down to table, when the rain came 
 pattering down on the roof, and in a quarter of an hour the 
 storm was as violent., and the thunder and lightning as 
 terrific, as on the day before. All the outdoor labour was 
 again suspended. Mrs. Seagrave, Juno, and Caroline took 
 their work, for there was plenty to do with the needle and 
 thread, and Ready soon found employment for the rest. 
 William and Mr. Seagrave unlaid some thick rope, that Ready 
 might make smaller and more useful rope with the yarns. 
 Ready took up his sailing needles, and worked eyelet-holes 
 in the canvas screens (which they had put up in a hurry), so 
 that they might be drawn to and fro as required ; and Tommy 
 was given a tangled hank of twine to clear out, which, as he 
 was tired of doing nothing, he worked at very patiently. As 
 soon as Ready had hung up the curtains, he looked under the 
 bedsteads for a large bundle, and said, as he opened it, 
 " I shall now decorate Madam Seagrave's sleeping-place. It 
 ought to be handsomer than the others." The bundle was 
 composed of the ship's ensign, which was red, and a large, 
 square, yellow flag with the name of the ship Pacific in 
 large black letters upon it. These two flags Ready festooned 
 and tied up round the bed-place, so as to give it a very 
 gay appearance, and also to hide the rough walls of the 
 cottage. 
 
 "Indeed, Ready, I am much obliged to you," said Mrs. 
 Seagrave, when he had finished; "it is really quite grand 
 for this place." 
 
 "It's the best use we can put them to now, madam," said 
 Ready. 
 
 " I am afraid so," replied Mr. Seagrave thoughtfully. 
 
 "Ready," said William, after the candles were lighted, 
 "you once half promised me that you would tell me your 
 history ; I wish you would tell us some of it now, as it will 
 pass away the evening." 
 
 "Well, Master William, I did say so, and I shall keep my 
 word. When you have heard my story, you will say that I have 
 been very foolish in my time ; and so I have ; but if it proves 
 a warning to you, it will, at all events, be of some use." 
 
 122 
 
READY'S HISTORY 
 
 "We shall like to hear it very much," said Mrs. Sea- 
 grave. 
 
 "Well, madam, then you shall hear it;" and Ready then 
 commenced his history as follows : 
 
 History of Old Ready 
 
 " Of course, you wish to know who my father and mother 
 were : that is soon told. My father was the captain of a mer- 
 chant vessel, which traded from South Shields to Hamburgh, 
 and my poor mother, God bless her, was the daughter of a 
 half-pay militia captain, who died about two months after 
 their marriage. The property which the old gentleman had 
 bequeathed to my mother was added to that which my father 
 had already vested in the brig, and he then owned one-third 
 of the vessel ; the other two-thirds were the property of a 
 very rich shipbuilder and owner, of the name of Masterman. 
 What with the profits of the share he held of the vessel and 
 his pay as captain, my father was well to do. Mr. Masterman, 
 who had a very high opinion of ray father, and gained much 
 money by his exertions and good management, was present 
 at the marriage, and when I was born, about a year after- 
 wards, he stood for me as godfather. Every one considered 
 that this was a most advantageous circumstance for me, and 
 congratulated my father and mother, for Mr. Masterman was 
 a bachelor, of nearly sixty years, without any near relations. 
 It is true, that he was very fond of money ; but that they 
 said was all the better, as he could not take it away with 
 him when he died. An end, however, was soon put to all 
 their worldly ideas, for a year after I was born, my father 
 was drowned at sea, his vessel and the whole of her crew 
 being lost on the Texel sands ; and my mother found herself 
 a widow, with a child scarcely weaned, when she was but 
 twenty-two years of age. 
 
 " It was supposed that my mother would still have sufficient 
 to live upon, as the ship had been insured at two-thirds of 
 her value ; but, to the astonishment of everybody, Mr. 
 Masterman contrived to make it appear that it was his two- 
 thirds of the vessel which had been insured." 
 
 " What is insurance ? " inquired William. 
 
 "Insurance, my dear boy, is paying a certain sum to 
 123 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 people who are called underwriters, that in case the vessel 
 or cargo is lost or damaged, the loss or damage is made good 
 to the owners of the vessel or cargo. You pay in proportion 
 to the risk incurred. For instance, in war time you pay ten 
 per cent. — that is, ten pounds for every hundred pounds you 
 insure. Supposing you wished to insure one thousand pounds 
 on a vessel or cargo, and ten per cent, was required, you 
 would, if the vessel came home safe, pay the underwriters 
 one hundred pounds ; if, on the contrary, the vessel was 
 lost, the underwriters would have to pay you one thousand 
 pounds, the sum which you had insured. Do you under- 
 stand ?*' 
 
 " Yes ; I understand, papa. But I do not understand how 
 an underwriter can make money by it ; for many vessels are 
 lost or taken during a war, and then he has such large sums 
 to pay." 
 
 "You must recollect, that for one that is taken or lost, 
 there are fifty or more which arrive safe ; and as the under- 
 writers are paid for all those that arrive safe, the business is 
 profitable ; indeed, it must be so, or there would not be so 
 many underwriters and insurance companies. I beg your 
 pardon for the interruption, Ready." 
 
 "No need, Mr. Seagrave ; we never should lose an oppor- 
 tunity of teaching the young ; indeed, you have taught the 
 old as well this time, for I was not so clear of the matter 
 before as I am now. Well, sir ; how far the assertion of Mr. 
 Masterman was correct or not, it was impossible at the time 
 to say ; but I do know that everybody cried out ' Shame/ and 
 that if he did deprive the widow, he had much to answer 
 for ; for the Bible says, ' pure religion is to visit the fatherless 
 and the widows in their affliction ' (of course, Master William, 
 with a view of assisting them), 'and to keep yourself un- 
 spotted in the world.' The consequence was, that my 
 mother had little or nothing to live upon ; but she found 
 friends who assisted her, and she worked embroidery, and 
 contrived to get on somehow until I was eight or nine years 
 of age." 
 
 "But did not your godfather, Mr. Masterman, come for- 
 ward to the assistance of your mother?" inquired Mr. 
 Seagrave. 
 
 " No, sir, strange to say, he did not ; and that made people 
 
 124 
 
READY'S HISTORY 
 
 talk the more. I believe it was the abuse of him, which he 
 did not fail to hear, and which he ascribed to my mother, 
 which turned him away from us ; perhaps it was his own 
 conscience, for we always dislike those we have injured, 
 becoming vexed with them instead of being vexed with 
 ourselves." 
 
 "Unfortunately, there is great truth in that remark of 
 yours, Ready," observed Mr. Seagrave ; " still, it is strange 
 that he did not do something." 
 
 " It was very strange, sir — at least, so it appeared at the 
 time ; but he was very fond of money, and irritated at the 
 reports and observations which were made about him. But, 
 to go on, sir, I was a strong, active, hardy boy, and, when- 
 ever I could escape from my mother or school, was always 
 found by the water-side or on board of the vessels ; for I took 
 naturally to everything connected with the sea. In the 
 summer time I was half the day in water, and was a very 
 good swimmer. My mother perceived my fondness for the 
 profession, and tried all she could to divert my thoughts 
 some other way. She told me of the dangers and hardships 
 which sailors went through, and always ended with my 
 father's death and a flood of tears. 
 
 "We certainly are of a perverse nature, as I have often 
 heard the clergyman say, for it appears to me that we always 
 wish to do that which we are told not to do. If my mother 
 had not been always persuading me against going to sea, I 
 really believe I might have stayed at home. Mine was a 
 proud nature when I was a child. I suppose I got it from 
 my father, for my mother, poor thing, was humble enough. 
 I could not bear that any boy should do what I could not ; 
 and I often ventured so rashly, that I might do more than 
 other boys dared to do, that it was a wonder, as every one 
 then said, that I had not lost my life a hundred times ; and 
 my poor mother was continually hearing of some danger that 
 I was in, and she would first scold and then entreat me not 
 to be so venturesome, and then she would go into her room 
 and weep and pray, for I was her only hope and comfort, and 
 all that bound her to the world. I've often thought since, 
 how selfish and unfeeling I must have been. I was too young 
 to know what pain I was giving her, and how anxiety was 
 preying upon her, all on my account. Children cannot feel 
 
 125 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 it ; if they did, they would do otherwise, for our hearts are 
 seldom hard until we grow older." 
 
 " I agree with you, Ready/' said Mr. Seagrave. " If 
 children really knew how much their parents suffer when 
 they behave ill, how alarmed they are at any proofs of wicked- 
 ness in them, they would be much better." 
 
 " We never find that out, sir, till it is too late," continued 
 Ready. "Well, sir, I was little more than nine years old, 
 when, on a very windy day, and the water rough, a hawser, 
 by which a vessel was fast to the wharf, was carried away 
 with a violent jerk, and the broken part, as it flew out, struck 
 a person who was at the edge of the wharf, and knocked him 
 into the sea. I heard the crying out, and the men from the 
 wharf and from the ships were throwing ropes to him, but he 
 could not catch hold of them ; indeed, he could not swim 
 well, and the water was rough. I caught a rope that had 
 been hauled in again, and leapt off the wharf. 
 
 " Young as I was, I swam like a duck, and put the rope 
 into his hands just as he was going down. He clung to it 
 as drowning men only can cling, and was hauled to the piles, 
 and soon afterwards a boat, which had been lowered from 
 the stern of one of the vessels, picked us both up. We were 
 taken to a public-house, and put into bed till dry clothes 
 could be sent for us ; and then I found that the person I 
 had saved was my godfather, Mr. Masterman. Every one 
 was loud in my praise ; and, although perhaps 1 ought not 
 to say it (and, indeed, I do not say it out of vanity), it was 
 a bold act for so young a boy as I was. The sailors took me 
 home to my mother in a sort of triumphant procession ; and 
 she, poor thing, when she heard what I had done, embraced 
 me over and over again, one moment rejoicing at my pre- 
 servation, and the next weeping bitterly at the thoughts of 
 the danger I had encountered, and the probability that my 
 bold spirit would lead me into still greater." 
 
 " But she did not blame you for what you had done ? " 
 
 " Oh no, Master William ; she felt that I had done my 
 duty towards my neighbour, and perhaps she felt in her 
 own heart that I had returned good for evil ; but she did not 
 say so. The next day, Mr. Masterman called upon us ; he 
 certainly looked very foolish and confused when he asked 
 for his godson, whom he had so long neglected. My mother, 
 
 126 
 
READY'S HISTORY 
 
 who felt how useful he might be to me, received him very 
 kindly ; but I had been often told of his neglect of me and 
 my mother, and of his supposed unfair conduct towards my 
 father, and had taken a violent dislike to him ; his advances 
 towards me were therefore very coolly received. I felt glad 
 that I had saved him : but although I could not exactly 
 understand my own feelings at the time, I am ashamed to 
 say that my pleasure was not derived from having done a 
 good action, so much as indulging a feeling of revenge in 
 having put one under an obligation who had treated me ill : 
 this arose from my proud spirit, which my mother could not 
 check. So you see, Master William, there was very little 
 merit in what I had done, as, after I had done it, I indulged 
 those feelings which I ought to have checked." 
 
 " I think I could not have helped feeling the same, Ready, 
 under such circumstances," replied William. 
 
 " If I had felt it in a true Christian spirit, Master William, 
 it would have been different. Returning good for evil is the 
 great duty of a Christian, and had I saved Mr. Masterman, 
 knowing that I was saving him with that feeling in my heart, 
 it had been praiseworthy ; but I did not know that it was 
 he when I saved him, and the question is, had I known who 
 it was that was struggling in the water, should I have risked 
 my life for him ? or if I had done so, would it not have been 
 with the same feeling which I indulged in after having saved 
 him — a feeling that I had revenged myself on him for his 
 conduct, for there is no revenge greater than in putting an 
 enemy under an obligation ? " 
 
 "You analyse yourself very minutely, Ready," said Mr. 
 Seagrave, "and I think hardly do justice to yourself." 
 
 * The heart is deceitful and desperately wicked, sir," replied 
 Ready. " The impulse w T hich induced me to act was good ; 
 the feeling which I indulged in afterwards took away the 
 whole merit of the deed. I am stating what I believed to be 
 the truth, sir, and an old man like me can look upon the past 
 without bias, but not without regret ; well, sir, to go on with 
 my story. Mr. Masterman made but a short visit ; he told 
 my mother that he would now' take care of me, and bring 
 me up to the business of a shipbuilder as soon as I was old 
 enough to leave school, and that in the meantime he w r ould 
 pay all my expenses. My poor mother was very grateful, 
 
 127 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 and shed tears of joy; and when Mr. Masterman went away, 
 she embraced me, and said, that now she was happy, as I 
 should have a profession on shore and not go to sea. I must 
 do justice to Mr. Masterman; he kept his word, and sent 
 money to my mother, so that she became quite cheerful and 
 comfortable, and every one congratulated her, and she used 
 to fondle me, and say, it was all through me that she was 
 relieved from her distress." 
 
 " How happy that must have made you, Ready," said 
 William. 
 
 " Yes, sir, it did, but it made me also very proud ; strange 
 to say, I could not conquer my dislike to Mr. Masterman ; I 
 had nourished the feeling too long. I could not bear that 
 my mother should be under obligations to him, or that he 
 should pay for my schooling ; it hurt my foolish pride, young as 
 I then was ; and although my mother was happy, I was not. 
 Besides, as I was put to a better school, and was obliged to 
 remain with the other boys, I could no longer run about the 
 wharfs, or go on board the vessels, as before ; and thus I was 
 deprived of all my former enjoyments. I did not see then, 
 as I do now, that it was all for my good ; but I became 
 discontented and unhappy, merely because I was obliged to 
 pay attention to my learning, and could no longer have my 
 own way. The master complained of me ; and Mr. Masterman 
 called and scolded me well. I became more disobedient, and 
 then, by Mr. Masterman's desire, I was punished. This 
 irritated me against him, and I made up my mind that I 
 would run away and go to sea. You see, Master William, I 
 was all in the wrong ; and so will all boys be who are proud, 
 and think they know better than those who have charge of 
 them ; and now only see, Master William, what I probably 
 lost by my foolish conduct. I say, probably, for no one can 
 calculate or foresee what is to take place ; but, as far as 
 appearances went, I had every prospect of receiving a good 
 education — of succeeding Mr. Masterman in his business, 
 and, very probably, of inheriting his large fortune : so that I 
 might have been at this time a rich and well-educated man, 
 surrounded with all the comforts and luxuries of life ; perhaps, 
 with an amiable wife and large family round me, to make me 
 still happier, instead of being what I now am, a poor, worn- 
 out old seaman upon a desert isle. I point this out to you, 
 
 128 
 
READY'S HISTORY 
 
 Master William, to show how one false and foolish step in 
 the young may affect their whole prospects in life ; and, 
 instead of enabling them to sail down with the stream of 
 prosperity, may leave them to struggle against the current of 
 adversity, as has been the case with me." 
 
 "It is, indeed, a good lesson, Ready," said Mr. Seagrave. 
 
 u It is ; not that I repine at my lot, even while I regret 
 the errors that led to it. I am not discontented with my 
 position, for that were sinful. An all-wise and gracious God 
 disposes of us as He thinks best ; and I can now say with 
 perfect sincerity, ' Thy will, not mine, be done.' " 
 
 "Your misfortunes have, however, proved an incalculable 
 benefit to us, Ready," observed Mrs. Seagrave ; " for had you 
 not gone to sea, and been on board the ship when the crew 
 deserted us, what would have become of us ? " 
 
 " Well, madam, it is some comfort to think that a worn- 
 out old seaman like myself has been of some use. Perhaps, 
 madam, as it is our usual time to go to bed, I had better 
 leave off now, and tell some more of my history to-morrow 
 evening." 
 
 "If you please, Ready," said Mr. Seagrave. "William, my 
 dear, bring the Bible." 
 
 As soon as the evening prayers were finished, the screens 
 were put up, and they were soon all in bed and fast asleep. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXII 
 
 Finds the fowls — Fowl-house — Reach/ s history. 
 
 A HE bleating of the kids woke them the next morning 
 earlier than usual. The weather was again fine, and the 
 sun shining brightly, and Ready turned out Nanny and her 
 progeny. They had an excellent breakfast of fried fish, and 
 then Mr. Seagrave, Ready, and William went out to their 
 work : the two first took down the tents, and spread the 
 canvas on the ground, that it might be well dried, while 
 William went in pursuit of the fowls, which had not been 
 seen for a day or two. After half-an-hour's search in the 
 
 129 i 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 cocoa-nut grove, he heard the cock crow, and soon afterwards 
 found them all. He threw them some split peas, which he 
 had brought with him, for the barley and wheat they had 
 resolved to save, that they might sow them as soon as they 
 had more ground cleared ; and then, if flour should run 
 short, they had several casks of it on the other side of 
 the island, which they had saved when the ship had been 
 broken up, and were therefore in no immediate want. The 
 fowls, which were hungry enough, followed William home 
 to the house, where he left them, and went to join Ready 
 and his father. 
 
 " Then, Master William, I think, now that we have spread 
 out the tents, we will, if Mr. Seagrave approves of it, all set 
 to at once and knock up a fowl-house : it won't be more than 
 a day's job, and then the creatures will have a home. There 
 are four very thick cocoa-nut trees close to the house; we 
 will build it under them ; it will be a good job over." Mr. 
 Seagrave assented, and they set immediately to work. There 
 were many thin poles left, the tops of the cocoa-nut trees which 
 had been cut down to build the house ; these they nailed to 
 the trunks of the four trees, so as to make a square, and then 
 they ran up rafters for a pitched roof. 
 
 " Now, sir, this is only rough work ; we will first put up a 
 perch or two for them, and then close in the side, and thatch 
 the roof with cocoa-nut branches ; but there's Juno taking in 
 the dinner, so we'll finish it afterwards." 
 
 After their meal the work was renewed ; Mr. Seagrave 
 collected the branches, while William and Ready worked upon 
 the sides and roof, and before the evening closed in, the 
 fowl-house was complete. William enticed the fowls down 
 to it with some more split peas, and then walked away. 
 
 " Now, sir, the creatures will soon find their way in ; and 
 by-and-by, when I have time, I'll make a door to the 
 entrance. I think Miss Caroline might be put into autho- 
 rity here, and take care of the fowls and chickens when 
 they come." 
 
 "Yes, that shall be her charge," said William; "she'll be 
 delighted when she hears that she's to be mistress of the hen- 
 roosts. And now I think we had better roll up the canvas of 
 the tents ; we have had a splendid day, and may not be so 
 fortunate to-morrow." 
 
 ISO 
 
READY'S HISTORY 
 
 " Very true, sir ; we will get them housed, and stow them 
 away under the bed-places ; there is plenty of room." By 
 the time that they had folded up the canvas, and William 
 had brought in Nanny and the kids, the sun had set, and 
 they went into the house. Ready was requested to go on 
 with his history, which he did as follows : — 
 
 "I said last night that I determined to run away from 
 school, and go to sea ; but I did not tell you how I managed 
 it. I had no chance of getting out of the school unperceived, 
 except after the boys were all put to bed. The room that 
 I slept in was at the top of the house — the doors I knew 
 were all locked ; but there was a trap-door which led out 
 on the roof, fastened by a bolt inside, and a ladder leading 
 up to it ; and I determined that I would make my escape 
 by that way. As soon as all the other boys were fast 
 asleep, I arose and dressed myself very quietly, and then 
 left the room. 
 
 "The moon shone bright, which was lucky for me, and I 
 gained the trap-door without any noise. I had some difficulty 
 in forcing it up, as it was heavy for a boy of my age ; but I 
 contrived to do so at last, and gained the roof of the house. 
 I looked round as I stood in the gutter — there were the ships 
 in the port, and the sea in the distance, and I felt as if I was 
 already free : I forgot that I had to get down to the ground. 
 At last I began looking about me, to see how it was to be 
 done, and after walking to and fro several times, I decided 
 that I could slip down by a large water-pipe which went right 
 down to the ground ; it was so far detached from the bricks, 
 that I could get my small fingers round it ; and I was then 
 as light as a feather, and active as a cat. I climbed over 
 the parapet, and, clinging to the pipe firmly with my 
 hands and knees, I slid down, and arrived at the bottom 
 in safety." 
 
 "It's a wonder you did not break your neck, Ready," 
 observed Mrs. Seagrave. 
 
 " It was, indeed, ma'am ; I often think of it now — but I 
 thought of nothing then except my own wilful way. As soon 
 as I was landed in the flower-bed, which was below, I 
 hastened to the iron gates at the entrance, and soon climbed 
 up and got to the other side into the road. I had no hat, 
 for all our hats were hung on pegs in the schoolroom below ; 
 
 131 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 but I didn't care for that. I started as fast as I could 
 towards the port, and when I arrived at the wharf, I per- 
 ceived that a vessel had her topsails loose, and meant to take 
 advantage of the ebb-tide which had just made ; the men 
 were singing ' Yo heave yo/ getting the anchor up ; and as 
 I stood watching, almost making up my mind that I would 
 swim off to her, I perceived that a man pushed off in her 
 jolly-boat, and was sculling to a post a little higher up, where 
 a hawser had been made fast ; I ran round, and arrived there 
 before he had cast off the rope ; without saying a word, ? 
 jumped into the boat. 
 
 " ' What do you want, youngster ? ' said the seaman. 
 
 " ' I want to go to sea,' said I, breathless ; ' take me on 
 board — pray do.' 
 
 " ' Well/ said he, ' I heard the captain say he wanted an 
 apprentice, and so you may come.' 
 
 "He sculled the boat back again to the vessel, and I 
 climbed up her side. 
 
 " ' Who are you ? ' said the captain. 
 
 " I told him the same story, that I wanted to go to sea. 
 
 "'You are too little and too young.' 
 
 " ' No, I am not,' replied I. 
 
 " ' Why, do you think that you dare go aloft ? ' 
 
 " ' I'll show you,' replied I ; and I ran up the rigging like 
 a cat, and went out at the top-gallant yard-arm. 
 
 " When I came down, the captain said, ' Well, I think 
 you'll make a sharp seaman by-and-by ; so I'll take you, and, 
 as soon as I get to London, I'll bind you apprentice. Where's 
 your hat ? ' 
 
 " ' I left it behind me/ replied I. 
 
 " ' Never mind ; a red nightcap is a better thing/ said the 
 captain ; and he went down to the cabin, and brought me 
 one up. 
 
 " The ship, which was a collier, was soon out of port, and 
 before the day had dawned I found myself on the wide 
 ocean, which was hereafter to be my home. 
 
 "As soon as the hurry and confusion were over, I was 
 examined by the captain, who appeared to me to be a very 
 rough, harsh man ; indeed, before the day was over I almost 
 repented of the step which I had taken, and when I sat 
 down cold and wet upon some old sails at night, the thoughts 
 
 132 
 
READY'S HISTORY 
 
 of my mother, and what distress I should occasion her, for 
 the first time rushed into my mind, and I wept bitterly ; but 
 it was too late then. I have often thought, Mr. Seagrave, 
 that the life of hardship which I have since gone through 
 has been a judgment on me for my cruelty to my mother, 
 in leaving her the way I did. I was her only child, poor 
 woman ; she had nothing else to love but me, aDd it broke 
 her heart ; a poor return, Master William, for all her care 
 and kindness ! God forgive me ! " 
 
 Old Ready left off for some little time, and the remainder 
 of the party kept silence. William, who sat next to his 
 mother, turned round to her, and kissed her. 
 
 "I like to see you do that, Master William," said Ready; 
 " it tells me that my story is not thrown away upon you, and 
 I look upon that kiss as a seal that you'll never desert your 
 parent." The tear trickled down Mrs. Seagrave's cheek, as 
 she returned her boy's embrace. 
 
 " I'll leave off now, if you please," said Ready : w I don't 
 feel inclined to go on ; my heart is full when I recall that 
 foolish and wicked deed of mine. Mr. Seagrave," continued 
 Ready, "as it is bed-time, if you please, I'll hand you the 
 Bible. Oblige me by reading that part, ' Come unto Me, all 
 ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.' 
 Oh ! sir, what comfort there is in that book ! " 
 
 Mr. Seagrave read the chapter that Ready requested, and 
 finished with a short prayer, after which they all retired to 
 their beds. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIII 
 
 Turtle-soup — Speculations — Commence outhouse— Tommy in 
 disgrace — Thimble found — Tommy forgiven — Ready's history. 
 
 _l HE next morning was fine, and as soon as breakfast was 
 over, they took the wheels down to the turtle-pond, and 
 Ready having speared one of the largest by means of a pike 
 with a barb to it, which he had made on purpose, they hauled 
 it on shore, slung it under the wheels, and took it up to the 
 house. Having killed the turtle, and cut it up, Juno, under 
 
 133 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 the directions of Ready, chose such portions as were required 
 for the soup ; and when the pot was on the fire, Ready, Mr. 
 Seagrave, and William set off with the cross-cut saw and 
 hatchets, to commence felling the cocoa-nut trees for the 
 building of the outhouse, which was to hold their stores, as 
 soon as they could be brought round from the other side of 
 the island. 
 
 " I mean this to be our place of refuge in case of danger, 
 sir," observed Ready; "and therefore I have selected this 
 thick part of the wood, as it is not very far from the house, 
 and by cutting the path to it in a zigzag, it will be quite 
 hidden from sight ; and we must make the path just wide 
 enough to allow the wheels to pass, and stump up the roots 
 of the trees which we are obliged to cut down, otherwise the 
 stumps would attract attention. Not that I think we shall 
 ever want it ; but still it is a precaution which we may 
 as well take, as it will not give us a great deal of extra 
 labour." 
 
 "I agree with you, Ready," replied Mr. Seagrave; "there 
 is no saying what may happen." 
 
 " You see, sir, between ourselves, it is often the custom for 
 the natives, in this part of the world, to come in their canoes 
 from one island to another, merely to ger cocoa-nuts. I 
 can't say that the other islands near us are inhabited, but 
 still it is probable, and we cannot tell what the character of 
 the people may be. I tell you this, but you had better not 
 say a word to Mrs. Seagrave, as it may distress her ; Master 
 William, you will not, I am sure." 
 
 " Oh no ; I would not say anything to alarm my mother, 
 depend upon it, Ready." 
 
 " We are now near the spot, sir. You see, when we have 
 got over this hill, where the trees are so very thick, the fall 
 in the ground will assist in the concealment of the building. 
 I should say we are very near right where we now stand, sir, 
 for we are two-thirds of the way down the hollow, and we 
 have more than sufficient slope to drain off the water." 
 
 " How far are we now from the house, Ready ? We must 
 not be too distant." 
 
 a I reckon we are not a hundred and fifty yards in a straight 
 line, although the road will, by its turning, make it double the 
 distance." 
 
 134 
 
TOMMY IN DISGRACE 
 
 " Then I think this spot will do very well ; so the sooner 
 we begin the better." 
 
 "I'll just mark out the trees which are to stand, Mr. 
 Seagrave, and those which are to be cut clown, so as to leave 
 about four feet of stump standing. Master William, will you 
 please to take the other end of the line ? " 
 
 As soon as they had planned the building, the axes and 
 saw were in full use, and tree after tree fell one upon the 
 other. They worked hard till dinner-time, and were not 
 sorry at the prospect of sitting down to a rich mess of turtle- 
 soup. 
 
 " My dear William, and you too, Mr. Seagrave, how very 
 warm you are/' said Mrs. Seagrave ; " you must not work so 
 hard." 
 
 " Cutting down trees is very warm work, mother," replied 
 William, " and hard work will never hurt any one, especially 
 when he dines off turtle-soup ; we are very hungry, and shall 
 do justice to Juno's cooking. Why, Tommy, what's the matter 
 with you ? " 
 
 " Tommy and I are at variance," replied Mrs. Seagrave. 
 " I had my thimble this morning, and had commenced my 
 sewing, when I was called out by Juno, and Caroline went 
 with me, and Tommy was left in the house. When I came 
 back I found him outside, and on going back to my work, 
 there was no thimble to be found ; I asked him if he had 
 touched it, and his answer was that he would look for it. 
 He did look, and said he could not find it ; I have asked him 
 several times if he took it away, and his only answer is that 
 he will find it by-and-by. I am certain he has taken it, but 
 he will not say if he has or has not. The consequence is, that 
 I have done no work the whole morning." 
 
 "Tommy, did you take the thimble?" said Mr. Seagrave 
 gravely. 
 
 " I'll find it by-and-by, papa." 
 
 u That's not an answer, sir. Did you take the thimble ? " 
 
 " I'll find it by-and-by, papa," said Tommy, whimpering. 
 
 "That's all the answer he will give me," said Mrs. 
 Seagrave. 
 
 "Well, then, he shall have no dinner till the thimble 
 makes its appearance," replied Mr. Seagrave. 
 
 Master Tommy began to cry at this intelligence, Juno 
 
 135 
 
MASTERMAN HEADY 
 
 appeared with the turtle-soup, the smell of which was very 
 savoury ; and Tommy cried louder when they had said grace 
 and commenced their dinner. They were all very hungry, 
 and William sent his plate for another portion, which he had 
 not commenced long before he put his finger in his mouth 
 and pulled out something. 
 
 " Why, mother, here's the thimble in my soup ! " cried 
 William ; " I had very nearly swallowed it." 
 
 " No wonder he said he would find it by-and-by," said 
 Ready, smiling ; u he meant to have fished it up, I suppose, 
 from what was left of the soup after dinner. Well, Mrs. 
 Seagrave, I don't mean to say that Tommy is a good boy, 
 but still, although he would not tell where the thimble was, 
 he has not told a falsehood about it." 
 
 "No, he has not," replied William. "I think, now that 
 the thimble is found, if he begs pardon, papa will forgive 
 him." 
 
 " Tommy, come here," said Mr. Seagrave. " Tell me why 
 you put that thimble into the soup?" 
 
 " I wanted to taste the soup. I wanted to fill the thimble; 
 the soup burnt my fingers, and I let the thimble drop in." 
 
 " Well, a thimbleful wasn't much, at all events," observed 
 Ready. " And why didn't you tell your mamma where the 
 thimble was ? " 
 
 " I was afraid mamma throw all the soup away, and then I 
 get none for dinner." 
 
 " Oh ! that was it, was it ? Well, sir, I said you should 
 have no dinner till the thimble was found, so, as it is found, 
 you may have your dinner ; but if you ever refuse to answer 
 a question again, I shall punish you more severely." 
 
 Tommy was glad the lecture was over, and more glad to 
 get his turtle-soup ; he finished one plate, and, as he asked 
 for another, he said, " Tommy won't put thimble in again ; 
 put tin pot in next time." 
 
 " Massa Tommy, you put nothing in at all," said Juno, 
 who was eating her dinner beside him ; " some day you scald 
 yourself all over — little greedy boy." 
 
 After dinner they went to their work again, and did not 
 come in again till sunset. 
 
 "The clouds are gathering fast, sir," observed Ready; 
 " we shall have rain to-night." 
 
 136 
 
READY'S HISTORY 
 
 " I fear we shall ; but we must expect it now, Ready." 
 
 " Yes, sir ; and by - and - by we shall have it for days 
 together." 
 
 "Ready," said Mrs. Seagrave, "if you are not too much 
 tired, perhaps you will go on with your history." 
 
 " Certainly, ma'am, if you wish it," replied Ready. " When 
 I left off, I was on board of the collier, bound to London. 
 We had a very fair wind, and a quick passage. I was very 
 sick until we arrived in the Nore, and then I recovered, and, 
 as you may suppose, was astonished at the busy scene, and 
 the quantity of vessels which were going up and down the 
 river. But I did not like my captain ; he was very severe 
 and brutal to the men ; and the apprentice who was on board 
 told me to run away, and get into another vessel, and not 
 to bind myself apprentice to this captain, or I should be beat 
 all day long, and be treated as bad as he was. I knew this 
 was the case, as the captain kicked and cuffed him twenty 
 times a day. The men said that he did not do so to me, for 
 fear I should refuse to be his apprentice ; but that, as soon 
 as my indentures were signed, he w r ould treat me in the 
 same way." 
 
 "What is the meaning of indentures, papa ?" said William. 
 
 "When a lad wishes to learn a trade, William, of course it 
 is necessary that he should be taught ; and if a lad, as soon 
 as he had learnt his trade, was able to leave the person who 
 taught him, and work for another, of course no tradesman 
 would consent to take a boy and teach him, as he would have 
 all his trouble for nothing. During the first two years that 
 a lad is put to a trade, of course he is of little or no use to 
 his master ; an indenture, therefore, is an agreement between 
 the tradesman, or party who teaches, and the parents of the 
 lad, the parish, or a magistrate, by which he is bound to 
 serve his master for so many years ; that, by the work he 
 does at the latter time of his apprenticeship, he may in- 
 demnify his master for the expense and trouble which he 
 causes at the commencement. In an indenture the master 
 agrees to supply the apprentice with food, and clothing, and 
 necessaries, during his whole apprenticeship ; and the lad 
 agrees to work for his master's benefit for the whole number 
 of years that he is apprenticed : after he has served his 
 apprenticeship, he is then free to work for himself. Boys 
 
 137 
 
MASTERMAN ready 
 
 who are sent to sea are bound apprentices in the same way 
 as boys who are taught a trade on shore." 
 
 " Thank you, papa/' replied William. " Now, Ready, please 
 to go on." 
 
 "Well, sir, I made up my mind that I would not remain 
 in the collier ; and, as the captain had gone on shore, I had 
 plenty of time to look about me. There was a large ship, 
 which was ready to sail, lying in the stream ; I spoke to two 
 boys who were at the stairs in her boat, and they told me 
 that they were very comfortable on board, and that the 
 captain wanted two or three apprentices. I went on board 
 with them, and offered myself. The captain asked me a 
 great many questions, and I told him the truth, and why 
 I did not like to remain in the collier. He agreed to 
 take me ; and I went on shore with him, signed my in- 
 dentures, and received from him a sufficient supply of 
 clothes ; and, two days afterwards, we sailed for Bombay 
 and China." 
 
 "But you wrote to your mother, Ready, did you not?" 
 said William. 
 
 " Yes, sir, I did ; for the captain desired me to do so, 
 and he put a few lines at the bottom to comfort her ; but, 
 unfortunately, sir, the letter, which was sent on shore by 
 the cook, never arrived. Whether he dropped, or forgot 
 it till after the ship sailed, and then tore it up, I do not 
 know ; but as I found out afterwards, it never did get to her 
 hands." 
 
 " It was not your fault that the letter did not arrive safe," 
 said Mrs. Seagrave. 
 
 " No, madam, that was not my fault ; the fault had been 
 committed before." 
 
 " Don't dwell any more upon that portion of your history, 
 Ready ; but tell us what took place after you sailed for the 
 East Indies." 
 
 " Be it so, if you please. I certainly was very smart and 
 active for my age, and soon became a great favourite on 
 board, especially with the lady passengers, because I was 
 such a little fellow. We arrived safely at Bombay, where 
 our passengers went on shore, and in three weeks afterwards 
 we sailed down the straits for China. It was war time, and 
 we were very often chased by French privateers ; but as we 
 
 138 
 
fcEADY'S HISTORY 
 
 had a good crew, and plenty of guns, none of them ventured 
 to attack us, and we got safe to Macao, where we unloaded 
 our cargo and took in teas. We had to Avait some time for a 
 convoy, and then sailed for England. When we were off the 
 Isle of France, the convoy was dispersed in a gale ; and three 
 days afterwards a French frigate bore down upon us, and 
 after exchanging a few broadsides, we were compelled to 
 haul down our colours. A lieutenant was sent on board with 
 forty men, to take charge of us, for we were a very rich prize 
 to them. The captain and most of the crew were taken on 
 board of the frigate, but ten Lascars and the boys were left 
 in the Indiaman, to assist in taking her into the Isle of 
 France, which was at that time in the hands of the French. 
 I thought it hard that I was to go to prison at twelve years 
 old ; but I did not care much about it, and very soon I was 
 as gay and meny as ever. We had made the island, and 
 were on a wind beating up to the port, when a vessel was 
 seen to windward, and although I could not understand what 
 the Frenchmen said, I perceived that they were in a great 
 fluster and very busy with their spy-glasses, and Jack Romer, 
 one of my broth er-'prentices who had been three years at 
 sea, said to me, f I don't think we'll go to prison after all, 
 Ready, for that vessel is an English man-of-war, if I'm not 
 mistaken.' At last she came down within three miles of us, 
 and hoisted English colours and fired a gun. The French- 
 men put the ship before the wind, but it was of no use ; the 
 man-of-war came up with us very fast, and then the French- 
 men began to pack up their clothes, together with all the 
 other things which they had collected out of the property 
 of our captain and crew ; a shot was fired, which went 
 clean over our heads, and then they left the helm, and Jack 
 Romer went to it, and, with my help, hove the ship up in 
 the wind ; a boat came on board and took possession, and 
 so there was one escape, at all events. When the captain 
 of the English frigate heard how the Frenchmen had 
 behaved he ordered all their baggage to be examined as 
 they came on board, taking away everything which they 
 had plundered." 
 
 " It would have served them right to have taken away 
 their own things in return," said William. 
 
 u Yes, Master William, it would have served than right j 
 
 m 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 but still it would have been wrong to have done so; by so 
 doing, we should have been as dishonest as they were. The 
 captain did not take away their property, but he put them 
 all down in the fore-hold, which, as prisoners, he was justified 
 in doing. They sent a midshipman as prize master on board 
 of the vessel, and left all us, who had been taken prisoners 
 by the French, in the vessel, to help to work her into port, 
 as the captain did not wish to part with any more men of his 
 own than was necessary. We soon made sail for England, 
 quite delighted at having escaped a French prison, but after 
 all, we only exchanged it for a Dutch one." 
 
 " How do you mean ? " 
 
 " I mean that, two days afterwards, as we were rounding 
 the Cape, another French vessel bore down upon us, and 
 captured us. This time we did not find any friend in need, 
 and were taken into Table Bay; for at that time the Cape 
 of Good Hope was in the possession of the Dutch, who, as 
 well as the French, were at war with England." 
 
 "How very unfortunate you were, Ready," said Mrs. 
 Seagrave. 
 
 " Yes, madam, we were, and I can't say much in favour of 
 a Dutch prison. However, I was very young at that time, 
 and did not care much — I had a light heart : but bedtime is 
 come, Miss Caroline is fast asleep, and Master Tommy has 
 been yawning this last half-hour ; so I think I had better 
 leave off now, if you please." 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIV 
 
 House struck with lightning — Juno stunned — Goat killed — ■ 
 Thanks for preservation — Lightning-conductor — Ready's nar~ 
 rative — Fishing. 
 
 .A. HEAVY storm came on soon after they had retired to 
 rest ; the lightning was so vivid that its flashes penetrated 
 through the chinks of the door and windows, and the thunder 
 burst upon them with a noise which prevented them obtain- 
 ing any sleep. The children cried and trembled as they lay 
 
 140 
 
HOUSE STRUCK WITH LIGHTNING 
 
 in the arms of Mrs. Seagrave and Juno, who were almost 
 as much alarmed themselves. 
 
 "This is very awful," said Mr. Seagrave to Ready, for they 
 had both risen from their beds. 
 
 " It is indeed, sir ; I never knew a more terrible storm 
 than this. I often fancy that the lightning and thunder are 
 as the eye and voice of the Eternal in His wrath." 
 
 " Yes, indeed, Ready ; it is through the elements that 
 God speaks to man, and that we feel His power. Merciful 
 Heaven ! " 
 
 As Mr. Seagrave spoke, they were both thrown back half- 
 stunned ; a crash of thunder burst over the house, which 
 shook everything in it ; a sulphurous smell pervaded the 
 building, and soon afterwards, when they recovered their 
 feet, they perceived that the house was full of smoke, and 
 they heard the wailing of the women and the shrieks of the 
 children in the bed-places on the other side. 
 
 " God have mercy on us ! " exclaimed Ready, who was the 
 first to recover himself, and who now attempted to ascertain 
 the injury which had been done ; " the lightning has struck 
 us, and I fear that the house is on fire somewhere." 
 
 "My wife, my children!" exclaimed Mr. Seagrave; "are 
 they all safe ? " 
 
 '■' Yes, yes ! " cried Mrs. Seagrave, " all safe ; Tommy has 
 come to me, but where is Juno ? Juno ! " 
 
 Juno answered not; William darted to the other side of 
 the house, and found Juno lying on her side motionless. 
 
 "She is dead, father," cried William. 
 
 " Help me to carry her out of the house, Mr. Seagrave," 
 said Ready, who had lifted up the poor girl ; " she may be 
 only stunned." 
 
 They carried Juno out of the house, and laid her on the 
 ground ; the rain poured down in torrents. 
 
 Ready left them for a minute, to ascertain if the house 
 was on fire ; he found that it had been in flames at the 
 further corner, but the rain had extinguished it. He then 
 went back to Mr. Seagrave and William, who were with 
 Juno. 
 
 "I will attend to the girl, sir," said Ready; "go you and 
 Master William into the house ; Mrs. Seagrave will be too 
 much frightened if she is left alone at such an awful time. 
 
 141 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 See, sir ! Juno is not dead — her chest heaves — she will come 
 to very soon ; thank God for it — we could but ill spare the 
 poor girl." 
 
 William and Mr. Seagrave returned to the house ; they 
 found Mrs. Seagrave fainting with anxiety and fear. The in- 
 formation they brought, that Juno was not killed by the light- 
 ning, did much to restore her. William soothed little Albert, 
 and Tommy in a few minutes was fast asleep again in his 
 father's arms. The storm now abated, and as the day began 
 to break, Ready appeared with Juno, who was sufficiently re- 
 covered to be able to walk in with his support ; she was put 
 into her bed, and then Ready and Mr. Seagrave went to 
 examine if further mischief had been done. The lightning 
 had come in at the further end of the house, at the part 
 where the fireplace was intended to have been made ; they 
 found that it had melted down part of the iron kettle, and, 
 what was a greater loss, that Black Nanny, the goat, was 
 killed — the kids were, however, unhurt. 
 
 " We have, indeed, been most mercifully preserved," said 
 Mr. Seagrave. 
 
 "Yes, sir, thanks be to God for all His goodness," replied 
 Ready. " I thought poor Juno was gone." 
 
 " I think we have a large roll of copper wire, Ready, have 
 we not ? " said Mr. Seagrave. 
 
 "Yes, sir, I was just thinking of it myself; we will have a 
 lightning-conductor up the first thing." 
 
 " No, Ready ; we will return our thanks to God for our 
 preservation first, and use our human precautions after- 
 wards." 
 
 "True, sir, we are bound to do so; and with grateful 
 hearts." 
 
 It was now broad daylight. Mrs. Seagrave dressed herself 
 and the children, and as soon as she was ready, Mr. Seagrave 
 read such portions of the Psalms as were appropriate, and 
 they earnestly joined in a prayer of thankfulness and humility. 
 William went out to prepare the breakfast, and Ready pro- 
 cured the coil of copper wire from those stores which were 
 stowed under the bed-places. This he unrolled, and stretched 
 it out straight, and then went for the ladder, which was at 
 the outhouse which they had commenced building. As 
 soon as breakfast was over, Ready and Mr. Seagrave went 
 
 142 
 
LIGHTNING-CONDUCTOR 
 
 Out again to fix up the lightning-conductor, leaving William 
 to do the work of Juno, who still remained fast asleep in 
 her bed. 
 
 u I think, sir," said Ready, u that one of those two trees 
 which are close together will suit the best ; they are not too 
 near the house, and yet quite near enough for the wire to 
 attract the lightning." 
 
 "Yes, I agree with you, Ready; but we must not leave 
 them both standing." 
 
 " No, sir, but we shall require them both to get up and fix 
 the wire ; after that we will cut down the other." 
 
 Ready put his ladder against one of the trees, and taking 
 with him the hammer and a bag of large spike nails, drove 
 one of the nails into the trunk of the tree till it was deep 
 enough in to bear his weight ; he then drove in another 
 above it, and so he continued to do, standing upon one 
 of them while he drove in another above, till he had 
 reached the top of the tree, close to the boughs ; he then 
 descended, and, leaving the hammer behind him, took up 
 a saw and small axe, and in about ten minutes he had cut 
 off the head of the cocoa-nut tree, which remained a tall, 
 bare pole. 
 
 "Take care, Ready, how you come down," said Mr. Sea- 
 grave anxiously. 
 
 " Never fear, sir," replied Ready ; " I'm not so young as I 
 was, but I have been too often at the mast-head, much higher 
 than this." 
 
 Ready came down again, and then cut down a small pole, 
 to fix with a thick piece of pointed wire at the top of it, on 
 the head of the cocoa-nut tree. He then went up, lashed 
 the small pole to the head of the tree, made the end of the 
 copper wire fast to the pointed wire, and then he de- 
 scended. The other tree near to it was then cut down, 
 and the lower end of the wire buried in the ground at the 
 bottom of the tree on which the lightning-conductor had 
 been fixed. 
 
 " That's a good job done, sir," said Ready, wiping his face, 
 for he was warm with the work. 
 
 "Yes," replied Mr. Seagrave ; "and we must put up an- 
 other near the outhouse, or we may lose our stores." 
 
 '• Very true, sir." 
 
 143 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 " You understand this, William, don't you ? " said his 
 father. 
 
 " Oh yes, papa ; lightning is attracted by metal, and will 
 now strike the point instead of the house, run down the 
 wire, and only tear up the ground below. You explained it 
 to me before." 
 
 " Well, and you have not forgot it, Master William," said 
 Ready. " It's coming on again, sir, as thick as ever," ob- 
 served the old man ; " we shall do no work to-day, I'm 
 afraid. I'll just go and see where the stock are; I hope 
 we have lost no more of them. Perhaps you and William 
 will bury the poor goat ; you will be able to do that before 
 the storm begins." 
 
 Mr. Seagrave and William pulled Nanny out by the legs, 
 and buried her under the lightning-conductor. By the time 
 they had finished, Ready returned ; he had found the goats 
 and sheep, and he had brought with him the other goat, 
 which had kidded during the storm. 
 
 "The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away, sir," said 
 Ready, as he came to them. " I was fearful that we should 
 have nothing to give the poor kids which had lost their 
 mother, but now this goat can rear them all four. It will be 
 rather hard upon her, but she must do it ; we will feed her 
 well, at all events." 
 
 Ready led in the other goat and put her in the same place 
 where Black Nanny had been, and then they sat down to 
 dinner. Juno was now up again, and said that she was quite 
 well, with the exception of a headache. As Ready had pre- 
 dicted, the rain now came on again with great violence, and 
 it was impossible to do any work out of doors. At the 
 request of William he continued his narrative. 
 
 Narrative of Old Ready. 
 
 "Well, Master William, as soon as they had let go their 
 anchor in Table Bay, we were all ordered on shore, and sent 
 up to a prison close to the Government Gardens. We were 
 not very carefully watched, as it appeared impossible for us 
 to get away, and I must say we were well treated in every 
 respect ; but we were told that we should be sent to Holland 
 
 144 
 
READY'S NARRATIVE 
 
 in the first man-of-war which came into the bay, and we did 
 not much like the idea. 
 
 " There were, as I told you, some other boys as well as 
 myself, who belonged to the Indiaman, and we kept very 
 much together, not only because we were more of an 
 age, but because we had been shipmates so long. Two of 
 these boys, one of whom I have mentioned as Jack Romer, 
 and the other Will Hastings, were my particular friends ; 
 and one day, as we were sitting under the wall warming 
 ourselves, for it was winter time, Romer said, ' How very 
 easy it would be for us to get away, if we only knew where 
 to go to.' 
 
