that might
be of use. Among others, Tommy found a saucepan with the lid firmly on.
It had floated unharmed towards the island. This was eagerly secured.
They had now the means of cooking their meat and boiling water.

"Oh! Bill, what is that?" exclaimed Tommy, pointing to a distance along
the beach. "There's a poor fellow, but he must be dead, I'm afraid."

The boys hurried towards the man. He was perfectly dead; of that there
was no doubt. They drew the body, however, out of the water, and in
doing so recognised him as one of the carpenter's crew.

"If he was alive, now, he would have assisted us," said Tommy, "in
opening the chest and in building a boat. We will tell Mr Collinson,
and he will have the poor fellow buried," observed Bill. "It may be
difficult, though, to dig a grave in this thin coating of sand, with a
hard rock below it. But hillo! What is here? See, Tommy; I have found
this key fastened with a rope-yarn round his neck. I should not be
surprised but what it's the key of the chest."

Saying this, and covering up the face of the dead man with his jacket,
which they took off for the purpose, they hurried back to their
companions. Sure enough, the key opened the carpenter's chest, and they
had now the means of tapping the other casks, and of building themselves
huts, if necessary. Still, though there was an abundance of timber from
the wreck of the schooner, no one had sufficient skill to build a boat.

CHAPTER ELEVEN.

Main was the search for water; though every inch of ground throughout
the island was carefully surveyed, not a sign of a spring could be
discovered.

Having examined all the provisions which had been collected, Mr
Collinson found they had sufficient for two months or so, on short
allowance. It might be managed so as to last rather longer; but could
they hope to get away even in that time? Not only months, but years
might go by, before any vessel might pass sufficiently near to
distinguish them. They had