 " ' Yes/ replied Hastings, ' but where are we to go 
 to, if it is not to the Hottentots and wild savages ; and 
 when we get there, what can we do ? — we can't get any 
 farther.' 'Well/ said I, f I would rather be living free 
 among savages, than be shut up in a prison.' That was 
 our first talk on the subject, but we had many others 
 afterwards ; and as the one or two Dutch soldiers who 
 stood sentry spoke English, and we could talk a little 
 Dutch, we obtained a good deal of information from them ; 
 for they had very often been sent to the frontiers of 
 the colony. We continued to ask questions, and to talk 
 among ourselves for about two months, and at last we re- 
 solved that we would make our escape. Now, you see, 
 Master William, this was a very foolish business, and shows 
 how unfit boys are to judge for themselves : we were only 
 running into hardship and danger, without the slightest 
 chance of our escaping. We should have done much better 
 if we had remained where we were ; but there is no putting 
 old heads upon young shoulders. We saved up our pro- 
 visions, bought some long Dutch knives, tied our few clothes 
 up in bundles, and one dark night we contrived to remain in 
 the yard without being perceived, when the prisoners were 
 locked up ; and raising a long pole, which lay in the yard, to 
 the top of the wall, with a good deal of scrambling we con- 
 trived to get over it, and made off as fast as we could for the 
 Table Mountain." 
 
 " What was your reason for going there, Ready ? " 
 
 f< Why, Hastings, who was the oldest, and, I will say, the 
 sharpest of the three, said that we had better stay up there 
 
 145 K 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 for a few clays, till we had made up our minds what to do, 
 and try if we could not procure a musket or two, and 
 ammunition ; for, you see, we had money, as, when the India- 
 man was first taken, the captain divided a keg of rupees, 
 which was on board, among the officers and men, in pro- 
 portion to the wages due to them, thinking it was better for 
 the crew to have the money than to leave it for the French- 
 men ; and we had spent very little while in prison, for spirits 
 were not allowed, and we boys had not begun to chew 
 tobacco, or smoke. There was also another reason why he 
 persuaded us to go to the Table Mountain, which was, that 
 as soon as our escape was found out, they would send parties 
 to look for us ; thinking, of course, that we had made for the 
 interior ; and we should have less chance of being retaken if 
 we travelled after the first search was over. The soldiers 
 had told us of the lions, and other wild animals, and how 
 dangerous it was to travel, and Hastings said that, not 
 finding us, they would suppose we had been destroyed by 
 the wild beasts, and would not look for us any more. You 
 see we had some sort of calculation, although we were 
 foolish boys." 
 
 "Foolish indeed," observed Mrs. Seagrave, "to set off 
 you knew not where, in a country full of wild beasts and 
 savages." 
 
 " True enough, madam," replied Ready ; " and now I 
 will tell you what happened to us ere we were three hours 
 on our journey. We ran at first until we were out of 
 breath, and then we walked on as fast as we could — not 
 going right up the mountain, but keeping a slanting direc- 
 tion to the southwest so as to get away from the town, 
 and more towards False Bay ; you recollect I showed you 
 that bay, Master William, as we passed the Cape of Good 
 Hope." 
 
 " Yes, I remember, Ready." 
 
 " We had walked about four hours, and began to feel very 
 tired when the day dawned, and then we looked out for a 
 place to conceal ourselves in. We soon found a cave with 
 a narrow entrance, large enough inside to hold half-a-dozen 
 of such lads as we were, and we crawled in. It was quite 
 dry, and, as we were very tired, we lay down with our heads 
 on our bundles, intending to take a nap ; but we had hardly 
 
READY'S NARRATIVE 
 
 made ourselves comfortable and shut our eyes, when we 
 heard such a screaming and barking, that we were fright- 
 ened out of our lives almost. We could not think what 
 it could be. At last Hastings peeped out, and began to 
 laugh ; so Romer and I looked out also, and there we 
 saw about one hundred and fifty large baboons, leaping 
 and tumbling about in such a way as I never saw ; they 
 were bigger than we were — indeed, when they stood on 
 their hind-legs they were much taller, and they had 
 very large white tusks. Some of them were females, with 
 young ones on their backs, and they were just as active 
 as the males. At last they played such antics, that we 
 all burst out into a loud laugh, and we had not ceased 
 when we found the grinning face of one of the largest of 
 those brutes close to our own. He had dropped from the 
 rock above us like magic. We all three backed into the 
 cave, very much frightened for the teeth of the animal 
 were enormous, and he looked very savage. He gave a 
 shrill cry, and we perceived all the rest of the herd 
 coming to him as fast as they could. I said that the cave 
 was large enough to hold six of us; but there was a 
 sort of inner cave which we had not gone into, as the 
 entrance was much smaller. Romer cried out, e Let us 
 go into the inside cave — we can get in one by one ; ' 
 and he backed in ; Hastings followed with his bundle, 
 and I hurried in after him just in time ; for the baboons, 
 who had been chattering to each other for half a minute, 
 came into the outer cave just as I crawled into the inner. 
 Five or six of them came in, all males, and very large. 
 The first thing they did was to lay hold of Romer's bundle, 
 which they soon opened — at once they seized his provisions 
 and rammed them into their pouches, and then they pulled 
 out the other things and tore them all to pieces. As soon 
 as they had done with the bundle, two of them came towards 
 the inner cave and saw us. One put his long paw in to seize 
 us ; but Hastings gave him a slash with his knife, and the 
 animal took his paw out again fast enough. It was laugh- 
 able to see him hold out his hand to the others, and then 
 taste the blood with the tip of his tongue, and such a 
 chattering I never heard — they were evidently very angry, 
 and more came into the cave and joined them ; then another 
 
 147 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 put in his hand, and received a cut just as before. At 
 last, two or three at once tried to pull us out, but we beat 
 them all off with our knives, wounding them all very 
 severely. For about an hour they continued their attempts, 
 and then they went away out of the cave, but remained 
 at the mouth shrieking and howling. We began to be very 
 tired of this work, and Romer said that he wished he was 
 back in prison again ; and so did I, I can assure you ; but 
 there was no getting out, for had we gone out the animals 
 would have torn us to pieces. We agreed that we had no 
 chance but by the animals becoming tired and going away ; 
 and most anxious we were, for the excitement had made us 
 very thirsty, and we wanted water. We remained for two 
 hours in this way imprisoned by baboons, when all of a 
 sudden a shrill cry was given by one of the animals, and the 
 whole herd went galloping off as fast as they could, scream- 
 ing louder than ever. We waited for a short time to see 
 if they would return, and then Hastings crawled out first, 
 and looking out of the cave very cautiously, said that they 
 were all gone, and that he could see nothing but a Hot- 
 tentot sitting down watching some cattle which were brows- 
 ing; we therefore all came out, very happy at our release. 
 That was our first adventure, Master William ; we had plenty 
 afterwards ; but I think it is now time we should go to 
 bed. It is my opinion we shall have a fine day to-morrow, 
 sir; but there's no saying." 
 
 " I do so want to hear what happened to you afterwards, 
 Ready/' said William. 
 
 u Well, so you shall, sir ; but there's a time for everything, 
 and this is bed-time, unless you like to go with me, Master 
 William ; the weather has cleared up, and I want to catch a 
 fish or two for to-morrow." 
 
 " Yes, I will, Ready, for I'm not at all tired." 
 
 " Well then, here are the lines : good-night, madam ; good- 
 night, Mr. Seagrave." 
 
 us 
 
STOREHOUSE COMPLETED 
 
 CHAPTER XXXV 
 
 Building storehouse— On the beach— Employment happiness — 
 Tommy killing beetles— Creation— The heavens— Christianity. 
 
 A^S Ready had predicted, the weather set in fine for several 
 days after the violent storm of which we have made mention. 
 Juno was weak, and suffering for some time. She had been 
 struck down by the lightning, but she was able to cook the 
 dinner and do light work. Poor Juno appeared to be very 
 sensible of the wonderful preservation which she had had 
 from the lightning. She had always been a good girl, and 
 attentive whenever the Bible was read, but now she did not 
 appear to think that the usual morning and evening services 
 were sufficient to express her gratitude, and several times 
 when Ready went out first in the morning, he had per- 
 ceived Juno kneeling down under a cocoa-nut tree, secretly 
 and devoutly returning thanks for having been so mercifully 
 spared. 
 
 Ready, of course, did not appear to notice her, but he said 
 more than once to himself as he walked away, " There's more 
 good under that dark skin than under many a white one, and 
 her prayers are as acceptable to the Most High as those of 
 kings and princes." 
 
 For a fortnight, with little intermission, the weather 
 was fine, and during that time Ready, Mr. Seagrave, and 
 William worked from daylight till dusk at the storehouse, 
 which they were so anxious to complete, and were so 
 tired when their work was over, that even William did 
 not ask Ready to go on with his history. At last the 
 storehouse was complete, thatched and wattled in on 
 three sides, leaving one open for ventilation ; the lower 
 part, which had been arranged for the folding of the stock 
 at night and during the rainy season, was also wattled in 
 with cocoa-nut boughs on three sides, and made a very 
 comfortable retreat for the animals. The winding path to 
 the storehouse was also cut through the cocoa-nut grove, 
 but the stumps were not removed, as they could not 
 
 149 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 spare the time. All the stores that they had brought round 
 were put into the storehouse, and they were now ready to 
 take up some other job. It was, however, agreed that, on 
 the day after the building was finished, they should all have 
 a day's holiday, which they certainly did require. William 
 caught some fish, a turtle was speared and wheeled up to the 
 house ; and they not only had a holiday, but a feast. Mr. 
 Seagrave and William had been walking on the beach with 
 Mrs. Seagrave and the children, while Ready was assisting 
 Juno in cutting up the turtle ; they had shown Mrs. 
 Seagrave the storehouse, and the goats with the four kids 
 had been led there, as there was no longer any occasion for 
 them to remain in the house. The weather was beautiful, 
 and they agreed to go and examine the garden. They found 
 that the seeds had not yet commenced sprouting, notwith- 
 standing the heavy rains. 
 
 " I should have thought that so much rain would have 
 made them come up," said Mrs. Seagrave. 
 
 " No, my dear," replied Mr. Seagrave; " they require more 
 of the sun than they will have till the rainy season is nearly 
 over; a few days like this, and they will soon be above 
 ground." 
 
 "Let us sit down on this knoll, it is quite dry," said 
 Mrs. Seagrave. " I little thought," continued she, taking 
 Mr. Seagrave's hand after she was seated, "that I could 
 have been so happy in a desert island. How fast the 
 time flies ! I thought I should feel the loss of books very 
 severely, but I really do not think that I could have found 
 time to read." 
 
 "Employment is a source of happiness, especially when 
 you are usefully employed. An industrious person is always 
 a happy person, provided he is not obliged to work too 
 hard ; and even where you have cause for unhappiness, 
 nothing makes you forget it so soon as occupation. I really 
 believe that an idle person is never truly happy, and that 
 too much work is preferable to having nothing whatever 
 to do." 
 
 " But, mamma, we shall not always have so much to do as 
 we have now," said William. 
 
 " Of course not," replied Mr. Seagrave ; " and then we 
 shall find our books a great source of enjoyment. I am 
 
 150 
 
TOMMY KILLING BEETLES 
 
 anxious to go to the other side of the island, and see what 
 have been spared to us, and whether they have been much 
 damaged ; but that cannot be until after the rains are over ; 
 and we can use the boat again." 
 
 "What are you about, Tommy ?" 
 
 " I'm killing little beetles," replied Tommy ; " I kill 
 plenty." 
 
 " But why should you kill them, Tommy ? — they don't 
 hurt you." 
 
 " I don't like beetles." 
 
 " That's not a reason, Tommy ; you must not kill whatever 
 you don't like. If they bite you, or sting you, then you may 
 destroy them ; but it is very cruel to kill animals when there 
 is no occasion. Who made those beetles, Tommy ? Who 
 made everything ? " 
 
 " God," replied Tommy after a little while. 
 
 "Yes, God made them, and intended them to live 
 out their short lives ; He made all creatures, and He gave 
 them to us for our use, but not to abuse His goodness, 
 by wantonly destroying them. Do you understand me, 
 Tommy ? " 
 
 " Juno kills flies," replied Tommy. 
 
 " Yes, because it is sometimes necessary ; but she does 
 not kill them merely because she has nothing else to do ; 
 remember what I have said to you, Tommy. We may well 
 remember that they are God's creatures, my dear boy," said 
 Mr. Seagrave, turning to William : " look at this minute 
 insect which is crawling on my finger ; what a number of 
 legs it has ! " 
 
 "Yes, I have seen something like it in old books. How 
 fast it runs with its little legs; thinner than hairs — how 
 wonderful ! " 
 
 " Yes, William," replied Mr. Seagrave, " we have only to 
 examine into any portion, however small, of creation, and we 
 are immediately filled with wonder; we have only to look 
 around us, wherever we may be, and we have food for con- 
 templation. There is nothing which points out to us the 
 immensity and the omniscience of the Almighty more than 
 the careful provision which has been made by Him for the 
 smallest and most insignificant of created beings. This 
 little animal is perhaps one of many millions, who have 
 
 151 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 their term of existence, and their enjoyment, as well as 
 we have. What is it? — an insect of the minutest kind, 
 a nothing in creation ; yet has the same care been bestowed 
 upon its formation : these little legs, hardly visible, have 
 their muscles and their sinews ; and every other portion 
 of its body is as complete, as fearfully and wonderfully 
 fashioned, as our own. Such is His will ; and what insects 
 we ought to feel ourselves when compared to the God of 
 power and of love ! 
 
 " Let me also point out to you, William," continued Mr. 
 Seagrave, " the infinity of His creative power, displayed in 
 endless variety perceptible even in objects of the same nature, 
 and to careless eyes of the same form and mould. Amongst 
 the millions of men that have been born, and died, never yet 
 were there seen two faces or two bodies exactly alike ; nay, 
 if you could examine the leaves upon the trees, although 
 there may be millions upon millions in a forest, you could 
 not discover two leaves of precisely the same form and 
 make." 
 
 " I believe not," replied William, " I have often tried 
 in vain ; yet some animals are so much alike, that I can- 
 not perceive any difference between them — sheep, for 
 instance." 
 
 " Very true ; you cannot tell the difference, because you 
 have not examined them ; but a shepherd, if he has seven 
 hundred sheep under his care, will know every one of them 
 from the others ; which proves that there must be a great differ- 
 ence between them, although not perceptible to the casual 
 observer ; and the same, no doubt, is the case with all other 
 classes of animals. In everything made, His variety is 
 infinite. 
 
 "And observe again, my dear William, what effect of 
 human ingenuity can approach to the perfection of structure, 
 in the simplest formation by the almighty hand. Look at 
 this small flower ; examine the beauty of its colour and form ; 
 consider the lavish profusion with which myriads of such 
 flowers spring up to adorn the earth, and yet how matchless ! 
 Does not our Redeemer beautifully point it out where He says, 
 ( Consider the lilies of the field ; they toil not, neither do 
 they spin ; and yet I say unto you, that even Solomon in all 
 his glory was not arrayed like one of these ' ? " 
 
 152 
 
CREATION 
 
 u Yes, Master William/' observed Ready ; " I have often 
 wondered over the things that I have seen, and I have even 
 in my ignorance felt what your papa has now told you ; and 
 it has brought into my mind the words of Job : " When I con- 
 sider, I am afraid of Him." 
 
 " Papa/' said William, after a pause in the conversation, 
 "you have referred to the variety — the wonderful variety — 
 shown in the works of the Deit} r . Tell me some other pro- 
 minent feature in creation." 
 
 "One of the most remarkable in creation, William, is 
 order." 
 
 " Point out to me, papa, where and in what that quality is 
 most observable." 
 
 " Everywhere and in everything, my dear boy ; whether 
 we cast our eyes up to the heavens above us, or penetrate 
 into the bowels of the earth, the principle of order is 
 everywhere — everything is governed by fixed laws, which 
 cannot be disobeyed : we have order in the seasons, in 
 the tides, in the movement of the heavenly bodies, in 
 the instinct of animals, in the duration of life assigned 
 to each ; from the elephant who lives more than a century, 
 to the ephemeral fly, whose whole existence is limited to 
 an hour. 
 
 " Inanimate nature is subject to the same unvarying 
 laws. Metals, and rocks, and earths, and all the mineral 
 kingdom, follow one law in their crystallisation, never 
 varying from the form assigned to them ; each atom de- 
 positing itself in the allotted place, until that form is com- 
 plete : we have order in production, order in decay ; but 
 all is simple to Him by whom the planets were thrown out 
 into space, and were commanded to roll in their eternal 
 orbits." 
 
 " I never do look up on a starry night without feel- 
 ing inclined to pray," said William. " The stars in the 
 heavens are beautiful, but they are not placed there in 
 order." 
 
 u The fixed stars do not appear to us to be in order — that 
 is, they do not stud the heavens at equal distances from each 
 other as we view them ; but you must recollect that they are 
 at very different distances from this earth, spreading over an 
 infinity of space ; and we have reason to suppose that this our 
 
 153 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 earth is but a mere unit in the multitude of created worlds, 
 only one single portion of an infinite whole. As the stars 
 now appear to us, they are useful to the mariner, enabling 
 him to cross the trackless seas ; and to the astronomer, who 
 calculates the times and seasons. Depend upon it, William, 
 it is for wise reasons that we view the stars as we now do, so 
 profusely scattered in the heavens." 
 
 "What do you mean, papa, by saying that this world of 
 ours is supposed to be but one of a multitude of created 
 worlds ? " 
 
 " William, our little knowledge is bounded to this our own 
 earth, which we have ascertained very satisfactorily to be but 
 one of several planets revolving round our own sun. I say 
 our own sun, because we have every reason to suppose that 
 each of those fixed stars, and myriads now not visible to the 
 naked eye, are all suns, bright and glorious as our own, and of 
 course throwing light and heat upon unseen planets revolving 
 round them. Does not this give you some idea of the vast- 
 ness, the power, and the immensity of God ? " 
 
 " One almost loses one's self in the imagination," said Mrs. 
 Seagrave. 
 
 "Yes, dearest," replied Mr. Seagrave; "and it has been 
 surmised by some, who have felt in their hearts the mag- 
 nificence of the Great Architect, that there must be some 
 point of view in space where all those glorious suns, which 
 seem to us confused in the heavens above us, will appear all 
 symmetrically arranged, will there be viewed in regular order, 
 whirling round in one stupendous and perfect system of 
 beauty and design ; and where can that be, if it is not in that 
 heaven which we hope to gain ? " 
 
 There was a silence for a few moments, when William said, 
 "They say that there are people who are atheists, papa. 
 How can they be so if they only look around them ? I'm 
 sure a mere examination of the works of God ought to make 
 them good Christians." 
 
 " No, my child," replied Mr. Seagrave ; " there you are in 
 error. Few deny the existence of a Deity, and an examina- 
 tion of His works may make them good and devout men, 
 but not Christians. There are good men to be found under 
 every denomination, whether they be Jews, Mahommedans, or 
 Pagans ; but they are not Christians." 
 
 154 
 
STACKING FUEL 
 
 "Very true, papa." 
 
 "Faith in things seen, if I may use the term, my dear 
 child — faith produced by an examination of the works of 
 creation — may induce men to acknowledge the power and 
 goodness of the Almighty, but it will not make them wise to 
 salvation ; for that end, it is necessary, as the Apostle saith, 
 to have faith in things not seen. There is little merit in ac- 
 knowledging what is evident to our senses ; the faith required 
 of us as Christians, and to which are attached the great and 
 gracious promises of the Gospel, is faith in a sublime, and to 
 us, incomprehensible mystery — the incarnation of the Son of 
 God, who descended upon earth and took the form of man, 
 and actually suffered for our redemption. Still the examina- 
 tion of the works of God will always produce an effect which, 
 by the divine blessing, may tend eventually to make those 
 Christians who as yet are not so. The visible works of the 
 Creator prove beyond all doubt His stupendous power and His 
 overflowing love ; and once convinced of these, we ought to 
 be better prepared to receive those tenets of a Christian's 
 faith, which are to us incomprehensible, but which nothing 
 but His love to us would have suggested. What saith the 
 Apostle ? c Herein is love — not that we loved God, but that 
 He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our 
 
 CHAPTER XXXVI 
 
 Stacking fuel — Salt-pan — Chance of relief— Women—Ready's 
 narrative. 
 
 YY ELL, Ready," said Mr. Seagrave, "after breakfast, which 
 is to be our next job ? " 
 
 " Why, sir, I think we had better all set to, to collect the 
 branches and ends of the cocoa-nut trees cut down, and stack 
 them for fuel. Master Tommy and Juno have already made 
 a good large pile, and I think, by to-night, we shall have 
 made the stack, and so arranged it, that the rain will not 
 get into it much. After that, as the weather will not permit 
 us to leave the house for any time, we will cut our salt-pan 
 
 155 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 and make our fish-pond ; they will take a week at least, and 
 then we shall have little more to do near home. I think the 
 strength of the rains is over already, and perhaps in a fort- 
 night we may venture to walk through the wood, and 
 examine what we have saved from the wreck ; we shall have 
 plenty to do in sorting and preparing the different articles, 
 before the fine weather returns, and we can then bring them 
 round in the boat and fill our storehouse." 
 
 "And we are to explore the island ; are we not, Ready?" 
 said William. " I long to do that." 
 
 "Yes, Master William, but that must be almost the last 
 job ; for we shall be away for two or three nights, per- 
 haps, and we must look out for fine weather. We will, 
 however, do that before we bring the stores round in the 
 boat." 
 
 " But how are we to make the salt-pan, Ready ? We 
 must cut it out of the solid rock." 
 
 " Yes, Master William ; but I have three or four of what 
 they call cold chisels — those short, thick pieces of iron, with 
 one end sharpened, which are in the storehouse — and with 
 one of them and a hammer, we shall get on faster than you 
 think; for the coral rock, although hard at the surface, is 
 very soft a little below it." 
 
 The whole of that day was employed in piling up the 
 cocoa-nut branches and wood. Ready made a square stack, 
 like a haystack, with a gable top, over which he tied the 
 long branches, so that the rain would pour off it. 
 
 "There," said Ready, as he came down the ladder, "that 
 will be our provision for next year ; we have quite enough 
 left to go on with till the rainy season is over, and we 
 shall have no difficulty in collecting it afterwards when 
 the weather is dry ; this must be kept for the next rainy 
 season." 
 
 Mr. Seagrave sighed and looked grave ; Ready observed 
 it, and said, " Mr. Seagrave, it is not that we may want it ; 
 but still we must prepare for the next rainy season, in case 
 we do want it. That Captain Osborn, if he lives, will send 
 to look for us, I have no doubt ; nay, I believe that 
 Mackintosh will do the same ; but still you must not forget 
 that they all may have perished, although we have been so 
 mercifully preserved. A small boat has a poor chance when 
 
 156 
 
WOMEN 
 
 it has to run many hundred miles in the open sea; and if 
 they should have perished, we may remain here for years 
 before we are discovered. We must put our trust in God, 
 sir." 
 
 " We must, Ready ; and if it is His will, we must not 
 murmur. I have schooled myself as much as possible : but 
 thoughts will come, in spite of my endeavours to restrain 
 them." 
 
 " Of course they will, sir ; that's natural : however, sir, 
 you must hope for the best; fretting is no good, and it 
 is sinful." 
 
 " I feel it is, Ready ; and when I see how patient, and 
 even happy, my wife is under such privations, I am angry 
 with myself." 
 
 "A woman, sir, bears adversity better than a man. A 
 woman is all love, and if she has but her husband and 
 children with her, and in good health, she will make her- 
 self happy almost anywhere : but men are different : they 
 cannot bear being shut out of the world as you are now ; 
 although perhaps they would be happier for not being 
 mixed up with it, if they could only think so." 
 
 "It is our ambition which makes us unhappy, Ready," 
 replied Mr. Seagrave ; " but let us say no more about "it : 
 God must dispose of me as He thinks fit. The sun has set ; 
 let us go home : come, William." 
 
 After supper, Ready, being requested by William, con- 
 tinued his narrative : — 
 
 " I left off, if I recollect right, Master William, just as the 
 Hottentot, with the cattle under his care, had frightened 
 away the baboons who were tormenting us. Well, sir, we 
 came out of the cave and sat down under the rock, so that 
 the Hottentot could not see us, and we had a sort of council 
 of war. Romer was for going back and giving ourselves up 
 again ; for he said it was ridiculous to be wandering about, 
 without any arms to defend ourselves against wild beasts, 
 and that we might fall in with something worse than the 
 baboons very soon ; and he was right. It would have been 
 the wisest thing which we could have done ; but Hastings 
 said, that if we went back we should be laughed at, and the 
 idea of being laughed at made us all agree that we would 
 not. You see, Master William, the fear of being laughed at 
 
 157 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 is the occasion of not only boys, but even men, doing very 
 foolish things. We had done wrong, and we would not do 
 right because we were afraid of ridicule ; in fact, we were 
 determined to risk our lives and run into any danger and 
 hardship, because we could not bear to be laughed at for 
 our folly, as we deserved to be. Bear this in mind, Master 
 William, and never let the fear of ridicule induce you to do 
 what is wrong ; or if you have done wrong, prevent you from 
 returning to what is your duty/' 
 
 " Many thanks for your advice, Ready ; I hope William 
 will not forget it," said Mr. Seagrave ; " more people are 
 laughed into error than persuaded into it." 
 
 " Well, sir, such was our reason for not giving up our mad 
 scheme ; and having so decided, the next point of consulta- 
 tion between us was, how we were to procure arms and 
 ammunition, which we could not do without. As we were 
 talking this over, I peeped from behind the rock, to see 
 where the Hottentot might be ; I perceived that he had 
 laid himself down, and wrapped himself up in his kross, a 
 mantle of sheep-skins which they always wear. Now we 
 had observed that he carried his musket in his hand, when 
 we first saw him, as the Hottentots always go out armed, 
 and I pointed out to Hastings and Romer, that if he was 
 asleep, we might get possession of his musket without his 
 perceiving it. This was a good idea, and Hastings said he 
 would crawl to him on his hands and knees, while we 
 remained behind the rock. He did so very cautiously, and 
 found the man's head covered up in his kross and fast asleep ; 
 so there was no fear, for the Hottentots are very hard to 
 wake at any time ; that we knew well. Hastings first took 
 the musket and carried it away out of the reach of the 
 Hottentot, and then he returned to him, cut the leather 
 thong which slung his powder-horn and ammunition, and 
 retreated with all of them without disturbing the man from 
 his sleep. We were quite overjoyed at this piece of good 
 luck, and determined to walk very cautiously some distance 
 from where the Hottentot lay, that in case he awoke, he 
 should not see us. Keeping our eyes about in every direc- 
 tion, lest we should meet with anybody else, we proceeded 
 nearly a mile towards Table Bay, when we fell in with a 
 stream of water. This was another happy discovery, for we 
 
 158 
 
READY'S NARRATIVE 
 
 were very thirsty ; so we concealed ourselves near to the 
 stream after we had quenched our thirst, and made a dinner 
 oft* the provisions we had brought with us." 
 
 " But, Ready, did you not do wrong to steal the Hottentot's 
 musket ? " 
 
 " No, Master William ; in that instance it could not be 
 considered as a theft. We were in an enemy's country, 
 trying to escape; we were therefore just as much at war 
 with the country as we were when they took us prisoners, 
 and we no more stole the musket than they could be 
 said to have stolen our ship. Am I not right, Mr. Sea- 
 grave ? " 
 
 " I think so : when two nations are at war, the property 
 of either, when taken, is confiscated. In your position, you 
 were justified in appropriating any property you might get 
 hold of, which would further your attempts to escape ; 
 although I should not think you would have been morally 
 justified if you had murdered and robbed, or even robbed 
 wantonly." 
 
 u Exactly so ; but, in attempting our escape, had it been 
 necessary to have either surrendered ourselves as prisoners 
 again, or have taken the life of those who would have made 
 us captives, we should have been justified in killing the 
 parties." 
 
 "I believe you are justified in what may seem extreme 
 acts, for the recovery of your liberty, after you have been 
 made prisoners. It has always been so considered." 
 
 "Well, sir, to go on: we waited till dusk, and then we 
 continued our march towards False Bay as fast as we could. 
 We knew that there were farmers down in the valley, or 
 rather the sides of the hills, and we hoped to obtain, by 
 some means or other, two more muskets. It was near twelve 
 o'clock at night, with a bright moon, when we had a sight of 
 the water in False Bay, and soon afterwards we heard the 
 baying of a large dog, and not far from us we distinguished 
 two or three farmhouses, with their cattle-folds and orchards. 
 We then looked for a hiding-place, where we might remain 
 till the morning ; we found one between some large pieces of 
 rock. We agreed that one should watch while the other two 
 slept ; this Hastings undertook to do, as he was not inclined 
 to sleep. At daylight he woke Romer and me, and we made 
 
 159 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 our breakfast. From the place we were concealed in, we 
 had a bird's-eye view of the farmhouse, and of what was 
 going on. 
 
 "The farmhouse and buildings just below us were much 
 smaller than the other two, which were more distant. We 
 watched the people as they went about. In about an hour 
 the Hottentots came out, and we perceived that they were 
 yoking the oxen to the waggon ; they yoked twelve pair, 
 and then the Hottentot driver got in and drove off towards 
 Cape Town, accompanied by a Hottentot lad and the big 
 dog. Soon after that, another Hottentot drove the cows up 
 the valley to feed : and then a Dutchwoman came out of the 
 house with two children, and fed the poultry. 
 
 " We watched for another hour, and then the farmer him- 
 self made his appearance, with a pipe in his mouth, and sat 
 down on a bench. When his pipe was out, he called to the 
 house, and a Hottentot woman came to him with more 
 tobacco and a light. During the whole of the day, we did 
 not see any other people about the house, so we concluded 
 that there were no more than the farmer, his wife, the 
 Hottentot woman, and two children. About two hours after 
 noon the farmer went to the stable and led out his horse, 
 mounted, and rode away ; we saw him speak to the Hottentot 
 woman when he rode off, and she soon after went down the 
 valley with a basket on her head, and a long knife in her 
 hand. Then Hastings said it was time that we moved, for 
 there was but one woman in the house, and we could easily 
 overpower her and get what we wanted ; still there was a 
 great risk, as she might give the alarm, and we should have 
 to escape in the day-time, and might be seen and taken 
 prisoners again. However, as it was our only chance, we 
 resolved to go down to the farmhouse very cautiously, and 
 be all ready to seize any opportunity. We crept down the 
 hill, and gained the fence, which was at the back of the 
 farmhouse, without being discovered : we remained there 
 for about a quarter of an hour, when, to our great joy, we 
 observed the farmer's wife go out of the house, leading a 
 child in each hand : apparently she was going to visit one of 
 her neighhours, for she went in the direction of one of the 
 other farms. As soon as she was a hundred yards off, 
 Hastings crept softly through the fence, and entered the 
 
 160 
 
READY'S NARRATIVE 
 
 farmhouse by the back door ; he came out again, and made 
 a sign for us to come in. We found him already in possession 
 of a rifle and a musket, which had been hanging over the 
 fireplace, and we soon handed down the powder-horns and 
 ammunition pouches, which were hung up at a different part 
 of the room, away from the fireplace. 
 
 " Having gained these, Hastings set me to watch at the 
 front door, lest anybody should return, while Romer and he 
 looked out for something else in the way of provisions. We 
 got possession of three hams, and a large loaf of bread as 
 big as a small washing-tub. With these articles we made 
 our way safe back to our retreat. We then looked round, 
 and could see nobody in any direction, so we presumed that 
 we were not discovered. As there was a sort of ravine full 
 of rocks dividing the hill, which we were obliged to pass 
 before we could get into the valley, unless we went down 
 close to the farmhouse, we agreed that it would be better at 
 once to cross it during the day-time, so that we should get 
 the difficulty over, and, at the same time, be further from 
 the farmhouse. W T e did so ; and found a very secure hiding- 
 place, where we lay down, waiting for the sun to set before 
 we started on our journey into the interior. We had not 
 been there an hour, before we heard the shrill cry of our 
 friends, the baboons, on the hill which we had left; and, 
 after that, we perceived them going down towards the farm- 
 house, and very busy taking the fruit out of the orchard, 
 throwing it from one to the other as fast as they could ; for, 
 you see, these cunning animals had found out that the coast 
 was clear, and did not lose so good an opportunity. They 
 were still busy with their work, when the Hottentot came 
 in sight with the cows ; and when he approached the farm- 
 house, they all gave a loud scream, and scampered off as fast 
 as they could. Then the Dutchwoman was seen coming 
 back, and when she had gone into the house, and spoken to 
 the Hottentot, we heard her crying as she came out again 
 by the back door. About an hour before dusk, the Dutch 
 farmer came home on horseback, and, in a few minutes, we 
 knew by the shrieking and screams, that he was beating his 
 wife : for you see, sir (that is, we suppose it was so), by her 
 leaving the house, the baboons had ventured to rob the 
 orchard ; and I have no doubt it was taken for granted that 
 
 161 L 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 they had carried off the different articles missing in the 
 house ; for they will take anything ; so if it was unfortunate 
 for the poor woman, it was very lucky for us, as it removed 
 the suspicion of our being there, and occasioned no search 
 after us ; so we quite forgave the baboons all the annoyance 
 they had given us in the morning, in consequence of the 
 good turn they had done us in the evening. I think I 
 had better leave off, now, Master William, as it is getting 
 late." 
 
 CHAPTER XXXVII 
 
 Fish-pond — Wheeling stones — Alligator — Shark — Pigs — Dogs 
 — Ready's narrative. 
 
 A HE fish-pond was commenced the next morning. Ready, 
 Mr. Seagrave, and William went down together to the 
 beach, and, after much examination, chose a spot about one 
 hundred yards from the turtle-pond, as most eligible for 
 the purpose, the water being shallow, so that at the part 
 farthest from the shore there would not be more than three 
 feet. 
 
 " Now, sir," said Ready, " this is a very simple job ; all we 
 have to do is, to collect small rocks and stones, pile them up 
 wall-fashion inside, and with a slope outside, so as to break 
 the force of the waves when the water is a little rough : of 
 course, the water will find its way through the stones, and 
 will be constantly changed. It's very true, that we can at 
 most times catch fish when we want them, but it is not 
 always that we can spare the time, so it's just as well to have 
 always a certain quantity at hand, to take out at a moment's 
 warning ; and we can, of course, catch them and put them 
 in here when we have nothing else to do. Juno will be 
 able to come down and take them out with a spear 
 when we are away, and she wants something for dinner. 
 There's nothing like having a ready supply of provisions at 
 all times." 
 
 "But there are few stones about here, Ready; we shall 
 have to fetch them a long way," said William. 
 
AN ALLIGATOR 
 
 " Well, then, Master William, let us get the wheels down 
 here, and then we can carry a quantity at a time." 
 
 " But how shall we carry them, Ready ? " 
 
 " We will sling a tub on the axle ; I will go up and get 
 that ready and bring it down ; in the meantime, you and 
 Mr. Seagrave can collect all the stones which are near at 
 hand." 
 
 Ready soon returned with the wheels, and the tub slung 
 with rope on the axle, and by that means they found that 
 they could collect the stones very fast ; Mr. Seagrave and 
 William bringing them, and Ready, in the water, building up 
 the wall. 
 
 " We have quite forgot another job which we must put in 
 hand, sir," observed Ready ; " but the fish-pond reminds me 
 of it." 
 
 "What is that, Ready?" 
 
 " A bathing-place for the children, and indeed for us all ; 
 we shall want it when the hot weather comes on, but we 
 will put it off till then. I can tell you, sir, that although I 
 don't mind building this wall in the shallow water, I shall be 
 very careful when the water is up to my knees, for you don't 
 know how bold the sharks are in these latitudes. When I 
 was at St. Helena, not very long ago, we had a melancholy 
 proof of it." 
 
 " Tell us the story, Ready." 
 
 " Why, sir, I could not have believed it possible. I did 
 know an instance, something of the kind, when I was in the 
 East Indies ; but that was not a shark, but an alligator. 
 A Dutchman, at Trincomalee, was standing on the beach, 
 fishing in the harbour; an alligator swam right up to him, 
 till his snout was within two feet of him ; but the Dutch- 
 man being on shore, did not care for him, when all of a 
 sudden, the alligator turned short round in the water, and 
 in so doing, with his tail, he tripped up the Dutchman and 
 threw him into the water, and then laid hold of him, and 
 dived down." 
 
 " Well, but a shark could not do that, could he ? " 
 
 "Yes, sir. Two soldiers were standing on the rocks at St. 
 Helena; the rocks were out of the water, but the swell just 
 broke over them. Two sharks swam up to them in the same 
 way as the alligator did. and one of them, with a blow of his 
 
 163 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 tail, turning round the same way, tripped one of them off 
 into the water, which was very deep. His comrade was very 
 much frightened and ran to the barracks to tell the story. 
 About a week afterwards, a schooner was in Sandy Bay, on 
 the other side of the island, and the people seeing a very 
 large shark under the stern, put out a hook with a piece of 
 pork, and caught him ; they opened him, and found inside 
 of him, to their horror, the whole of the body of the soldier, 
 except the legs below the knees ; the monster had swallowed 
 him whole, with the exception of his legs, which had been 
 nipped off when it closed its jaws. I saw the maw and the 
 backbone of the animal at the barracks, and it certainly was 
 the largest brute of the kind that I ever witnessed in my 
 life." 
 
 te I really had no idea that they were so bold, Ready." 
 
 " It is a fact, I assure you, sir ; and therefore we cannot 
 be too careful how we go into the water : you saw how soon 
 the poor pig was despatched." 
 
 " I wonder how the pigs get on, Ready," said William. 
 
 "I dare say they have littered by this time, sir; they 
 have no want of food." 
 
 " But can they eat the cocoa-nuts ? " 
 
 " Not the old ones, but they can the young ones, which 
 are constantly dropping from the trees, and then there's 
 plenty of roots for them. If we stay long here we shall 
 soon have good sport hunting them ; but we must be very 
 careful, Master William ; for although they were tame pigs 
 when we brought them on shore, they will be wild and very 
 savage in a very short time. A wild boar is a formidable 
 animal." 
 
 " So I believe," said Mr. Seagrave : " how must we hunt 
 them ? " 
 
 "Why, sir, with the dogs, and then shoot them. I 
 am glad that Vixen is to pup soon ; we shall want more 
 dogs." 
 
 " I am afraid that we shall have more mouths than we can 
 find food for." 
 
 " Never fear that, sir, as long as we have the sea to fish in. 
 Dogs live very well upon fish, even if it is raw ; in the 
 northern climes they get little else." 
 
 " We shall have some lambs soon, Ready ; shall we not ? " 
 
 164 
 
READY'S NARRATIVE 
 
 " Yes, sir, I expect very soon. I wish we had more food 
 for the animals ; they are put rather hard to it just now ; but 
 next year, if we find more food on the island, we must keep 
 the grass near home, to make hay and stack it for the winter 
 time — or the rainy season rather, for there is no winter in 
 these latitudes. I'm pretty sure we shall find some clear 
 land on the south of the island, for the cocoa-nut grove does 
 not extend so close to the water on that side as it does on 
 the north." 
 
 "I do so long to go on our exploring party," said 
 William. 
 
 " We must wait a little, sir," replied Ready ; " but I don't 
 know whether you will go ; we must not all three go at once, 
 and leave Mrs. Seagrave alone." 
 
 " No," replied Mr. Seagrave, " that would not be fair ; 
 either you or I must remain, William." 
 
 William made no reply, but it was evident that he was 
 annoyed at the idea of not being of the party. They 
 worked very hard that day, and the walls rose fast out 
 of the water. At sunset they broke off and returned to 
 the house. 
 
 After supper Ready continued his narrative : — " We re- 
 mained concealed until it was dark, and then Hastings and 
 Romer, each with a musket on his shoulder and a ham at 
 his back ; and I, being the smallest, with the rifle and the 
 great loaf of bread, which was slung to me by a string passing 
 through a hole bored through the middle, set off on our 
 journey. Our intention was to travel north, as we knew that 
 was the road leading from the colony ; but Hastings had 
 decided that we should first go to the eastward, so as to 
 make what we sailors call a circumbendibus, which would 
 keep us out of the general track. We passed through the 
 deep sands of False Bay, and after that gradually ascended, 
 getting among brushwood and young trees ; but we saw no 
 signs of cultivation, nor did we pass one house after we had 
 left False Bay astern of us. About twelve o'clock we were 
 very much fatigued, and longed for a drink of water, but we 
 did not find any, although the moon shone as bright as day. 
 We distinctly heard, however, what we did not much like, 
 the howling and cries of the wild beasts, which increased 
 as we went on ; still, we did not see any, and that was our 
 
 165 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 comfort. At last we were so tired that we all sat down on 
 the ledge of a rock. We dared not go to sleep, so we 
 remained there till daylight, listening to the howling of the 
 animals. We none of us spoke, and I presume that Hastings' 
 and Romer' s thoughts were the same as my own, which 
 were, that I would have given a great deal to find myself 
 safe and sound again within the prison walls. However, 
 daylight came at last ; the wild beasts did not prowl any 
 more ; we walked on till we found a stream of water, where 
 we sat down and took our breakfast, after which our courage 
 revived, and we talked and laughed as we walked on, just 
 as we had done before. We now began to ascend the 
 mountains, which Hastings said must be the Swartz or Black 
 Mountains that the soldiers had talked to us about — they 
 might be for all I knew, but they M-ere very desolate ; and 
 when night came on we collected brushwood, and cut down 
 branches with our large knives, that we might make a fire, 
 not only to warm ourselves, but to scare away the wild 
 beasts, whose howling had already commenced. We saw 
 two or three during the daytime sunning themselves on the 
 flat rocks — one was a panther ; we had loaded our guns : as 
 we passed, it showed its white teeth, but did not move ; the 
 others were too far off for us to distinguish what they were. 
 We lighted our fire and ate our supper; the loaf was half 
 gone, and the hams had been well cut into — we knew, there- 
 fore, that very soon we should have to trust to our guns for 
 procuring food. As soon as we had finished our meal, we 
 lay down by the fire, with our muskets loaded close to us, 
 and our ammunition placed out of danger. We were so tired, 
 that we were soon fast asleep. It had been agreed that 
 Romer should keep the first watch, and Hastings the middle, 
 and I the morning ; but Romer fell asleep, and the conse- 
 quence was, that the fire was not kept up. It was about 
 midnight that I was awakened by something breathing hard 
 in my face, and just as I could recall my senses and open 
 my eyes, I found myself lifted up by my waistband, and 
 the teeth of some animal pinching my flesh. I tried to 
 catch at my musket, but I put out my wrong hand, and 
 laid hold of a still lighted brand out of the fire, which I 
 darted into the animal's face ; it let me drop directly, and 
 ran away." 
 
 166 
 
READY'S NARRATIVE 
 
 " What a providential escape ! " said Mrs. Seagrave. 
 
 " Yes, it was, ma'am ; the animal was a hyena. Fortu- 
 nately they are a very cowardly sort of beast ; still, had it 
 not been for the lighted stick, it would have carried me off, 
 for I was very small then, and it lifted me up as if I was a 
 feather in its mouth. The shout I gave woke Hastings, who 
 seized his musket and fired. I was very much frightened, as 
 you may suppose. As for Romer, he never woke till we 
 pushed him hard, he was so completely knocked up. This 
 affair, of course, made us more cautious, and afterwards we 
 lighted two fires, and slept between them, one always re- 
 maining on the watch. For a week we travelled on, and 
 as soon as we were over the mountains, we turned our heads 
 to the northward. We now were away from rocks and 
 brushwood, and entered a large plain. Our provisions were 
 all gone, and we were one day without any ; but we killed 
 an antelope called a spring-bock, which gave us provisions 
 for three or four days : there w T as no want of game after we 
 had descended into the plain. I forgot to mention, how- 
 ever, a narrow escape we had, just before we had left an 
 extensive forest on the side of the mountain. We had 
 walked till past noon, and were very much tired ; we de- 
 cided upon taking our dinner under a large tree, and we 
 threw ourselves down in the shade. Hastings was lying on 
 his back, with his eyes looking upwards, when he perceived 
 on a lower branch of the tree, a panther, which lay along it, 
 his green eyes fixed upon us, and ready to spring : he seized 
 his musket, and fired it without taking aim, for there was 
 no time ; but the ball entered the stomach of the animal, 
 and, as it appeared, divided its backbone. Down came the 
 beast, within three or four feet of where we lay, with a loud 
 roar, and immediately crouched to spring upon Romer ; but it 
 could not, for the backbone being broken, it had not any 
 power in its hinder quarters, so it raised up its fore-quarters, 
 and then dropped down again. I never saw such rage and 
 fury in an animal in my life. At first we were too much 
 frightened to fire ; but, perceiving that the beast could not 
 spring, Hastings snatched the musket from Romer and shot 
 it through the head." 
 
 "That was, indeed, another wonderful escape," observed 
 Mrs. Seagrave. 
 
 167 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 " It was, ma'am ; but do you know, we cared less for 
 danger every time we ran into it. We were now obliged 
 to hunt for our livelihood, and we became bolder than ever. 
 Our clothes were all in rags ; but Ave had plenty of powder 
 and ammunition ; there were hundreds and hundreds of 
 antelopes and gnus in the plain — indeed, sometimes it was 
 impossible to count them. We didn't want for provisions, I 
 assure you ; but this plentiful supply of game was the cause 
 of our being in greater danger, for now, for the first time, we 
 heard the roar of the lions every night. Of all the noises I 
 ever heard, it is certainly the one which, to my mind, is the 
 most terrible. We made large fires to keep them off, but I 
 assure you they often made us tremble when they came near 
 to us." 
 
 " Did you ever meet with one in the daytime ? " said 
 William. 
 
 " Yes, sir ; we often saw them, but they never attacked us, 
 and we were too much afraid to fire at them. Once, we met 
 one face to face. W T e had killed an antelope called a harte- 
 beest, and, with our muskets on our shoulders, were running 
 to secure it, having marked where it fell in the high grass. 
 Just as we came up to the spot of grass we heard a roar, and 
 found ourselves not ten yards from a lion, who was lying on 
 the top of the beast we had killed, his eyes flashing fire at 
 us, and half raising himself, as if ready for a spring. We all 
 took to our heels as fast as we could. I never looked back 
 till I was out of breath : but the lion was content with our 
 running away, and did not take the trouble to follow us. We 
 went to sleep that night without our supper. Well, sir, we 
 had been travelling, we really hardly knew where, but 
 certainly in a northerly direction, for three weeks, and were 
 quite worn out: we now all agreed that we had done a very 
 foolish thing, and would gladly have gone back again. We 
 walked along the whole day without speaking to one another, 
 except when it was necessary to hunt for provisions ; for my 
 part, I declare that I was willing to lie down and die, if I 
 could have so done, and I became quite indifferent to the 
 roaring of the lions, and felt as if I should be glad if one 
 would have made a meal of me ; when, one morning, we 
 fell in with a party of natives. We could not speak to 
 them, but they appeared very peaceable and well-disposed. 
 
 168 
 
THE FISH-POND COMPLETED 
 
 They were of the Karroo tribe, as ''■-hey told us by pointing 
 to themselves, and saying, ' Karroos/ and then they pointed 
 to us, and said c Dutch.' We shot game, and gave it to them, 
 which pleased them very much, and they remained with us 
 for five or six days. We tried by signs to inquire of them, if 
 there were any Dutch settlement about there ; and they 
 understood us, and said that there was, in a direction which 
 they pointed out to us, to the north-east. We offered them 
 a present if they would show us the way ; for we had made 
 up our minds that we would give ourselves up to the Dutch, 
 and go back to prison. Two of the men agreed to go with 
 us ; the rest of the tribe, with the women and children, went 
 southward. The next day we arrived at a Dutch settlement 
 of three or four farmhouses, called Graef Reynets ; but I must 
 leave off now, for it is past bedtime." 
 
 CHAPTER XXXVIII 
 
 William taken ill — Ready bleeds him — William in a fever — 
 Out of danger — Recovering — Ready's narrative. 
 
 1 HE construction of the fish-pond proceeded rapidly, and on 
 the third day it was nearly complete. As soon as all the 
 walls were finished, Ready threw out sand and shingle, so as 
 to make the part next to the beach nearly as deep as the 
 other ; so that there might be sufficient water to prevent the 
 gulls and man-of-war birds from darting down, and striking 
 the fish. While Ready was thus employed, Mr. Seagrave 
 and William collected more rocks, so as to divide the pond 
 into four parts, at the same time allowing a communication 
 between each part. These inside walls, as well as the out- 
 side, were made of sufficient width to walk upon ; by which 
 means they would have all the fish within reach of the spear, 
 in case they wished to take them out. The clay after the 
 pond was completed the weather changed, but the storms 
 were not so violent as at the commencement of the rainy 
 season. The rain poured down with great force, but it was 
 not accompanied with such terrific thunder and lightning, 
 
 169 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 nor were the storms of so long continuance, generally clearing 
 up after a few hours. In the intervals of fine weather they 
 caught a great many fish, which they put into the pond, so 
 that it w?s well stocked. But a circumstance occurred, which 
 was the occasion of great alarm to them all : which was, that 
 one evening William was taken with a shivering, and com- 
 plained very much of a pain in his head. Ready had 
 promised to continue his narrative on that evening, but 
 William was too ill to sit up. He was put into bed, and the 
 next morning he was in a violent fever. Mr. Seagrave was 
 much alarmed, as the symptoms were worse every hour ; and 
 Ready, M'ho had sat up with him during the night, called 
 Mr. Seagrave out of the house, and said, "This is a bad 
 case, sir : Master William was working yesterday with his 
 hat off, and I fear that he has been struck by the sun. It's 
 a pity but we had some one who could take some blood 
 from him." 
 
 " I have a lancet," said Mr. Seagrave ; " but I really have 
 never bled anybody in my life." 
 
 " Nor have I, sir ; but if you have a lancet, I think it is our 
 duty to try. If you think that you cannot, I will do my best ; 
 it is a very simple operation." 
 
 " Well, Ready, one of us must do it, I believe." 
 
 " Perhaps my hand will be most steady in this instance, 
 sir," observed Ready; "I'm fearful of the fever going to 
 his brain." 
 
 "I would prefer your attempting it, Ready, I must say," 
 replied Mr. Seagrave ; " my hand would not be steady, I 
 tremble so for my dear child." 
 
 They went into the house again. Mr. Seagrave found his 
 lancet, and Ready bound up William's arm. As soon as the 
 vein was swelled, he held it firm under the ball of his thumb, 
 and was successful in the first attempt. By the advice of 
 Ready, a great deal of blood was taken from the sufferer, 
 who appeared to be much relieved by the operation. His 
 arm was then bandaged, and, having drank a little water, 
 which he asked for, he again was laid upon his pillow. The 
 next day the fever was as violent as ever. William was bled 
 again, and his mother watched over him with anxiety and 
 in tears. The poor boy was for many days in great danger ; 
 and the cheerful house was now one of gloom and silence. 
 
 170 
 
WILLIAM CONVALESCENT 
 
 How fervent were now the morning and evening prayers ; 
 how often during the day did his parents offer up a petition 
 to Heaven for their dear boy's recovery. The weather be- 
 came finer every day, and it was almost impossible to keep 
 Tommy quiet : Juno went out with him and Albert every 
 morning, and kept them with her while she cooked ; and, 
 fortunately, Vixen had pupped, and, v/hen Juno could no 
 longer amuse them, she brought them two of the puppies to 
 play with. As for the quiet, meek little Caroline, she would 
 remain during the whole day holding her mother's hand, and 
 watching her brother, or working with her needle by the 
 side of his bed. 
 
 Ready, who could not be idle, had taken the hammer and 
 cold chisel to make the salt-pan, at which he worked during 
 those portions of the day in which his services were not 
 required indoors ; and as he sat chipping away the rock, his 
 thoughts were ever upon William, for he dearly loved the 
 boy for his amiable disposition and his cleverness ; and many 
 a time during the day would he stop his work, and the tears 
 w r ould run down his cheeks as he offered up his petition to 
 the Almighty, that the boy might be spared to his afflicted 
 parents. And those prayers were heard, for, on the ninth 
 day, William was pronounced by Ready and Mr. Seagrave to 
 have much less fever, and shortly afterwards it left him 
 altogether ; but he was so weak that he could not raise him- 
 self in his bed for two or three days ; and it was not till more 
 than a fortnight alter the fever had left him that he could go 
 out of the house. The joy that was expressed by them all 
 when the change took place may be imagined : nor were the 
 thanksgivings less fervent than had been the prayers. 
 During his convalescence, as there was nothing else to do, 
 Mr. Seagrave and Ready, who now went gladly to their work, 
 determined, as the salt-pan was finished, that they would 
 make a bathing-place. Juno came to their assistance, and 
 was very useful in assisting to drag the wheels which brought 
 the rocks and stones ; and Tommy was also brought down, that 
 he might be out of the way while Mrs. Seagrave and Caroline 
 watched the invalid. By the time that William was able to 
 go out ot the house, the bathing-place was finished, and 
 there was no longer any fear of the sharks. William came 
 down to the beach with his mother, and looked at the work 
 
 171 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 which had been done; he was much pleased with it, and 
 said, " Now, Ready, we have finished everything at home for 
 the present ; all we have to do is to explore the island, and 
 to go to the cove and examine our collection from the 
 wreck." 
 
 " Very true, Master William ; and the weather has been so 
 fine, that I think we may venture upon one or the other in a 
 few days more ; but not till you are stronger, for you must 
 not be left alone with your mamma until you are quite 
 well." 
 
 " Be left, Ready ! why, I was to go with you." 
 
 "No, Master William, that cannot be now. Suppose we 
 were to have a storm, and you were to get wet, and have to 
 sleep in your wet clothes, you might be taken with the fever 
 again, and that when you were a long way from home : we 
 must be prudent for a time. Sit down on the rock and enjoy 
 that nice breeze ; it will do you good ; but you must not stay 
 too long." 
 
 " I shall soon be strong again, Ready ; thank God for His 
 goodness." 
 
 " I have no doubt of it, Master William ; and we have 
 good reason to thank God, for we could ill spare you. I am 
 going to take a turtle out of the pond, for we must feed you 
 well, and make you strong." 
 
 " It's a long while since you have gone on with your story, 
 Ready," said William, after they had taken their supper ; " I 
 wish you would do so now, as I am sure I shall not be 
 tired." 
 
 " With pleasure, Master William," replied Ready ; " but 
 can you remember where I left off, for my memory is none 
 of the best ? " 
 
 " Oh yes; if you recollect, you had just arrived at a Dutch 
 farmer's house, in company with the savages, at a place called 
 Graef Reynets, I think." 
 
 "Very true, sir. Well then, the Dutch farmer came out 
 when he saw us coming, and asked us who we were. We 
 told him that we were English prisoners, and that we wished 
 to give ourselves up to the authorities. He took away our 
 arms and ammunition, and said that he was the authority in 
 that part, which was true enough ; and then he said, ' You'll 
 not run away without arms and ammunition, that's certain. 
 
 172 
 
READY'S NARRATIVE 
 
 As for sending you to the Cape, that I may not be able to do 
 for months, so if you wish to be fed well you must work well 
 while you're here.' We replied, that we should be very glad 
 to make ourselves useful, and then he sent us some dinner 
 by a Hottentot girl, and showed us a small room for us to sleep 
 in. But we soon found out that we had to deal with an ill- 
 tempered, brutal fellow ; and that he gave us plenty of hard 
 work, but by no means plenty of food. He would not trust 
 us with guns, so the Hottentots went out with the cattle, but 
 he gave us plenty of work to do about the house ; and at last 
 he treated us very cruelly. When he was short of provisions 
 for the Hottentots and other slaves, of whom he had a good 
 many, he would go out with the other farmers who lived 
 near him, and shoot quaggas for them to eat. Nobody but a 
 Hottentot could live upon such flesh." 
 
 " What is quagga ? " 
 
 "A wild ass, partly covered with stripes, but not so much 
 as the zebra ; a pretty animal to look at, but the flesh is very 
 bad. W r ell, sir, he at last would give us nothing to eat but 
 quaggas, the same as the Hottentots, while he and his family 
 — for he had a wife and five children — lived upon mutton 
 and the flesh of the antelope, which is very excellent eating. 
 We asked him to allow us a gun to procure better food, and 
 he kicked Romer so unmercifully, that he could not work for 
 two days afterwards. As for the poor Hottentots and slaves, 
 they were flogged every day, with a whip made of the hide 
 of a rhinoceros, a terrible thing, which cut into the flesh at 
 every blow. Our lives became quite a burden to us ; we 
 were employed all day on the farm one way or another, and 
 every day he was more brutal towards us. At last we agreed 
 that we would stand it no longer, and one evening Hastings 
 told him so. This put him into a great rage, and he called 
 two of the slaves, and ordered them to tie him to the 
 waggon-wheel, swearing that he would cut every bit of skin 
 off his body, and he went into his house to get his whip. 
 The slaves had hold of Hastings, and were tying him up, 
 for they dared not disobey their master, when he said to us, 
 f If I am flogged this way, it will be all over with us. Now's 
 your time ; run back behind the house, and when he comes 
 out with the whip, do you go in and seize the muskets, which 
 are always ready loaded. Hold him at bay till I get clear 
 
 173 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 and then we will get away somehow or another. You must 
 do it, for I am sure he will flog me till I am dead, and he 
 will shoot you, as runaway prisoners, as he did his two 
 Hottentots the other day/ As Romer and I thought this 
 very probable, we did as Hastings told us ; and when the 
 Dutchman had gone towards him where he was tied up, 
 about fifty yards from the house, we went in. The farmer's 
 wife was in bed, having just given birth to another child, 
 and the children we cared not for. We seized two muskets 
 and a large knife, and came out just as the Dutchman had 
 struck the first blow with the rhinoceros whip, which was 
 so severe, that it took away poor Hastings' breath. We 
 went up ; he turned round and saw us : we levelled our 
 muskets at him, and he stopped. i Another blow, and we'll 
 shoot you,' cried Romer. ' Yes,' cried I ; f we are only boys, 
 but you've Englishmen to deal with.' When we came up, 
 Romer kept his piece levelled at the Dutchman, while I 
 passed him, and with the knife cut the thongs which bound 
 Hastings. The Dutchman turned pale and did not speak, 
 he was so frightened, and the slaves ran away. As soon as 
 Hastings was free, he seized a large wooden mallet, used 
 for driving in stakes, and struck the Dutchman down to the 
 earth, crying out, 'That, for flogging an Englishman, you 
 rascal.' While the man lay senseless or dead — I didn't 
 know which at the time — we tied him to the waggon wheels, 
 and returning to the house, seized some ammunition and 
 other articles which might be useful. We then went to the 
 stables, and took the three best horses which the Dutchman 
 had, put some corn in a sack for each of them, took some 
 cord for halters, mounted, and rode away as fast as we could. 
 As we knew that we should be pursued, we first galloped 
 away as if we were going eastward, to the Cape ; and then, 
 as soon as we were on ground which would not show the 
 tracts of our horses' hoofs, we turned round to the north- 
 ward, in the direction of the Bushman country. It was 
 dark soon after we had altered our course ; but we travelled 
 all night, and although we heard the roaring of the lions 
 at a distance, we met with no accident. At daylight 
 we rested our horses, and gave them some corn, and then 
 sat down to eat some of the provisions we had broughfc 
 with us/' 
 
 174 
 
READY'S NARRATIVE 
 
 " How long were you with the farmer at Graef Reynets ? " 
 ''Nearly eight months, sir; and during that time we could 
 not only speak Dutch, but we could make ourselves under- 
 stood by the Hottentots and other natives; besides which, 
 we had a good knowledge of the country, and knew what to 
 do when we travelled. While we were eating we held a 
 consultation how we should proceed. We were aware that 
 the Dutchmen would shoot us if they came up with us, and 
 that they would come out in strong force against us ; and we 
 were afraid that we had killed the man, and if so, they would 
 hang us as soon as we got to the Cape ; so we were at a 
 great loss to know how to act. At last we decided that we 
 would cross the country of the Bushmen, and get to the sea- 
 side, to the northward of the Cape. Having done talking, 
 we took the saddles off our horses, and tethered them where 
 there was good grass ; for you see, sir, if we had not made 
 them fast they would have galloped back to the farm. We 
 determined that it would be better to travel at night, as 
 there would be less fear of the wild beasts, or of being 
 seen ; so we went fast asleep for many hours. Towards the 
 evening, we found water for the horses, and then we fed 
 them again, and proceeded on our journey. I won't tell 
 what passed every day for a fortnight, by which time we had 
 pretty well killed our horses, and we were compelled to stop 
 among a tribe of Gorraguas, I think they called them, a very 
 mild, inoffensive people, who supplied us with milk, and 
 treated us very kindly. We had some adventures, neverthe- 
 less. One day as we were passing by a tuft of small trees 
 a rhinoceros charged upon my horse, which very narrowly 
 escaped by wheeling short round and getting behind him ; 
 the beast then made off without meddling with us any more. 
 Every day we used to shoot some animal or other, for pro- 
 vision : sometimes it was a gnu, a very curious creature, 
 something between an antelope and a bull ; at other times 
 it was one of the antelope kind — there were plenty of 
 them. 
 
 " Well, we stayed for three weeks with these people, and 
 gave our horses time to refresh themselves ; and then we set 
 off again, keeping more towards the coast as we went south- 
 ward, for the Gorraguas told us that there was a fierce native 
 tribe, called KafFers, to the northward, who would certainly 
 
 175 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 kill us if we went there. The fact is, we did not know what 
 to do. We had left the Cape without any exact idea where 
 we should go to, like foolish boys as we were, and we be- 
 came more entangled with difficulties every day. At last 
 we decided that it would be better to find our way back 
 to the Cape, and deliver ourselves up as prisoners, for we 
 were tired out with fatigue and constant danger. All that 
 we were afraid of was, that we had killed the Dutch farmer 
 at Graef Reynets, who had treated us so brutally ; but 
 Hastings said he did not care; that was his business, and 
 he would take his chance : so when we bade adieu to the 
 Gorraguas, who were quite satisfied with our presenting 
 them with all the buttons we could spare, we turned our 
 horses' heads to the south-east, so to make the sea and go 
 to the southward at the same time. 
 
 " I have now to mention a most melancholy event which 
 occurred. Two days after we had recommenced our travels, 
 in passing through some high grass, we stumbled on a lion, 
 which was devouring a gnu. Romer, who happened to be 
 some ten yards foremost of the three, was so alarmed that 
 he fired at the animal, which we had agreed never to do, 
 as it was folly to enrage so powerful a beast, when our party 
 was so small. The lion was slightly wounded ; he gave a 
 roar that might have been heard for a mile, sprang upon 
 Romer, and with one blow of his paw knocked him off the 
 saddle into the bushes. Our horses, which were frightened, 
 wheeled round and fled, for the animal was evidently about 
 to attack us. As it was, he did make one bound in our 
 direction ; we could not pull up until we had gone half a 
 mile; and when we did, we saw the lion had torn down 
 the horse which Romer had ridden, and was dragging away 
 the carcass to the right at a sort of a canter, without any 
 apparent effort on his part. We waited till he was well off, 
 and then rode back to the spot where Romer had fallen : 
 we soon found him, but he was quite dead ; the blow with 
 the lion's paw had fractured his skull. 
 
 "We had no means of burying him, poor fellow! so we 
 covered him up with bushes, and left him. We were both 
 very melancholy; indeed as I rode on, I cried for nearly 
 an hour; and Hastings never spoke a word until it was 
 time for us to rest the horses. I ought to have said that 
 
 176 
 
READY'S NARRATIVE 
 
 the Gorraguas told us not to travel by night, but by day ; 
 and we had done so in consequence of their advice. I 
 believe it was very good advice, notwithstanding this un- 
 fortunate accident, for we found that when we had travelled 
 all night, the lions had more than once followed us the 
 whole time; and indeed I have often thought since that 
 we were altogether indebted to His mercy who ordereth 
 all things, both in heaven and earth, that we escaped so 
 well as we did. Three days after poor Romer's death we 
 first saw the wide ocean again ; and it appeared to us as if 
 we had fallen in with an old friend. We kept near the 
 coast, but we soon found out that we could not obtain the 
 supply of game, or fuel for our fires at night, so well as we 
 could in the interior, and we agreed to get away from the 
 coast again. We had a dreary plain to pass over, and we 
 were quite faint for want of food — for we had been without 
 any for nearly two days — when we came upon an ostrich. 
 Hastings put his horse to his speed, but it was of no use — 
 the ostrich ran much faster than the horse could. I re- 
 mained behind, and, to my great joy, discovered his nest, 
 with thirteen large eggs in it. Hastings soon came back, 
 with his horse panting and out of wind. We sat down, 
 lighted a fire, and roasted two of the eggs : we made a good 
 dinner of them, and having put four more on our saddle 
 bows, we continued our journey. For three weeks more we 
 had nothing but difficulty and suffering. One forenoon, at 
 last, we saw the Table Mountain, and were as glad to see 
 it as if we had seen the white cliffs of Old England. We 
 pushed on our horses with the hopes of being once more 
 comfortably in prison before night ; when, as we neared the 
 bay, we observed that English colours were flying on board 
 of the vessels in the road. This surprised us very much; 
 but soon after that we met an English soldier, who told us 
 that the Cape had been taken by our forces more than six 
 months ago. This was a joyful surprise, as you may suppose. 
 We rode into the town, and reported ourselves to the main- 
 guard ; the governor sent for us, heard our story, and sent 
 us to the admiral, who took us on board of his own ship. 
 Now, Master William, as this is a good place to leave off at, 
 and you must be rather tired, I think we had better all 
 go to bed." 
 
 177 m 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIX 
 
 South Sea Islands — Andaman Isles — Typhoon and monsoon — 
 Trade-winds — Gulf stream — Land and sea breezes — Ready's 
 narrative. 
 
 jl HE next morning, as there was no particular work on 
 hand, Ready and Mr. Seagrave took the lines to add to the 
 stock of the fish-pond. As the weather was fine and cool, 
 William accompanied them, that he might have the benefit 
 of the fresh air. As they passed the garden, they ob- 
 served that the seeds sown had already sprung up an inch 
 or two above the ground, and that apparently none of 
 them had missed. While Ready and Mr. Seagrave were 
 fishing, and William sitting near them, William said to his 
 father — 
 
 " Many of the islands near us are inhabited, are they not, 
 papa ? " 
 
 " Yes, but not those very near us, I believe. At all 
 events, I never heard any voyagers mention having seen 
 inhabitants on the isles near which we suppose the one we 
 are on to be." 
 
 "What sort of people are the islanders in these seas ?" 
 
 "They are various. The New Zealanders are the most 
 advanced in civilisation, but still they are said to be 
 cannibals. The natives of Van Diemen's Land and Australia 
 are some portions of them of a very degraded class — in- 
 deed, little better than the beasts of the field ; I believe 
 them to be the lowest in the scale of all the human 
 race." 
 
 " I beg your pardon," said Ready, " but I have seen them ; 
 and I think I can mention a people, not very numerous 
 indeed, who are still more like the beasts of the field. I 
 saw them once ; and, at first, thought they were animals, and 
 not human beings." 
 
 " Indeed, Ready ; where may that be ? " 
 
 " In the Great Andaman Isles, at the mouth of the Bay 
 of Bengal. 
 
 " I once anchored in distress in Port Cornwallis — a splendid 
 
 178 
 
ANDAMAN ISLES 
 
 harbour, which would hold the whole English navy — ■ 
 and the morning after we anchored, we saw some black 
 things going upon all fours under the trees that came 
 down to the water's edge. We got the telescope — for 
 we were a mile or more off the shore — and we perceived 
 then that they were men and women, for they stood 
 upright." 
 
 " Did you ever come into contact with them ? " 
 
 a No, sir, I did not ; but I met, at Calcutta, a soldier who 
 had ; for at one time the East-India Company intended making 
 a settlement on the island, and sent some troops there. He 
 said that they had caught two of them ; that they were not 
 more than four feet high, excessively stupid and shy ; they 
 had no clothes on of any description ; they had no houses or 
 huts to live in, and all that they did was to pile up some 
 bushes to keep the wind off." 
 
 " Had they any arms ? " 
 
 " Yes, sir, they had bows and arrows ; but so miserably 
 made, and so small, that they could not kill anything 
 but very small birds. The natives let fly several arrows 
 at the soldiers when they met, and the soldiers picked 
 them out of their coats, for they had not penetrated any 
 further." 
 
 " Well, I do believe, by your description, that the Anda- 
 man Isles natives are even lower in the scale than the 
 New Hollanders. What did they do with the two whom 
 they captured ? " 
 
 " Let them go again, sir ; for they would not speak or eat, 
 and they would have died had they been kept." 
 
 "Where did the people come fmm who inhabited these 
 islands, papa ? " 
 
 " That is difficult to say, William ; but it is supposed 
 that they have become inhabited in much the same way 
 as this, our island, has been — that is, by people in canoes 
 or boats driven out to sea, and saving their lives by effecting 
 a landing, as we have done." 
 
 "Yes, sir," replied Ready; "I believe that's the truth; 
 I heard say that the Andaman Isles were supposed to have 
 been first inhabited by a slaver full of negroes, who were 
 wrecked on the coast in a typhoon." 
 
 " What is a typhoon, Ready ?" 
 179 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 " It is much the same as a hurricane, Master William ; it 
 comes on in India at the change of the monsoons." 
 
 " But what are monsoons, Ready ? " 
 
 "Winds that blow regular from one quarter so many 
 months during the year, and then change round and blow 
 from another just as long." 
 
 "And what are the trade winds, which I heard poor 
 Captain Osborn talking about after we left Madeira ? " 
 
 " The trade winds blow on the equator, and several 
 degrees north and south of it, from the east to the west, 
 following the course of the sun." 
 
 " Is it the sun which produces these winds ? " 
 
 "Yes, the extreme heat of the sun between the tropics 
 rarefies the air as the earth turns round, and the trade 
 winds are produced by the rushing in of the less heated 
 air. You know that if there is a large fire in a room, 
 there is a continual draft of cold air rushing into the room 
 towards it ; in the same way the heat of the sun produces 
 the trade winds." 
 
 " Yes, Master William ; and the trade winds produce what 
 they call the Gulf stream," observed Ready. 
 
 " How is that ? I have heard it spoken of, papa." 
 
 " The winds, constantly following the sun across the 
 Atlantic Ocean, and blowing from east to west, have great 
 effect upon the sea, which is forced up into the Gulf of 
 Mexico (where it is stopped by the shores of America), 
 so that it is many feet higher in the Gulf than in the 
 eastern part of the Atlantic. This accumulation of water 
 must of course find a vent somewhere, and it does in what 
 is called the Gulf stream, by which the waters are poured 
 out, running very strong to the northward, along the shores 
 of America, and then westward, passing not far from New- 
 foundland, until its strength is spent somewhere to the 
 northward of the Azores, or Western Isles, which you re- 
 member seeing on the chart when we were making our 
 passage out." 
 
 " The Gulf stream, Master William," said Ready, " is always 
 several degrees warmer than the sea in general, which is, they 
 say, owing to its waters remaining in the Gulf of Mexico so 
 long, where the heat of the sun is so great ; and we always 
 know when we are on the stream by the seaweed which 
 
 180 
 
LAND AND SEA BREEZES 
 
 it brings away with it, and which is seen floating on the 
 surface." 
 
 "What do you mean by the land and sea breezes in the 
 West Indies, and other hot climates, papa ? " 
 
 " It is the wind first blowing off from the shore, and then 
 blowing from the sea towards the shore, during certain hours 
 of the day, which it does regularly every twenty-four hours. 
 This is also the effect of the heat of the sun. The sea breeze 
 commences in the morning, and in the afternoon it dies 
 away, when the land breeze commences, which lasts till 
 midnight. 
 
 "You observe, William," continued Mr. Seagrave, "that 
 all these effects in tropical countries are produced by natural 
 causes ; but they are, nevertheless, proofs of the goodness 
 of that Almighty hand, who has so fashioned the world, 
 that from natural causes, easy to be explained, effects are 
 produced which are beneficial to mankrhd. For instance, 
 who could inhabit the islands in the West Indies, if the 
 land and sea breezes did not regularly blow, so as to cool 
 the heated surface of the earth ? In the same way, if 
 the trade winds did not continually blow, and if calms 
 and light airs prevailed in the seas which are under the 
 burning sun of the equator, the heat would be such as to 
 render the voyage insupportable." 
 
 " That it would, sir," replied Ready ; " there are latitudes 
 close to the trade winds, where the wind is not certain, 
 where ships have been becalmed for weeks ; the crews 
 have exhausted the water on board, and they have suffered 
 dreadfully. We call them the Horse latitudes — why, I do 
 not know ; but I believe it is that the horses which they 
 used to send out are, of course, the first sacrificed when 
 the water runs short. But it is time for us to leave off, 
 and for Master William to go into the house." 
 
 They returned home, and after supper Ready went on with 
 his narrative. 
 
 " I left off at the time that I was sent on board of the 
 man-of-war, and I was put down on the books as a super- 
 numerary boy. I was on board of her for nearly four years, 
 and we were sent about from port to port, and from clime 
 to clime, until I grew a strong, tall lad, and was put into 
 the mizzen-top. I found it very comfortable. I did my 
 
 181 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 duty, and the consequence was, I never was punished ; for 
 a man may serve on board of a man-of-war without fear 
 of being punished if he only does his duty, and the duty 
 is not very hard either ; not like on board of the merchant 
 vessels, where there are so few hands — there it is hard work. 
 Of course, there are some captains who command men-of- 
 war who are harsh and severe — what they call martinets 
 in the service ; but it was my good fortune to be with 
 a very mild and steady captain, who was very sorry when 
 he was obliged to punish the men, although he would not 
 overlook any improper conduct. The only thing which was 
 a source of constant unhappiness to me was, that I could 
 not get to England again, and see my mother. I had 
 written two or three letters, but never had an answer ; 
 and at last I became so impatient, that I determined to 
 run away the very first opportunity which might offer. 
 We were then stationed in the West Indies, and I had 
 very often consultations with Hastings on the subject, for 
 he was quite as anxious to get away as I was ; and we 
 had agreed that we would start off together the very first 
 opportunity. At last we anchored in Port Royal, Jamaica, 
 and there was a large convoy of West India ships, laden 
 with sugar, about to sail immediately. We knew that if 
 we could get on board of one, they would secrete us until 
 the time of sailing, for they were short-handed enough, 
 the men-of-war having pressed every man they could lay 
 their hands upon. There was but one chance, and that 
 was by swimming on board of one of the vessels during the 
 night-time, and that was easy enough, as they were anchored 
 not a hundred yards from our own ship. What we were 
 afraid of were the sharks, which were so plentiful in the 
 harbour. However, the night before the convoy was to sail 
 we made up our minds that we would run the risk, for we 
 were so impatient to escape that we did not care for any- 
 thing. It was in the middle watch — I recollect it, and shall 
 recollect it all my life, as if it were last night — that we 
 lowered ourselves down very softly from the bows of the 
 ship, and as soon as we were in the water we struck out for 
 one of the West Indiamen close to us. The sentry at the 
 gangway saw the light in the water made by our swimming 
 through it, and he hailed, of course : we gave no answer, 
 
 182 
 
READY'S NARRATIVE 
 
 but swam as fast as we could ; for, after he had hailed we 
 heard a bustle, and we knew that the officer of the watch 
 was manning a boat to send after us. I had just caught 
 hold of the cable of the West Indiaman, and was about 
 to climb up by it, for I was a few yards before Hastings, 
 when I heard a loud shriek, and, turning round, perceived 
 a shark plunging down with Hastings in his jaws. I was 
 so frightened, that for a short time I could not move : at 
 last I recovered myself, and began to climb up by the 
 cable as fast as I could. I was just in time, for another 
 shark made a rush at me ; and although I was clear out 
 of the water more than two feet, he sprung up and just 
 caught my shoe by the heel, which he took down with 
 him. Fear gave me strength, and in a second or two 
 afterwards I was up at the hawseholes, and the men on 
 board, who had been looking over the bows, and had 
 witnessed poor Hastings' death, helped me on board, and 
 hurried me down below, for the boat from our ship was now 
 nearly alongside. When the officer of the boat came on 
 board, they told him they had perceived us both in the 
 water, close to their vessel, and that the sharks had taken 
 us down. As the shrieks of Hastings was heard by the 
 people in the boat, the officer believed that it was the 
 case, and returned to the ship. I heard the drum beat 
 to quarters on board of the man-of-war, that they might 
 ascertain who were the two men who had attempted to 
 swim away, and a few minutes afterwards they beat the 
 retreat, having put down D. D. against my name on the 
 books, as well as against that of poor Hastings." 
 
 " What does D. D. mean ? " 
 
 " D stands for discharged from the service ; D. D. stands 
 for dead," replied Ready ; " and it was only through the 
 mercy of Providence that I was not so." 
 
 "It was a miraculous escape indeed," observed Mr. Sea- 
 grave. 
 
 a Yes, indeed, sir ; I can hardly describe my sensations for 
 some hours afterwards. I tried to sleep, but could not — I 
 was in agony. The moment I slumbered, I thought the 
 shark had hold of me, and I would start up and shriek ; 
 and then I said my prayers and tried to go to sleep again, 
 but it was of no use. The captain of the West Indiaman 
 
 183 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 was afraid that my shrieks would be heard, and he sent 
 me down a tumbler of rum to drink off; this composed 
 me, and at last I fell into a sound sleep. When I awoke, 
 I found that the ship was under weigh and with all canvas 
 set, surrounded by more than a hundred other vessels ; 
 the men-of-war who took charge of the convoy firing guns 
 and making signals incessantly. It was a glorious sight, 
 and we were bound for Old England. I felt so happy, 
 that I thought I would risk the jaws of another shark to 
 have regained my liberty, and the chance of being once 
 more on shore in my own country, and able to go to 
 Newcastle and see my poor mother." 
 
 (i I am afraid that your miraculous escape did you very 
 little good, Ready," observed Mrs. Seagrave, "if you got 
 over it so soon." 
 
 " Indeed, madam, it was not so ; that was only the 
 feeling which the first sight of the vessels under weigh for 
 England produced upon me. I can honestly say, that I 
 was a better and more serious person ; not but what I am 
 bad enough and a sinful creature now, but I was from that 
 day better than I was before. The very next night, when 
 I was in my hammock, I prayed very fervently ; and there 
 happened to be a very good old Scotchman on board, the 
 second mate, who talked very seriously to me, and pointed 
 out how wonderful had been my preservation, and I felt it. 
 It was he who first read the Bible with me, and made me 
 understand it, and, I may say, become fond of it. I did 
 my duty on our passage home as a seaman before the mast, 
 and the captain was pleased with me. I had told the 
 history of my life to the second mate, and he pointed out 
 to me how foolish and wrong I had been to leave my mother, 
 and refuse the assistance of Mr. Masterman. I felt that 
 he was right, and I felt more impatient than ever to throw 
 myself into my mother's arms and ask her forgiveness. The 
 ship I was in was bound to Glasgow, and we parted company 
 with the convoy at North P'oreland, and arrived safe in 
 port. The captain took me to the owners, who paid me 
 fifteen guineas for my services during the voyage home ; 
 and as soon as I received the money, I set off for Newcastle 
 as fast as I could. I had taken a place on the outside of 
 the coach, and I entered into conversation with a gentleman 
 
 184 
 
READY'S NARRATIVE 
 
 who sat next to me. I soon found out that he belonged 
 to Newcastle, and I first inquired if Mr. Masterman, the 
 shipbuilder, was still alive. He told me that he had been 
 dead about three months. 'And to whom did he leave 
 his money ? * I asked, f for he was very rich, and had no 
 kin.' 'He had no relations,' replied the gentleman, 'and 
 he left all his money to build an hospital and almhouses. 
 He had a partner in his business latterly, and he left the 
 yard and all the stores to him, I believe, because he did 
 not know whom to leave it to. There was a lad whom I 
 knew for certain he intended to have adopted and to have 
 made his heir — a lad of the name of Ready ; but he ran 
 away to sea, and has never been heard of since. It is 
 supposed that he was lost in a prize, for he was traced so 
 far. Foolish boy that he was, he might now have been a 
 man of fortune.' 
 
 "'Very foolish indeed,' replied I. 
 
 "'Yes; but he has harmed more than himself. His poor 
 mother, who doted upon him, as soon as she heard that he 
 was lost, pined away by degrees, and ' 
 
 '"You don't mean to say that she is dead?' interrupted 
 I, seizing the gentleman by the arm. 
 
 " ' Yes,' replied he, looking at me with surprise ; ' she died 
 last year of a broken heart.' 
 
 "I fell back on the luggage behind me, and should have 
 fallen off the coach if the gentleman had not held me. He 
 called to the coachman to pull up the horses, and they took 
 me down, and put me inside ; fortunately there was no one 
 there; and as the coach rolled on, I cried as if my heart 
 would break." 
 
 Ready appeared so very much affected, that Mr. Sea- 
 grave proposed that he should leave off his history for the 
 present, and that they should retire to rest. 
 
 "Thank you, sir, it will be better; for I feel my old 
 eyes dim with tears, even now. It's a dreadful thing in 
 after-life to reflect upon, that your foolish conduct has 
 hastened the death of a most kind mother ; but so it was, 
 Master William, aud I give you the truth for your advantage. 
 I told you that portions of my life would serve as a warning ; 
 let them not be thrown away upon you. God bless you, sir 1 
 God bless you, madam ! Good night." 
 
 185 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 
 Tommy wants some eggs — Eggs missing — Tommy caught in a 
 trap — Tommy in prison — Ready's narrative. 
 
 A FEW mornings afterwards, Juno came in before break- 
 fast with six eggs in her apron, which she had found in 
 the hen-house. 
 
 " Look, Missy Seagrave — fowls lay eggs — soon have plenty 
 — plenty for Master William— make him well again — and 
 plenty for chickens by-and-by." 
 
 "You haven't taken them all out of the nests, Juno ; have 
 you ?" 
 
 " No, Missy ! — leave one in each nest for hen to see." 
 
 " Well, then, we will keep them for William, and I hope, 
 as you say, it will make him strong again." 
 
 ** I am getting quite strong now, mother," replied William ; 
 * e I think it would be better to leave the eggs for the hens 
 to sit upon." 
 
 " No, no, William ; your health is of more consequence 
 than having early chickens." 
 
 " Tommy likes eggs very much," said Tommy. 
 
 " Yes ; but Tommy cannot have any at present : Tommy 
 is not ill." 
 
 " Tommy have a stomach-ache," replied Tommy. 
 
 "I am afraid that you are a little story-teller, Tommy; 
 and if you have a stomach-ache, eggs would be bad for 
 you." 
 
 " Tommy got a headache," replied the boy. 
 
 "Eggs are not good for headaches, Tommy," replied his 
 father. 
 
 "Tommy ill all over," replied Tommy again. 
 
 " Then Tommy must be put to bed, and have a dose of 
 castor oil." 
 
 "Tommy don't want castor oil ; Tommy wants eggs." 
 
 "Yes, but Tommy won't get eggs," replied his father, 
 "so he may as well leave off telling fibs; when there are 
 plenty of eggs, Tommy will have one, if he is a good boy, 
 and not otherwise." 
 
 186 
 
TOMMY CAUGHT IN A TRAP 
 
 " I have promised Caroline that she is to take care of 
 the chickens/' said Mrs. Seagrave, "and I think she must 
 have the egg department also ; she promises to be a very 
 useful little girl." 
 
 For a few days Mr. Seagrave and Ready were employed 
 at the garden clearing away the weeds, which had begun to 
 sprout up along with the seeds, which had been sown ; during 
 which time William recovered very fast. The two first days 
 Juno brought in three or four eggs regularly; but on the 
 third day there were none to be found. On the fourth clay 
 the hens appeared also not to have laid, much to the surprise 
 of Mr. Seagrave ; as when hens commence laying eggs they 
 usually continue. On the fifth morning, when they sat down 
 to breakfast, Master Tommy did not make his appearance, 
 and Mrs. Seagrave asked where he was. 
 
 "I suspect, madam," said old Read} 7 , laughing, "that 
 Master Tommy will not come either to his breakfast or his 
 dinner to-day." 
 
 " What can you mean, Ready ? " said Mrs. Seagrave. 
 
 "Why, madam, I will tell you. I thought it very odd 
 that there were no eggs, and I thought it probable that the 
 hens might have laid astray ; so I went about yesterday 
 evening to search. I could not find any eggs, but I found 
 the egg-shells, hid under some cocoa-nut leaves; and I 
 argued, that if an animal, supposing there was any on the 
 island, had taken the eggs, it would not have been so careful 
 to hide the egg-shells. So, this morning, I fastened up the 
 door of the hen-house, and only left open the little sliding- 
 door, by which the fowls go in to roost ; and then, after you 
 were up, I watched behind the trees, and saw Master Tommy 
 come out, and go to the hen-house. He tried the door, and 
 finding it fast, he then crept into the hen-house by the little 
 sliding-door. As soon as he was in, I let down the slide, 
 and fastened it with a nail ; so there he is, caught in his 
 own trap." 
 
 "And there shall he remain all day, the little glutton!" 
 said Mr. Seagrave, who was much amused. 
 
 " Yes, it will serve him right," replied Mrs. Seagrave ; 
 "and be a lesson to him. W r e will take no notice of him 
 whatever, if he halloos and screams for an hour." 
 
 "Oh, Massa Tommy, me very glad you cotch at last; 
 
 187 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 teach you not to suck eggs," said Juno ; " now you got 
 nothing to eat — you not like that." 
 
 Mr. Seagrave, Ready, and William, as usual, went down 
 to their work ; Mrs. Seagrave and Juno, with little Caro- 
 line, were busy indoors. Tommy remained very quiet for 
 an hour, when he commenced roaring ; but it was of no 
 use, no one paid any attention to him. At dinner-time 
 he began to roar again, but with as little success : it 
 was not till the evening that the door of the hen-house 
 was opened, and Master Tommy permitted to come out. 
 He looked very foolish ; and sat down in a corner without 
 speaking. 
 
 "Well, Master Tommy, how many eggs did you suck 
 to-day ? " said Ready. 
 
 "Tommy won't suck eggs any more," said the urchin. 
 
 "No, you had better not," replied Mr. Seagrave, "or you 
 will find, in the end, that you will have less to eat, instead 
 of more, as you have this day." 
 
 " I want my dinner," said Tommy. 
 
 "You'll have no dinner this day, you may be sure," said 
 Mrs. Seagrave ; " we can't allow you dinner and eggs both ; 
 and if you cry, I will lock you up in the hen-house all night ; 
 you must now wait patiently till supper-time." 
 
 Tommy found that he could not help himself, so he waited 
 very quietly and very sulkily till supper was ready, when he 
 made up for lost time. After which Ready continued his 
 narrative, 
 
 " I told you, Master William, that I was informed by the 
 gentleman on the coach that my mother had died of a broken 
 heart, in consequence of my supposed death. I was in an 
 agony until I arrived at Newcastle, where I could ascertain 
 all the facts connected with her decease. When the coach 
 stopped, the gentleman, who had remained outside, came 
 to the coach door, and said to me, ' If I mistake not, you are 
 Masterman Ready, who ran away to sea ; are you not ? ' 
 f Yes, sir,' replied I, very sorrowfully, 'I am.' 'Well, my 
 man/ said he, ' cheer up ; when you went away you were 
 young and thoughtless, and certainly had no idea that you 
 would have distressed your mother as you did. It was not 
 your going to sea, but the report of your death, which 
 preyed so much upon her mind ; and that was not your 
 
 188 
 
READY'S NARRATIVE 
 
 fault. You must come with me, as I have something to say 
 to you.' 
 
 " ' I will call upon you to-morrow, sir/ replied I ; ' I cannot 
 do anything until I talk to the neighbours and visit my poor 
 mother's grave. It is very true that I did not intend to 
 distress my mother ; and that the report of my death was no 
 fault of mine. But I cannot help feeling that, if I had not 
 been so thoughtless, she would be still alive and happy.' 
 Great mischief is brought about by very slight causes in this 
 world, Master William ; and if, before we did anything, we 
 were to reflect upon what the consequences might be, we 
 should all be much wiser and much better. The gentleman 
 gave me his address, and I promised to call upon him the 
 next morning. I then went to the house my mother used to 
 live in. I knew that she was not there ; yet I was disap- 
 pointed and annoyed when I heard merry laughter within. 
 I looked in, for the door was open ; in the corner where my 
 mother used to sit, there was a mangle, and two women busily 
 at work ; others were ironing at a large table, and when they 
 cried out to me, ' What do you want ? ' and laughed at me, 
 I turned away in disgust, and went to a neighbouring cottage, 
 the inmates of which had been very intimate with my 
 mother. I found the wife at home, but she did not know 
 me ; and I told her who I was. She had attended my 
 mother during her illness, till the day of her death ; and she 
 told me all I wished to know. It was some little relief to 
 my mind to hear that my poor mother could not have lived, 
 as she had an incurable cancer ; but at the same time the 
 woman told me that I was ever in her thoughts, and that my 
 name was the last word on her lips. She also said that Mr. 
 Masterman had been very kind to my mother, and that she 
 had wanted nothing. I then asked her to show me where 
 my mother had been buried. She put on her bonnet, and 
 led me to the grave, and then, at my request, she left me. I 
 seated myself down by the mound of turf which covered her, 
 and long and bitterly did I weep her loss and pray for 
 forgiveness. 
 
 " It was quite dark when I left the spot, and went back to 
 the cottage of the kind woman who had attended my mother. 
 I conversed with her and her husband till late, and then, as 
 they offered me a bed, I remained with them that night. 
 
 189 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 Next morning I went to keep my appointment with the 
 gentleman whom I had met in the coach : I found by the 
 brass plate on the door that he was a lawyer. He desired 
 me to sit down, and then he closed the door carefully, and 
 having asked me many questions to ascertain if I was really 
 Masterman Ready, he said he was the person employed at 
 Mr. Masterman' s death, and that he had found a paper which 
 was of great consequence, as it proved that the insurance of 
 the vessel, which had belonged to my father and Mr. Master- 
 man, and which had been lost, had not been made on Mr. 
 Masterman's share only, but upon my father's as well, and 
 that Mr. Masterman had defrauded my mother. He said he 
 had found the paper in a secret drawer some time after Mr. 
 Masterman's death, and that my mother being dead, and I 
 being supposed to be dead, he did not see any use in making 
 known so disagreeable a circumstance ; but that, now I had 
 reappeared, it was his duty so to do, and that he would 
 arrange the matter for me, if I pleased, with the corporation 
 of the town, to whom all Mr Masterman's property had been 
 left in trust to build an hospital and almshouses. He said 
 that the insurance on the vessel was three thousand pounds, 
 and that one-third of the vessel belonged to my father, so 
 that a thousand pounds were due to him, which the interest 
 for so many years would increase to above two thousand 
 pounds. This was good news for me, and you may suppose 
 I readily agreed to all he proposed. He set to work at once, 
 and having called together the mayor and corporation of the 
 town, and proved the document, they immediately agreed 
 that I was entitled to the money, and that it should be paid 
 to me without any contest. Thus you see, Master William, 
 was a new temptation thrown in my way." 
 
 " How do you mean a temptation ? It surely was very 
 fortunate, Ready," said William. 
 
 "Yes, Master William, it was, as people say, fortunate, 
 according to the ideas of the world. Every one congratulated 
 me, and I was myself so inflated with my good fortune,, 
 that I forgot all the promises of amendment, all the vows 
 of leading a good life, which I made over my poor mother's 
 grave. Now do you perceive why I called it a temptation, 
 Master William ? " 
 
 " My dear child," said Mr. Seagrave, " riches and prosperity 
 
 190 
 
READY'S NARRATIVE 
 
 in this world prove often the greatest of temptations; it" is 
 adversity that chastens and amends us, and which draws 
 us to our God. Hath not our Saviour declared, 'That it 
 is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle 
 than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of heaven ' ? 
 This is intended to be understood as a metaphor, not as a 
 positive assertion ; and is explained by our Lord Himself in 
 a similar passage, where He says, ' How hard is it for them 
 that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God ! ' 
 This expression of our Saviour is followed up in the Litany 
 of our Church service, in which we make this solemn appeal : 
 ' In all time of our tribulation, in all time of our wealth, in 
 the hour of death, and in the day of judgment, good Lord, 
 deliver us.' Great, indeed, must be the peril of wealth, 
 when it is thus coupled with such awful positions as the hour 
 of death and the day of judgment.' Ready, therefore, was 
 correct in asserting that the sudden accession to so large a 
 sum of money was a temptation ; and you perceive by his 
 own acknowledgment that he could not resist it, but forgot 
 all his good resolutions." 
 
 " Yes, sir ; you have well explained it ; and such was the 
 fact. As soon as the money was in my own hands, I began 
 to squander it away in all manner of folly. Fortunately, I 
 had not received it more than ten days, when the Scotch 
 second mate came like a guardian angel to save me. As 
 soon as I had made known to him what had taken place, he 
 reasoned with me, pointed out to me that I had an oppor- 
 tunity of establishing myself for life, and proposed that I 
 should purchase a part of a vessel, on condition that I was 
 captain of her. I liked this idea very much, and being 
 convinced that I had been making a fool of myself, I resolved 
 to take his advice ; but one thing only restrained me : I was 
 still very young, not more than twenty years old ; and al- 
 though I could navigate at one time, I had latterly paid no 
 attention. I told Sanders this, and he replied, that if I 
 would take him as my first mate, that difficulty would be got 
 over, as he could navigate well, and that I could learn to do 
 so in the first voyage ; so all was arranged. 
 
 u Fortunately, I had not spent above one hundred pounds 
 of the money — quite enough too in so short a time. I set off 
 for Glasgow in company with Sanders, and he busied himself 
 
 191 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 very hard in looking about for a vessel that would suit. At 
 last, he found that there was one ready for launching, which, 
 in consequence of the failure of the house for which it was 
 built, was to be sold. He made inquiries, and having found 
 who was likely to purchase her — that it was a very safe and 
 respectable firm — he made a proposal for me that I should 
 take one-fourth share of her, and command her. As Sanders 
 was very respectable, and well known to be a steady man, his 
 recommendation was attended to so far, that the parties 
 wished to see and speak to me. They were satisfied with me, 
 young as I was, and the bargain was made. I paid down my 
 two thousand pounds for my share, and as soon as the vessel 
 was launched, was very busy with Sanders, whom I had chosen 
 as first mate, in fitting her out. The house which had pur- 
 chased her with me was a West India firm, and the ship was of 
 course intended for the West India trade. I had two or three 
 hundred pounds left, after I had paid my share of the vessel, 
 and this I employed in purchasing a venture on my own 
 account, and providing nautical instruments, &c. I also fitted 
 myself out, for you see, Master William, although Sanders 
 had persuaded me to be rational, I was still puffed up with 
 pride at the idea of being captain of my own ship ; it was too 
 great a rise for one who had just before been a lad in the 
 mizzen-top of a man-of-war. I dressed myself very smartly, 
 wore white shirts, and rings on my fingers ; I even put on 
 gloves, and tried to make my hands white. Indeed, as 
 captain and part-owner of a fine vessel, I was considered as 
 somebody, and was often invited to the table of the other 
 owners of the vessel. I was well off, for my pay was ten 
 pounds a month, independent of what my own venture might 
 produce, and my quarter-share of the profits of the vessel. 
 This may be considered as the most prosperous portion of my 
 life ; and so, if you please, we will leave off here for to-night, 
 for I may as well tell you at once that it did not last very 
 long." 
 
 192 
 
SURVEY AGREED UPON 
 
 CHAPTER XLI 
 
 Survey agreed upon — Remarks of Ready — Anticipations and 
 wishes. 
 
 X OR several days after they were employed in clearing 
 away the stumps of the cocoa-nut trees in the winding-path 
 to the storehouse ; and as soon as that work was finished, 
 Ready put up a lightning-conductor at the side of the 
 storehouse, like the one which he had put up near to 
 the cottage. They had now got through all the work 
 that they had arranged to do during the rainy season. 
 The ewes had dropped their lambs, but both the sheep 
 and the goats began to suffer for want of pasture. For 
 a week they had no rain, and the sun burst out very 
 powerfully ; and Ready stated that it was his opinion that 
 the rainy season was now over. William had become quite 
 strong again, and he was very impatient that they should 
 commence the survey of the island, and very anxious to 
 be of the party. After a great deal of consultation, it was 
 at last settled, that Ready and William should make the 
 first survey to the southward, and then return and report 
 what they had discovered. This was decided upon on 
 the Saturday evening, and on the Monday morning they 
 were to start. The knapsacks were got ready, and well 
 filled with boiled salt pork, and flat cakes of bread, 
 made by Juno. They were each to have a musket and 
 ammunition, and a blanket was folded up to carry on 
 the shoulders, that they might sleep on it at night. 
 Ready did not forget his compass, or the small axes, for 
 them to blaze the trees as they went through the wood. 
 The whole of Saturday was occupied in making their pre- 
 parations. After supper, Ready said, " Now, Master William, 
 before we start on our travels, I think I may as well wind 
 up my history. I haven't a great deal more to tell, as my 
 good fortune did not last long ; and after my remaining so 
 long in a French prison, my life was one continued chapter 
 of from bad to worse. I left off where I had purchased a 
 
 193 N 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 share of a merchant vessel, and was, in my opinion, on the 
 full trip to fortune : so now to proceed. Our ship was soon 
 ready, and we sailed with convoy for Barbadoes. Sanders 
 proved a good navigator, and from him, before we arrived 
 at Barbadoes, I gained all the knowledge which I required 
 to enable me to command and navigate my vessel. Sanders 
 attempted to renew our serious conversation, but my property 
 had made me vain ; and now that I felt I could do Avithout 
 his assistance, I not only kept him at a distance, but assumed 
 the superior. This was a very ungrateful return for his 
 kindness to me, Master William ; but it is too often the case 
 in this world. Sanders was very much annoyed, and on our 
 arrival at Barbadoes, he told me that it was his intention 
 to quit the vessel. I replied very haughtily, that he might 
 do as he pleased ; the fact is, I was anxious to get rid of 
 him, merely because I was under obligations to him : I tell 
 this to my shame, Master William. Well, sir, Sanders 
 left me, and I felt quite happy at his departure. My 
 ship was soon with a full cargo of sugar on board of 
 her, and we waited for convoy to England. When at 
 Barbadoes I had an opportunity to buy four brass guns, 
 which I mounted on deck, and had a good supply of 
 ammunition on board. I was very proud of my vessel, 
 as she had proved in the voyage out to be a very fast 
 sailer : indeed, she sailed better than some of the men- 
 of-war which convoyed us ; and now that I had guns on 
 board, I considered myself quite safe from any of the 
 enemies' privateers. While we were waiting for convoy, 
 which was not expected for a fortnight, it blew a very 
 heavy gale, and my ship, as well as others, dragged their 
 anchors, and were driven out of Carlisle Bay. We were 
 obliged to make sail to beat into the bay again, it still 
 blowing very fresh. What with being tired waiting so long 
 for convoy, and the knowledge that arriving before the other 
 West Indiamen would be very advantageous, I made up my 
 mind that, instead of beating up into the bay again I would 
 run for England without protection, trusting to the fast 
 sailing of my vessel and the guns which I had on board. I 
 forgot at the time that the insurance on the vessel was made 
 in England as ' sailing with convoy/ and that my sailing 
 without would render the insurance void, if any misfortune 
 
 194 
 
READY'S NARRATIVE 
 
 occurred. Well, sir, I made sail for England, and for three 
 weeks everything went on well. We saw very few vessels, 
 and those which did chase us could not come up with us ; 
 but as we were running with a fair wind up channel, and 
 I had made sure of being in port before night, a French 
 privateer hove in sight and gave chase. We were obliged 
 to haul our wind, and it blowing very fast, we carried away 
 our main-top-mast. This accident was fatal ; the privateer 
 came alongside of us and laid us by the board, and that 
 night I was in a French prison, and, I may say, a pauper ; 
 for the insurance of the vessel was void, from my having 
 sailed without convoy. I felt that I had no one to thank 
 but myself for the unfortunate position I was in ; at all 
 events, I was severely punished, for I remained a prisoner 
 for nearly six years. I contrived to escape with three or 
 four others ; we suffered dreadfully, and at last arrived in 
 England, in a Swedish vessel, without money, or even 
 clothes that would keep out the weather. Of course, I had 
 nothing to do but to look out for a berth on board of a ship, 
 and I tried for that of second mate, but without success ; 
 I was too ragged and looked too miserable ; so I determined, 
 as I was starving, to go before the mast. There was a fine 
 vessel in the port ; I went on board to offer myself; the mate 
 went down to the captain, who came on deck, and who should 
 he be but Sanders ? I hoped that he would not remember 
 me, but he did immediately, and held out his hand. I 
 never did feel so ashamed in my life as I did then. Sanders 
 perceived it, and asked me down into the cabin. I then 
 told him all that had happened, and he appeared to forget 
 that I had behaved so ill to him ; he offered me a berth 
 on board, and money in advance to fit me out. But if he 
 would not remember my conduct, I could not forget it, 
 and I told him so, and begged his forgiveness. Well, sir, 
 that good man, as long as he lived, was my friend. I 
 became his second mate before he died, and we were again 
 very intimate. My misfortunes had humbled me, and I 
 once more read the Bible with him ; and I have, I trust, 
 done so ever since. When he died, I continued second 
 mate for some time, and then was displaced. Since that 
 I have always been as a common seaman on board of 
 different vessels ; but I have been well treated and respected, 
 
 195 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 and I may add, I have not been unhappy, for I felt that 
 property would have only led me into follies, and have 
 made me forget, that in this world we are to live so as to 
 prepare ourselves for another. Now, Master William, you 
 have the history of Masterman Ready ; and I hope that 
 there are portions of it which may prove useful to you. 
 I am now an old man, and weaned from the things of this 
 world ; all I hope is to die in peace, and be useful until 
 it pleases God to call me away." 
 
 "Useful you have been, indeed, lately," said Mrs. Sea- 
 grave ; " and I hope you will live a long while yet, Ready, 
 and have a happy old age." 
 
 " It will be as God pleases, madam," replied Ready ; " but 
 sailors are not long-lived. I feel as if I could pass the 
 remainder of my days on this little island with perfect con- 
 tent. I know you all feel otherwise, but that is natural. I 
 am an old man already, and have nothing to look forward 
 to ; I have no relations, no children ; and all I require is, 
 employment to amuse me, and my Bible to teach me how to 
 die. You are all young compared to me, and naturally look 
 forward. For your sakes, and not for my own, I sincerely 
 hope we shall be searched for, and found, and that you may 
 return to the busy world. As for myself, I would willingly 
 remain upon the island for the remainder of my days, and 
 have the boughs of the cocoa-nut trees waving over my 
 grave. I don't know, but I really have a kind of feeling 
 that such will be the case, and I dwell upon the idea with 
 pleasure." 
 
 " No, no, Ready, you must not think of that ; you 
 must go back with us one of these days," replied Mr. 
 Seagrave, " and live with us altogether. We never part 
 again. You must give up your seafaring life, and sit in 
 the chimney corner, or bask in the sun out of doors, just 
 as you please. You require repose, and I trust your old 
 age will be cheerful. At all events, it shall not be my fault 
 if it is not." 
 
 " Nor mine, Ready, I assure you," added Mrs. Seagrave ; 
 u I should feel uncomfortable if I were ever to be parted 
 from you again." 
 
 " Thank you, madam, and thank you, sir, both of you ; I 
 thank you kindly for your good intentions towards me ; but 
 
 196 
 
SET OFF ON SUHVEY 
 
 there is One above who will decide for us, and whatever He 
 decrees is right." 
 
 " Master William, we must be off betimes to-morrow, and 
 as we are all to breakfast early together, why, 1 think, the 
 sooner we go to bed the better." 
 
 " Very true," replied Mr. Seagrave. " William, dear, bring 
 me the Bible." 
 
 CHAPTER XLII 
 
 Set off on survey — Steering by compass through the wood — 
 Mummy — Clearing the wood — Rainy season unhealthy — 
 D iscovery — Banana — Pepper — Prickly pear — Gua va — Par^ 
 rots — Yams — Pigs — Sea-birds' nests — Harbour for boat — 
 Crawfish and oysters — Return home— Hemp — Wild grape — 
 Projected work. 
 
 1 HEY were all up early the next morning, and breakfasted 
 at an early hour. The fried fish was excellent, and Master 
 Tommy was nearly choked by a bone which stuck in his 
 throat, in consequence of his being so greedy, and eating so 
 fast. However, after a good deal of thumping, and some 
 alarm on the part of Mrs. Seagrave, Juno forced her fore- 
 finger down his throat, and the bone disappeared. The 
 knapsacks and guns, and the other requisites for the journey, 
 were all prepared ; William and Ready rose from the table, 
 and taking an affectionate leave of Mr. and Mrs. Seagrave, 
 they started on their journey. The sun was shining bril- 
 liantly, and the weather had become warm ; the ocean in the 
 distance gleamed brightly, as its waters danced, and the 
 cocoa-nut trees moved their branches gracefully to the 
 breeze. They set off in high spirits, and having called the 
 two shepherd dogs, and driven back Vixen, who would have 
 joined the party, they passed the storehouse, and ascending 
 the hill on the other side, they got their hatchets ready to 
 blaze the trees; and Ready having set his course by his 
 pocket compass, they were fairly on their way. For some 
 time they continued to cut the bark of the trees with their 
 hatchets, without speaking, and then Ready stopped again 
 to look at his compass. 
 
 197 
 
MASTERMAN ready 
 
 " I think the wood is thicker here than ever, Ready/' 
 observed William. 
 
 " Yes, sir, it is ; but I suspect we are now in the thickest 
 part of it, right in the middle of the island ; however, we 
 shall soon see. We must keep a little more away to the 
 southward. We had better get on as fast as we can. We 
 shall have less work by and-by, and then we can talk 
 better." 
 
 For half-an-hour they continued their way through the 
 wood, and, as Ready had observed, the trees became more 
 distant from each other ; still, however, they could not see 
 anything before them but the stems of the cocoa-nuts. It 
 was hard work chopping the trees every second, and their 
 foreheads were moist with the exertion. 
 
 " I think we had better pull up for a few minutes, Master 
 William ; you will be tired : you are not so strong as you 
 were before your fever." 
 
 " I have not been so used to exercise, Ready, and 
 therefore I feel it more," replied William, wiping his 
 face with his handkerchief, as he laid his gun against the 
 trunk of a tree. "I should like to stop a few minutes. 
 How long do you think it will be before we are out of the 
 wood ? " 
 
 "Not half-an-hour more, sir, I should think; even before 
 that, perhaps. I do not know how far the wood may extend 
 this way." 
 
 " What do you expect to find, Ready ? " 
 
 "That's a difficult question to answer. I can tell you 
 what I hope to find, which is, a good space of clear ground 
 between the beach and the wood, where we may pasture our 
 sheep and goats ; and perhaps we may find some other trees 
 besides cocoa-nuts : at present, you know we have seen only 
 them and the castor oil beans, that Master Tommy took such 
 a dose of. You see, Master William, there is no saying what 
 new seeds may have been brought here by birds, or by the 
 winds and waves." 
 
 te But will those seeds grow ? " 
 
 " Yes, Master William ; I have been told that seeds may 
 remain hundreds of years under ground, and come up after- 
 wards, when exposed to the heat." 
 
 " Now I recollect/' replied William ; " my father told me 
 
 198 
 
MUMMY 
 
 that the wheat, which had been buried in an Egyptian 
 mummy three or four thousand years back, had been known 
 to grow when planted." 
 
 "What's a mummy, Master William? I have heard of 
 Egypt : it was the country where the Jews were in bondage, 
 and from which they were delivered. We read all that in 
 the Bible ; and how Pharaoh was plagued until he permitted 
 them to depart." 
 
 " Yes ; he was drowned, with all his host, because he 
 followed them to bring them back again. A mummy, Ready, 
 is a human body, embalmed with spices after it is dead, so as 
 to preserve it. I never saw one ; but I know, from what I 
 have read, that the Egyptians used to embalm the bodies of 
 the dead. I am quite ready to go on now." 
 
 "Well, then, the sooner we get through the wood the 
 better, Master William ; so let us put our best foot foremost, 
 as the saying is." 
 
 They continued their way, and had not walked for more 
 than a quarter of an hour, when William cried out, " I see 
 the blue sky, Ready ; we shall soon be out ; and glad shall I 
 be, for my arm aches with chopping." 
 
 "I dare say it does, sir. I am just as glad as you are, 
 for I'm tired of marking the trees ; however, we must 
 continue to mark, or we shall not find our way back when 
 we want it." 
 
 In ten minutes more they were clear of the cocoa-nut 
 grove, and found themselves among brushwood higher than 
 their heads ; so that they could not see how far they were 
 from the shore. 
 
 u Well," said William, throwing down his hatchet, " I'm 
 glad that's over ; now let us sit down a little before we go 
 any farther." 
 
 " I'm of your opinion, sir," replied Ready, sitting down by 
 the side of William ; " I feel more tired to-day than I did 
 when w r e first went through the wood, after we set off from 
 the cove. I suppose it's the weather. Come back, dogs ; 
 lie down." 
 
 "The weather is very fine, Ready." 
 
 " Yes, now, sir ; but I meant to have said that the 
 rainy season is very trying to the health, and I suppose I 
 have not recovered from it yet. You have had a regular 
 
 199 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 fever, and, of course, do not feel strong ; but a man may 
 have no fever and yet his health suffer a great deal from 
 it. I am an old man, Master William, and feel these 
 things now." 
 
 " I think that before we go on, Ready, we had better have 
 our dinner ; that will do us good." 
 
 " Well, Master William, we will take an early dinner, and 
 we shall get rid of one bottle of water, at all events ; indeed, 
 I think that, as we must go back by the same way we came, 
 we may as well leave our knapsacks and everything but our 
 guns under these trees ; I dare say we shall sleep here too, 
 for I told Mr. Seagrave positively not to expect us back 
 to-night. I did not like to say so before your mother, she is 
 so anxious about you." They opened their knapsacks, and 
 made their meal, the two dogs coming in for their full share, 
 after which they again started on their discoveries. For 
 about ten minutes they continued to force their way through 
 the thick and high bushes, till at last they broke out clear 
 of them, and then looked around them for a short time 
 without speaking. The sea was about half a mile distant, 
 and the intervening land was clear, with fresh blades of 
 grass just bursting out of the earth, composing a fine piece 
 of pasture of at least fifty acres, here and there broken with 
 small patches of trees and brushwood ; there was no sandy 
 beach, but the rocks rose from the sea about twenty to 
 thirty feet high, and were in one or two places covered with 
 something which looked as white as snow. 
 
 " Well, Ready," said William, " there will be no want of 
 pasture for our flock, even if it increases to ten times its 
 number." 
 
 " No, sir," replied Ready, "we are very fortunate, and have 
 great reason to be thankful ; this is exactly what we required ; 
 and now let us go on a little, and examine these patches of 
 wood, and see what they are. I see a bright green leaf out 
 there, which, if my eyes do not fail me, I have seen many a 
 time before. When they arrived at the clump of trees which 
 Ready had pointed out, he said, "Yes, Master William, I 
 was right. Look there, this is the banana ; it is just burst- 
 ing out now, and will soon be ten feet high, and bearing 
 fruit which is excellent eating ; besides which, the stem is 
 capital fodder for the beasts. God is gracious." 
 
 200 
 
BIRD'S-EYE PEPPEft.— PRICKLY PEAft 
 
 " Here is a plant I never saw before ; this little one/' 
 said William, pulling up a piece of it, and showing it to 
 Ready. 
 
 " But I have, Master William. It is what they call the 
 bird's-eye pepper ; they make Cayenne pepper out of it. 
 Look, the pods are just formed; it will be useful to us in 
 cooking, as we have no pepper left. Juno will be quite 
 pleased. You see, Master William, we must have some birds 
 on the island ; at least it is most probable, for all the seeds 
 of these plants and trees must have been brought here by 
 them. The banana and the pepper are the food of many 
 birds. One seed has dropped and grown up, and then the 
 seeds of the first have sowed themselves, and grown up 
 every year, and that is the reason they are all in patches 
 here and there. What a quantity of bananas are springing 
 up in this spot ; there will be a little forest of them in a 
 few weeks." 
 
 et What is that rough-looking sort of shrub out there, 
 Ready ? " 
 
 " I can't see so well as you, Master William, so let us 
 walk up to it. Oh, I know it now ; it is what they call 
 the prickly pear in the W T est Indies. I am very glad to have 
 found that, for it will be very useful to us." 
 
 " Is it good eating, Ready ? " 
 
 "Not particularly; and the little spikes run into your 
 fingers, and are very difficult to get rid of; but it is not 
 bad by way of a change. No, sir, the use it will be to us 
 is to hedge in our garden, and protect it from the animals ; 
 it makes a capital fence, and grows very fast, and without 
 trouble. W 7 hy, there's half an acre of them ; they are just 
 coming into blossom. Now let us go on to that patch of 
 trees, and see what they are." 
 
 " What is this plant, Ready ? " 
 
 " I don't know, Master William ; I can't say that I ever 
 saw it before." 
 
 " Then I think I had better make a collection of all 
 those you don't know, and take them back to my father, 
 for he is a very good botanist, and I dare say will know 
 them all." 
 
 "We will do so, sir; it is a very good thought of 
 yours." 
 
 201 
 
xMASTERMAN ready 
 
 William pulled a branch of the plant off, and carried it 
 with him. On their arrival at the next patch of trees, 
 Ready looked at them steadfastly for some time. 
 
 " Let me see/' said he ; " I think I know that tree, I 
 have often seen it in hot countries. Yes, I have it, Master 
 William ; it's the guava." 
 
 "What! is it the fruit they make guava jelly of?" said 
 William. 
 
 " Yes, Master William, the very same." 
 
 u How Tommy will smack his lips when he hears of 
 it. Captain Osborn gave us guava jelly on our passage 
 out, and Tommy was never satisfied, he always wanted 
 more." 
 
 "Little boys of Master Tommy's age do think more of 
 eating than anything else ; that's very natural, so we must 
 not be too hard upon Master Tommy ; he'll turn out a fine 
 fellow yet, depend upon it, Master William." 
 
 "I'm sure I hope so, Ready, and I really think that he 
 will. Shall we go on now ? " 
 
 " Yes, sir ; which way would you like to go ? " 
 
 " Let us walk in the direction of those five or six trees, 
 and from there down to the rocks ; I want to find out how 
 it is that they are so white." 
 
 "Be it so, sir, if you wish," replied Ready. 
 
 " Why, Ready, what noise is that ? Hark ! such a chatter- 
 ing, it must be monkeys." 
 
 " No, sir, they are not monkeys ; but I'll tell you what 
 they are, although I cannot see them ; they are parrots 
 — I know their noise well. You see, Master William, 
 it's not very likely that monkeys should get here, but 
 birds can, and it is the birds that we have to thank 
 for the bananas, and guavas, and other fruits we may 
 find here." 
 
 As soon as they came under the trees, there was a great 
 rioting and fluttering, and then flew away, screaming as 
 loud as they could, a flock of about three hundred parrots, 
 their beautiful green and blue feathers glistening in the 
 beams of the sun. 
 
 " I told you so, sir ; well, we'll have some capital pies out 
 of them, Master William." 
 
 " Pies ! do they make good pies, Ready ? " 
 
 202 
 
Yams.— pigs 
 
 " Yes, excellent ; and very often have I had a good dinner 
 from one in the West Indies, and in South America. Step, 
 sir, let us come a little this way ; I see a leaf which I should 
 like to examine." 
 
 e< The ground is very swampy just here, Ready, is it 
 not ? " 
 
 " Yes ; there's plenty of water below, I don't doubt. So 
 much the better for the animals ; we must dig some pools 
 when they come here." 
 
 " Oh ! I thought I was not wrong. Look, sir ! this is the 
 best thing I have found yet — w r e now need not care so much 
 about potatoes." 
 
 " Why, what are they, Ready ? " 
 
 " Yams, sir ; yams, which they use instead of potatoes in 
 the West Indies. Indeed, potatoes do not remain potatoes 
 long, when planted in the hot climates." 
 
 " How do you mean, Ready ? " 
 
 "They turn into what they call sweet potatoes, after one 
 or two crops : yams are better things, in my opinion." 
 
 At this moment the dogs dashed among the broad yam 
 leaves, and commenced baying ; there was a great rustling 
 and snorting. 
 
 " What's that ? " cried William, who had been stooping 
 down to examine the yam plant, and who was startled at 
 the noise. 
 
 Ready laughed heartily. "It isn't the first time that 
 they've made you jump, Master William." 
 
 "Why, it's our pigs, isn't it?" replied William. 
 
 *" To be sure ; they're in the yam patch, very busy feeding 
 on them, I'll be bound." 
 
 Ready gave a shout, and a grunting and rushing were 
 heard among the broad leaves, and, very soon, out rushed, 
 instead of the six, about thirty pigs, large and small ; who, 
 snorting and twisting their tails, galloped away at a great 
 rate across the pasture-land, until they gained the cocoa- 
 nut grove. 
 
 " How wild they are, Ready," said William. 
 
 " Yes, sir, and they'll be wilder every day : but we must 
 fence these yams from them, or we shall get none our- 
 selves." 
 
 " But they'll beat down the fence before it grows up." 
 
 203 
 
MASTERMAtf READY 
 
 " Yes, sir ; but we'll pale it in with cocoa-nut palings, and 
 plant the prickly pears outside ; before the palings are 
 rotten, the prickly pears will make a hedge which no 
 animal can get through. Now, sir, we'll go down to the 
 seaside." 
 
 As they neared the rocks, which were bare for about fifty 
 yards from the water's edge, Ready said, " I can tell you now 
 what those white patches on the rocks are, Master William ; 
 they are the places where the sea-birds come to every year 
 to make their nests, and bring up their young. They always 
 come to the same place every year, if they are not disturbed." 
 They soon arrived at the spot, and found it white with the 
 feathers of birds, mixed up with dirt. 
 
 " I see no nests, Ready, nor the remains of any." 
 
 'No, sir, they do not make any nests, further than 
 scratching a round hole, about half an inch deep, in the soil, 
 and there they lay their eggs, sitting quite close to one 
 another ; they will soon be here, and begin to lay, and then 
 we will come and take the eggs, if we want any, for they are 
 not bad eating." 
 
 "Why, Ready, what a quantity of good things we have 
 found out already. This has been a very fortunate expedition 
 of ours." 
 
 "Yes, it has; and we may thank God for His goodness, 
 who thus provides for us so plentifully in the wilderness; and 
 recollect, that every year, if we are industrious, we shall add 
 to our means." 
 
 "Do you know, Ready, I cannot help thinking that we 
 ought to have built our house here." 
 
 " Not so, Master William ; we have not the pure water, 
 recollect, and Ave have not the advantages of the sandy 
 beach, where we have our turtle and fish-pond. No, Master 
 William : we may feed our stock here ; we may gather the 
 fruit, taking our share of it with the poor birds ; we may get 
 our yams, and every other good provided for us ; but our 
 house and home must be where it is now." 
 
 " You are right, Ready ; but it will be a long walk." 
 
 "Not when we are accustomed to it, and have made a 
 beaten path, Master William ; besides, we may bring the 
 boat round, perhaps. I wish to go down to the rocks 
 to see." 
 
 204 
 
HARBOUR FOR BOAT 
 
 They then walked along the seaside for about a quarter 
 of a mile, until they came to where the rocks were not so 
 high, and there they discovered a little basin, completely 
 formed in the rocks, with a narrow entrance. 
 
 "See, Master William, what a nice little harbour for our 
 boat ; we may here load it with yams and take it round to 
 the bay, provided we can find an entrance through the reefs 
 on the southern side of it, which we have not looked for 
 yet, because we have not required it." 
 
 "Yes, Ready — it is, indeed, a nice, smooth little place 
 for the boat; but how shall we find it out again, when we 
 come on this side of the island in the boat ? " 
 
 " Very easily, Master William, for I'll fix up a flagstaff as 
 a mark." 
 
 " What is that thing on the bottom, there, Ready ? " said 
 William, pointing in the direction. 
 
 " I see it, sir ; that is a sea crawfish, quite as good eating 
 as a lobster. I wonder if I could make a lobster pot ; we 
 should catch plenty, and very good they are." 
 
 " And what are those little rough things on the rocks ? " 
 
 " They are a very nice little sort of oyster, sir, very sweet ; 
 not like those we have in England, but very much better 
 indeed, they are so delicate." 
 
 "Why, Ready, we have two more good things for our 
 table, again," replied William ; " how rich we shall be." 
 
 " Yes, sir ; but we have to catch them, recollect : there 
 is nothing to be had in this world without labour. The 
 world is full of all that is useful to man ; but the Almighty 
 has declared that it is by the sweat of the brow that we are 
 to gain our bread." 
 
 "Ready," said William, "we have good three hours' day- 
 light ; suppose we go back and tell what we have seen : my 
 mother will be so glad to see us." 
 
 " I agree with you, Master William. We have done 
 well for one day; and may safely go back again, and re- 
 main for another week, if that is all ; that is, if we are 
 wanted. There are no fruits at present, and all I care 
 about are the yams ; I should like to protect them from 
 the pigs. But let us go home and talk the matter over with 
 Mr. Seagrave." 
 
 William, as he walked away from the beach towards the 
 
 205 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 cocoa-nut grove, picked a sprig of every plant he fell in with, 
 to take back to his father. They found out the spot where 
 they had left their knapsacks and hatchets, and again took 
 their path through the cocoa-nut trees, following the blaze 
 which they had made in the morning. One hour before 
 sunset they arrived at the house, where they found Mr. and 
 Mrs. Seagrave sitting outside, and Juno standing on the 
 beach with the two children, who were amusing themselves 
 with picking up the shells which were strewed about. 
 William gave a very clear account of all they had seen, and 
 showed his father the specimens of the plants which he had 
 collected. 
 
 " This," said Mr. Seagrave " is a well-known plant ; and 
 I wonder Ready did not recognise it ; it is hemp." 
 
 " I never saw it except in the shape of rope," replied 
 Ready. " I know the seed well enough." 
 
 "Well, if we require it, I can tell you how to dress 
 it," replied Mr. Seagrave. "Now, William, what is the 
 next ? " 
 
 " This odd-looking, rough thing." 
 
 u That's the egg-plant : it bears a fruit of a blue colour. 
 I am told they eat it in the hot countries." 
 
 " Yes, sir, they do ; they fry it with peppei and salt ; they 
 call it bringal. I think it must be that." 
 
 " I do not doubt but you are right," replied Mr. Seagrave. 
 " Why, William, you should know this." 
 
 " It is like the grape-vine." 
 
 " Yes, and it is so ; it is the wild grape ; we shall eat them 
 by-and-by ; perhaps make wine ; who knows ? " 
 
 -' I have only one more, papa : what is this ? " 
 
 "You don't know it, because it has sprung up so high, 
 William ; but it is the common mustard plant, — what we use 
 in England, and sold as mustard and cress. Well, I think 
 you have now made a famous day's work of it ; and we have 
 much to thank God for. Here comes Juno to get the supper 
 on the table; so we will go; the sun is just disappearing, 
 and it will be dark in a few minutes." 
 
 As soon as they had returned to the house, a consultation 
 was held as to their future proceedings ; and, after some 
 debate, it was agreed that it would be advisable that they 
 should take the boat out of the sand ; and, as soon as it 
 
 206 
 
PROJECTED WORK 
 
 was ready, examine the reef on the southward, to see if 
 they could find a passage through it, as it would take a long 
 while to go round it ; and, as soon as that was accom- 
 plished, Mr. Seagrave, Ready, William, and Juno should all 
 go through the wood, carrying with them a tent to pitch 
 on the newly-discovered piece of ground : and that they 
 should set up a flagstaff at the little harbour, to point 
 out its position. Of course, that would be a hard day's 
 work ; but that they would, nevertheless, return the same 
 night ; and not leave Mrs. Seagrave alone with the chil- 
 dren. Having accomplished this, Ready and William would 
 then put the wheels and axle in the boat, and other 
 articles required, such as saw, hatchets, and spades, and 
 row round to the south side of the island, to find the little 
 harbour. As soon as they had landed them, and secured 
 the boat, they would then return by the path through the 
 wood. 
 
 The next job would be to rail in the yam plantation to 
 keep off the pigs, and, at the same time, to drive the sheep 
 and goats through the wood, that they might feed on the 
 new pasture-ground ; the old one was to be reserved for 
 cutting and making into hay for fodder. Ready and William 
 were then to cut down cocoa-nut trees sufficient for the 
 paling, fix up the posts, and when that was done, Mr. 
 Seagrave was to come to them and assist them in railing 
 it in, and drawing the timber. This they expected would 
 be all done in about a month ; and during that time, as 
 Mrs. Seagrave and Juno would be, for the greatest part of 
 it, left at the house, they were to employ themselves in 
 clearing the garden of weeds, and making preparation for 
 fencing it in. 
 
 As soon as this important work had been completed, the 
 boat would return to the bay with a load of prickly pears 
 for the garden fence, and then they were to direct their 
 attention to the stores which had been saved from the 
 wreck, and were lying in the cove where they had first 
 landed. When they had examined them, and brought round 
 what were required, and secured them in the storehouse, 
 they would then have a regular survey of the island by 
 land and by water, and make a map of it, which Mr. 
 Seagrave knew very well how to do. Such were the 
 
 207 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 arrangments proposed for the season of fine weather which 
 had now commenced. But man proposes and God dis- 
 poses., as will be shown by the interruption of their in- 
 tended projects, which we shall have to narrate in the 
 ensuing chapter. 
 
 CHAPTER XLIII 
 
 Vessel in sight — William and Ready— The telescope — Flagstaj) 
 — Air bedding — Hoist ensign and flag — Joy of the party— 
 Hopes and fears — Vessel hauls off—Disappoint?ne?it 
 
 AS usual, Ready was the first up on the following morning, 
 and having greeted Juno, who followed him out of the 
 house, he set off on his accustomed rounds, to examine into 
 the stock and their other possessions. He was standing in 
 the garden at the point. First he thought that it would be 
 necessary to get ready some sticks for the peas, which were 
 now seven or eight inches out of the ground ; he had pro- 
 ceeded a little farther, to where the calivances, or French 
 harricot beans, had been sown, and had decided upon the 
 propriety of hoeing up the earth round them, as they were 
 a very valuable article of food, that would keep, and afford 
 many a good dish during the rainy or winter season. He 
 had gone on to ascertain if the cucumber seeds had shown 
 themselves above ground, and was pleased to find that they 
 were doing well. He said to himself, " We have no vinegar, 
 that I know of, but we can preserve them in salt and water, 
 as they do in Russia ; it will be a change, at all events ; " and 
 then he raised his eyes and looked out to the offing, and, as 
 usual, scanned the horizon. He thought he saw a ship to the 
 north-east, and he applied his telescope to his eye. He was 
 not mistaken — it was a vessel. 
 
 The old man's heart beat quick ; he dropped his telescope 
 on his arm, and fetched some heavy breaths before he could 
 recover from the effect of this unexpected sight. After a 
 minute, he again put his telescope to his eye, and then made 
 her out to be a brig, under top-sails and top-gallant sails, 
 steering directly for the island. 
 
 208 
 
A VESSEL IN SIGHT 
 
 Ready walked to the rocky point, from which they fished, 
 and sat down to reflect. Could it be that the vessel had 
 been sent after them, or that she had by mere chance come 
 among the islands ? He decided after a short time that it 
 must be chance, for none could know that they were saved, 
 much less that they were on the island. Her steering 
 towards the island must then be either that she required 
 water or something else ; perhaps she would alter her course 
 and pass by them. "At all events," thought the old 
 man, "we are in the hands of God, who will, at His 
 own time and in His own way, do with us as He thinks 
 fit. I will not at present say anything to Mr. and Mrs. 
 Seagrave. It would be cruel to raise hopes which might 
 end in disappointment. A few hours will decide. And 
 yet I cannot do without help — I must trust Master William 
 — he is a noble boy that, and clever beyond his years ; if 
 he lives, he will turn out a great, and, what is better, a 
 good man." 
 
 Ready rose up again, examined the vessel with his 
 telescope, and then walked towards the house. William was 
 up, and the remainder of the family were stirring. 
 
 "William," said Ready to him, as they walked away from 
 the house, " I have a secret to tell you, which you will at 
 once see the necessity of not telling to any one at present. 
 A few hours will decide the question." William readily 
 gave his promise. " There is a vessel off the island ; she 
 may be the means of rescuing us, or she may pass without 
 seeing us. It would be too cruel a disappointment to your 
 father and mother, if the latter were the case." 
 
 William stared at Ready, and for a moment could not speak, 
 his excitement was so great. 
 
 u Oh, Ready, how grateful I am ! How I do thank God ! 
 I trust that we may be taken away, for you have no idea 
 how my poor father suffers in silence — and so does my 
 mother." 
 
 " I know it, Master William, I know it, and it is natural ; 
 they do their best to control their yearnings, and they can do 
 no more. But now, Master William, we must be quick, and 
 at work before breakfast. But stop, I will show you the 
 vessel." 
 
 Ready caught the vessel in the field of the telescope, 
 i209 9 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 which he leant against the trunk of a cocoa-nut, and William 
 put his eye to the glass. 
 
 " Do you see her, sir ? " 
 
 u Oh yes, Ready, and she is coming this way." 
 
 " Yes, sir, she is steering right for the island ; but do not 
 talk so loud ; I will put the telescope down here, and we 
 will go about our work ; there is an axe at the storehouse. 
 Come, Master William ; come quick, before your father 
 leaves the house." 
 
 William and Ready went to the storehouse for the axe. 
 Ready selected a very slight cocoa-nut tree nearest to the 
 beach, which he cut down, and as soon as the toj> was taken 
 off, with the assistance of William, he carried it down to the 
 point. 
 
 " Now, Master William, go for a shovel and dig a hole 
 here, that we may fix it up as a flag-staff. When all is ready, 
 I will go for a small block and some rope for halyards to 
 hoist up the flags as soon as the vessel is likely to see them. 
 When the hole is deep enough, come up to breakfast as if 
 nothing had happened. At breakfast-time, I shall propose 
 that you and I get the boat out of the sand and examine her, 
 and give Mr. Seagrave some work indoors." 
 
 " But the flags, Ready ; they are round my mother's bed. 
 How shall we get them ? " 
 
 "Suppose I say that it is time that the house should be 
 well cleaned, and that the canvas hangings of the beds 
 should be taken out to be aired this fine day. Ask your 
 father to take the direction of the work while we dig out the 
 boat ; that will employ them all inside the house." 
 
 "Yes, that will do, Ready." 
 
 During breakfast-time Ready observed that he intended 
 to get the boat out of the sand, and that William should 
 assist him. 
 
 " And what am I to do, Ready ? " said Mr. Seagrave. 
 
 "Why, sir, I think, now that the rains are over, it would 
 not be a bad thing if we were to air bedding, as they say at 
 sea ; it is a fine, warm day ; and if all the bedding was taken 
 out of the house and well shaken, and then left out to air, it 
 would be a very good job over; for you see, sir, I have 
 thought more than once that the house does smell a little 
 close." 
 
 £10 
 
HOIST ENSIGN AND FLAG 
 
 " It will be a very good thing, Ready/' observed Mrs. 
 Seagrave ; "and, at the same time, Juno and I will give the 
 house a thorough cleaning and sweeping." 
 
 "Had we not better have the canvas screens down, and 
 air them too ? " said William. 
 
 "Yes, sir," replied Ready ; "we had better air everything. 
 We will assist in taking down the screens and flags, and 
 spread them out to air, and then, if Mr. Seagrave has no 
 objection, we will leave him to superintend and assist Madam 
 Seagrave and Juno." 
 
 "With all my heart," replied Mr. Seagrave. "We have 
 done breakfast, and will begin as soon as you please." 
 
 Ready and William took down the canvas screens and flags, 
 and went out of the cottage with them ; they spread out the 
 canvas at some distance from the house, and then William 
 went down to the beach with the flags, while Ready procured 
 the block and small rope to hoist them up with. 
 
 Ready's stratagem answered well. Without being per- 
 ceived by those in the cottage, the flag-staff was raised, and 
 fixed in the ground, and the flags all ready for hoisting ; 
 then Ready and William returned to the fuel-stack, and each 
 carried down as much stuff as they could hold, that they 
 might make a smoke to attract the notice of those on board 
 of the vessel. All this did not occupy much more than an 
 hour, during which the brig continued her course steadily 
 towards the island. When Ready first saw her the wind 
 was light, but latterly the breeze had increased very much, 
 and at last the brig took in her top-gallant sails. The 
 horizon behind the vessel, which had been quite clear, 
 was now banked up with clouds, and the waves curled 
 in white foam over the reefs of rocks extending from the 
 island. 
 
 "The breeze is getting up strong, Master William," said 
 Ready, " and she will soon be down, if she is not frightened 
 at the reefs, which she can see plainer, now the water is 
 rough, than she could before." 
 
 " I trust she will not be afraid," replied William. " How 
 far do you think she is off now ? " 
 
 " About five miles, Master William ; not more. The wind 
 has hauled round more to the southward, and it is banking 
 up fast, I see. I fear that we shall have another smart gale ; 
 
 211 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 however, it won't last long. Come, Master William, let us 
 hoist the flags ; we must not lose a chance ; the flags will 
 blow nice and clear for them to see them." 
 
 William and Ready hoisted up the ensign first, and below 
 it the flag, with the ship's name, "Pacific," in large letters 
 upon it. ft Now, then," said Ready, as he made fast the 
 halyards, " let us strike a light and make a smoke ; that will 
 attract their notice." 
 
 As soon as the cocoa-nut leaves were lighted, Ready and 
 William threw water upon them, so as to damp them and 
 procure a heavy column of smoke. The vessel approached 
 rapidly, and they were watching her in silent suspense, when 
 they perceived Mr. and Mrs. Seagrave, Juno carrying Albert, 
 with Tommy and Caroline running down as fast as they 
 could to the beach. The fact was, that Tommy, tired of 
 work, had gone out of the house and walked towards the 
 beach ; there he perceived, first, the flags hoisted, and then 
 he detected the vessel off the island. He immediately ran 
 back to the house, crying out, " Papa ! Mamma ! Captain 
 Osborn come back — come back in a big ship." At this 
 announcement, Mr. and Mrs. Seagrave ran out of the house, 
 perceived the vessel and the flags flying, and, as we have 
 stated, ran as fast as they could down to where William and 
 Ready were standing by the flag-staff. 
 
 " Oh ! Ready, why did you not tell us this before ? " ex- 
 claimed Mr. Seagrave, out of breath. 
 
 "I wish you had not known it now, sir," replied Ready; 
 u but, however, it can't be helped ; it was done out of kind- 
 ness, Mr. Seagrave." 
 
 "Yes, indeed it was, papa." 
 
 Mrs. Seagrave dropped down on the rock, and burst into 
 tears. Mr. Seagrave was equally excited. 
 
 " Does she see us, Ready ? " exclaimed he at last. 
 
 " No, sir, not yet, and I waited till she did before I made 
 it known to you," replied Ready. 
 
 " She is altering her course, Ready," said William. 
 
 " Yes, sir, she has hauled to the wind ; she is afraid of 
 coming too near to the reefs." 
 
 " Surely she is not leaving us," exclaimed Mrs. Sea- 
 grave. 
 
 fe No, madam ; but she does not see us yet/' 
 
 212 
 
WIND INCREASES 
 
 " She does ! she does ! " cried William, thowing up his hat ; 
 "see, she hoists her ensign." 
 
 " Very true, sir ; she does see us. Thanks be to 
 God." 
 
 Mr. Seagrave embraced his wife, who threw herself sobbing 
 into his arms, kissed his children with rapture, and wrung old 
 Ready's hand. He was almost frantic with joy. William 
 was equally delighted. Juno grinned and laughed, while 
 the tears ran down her cheeks, and Tommy took little 
 Caroline by her two hands, and they danced round and round 
 together. 
 
 As soon as they were a little more composed, Ready 
 observed : " Mr. Seagrave, that they have seen us is certain, 
 and what we must now do is to get our own boat out of 
 the sand. We know the passage through the reefs, and 
 they do not. I doubt if they will, however, venture to send 
 a boat on shore, until the wind moderates a little. You see, 
 sir, it is blowing up very strong just now." 
 
 " But you don't think it will blow harder, Ready ? " 
 
 " I am sorry to say, sir, that I do. It looks very threaten- 
 ing to the southward, and until the gale is over, they will 
 not venture near an island so surrounded with rocks. It 
 would be very imprudent if they did. However, sir, a few 
 hours will decide." 
 
 " But, surely," said Mrs. Seagrave, "even if it does blow, 
 they will not leave the island without taking us off. They 
 will come after the gale is over." 
 
 " Yes, madam, if they can, I do think thej' will ; but 
 God knows, some men have hard hearts, and feel little 
 for the misery of others." 
 
 The brig had, in the meantime, kept away again, as if 
 she was running in ; but very soon afterwards she hauled to 
 the wind, with her head to the northward, and stood away 
 from the island. 
 
 " She is leaving us," exclaimed William mournfully. 
 
 " Hard-hearted wretches ! " said Mr. Seagrave, with 
 indignation. 
 
 " You are wrong to say that, sir," replied Ready ; " excuse 
 me, Mr. Seagrave, for being so bold ; but the fact is, that 
 if I was in command of that vessel, I should do just as 
 they have done. The gale rises fast, and it would be very 
 
 213 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 dangerous for them to remain where they now are. It 
 does not at all prove that they intend to leave us; they 
 but consult their own safety, and, when the gale is over, 
 we shall, I trust, see them again." 
 
 No reply was made to Ready's judicious remarks. The 
 Seagraves only saw that the vessel was leaving them, and 
 their hearts sank. They watched her in silence, and as 
 she gradually diminished to the view, so did their hopes 
 depart from them. The wind was now fierce, and a heavy 
 squall, with rain, obscured the offing, and the vessel was 
 no longer to be distinguished. Mr. Seagrave turned to 
 his wife, and mournfully offered her his arm. They walked 
 away from the beach without speaking ; the remainder of 
 the party, with the exception of old Ready, followed them. 
 How different was their return to the house from the joyous 
 descent to the beach. Ready remained some time with 
 his eyes in the direction where the vessel was last seen. 
 He was melancholy, and he had a foreboding that it would 
 be seen no more. At last he hauled down the ensign and 
 flag, and throwing them over his shoulder, followed the 
 disconsolate party to the house. 
 
 CHAPTER XLIV 
 
 Grief and despair—The Bible— Chances— Gale breaking— Canoe 
 sce) i — Island women — Savages— Surmises — Women taken to 
 the house — Hopes and fears — Indian women escape— Council 
 held— Plans proposed — Resignation. 
 
 W HEN Ready arrived, he found them all plunged in 
 such deep distress that he did not consider it advisable 
 to say anything. The evening closed in ; it was time to 
 retire. The children had already been put to bed; but 
 Mr. Seagrave remained without speaking, holding his wife 
 by her hand. Mrs. Seagrave's head was rested upon her 
 husband's shoulder, and an occasional low sob was to be 
 heard. The countenance of Mr. Seagrave was not only 
 gloomy, but morose. The hour for retiring to rest had 
 
 214 
 
GRIEF AND DESPAIR 
 
 long passed when Ready broke the silence by saying, 
 "Surely you do not intend to sit up all night, Mr. 
 Seagrave ? " 
 
 "Oh no! there's no use sitting up now/' replied Mr. 
 Seagrave, rising up impatiently. " Come, my dear, let us go 
 to bed." 
 
 Mrs. Seagrave rose, and retired behind the canvas screen. 
 Her husband seemed as if he was about to follow her, when 
 Ready, without speaking, laid the Bible on the table before 
 him. Mr. Seagrave did not appear to notice it ; but William 
 touched his father's arm, pointed to the book, and then went 
 inside of the screen, and led out his mother. 
 
 u God forgive me ! " exclaimed Mr. Seagrave. " In my 
 selfishness and discontent I had forgotten " 
 
 "Yes, sir, you had forgotten those words, 'Come unto 
 Me, all ye who are weary and heavy laden, and I will 
 give you rest.' Those words are true, sir ; I have felt them 
 to be so." 
 
 " I am ashamed of myself," said Mrs. Seagrave, bursting 
 into tears. 
 
 Mr. Seagrave opened the Bible, and read the psalm. As 
 soon as he had closed the book, "good night" were all the 
 words that passed, and they all retired to rest. 
 
 During the night the wind howled and the rain beat 
 down. The children slept soundly, but Mr. and Mrs. 
 Seagrave, Ready, and William, were awake during the whole 
 of the night, listening to the storm, and occupied with their 
 own thoughts. It was the most unhappy night that had 
 been passed since they first landed. 
 
 Ready was dressed before daylight, and out on the beach 
 before the sun had risen. The gale was at its height ; and 
 after a careful survey with his telescope, he could see nothing 
 of the vessel. He remained on the beach till breakfast-time, 
 when he was summoned by William, and returned to the 
 house. He found Mr. and Mrs. Seagrave up, and more 
 composed than they were the evening before ; and they 
 welcomed him warmly. 
 
 " I fear, Ready," said Mr. wSeagrave, " that you have no 
 good news for us." 
 
 " No, sir ; nor can you expect any good news until after 
 the gale is over." 
 
 215 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 " Tell me, Ready/' said Mrs. Seagrave, " do you really 
 think that the vessel will come back for us ?" 
 
 " I will tell you what our chances are, madam, and I can 
 do no more. The vessel could not remain here during the 
 gale — that is certain ; and there is no saying what the effects 
 of the gale may be. She may lie to, and not be far from us 
 when the gale is over ; or she may be obliged to scud before 
 the gale, and run some hundred miles from us. Then, 
 madam, comes the next chance. I think, by her running 
 for the island, that she was short of water ; the question is, 
 then, whether she may not find it necessary to run for 
 the port she is bound to, or water at some other place. 
 You know, madam, that a captain of a vessel is bound 
 to do his best for the owners. At the same time I do 
 think, that if she can with propriety come back for us 
 she will. The question is, first, whether she can ; and 
 secondly, whether the captain is a humane man, and will do 
 so at his own inconvenience." 
 
 "There is but poor comfort in all that. Ready," replied 
 Mr. Seagrave. 
 
 " It is useless holding out false hopes, sir," replied Ready ; 
 "but even if the vessel continues her voyage, I consider we 
 have much to be thankful for." 
 
 " In what, Ready ? " 
 
 " Why, sir, no one knew whether we were in existence or 
 not, and probably we never should have been searched for ; 
 but now we have made it known, and by the ship's name on 
 the flag they know who we are, and, if they arrive safe in 
 port, will not fail to communicate the intelligence to your 
 friends. Is not that a great deal to be thankful for ? We 
 may not be taken off by this vessel, but we have every hope 
 that another will be sent out to us." 
 
 " Very true, Ready ; I ought to have seen that before ; 
 but my despair and disappointment were yesterday so great, 
 that it almost took away my reason. We must trust 
 in God." 
 
 "I'm glad to hear you say that, sir," replied Ready; 
 " I thought you would soon return to your usual frame of 
 mind. I felt for you, I assure you ; and indeed I feel for 
 you now. I know how dreadful this state of suspense 
 must be." 
 
 216 
 
CANOE SEEN 
 
 " Let us say no more about it, Ready ; we are but im- 
 perfect creatures; and God is merciful when we repent of 
 our folly and our wickedness." 
 
 The gale continued during the day, and showed no 
 symptoms of abatement when they again retired for the 
 night. The following day Ready was up early, as usual, 
 and William accompanied him to the beach. 
 
 " I don't think that it blows so hard as it did, Ready." 
 
 " No, Master William, it does not ; the gale is breaking, 
 and by night, I have no doubt, will be over. It is, however, 
 useless looking for the vessel, as she must be a long way 
 from this. It would take her a week, perhaps, to come 
 back to us if she was to try to do so, unless the wind should 
 change to the northward or westward." 
 
 " Ready ! Ready ! " exclaimed William, pointing to the 
 south-east part of the reef; "what is that? Look! it's a 
 boat." 
 
 Ready put his telescope to his eye. " It's a canoe, Master 
 William, and there are people in it." 
 
 " Why, where can they have come from, Ready ? See ! 
 they are among the breakers ; they will be lost. Let us go 
 towards them, Ready." 
 
 They hastened along the beach to the spot nearest to 
 where the canoe was tossing on the surf, and watched it as 
 it approached the shore. 
 
 " Master William, this canoe must have been blown off 
 from the large island, which lies out there ; " and Ready 
 again looked through his telescope : " there are two people 
 in it, and they are islanders. Poor things ! they struggle 
 hard for their lives, and seem much exhausted ; but they 
 have passed through the most dangerous part of the reef." 
 
 " Yes," replied William, " they will soon be in smoother 
 water ; but the surf on the beach is very heavy." 
 
 " They won't mind that, if their strength don't fail them 
 — they manage the canoe beautifully." 
 
 During this conversation the canoe had rapidly come 
 towards the land. In a moment or two afterwards it passed 
 through the surf and grounded on the beach. The two 
 people in it had just strength enough left to paddle through 
 the surf, and then they dropped down in the bottom of the 
 canoe, quite exhausted. 
 
 217 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 "Let's drag the canoe higher up. Master William. Poor 
 creatures ! they are nearly dead." 
 
 While dragging it up Ready observed that the occupants 
 were both women. Their faces were tattooed all over, 
 which disfigured them very much ; otherwise they were 
 young, and might have been good-looking. 
 
 "Shall I run up and get something for them, Ready?" 
 
 " Do, Master William ; ask Juno to give you some of 
 whatever there is for breakfast ; anything warm." 
 
 William soon returned with some thin oatmeal porridge, 
 which Juno had been preparing for breakfast ; and a few 
 spoonfuls being forced down the throats of the two natives 
 they gradually revived. William then left Ready, and went 
 up to acquaint his father and mother with this unexpected 
 event. 
 
 William soon returned with Mr. Seagrave, and as the 
 women were now able to sit up, they hauled up the canoe 
 as far as they could, to prevent her being beat to pieces. 
 They found nothing in the canoe, except a piece of matting 
 and the two paddles which had been used by the natives. 
 The latter were very curiously carved, as well as the bow 
 of the canoe. 
 
 "You see, sir," said Ready, "it is very clear that these 
 two poor women, having been left in charge of the canoe, 
 have been blown off from the shore of one of the islands 
 to the south-east ; they must have been contending with 
 the gale ever since the day before yesterday, and, as it 
 appears, without food or water. It's a mercy that they 
 gained this island." 
 
 "It is so," replied Mr. Seagrave; "but to tell the truth, 
 I am not over-pleased at their arrival. It proves, what we 
 were not sure of before, that we have very near neighbours, 
 who may probably pay us a very unwelcome visit." 
 
 "That may be, sir," replied Ready; "still these two poor 
 creatures being thrown on shore here does not make the 
 matter worse, or the danger greater. Perhaps it may turn 
 to our advantage ; for if these women learn to speak 
 English before any other islanders visit us, they will in- 
 terpret for us, and be the means, perhaps, of saving our 
 lives." 
 
 " Would their visit be so dangerous, then, Ready ? " 
 
 218 
 
WOMEN TAKEN TO HOUSE 
 
 " Why, sir, a savage is a savage, and, like a child, wishes 
 to obtain whatever he sees ; especially he covets what he 
 may turn to use, such as iron, &c. If they came, and we 
 concealed a portion and gave up the remainder of our goods, 
 we might escape ; but still there is no trusting to them, and 
 I would infinitely prefer defending ourselves against numbers 
 to trusting to their mercy." 
 
 " But how can we defend ourselves against a multitude ? " 
 
 "We must be prepared, sir; if we can fortify ourselves, 
 with our muskets we would be more than a match for 
 hundreds." 
 
 Mr. Seagrave turned away. After a pause he said, " It 
 is not very pleasant to be now talking of defending our- 
 selves against savages, when we hoped two days ago to be 
 leaving the island. Oh, that that brig would make its 
 appearance again ! " 
 
 " The wind is going down fast, sir," observed Ready ; " it 
 will be fine weather before the evening. We may look out 
 for her ; at all events, for the next week I shall not give 
 up all hopes." 
 
 " A whole week, Ready ! Alas ! how true it is, that hope 
 deferred maketh the heart sick." 
 
 " It is a severe trial, Mr. Seagrave ; but we must submit 
 when we are chastened. We had better get these poor 
 creatures up to the house, and let them recover them- 
 selves." 
 
 " Yes, Ready ; I presume they will understand signs." 
 
 Ready then beckoned to them to get on their feet, which 
 they both did, although, with some difficulty. He then 
 went in advance, making a sign for them to follow ; they 
 understood him, and made the attempt, but were so weak, 
 that they would have fallen if they had not been supported 
 by Mr. Seagrave and William. 
 
 It required a long time for them to arrive at the house. 
 Mrs. Seagrave, who knew what had happened, received them 
 very kindly, and Juno had a mess ready, which she put 
 before them. They ate a little, and then lay down, and 
 were soon sound asleep. 
 
 " It is fortunate for us that they are women," observed 
 Mr. Seagrave ; f 'we should have had great difficulty had they 
 been men." 
 
 219 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 " Yes, sir," replied Ready ; '^but still we must not trust 
 women too much at first, for they are savages. If it is the 
 will of God that we still remain on this island, they may 
 be very useful to us in many ways — indeed, I may say, be 
 very valuable to us, as we have plenty of employment for 
 them." 
 
 "Where shall we put them to-night, Ready ?" 
 
 "Why, sir, I have been thinking about that. I wish we 
 had a shed close to us ; but as we have not, we must let 
 them sleep in the storehouse." 
 
 "Yes, that will do very well." 
 
 We must now pass over a space of fifteen days, in which 
 there was nothing done. The expectation of the vessel 
 returning was still alive, although each day decreased these 
 hopes. Every morning Ready and William were at the 
 beach with the telescope, and the whole of the day was 
 passed in surmises, hopes, and fears. In fact, the appear- 
 ance of the vessel and the expectation of leaving the island 
 had completely overturned all the regularity and content 
 of our island party. No other subject was broached— 
 not any of the work proposed was begun, as it was 
 useless to do anything if they were to leave the island. 
 After the first week had passed they felt that every 
 day their chances were more adverse, and at the end of 
 the fortnight all hopes were very unwillingly abandoned. 
 They had had time to school themselves into resignation, 
 and now once more turned their thoughts to their own 
 immediate pursuits. 
 
 The Indian women had, in the meantime, recovered their 
 fatigues, and appeared to be very mild and tractable. 
 Whatever they were able to do they did cheerfully, and 
 had already gained a few words of English. The party to 
 explore was again talked over, and arranged for the follow- 
 ing Monday, when a new misfortune fell on them, which 
 disconcerted all their arrangements. 
 
 On the Saturday morning, when Ready, as usual, went 
 his rounds, as he walked along the beach, he perceived 
 that the Indian canoe was missing. It had been hauled up 
 clear of the water, so that it could not have floated away. 
 Ready's heart misgave him ; he looked through his telescope 
 in the direction of the large island, and thought he could 
 
 220 
 
WOMEN ESCAPE.— COUNCIL HELD 
 
 distinguish a speck on the water at a great distance. As 
 he was thus occupied William came down to him. 
 
 " Master William/' said Ready, " I fear those island 
 women have escaped in their canoe. Run up, and see if 
 they are in the outhouse, or anywhere else, and let me know 
 as soon as you can." 
 
 William in a few minutes returned, breathless, stating 
 that the women were not to be found, and that they had 
 evidently carried away with them a quantity of the large 
 nails and other pieces of iron which were in the small kegs 
 in the storehouse. 
 
 "This is bad, Master William — very bad indeed; this 
 is worse than the vessel not coming back." 
 
 "Why, we can do without them, Ready." 
 
 " Yes, sir ; but when they get back to their own people, 
 and show them the iron they have brought with them, 
 and describe how much more there is to be had, depend 
 upon it, we shall have a visit from them in numbers, that 
 they may obtain more. I ought to have known better 
 than to have left the canoe here ; it should have been 
 burnt. We must go and consult with Mr. Seagrave, for the 
 sooner we begin to w r ork now the better. Come, Master 
 William ; but recollect, we must make light of this to your 
 mamma." 
 
 They communicated the intelligence to Mr. Seagrave 
 when they were outside. He at once perceived their 
 danger ; but considered it better to acquaint Mrs. Seagrave 
 with it, and to conceal nothing. 
 
 This was done accordingly ; and then they held a council, 
 and came to the following resolutions : — 
 
 That it would be necessary that they should immediately 
 stockade the storehouse, so as to render it impossible for 
 any one to get in ; and that, as soon as the fortification 
 was complete, the storehouse should be turned into their 
 dwelling-house ; and such stores as could not be put within 
 the stockade should be removed to their present house, 
 or concealed in the cocoa-nut grove. That after they had 
 thus arranged for their security against any sudden attack, 
 they would follow up their former plans. 
 
 It was decided that nothing should be begun on that 
 day, Saturday ; that Sunday should be spent in devout 
 
 %%\ 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 prayer for help and encouragement from the Almighty, who 
 would do towards them as His wisdom should ordain ; and 
 that on Monday, with the blessing of God, they would 
 recommence their labour. 
 
 "I don't know why, but I feel more courage now that 
 there is a prospect of danger, than I felt when there was 
 little or none," said Mrs. Seagrave. 
 
 "I do not doubt it, madam; and should it be called into 
 request, that you will prove it ; which I hope may not be 
 the case." 
 
 " How little do we know what the day may bring forth," 
 exclaimed Mr. Seagrave. " How joyful were our antici- 
 pations when the vessel hoisted her colours ; we felt sure 
 that we were to be taken off the island. The same gale 
 that drove the vessel away brought down to us the island 
 women. The fair weather after the gale, which we hoped 
 would have brought back the vessel to our succour, on 
 the contrary, enabled the women to escape in the canoe, 
 and make known our existence to those who may come 
 to destroy us. How true it is that man plans in vain : how 
 true that he is as naught; and that it is only by the Al- 
 mighty will and pleasure that he can obtain his ends. All 
 that we can say is, 'Thy will be done on earth as it is in 
 heaven.' " 
 
 CHAPTER XLV 
 
 Indecision — Consultation — Prepare to resist the savages. 
 
 W HEN we closed our last chapter, the family on the island 
 were in a very uncomfortable state of mind ; they had 
 suffered much by disappointment from the vessel having 
 been driven off the island by the gale of wind, at a time 
 when they felt certain that they would be taken on board ; 
 and moreover, the escape of the two native women in the 
 canoe, with the iron nails, and other articles, so coveted by 
 savages, had filled them with apprehensions lest the savages 
 should visit the island in great numbers with the hope of 
 obtaining more. They were consequently in so sad a state 
 
 %%% 
 
CONSULTATION 
 
 of suspense, that for three weeks after the vessel had been 
 driven away, notwithstanding their consultations and re- 
 solutions, they still remained quite inactive : at times in- 
 dulging the hope that the vessel might return ; at others, 
 looking anxiously in the direction of the larger island, to 
 ascertain if there was not a fleet of canoes coming down for 
 their destruction. 
 
 One morning, at sunrise, as they were looking round with 
 the telescope, close to the turtle-pond, Masterman Ready 
 said to Mr. Seagrave, " Indeed, sir, . we must no longer 
 remain in this state of idleness ; I have been thinking a 
 great deal of our present position and prospects ; as to 
 the vessel coming back, we must, at present, give up all 
 hopes of it. I only wish that we were quite as sure that 
 we shall not have a visit from the savages : that is my 
 great fear, and it really haunts me ; the idea of our being 
 surprised some night, and Mrs. Seagrave and the dear 
 children, perhaps, murdered in their beds, is awful to reflect 
 upon." 
 
 " God help us ! " exclaimed Mr. Seagrave, covering up 
 his face. 
 
 "God will help us, Mr. Seagrave, but at the same time 
 it is necessary that we should help ourselves ; He will give 
 His blessing to our exertions, but we cannot expect that 
 miracles will be performed for us ; and if we remain as we 
 now are, inactive, and taking no steps to meet the danger 
 which threatens us, we cannot expect the divine assistance. 
 We have had a heavy shock, but it is now time that 
 we recover from it, and put our own shoulders to the 
 wheel." 
 
 " I agree with you, Ready," replied William ; u indeed, 
 I have been thinking the same thing for many days 
 past." 
 
 "We have all been thinking of it, I believe," said Mr. 
 Seagrave ; " I'm sure I have lain awake night after night, 
 considering our position and what we ought to do, but I 
 have never been able to come to any satisfactory resolu- 
 tion." 
 
 "No more have I till last night, Mr. Seagrave, but I 
 think that I have now something to propose which, perhaps, 
 will meet with your approval," replied Ready; "so now, 
 
 223 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 sir, suppose we hold another council, and come to a 
 decision." 
 
 " I am most willing, Ready/' said Mr. Seagrave, sitting 
 down upon a rock ; " and as you are the oldest, and more- 
 over the best adviser of the three, we will first hear what 
 you have to propose." 
 
 " Well, then, Mr. Seagrave, it appears to me that it will 
 not do to remain in the house, for we may, as I have said, be 
 surprised by the savages at any hour in the night, and we 
 have no means of defence against numbers." 
 
 " I feel that, and have felt it for some time," replied Mr. 
 Seagrave. " What shall we do, then ; shall we return to 
 the cove ? " 
 
 "I should think not, sir," said Ready; "what I propose is 
 this : we have made a discovery on the south of the island, 
 which is of great importance to us ; not that I consider 
 the fruit and other plants of any great value, as they will 
 only serve to increase our luxuries, if I may so call them, 
 during the summer season. One great advantage to us, is 
 the feed which we have found for our live stock, and the 
 fodder for them during the rainy season ; but principally the 
 patch of yams, which will afford us food during the winter. 
 They are of great importance to us, and we cannot too soon 
 protect them from the pigs, which will certainly root them 
 all up, if we do not prevent them. Now, sir, you know what 
 we had arranged to do, but which we have not done ; I 
 think the cocoa-nut rails will take too much time, and it 
 will be sufficient to make a ditch and hedge round the yams, 
 sir ; but it will be very tedious if we are to go backwards 
 and forwards to do the work, and Mrs. Seagrave and the 
 children will be left alone. I therefore propose, as the 
 weather is now set in fair, and will remain so for months, 
 that we pitch our tents on that part of the island, and 
 remove the whole family there ; we shall soon be very 
 comfortable, and at all events much safer there than if we 
 remain here, without any defence." 
 
 " It is an excellent plan, Ready ; we shall, as you say, be 
 removed from danger for the time, and when there, we may 
 consider what we had best do, by-and-by." 
 
 " Yes, sir. Those women may not have gained the other 
 island, it is true, for they had the wind right against them 
 
 224 
 
CONSULTATION 
 
 for several days after they went away in the canoe, and, 
 moreover, the current sets strong this way ; but if they 
 have, we must expect that the savages will pay us a visit; 
 they will, of course, come direct to the house, if they do 
 come." 
 
 " But, Ready, you don't mean to say that we are to leave 
 this side of the island altogether, and all our comfortable 
 arrangements ? " said William. 
 
 " No, Master William, not altogether ; for now I come to 
 the second part of my proposition. As soon as we have 
 done our work at the yam plantation, and made every- 
 thing as comfortable there as we can, I think we may 
 then leave Mrs. Seagrave and the children in the tents, 
 and work here. As we before agreed, let us abandon the 
 house in which we live at present, and fit out the out- 
 house, which is concealed in the cocoa-nut grove, as a 
 dwelling-house, and fortify it so as to be secure against any 
 sudden attack of the savages; for, return here we must, 
 to live, as we cannot remain in the tents after the rainy 
 season sets in." 
 
 "How do you propose to fortify it, Ready?" said Mr. 
 Seagrave ; " I hardly know. What is a stockade ? " 
 
 "That I will explain to you by-and-by, sir. Then, if 
 the savages come here, at all events we should be able 
 to defend ourselves with firearms ; one man behind a 
 stockade is better than twenty who have no other arms but 
 spears and clubs ; and we may, with the help of God, beat 
 them off." 
 
 "I think your plan is excellent, Ready," said Mr. Sea- 
 grave, " and that the sooner we begin the better." 
 
 "That there is no doubt of, sir. Now, the first job is 
 for William and me to try for the passage through this side 
 of the reef with the boat, and then we will look for the 
 little harbour, which we discovered ; as soon as that is done, 
 we will return, and take the tents and all we require round 
 in the boat, and when we have pitched the tents and all is 
 arranged, Mrs. Seagrave and the children can walk through 
 the wood with us, and take possession. Now, Mr. Sea- 
 grave, if we are all agreed, the sooner we begin the better, 
 for we have plenty to do, and we must recollect that we 
 shall have to go up to the cove before we can commence 
 
 225 P 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 the stockade, to procure nails, and many other things ; 
 indeed, we may as well have a regular survey of our stores 
 there when we are about it." 
 
 "Let us not lose a day, not an hour, Ready; we have 
 lost too much time already," replied Mr. Seagrave ; " and 
 may the blessing of Heaven attend our endeavours. What 
 shall we do to-day ? " 
 
 "At breakfast, sir, we will communicate our intentions 
 to Mrs. Seagrave; after breakfast, William and I will take 
 the boat, and try for the passage. You can remain here, 
 packing up the tents, and such articles as must first be 
 carried round. We shall be back, I hope, by dinner- 
 time." 
 
 They then rose, and walked towards the house ; all felt 
 relieved in their minds, after they had made this arrange- 
 ment, satisfied that they would be using all human endeavours 
 to ward off the danger which threatened them, and might 
 then put their confidence in that Providence who would, if 
 He thought fit, protect them in their need. 
 
 CHAPTER XLVI 
 
 Passage through the reef— Looking for the harbour — Tommy 
 and the crayfish— Tommy sulky. 
 
 J_ HE subject was introduced to Mrs. Seagrave, while they 
 were at breakfast, and as she perceived how much more 
 secure they would be, she cheerfully consented. In less 
 than an hour afterwards, William and Ready had prepared 
 the boat, and were pulling out among the rocks of the reef 
 to find a passage, which, after a short time, and by keep- 
 ing two or three cables from the point, they succeeded in 
 doing. 
 
 "This is very fortunate, Master William," observed 
 Ready ; " but we must now take some marks to find 
 our way in again. See, sir, the large black rock is on 
 a line with the garden point : so, if we keep them in 
 one, we shall know that we are in the proper channel, 
 
 226 
 
LOOKING FOR HARBOUR 
 
 and now for a mark abreast of us, to find out when we 
 enter it." 
 
 "Why, Ready, the corner of the turtle-pond just touches 
 the right wall of the house/' replied William. 
 
 " So it does, sir ; that will do, and now let us pull away 
 as hard as we can, so as to be back in good time." 
 
 They soon were on the south side of the island, and 
 pulling up along the shore. 
 
 " How far do you think that it is by water, Ready ? " 
 
 M I hardly know, Master William ; but at least four or 
 five miles, so we must make up our minds to a good hour's 
 pull. At all events, we shall sail back again with this wind, 
 although there is but little of it." 
 
 " We are in very deep water now," observed William, after 
 a long silence. 
 
 " Yes, sir ; on this side of the island we must expect it ; 
 the coral grows to leeward only. I think that we cannot 
 be very far from the little harbour we discovered. You 
 see, sir, we have opened upon the meadow land and the 
 clumps of trees. Suppose we leave off rowing for a minute, 
 and look about us." 
 
 " There are two rocks close to the shore, Ready," said 
 William, pointing, "and you recollect there were two or 
 three rocks outside of the harbour." 
 
 " Very true, Master William, and I should not wonder if 
 you have not hit upon the very spot. Let us pull in." 
 
 They did so ; and, to their satisfaction, found that they 
 were in the harbour, where the water was as smooth as a 
 pond. 
 
 " Now, then, Master William, we will step the mast, and 
 sail back at our leisure." 
 
 u Stop one moment, Ready ; give me the boat-hook. I 
 see something between the clefts of the rocks." 
 
 Ready handed the boat-hook to William, who, lowering it 
 down into the water, drove the spike of iron at the end of it 
 into a large crayfish, which he hauled up into the boat. 
 
 " That will be an addition to our dinner, Master William," 
 said Ready ; " we do not go back empty-handed, and there- 
 fore, as the saying is, we shall be more welcome ; now, then, 
 let us start, for me must pull here again this afternoon, and 
 with a full cargo on board." 
 
 227 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 They stepped the mast, and as soon as they had pulled 
 the boat clear of the harbour, they set the sail, and in less 
 than an hour had rejoined the party at the house. 
 
 William had brought up the crayfish, which had only one 
 claw, and Juno had put on another pot of water to boil it, 
 as an addition to the dinner, which was nearly ready. 
 Tommy at first went with his sister Caroline to look at 
 the animal, and as soon as he had left off admiring it, he 
 began, as usual, to tease it, as he did the lion at the Cape : 
 first he poked its eyes with a stick, then he tried to unfold 
 his tail, but the animal flapped, and he ran away. At last 
 he was trying to put his stick into the creature's mouth, 
 when it raised its large claw, and caught him by the wrist, 
 squeezing him so tight that Tommy screamed and danced 
 about as the crayfish held on. Fortunately for him, the 
 animal had been so long out of water, and had been so 
 much hurt by the iron spike of the boat-hook, that it was 
 more than half dead, or he would have been severely hurt. 
 Ready ran to him, and disengaged the crayfish ; but Tommy 
 was so frightened, that he took to his heels, and did not 
 leave off running until he was one hundred yards from the 
 house, while Juno and Ready were laughing at him till the 
 tears came into their eyes. Tommy was very sulky at being 
 laughed at, so he sat down when he had left off running, 
 till he saw the dinner going in, and then he came back 
 looking very foolish. When he saw the crayfish on the 
 table, he appeared to be afraid of it, although it was dead. 
 
 " Well, Tommy," said Mr. Seagrave, " I suppose you won't 
 eat any of the crayfish ? " 
 
 "Won't I ?" replied Tommy. "I'll eat him, for he tried 
 to eat me." 
 
 "What part will you have, Tommy — the claw?" said Mr. 
 Seagrave. 
 
 " Yes, I'll eat the claw, nasty beast ; I'll eat him out of 
 spite." 
 
 "Why did you not leave the animal alone, Tommy?" 
 said Mr. Seagrave ; " if you had not tormented it, it would 
 not have bitten you ; I don't know whether you ought to 
 have any, if you only eat it out of spite ; you should eat 
 with joy and gratitude. What do you say in your grace 
 before meat, Tommy ? tell me, sir " 
 
 228 
 
GOING ROUND TO THE HARBOUR 
 
 "'For what we are going to receive, the Lord make us 
 truly thankful/ " said Tommy gloomily. 
 
 "Well, but by your account you are only c truly spite- 
 ful/ and therefore I do not think you ought to have 
 any." 
 
 " I don't like it ; I won't have any/' replied Tommy. " I 
 like salt pork better." 
 
 "Well, then, if you don't like it, you shall not have it 
 forced upon you, Tommy," replied Mr. Seagrave; "so now 
 we'll divide it among the rest of us." 
 
 Tommy was not very well pleased at this decision, for he 
 really did wish to have some of it, so he turned very sulky 
 for the rest of the dinner-time, especially when old Read}' 
 told him that he had had his share of the crayfish before 
 dinner. 
 
 CHAPTER XL VII 
 
 Going round to the harbour — Banana clump — Digging for 
 water — Tents pitched — Return to bay — Fowls and chickens. 
 
 .AS soon as the meal was over, Mr. Seagrave and Juno 
 assisted them in carrying down the canvas and poles for the 
 tent, with shovels to clear away, and the pegs to fix the 
 tents up properly. Before they started, William observed, " I 
 think it would be a good thing, if Ready and I were to take 
 our bedding with us, and then we could fix up one tent this 
 evening, and sleep there ; to-morrow morning we might set 
 up the other, and get a good deal of work over before we 
 came back." 
 
 "You are right, Master William/' replied Ready; "let us 
 see what Juno can give us to eat, and then we will do as you 
 say, for the sooner we are all there the better." 
 
 As Mr. Seagrave was of the same opinion, Juno packed up 
 a piece of salt pork and some flour cakes, which, with three 
 or four bottles of water, they took down to the boat ; the 
 axes, saw, and mallet were also put in. Ready having thrown 
 in a piece of rope to moor the boat with, they shoved off and 
 were soon through the reef, and, after a smart pull, for they 
 
 229 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 were anxious to get round as soon as possible, they arrived 
 again at the small harbour. 
 
 As soon as they had landed all the things, they made the 
 boat fast by the rope, and then carried a portion of the canvas 
 and tent poles up to the first copse of trees, which were the 
 guavas ; they then returned for the remainder, and after 
 three trips everything was up. 
 
 u Now, Master William, we must see where we must pitch 
 the tent ; we must not be too near the cocoa-nut grove, or 
 we shall have too far to go for water." 
 
 "Don't you think that the best place will be close to the 
 bananas ? the ground is higher there, and the water is, you 
 know, between the bananas and the yams." 
 
 "Very true, Master William, I think it will not be a 
 bad place ; let us walk there first, and reconnoitre the 
 ground." 
 
 They walked to where the bananas were now throwing out 
 their beautiful large green leaves, and decided that they 
 would fix the tents upon the north side of them ; first, 
 because the trees would prevent the tents from being seen 
 from the seaward, and secondly, because the clumps would 
 shade them from the sun during the hottest portion of the 
 day. 
 
 "So here let it be, Master William," said Ready; "and 
 now let us go and fetch all the things ; it is a nice dry spot, 
 and I think will do capitally." 
 
 They were soon hard at work, and long before sunset one 
 tent was ready, and they had put their bedding in it. 
 
 " Well, now, I suppose you are a little tired, sir," said 
 Ready ; " I'm sure you ought to be, for you have worked hard 
 to-day." 
 
 " I don't feel very tired, Ready, but it's not time to go to 
 bed yet." 
 
 " No, sir ; then I think we had better take our shovels 
 and dig the pits for the water, and then we shall know by 
 to-morrow morning whether the water is good or not." 
 
 "Yes, Ready, we can do that before we get our supper, 
 and go to bed." 
 
 They walked to where the ground between the bananas 
 and yam patch was wet and swampy, and dug two large 
 holes about a yard deep and square ; the water trickled in 
 
 230 
 
TENTS PITCHED 
 
 very fast, and they were up to their ankles before they 
 had finished. 
 
 " There'll be no want of water, Ready, if it is only fit to 
 drink." 
 
 " I've no fear of that, sir," replied Ready, " but still there's 
 nothing like having all done before they come here : so now 
 our work is finished for the day." 
 
 They returned to the tent and made their supper off the 
 salt pork and flour cakes, and then lay down on the mattresses. 
 They were soon fast asleep, for they were well tired out with 
 the hard work which they had gone through. 
 
 The next morning, at sunrise, they were up again ; the 
 first thing they did was to go and examine the holes they 
 had dug for water ; they found them full and running over, 
 and the water had settled quite clear ; they tasted it, and 
 pronounced it very good, but not so good as what they 
 had in the well near the house in the bay. 
 
 As soon as they had washed themselves, they went back 
 and made their breakfast, and then set to work to get 
 up the other tent, which being for Mrs. Seagrave and the 
 children, was more carefully put up. They then cleared all 
 the ground near the tents of brushwood and high grass, and 
 levelled it nicely with their shovels inside. 
 
 " Now, Master William, we have another job, which is 
 to prepare a fireplace for Juno : we must go down to the 
 beach for stones. Let us take this large bit of canvas, 
 and then between us we may carry up as many as we 
 require." 
 
 In another hour the fireplace was completed, and Ready 
 and William looked at their work. 
 
 " Well, I call this a very comfortable lodging-house," said 
 Ready. 
 
 "And I am sure," replied William, "it's very pretty. 
 Mamma will be delighted with it." 
 
 " We shall have no want of bananas in a few weeks, sir," 
 said Ready ; u look, they are all in blossom already. Well, 
 now I suppose we had better leave everything here, and 
 go back again. We must have another trip this afternoon, 
 and sleep here to-night." 
 
 They went down to the boat, and sailed back as before ; 
 by ten o'clock in the morning they had regained the house, 
 
 231 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 and then they made the arrangements for their work during 
 the remainder of the day. It was agreed that the provisions 
 necessary for a day or two, the table and chairs, the cooking 
 utensils, and a portion of their clothes, should be taken 
 round that afternoon, that Ready and William should come 
 back early the next morning, and then they should all set 
 off together through the wood to the new location. Little 
 Albert could now walk very well, and would not require 
 to be carried, except now and then. Tommy and Caroline 
 of course would walk with Juno, the sheep and lambs 
 (for they had four lambs), the goats and kids, were to 
 be driven through the wood by Mr. Seagrave ; William 
 and Ready and the dogs would be very useful in driving 
 them. As for the fowls and chickens, it was decided they 
 should be left, as Ready and William could look after them 
 on their occasional visits. 
 
 CHAPTER XLVIII 
 
 Arrival at tents — Pigs in yarns — Occupy their new residence — 
 Arrangements. 
 
 JL HE boat was well loaded that afternoon, and they 
 had a heavy pull round, and hard work afterwards, to carry 
 all the articles up. William and Ready were, therefore, not 
 sorry when their work was done, and they went to bed as 
 soon as they had taken their supper. 
 
 At sunrise, they went back to the bay in the boat, which 
 they hauled up, and then proceeded to the house, where 
 they found that every one was ready to start. Mr. Sea- 
 grave had collected all the animals, and they set off; the 
 marks on the trees were very plain, and they had no 
 difficulty in finding their way ; but they had a good deal 
 of trouble with the goats and sheep, and did not get on 
 very fast. It was three hours before they got clear of the 
 cocoa-nut grove, and Mrs. Seagrave was quite tired out. 
 At last they arrived, and Mr. and Mrs. Seagrave could not 
 help exclaiming, u How beautiful ! " 
 
 232 
 
ARRIVAL AT TENTS 
 
 When they came to where the tents were pitched by the 
 side of the bananas, they were equally pleased : it was quite 
 a fairy spot. Mrs. Seagrave went into her tent to repose 
 after her fatigue ; the goats and sheep were allowed to 
 stray away as they pleased, and were feeding with avidity 
 upon the fresh herbage ; the dogs laid down, panting with 
 their long journey ; Juno put little Albert on the bed, 
 while she went with William to collect fuel to cook the 
 dinner ; Ready went to the pits to get some water, while 
 Mr. Seagrave walked about, examining the different clumps 
 of trees with which the meadow was studded ; Caroline 
 was in the tent with her mother, and Tommy sat on the 
 ground, and stared about him. 
 
 When Ready returned with the buckets of water, he 
 called the dogs, and went back towards the yam plantation. 
 Tommy got up after a while, and followed ; the dogs went 
 into the yams, and were soon barking furiously, which 
 pleased Tommy very much ; when, of a sudden, out burst 
 again in a drove all the pigs, followed by the dogs, and so 
 close to Tommy that he screamed with fright, and tumbled 
 over head and heels. 
 
 " I thought you were there, my gentlemen," said Ready, 
 looking after the pigs ; " the sooner we fence you out the 
 better." 
 
 The pigs scampered away, and went into the cocoa-nut 
 grove as they had done before. Tommy also scampered away 
 as soon as he could recover his legs. The dogs followed 
 the pigs, and did not return for a long while afterwards, 
 and then came back hot and tired, proving that they must 
 have chased them for a long distance. 
 
 It was late before the dinner was ready, and they were 
 all veiy glad to go early to bed. 
 
 At day dawn, William and Ready had again started, and 
 walked through the cocoa-nut grove back to the house, to 
 bring round in the boat the articles of furniture and the 
 clothes which had been left. Having collected everything 
 in the house, and procured some more pork and flour from 
 the storehouse, they completed the load by spearing one of 
 the turtles which remained, and putting it into the bottom 
 of the boat ; they then set off again for their new residence, 
 and arrived in time for breakfast. After the meal was over, 
 
 233 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 they were assisted by Juno and Mr. Seagrave in bringing 
 the contents of the boats up to the tents. 
 
 "What a delightful spot this is/' said Mrs. Seagrave. 
 " I think we ought always to make it our summer resi- 
 dence, and only go back to the house during the rainy 
 season." 
 
 " It is much cooler here, madam, during the summer, and 
 much more pleasant ; but we are more protected in the 
 house by the cocoa-nut grove." 
 
 " Yes, that is true, and is very valuable during the rainy 
 season ; but it makes it warmer in the summer time ; we 
 have not such a nice breeze as we have here. I assure you, 
 Ready, that I like the change, and shall be sorry when we 
 have to go back again." 
 
 "I saw such pretty parrots this morning," said little 
 Caroline ; " I wish I had one for my very own." 
 
 " I'll try, miss, to find you a young one by-and-by ; but 
 it is too soon yet," replied Ready. " Now I must go and 
 help Juno to cut up the turtle. We must make our larder 
 among the banana trees." 
 
 " But what are we all to do, Ready ? " said Mr. Seagrave ; 
 "we must not be idle." 
 
 " No, sir ; but I think we must give up this day to putting 
 everything to rights, and making everything comfortable 
 inside the tents; we must be at Mrs. Seagrave's orders to- 
 day, and to-morrow we will commence the ditch and hedge 
 round the yam plantation. We need not work very hard at 
 it, for I don't think the pigs will venture here again, as I 
 mean to tie up all the dogs round the yam patch every night, 
 and their barking will keep them off." 
 
 "That will be a very good plan, Ready. What beautiful 
 food there is for the sheep and goats." 
 
 " Yes, sir ; this must be their future residence for the best 
 part of the year. Now, sir, I think that to-morrow we will 
 begin a piece of the ditch, and show William how to put in 
 the cuttings of prickly pear for the hedge, and then, sir, I 
 should propose that we leave Master William here with his 
 mother, to work at his leisure, while you and I go to the 
 cove to examine the stores ; and select what it will be 
 necessary to bring round. I think you said that you must 
 go yourself?'* 
 
 234 
 
FENCING THE YAMS 
 
 " Yes, Ready, I wish to go ; Mrs. Seagrave will not 
 object to parting with me for three or four days. When 
 we have made selection, I will then return, and then you 
 and William, who is more used to the boat than I am, can 
 bring the stores round. I presume we shall not bring 
 them here ? " 
 
 " No, sir, we will take them round to the storehouse. When 
 we have done that job, we must then commence our altera- 
 tions and our stockade." 
 
 CHAPTER XLIX 
 
 Fencing the yams —Departure for cove — Ready and Mr. Sea- 
 grave at the cove — Ready 's reflections — Examine beach. 
 
 A HE next morning they went with their shovels to 
 the yam plantation, and commenced their work. As the 
 ground was soft and swampy, the labour was very easy. The 
 ditch was dug nearly a yard wide, and the earth thrown up 
 on a bank inside. They then went to where the large patch 
 ©f prickly pears grew, and cut a quantity, which they planted 
 on the top of the bank. Before night, they had finished 
 about nine or ten yards of the hedge and ditch. 
 
 " I don't think that the pigs will get over that when 
 it is finished," said Ready, " and Master W'illiam will be able 
 to get on by himself when we are gone, as well as if we 
 were with him." 
 
 " Yes ; but not quite so fast, Ready." 
 
 w Don't overwork yourself, Master William ; all you have 
 to do is to tether the dogs as I did last night, and I have no 
 doubt, that after one or two more attempts, the pigs will 
 come no more." 
 
 " I'll try if I cannot shoot a pig or two," said William. 
 
 " Let it be a young one, then, sir ; we must not kill 
 the old ones. Now I think we may as well go back ; 
 the sun will soon be down, and Juno is carrying in the 
 supper." 
 
 Before Mr. Seagrave and Ready started on the following 
 morning, the latter gave William directions as to the boat. 
 
 235 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 The provisions and the knapsack having been already pre- 
 pared, they took leave of Mrs. Seagrave, and set off, each 
 armed with a musket, and Ready with his axe slung over 
 his shoulder. They had a long walk before them, as they 
 had first to find their way back to the house, and from thence 
 had to walk through the wood to the cove, so that it was a 
 long round to take, but that could not be helped, as they 
 were obliged to follow the blazing or marks which they had 
 made in the trees. 
 
 As soon as they arrived at the house, they stopped there 
 an hour to rest, and then went down to the garden at the 
 point ; the potatoes and peas in the garden were looking 
 very well, and the onion seed had not failed. Ready care- 
 fully examined and repaired the fence, because, as he ob- 
 served, now that the wild pigs were driven away from the 
 yams, they would, in all probability, come there in search 
 of food. 
 
 " How solitary and deserted the place looks now, Ready, 
 that there is nothing living to be seen," observed Mr. Seagrave. 
 " Let us go on." 
 
 They recommenced their journey, and in two hours more 
 reached the cove, where they had first landed. The rocks 
 near to it were strewed with timber and planks, which lay 
 bleaching in the sun, or half buried in the sand at the little 
 cove. Mr. Seagrave sat down, and sighed deeply, as he said, 
 " Ready, the sight of these timbers, of which the good ship 
 Pacific was built, and which are now strewed in every 
 direction, recalls feelings which I had hoped to have dis- 
 missed from my mind ; but I cannot help them rising up. 
 The remains of this vessel appear to me as the last link 
 between us and the civilised world, which we have been 
 torn from, and all my thoughts of home and country, and I 
 may say all my longing for them, are revived as strong as 
 ever." 
 
 " And very natural that they should, Mr. Seagrave ; I 
 feel it also. I am content, it is true, because I have nothing 
 to wish or look forward to ; but still I could not help thinking 
 of poor Captain Osborn and my shipmates, as I looked upon 
 the wreck, and wishing that I might take them by the hand 
 again. It is very natural that one should do so. Why, sir, 
 do you know that I feel unhappy even about the poor ship. 
 
 236 
 
EXAMINE BEACH 
 
 We sailors love our vessels, especially when they have good 
 qualities, and the Pacific was as fine a vessel as ever was 
 built (a little wall-sided, perhaps, but that was of no con- 
 sequence). Now, sir, I feel quite melancholy when I see 
 her planks and timbers lying about here. They seem to me 
 like the skeleton of some human being, who has been cast 
 away, and whose bones, after a time, lie bleaching in the sun 
 and wind. But, sir, if we cannot help feeling as we do, it is 
 our duty to check the feeling, so that it does not get the 
 mastery over us. We can do no more." 
 
 "Very true, Ready," said Mr. Seagrave, rising up; "it is 
 not only useless, but even sinful, to indulge in them, as they 
 only can lead to our repining at the decrees of Heaven. 
 Let us now examine the rocks, and see if anything has been 
 thrown up that may be of use to us." 
 
 They walked round, but, with the exception of spars and 
 a barrel or two of tar, they could find nothing of value. 
 There was no want of staves and iron hoops of broken casks, 
 and these, Ready observed, would make excellent palings for 
 the garden when they had time to bring them round ; and 
 he said, that he thought there were so many, that they 
 might pale off a piece of land to sow their wheat and barley 
 in by-and-by, and in the meantime it would enable them 
 to make hay for the winter provisions of the stock, which, 
 however, was not of such consequence, now that they had 
 such a quantity of banana stems to feed the animals with 
 during the rainy season. 
 
 After they had returned they sat down to rest themselves, 
 and then they went to the tents in the cocoa-nut grove, in 
 which they had collected the articles thrown up when the 
 ship went to pieces. 
 
 " Why ! the pigs have been at work here," said Ready ; 
 " they have contrived to open one cask of flour somehow or 
 another ; look, sir — I suppose it must have been shaky, or 
 they could not have routed into it; the canvas is not good 
 for much, I fear ; fortunately, we have several bolts of new, 
 which I brought on shore. Now, sir, we will see what 
 condition the stores are in. All these are casks of flour, and 
 we run no risk in opening them, and seeing if they are in 
 good order." 
 
 The first cask which was opened had a cake round it as 
 237 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 hard as a board ; but when it was cut through with the axe, 
 the inside was found in a good state. 
 
 " That's all right, sir; and I presume the others will be 
 the same ; the salt water has got in so far and made a crust, 
 which has preserved the rest ; however, we shall open them 
 all as they come to hand. But now let us go to dinner, and 
 to work afterwards. We have some nice cold fried turtle 
 steaks, which Juno has packed up for us/' 
 
 CHAPTER L 
 
 Examination of stores— Variety of articles saved from the 
 wreck — Boohs. 
 
 A.FTER dinner they resumed their labour. "I wonder 
 what's in this case ? " said Mr. Seagrave, pointing to the first 
 at hand. Ready set to work with his axe, and broke off 
 the lid, and found a number of pasteboard boxes full of 
 tapes, narrow ribbons, stay laces, whalebones, and cottons on 
 reels. 
 
 "This has been sent out for some Botany Bay milliner," 
 said Mr. Seagrave, "I presume, and I don't doubt she has 
 been very much put out at not receiving it; however, we 
 must confiscate it for the benefit of Mrs. Seagrave and Miss 
 Caroline. We will take them to them as soon as we have 
 time. Now for another, Ready." 
 
 The next was a box without a lock; the lid was forced 
 up, and they found a dozen half-gallon square bottles of gin 
 stored in divisions. 
 
 " That's Holland, sir, I know," said Ready ; " what shall 
 we do with it ? " 
 
 " We will not destroy it, Ready, but at the same time we 
 will not use it but as a medicine," replied Mr. Seagrave ; 
 " we have been so long used to spring- water, that it would 
 be a pity to renew a taste for spirituous liquors; we will 
 take a bottle or two of it round when we have room for it ; 
 it may be useful." 
 
 " I trust we shall never want to drink a drop of it, sir, 
 238 
 
EXAMINATION OF STORES 
 
 either as a medicine, or otherwise. Now for this cask with 
 wooden hoops." 
 
 The head was soon out, and discovered a dinner set of 
 painted china with gold edges, which was very beautiful. 
 
 "Well, Mr. Seagrave, this may be useful, for we are 
 rather short of plates and dishes. Common white would 
 have served as well." 
 
 " And be more suitable, certainly, with our present outfit," 
 replied Mr. Seagrave ; " but nevertheless, as you say, this 
 fine china is just as useful as common, and therefore not to 
 be despised." 
 
 " Here's a box with your name on it, sir," said Ready ; 
 " do you know what is in it ? " 
 
 " I have no idea, Ready ; but your axe will decide the 
 point." 
 
 When the box was opened, everything appeared in a sad 
 mouldy state from the salt water which had penetrated ; 
 but on removing the brown paper and pasteboard, it was 
 found to contain stationery of all sorts, and except on the 
 outside, it was very little injured. 
 
 " This is indeed a treasure, Ready. I recollect now ; this 
 is paper, pens, and everything requisite for writing, besides 
 children's books, copy-books, paint-boxes, and a great many 
 other articles in the stationery line." 
 
 "Well, sir, that is fortunate. Now, we may set up our 
 school, and as the whole population of the island will attend 
 it, it will really be a National School." 
 
 « Very true, Ready. Now for that cask." 
 
 " I can tell what that is by the outside ; it is oil, and very 
 acceptable, for our candles are nearly out. But there are 
 two or three cases more of candles which we saved. We 
 shall come to them by-and-by. Now we come to the most 
 valuable of all our property." 
 
 "What is that, Ready?" 
 
 " All the articles which I brought on shore in the different 
 trips I took in the boat before the ship went to pieces ; for 
 you see, sir, iron don't swim, and, therefore, what I looked 
 after most was iron ware of all sorts, and tools. I have a 
 famous lot of nails. Here are three kegs of small nails, 
 besides two bags of large, and there are several axes, 
 hammers, and other tools, besides all these hanks of twine, 
 
 239 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 sailing needles, and bees'- wax, and here's a few bolts of fine 
 canvas, and all in good order." 
 
 "They are indeed valuable, Ready." 
 
 "Yes, sir, we should have been sadly in want of them, 
 for those two savages took all that they could lay their hands 
 upon in the way of iron when they started off in the canoe. 
 It was fortunate we had not brought any more round. 
 Here's some more of my plunder, as the Americans say. All 
 these are wash-deck buckets, this a small hamess-cask for 
 salting meat, and here's the cook's wooden trough for 
 making bread, which will please Miss Juno ; and in it, you 
 see, I have put all the galley-hooks, ladles, and spoons, and 
 the iron trivets (they will be very useful), and here's two 
 lamps. I think I put some cotton wicks somewhere — I 
 know I did ; we shall find them by-and-by. Here's the 
 two casks, one of cartridges made up, and the other of 
 gunpowder; and here's the half-cask of cartridges, all in 
 good order, and the other six muskets, which, by-the-bye, 
 will want a little cleaning. But that was to be expected." 
 
 " These are really treasures, Ready, and yet how well we 
 have done without them." 
 
 "Very true, sir, but we shall do better with them, and 
 when we fit up the storehouse for a dwelling, Mr. Seagrave, 
 we shall be able to make it a little more comfortable in 
 every respect than the present one ; for you see there, all 
 the fir-planking and deals, which Master William and I 
 buried in the sand ; why, sir, we shall be able to floor the 
 house, and make capital bed places." 
 
 "I really had quite forgotten them, Ready; but, as you 
 say, there are enough for all that you propose, and twice 
 over. If I could but get the fear of the savages coming 
 over out of my head, I really think we might live very 
 comfortably even on this island." 
 
 " Do you know, Mr. Seagrave, I am glad to hear you say 
 that, for it proves that you are more contented and resigned 
 than you were." 
 
 "I* am so, Ready— at least I think so; but perhaps it is, 
 that the immediate danger from the savages so fills my 
 thoughts, that I no longer dwell so much upon our being 
 taken off the island. One anxiety has to a certain degree 
 driven away and quelled the other." 
 
 240 
 
EXAMINATION OF STORES 
 
 " I dare say it is as you state, sir ; but now let us go on 
 with our search. Here are the ship's compasses,, and deep 
 sea line and reel, also the land lead. The stuff will be very 
 useful for our little boat." 
 
 " And I am very glad of the compasses, Ready ; for with 
 them I shall be able to make a sort of survey of the island, 
 when I have a little time. Your pocket compass is too 
 small for surveying. Perhaps you don't know that in my 
 younger days I went out to Sydney as a surveyor ? " 
 
 "No, I never did hear of that. I suppose, then, you'll 
 be able to tell exactly how many acres of feed we have for 
 the animals ? " 
 
 " Yes, I will tell you that as soon as we get back ; but I 
 shall take some bearings now, while I am here, as I may not 
 be back again very soon." 
 
 "Well, sir, I think if we open this other case, which I 
 perceive has your name on it, it will be as much as we need 
 do to-day, for the sun is going down, and I feel a little tired ; 
 we can then make up some kind of bed, eat our suppers, 
 and go to sleep." 
 
 " I am very tired, Ready, and shall be glad to do as you 
 propose. That case contains books ; but what portion of my 
 library I do not know." 
 
 " But you soon will, sir," replied Ready, wrenching it open 
 with his axe. "They are a little stained on the outside, but 
 they are jammed so tight, that they do not appear to have 
 suffered much. Here are one or two, sir." 
 
 " Plutarch's Lives. I am glad I have them : they are 
 excellent reading for young or old ; there is no occasion to 
 open any more, Ready, as I know all the other books in the 
 case are ' History ' ; perhaps the best case which could have 
 been saved." 
 
 " I think there are two others, sir ; but that we can see 
 to-morrow." 
 
 241 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 CHAPTER LI 
 
 Stores examined — Return — Pig killed — Fish caught — Tommy 
 and pig — Tommy and gun — Tommy frightened — Tommy 
 punished. 
 
 MR. SEAGRAVE and Ready then set to work, and made 
 a rough sort of bed of cocoa-nut branches ; and, after eating 
 their supper, committed themselves to the Divine protection, 
 and went to sleep. The next morning they resumed their 
 labour, and opened every other case and package that had 
 been saved from the wreck ; they found more books, four 
 boxes of candles, three casks of rice (good and damaged), and 
 several other useful articles, besides many others which were 
 of no value to them. 
 
 A chest of tea, and two bags of coffee, which Ready had 
 brought on shore, were, much to their delight, found in 
 good order ; but there was no sugar, the little which they 
 had saved having been melted away. 
 
 " That's unfortunate, sir. Master Tommy won't like to go 
 without sugar ; but it is not absolutely necessary." 
 
 " Master Tommy must learn privation, Ready. We cannot 
 expect to get things here, as though we were a hundred 
 yards from a grocer's shop. Now let us go to where we 
 covered up the other articles with sand." 
 
 The sand was shovelled up, and the barrels of beef and 
 pork and the deal boards found in good order, but many 
 other things were quite spoilt. About noon they had finished, 
 and as they had plenty of time, Mr. Seagrave took the 
 bearings of the different points of land with the compasses. 
 They then shouldered their muskets, and Ready, taking a 
 few pounds of damaged rice for the fowls, set off on their 
 return. 
 
 They gained the house in the bay, and having rested a 
 little while at the storehouse, they proceeded on their way 
 to the tents in the meadow. They had about half a mile 
 to go, when Ready heard a noise, and made a sign to Mr. 
 Seagrave to stop. Ready, whispering to Mr. Seagrave that the 
 
 242 
 
PIG KILLED 
 
 pigs were all close to them, loaded his musket ; Mr. Seagrave 
 did the same, and they walked very softly to where they 
 now heard their grunting ; they did not see them till they 
 were within twenty yards, and then they came upon the 
 whole herd : the pigs raised their heads ; the old ones gave 
 a loud grunt, and then, just as Ready fired his musket, they 
 all set off at full speed. Mr. Seagrave had no opportunity 
 of firing, but Ready had shot one, which lay kicking and 
 struggling under a cocoa-nut tree. 
 
 " A piece of fresh pork will be quite a treat, Mr. Seagrave," 
 said Ready, as they walked up to where the animal was lying. 
 
 " It will, indeed, Ready," replied Mr. Seagrave ; " we must 
 contrive to carry the beast home between us." 
 
 "We will sling it on the musket, sir, and it will not be 
 very heavy. It is one of those born on the island, and a 
 very fine fellow for his age." 
 
 The pig was soon slung, and they carried it between them. 
 As they cleared the wood, they perceived Mrs. Seagrave and 
 William, who had heard the report of the musket, and had 
 come out to meet them. Mrs. Seagrave was a little agitated, 
 but as soon as she saw the pig, she knew why the musket 
 had been fired. 
 
 " I was a little alarmed when I heard the musket fired, I 
 must say," said Mrs. Seagrave, as she embraced her husband. 
 " I had no idea that you would be back to-day. We are all 
 quite well." 
 
 William took the load from his father, who walked on 
 with Mrs. Seagrave. 
 
 "Well, Master William, what news have you?" said 
 Ready. 
 
 "Why, very good, Ready. Yesterday evening, when I 
 was tired of work, I thought I would take the boat, and 
 try if there was any fish to be caught on this side of the 
 island, in the deep water, and I caught three large ones, 
 quite different from those we took among the reefs. We 
 had one for breakfast and dinner to-day, and it was 
 excellent." 
 
 " Did you go out in the boat by yourself?" 
 
 " No ; I took Juno with me. Mamma said that she 
 could spare her for an hour or so. She pulls very well, 
 Ready." 
 
 243 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 "She is a handy girl, Master William. Well, we have 
 had our survey, and there will be plenty of work for you and 
 me, I can tell you ; I don't think we can bring everything 
 round in a week ; so I suppose to-morrow we had better be 
 off. But we must hear what your father says." 
 
 " Well, I like boating better than ditching, I can tell you, 
 Ready," replied William. " I shan't be sorry to leave that 
 work to my father." 
 
 " I suppose it must fall to him, sir ; as he will, of course, 
 prefer staying with Mrs. Seagrave and the children." 
 
 As soon as they were at the tents, Ready hung up the 
 pig to the cross pole of the tent in which he and William 
 and Mr. Seagrave slept, and having propped the muskets up 
 against the side of the tent, he went with William to get his 
 knife and some stretchers of wood to open the pig with. 
 While he and William were away, Caroline and Tommy 
 came out to look at the pig, and Tommy, after telling Caro- 
 line how glad he was that they were to have roast pig 
 for dinner, took up one of the muskets, and said, "Now, 
 Caroline, I'll shoot the pig." 
 
 " Oh ! Tommy, you must not touch the gun," cried Caro- 
 line ; a papa will be very angry ; recollect you made it go off 
 when we were at the cove." 
 
 " I don't care," replied Tommy. " I'll show you how to 
 shoot the pig." 
 
 " Don't, Tommy," cried Caroline ; u if you do, I'll go and 
 tell mamma." 
 
 "Then I'll shoot you," replied Tommy, trying to point the 
 musket at her. 
 
 Caroline was so frightened that she ran away as fast 
 as she could, and then Tommy, using all his strength, 
 contrived to get the musket up to his shoulder, and pulled 
 the trigger. 
 
 It so happened that Tommy had taken up Mr. Seagrave's 
 musket, which had not been fired, and when he pulled the 
 trigger it went off, and as he did not hold it tight to his 
 shoulder, it recoiled, and hit him with the butt right on his 
 face, knocking out two of his teeth, and bruising his cheek 
 very much, besides making his nose bleed very fast. 
 
 Tommy was so astonished and frightened at the musket 
 going off, and the blow which he received, that he gave a 
 
 244 
 
TOMMY AND THE MUSKET 
 
 loud yell, dropped the musket, and ran to the tent where his 
 father and mother were, just as they had started up and had 
 rushed out at hearing the report. 
 
 When Mrs. Seagrave saw Tommy all covered with blood, 
 and screaming so loud, she was so alarmed that she could 
 not stand, and she fell fainting in Mr. Seagrave's arms. 
 Ready and William, on hearing the musket go off, had run 
 as fast as they could, fearing that some accident had 
 happened ; and while Mr. Seagrave supported his wife, 
 Ready went to Tommy, and wiping the blood off his face 
 with the palm of his hand, perceived that there was no 
 wound or serious mischief, and cried out to Mr. Seagrave, 
 " He's not hurt, sir ; it's only his nose bleeding. Leave off 
 crying and screaming, you naughty boy. How dare you 
 touch the musket ? " 
 
 " Musket knock me down," cried Tommy, sobbing, as the 
 blood ran out of his mouth. 
 
 " Serve you right, Master Tommy ; you'll take care not to 
 touch the musket again." 
 
 " I won't touch it again," cried Tommy, blubbering ; " it 
 shoot me." 
 
 Juno now came up with some water to wash his face ; Mrs. 
 Seagrave had recovered, and gone back into the tent, on Mr. 
 Seagrave telling her that it was only Tommy's nose which 
 was bleeding. 
 
 In about half-an-hour Tommy had ceased crying, and 
 his nose had left off bleeding ; his face was washed, and 
 then it was discovered that he had lost two front teeth, 
 and that his cheek and lips were very much bruised. 
 He was undressed, and put to bed, and was soon fast 
 asleep. 
 
 " I should not have left the muskets," said Ready to 
 William; "it was my fault, but I thought Mr. Tommy had 
 been told so often not to touch firearms, that he would not 
 have dared to do so ; but if there is mischief to be done, he 
 is certain to find it out." 
 
 u He pointed it at me, and tried to shoot me," said 
 Caroline, "but I ran away." 
 
 " Merciful heavens ! what an escape ! " cried Mrs. Sea- 
 grave. " Had he pulled the trigger then, my dear child 
 would have been killed. Naughty boy that he is." 
 
 245 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 " He has been well punished this time,, madam^ and I'll 
 venture to say he will not touch a musket again in a 
 hurry." 
 
 " Yes ; but he must be punished more/' said Mr. Seagrave ; 
 " he must remember it." 
 
 " Well, sir, if he is to be punished more, I think you 
 cannot punish him better than by not allowing him to have 
 any of the pig when it is cooked. Master Tommy is so fond 
 of his dinner, that it will be the greatest punishment which 
 you can inflict." 
 
 " I think so too, Ready ; and therefore that is a settled 
 thing — no pig for Master Tommy." 
 
 After this conversation they had their supper, and went 
 to bed. 
 
 CHAPTER LII 
 
 Preparations — Departure — Chickens — Carrying stores — Dog 
 carries the letter. 
 
 JL HE next morning Master Tommy's face presented a very 
 woeful appearance. His cheek and lips were swelled and 
 black, and the loss of his two front teeth made him look 
 much worse ; fortunately, they were his first teeth, or it 
 would have been of more serious consequence. 
 
 Tommy looked very glum when he came to breakfast. 
 But he had been very saucy to Juno, telling her that he had 
 shot the pig, and would go out and shoot another, as soon as 
 this one was eaten up. 
 
 There was the pig's fry for breakfast, and the smell of it 
 had been very inviting to Tommy ; but when his father 
 scolded him, and told him that he was not to have one bit 
 of the pig/he began to cry and roar so loud, that he was sent 
 away from the tents till he had left off. 
 
 After breakfast, Ready proposed that he and William 
 should take the boat, and begin their labour of carrying the 
 articles round from the cove to the bay where the house was, 
 pointing out that there was not a day to be lost. Juno had, 
 at his request, already baked a large piece of the pig for 
 them to take with them, and boiled a piece of salt pork, so 
 
 246 
 
PREPARATIONS 
 
 that they were all ready to start. Mr. Seagrave agreed to 
 work at *the hedge and ditch round the yam plantations 
 during their absence. 
 
 " But, Ready/ 5 said Mrs. Seagrave, " how long do you 
 intend to remain absent with William ?" 
 
 " Why, madam, this is Wednesday ; of course we shall be 
 back on Saturday night. We must get the work done, and 
 the sooner the better." 
 
 " My dear William, I cannot bear the idea of your being 
 absent so long, and as you will be on the water every day, I 
 shall be in a continual fright until I see you again." 
 
 "Well, mamma, I suppose I must write by the penny post, 
 to let you know how I am." 
 
 " Don't laugh at me, William. I do wish there was a penny 
 post, and that you could write every day." 
 
 Ready and William made every preparation for a con- 
 tinued absence. They took their blankets with them, and 
 a small pot for cooking, and when all was prepared, they 
 bade Mr. and Mrs. Seagrave farewell. Juno assisted to get 
 the luggage down to the boat. They were now to pull to 
 the bay, and leave their luggage, and then to go round to 
 the cove. As they shoved off, William took the dog Remus 
 into the boat. 
 
 " Why do you take the dog, Master William ? he will be 
 of use here in keeping the pigs away, but of no use to us." 
 
 " Yes, he will, Ready ; I must take him ; for I have an idea 
 come into my head, so let me have my own way." 
 
 "Well, Master William, you can always have your own 
 way, as far as I'm concerned ; if you wish to take the dog, 
 there is an end of the matter. Good-bye, Juno." 
 
 " Good-bye, Massa Ready ; good-bye, Master William ; mind 
 you come back Saturday, and bring fish with you." 
 
 "We'll bring you a turtle, Juno ; for they will come to the 
 island again soon, and then we will turn plenty more." 
 
 They hoisted the sail, and as the breeze was fresh, were 
 round to the bay in a very short time. They took their 
 provisions and stores up to the house, and made fast the 
 door, called the fowls, and gave them some of the damaged 
 rice which Ready had brought round with him, and found, 
 to their great delight, that they had now upwards of forty 
 chickens, all healthy, and doing well ; some, indeed, quite 
 
 247 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 grown, and large enough to kill ; but as they had plenty 
 of fresh provisions, it had been decided that they should 
 not be touched as yet, for the eggs would be of more value 
 to them than the fowls. 
 
 They then got into the boat again, and pulled away for 
 the cove ; the wind was fresh, and against them, so they 
 had a long pull ; but, as Ready observed, it was much 
 better that it should be so, as, when the boat was loaded, 
 they could very quickly sail back again to the bay. 
 
 As soon as they arrived at the cove, they lost no time in 
 loading the boat ; the nails, and iron work of every descrip- 
 tion, with the twine and tools which Ready had brought 
 on shore, composed the major part of the first cargo ; a 
 cask of flour and a box of candles, with some bolts of canvas, 
 filled the boat, and calling Remus, who was lying on the 
 sandy beach at the cove, they shoved off, hoisted their sail, 
 and in an hour had regained the bay, and passed through 
 the reef. 
 
 "I'm glad that this cargo has arrived safe, Master William, 
 for it is very valuable to us. Now we will take them all 
 up, and that will be sufficient for to-day ; to-morrow, if we 
 can, we will make two trips ; do you think you can manage 
 it, sir ? " 
 
 u Oh yes ; if we only start very early," replied William ; 
 " but now let us have our dinner, and carry the remainder 
 of the things up afterwards." 
 
 As they were eating their dinner, and William was giving 
 the bones to the dog, Ready said, "Pray, Master William, 
 what was the idea in your head which made you bring 
 Remus with you ? " 
 
 " I will tell you, Ready ; I may be wrong, but I think 
 I am not ; I mean him to carry a letter to mamma ; you 
 know that he always goes back when he is ordered, and 
 now I wish to see if he will not go back to the tents, if 
 he is told. I have brought a piece of paper and pencil 
 with me." 
 
 William then wrote on the paper — 
 
 "Dear Mamma, — We are quite well, and just returned 
 with the first cargo quite safe. — Your affectionate son, 
 
 "William." 
 
 248 
 
THE POSTMAN 
 
 William tied the paper round the dog's neck -with a piece 
 of twine, and then calling him out of the house, said to 
 him, " Remus, go back, sir — go back, sir." The dog looked 
 wistfully at William, as if not sure of what he was to do, 
 but William took up a stone, and pretended to throw it at 
 the dog, who ran away a little distance, and then stopped. 
 
 " Go back, Remus — go back, sir." William again pre- 
 tended to throw the stone, repeating the order, and then 
 the dog set off as fast as his legs could carry him through 
 the cocoa-nut grove. 
 
 "He is gone, at all events," said William; "I think he 
 will go home." 
 
 "We shall see, sir," replied Ready; "and now that we 
 have finished our dinner, we will bring up the things." 
 
 " Where shall we put them ? " 
 
 "In the storehouse, Master William. It will be a good 
 long job, for those kegs of nails and cases are very heavy, 
 and will require both of us to cany them ; so we must 
 make a good many trips. However, we have three or 
 four hours daylight." 
 
 CHAPTER LIII 
 
 Dog returns — Letter answered — Pigeons — Another letter — 
 Return to tents — Conversation — Reason and instinct — 
 Animals. 
 
 JY.S soon as they had carried up the whole of the cargo, 
 they secured the boat, and went up to the house to sleep. 
 Just as they went in, Remus came bounding up to them 
 w r ith the letter round his neck. 
 
 "Here's the dog, Master William," said Ready ; "he won't 
 go home after all." 
 
 " How provoking ; I made sure he would go back ; I 
 really am disappointed. We will give him nothing to eat, 
 and then he will ; but dear me, Ready, this is not the paper 
 I tied round his neck. I think not. Let me see. William 
 took the paper, opened it, and read — 
 
 249 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 "Dear William, — Your letter arrived safe, and we are 
 glad you are well. Write every day, and God bless you ; 
 it was very clever of you and Remus. — Your affectionate 
 mother, Selina Seagrave." 
 
 "Well, it is very clever," said Ready; "I'm sure I had 
 no idea he had gone ; and his coming back again, too, 
 when he was ordered." 
 
 " Dear Remus, good dog," said William, caressing it ; 
 " nice, good dog : now I'll give you a good supper, for 
 you deserve it." 
 
 "So he does, sir. Well, you've established a post on 
 the island, which is a great improvement. Seriously, Mr. 
 William, it may prove very useful." 
 
 " At all events, it will be a great comfort to my mother." 
 
 " Yes, sir ; especially as we shall be obliged all three to 
 be here when we fit up the storehouse, and make the pro- 
 posed alteration. Now I think we had better go to bed, 
 sir, for we must be up with the lark to-morrow, as they 
 say in England." 
 
 " And here I suppose we must say, up with the parrots ; 
 for they are the only land birds on the island." 
 
 " You forget the pigeons, sir ; I saw one of them in the 
 wood the other day, but they are breeding just now. Good 
 night, sir." 
 
 The next morning they were off before breakfast, and 
 as the wind was not so fresh, they had not so hard a pull. 
 The boat was soon loaded, and they returned under sail. 
 They then breakfasted, and having left the things they 
 had brought on the beach, that they might lose no time, 
 they set off again, and returned with another cargo two 
 hours before dusk; this they landed, and then secured the 
 boat. As soon as they were in the house, William wrote 
 on a piece of paper : — 
 
 "Dear Mamma, — We have brought round two cargoes 
 to-day. All well, and very tired. — Yours, William." 
 
 Remus did not require any teaching this time. William 
 patted him, and said, "Good dog. Now, Remus, go back 
 — go home, sir ; " and the dog wagged his tail, and set off 
 immediately. 
 
 250 
 
RETURN TO TENTS 
 
 Before they were in bed the dog returned with the 
 answer. 
 
 " How fast he must run, Ready ; he has not been away 
 more than two hours." 
 
 " No, sir. What does mamma say ? " 
 
 "Only, ' All's well ; won't detain your messenger.' " 
 
 "So, now, Remus, you shall have plenty of supper, and 
 plenty of patting and coaxing, for you are a clever, good 
 little dog." 
 
 The next day, as they had to take the two cargoes up to 
 the house, they could only make one trip to the cove. The 
 post was sent to the tents, and returned with the answer 
 as before. 
 
 On Saturday they only made one trip, as they had to 
 return to the tents, which they did by water, having first 
 put a turtle into the boat ; on their arrival, they found them 
 all at the little harbour, waiting to receive them. 
 
 "Well, William, dear, you did keep your promise and 
 send me a letter by post," said Mrs. Seagrave. " How very 
 delightful it is ; I shall have no fear now when you are 
 all away." 
 
 "I must teach Romulus and Vixen to do the same, 
 mamma." 
 
 " And I'll teach the puppies," said Tommy ; " and I'll 
 write letters." 
 
 " Yes, Master Tommy ; by the time you can write a 
 letter, the puppies will be old enough to carry it," said 
 Ready. "I see your face is not quite well yet; you won't 
 shoot any more dead pigs, I hope." 
 
 " No, I won't ; but I'll eat plenty more of the next one 
 that you kill." 
 
 "That will be much wiser, Master Tommy. Come, 
 Albert, dear, I'll carry you up ; you and I haven't had a 
 game of play for a long while. How does the ditch and 
 hedge get on, Mr. Seagrave ? " 
 
 " Pretty well, Ready," replied Mr. Seagrave ; " I have 
 nearly finished two sides. I think by the end of next week 
 I shall have pretty well enclosed it." 
 
 "Well, sir, you must not work too hard, there is no 
 great hurry ; William and I can get through a great deal 
 together." 
 
 251 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 " It is my duty to work, Ready ; and I may add, it is a 
 pleasure. Now we will go to supper." 
 
 As they were at supper the conversation turned upon the 
 cleverness shown by the dog Remus. 
 
 Mr. Seagrave then narrated many instances of the sagacity 
 of animals, when William asked the question of his father : 
 "What is the difference, then, between reason and in- 
 stinct?" 
 
 "The difference is very great, William, as I will explain 
 to you ; but I must first observe, that it has been the custom 
 to say that man is governed by reason, and animals by 
 instinct, alone. This is an error. Man has instinct as well 
 as reason ; and animals, although chiefly governed by in- 
 stinct, have reasoning powers." 
 
 "In what points does man show that he is led by in- 
 stinct ? " 
 
 "When a child is first born, William, it acts by instinct 
 only, the reasoning powers are not yet developed ; as we 
 grow up, our reason becomes every day more matured, and 
 gains the mastery over our instinct, which decreases in 
 proportion." 
 
 " Then, when we have grown to a good old age, I suppose 
 we have no instinct left in us ? " 
 
 " Not so, my dear boy ; there is one and a most powerful 
 instinct implanted in man which never deserts him on this 
 side of the grave. It is the fear, not of deaths but of utter 
 annihilation, that of becoming nothing after death. This 
 instinctive feeling could not have been so deeply implanted 
 in us, but as an assurance that we shall not be annihilated 
 after death, but that our souls shall still exist, although our 
 bodies shall have perished. It may be termed the instinc- 
 tive evidence of a future existence." 
 
 "That is very true, Mr. Seagrave," observed old Ready. 
 
 " Instinct in animals, William," continued Mr. Seagrave, 
 "is a feeling which compels them to perform certain acts 
 without previous thought or reflection; this instinct is in 
 full force at the moment of their birth ; it is the guidance 
 of the Almighty's hand unseen ; it was therefore perfect in 
 the beginning, and has never varied. The swallow built her 
 nest, the spider its web, the bee formed its comb precisely 
 in the same way four thousand years ago as they do now. 
 
 252 
 
REASON AND INSTINCT 
 
 I may here observe, that one of the greatest wonders of 
 instinct is the mathematical form of the honeycomb of the 
 bee, which has been proved by demonstration to be that by 
 which is given the greatest possible saving of time and labour. 
 The wonders of instinct are chiefly to be observed among 
 those animals which are gregarious, or which live in 
 communities." 
 
 te Explain that to me, papa." 
 
 " Gregarious animals are those which live in flocks ; for 
 instance, take the many varieties of birds — the swallow, the 
 wild fowl, the sea birds, the rooks, and the crows. The 
 instinct which they show in their migrations from one part 
 of the world to the other, the method of the flight of wild 
 fowl so as to oifer the least resistance to the wind, each bird 
 taking his station in the order of flight with a precision 
 which could only have been dictated by a secret unerring 
 power : then again, their practice of placing sentinels to 
 watch when they sleep, or give the alarm at the approach 
 of danger. All this is pure instinct, and wonderful ; and it 
 is equally to be observed in beasts as in birds." 
 
 u And those which live in communities, papa ? " 
 
 " Such as the ant, the bee, and many other insects, and 
 the beaver among animals. Nothing is more admirable than 
 the precision of their work, their means of communication, 
 and the exact discharge of duty in each individual." 
 
 " But that is all pure instinct, papa ; now you said that 
 animals had reasoning powers. Will you point out to me 
 how they show that they have ? " 
 
 u I will, my dear boy ; but we had better defer it till 
 another evening. It is time to go to bed. Caroline is asleep, 
 and Tommy is yawning." 
 
 " Their instinct and reason are both opposed to me, papa," 
 replied William, laughing, " so I must wait ; but I really am 
 most anxious to hear what you have to tell me on the 
 subject." 
 
 "And so am I, Master W T illiam," replied Ready; "but I 
 am not sorry to have time to think about what Mr. Seagrave 
 has already said ; there is much to wonder at." 
 
 "There always will be, Ready, when we examine the works 
 of God. Good night." 
 
 253 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 CHAPTER LIV 
 
 Conversation renewed — Animals. 
 
 _L HE following day, being Sunday, was devoted to the usual 
 religious exercises. Tommy stole away out of the tent, while 
 Mr. Seagrave was reading a sermon, to have a peep at the 
 turtle soup, which was boiling on the fire ; however, Juno 
 suspected him, and had hold of him just as he was taking 
 the lid off the pot. He was well scolded, and very much 
 frightened lest he should have no soup for his dinner; 
 however, as it was not a very heavy offence, he was 
 forgiven. In the evening, William requested his father to 
 renew the conversation about the reasoning powers of 
 animals. 
 
 " With pleasure, William," replied Mr. Seagrave ; " it is a 
 fit discourse for a Sunday evening. Let us, however, first 
 examine the various mental faculties discoverable in animals. 
 In the first place, they have memory, especially memory of 
 persons and places, quite as tenacious as our own. A dog 
 will recognise an old master after many years' absence. An 
 elephant, who had again escaped into the woods, after 
 twenty years remaining in a wild state, recognised his old 
 mahoot, or driver. A dog will find his way back when taken 
 more than a hundred miles from his master's residence. The 
 memory of the parrot and cockatoo is also very remarkable. 
 Another proof of memory in animals, were it required, is that 
 they dream. Now, a dream is a confused recollection of past 
 events ; and how often do you not hear Romulus and Remus 
 growling, barking, and whining in their sleep." 
 
 w Very true, papa." 
 
 " Well, then, they have attention. See how patiently a 
 cat will remain for hours before a hole, in watch for the 
 mouse to come out. A spider will remain for months watch- 
 ing for the fly to enter its web ; but this quality is to be ob- 
 served in every animal in the pursuit of its prey. They have 
 also association of ideas, which is, in fact, reasoning. A dog 
 proves that ; he will allow a gentleman to come up to the 
 
 254 
 
REASON AND INSTINCT 
 
 door, but fly at a beggar. When he is in charge of any 
 property, he will take no notice of a passer-by ; but if a man 
 stops, he barks immediately. I knew a bloodhound who 
 used to leap on the low wall round the premises when he 
 heard any one outside, and walk abreast of the person until 
 he was clear of the premises. In the elephant this association 
 of ideas is even more remarkable ; indeed, he understands 
 what is said to him better than any other animal ; his reason- 
 ing powers are most extraordinary. Promise him rewards, and 
 he will make wonderful exertion. He is also extremely 
 alive to a sense of shame. The elephants were employed to 
 transport the heavy artillery in India. One of the finest 
 attempted in vain to force a gun through a swamp. ' Take 
 away that lazy beast/ said the director, ' and bring another.' 
 The animal was so stung with the reproach, that it used so 
 much exertion to force the gun on with its head, as to 
 fracture its skull, and it fell dead. When Chunee, the 
 elephant which was so long in Exeter Change, was ordered 
 as usual to take up a sixpence with his trunk, it happened 
 one day that the sixpence rolled against the skirting-board, 
 out of his reach. Chunee stopped, and reflected a little while, 
 and then, drawing the air into his trunk, he threw it out with 
 all his force against the skirting-board ; the rebound of the 
 air from the skirting-board blew the sixpence towards him, 
 and he was enabled to reach it." 
 
 u That was very clever of him, indeed," replied William. 
 
 u Yes ; it was a proof of thought, with a knowledge of cause 
 and effect, which latter quality is also to be discovered in 
 many other animals. Animals have also a knowledge of time. 
 I knew two spaniels belonging to a lady who always ac- 
 companied her out in the carriage, when she went for an 
 airing on the week-days ; but on Sundays, when she went to 
 church in the carriage, they were, of course, not taken with 
 her. These dogs knew when Sunday came as well as their 
 mistress. If the carriage drove up to the door on a week- 
 day, the two dogs came bounding out, and, as soon as the 
 steps of the carriage were let down, jumped in immediately ; 
 but on Sunday they never attempted it, remaining quietly 
 looking on in the hall. There was a curious instance of a 
 horse, which, by-the-bye, I consider the most noble animal of 
 creation, which was ridden round by his master, to deliver 
 
 255 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 newspapers. He invariably stopped at the doors where 
 papers were to be left ; but it happened that two people, 
 living at different houses, took in a weekly newspaper 
 between them, and it was agreed that one should have the 
 first reading of it on one week and the other on the follow- 
 ing. After a short time the horse became accustomed to 
 this arrangement, and stopped at the one house on the 
 one week, and at the other house on the following, never 
 making a mistake." 
 
 " That was very curious ; what a sagacious animal he must 
 have been," observed William. 
 
 " Animals also are, as you know, capable of receiving in- 
 struction, which is another proof of reasoning powers. The 
 elephant, the horse, the dog, the pig, even birds may be 
 taught a great deal ; canary birds, for instance, have been 
 exhibited who fire off cannon, pretend to be dead, and play a 
 variety of tricks." 
 
 " But then, papa, I still wish to know where the line is to 
 be drawn between reason and instinct." 
 
 " I was about to come to that very point, William. When 
 animals follow their instinct in providing their food, the 
 bringing up of their young, and their precautions against 
 dangers, they follow certain fixed rules, from which they 
 never deviate. But circumstances may occur against which 
 their instinct can afford them no regular provision ; then it is 
 that their reasoning powers are called into action. I will 
 explain this by stating a fact relative to the bee, one of the 
 animals upon which instinct is most powerful in its action. 
 There is a certain large moth, called the Death's-head moth, 
 which is very fond of honey. It sometimes contrives to force 
 its way through the aperture of the hive, and gain an entrance. 
 The bees immediately attack it, and it is soon destroyed by 
 their stings ; but the carcass is so large, that they cannot 
 carry it out of the hive, as they invariably do the bodies of 
 the smaller insects which may have intruded, and it appears 
 that their sense of smell is very acute. What, then, do they 
 do to avoid the stench arising from the dead body of this 
 large moth ? Why, they embalm it, covering it entirely with 
 wax, by which it no longer becomes offensive to them." 
 
 "But, papa, might not their instinct have provided for 
 such an event ? " observed William. 
 
 256 
 
REASON AND INSTINCT 
 
 " If such an event could have occurred to the bees in their 
 wild state, you certainly might have raised the question ; 
 but recollect, William, that bees in their wild state live in 
 the hollows of trees, and that the hole by which they 
 enter is never more than sufficiently large to admit one 
 bee at a time ; consequently, no animal larger than a 
 bee could gain entrance, and if it did, could of course 
 have been easily removed from the hive ; but the bees 
 were here in a new position, in an artificial state, in a 
 hive of straw with a large aperture, and therefore met 
 with an exigence they were not prepared for, and acted 
 accordingly." 
 
 " Yes, papa, I perceive the difference." 
 
 "Again, a tame elephant in India fell into a deep tank. 
 It was impossible to hoist him out, and he must therefore 
 have perished there ; but his driver, knowing how intelli- 
 gent the animal was, advised that a quantity of large faggots 
 should be tied up and thrown down to the elephant. The 
 animal perfectly well understood what he was to do. He 
 laid one tier of faggots and stood upon them, and as they 
 continued to throw the faggots down, so did he continue 
 to pile them up tier upon tier, standing upon them till 
 they w r ere high enough for him to walk out of the tank. 
 Now here you perceive that there was an exigence wholly 
 unprovided for; an elephant might fall into a tank, but 
 it was left to the animal itself in this case to exercise its 
 own reasoning powers as to how the faggots thrown down 
 were to enable him to get out again." 
 
 " That elephant certainly did reason, papa. Why, many 
 men would not have known what to do with the faggots, 
 if they had not been told." 
 
 "It is to be hoped not many, my dear William. I will 
 conclude my observations with one remark. It appears to 
 me, that although the Almighty has thought proper to 
 vary the intellectual and the reasoning powers of animals 
 in the same way that He has varied the species and the 
 forms, yet even in this arrangement He has not been un- 
 mindful of the interest and welfare of man. For you will 
 observe, that the reasoning powers are chiefly, if not wholly, 
 given to those animals which man subjects to his service 
 and for his use — the elephant, the horse, and the dog ; 
 
 257 R 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 thereby making these animals of more value, as the powers 
 given to them are at the service and under the control 
 of man." 
 
 "That is a beautiful wind-up, Mr. Seagrave, and it's as 
 true as it's beautiful/' observed Ready. " It may well be 
 said, ' He is gracious in all things.' " 
 
 CHAPTER LV 
 
 Stores removed— Last trip to the cove— Ship — Arrival at harbour 
 — Tommy. 
 
 V_/N the Monday morning, William and Ready went away in 
 the boat, as before, to bring round the various articles from 
 the cove. It had been arranged that they were not to 
 return till the Saturday evening, and that the dog Remus 
 was to bring intelligence of them and their welfare every 
 afternoon. They worked hard during the week, and on 
 Saturday they had completed their task ; with the excep- 
 tion of a portion of the timbers of the ship, everything 
 had been brought round, but had not been carried up to 
 the storehouse, as that required more time. 
 
 On Saturday morning, they went for the last time to 
 the cove, and Ready selected some heavy oak timber out of 
 the quantity which was lying on the beach, part of which 
 they put into the boat, and the remainder they towed 
 astern. It was a heavy load, and although the wind was 
 fair to sail back again to the bay, the boat went but slowly 
 through the water. 
 
 "Well, Master William," said Ready, "we have done a 
 good week's work, and I must say it is high time that it 
 is done ; for the boat is in rather a crazy condition, and I 
 must contrive to patch her up by-and-by, when there is 
 time." 
 
 "We shall not want to use her very much after this, 
 Ready," replied William; "a few trips round to the little 
 harbour will be all that will be required before we come 
 back again to our old quarters." 
 
 258 
 
READY AND WILLIAM CONVERSE 
 
 " That's true, Master William ; but she leaks very much, 
 and at all events, I'll give her a coat of pitch as soon as 
 possible. For a slight-built little thing as she is, she has 
 done hard duty." 
 
 "Pray, Ready, why, when you speak of a ship or boat, 
 do you always call it she ? " 
 
 " Well, Master William, I don't know why, but it is certain 
 that we sailors always do so. I believe it is because a sailor 
 loves his ship. His ship is his wife, is a very common saying 
 with us ; and then you see, Master William, a vessel is 
 almost a thing of life in appearance : she sits like a duck on 
 the water, and when it is calm, she rolls to and fro like a 
 lazy person ; make sail on her, and she flies through the 
 water as if she was a porpoise or a dolphin ; press her with 
 too much canvas, and she complains ; and when buffeted by 
 the tempest, she groans like one who suffers. So that being 
 to us sailors a sort of living thing, and we being fond of her, 
 we call her she ; I suppose, because a man gets fonder of a 
 woman than any other thing that's living. I believe that's 
 the reason, and of course if a vessel is she, a little boat must 
 be a she also." 
 
 "Well, I think you have explained it very well, Ready. 
 I suppose on Monday we shall set to at the storehouse, and 
 alter it for our future residence ? " 
 
 "Can't begin too soon, Master William," replied Ready; 
 " I don't doubt but Mr. Seagrave has finished the hedge and 
 ditch round the yams by this time, and if so, I expect that 
 madam will not like to be left in the tents alone with Juno 
 and the children, and so we shall all move back to the house 
 again until we have altered the storehouse ; I must say that 
 I would rather that your mamma should remain in the tents 
 until all was finished." 
 
 "Because you are afraid of a visit from the savages, 
 Ready ? " 
 
 "I am, sir, and that's the truth." 
 
 " But, Ready, if they do come, we shall see them 
 coming, and would it not be better that we should all 
 be together, even if we are obliged to conceal ourselves in 
 consequence of not being prepared ? Suppose the savages 
 were to overrun the island, and find my mother, my little 
 brother and sister defenceless, at the time we were 
 
 259 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 obliged to retreat from our house ; how dreadful that 
 would be ! " 
 
 "But, Master William, I counted upon retreating to the 
 tents." 
 
 " So we can altogether, Ready, unless we are surprised in 
 the night" 
 
 "That we must take care not to be. There's not three 
 hours' dark in this season of the year. Well, Master William, 
 I doubt not you may be right, and if they are all with us, 
 Juno will be a great help, and we shall get through our 
 work the faster." 
 
 " We had better let the question be decided by my father 
 and mother." 
 
 " Very true, Master William ; here's the point at last. 
 We will haul the timber on the beach, and then be off as 
 fast as we can, for it is getting late." 
 
 It was, indeed, much later than they had usually arrived 
 at the little harbour, owing to the heavy load, which made 
 the boat so long in coming round from the cove ; and when 
 they pulled in, they found Mr. and Mrs. Seagrave and the 
 children all down, waiting for them. 
 
 " You are very late, William, dear," said Mrs. Seagrave. 
 " I was quite uneasy till I saw the boat at a distance." 
 
 " Yes, mamma ; but we could not help it ; we had a heavy 
 load to bring round, and now our work is done." 
 
 " I am delighted to hear it, William ; for I cannot bear 
 you being away so long." 
 
 te And my work is done," said Mr. Seagrave ; " the hedge 
 and ditch were finished this morning." 
 
 "Well, then," observed Ready, "we must hold another 
 council, but I presume it will not take very long." 
 
 " No, I expect not ; it seldom does when people are of the 
 same mind. Mrs. Seagrave won't be left here, Ready, and 
 I don't want to leave her, so I presume on Monday we all 
 start home again." 
 
 " Yes, sir ; if you please," replied Ready. 
 
 "Juno, I hope you have a good supper," said William; 
 " for I'm very hungry." 
 
 " Yes, Massa William ; plenty fried fish ; massa catch 'em 
 this morning." 
 
 " I like turtle soup," said Tommy. 
 
 2b'0 
 
SUNDAY REST 
 
 "I believe you like everything, Master Tommy," replied 
 Ready, "except castor-oil beans. You won't eat any more 
 of them." 
 
 " No, that I won't ; but I'll eat the bananas when they 
 are ripe." 
 
 "You would have eaten them before if you could have 
 reached them, I think ; but you must grow a little taller 
 first." 
 
 " I shall be a man by-and-by," said Tommy. 
 
 " I hope you will, and a good man, too," replied old 
 Ready ; " but now I must help Juno in getting the supper 
 underway." 
 
 CHAPTER LVI 
 
 Sunday rest — Arrangements. 
 
 JL HE next day being Sunday was a day of repose, and 
 as they had all worked so hard, they felt the luxury of a 
 day of rest. In the afternoon, they agreed that on Monday 
 they should make every preparation for quitting the tents, 
 and returning to the house at the bay. They decided 
 that the live stock should all be left there, as the pasturage 
 was so plentiful and good, with the exception of one goat, 
 which they would take back with them, to supply them 
 with milk; and they also agreed that the tents should be 
 left standing, with some cooking utensils, that in case 
 William and Ready went round for the bananas or yams, 
 or to examine the live stock, they should not be compelled 
 to sleep in the open air, and should have the means of 
 dressing their dinner. William and Ready were to carry 
 the beds, &c, round to the bay in the boat, which they 
 could do in two trips, and Mr. and Mrs. Seagrave, with 
 the family, were to walk through the woods after taking 
 a very early breakfast. 
 
 All these points being arranged, they had finished 
 their supper, when William again brought up the con- 
 versation about animals, as he was delighted to hear Mr. 
 Seagrave talk on the subject. The conversation had 
 
 261 
 
MAStERMAN READY 
 
 not commenced more than a few minutes, when William 
 said — 
 
 " Papa, they always say, ' as stupid as an ass.' Is an ass 
 such a stupid animal ? " 
 
 " No, William ; it is a very sagacious one ; but the character 
 has been given to the animal more on account of its ob- 
 stinacy and untractableness, than on any other account. 
 It is usual to say, as stupid as an ass, or as stupid as a pig, 
 or a goose. Now, these three animals are very much 
 maligned, for they are all sagacious animals. But the fact 
 is, that, as regards the ass, we have only very sorry specimens 
 of the animal in England : they are stunted and small, 
 and, from want of corn and proper food, besides being very 
 ill-treated, are slow and dull-looking animals. The climate 
 of England is much too cold for the ass ; in the south of 
 France and the Mediterranean, where it is much warmer, 
 the ass is a much finer animal ; but to see it in perfection 
 we must go to the Torrid Zone in Guinea, right on the 
 equator, the hottest portion of the globe, where the ass 
 in its native state and in its native country is a handsome 
 creature, and as fleet as the wind ; indeed, supposed to be, 
 and mentioned in the Scriptures as, the fleetest animal in 
 creation. Xenophon, in his writings, says, that they chased 
 the wild asses, but that none of the horses could come up 
 with them. The fact is, that in Asia, especially in Palestine 
 and Syria, asses were in great repute, and used in preference 
 to horses. We must see an animal in its own climate to 
 form a true estimate of its value." 
 
 " Does climate, then, make so great a difference ? " said 
 William. 
 
 " Of course it does, not only with animals, but with trees, 
 plants, and even man, until he is accustomed to the change. 
 The lascar, or native seaman of India, is full of life and 
 vigour in the warm and sunny Indian seas, but as soon as 
 he enters the English Channel, and blows his fingers from 
 the cold, he becomes inert, useless, and timid; in fact, a 
 miserable creature ; and the ships would often be lost, if 
 it were not for the proportion of English seamen on board. 
 With respect to animals, there are some which can bear 
 the different varieties of climate, and even change of food. 
 The horse, for instance, although originally indigenous to 
 
 262 
 
ANIMALS 
 
 Arabia, lives as well in the Temperate, and even in the 
 Frigid Zones it may be said, for they endure the hard winters 
 of Russia and North America ; so will domestic cattle, such 
 as cows, sheep, pigs, &c. It is a curious fact that, during 
 the winter in Canada, a large proportion of the food of cattle 
 consists of^ftsk." 
 
 " Fish ! papa. Cows eat fish ? " 
 
 " Yes, my dear boy, such is the fact. It is a remarkable 
 instance of a graminivorous or grass-eating animal being 
 changed for a time into a carnivorous, or flesh-ejiting, or 
 rather into a piscivorous, or fish-eating animal. Those are 
 hard words, William, derived from the Latin, and therefore 
 I explain them. But there are other animals which can 
 live under any temperature, as the wolf, the fox, the hare, 
 and rabbit. It is a curious provision,— evidently showing 
 that it was intended they should propagate in all climates, — 
 that the sheep and goats in the hottest climates throw off 
 their warm covering of wool, and retain little better than 
 hair ; while, removed to a cold climate, they recover their 
 warm covering immediately." 
 
 "But a goat has no wool, papa." 
 
 " What are Cashmere shawls made of, William ? " 
 
 " Very true, papa." 
 
 " Most animals have a certain increase of covering, as they 
 recede further from the warm climates to the cold ones. 
 Wolves and foxes, hares and rabbits, change the colour of 
 their skins to white when they get far north. The little 
 English stoat, which is destroyed by the gamekeepers, and 
 nailed up against the barn, becomes the beautiful snow- 
 white ermine in Russia and other cold countries." 
 
 "Well, papa, I think it a great advantage to man, and 
 a proof of the Almighty's care of him, and kindness to him, 
 in permitting all the animals most useful to him to be able 
 to live in any country ; but I don't know whether I am 
 wrong in saying so, papa : I cannot see why an animal like 
 the wolf should not have been kept to his own climate, like 
 the lion and tiger, and other ferocious animals." 
 
 "You have started a question, William, which I am glad 
 you have done, rather than it should have remained on your 
 mind, and have puzzled you. It is true that the shepherd 
 might agree with you ; that the wolf is a nuisance; equally 
 
 263 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 true that the husbandman may exclaim. What is the good 
 of thistles, and the various weeds which choke the soil ? 
 But, my dear boy, if they are not, which I think they are, 
 for the benefit of man, at all events they are his doom, for 
 the first transgression. ' Cursed is the ground for thy sake 
 — thorns and thistles shall it bring forth to thee — and by 
 the sweat of thy brow shalt thou eat bread/ was the 
 Almighty's sentence : and it is only by labour that the 
 husbandman can obtain his crops, and by watchfulness that 
 the shepherd can guard his flocks. If it were otherwise, 
 the seed might be sown and the sheep led to pasture, and 
 after that the husbandman and shepherd might both sleep. 
 Labour, however, is in itself a benefit ; without exercise 
 there would be no health, and without health there would 
 be no enjoyment." 
 
 ** I see now, papa, and I thank you for the explanation. 
 You have mentioned the animals which can live in all 
 climates ; will you not tell us something about other 
 animals ? '* 
 
 "There is but one remark to make, William, which is, 
 that animals indigenous to, that is, originally to be found 
 in, any one portion of the globe, invariably are so fashioned 
 as to be most fit for that country, and have the food also 
 most proper for them growing or to be obtained in that 
 country. Take, for instance, the camel, an animal fashioned 
 expressly for the country to which he is indigenous, and 
 without whose aid all communication must have been 
 stopped between Asia and Africa. He is called the 'Ship 
 of the Desert ; ' for the desert is a e sea of sand.' His feet 
 are so fashioned, that he can traverse the sands with facility ; 
 he can live upon the coarsest vegetable food and salt plants 
 which are found there, and he has the capacity of carrying 
 water in a sort of secondary stomach, for his own supply, 
 where no water is to be found. Here is an animal wonder- 
 fully made by the Almighty for an express locality, and for 
 the convenience of man in that country ; for, in England, or 
 elsewhere, he would be of no value." 
 
 "There are many animals, papa, which are of no use 
 to man." 
 
 " Many, my dear boy, which are apparently so, and many 
 which are destructive to him ; but that is a portion of our 
 
 264 
 
RETURN TO MY 
 
 sentence, and we are permitted to extirpate and destroy 
 them when they endanger or incommode us, — as we do the 
 thistle in the field. But, if they are of no use to us, they 
 add to the variety and beauty of nature, and show the 
 immensity of the Creator. You saw the giraffe before you 
 left England. Now that animal is most peculiarly formed. 
 It lives in its native Africa upon the leaves and branches of 
 the mimosa tree, and if it had not such a long neck and such 
 height of shoulder it would not be able to reach its food. 
 The mimosa tree is not fed upon by any other animal, so it 
 would appear as if this animal were fashioned on purpose 
 to live upon that tree. But the animal and the tree both 
 add to the variety and to the beauty of nature, and occupy 
 a portion of territory at present not required by man. The 
 Almighty has filled the earth with living things ; as long as 
 they do not interfere with man, they enjoy their portion of 
 it in peace and quiet. As soon as man requires the territory, 
 as they were made for his use and to be subservient to him, 
 they must retrograde away from him, or be destroyed by him. 
 Such is the will of a great and a beneficent Creator. But it 
 is late, my dear William ; so we will first thank Him for all 
 His mercies, and then to bed." 
 
 CHAPTER LVII 
 
 Return to bay — Stockade commenced — Keeping watch — Look-out 
 
 JL HE next morning was one of bustle ; there was packing 
 up and every preparation for departure. Juno was called 
 here and called there, and was obliged to ask little Caroline 
 to look after the kettle and call to her if it boiled over. 
 Master Tommy, as usual, was in every one's way, and doing 
 more harm than good in his attempts to assist ; but, however, 
 as he meant well, nobody scolded him. 
 
 At last, Ready, to get rid of him, sent him down with a 
 large bundle to the beach. Tommy shouldered it with 
 great importance, but when he came back, looking rather 
 warm with the exertion, and Ready asked him to take 
 
 265 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 down another, he said he was too tired, and sat down very 
 quietly till breakfast-time, before which everything was 
 ready. 
 
 Mrs. Seagrave and Juno packed up the breakfast and 
 dinner things in a basket after breakfast was over, and 
 then Mr. and Mrs. Seagrave and the family set off on their 
 journey, accompanied by the dogs, through the cocoa-nut 
 grove. Little Albert could now walk very well, and only 
 required to be occasionally carried by Juno, who led him 
 by the hand. Caroline walked by her papa and mamma, and 
 Master Tommy was too independent to walk with any one. 
 
 William and Ready lost no time in getting through their 
 work ; the crockery, kitchen utensils, table, and chairs, were 
 the first articles put into the boat. The goat was then led 
 down, and they set off with a full load, and arrived at the 
 bay long before the party who were walking through the 
 wood. They landed the things on the beach, and then 
 shoved off again to bring round the bedding, which was all 
 that was left. By three o'clock in the afternoon they had 
 arrived at the bay with their second and last load, and 
 found that the other party had been there about an hour, and 
 Mr. Seagrave and Juno were very busy taking the articles 
 up from the beach. 
 
 " Well, Master William," said Ready, " this is our last trip 
 for some time, I expect ; and so much the better, for our 
 little boat must have something done to her as soon as I can 
 find time." 
 
 "Yes, indeed, Ready, she has done her work well. Do 
 you know I feel as if I were coming home, now that we are 
 back to the bay. I little thought that I ever should consider 
 any part of this island as my home. I really feel quite glad 
 that we have left the tents. I found the pigeons among the 
 peas, Ready, so we must pick them as soon as we can. They 
 have increased very much ; I think there were near twenty 
 of them. We shall have pigeon pies next year, I expect," 
 replied William. 
 
 "If it pleases God that we live and do well," replied 
 Ready, who had his eyes fixed upon the sea. 
 
 Before night, everything was in its place again in the 
 house, and as comfortable as before, and as they were very 
 tired, they went very early to bed ; having first arranged 
 
 266 
 
BUILDING A STOCKADE 
 
 what they should do in the morning. Mrs. Seagrave said 
 that she could attend to the cookery and the children, and 
 that Juno was at their service, if they required her. At 
 daylight Ready and William went down to the turtle pond 
 and speared a turtle, for now the time was coming on for 
 turning the turtle again, and the pond would soon be filled. 
 Having cut it up and put a portion of it into the pot, all 
 ready for Mrs. Seagrave, as soon as breakfast was over, they 
 proceeded to the storehouse in the grove. 
 
 After a little consultation with Mr. Seagrave, Ready 
 marked out a square of cocoa-nut trees surrounding the 
 storehouse, so as to leave a space within them of about 
 twenty yards each side, which they considered large enough 
 for the enclosure. These cocoa-nut trees were to serve as 
 the posts between which were to be fixed other cocoa- 
 nut trees cut down, and about fourteen feet high, so as to 
 form a palisade or stockade, which could not be climbed 
 over, and would protect them from any attack of the 
 savages. 
 
 As soon as the line of trees had been marked out, they set 
 to work cutting down all the trees within the line, and then 
 outside to a distance of ten yards, so as to give them room 
 for their work. Ready cut out cross pieces, to nail from tree 
 to tree, and now they found the advantage of having saved 
 so many of the large spike nails, without which they never 
 could have made so good or so quick a job of it. Mr. 
 Seagrave cut down trees, William and Juno sawed them off 
 at a proper length with one of the cross-cut saws, and then 
 carried them to Ready. They soon had more cut out than 
 he could use, and then they dragged away the tops and 
 branches, and piled them at a distance on the ground, to 
 use as winter fuel, while Mr. Seagrave helped Ready in 
 fixing up the palisades. They worked very hard that day, 
 and were not sorry to go to bed. Ready, however, took 
 an opportunity to speak to William. 
 
 "I think, sir," said he, "that now we are here again, it 
 will be necessary to keep a sort of night-watch, in case of 
 accident. I shall not go to bed till it is quite dark, which 
 it will be by nine o'clock, and shall have my glass to examine 
 the offing the last thing. You see, sir, there is little fear 
 of the savages coming here in the night time, but they 
 
 267 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 may just before night or veiy early in the morning, so one 
 of us must be up again before daybreak, that is between 
 two and three o'clock in the morning, to see if there is 
 anything to be seen of them ; if there is not, of course we 
 may go to bed again, as they cannot arrive till many hours 
 afterwards ; and we must watch the wind and weather, 
 if it is favourable for them to come to us, which, indeed, 
 the wind will not be except at the commencement of the 
 rainy season; but it may be very light, and then thejr would 
 not care for its being against them. I've been thinking 
 of it, Master William, a great deal, and my idea is, that 
 it will be at the beginning of the rainy season that we shall 
 have a visit, if we have one at all ; for you see that the 
 wind don't blow regular from one quarter, as it does now, 
 but is variable, and then they can make sail in their canoes, 
 and come here easily, instead of pulling between thirty and 
 forty miles, which is hard work against wind and current. 
 Still, Master William, we must not be careless, and we must 
 keep a good look-out even now. I don't want to fret 
 your father and Mrs. Seagrave with my fears on the subject, 
 but I tell you what I really think, and what we ought 
 to do." 
 
 "I agree with you, Ready, and I will take care to be 
 up before daybreak, and examine very carefully with the 
 spy-glass as soon as the day dawns. You take the night 
 part, and I will do the morning part of the watching." 
 
 " Very well, Master William ; for the matter of that, I 
 could do both myself, but I think if you were to get up in 
 the morning, they would not notice it so much ; as for my 
 staying out at night, that they are accustomed to." 
 
 After this conversation they separated, and from that 
 time forward William and Ready were continually on the 
 look-out from dawn of day till it was too dark to distinguish 
 anything. 
 
 268 
 
TOMMY ADRIFT IN THE BOAT 
 
 CHAPTER LVIII 
 
 Tommy missing — Adrift in the boat — Ready in the water — His 
 danger — Boat sinking — Ready and Tommy saved — Ready 
 and William — Thanksgivings. 
 
 Jb OR nearly a fortnight the work upon the stockade 
 continued without any intermission, when a circumstance 
 occurred which created the greatest alarm and excitement. 
 One day, as the party returned to dinner, Mrs. Seagrave 
 said with surprise, " Why, was not Tommy with you ? " 
 
 "No," replied Mr. Seagrave; "he has not been near 
 us all day ; he went with us after breakfast, but did not 
 remain a quarter of an hour." 
 
 " No, missy ; I tell Massa Tommy to help carry cocoa-nut 
 leaves, and then he go away directly." 
 
 " Goodness ! where can he be ? " exclaimed Mrs. Sea- 
 grave, alarmed. 
 
 " I dare say he is picking up shells on the beach, ma'am," 
 replied Ready, " or perhaps he is in the - garden. I will 
 go and see." 
 
 " I will go with you, Ready," said William. 
 
 " I see him — oh, mercy ! — I see him," said Juno, point- 
 ing with her finger; "he in the boat, and boat go to 
 sea." 
 
 It was but too true : there w r as Tommy in the boat, 
 and the boat had drifted from the beach, and was now 
 a cable's length away from it, among the breakers of the 
 reef. 
 
 William ran off* like the wind, followed close by Mr. Sea- 
 grave and Ready, and at a distance by Mrs. Seagrave and 
 Juno, the former dreadfully alarmed ; indeed, there was no 
 time to be lost, for the wind was off the shore, and in a short 
 time the boat would have been out to sea. 
 
 William, as soon as he arrived at the beach, threw off his 
 hat and jacket, and dashed into the water. He was already 
 up to his middle, when old Ready, who had followed him, 
 caught him by the arm and said — 
 
 269 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 u Master William, go back immediately. I insist upon it. 
 Your going can do no good, as you do not understand the 
 thing so well as I do ; and go I will, so there will be double 
 risk for nothing. Mr. Seagrave, order him back. He will 
 obey you. I insist upon it, sir." 
 
 " William," said Mr. Seagrave, " come back immediately, 
 I command you." 
 
 William obeyed ; but, before he was clear of the water, 
 old Ready had swam across to the first rocks on the reef, and 
 was now dashing through the pools between the rocks, 
 towards the boat. 
 
 " Oh, father ! " said William, " if that good old man is 
 lost, I shall never forgive myself. I almost feel as if I 
 did wrong to obey you. Look, father, one — two — three 
 sharks, here, close to us. He has no chance. See, he is 
 again in deep water. God protect him ! — O God ! hear my 
 prayer." 
 
 In the meantime, Mr. Seagrave, whose wife was now by 
 his side, and who was shuddering at the scene, after glancing 
 his eye a moment at the sharks, which were within a few 
 feet of the beach, had kept his gaze steadily upon Ready's 
 movements. If he passed through the passage of deep water 
 between the rocks, he might be considered safe, as the boat 
 was now beating on a reef on the other side, where the 
 water was shallow. It was a moment of intense anxiety. 
 At last Ready had gained the reef, and had his hands upon 
 the rocks, and was climbing on them. 
 
 " He is safe, is he not ? " whispered Mrs. Seagrave faintly. 
 
 " Yes ; now I think he is," replied Mr. Seagrave, as Ready 
 had gained a footing on the rocks, where the water was but 
 a little above his ankles. " I think there is no deep water 
 between him and the boat." 
 
 In another minute Ready was over the rocks, and had 
 seized the gunnel of the boat. 
 
 " He is in the boat," cried William. " Thank God ! " 
 
 " Yes ; we must thank God, and that fervently," replied 
 Mr. Seagrave. " Look at those monsters," continued he, 
 pointing to the sharks ; " how quick they swim to and fro : 
 they have scented their prey on the water. William, it is 
 fortunate they are here : they might have been out there, 
 when Ready passed through the deep water." 
 
 270 
 
READY AND TOMMY SAVED 
 
 " Yes, indeed, papa. See, he has the boat hook, and is 
 pushing the boat off the reef into the deep water. Oh ! he 
 is quite safe now." 
 
 Such, however, was not the case. The boat had been 
 beating on the rocks of the reef, and had knocked a hole in 
 her bottom, and as soon as Ready had forced the boat into 
 deep water, she began to fill immediately. Ready pushed as 
 hard as he could with the boat-hook, and tearing off his 
 neckcloth, forced as much as he could of it into the hole. 
 This saved them ; but the boat was up to the thwarts with 
 water, and the least motion on the part of Ready, or even 
 Tommy, would have upset her immediately, and they had 
 still to pass the deep water between the reef and the beach, 
 where the sharks were swimming. Ready, who perceived 
 his danger, called out to them to throw large stones at the 
 sharks as fast as they could, to drive them away. This was 
 immediately done by Mr. Seagrave and William, aided by 
 Juno and Mrs. wSeagrave, who found courage in this present 
 instance. 
 
 The pelting of the stones had the desired effect. The 
 sharks swam away, and Ready passed through to the 
 beach, and the boat grounded just as she was up to the 
 gunnel in water, and about to turn over. He handed out 
 Master Tommy, who was so dreadfully frightened that 
 he could not cry, but remained as pale as a sheet, and his 
 mouth and eyes wide open. 
 
 As soon as Ready landed, William sprung into his arms, 
 crying, "Thank God, you are safe, Ready." Mr. and Mrs. 
 Seagrave each took his hand, and shook it heartily. At 
 last, Mrs. Seagrave, overpowered by her feelings, sank her 
 head upon William's shoulder, and burst into tears. Juno, 
 after smiling at Ready, took Tommy by the hand, and led 
 him away, saying, "Come along, you nasty, naughty boy. 
 You get fine w hipping to-night, soon as all the work is 
 over." Whereupon Tommy set up a miserable howling, 
 which he never left off until long after he was in the 
 house. 
 
 " It was touch and go, Master William," observed Ready, 
 as they walked up to the house, preceded by Mr. and Mrs. 
 Seagrave. " How much mischief may be created by a 
 thoughtless boy ! However, one can't put old heads on 
 
 271 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 young shoulders, and so Master Tommy must be for- 
 given." 
 
 " He has been punished enough, as far as fright goes/' 
 replied William ; " I'll answer for it, he'll never get into 
 the boat again by himself." 
 
 " No, I think not ; but now, Master William, you saw 
 how nearly I was swamped in the boat ; indeed, it was only 
 by His mercy that I was preserved ; but taking the question 
 merely as far as our endeavours could help us, do you think 
 that if you had gained the boat instead of me, you would 
 have brought her to the beach as I did ?" 
 
 "No, Ready; for I never should have thought of taking 
 off my neckcloth to put into the hole, I'm afraid ; but even 
 if I had, I never could have managed her so skilfully as 
 you did, and therefore I must have been swamped before I 
 got on shore." 
 
 " Well, Master William, as I am an old sailor and you 
 are not, therefore it is not vanity which makes me say 
 that you could not have managed the boat so well as I did. 
 Now, as I had not three or four seconds to spare, you, as 
 you say, must have been swamped. I mention this to prove 
 to you that I was right in desiring your father to order 
 you back." 
 
 " Certainly, Ready ; but Tommy is my brother, and I 
 felt that it was more my duty than yours to risk my life 
 for him." 
 
 "A very proper feeling, Master William, but you have 
 other duties, which are, to look after your father and mother, 
 and be a comfort and solace to them. Your life is more 
 valuable than mine. I am an old man on the brink of 
 the grave, and a year or two makes no difference, but your 
 life is, I hope, of more consequence. What would have 
 been the agony and distress, and, I may say, continual 
 source of future regret to your parents, had you perished 
 before their eyes by so horrible a death ! They never would 
 have smiled again." 
 
 "And do you not think that their regret would have 
 been as great, if you had perished in the same way?" 
 
 " I do not know but that at first it would have 
 been very painful to them, but time would have made them 
 forget it, and poor Tommy, too, would have been a source 
 
 272 
 
THE STOCKADE COMPLETED 
 
 of deep sorrow ; but to lose two sons, and their eldest 
 now grown up, you may say, it would have been hard, very 
 hard to bear, and nothing but the sincere religion of your 
 parents could have brought them to submit with resigna- 
 tion. But here we are at the house, so let us say no more 
 about it." 
 
 That evening the prayers were more than usually solemn, 
 and the thanksgivings more heartfelt and sincere. Exhausted 
 with the exciting scene of the day, they all retired early 
 to bed. 
 
 CHAPTER LIX 
 
 Stockade and house finished — Water-cask — Consultation — Go 
 into stockade — Turn turtle. 
 
 VV HEN Tommy was questioned on the following morning 
 as to his inducement to get into the boat, to their great 
 surprise he replied, that he wanted to go round to the 
 tents again to see if the bananas were ripe ; that he in- 
 tended to eat some of them and be back before dinner- 
 time, that he might not be found out. 
 
 " I suspect, Master Tommy, you would have been very 
 hungry before you ate any bananas if we had not perceived 
 you," said Ready. 
 
 " I won't go into the boat any more," said Tommy. 
 
 " I rather think you will keep to that resolution, Tommy," 
 replied Mr. Seagrave ; " however, I must leave your mother 
 to point out to you the danger you were in yourself, and in 
 which you placed others by your folly. It is time for us 
 to go to work." 
 
 The stockade was now almost finished ; the door was the 
 occasion of a good deal of consultation ; at last, it was agreed 
 that it would be better to have a door of stout oak plank, 
 but with second door-posts inside, about a foot apart from 
 the door, between which could be inserted short poles one 
 above the other, so as to barricade it within when required. 
 This would make the door as strong as any other portion of 
 the stockade. As soon as this was all complete the store- 
 
 273 s 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 house was to be altered for a dwelling-house, by taking away 
 the wattles of cocoa-nut boughs on the sides, and filling 
 them up with logs of cocoa-nut trees. 
 
 Before the week was ended the stockade and door were 
 complete, and they now began to fell trees, to form the sides 
 of the house. This was rapid work ; and while Mr. Seagrave, 
 William, and Juno felled the trees, and brought them on the 
 wheels to the side of the stockade, all ready cut to their 
 proper lengths, Ready was employed in flooring the house 
 with a part of the deal planks which they had brought round 
 from the cove. But this week they were obliged to break 
 off for two days, to collect all their crops from the garden ; 
 as soon as this was done, they again set to work. 
 
 A fortnight more passed away in continual hard work, but 
 the house was at last finished, and very complete, compared 
 to the one they were residing in. It w r as much larger, and 
 divided into three rooms by the deal planking : the middle 
 room which the door opened into was the sitting and eating- 
 room, with a window behind ; the two side rooms were 
 sleeping-rooms, one for Mrs. Seagrave and the children, and 
 the other for the male portion of the family. This made it 
 much more comfortable and complete. 
 
 "See, Master William," said Ready, when they were alone, 
 "what we have been able to do by means of those deal 
 planks ; why, to have floored this house, and ran up the 
 partitions, would have taken us half a year, if we had had 
 to saw the wood." 
 
 " Yes ; and what a comfort it is to have so many shelves 
 about. When shall we shift into this house ? " 
 
 "The sooner the better, Master William. We have 
 plenty of work still to do, but we can work outside of the 
 stockade." 
 
 " And what do you propose to do with the old house ? " 
 said William. 
 
 " We had better put some of our stores of least value in 
 it for the present, until we can fit up another storehouse 
 inside the stockade." 
 
 " Then we'll put those casks in, for they take up a great 
 deal of room." 
 
 " All but that large one, Master William ; we shall want 
 that. I shall fix it up in a corner." 
 
 374 
 
GO INTO STOCKADE 
 
 * What for, Ready ? " 
 
 "To put water in, Master William." 
 
 " But we are closer to the spring than we were at the 
 other house." 
 
 " I know that ; but, perhaps, we may not be able to go 
 out of the stockade, and then we shall want water." 
 
 "I understand, Ready; how thoughtful you are." 
 
 "If at my age I did not think a little, Master William, 
 it would be very odd. You don't know how anxious I am to 
 see them all inside of this defence, William. I shall not be 
 happy until they are." 
 
 "But why should we not come in, Ready ?" 
 
 u Why, sir, as there is still plenty of work, I do not like to 
 press the matter, lest your mamma should be fidgeted, and 
 think there was danger ; but, Master William, danger there 
 is — I have a kind of forewarning of it. It weighs on my 
 mind, and I can't shake it off. I wish you would propose 
 that they should come in at once ; the standing-bed places 
 are all ready, except the canvas, and I shall nail on new 
 by to-night." 
 
 In consequence of this conversation, William proposed at 
 dinner-time, that the next day they should go into the new 
 house, as it was so much more handy to work there and live 
 there at the same time. Mr. Seagrave was of the same 
 opinion, but Mrs. Seagrave thought it better that everything 
 should be tidy first. 
 
 "W r hy, ma'am," said Ready, "the only way to get things 
 tidy is to go yourself, and make them so. Nothing will ever 
 be in its place unless you are there to put it in." 
 
 "W r ell, Ready," said Mrs. Seagrave, "since you are against 
 me as well as all the rest, I give up, and if you please we 
 will shift over to-morrow." 
 
 " Indeed, ma'am, I think it will be better ; this is the last 
 month of fine weather, and we shall have plenty to do. We 
 shall get on much faster if we go there." 
 
 "Be it so, Ready; you are the best judge — to-morrow we 
 will take up our quarters in the stockade." 
 
 " Thank God ! " muttered old Ready very softly. William 
 only, who was next to him, heard what he said. 
 
 The next day was fully employed in changing their 
 residence, and shifting over the bedding and utensils ; and 
 
 ^75 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 that night they slept within the stockade. Ready had run 
 up a very neat little outhouse of plank, as a kitchen for 
 Juno, and another week was fully employed as follows : the 
 stores were divided ; those of least consequence, and the 
 salt provisions, flour, and the garden produce, &c, were put 
 into the old house ; the casks of powder and most of the 
 cartridges were also put there for security ; but a cask of 
 beef, of pork, and flour, all the iron-work and nails, canvas, 
 &c, were stowed away for the present under the new house, 
 which had, when built as a storehouse, been raised four feet 
 from the ground to make a shelter for the stock. This was 
 very spacious, and, of course, quite dry, and contained all 
 they wished to put in. Ready also took care, by degrees, 
 to fill the large water-butt full of water, and had fixed into 
 the bottom a spigot for drawing the water off. 
 
 "Well, Mr. Seagrave," said Ready on the Saturday, "we 
 have done a good many hard weeks' work lately, but this 
 is the last of them. We are now comfortably settled in our 
 new house : our stores are all under cover, and safe from the 
 weather, and so we may now take things a little easier. 
 William and I must go and turn some turtle if we can, for 
 the season is getting late for them, and I must repair the 
 boat, so that we may take a trip round to examine how the 
 stock and yams get on." 
 
 " And the bananas and the guavas," said Tommy. 
 
 "Why, we have quite forgotten all about them," observed 
 Mrs. Seagrave. 
 
 " Yes, ma'am, we have been so busy, that it is no wonder ; 
 however, there may be some left yet, and I will go round as 
 soon as the boat is able to swim, and bring all I can find." 
 
 " We must put our seeds and potatoes in before the rainy 
 season, Ready." 
 
 " It will be better, sir, if we can find time, as we shall not 
 have much more fine weather now. At all events, we can 
 get them in at intervals when the weather is fine ; now I 
 shall go my rounds for turtle. Good night, ma'am — good 
 night, sir. Come, Master William." 
 
 William and Ready went down to the beach, but meeting 
 Juno coming from the kitchen, Ready desired her to collect 
 as much fuel as she could, and stack it up in a corner inside 
 of the stockade, as it would be more handy. 
 
 276' 
 
STOCK THRIVING 
 
 " Yes, Massa Ready," replied Juno, " I understand ; no- 
 thing like being all ready case of accident." 
 
 "Exactly so, Juno," replied William. "Good night." 
 William and Ready succeeded in turning six more turtles 
 to add to their stock, and having taken a careful survey with 
 the telescope, they came back, fastened the door of the 
 stockade, and went to bed. 
 
 CHAPTER LX 
 
 Washing— Yams— Change of wind — Looking out — Discover 
 canoes under sail with savages in large force — Mr. and Mrs. 
 Seagrave. 
 
 ANOTHER week passed away, during which Ready re- 
 paired the boat, and William and Mr. Seagrave were em- 
 ployed in digging up the garden. It was also a very busy 
 week at the house, as they had not washed linen for some 
 time. Mrs. Seagrave and Juno, and even little Caroline, 
 were hard at work, and Master Tommy was more useful than 
 ever he had been, going for the water as they required it, 
 and watching little Albert. Indeed, he was so active that 
 Mrs. Seagrave praised him before his papa, and Master 
 Tommy was quite proud. 
 
 On the Monday William and Ready set off in the boat to 
 the little harbour, and found all the stock doing well, and 
 promising to increase. Many of the bananas and guavas had 
 ripened and withered, but there were enough left to fill the 
 boat half full. The yams had not been broken in upon by 
 the pigs, and the tents were in good order. 
 
 " We cannot do better than to leave the stock where it is 
 at present, Master William ; they can run into the cocoa-nut 
 grove for shelter if there is a storm, and there is feed 
 enough for ten times as many." 
 
 "I think so too." 
 
 ". But in a few days we must come round again for the 
 tents ; we must not leave them here the whole rainy season. 
 Now, sir, shall we go back ? " 
 
 277 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 " Yes ; at all events, Tommy will be delighted with our 
 cargo. But Avill you not dig up a few yams first ? " 
 
 " I had quite forgotten it, Master William. I will go for 
 the spade ; we left one in the nearest tent." 
 
 Having procured the yams, they set off on their return. 
 Before they arrived at the bay the sky clouded over, and 
 threatened a storm. It did not, however, rain till after they 
 had landed, when a smart shower announced the commence- 
 ment of the rainy season. The fruit was very welcome to 
 all of them, it was so long since they had tasted any ; but 
 Tommy was ravenous to obtain it ; he could not eat it fast 
 enough to please himself, and Mr. Seagrave was compelled 
 to prevent him from eating any more. 
 
 The following day was beautifully fine, and everything 
 appeared refreshed by the rain which had fallen. It was, 
 however, agreed that Ready and William should go round 
 the next morning, bring home the tents, and as many yams 
 as the boat could carry. William and Ready went out at 
 night as usual, when Ready observed that the wind had 
 chopped round to the eastward. 
 
 " That will be bad for us to-morrow, Ready," replied 
 William. " We may sail to the harbour, but we shall have 
 to pull back with the loaded boat." 
 
 " I trust it will be no worse than that, at all events," 
 replied Ready ; u but we must now return, and go to bed. 
 I shall be up by daylight, so you need not wake without 
 you like." 
 
 "I can't help waking," replied William, "and I shall, 
 therefore, be up with you." 
 
 "Very well, sir, I am always glad of your company." 
 
 The next morning, just before the day dawned, Ready and 
 William unfastened the door of the stockade, and went 
 down to the beach. The wind was still to the eastward, 
 and blowing rather fresh, and the sky was cloudy. As the 
 sun rose, Ready, as usual, had his telescope with him, and 
 looked through it at the offing to the eastward. As he kept 
 the spy-glass to his eye for some time without speaking, 
 William said — 
 
 "Do you see anything, Ready, that you look so long in 
 that direction ? " 
 
 "Either my old eyes deceive me, or I fear that I 
 
 278 
 
CANOES UNDER SAIL 
 
 do," replied Ready ; " but a few minutes more will 
 decide." 
 
 There was a bank of clouds on the horizon to the east- 
 ward, but as soon as the sun had risen above them, 
 Ready, who had the telescope fixed in the same direction, 
 said — 
 
 "Yes, Master William, I am right. I thought that those 
 dark patches I saw were their brown grass sails." 
 
 " Sails of what, Ready ? " said William hastily. 
 
 " Of the Indian canoes, Master William ; I knew that 
 they would come. Take the glass, and look yourself, 
 Master William ; my eye is quite dim from straining it 
 so long." 
 
 "Yes, I have them now," replied William, with his eye to 
 the glass ; he at last said — 
 
 "Why, there are twenty or thirty of them, Ready, at 
 least." 
 
 " And each with twenty or thirty men in them too, Master 
 William." 
 
 " Good heaven ! What must we do, Ready ? How 
 frightened my poor mother will be. I'm afraid we can do 
 nothing against such a number." 
 
 "Yes, William, we can do a great deal, and we must do a 
 great deal. That there are hundreds of savages there is no 
 doubt ; but recollect that we have a stockade, which they 
 cannot easily climb over, and plenty of firearms and am- 
 munition, so than we can make a good fight of it, and 
 perhaps beat them off, for they have nothing but clubs and 
 spears." 
 
 " How fast they come down, Ready ; why, they will be 
 here in an hour." 
 
 " Xo, sir, nor in two hours either ; those are very large 
 canoes. However, there is no time to be lost. While I 
 watch them for a few minutes till I make them more clearly 
 out, do you run up to the house and beckon your father to 
 come down to me : and then, Master William, get all the 
 muskets ready, and bring the casks of powder, and of made- 
 up cartridges, from the old house into the stockade. Call 
 Juno, and she will help you We shall have time enough 
 to do everything. After you have done that, you had better 
 come down and join us." 
 
 279 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 In a very few minutes after William ran up to the house 
 Mr. Seagrave made his appearance. 
 
 " Ready, there is danger, I'm sure ; William would not tell 
 me, I presume, because he was afraid of alarming his mother. 
 What is it ? " 
 
 "It is, Mr. Seagrave, that the savages are now coming 
 down upon us in large force ; perhaps five or six hundred of 
 them ; and that we shall have to defend ourselves with all 
 our might and main." 
 
 " Do you think we have any chance against such a force ? " 
 
 " Yes, sir, with God's help I have no doubt but that we 
 shall beat them off; but we must fight hard, and for some 
 days, I fear." 
 
 Mr. Seagrave examined the fleet of canoes with the glass. 
 " It is, indeed, dreadful odds to contend against." 
 
 " Yes, sir, but three muskets behind a stockade are almost 
 a match for all their clubs and spears, provided none of us 
 are wounded." 
 
 " Well, Ready, we must put our trust in the Lord, and do 
 our best ; I will second you to the utmost of my power, 
 and William, I'm sure, will do his duty. I have indeed 
 much to fight for, a wife and family ; but you, Ready, have 
 no such ties." 
 
 " No, sir, but I shall fight for my life, which, although 
 not worth much, I do not wish to lose by their hands ; and 
 I shall fight for you and the family, too, sir, for I am attached 
 to you all, and there's an end of the business. I think, sir, 
 we had better not wait here any more, as we have not long 
 to prepare for them. We have only to fix up some of our 
 strong deal planks on the inside of the stockade for us to 
 stand upon when we are attacked, that we may see what the 
 enemy is about, and be able to fire upon them. But first 
 we had better go to the old house, and take out what 
 provisions and other articles we shall most want, and roll 
 the casks into the stockade, for to the old house they will 
 go first, and perhaps destroy everything in it. The casks 
 they certainly will, for the sake of the iron hoops. An 
 hour's work will do a great deal, for the distance is not very 
 great. I believe we have everything we want in the 
 stockade ; Juno has her fuel, the large butt of water will 
 last us two or three weeks at least, and if we have time we 
 
 280 
 
PREPARATIONS 
 
 will get the wheels down, and spear a couple of turtles for 
 fresh provisions." 
 
 "We hardly need think of turtle just now. Ready." 
 
 "Why not, sir? It's as well to have them as to leave 
 them for the savages to eat for us. I will get all up I can, 
 even if we do not eat them ; they will live for weeks on their 
 back in the shade." 
 
 This conversation passed as they walked up to the house. 
 As soon as they arrived they found William and Juno had 
 just brought in the powder and cartridges. Mr. Seagrave 
 went in to break the matter to his wife, who, he feared, 
 would be much alarmed. 
 
 " I was told that I had to expect this, my dear," replied 
 Mrs. Seagrave, " so that it has not come upon me altogether 
 unawares, and anything that a poor weak woman can do, I 
 will. I feel that I have no want of courage to defend my 
 children." 
 
 "I am indeed greatly relieved," said Mr. Seagrave, "by 
 finding you thus prepared and supported. I shall feel no 
 anxiety — but we have work to be done." 
 
 " Then I must help, my dear Seagrave ; and what I want in 
 strength, I must make up in energy." 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Seagrave then joined William, Ready, and 
 Juno, who had already proceeded to the old house. The 
 children were all still in bed and asleep, so that there was 
 no occasion for any one to watch them. 
 
 CHAPTER LXI 
 
 Preparations — All prepared — Canoes on the reef—Savages land 
 — Retreat to stockade, 
 
 7\S they could have a very good view of the canoes from 
 where the old house stood, Ready examined them with his 
 glass every time that he returned from rolling up a cask to 
 the stockade. Every one worked hard ; even Mrs. Seagrave 
 did all she could, either assisting in rolling the casks, or 
 carrying up what she was able to lift. In an hour they had 
 
 281 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 got into the stockade all that they most cared for, and the 
 canoes were still about six or seven miles off. 
 
 " We have a good hour before they arrive, sir/' said Ready, 
 " and even then the reefs will puzzle them not a little ; I 
 doubt if they are disembarked under two hours. We have 
 plenty of time for all we wish to do. Juno, go for the 
 wheels, and, William, come down with the spear, and we will 
 have some of the turtle into the stockade. Mr. Seagrave, I 
 do not require your assistance, so if you will have the kind- 
 ness to get out the muskets, and examine the flints, it will 
 be as well." 
 
 "Yes, and then you have to load them," replied Mrs. 
 Seagrave. " Juno and I can do that, at all events, ready for 
 you to fire them." 
 
 "An excellent idea, madam," replied Ready, "and you 
 will really be of service." 
 
 In half-an-hour six turtle were brought up by Juno and 
 William, and then Ready followed them into the stockade. 
 " I don't see the goat, Master William," said Ready ; " but 
 as we have no food for her I think we may as well leave her 
 out ; she will run away when she sees such strange creatures 
 as these savages." 
 
 They then rolled the casks, and upheaded them by the 
 sides of the stockade, and fixed up deal planks to stand 
 upon, just high enough to enable them to see over the top 
 of the palisades, and to fire at the enemy. Mrs. Seagrave 
 had been shown how to load a musket, and Juno was now 
 taught the same. 
 
 " Now, sir, we are all prepared," said old Ready, " and 
 madam and Juno can go and look a little after the children, 
 and get breakfast." 
 
 " Breakfast all ready. Kettle boil long time," said Juno. 
 
 As soon as the children were dressed Mr. Seagrave called 
 Ready, who was outside watching the canoes, and they went 
 to their morning devotions, and prayed heartily for succour 
 in this time of need. They then breakfasted in haste ; for, 
 as may be supposed, they were almost too anxious to eat. 
 Mrs. Seagrave pressed her children in her arms, but kept up 
 her spirits wonderfully. 
 
 "This suspense is worse than all," said she at last. "I 
 wish now that they were come." 
 
 282 
 
SAVAGES LAND 
 
 " Shall I go to Ready, and hear his report, my dear ? 1 
 will not be away three minutes." 
 
 In a short time Mr. Seagrave returned, saying that the 
 canoes were close to the beach, that the savages evidently 
 had a knowledge of the passages through the reefs, as they 
 had steered right in, and had lowered their sails ; that Ready 
 and William were on the look-out, but concealed behind the 
 cocoa-nut trees. 
 
 " I hope they will not stay out too long." 
 
 " No fear of that, my dear Selina ; but they had better 
 watch their motions to the last minute." 
 
 During this conversation between Mr. and Mrs. Seagrave 
 within the stockade, William and Ready were watching the 
 motions of the savages, a large portion of whom had landed 
 out of ten of the canoes, and the others were following their 
 example as fast as they could, forcing their way through the 
 reefs. The savages were all painted, with their war-cloaks 
 and feathers on, and armed with spears and clubs, evidently 
 having come with no peaceable intentions. At first they 
 occupied themselves with beaching the canoes, and as they 
 were very large and heavy, this was a work of some few 
 minutes' employment for the whole of them. 
 
 William, who had taken the telescope to examine them 
 more minutely, said to Ready, "What a fierce, cruel set of 
 wretches they appear to be ; if they overpower us they will 
 certainly kill us." 
 
 " Of that there is no doubt, Master William ; but we must 
 fight hard, and not let them overpower us. Kill us they 
 certainly will, and I am not sure that they may not eat us 
 afterwards, but that is of little consequence." 
 
 William shuddered at the idea, and then replied in a deter- 
 mined tone, " I'll fight as long as I have breath in my body ; 
 but, Ready, they are coming up as fast as they can." 
 
 u . Yes, sir ; right up to the old house ; we must wait no 
 longer. Come, Master William." 
 
 tc I thought I saw another vessel under sail, out away by 
 the garden point, Ready, just as we turned away." 
 
 "Very likely, sir, a canoe which has separated from the 
 others during the night. Come, quick, Master William, they 
 have begun to yell." 
 
 Another half-minute, and they arrived at the door of the 
 
 2*3* 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 stockade ; they entered, shut the door, and then barricaded it 
 with the cocoa-nut poles which they had fitted to the inner 
 door-posts. 
 
 "That is secure enough/' observed Ready, "and now we 
 must trust to Heaven and our own exertions." 
 
 CHAPTER LXII 
 
 Savages approach — Attack — Savage chief shot — Savages retire 
 and hold a council — Water all gone — Discussion — Want of 
 water. 
 
 ± HE loud yells of the savages struck terror into the heart of 
 Mrs. Seagrave ; it was well that she had not seen their 
 painted bodies and fierce appearance, or she would have 
 been much more alarmed. Little Albert and Caroline clung 
 round her neck with terror in their faces; they did not cry, 
 but looked round and round to see from whence the horrid 
 noise proceeded, and then clung faster to their mother. 
 Master Tommy was very busy, finishing all the breakfast 
 which had been left, for there was no one to check him as 
 usual ; Juno was busy outside, and was very active and 
 courageous. Mr. Seagrave had been employed making the 
 holes between the palisades large enough to admit the 
 barrels of the muskets, so that they could fire at the savages 
 without being exposed ; while William and Ready, with 
 their muskets loaded, were on the look-out for their 
 approach. 
 
 "They are busy with the old house just now, sir," observed 
 Ready, "but that won't detain them long." 
 
 "Here they come," replied William; "and look, Ready, is 
 not that one of the women who escaped from us in the 
 canoe, who is walking along with the first two men? Yes, 
 it is, I am sure." 
 
 " You are right, Master William, it is one of them. Ah ! 
 they have stopped ; they did not expect the stockade, that 
 is clear, and it has puzzled them ; see how they are all 
 crowding together and talking ; they are holding a council of 
 
 284 
 
THE COMBAT BEGUN 
 
 ■war how to proceed ; that tall man must be one of their 
 chiefs. Now, Master William, although I intend to fight as 
 hard as I can, yet I always feel a dislike to begin first ; I 
 shall therefore show myself over the palisades, and if they 
 attack me, I shall then fire with a quiet conscience." 
 
 "But take care they don't hit you, Ready." 
 
 "No great fear of that, Master William. Here they 
 come." 
 
 Ready now stood upon the plank within, so as to show 
 himself to the savages, who gave a tremendous yell, and, as 
 they advanced, a dozen spears were thrown at him with so 
 true an aim, that, had he not instantly dodged behind the 
 stockade, he must have been killed. Three or four spears 
 remained quivering in the palisades, just below the top ; the 
 others went over it, and fell down inside of the stockade, at 
 the further end. 
 
 " Now, Master William, take good aim ; " but before William 
 could fire, Mr. Seagrave, who had agreed to be stationed at 
 the corner, so that he might see if the savages went round 
 to the other side, fired his musket, and the tall chief fell to 
 the ground. 
 
 Ready and William also fired, and two more of the savages 
 were seen to drop amidst the yells of their companions. 
 Juno handed up the other muskets which were ready loaded, 
 and took those discharged, and Mrs. Seagrave, having desired 
 Caroline to take care of her little brother, and Tommy to 
 be very quiet and good, came out, turned the key of the door 
 upon them, and hastened to assist Juno in reloading the 
 muskets. 
 
 The spears now rushed through the air, and it was well 
 that they could fire from the stockade without exposing their 
 persons, or they would have had but little chance. The yells 
 increased, and the savages now began to attack on every 
 quarter ; the most active, who climbed like cats, actually 
 succeeded in gaining the top of the palisades, but, as soon as 
 their heads appeared above, they were fired at with so true 
 an aim that they dropped down dead outside. This combat 
 lasted for more than an hour, when the savages, having lost 
 a great many men, drew off from the assault, and the parties 
 within the stockade had time to breathe. 
 
 ^They have not gained much in this bout, at all events," 
 285 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 said Ready; "it was well fought on our side, and, Master 
 William, you certainly behaved as if you had been brought 
 up to it ; I don't think you ever missed your man 
 once." 
 
 "Do you think they will go away now?" said Mrs. 
 Seagrave. 
 
 "Oh no, madam, not yet; they will try us every way 
 before they leave us. You see these are very brave men, 
 and it is clear that they know what gunpowder is, or they 
 would have been more astonished." 
 
 "I should think so too," replied Mr. Seagrave; "the first 
 time that savages hear the report of firearms, they are 
 usually thrown into great consternation." 
 
 " Yes, sir ; but such has not been the case with these 
 people, and therefore I reckon it is not the first time that 
 they have fought with Europeans." 
 
 " Are they all gone, Ready ? " said William, who had come 
 down from the plank to his mother. 
 
 " No, sir, I see them between the trees now ; they are 
 sitting round in a circle, and, I suppose, making speeches : 
 it's the custom of these people." 
 
 " Well, I'm very thirsty, at all events," said William ; 
 "Juno, bring me a little water." 
 
 Juno went to the water-tub to comply with William's 
 request, and in a few moments afterwards came back in 
 great consternation. 
 
 " Oh, massa ! oh, missy ! no water ; water all gone." 
 
 "Water all gone!" cried Ready and all of them in a 
 breath. 
 
 " Yes ; not one little drop in the cask." 
 
 " I filled it up to the top ! " exclaimed Ready very 
 gravely ; " the tub did not leak, that I am sure of ; how 
 can this have happened ? " 
 
 " Missy, I tink I know now," said Juno ; " you remember 
 you send Massa Tommy, the two or three days we wash, 
 to fetch water from the well in little bucket. You know 
 how soon he come back, and how you say what good boy 
 he was, and how you tell Massa Seagrave when he come 
 to dinner. Now, missy, I quite certain Massa Tommy no 
 take trouble go to well, but fetch water from tub all the 
 while, and so he empty it." 
 
 286' 
 
WATER ALL GONE 
 
 "I'm afraid you're right, Juno/' replied Mrs. Seagrave. 
 " What shall we do ? " 
 
 " I go speak Massa Tommy/' said Juno, running to the 
 house. 
 
 "This is a very awkward thing, Mr. Seagrave/' observed 
 Ready gravely. 
 
 Mr. Seagrave shook his head. 
 
 The fact was, that they all perceived the danger of their 
 position : if the savages did not leave the island, they would 
 perish of thirst or have to surrender ; and in the latter case, 
 all their lives would most certainly be sacrificed. 
 
 Juno now returned : her suspicions were but too true. 
 Tommy, pleased with the praise of being so quick in bring- 
 ing the water, had taken out the spigot of the cask, and 
 drawn it all off. He was now crying, and promising not 
 to take the water again. 
 
 " His promises come too late," observed Mr. Seagrave ; 
 "well, it is the will of Heaven that all our careful 
 arrangements and preparations against this attack should 
 be defeated by the idleness of a child, and we must 
 submit." 
 
 " Very true, sir," replied Ready ; " all our hopes now 
 are, that the savages may be tired out, and leave the 
 island." 
 
 u If I had but a little for the children, I should not care," 
 observed Mrs. Seagrave; "but to see those poor things 
 suffer — is there not a drop left, Juno, anywhere ?" 
 
 Juno shook her head. " All gone, missy ; none no- 
 where." 
 
 Mrs. Seagrave said she would go and examine, and went 
 away into the house accompanied by Juno. 
 
 " This is a very bad business, Ready/' observed Mr. Sea- 
 grave. " What would we give for a shower of rain now, that 
 we might catch the falling drops ! " 
 
 "There are no signs of it, sir," replied Ready; "we 
 must, however, put our confidence in One who will not 
 forsake us." 
 
 " I wish the savages would come on again," observed 
 William, r "for the sooner they come, the sooner the affair 
 will be decided." 
 
 " I doubt if they will to-day, sir ; at night-time 1 think 
 
 287 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 it very probable, and I fear the night attack more than the 
 day. We must make preparations for it." 
 
 " Why, what can we do, Ready ? " 
 
 " In the first place, sir, by nailing planks from cocoa-nut 
 tree to cocoa-nut tree above the present stockade, we may 
 make a great portion of it much higher, and more difficult to 
 climb over. Some of them were nearly in, this time. If 
 we do that, we shall not have so large a space to watch over 
 and defend ; and then we must contrive to have a large fire 
 ready for lighting, that we may not have to fight altogether 
 in the dark. It will give them some advantage in looking 
 through the palisades, and seeing where we are, but they 
 cannot well drive their spears through, so it is no great 
 matter. We must make the fire in the centre of the stock- 
 ade, and have plenty of tar in it, to make it burn bright, and 
 we must not, of course, light it until after we are attacked. 
 We shall then see where they are trying for an entrance, 
 and where to aim with our muskets." 
 
 " The idea is very good, Ready," said Mr. Seagrave ; " if 
 it had not been for this unfortunate wa»t of water; I really 
 should be sanguine of beating them off." 
 
 "We may suffer very much, Mr. Seagrave, I have no 
 doubt; but who knows what the morrow may bring 
 forth?" 
 
 " True, Ready. Do you see the savages now ? " 
 
 " No, sir ; they have left the spot where they were in 
 consultation, and I do not even hear them ; I suppose they 
 are busy with their wounded and their dead." 
 
 As Ready had supposed, no further attack was made by 
 the savages on that day, and he, William, and Mr. Seagrave 
 were very busy making their arrangements ; they nailed 
 the planks on the trunks of the trees above the stockade, 
 so as to make three sides of the stockade at least five feet 
 higher, and almost impossible to climb up; and they pre- 
 pared a large fire in a tar-barrel full of cocoa-nut leaves 
 mixed with wood and tar, so as to burn fiercely. Dinner 
 or supper they had none, for there was nothing but salt 
 pork and beef and live turtle, and, by Ready's advice, 
 they did not eat, as it would only increase their desire to 
 drink. 
 
 The poor children suffered much ; little Albert wailed and 
 
 388 
 
SECOND ATTACK 
 
 cried for " water, water;" Caroline knew that there was 
 none, and was quiet, poor little girl, although she suffered 
 much ; as for Tommy, the author of all this misery, he was 
 the most impatient, and roared for some time, till William, 
 quite angry at his behaviour, gave him a smart box on the 
 ear, and he reduced his roar to a whimper, from fear of 
 receiving another. Ready remained on the look-out ; in- 
 deed, everything was so miserable inside of the house, that 
 they were all glad to go out of it ; they could do no good, 
 and poor Mrs. Seagrave had a difficult and most painful 
 task to keep the children quiet under such severe priva- 
 tion, for the weather was still very warm and sultry. 
 
 CHAPTER LXIII 
 
 Second attack — Savages retire — Proposed defence — Thirst in- 
 creases — Discussion — Another day — Look-out. 
 
 JjUT the moaning of the children was very soon after dusk 
 drowned by the yells of the savages, who, as Ready had prog- 
 nosticated, now advanced to the night attack. 
 
 Every part of the stockade was at once assailed, and 
 their attempts now made were to climb into it ; a few 
 spears were occasionally thrown, but it was evident that 
 the object was to obtain an entrance by dint of numbers. 
 It was well that Ready had taken the precaution of 
 nailing the deal planks above the original stockade, or 
 there is little doubt but that the savages would have gained 
 their object; as it was, before the flames of the fire, which 
 Juno had lighted by Ready's order, gave them sufficient 
 light, three or four savages had climbed up, and had been 
 shot by William and Mr. Seagrave, as they were on the top 
 of the stockade. 
 
 When the fire burnt brightly, the savages outside were 
 more easily aimed at, and a great many fell in their attempts 
 to get over. The attack continued more than an hour, when 
 at last, satisfied that they could not succeed, the savages 
 once more withdrew, carrying with them as before their 
 dead and wounded. 
 
 289 t 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 "I trust that they will now re-embark, and leave the 
 island/' said Mr. Seagrave to Ready. 
 
 "I only wish they may, sir; it is not at all impossible; 
 but there is no saying. I have been thinking, Mr. Seagrave, 
 that we might be able to ascertain their movements by 
 making a look-out. You see, sir, that cocoa-nut tree," 
 continued Ready, pointing to one of those to which the 
 palisades were fastened, "is much taller than any of the 
 others : now, by driving spike-nails into the trunk at about 
 a foot apart, we might ascend it with ease, and it would 
 command a view of the whole bay ; we then could know 
 what the enemy were about." 
 
 " Yes, that is very true ; but will not any one be very 
 much exposed if he climbs up ?" 
 
 u No, sir, for you see the cocoa-nut trees are cut down 
 clear of the palisades to such a distance, that no savage 
 could come at all near without being seen by any one on 
 the look-out, and giving us sufficient time to get down again 
 before he could use his spear." 
 
 "I believe that you are right there, Ready, but at all 
 events I would not attempt to do it before daylight, as 
 there may be some of them still lurking underneath the 
 stockade." 
 
 " Certainly, there may be, sir, and therefore, until daylight, 
 we will not begin. Fortunately, we have plenty of spike- 
 nails left." 
 
 Mr. Seagrave then went into the house ; Ready desired 
 William to lie down, and sleep for two or three hours, as he 
 would watch. In the morning, when Mr. Seagrave came 
 out, he would have a little sleep himself. 
 
 " I can't sleep, Ready. I'm mad with thirst," replied 
 William. 
 
 "Yes, sir; it's very painful — I feel it myself very much, 
 but what must those poor children feel? I pity them 
 most." 
 
 " I pity my mother most, Ready," replied W T illiam ; " it 
 must be agony to her to witness their sufferings, and not be 
 able to relieve them." 
 
 "Yes, indeed, it must be terrible, Master William, to a 
 mother's feelings, but, perhaps, these savages will be off to- 
 morrow, and then we shall forget our privations." 
 
 290 
 
MR. SEAGRAVE ON THE WATCH 
 
 "I trust in God that they may, Ready, but they seem 
 very determined." 
 
 "Yes, sir; iron is gold to them, and what will civilised 
 men not do for gold ? Come, Master William, lie down, at 
 all events, even if you cannot sleep." 
 
 In the meantime Mr. Seagrave had gone into the house. 
 He found the children still crying for water, notwithstanding 
 the coaxing and soothing of Mrs. Seagrave, who was shedding 
 tears as she hung over poor little Albert. Juno had gone 
 out, and had dug with a spade as deep as she could with a 
 faint hope that some might be found, but in vain, and she 
 had just returned mournful and disconsolate. There was no 
 help for it but patience : and patience could not be expected 
 in children so young. Little Caroline only drooped, and said 
 nothing. Mr. Seagrave remained for two or three hours 
 with his wife, assisting her in pacifying the children, and 
 soothing her to the utmost of his power ; at last he went 
 out and found old Ready on the watch. 
 
 " Ready, I had rather a hundred times be attacked by 
 these savages and have to defend this place, than be in that 
 house for even five minutes and witness the sufferings of my 
 wife and children." 
 
 "I do not doubt it, sir," replied Ready; "but cheer 
 up, and let us hope for the best ; I think it very probable 
 that the savages after this second defeat will leave the 
 island." 
 
 " 1 wish I could think so, Ready ; it would make me very 
 happy; but I have come out to take the watch, Ready. 
 Will you not sleep for a while ? " 
 
 " I will, sir, if you please, take a little sleep. Call me in 
 two hours ; it will then be daylight, and I can go to work, 
 and you can get some repose yourself." 
 
 " I am too anxious to sleep ; I think so, at least." 
 
 " Master William said he was too thirsty to sleep, sir, but, 
 poor fellow, he is now fast enough." 
 
 " I trust that boy will be spared, Ready." 
 
 " I hope so too ; for he is a noble fellow : but we are all 
 in the hands of the Almighty. Good night, sir." 
 
 " Good night, Ready." 
 
 Mr. Seagrave took his station on the plank, and was left 
 to his own reflections ; that they were not of the most 
 
 2yi 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 pleasant kind may easily be imagined. He had, however, 
 been well schooled by adversity, and had lately brought 
 himself to such a frame of mind, as to bow in submission 
 to the will of Heaven, whatever it might be. He prayed 
 earnestly and fervently that they might be delivered from 
 the danger and sufferings which threatened them, and be- 
 came calm and tranquil ; prepared for the worst, if the 
 worst was to happen, and confidently placing himself and 
 his family under the care of Him who orders all as He 
 thinks best. 
 
 At daylight Ready woke up and relieved Mr. Seagrave, 
 who did not return to the house, but lay down on the 
 cocoa-nut boughs, where Ready had been lying by the side 
 of William. As soon as Ready had got out the spike-nails 
 and hammer, he summoned William to his assistance, and 
 they commenced driving them into the cocoa-nut tree, one 
 looking out in case of the savages approaching, while the 
 other was at work. In less than an hour they had gained 
 the top of the tree close to the boughs, and had a very 
 commanding view of the bay, as well as inland. William, 
 who was driving the last dozen spikes, took a survey, and 
 then came down to Ready. 
 
 " I can see everything, Ready : they have pulled down 
 the old house altogether, and are most of them lying down 
 outside, covered up with their war-cloaks ; some women are 
 walking to and fro from the canoes, which are lying on the 
 beach where they first landed." 
 
 "They have pulled down the house to obtain the iron 
 nails, I have no doubt," replied Ready. "Did you see any 
 of their dead ? " 
 
 " No ; I did not look about very much, but I will go up 
 again directly. I came down because my hands were jarred 
 with hammering, and the hammer was so heavy to carry. 
 In a minute or two I shall go up light enough. My lips 
 are burning, Ready, and swelled ; the skin is peeling off. 
 I had no idea that want of water would have been so 
 dreadful. I think poor Tommy is more than punished 
 already." 
 
 "A child does not reflect upon consequences, Master 
 William, nor could we possibly foresee that his using up 
 the water could have created such misery. It was an idle 
 
 292 
 
COUNCIL OF SAVAGES 
 
 trick of his, and whatever may be the consequences, it still 
 can be considered as such and nothing more." 
 
 " I was in hopes of finding a cocoa-nut or two on the tree, 
 but there was not one." 
 
 "And if you had found one, it would not have had any 
 milk in it at this season of the year. However, Master 
 William, if the savages do not go away to-day, something 
 must be done. I wish now that you would go up again, 
 and see if they are not stirring." 
 
 William again mounted to the top of the tree, and re- 
 mained up for some minutes ; when he came down, he said, 
 " They are all up now, and swarming like bees. I counted 
 two hundred and sixty of the men in their war-cloaks and 
 feather head-dresses ; the women are passing to and fro from 
 the well with water ; there is nobody at the canoes except 
 eight or ten women, who are beating their heads, I think, 
 or doing something of the kind. I could not make it out 
 well, but they seem all doing the same thing." 
 
 " I know what they are about, Master William : they are 
 cutting themselves with knives or other sharp instruments. 
 It is the custom of these people. The dead are all put 
 into the canoes, and these women are lamenting over them ; 
 perhaps they are going away, since the dead are in the 
 canoes, but there is no saying." 
 
 CHAPTER LXIV 
 
 Council of savages — Consultation — Distress for water — Proposi- 
 tion of Ready — Ready procures water, and is wounded by a 
 savage — Water supplied. 
 
 _L HE second day was passed in keeping a look-out upon 
 the savages, and awaiting a fresh attack. They could 
 perceive from the top of the cocoa-nut tree that the savages 
 held a council of war in the forenoon, sitting round in a 
 large circle, while one got up in the centre, and made a 
 speech, flourishing his club and spear while he spoke. In 
 the afternoon the council broke up, and the savages were 
 
 293 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 observed to be very busy in all directions, cutting down the 
 cocoa-nut trees, and collecting all the brushwood. 
 
 Ready watched them for a long while, and at last came 
 down a little before sunset. " Mr. Seagrave," said he, " we 
 shall have, in my opinion, no attack this night, but to- 
 morrow we must expect something very serious ; the savages 
 are cutting down the trees, and making large faggots ; they 
 do not get on very fast, because their hatchets are made 
 of stone and don't cut very well, but perseverance and 
 numbers will effect everything, and I daresay that they 
 will work all night till they have obtained as many faggots 
 as they want." 
 
 "But what do you imagine to be their object, Ready, in 
 cutting down trees, and making the faggots ? " 
 
 "Either, sir, to pile them up outside the palisades, so 
 large as to be able to walk up upon them, or else to pile 
 them up to set fire to them, and burn us out." 
 
 " Do you think they will succeed ? " 
 
 " Not without very heavy loss ; perhaps we may beat 
 them off, but it will be a hard fight ; harder than any we 
 have had yet. We must have the women to load the 
 muskets, so that we may fire as fast as we can. I should 
 not think much of their attempts to burn us, if it were not 
 for the smoke. Cocoa-nut wood, especially with the bark 
 on, as our palisades have, will char a long while, but not 
 burn easily when standing upright ; and the fire, when 
 the faggots are kindled, although it will be fierce, will 
 not last long." 
 
 " But suffering as we are now, Ready, for want of water, 
 how can we possibly keep up our strength to meet them 
 in a suffocating smoke and flame ? we must drop with 
 sheer exhaustion." 
 
 "We must hope for the best, and do our best, Mr. 
 Seagrave," replied Ready ; " and recollect that should 
 anything happen to me during the conflict, that if there 
 is any chance of your being overpowered, you must take 
 advantage of the smoke to escape into the woods, and find 
 your way to the tents. I have no doubt that } T ou will be 
 able to do that ; of course the attack will be to windward, 
 if they use fire, and you must try and escape to leeward ; 
 I have shown William how to force a palisade if necessaiy. 
 
 294 
 
PROPOSITION OF READY 
 
 The savages, if they get possession, will not think of looking 
 for you at first, and, perhaps, when they have obtained all 
 that the house contains, not even afterwards." 
 
 " Why do you say if any accident happens to you, Ready ? " 
 said William. 
 
 "Because, Master William, if they place the faggots £o 
 as to be able to walk to the top of the palisades, I may be 
 wounded or killed, and so may you." 
 
 " Of course," replied William ; u but they are not in yet, 
 and they shall have a hard fight for it." 
 
 Ready then told Mr. Seagrave that he would keep the 
 watch, and call him at twelve o'clock. During these two 
 days they had eaten very little ; a turtle had been killed, 
 and pieces fried, but eating only added to their thirst, and 
 even the children refused the meat. The sufferings were 
 now really dreadful, and poor Mrs. Seagrave was almost 
 frantic. 
 
 As soon as Mr. Seagrave had gone into the house, Ready 
 called William, and said, "Master William, water we must 
 have. I cannot bear to see the agony of the poor children, 
 and the state of mind which your poor mother is in ; and 
 more, without water we never shall be able to beat off 
 the savages to-morrow. We shall literally die of choking 
 in the smoke, if they use fire. Now, William, I intend to 
 take one of the seven-gallon barncos, and go down to the 
 well for water. I may succeed, and I may not, but attempt 
 it I must, and if I fall it cannot be helped." 
 
 "Why not let me go, Ready?" replied William. 
 
 "For many reasons, William," said Ready; "and the chief 
 one is that I do not think you would succeed so well as I 
 shall. I shall put on the war-cloak and feathers of the 
 savage who fell dead inside of the stockade, and that will 
 be a disguise, but I shall take no arms except his spear, as 
 they would only be in my way, and increase the weight I 
 have to carry. Now observe, you must let me out of the 
 door, and when I am out, in case of accident, put one of the 
 poles across it inside ; that will keep the door fast, if they 
 attack it, until you can secure it with the others. Watch 
 my return, and be all ready to let me in. Do you under- 
 stand me?" 
 
 " Yes, perfectly, Ready ; but I am now, I must confess, 
 
 295 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 really frightened ; if anything was to happen to you, what 
 a misery it would be." 
 
 "There is no help for it, William. Water must, if possible, 
 be procured, and now is a better time to make the attempt 
 than later, when they may be more on the watch ; they 
 have left off their work, and are busy eating ; if I meet any 
 one, it will only be a woman." 
 
 Ready went for the barrico, a little cask, which held six 
 or seven gallons of water. He put on the head-dress and 
 war-cloak of the savage ; and, taking the barrico on his 
 shoulder, and the spear in his hand, the poles which barred 
 the door were softly removed by William, and after ascertain- 
 ing that no one was concealed beneath the palisades, Ready 
 pressed William's hand, and set off across the cleared space 
 outside of the stockade, and gained the cocoa-nut trees. 
 William, as directed, closed the door, passed one pole through 
 the inner door-posts for security, and remained on the watch. 
 He was in an awful state of suspense, listening to the 
 slightest noise, even the slight rustling by the wind of the 
 cocoa-nut boughs above him made him start ; there he 
 continued for some minutes, his gun ready cocked by his 
 side. 
 
 It is time that he returned, thought William ; the distance 
 is not one hundred yards, and yet I have heard no noise. At 
 last he thought he heard footsteps coming very softly. Yes, 
 it was so. Ready was returning, and without any accident. 
 William had his hand upon the pole, to slip it on one side, 
 and open the door, when he heard a scuffle and a fall close 
 to the door. He immediately threw down the pole, and 
 opened it just as Ready called him by name. William seized 
 his musket, and sprang out ; he found Ready struggling with 
 a savage, who was uppermost, and with his spear at Ready's 
 breast. In a second William levelled and fired, and the 
 savage fell dead by the side of Ready. 
 
 "Take the Avater in quick, William," said Ready in a faint 
 voice. " I will contrive to crawl in if I can." 
 
 William caught up the barrico of water, and took it in ; 
 he then hastened to Ready, who was on his knees. Mr. 
 Seagrave, hearing the musket fired, had run out, and finding 
 the stockade door open, followed William, and seeing him 
 endeavouring to support Ready, caught hold of his other 
 
 296 
 
READY WOUNDED 
 
 arm, and they led him tottering into the stockade ; the 
 door was then immediately secured, and they went to his 
 assistance. 
 
 "Are you hurt, Ready?" said William. 
 
 "Yes, dear boy, yes; hurt to death, I fear: his spear went 
 through my breast. Water, quick, water ! " 
 
 "Alas ! that we had some," said Mr. Seagrave. 
 
 " We have, papa," replied William ; " but it has cost us 
 dearly." 
 
 William ran for a pannikin, and taking out the bung, 
 poured some water out of the barrico, and gave it to Ready, 
 who drank it with eagerness. 
 
 " Now, William, lay me down on these cocoa-nut boughs ; 
 go and give some water to the others, and when you have 
 all drank, then come to me again. Don't tell Mrs. Seagrave 
 that I'm hurt. Do as I beg of you." 
 
 " Papa, take the water — -do, pray," replied William ; " I 
 cannot leave Ready." 
 
 " I will, my boy," replied Mr. Seagrave ; " but first drink 
 yourself." 
 
 William, who was very faint, drank off the pannikin of 
 water, which immediately revived him, and then, while Mr. 
 Seagrave hastened with some water to the children and 
 women, occupied himself with old Ready, who breathed 
 heavily, but did not speak. 
 
 CHAPTER LXV 
 
 Reach/ s wound — Mrs. Seagrave — Beady and William — The 
 look-oat — Attach of stockade — Belief at hand — Savages dis- 
 persed — Captain Osborn arrives. 
 
 AFTER returning twice for water, to satisfy those in the 
 house, Mr. Seagrave came to the assistance of William, who 
 had been removing Ready's clothes to ascertain the nature 
 and extent of the wound which he had received. 
 
 "We had better move him to where the other cocoa- 
 nut boughs lie ; he will be more comfortable there," said 
 William. 
 
 297 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 Ready whispered, " More water." William gave him some 
 more, and then, with the assistance of his father, Ready was 
 removed to a more comfortable place. As soon as they had 
 laid him there, Ready turned on his side, and threw up a 
 quantity of blood. 
 
 "I am better now," said he in a low voice; "bind up 
 the wound, William ; an old man like me has not much 
 blood to spare." 
 
 Mr. Seagrave and William then opened his shirt, and 
 examined the wound; the spear had gone deep into the 
 lungs. William threw off his own shirt, tore it up into 
 strips, and then bound up the wound so as to stop the 
 effusion of blood. 
 
 Ready, who at first appeared much exhausted with 
 being moved about, gradually recovered so as to be able 
 to speak in a low voice, when Mrs. Seagrave came out of 
 the house. 
 
 " Where is that brave, kind man," cried she, " that I may 
 bless him and thank him ? " 
 
 Mr. Seagrave went to her, and caught her by the arm. 
 
 " He is hurt, my dear ; I am afraid very much hurt. I 
 did not tell you at the time." 
 
 Mr. Seagrave first briefly related what had occurred, 
 and then led her to where old Ready was lying. Mrs. Sea- 
 grave knelt by his side, took his hand, and burst into 
 tears. 
 
 "Don't weep for me, dear madam," said Ready; "my 
 days have been numbered ; I'm only sorry that I cannot any 
 more be useful to you." 
 
 " Dear, good old man," said Mrs. Seagrave, after a pause, 
 "whatever may be our fates, and that is for the Almighty 
 to decide for us, as long as I have life, what you have done 
 for me and mine shall never be forgotten." 
 
 Mrs. Seagrave then bent over him, and kissing his fore- 
 head, rose from her knees, and retired weeping into the 
 house. 
 
 " William," said Ready, " I can't talk now ; raise my head 
 a little, and then leave me ; I shall be better if I'm quiet. 
 You have not looked round lately. Come again in about 
 half-an-hour. Leave me now, Mr. Seagrave ; I shall be 
 better if I doze a little." 
 
READY AND WILLIAM 
 
 William and Mr. Seagrave complied with Ready's request $ 
 they went up to the planks, and examined all round the 
 stockade, cautiously and carefully ; at last they stopped. 
 
 " This is a sad business, William/' said Mr. Seagrave. 
 
 William shook his head. "He would not let me go," 
 replied he ; " I wish he had. I fear that he is much hurt ; 
 do you think so, papa ? " 
 
 " I should say that he cannot recover, William. We shall 
 miss him to-morrow if they attack us ; I fear much for the 
 result." 
 
 " I hardly know what to say, papa ; but this I feel, that 
 since we have been relieved, I am able to do twice as much 
 as I could have done before." 
 
 " I feel the same, my dear boy, but still with such a force 
 against us, two people cannot do much." 
 
 " If my mother and Juno load the muskets for us," replied 
 William, "we shall at all events do as much now as we 
 should have been able to do if there were three, so exhausted 
 as we should have been." 
 
 u Perhaps so, my dear William ; at all events we will do 
 our best, for we fight for our lives and the lives of those most 
 dear to us." 
 
 W T illiam went softly up to Ready, and found that the old 
 man was dozing, if not asleep ; he did not therefore disturb 
 him, but returned to his father; they carried the barrico 
 of water into the house, and put it in Mrs. Seagrave's charge, 
 that it might not be wasted ; and now that their thirst had 
 been appeased, they all felt the calls of hunger. Juno and 
 W T illiam went and cut off steaks from the turtle, and fried 
 them ; they all made a hearty meal, and perhaps never had 
 they taken one with so much relish in their lives. 
 
 It was nearly daylight when William, who had several 
 times been softly up to Ready to ascertain whether he 
 slept or not, found him with his eyes open. 
 
 "How do you find yourself, Ready?" said William. 
 
 " I am quiet and easy, William, and without much pain ; 
 but I think I am sinking, and shall not last long. Recollect 
 that if you are obliged to escape from the stockade, William, 
 you take no heed of me, but leave me where I am. I 
 cannot live, and were you to move me, I should only die 
 the sooner." 
 
 299 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 " I had rather die with you than leave you, Ready." 
 
 " No, sir, that is wrong and foolish ; you must save your 
 mother, and your brothers and sisters; promise me that 
 you will do as I wish." 
 
 William hesitated. 
 
 "I point out to you your duty, Master William. I 
 know what your feelings are, but you must not give way 
 to them ; promise me this, or you will make me very 
 miserable." 
 
 William squeezed Ready's hand ; his heart was too full 
 to speak. 
 
 "They will come at daylight, William — I think so at 
 least; you have not much time to spare; climb to the 
 look-out, and wait there till day dawns ; watch them as 
 long as you can in safety, and then come down, to tell me 
 what you have seen." 
 
 Ready's voice became faint after this exertion of speaking 
 so much. 
 
 He motioned to William, who immediately climbed up the 
 cocoa-nut tree, and waited there till daylight. 
 
 At the dawn of day he perceived that the savages were 
 at work, that they had collected all the faggots together 
 opposite to where the old house had stood, and were very 
 busy in making arrangements for the attack. At last he 
 perceived that they every one shouldered a faggot, and 
 commenced their advance towards the stockade ; William 
 immediately descended from the tree, and called his father, 
 who was talking with Mrs. Seagrave. The muskets were all 
 loaded, and Mrs. Seagrave and Juno took their posts below 
 the planking, to reload them as fast as they were fired. 
 
 " We must fire upon them as soon as we are sure of not 
 missing them, William," said Mr. Seagrave, "for the more 
 we check their advance the better." 
 
 When the first savages were within fifty yards they 
 both fired, and two of the men dropped ; and they continued 
 to fire as their assailants came up, with great success for 
 the first ten minutes; after which the savages advanced in 
 a larger body, and took the precaution to hold the faggots 
 in front of them, for some protection as they approached. 
 By these means they gained the stockade in safety, and 
 commenced laying their faggots. Mr. Seagrave and William 
 
 300 
 
RELIEF AT kAND 
 
 still kept up an incessant fire upon them, but not with so 
 much success as before. 
 
 Although many fell, the faggots were gradually heaped 
 up, till they almost reached to the holes between the 
 palisades, through which they pointed their muskets ; and 
 as the savages contrived to slope them down from the 
 stockade to the ground, it was evident that they meant to 
 mount up and take them by escalade. At last, it appeared 
 as if all the faggots had been placed, and the savages 
 retired farther back, to where the cocoa-nut trees were 
 still standing. 
 
 " They have gone away, father," said William ; " but they 
 will come again, and I fear it is all over with us." 
 
 " I fear so too, my noble boy," replied Mr. Seagrave ; 
 "they are only retreating, to arrange for a general assault, 
 and they now will be able to gain an entrance. I almost 
 wish that they had fired the faggots ; we might have escaped 
 as Ready pointed out to us, but now I fear we have no 
 chance." 
 
 " Don't say a word to my mother," said William ; " let 
 us defend ourselves to the last, and if we are overpowered 
 it is the will of God." 
 
 " I should like to take a farewell embrace of your dear 
 mother," said Mr. Seagrave ; M but, no ; it will be weakness 
 just now. I had better not. Here they come, William, in 
 a swarm. Well, God bless you, my boy ; we shall all, I 
 trust, meet in heaven." 
 
 The whole body of savages were now advancing from 
 the cocoa-nut wood in a solid mass; they raised a yell, 
 which struck terror into the hearts of Mrs. Seagrave and 
 Juno, yet they flinched not. The savages were again within 
 fifty yards of them, when the fire was opened upon them ; 
 the fire was answered by loud yells, and the savages had 
 already reached to the bottom of the sloping pile of faggots, 
 when the yells and the reports of the muskets were drowned 
 by a much louder report, followed by the crackling and 
 breaking of the cocoa-nut trees, which made both parties 
 start with surprise ; another and another followed, the ground 
 was ploughed up, and the savages fell in numbers. 
 
 "It must be the cannon of a ship, father," said William; 
 "we are saved — we are saved ! " 
 
 301 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 "It can be nothing else ; we are saved, and by a miracle/' 
 replied Mr. Seagrave in utter astonishment. 
 
 The savages paused in the advance, quite stupefied ; again, 
 again, again, the report of the loud guns boomed through 
 the air, and the round shot and grape came whizzing and 
 tearing through the cocoa-nut grove ; at this last broadside 
 the savages turned, and fled towards their canoes : not one 
 was left to be seen. 
 
 "We are saved!" cried Mr. Seagrave, leaping off the 
 plank and embracing his wife, who sank down on her 
 knees, and held up her clasped hands in thankfulness to 
 Heaven. 
 
 William had hastened up to the look-out on the cocoa- 
 nut tree, and now cried out to them below, as the guns 
 were again discharged — 
 
 " A large schooner, father ; she is firing at the savages, 
 who are at the canoes ; they are falling in every direction : 
 some have plunged into the water ; there is a boat full of 
 armed men coming on shore ; they are close to the beach, 
 by the garden-point. Three of the canoes have got off 
 full of men ; there go the guns again ; two of the canoes 
 are sunk, father; the boat has landed, and the people are 
 coming up this way." William then descended from the 
 look-out as fast as he could. 
 
 As soon as he was down, he commenced unbarring the 
 door of the stockade. He pulled out the last pole just as 
 he heard the feet of their deliverers outside. He threw 
 open the door, and, a second after, found himself in the 
 arms of Captain Osborn. 
 
 CHAPTER LXVI 
 
 Explanation — Captain Osborn and Ready — Ready's death 
 Regret — Arrangements — Stock left on the island, 
 
 JjEFORE we wind up this history, it will be as well to 
 state to my young readers how it was that Captain Osborn 
 made his appearance at so fortunate a moment. It will 
 be recollected how a brig came off the island some months 
 
 302 
 
EXPLANATION 
 
 before this, and the great disappointment that the party 
 on the island experienced in her not making her appearance 
 again, especially as they had seen the flags which they had 
 hoisted. 
 
 The fact was, that those on board of the brig had not 
 only seen their signals, but had read the name of the 
 Pacific upon the flag hoisted; but the heavy gale which 
 came on, drove them so far to the southward, that the 
 master of the brig did not consider that he should do his 
 duty to his owners, if he lost so much time in beating up 
 for the island again ; the cargo which he had on board 
 was one which would lose in value if it were not one of 
 the first in the market. He therefore decided upon making 
 all sail for Sydney, to which port he was bound. 
 
 When Captain Osborn was put into the boat by Mackintosh 
 and the seamen of the Pacific, he was still insensible; 
 but he gradually recovered, and after a stormy night, during 
 which the men had the greatest difficulty in keeping the 
 boat afloat, Captain Osborn was so far recovered as to hear 
 from Mackintosh what had taken place, and why it was 
 that he found himself in an open boat at sea. The next 
 morning the wind moderated, and they were fortunate 
 enough to fall in with a vessel bound to Van Diemen's Land, 
 which took them all on board. 
 
 From the account given by Mackintosh, Captain Osborn 
 had no doubt in his mind but that the Seagrave family had 
 perished, and the loss of the vessel, with them on board, 
 was duly reported to the owners. When at Van Diemen's 
 Land, Captain Osborn was so much taken with the beauty 
 and fertility of the country, and perhaps not so well inclined 
 to go to sea again after such danger as he had incurred in 
 the last voyage, that he resolved to purchase land and settle 
 there. He did so, and had already stocked his farm with 
 cattle, and had gone round to Sydney in a schooner to 
 await the arrival of a large order from England which he 
 had sent for, when the brig arrived and reported the 
 existence of some white people on the small island, and 
 also that they had hoisted a flag with the name Pacific 
 worked on it. 
 
 Captain Osborn hearing this, went to the master of the 
 brig, and questioned him. He found the latitude and longi- 
 
 303 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 tude of the island to be not far from that of the ship when 
 she was deserted, and he was now convinced that, by some 
 miracle, the Seagrave family had been preserved. He there- 
 fore went to the Governor of New South Wales, and made 
 him acquainted with the facts which had been established, 
 and the Governor instantly replied, that the government 
 armed schooner was at his service, if he would himself go in 
 quest of his former shipmates. Inconvenient as the absence 
 at that time was to Captain Osborn, he at once acquiesced, 
 and in a few days the schooner sailed for her destination. She 
 arrived off the island on the same morning that the fleet of 
 canoes with the savages effected their landing, and, when 
 William made the remark to Ready as they were hastening 
 into the stockade, that there was another vessel under sail 
 off the garden-point, had Ready had time to put his eye to 
 the telescope, he would have discovered that it was the 
 schooner, and not, as he supposed, a canoe which had 
 separated from the others during the night. 
 
 The schooner stood in to the reefs, and then hauled off 
 again, that she might send her boat in to sound for an 
 anchorage. The boat, when sounding, perceived the canoes 
 and the savages, and afterwards heard the report of firearms 
 on the first attack. On her return on board the schooner, 
 they stated what they had seen and heard, and their idea 
 that the white people on the island were being attacked by 
 the savages. As the boat did not return on board till near 
 dusk, they had not time to canvass the question when the 
 night attack was made, and they again heard the firing of 
 the muskets. This made Captain Osborn most anxious to 
 land as soon as possible, but as the savages were in such 
 numbers, and the crew of the schooner did not consist of 
 more than twenty-five men, the commander considered it 
 was rash to make the attempt. He did, however, show the 
 utmost anxiety to bring his schooner to an anchor, so as to 
 protect his men, and then agreed that they should land. 
 
 The boat had reported deep water and good anchorage 
 close to the garden-point, and every preparation was made 
 for running at daylight on the following morning ; but 
 unfortunately, it fell calm for the best part of the day, and 
 it was not until the morning after, just as the savages were 
 making their last attack upon the stockade, that she could 
 
 304 
 
READY DYING 
 
 get in. As soon as she did, she opened the fire of her 
 carronades, and the result is already known ; the savages 
 fled in all directions, the boat was then manned, and Captain 
 Osborn led the party who landed, and came so opportunely 
 to their relief. 
 
 My readers must, if they can, imagine the joy of Mr. and 
 Mrs. Seagrave when they beheld their old friend Captain 
 Osborn. All danger was now over; the party who had 
 landed with him went out under the command of the mate, 
 to ascertain if there were any more of the savages to be 
 found ; but, except the dead and dying, all had escaped in 
 some of the smaller canoes. Captain Osborn remained with 
 the Seagraves, and in a few words told his own history, and 
 they then informed him of the state of poor old Ready, 
 whom William had gone to attend as soon as Captain Osborn 
 was engaged with his father and mother. Captain Osborn 
 hurried out to see him ; Ready knew him immediately, that 
 is, he knew his voice, for the old man's eyes were already so 
 dim, that he could not see. 
 
 " That is Captain Osborn, I know," said Ready, in a faint 
 voice. " You have come in good time, sir ; I knew you 
 would come, and I always said so : you have the thanks of a 
 dying man." 
 
 " I hope it is not so bad as that, Ready ; we have a surgeon 
 on board, and I will send for him at once." 
 
 " No surgeon can help me, sir," replied Ready ; " another 
 hour of time will not pass before I shall be in Eternity. I 
 thank God for the preservation of the family, but, Captain 
 Osborn, my time is come." 
 
 The old man then joined his hands across his breast, and 
 remained for some time in silent prayer. 
 
 " We had better leave," said Captain Osborn ; " he wishes 
 not to be interrupted. I will send for the surgeon, at all 
 events, although I feel it is useless ; the hand of death is 
 already on him." 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Seagrave walked away with Captain Osborn, 
 all of them much affected with the scene. William still 
 remained by Ready's side to give him water when he 
 asked for it. A few minutes afterwards, Ready opened 
 his eyes. 
 
 " Are you there, William ? I can't see you. Listen to 
 
 305 u 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 me, my dear boy. Let me be buried under the trees on the 
 mound above the well. I wish to lie there. Poor little 
 Tommy ; don't let him know that he was the cause of my 
 death. Bring him here now, and Juno and Caroline, to say 
 good-bye, William.' ' 
 
 William, with the tears rolling down his cheeks, hastened 
 into the house, and communicated Ready's wish to his father 
 and mother. They all went out in a body, to take a last 
 farewell ; Ready called them all by name, one after another. 
 They knelt down as he called them, and kissed him. He 
 bade them farewell in a faint voice, which at last was 
 changed to a mere whisper. They still remained, in silence 
 and in tears, standing round him, William only kneeling and 
 holding his hand, when the old man's head fell back, and 
 he was no more. 
 
 "It is all over," said Mr. Seagrave mournfully, "and 
 he has, I have no doubt, gone to receive the reward of a 
 good and just man. s Happy are those who die in the 
 Lord.' " 
 
 Mr. Seagrave then led away his wife and children, leaving 
 Juno and William. Poor Juno cried as if her heart would 
 break, as soon as her master and mistress were gone, and 
 she could give vent to her feelings. William tried to 
 console her. 
 
 " Oh ! Massa William, me often think, and me really think 
 now, he sent by Heaven to save us all. He just live long 
 enough to do all he could do, and now he gone to heaven 
 again." 
 
 " I trust he has, Juno ; I hope I may live as well, and die 
 as well as he has done." 
 
 William closed up the eyes, and Juno went and fetched 
 the ship's ensign, which they laid over the body, after which 
 they joined the rest of the party in the house. 
 
 During the time that William had remained with old 
 Ready, the commander of the schooner had landed with 
 another party of men, whom he despatched to scour the 
 island in pursuit of any savages who might remain ; but 
 they could find none. Captain Osborn introduced him to 
 Mr. and Mrs. Seagrave, and arrangements were commenced 
 for the embarkation. It was decided that the following day 
 should be passed in packing up and getting on board their 
 
 306 
 
ARRANGEMENTS FOR DEPARTURE 
 
 luggage, and that the day after the family should embark. 
 William then mentioned the wish of poor old Ready as to 
 his burial. The commander immediately gave directions for 
 a coffin to be made, and for his men to dig the grave at the 
 spot that William should point out. It was also arranged 
 that Juno should go round with the boat the next morning 
 at daylight, to point out the little harbour, that they might 
 take on board the merino sheep, which were of value ; all 
 the other animals, with the exception of the dogs, were to 
 be left on the island, for the benefit of those who might, at 
 any future time, meet with a disaster similar to that of the 
 crew and passengers of the Pacific. 
 
 The boats were on shore early the next morning, and the 
 luggage was taken on board ; but Mr. Seagrave would not 
 take anything which could prove useful to any people who 
 might be wrecked on the island : the furniture, tools, iron- 
 work, nails, beef and pork, and flour, were all put into the 
 house and locked up ; the luggage therefore carried away 
 was not very great, and was soon on board. 
 
 CHAPTER LXVII 
 
 Ready's grave, — Regrets — Juno in sorrow — Conversation — Re- 
 marks on Ready — Ready's funeral — Love for the island — 
 Schooner sails — Arrival at Sydney — The Seagrave family. 
 
 _L HE hurry and bustle of preparing for their departure from 
 the island, and the rapid succession of events which had 
 been crowded together within so very few days, had not 
 allowed time for much thought or reflection to Mr. and Mrs. 
 Seagrave and William ; at length, however, every preparation 
 had been made, and they were no longer urged by the com- 
 mander of the schooner to hasten their packing up and 
 arrangements ; for everything had been sent on board during 
 the afternoon, and it was proposed that they should sail on 
 the following day. 
 
 Now they had time to feel, and bitterly did they lament 
 the loss of their old friend, and deplore that he had not 
 
 307 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 survived to sail with them to Sydney. THiey had always 
 indulged the hope that one day they should be taken off 
 the island, and in that hope they had ever looked forward 
 to old Ready becoming a part of their future household. 
 Now that their wishes had been granted, — now that their 
 fond longings were about to be realised, — so much was the 
 feeling of joy and gratitude mingled with regret, — so great 
 was their grief at the loss of their preserver, — that could he 
 have been restored to them, they felt as if they would have 
 gladly remained on the island. 
 
 Captain Osborn, the commander, and the crew of the 
 schooner had taken leave of them for the night, and had 
 gone on board, having made arrangements for the inter- 
 ment of Ready, previous to their sailing, on the following 
 day. The children had been put to bed, and Juno had 
 quitted the house ; Mr. and Mrs. Seagrave and William 
 were sitting together in their now half-dismantled room, 
 when Juno entered ; the poor girl had evidently been 
 weeping. 
 
 "Well, Juno," observed Mr. Seagrave, with a view to 
 break the silence which had continued for some time 
 previous to her entrance, "are you not glad to leave the 
 island ? " 
 
 " One time I think I would be very glad, but now I 
 not care much," replied Juno. " Island very nice place, 
 all very happy till savage come. Suppose they not kill 
 old Ready, I not care." 
 
 "Yes, indeed," said Mrs. Seagrave, "it is a sad blow 
 to us all ; I did hope to have fostered the good old man, 
 and to have been able to have shown him our gratitude, 
 but " 
 
 " It is the will of Heaven that it should be otherwise," 
 continued Mr. Seagrave ; " I would give half that I am 
 possessed of, that he had not perished." 
 
 "Oh, Massa!" said Juno, "I sit by him just now; I 
 take off the flag and look at his face, so calm, look so 
 happy, so good, I almost tink he smile at me, and then I 
 cry. Oh ! Massa Tommy, all because you idle boy." 
 
 " It adds much to my regret," replied Mr. Seagrave, 
 "that his life should have been sacrificed through the 
 thoughtlessness of one of my own children ; what a lesson 
 
 308 
 
REMARKS ON READY 
 
 it will be to Tommy when he is old enough to comprehend 
 fully the consequences of his conduct." 
 
 "That he must not know, papa/' said William, who 
 had been leaning mournfully over the table ; " one of 
 Ready's last injunctions was that Tommy was never to be 
 told of it. He made me promise." 
 
 " His last wishes shall be religiously attended to, my 
 dear boy," replied Mr. Seagrave ; ({ for what do we not 
 owe to that good old man ? When others deserted us and 
 left us to perish, he remained with us to share our fate, 
 with every prospect that the ocean would bury us. By 
 his skill we were saved and landed in safety. He pro- 
 vided for our wants, added to our comforts, instructed us 
 how to make the best use of our means, was our adviser, 
 and, I may say, our protector. What should we have 
 done without him ? Without his precautions we should 
 have perished by the spears of the savages. It was his 
 self-devotion which procured the water which saved our 
 lives, and it was in this act that he sacrificed his own. 
 W 7 hat an example of Christian fortitude and humility did 
 he ever show us ; and indeed, I may truly say, that by his 
 example, sinful as I must ever be, I have become, I trust, 
 a better man. W r ould that he were now sitting by us, — ■ 
 but the Lord's will be done." 
 
 " I feel as if I had lost a stay or prop, my dear huband," 
 replied Mrs. Seagrave, "so accustomed have I been to 
 look to him for advice since we have been on this island. 
 I feel now constantly that there is something wanting, and 
 then I recollect that it is he who is away from me. Had he 
 not been thus snatched from us — -had he been spared to us 
 a few years, and had we been permitted to have surrounded 
 his deathbed, [and have closed his eyes in peace — " and 
 Mrs. Seagrave wept upon the shoulder of her husband. 
 
 After a time, Mrs. Seagrave recovered herself; but silence 
 ensued, only broken by an occasional sob from poor Juno. 
 William's heart was too full ; he could not for a long while 
 utter a word ; at last he said in a low voice — 
 
 " I feel that, next to my dear father and mother, I have 
 lost my best friend. I cannot forgive myself for allowing him 
 to go for the water ; it was my duty to go, and I ought to 
 have gone." 
 
 309 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 Ct And yet we could have ill spared you, my dear boy ; you 
 might have perished," replied Mrs. Seagrave. 
 
 " It would have been as God willed, my dear mother," 
 replied William ; " I might have perished, or I might not." 
 
 " We never know what the morrow may bring forth," said 
 Mr. Seagrave, "or what may be in store for us. Had not 
 this misfortune happened, had old Ready been spared to us, 
 how joyfully should I and all of you have quitted this island, 
 full of anticipation, and indulging in worldly prospect. What 
 a change has been brought over me by this melancholy death ! 
 what a check have I received ! I now am all thought and 
 anxiety. I have said to myself, ' we have been happy on 
 this island ; our wants have been supplied ; even our comforts 
 have been great. We have been under no temptations, for 
 we have been isolated from the world ; am I so sure that I 
 shall be as happy in future as I have been ? Am I confident, 
 now my long-wished-for return to the world is about to take 
 place, that I shall have no cause to lament that I ever 
 quitted this peaceful, quiet spot ? I feel, my dear wife, 
 that it is a duty to my family that I should return to society, 
 but I am far from feeling that our happiness may be in- 
 creased. We have, however, a plain precept to follow, which 
 is, to do our duty in that state of life to which it has pleased 
 God to call us." 
 
 " Yes, my dear husband," replied Mrs. Seagrave ; " I feel 
 the truth of all you have just said. We are in His hands, 
 and let us put our trust in Him." 
 
 " We will, dearest," replied Mr. Seagrave ; " but it is late, 
 and we have to rise early to-morrow morning. This is the 
 last evening which we shall pass on this island ; let us 
 return our thanks for the happiness we have enjoyed here ; 
 let us confide in Him for our future welfare, and let us bow 
 in humility to the chastening with which He has thought 
 proper to visit us. We thought to have quitted this spot 
 in joy, — it is His will that we should leave it in sorrow." 
 
 Mr. Seagrave took down the Bible, and after he had read 
 a chapter, he poured forth a prayer suited to their feelings, 
 and they all retired to repose. 
 
 The next morning they were up early, and packed up the 
 few articles which still remained to go on board Mr. 
 Seagrave read the prayers, and they went to breakfast. 
 
 310 
 
READY'S FUNERAL 
 
 Few words were exchanged, for there was a solemn grief 
 upon all of them. They waited for the arrival of Captain 
 Osborn and the crew of the schooner to attend the funeral 
 of poor old Ready. William, who had gone out occasionally 
 to look at the vessel, now came in, and said that two boats 
 were pulling on shore. A few minutes afterwards Captain 
 Osborn and the commander of the schooner made their 
 appearance, and after a short conversation they went out 
 to give directions. The coffin had been brought on shore ; 
 the body of Ready was put into it, and it was screwed down. 
 William attended the process, and the tears fell fast down 
 his cheeks as the lid was put over, and he saw the last of 
 his old friend. 
 
 In half-an-hour all was prepared, and the family were 
 summoned from the house. It was arranged that William, 
 Mr. Seagrave, Captain Osborn, and Juno (at her own request) 
 should be the pall-bearers. 
 
 The coffin, covered with the Union Jack as a pall, was 
 raised on the shoulders of six of the seamen, and they bore 
 it to the grave, followed by Mrs. Seagrave and the children, 
 the commander of the schooner, and several of the men. 
 Mr. Seagrave read the funeral service, which was occasionally 
 interrupted by the sobbing of Juno ; the grave was filled up, 
 and they all walked back in silence. At the request of 
 William, the commander of the schooner had ordered the 
 carpenter to prepare an oak paling to put round the grave, 
 and a board on which was written the name of the deceased 
 and the day of his death. As soon as this had been fixed 
 up, William, with a deep sigh, followed the commander of 
 the schooner to the house, to announce that all was finished, 
 and that the boat waited for them to embark. 
 
 " Come, my dear," said Mr. Seagrave to his wife. 
 
 "I will, I will," replied Mrs. Seagrave, "but I don't 
 know how it is, now that the hour is come, I really feel 
 such pain at quitting this dear island. Had it not been 
 for poor Ready's death, I really do think I should wish 
 to remain." 
 
 " I don't doubt but that you feel sorrow, my dear, but we 
 must not keep Captain Osborn waiting." 
 
 " I should like to have time to visit once more all our 
 little property ; the garden, the fish-pond, the turtle-ponds, 
 
 311 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 I should like to wish good-bye even to the animals, Sea- 
 grave ; it may be a weakness, but I cannot help it." 
 
 "Do we leave Nanny, mamma/' said Caroline, "and all 
 the chickens ? " 
 
 "Yes, my dear; we leave all the goats and fowls for 
 other people, if they come to the island." 
 
 "Do we leave all the turtle in the pond?" said Tommy, 
 " turtle makes good soup. I like turtle." 
 
 " That's well thought of," said Captain Osborn ; " we will 
 take the turtle on board. It will not be losing much time." 
 
 " Oh no," replied the commander of the schooner ; " go 
 down there, my men, push one of the boats round, and get 
 the turtle on board." 
 
 While this little delay took place, Mrs. Seagrave walked 
 to Ready's grave, to see the paling and board which 
 William had told her had been put up. She would have 
 lingered still, hanging on her husband's arm, but Captain 
 Osborn again came to tell her that the boat waited for 
 them. 
 
 As Mr. Seagrave was aware that the commander of 
 the schooner was anxious to get clear of the islands before 
 night, he now led his wife down to the boat. They all 
 embarked, and were soon on the deck of the schooner, 
 from whence they continued to fix their eyes upon the 
 island, while the men were heaving up the anchor. At 
 last sail was made upon the vessel, the garden point was 
 cleared, and, as they ran away with a fair wind, each 
 object on the shore became more indistinct. Still their 
 eyes were turned in that direction. Juno and William 
 stood abaft ; William had the spy-glass, and was looking 
 through it very steadily as the vessel ran on, when Captain 
 Osborn inquired what he was looking at. "I am taking 
 my last farewell of Ready's grave," replied William. 
 
 "He really a good man," said Juno, in a low voice. 
 
 As they ran down to the westward, they passed the 
 cove where they had first landed, and Mr. Seagrave 
 directed Mrs. Seagrave's attention to it. Mrs. Seagrave 
 remained for some time looking at it in silence, and then 
 said as she turned away — 
 
 "We shall never be more happy than we were on that 
 island, Seagrave." 
 
 312 
 
THE SEAGRAVE FAMILY 
 
 "It will indeed be well, my dear, if we never are less 
 happy/' replied her husband. 
 
 The schooner now ran fast through the water, and the 
 island was every minute less distinct ; after a time, the 
 land was below the horizon, and the tops of the cocoa-nut 
 trees only to be seen ; these gradually disappeared. Juno 
 watched on, and when at last nothing could be seen, she 
 waved her handkerchief in the direction of the island as 
 if to bid it farewell, and then went down below, to hide 
 her grief. 
 
 The wind continued fair, and after a favourable passage 
 of little more than four weeks, they arrived at Sydney 
 Cove, the port to which they were bound when they 
 embarked from England on board of the good ship 
 Pacific." 
 
 P.S. — As my young readers will probably wish to know 
 a little more about the Seagrave family, I will inform 
 them that Mr. Seagrave, like the patriarch Job after his 
 tribulation, found his flock and herds greatly increased 
 on his arrival at Sydney. The agent whom he had left in 
 charge of his property had been diligent and honest, and 
 although it was fully believed that the whole of the family 
 had perished, and that the estates would go to distant 
 heirs, still the delay of law proceedings and the many 
 months which it required to communicate with England, 
 added to the want of positive knowledge of their loss, had 
 not yet permitted the estates to pass away, and they were 
 still in the hands of the executors. Mr. and Mrs. Sea- 
 grave lived to see all their children grown up. William 
 inherited the greater part of the property from his father, 
 after having for many years assisted him in the manage- 
 ment of it. He married, and had a numerous family. 
 Tommy, notwithstanding all his scrapes, grew T up a very 
 fine fellow, and entered the army. He is now a major, 
 and is said to retain his juvenile tastes so far, that, among 
 his many arduous duties, he is still a very sedulous and 
 efficient officer at the Mess Table. Caroline married a 
 young clergyman, and made him an excellent wife ; little 
 Albert went into the navy, and is at present a commander. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Seagrave are both dead, but poor Juno 
 
 ■313 X 
 
MASTERMAN READY 
 
 is still alive, and lives at Seagrave plantation with 
 William, and her greatest pleasure is to take his children 
 on her knee, and tell them long stories about the island, and 
 make them cry when she goes through the history of old 
 Ready's death and burial. 
 
 And now, my dear children, having given you all the 
 information that I possess, I have only to add that I hope 
 you like what I have written for you, and bid you heartily 
 farewell. 
 
 THE END 
 
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 Pelham. 
 
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 Pausanias. 
 
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 What Will He Do 
 
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 Harold. 
 
 
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 What Will He Do 
 
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 Zanoni. 
 
 
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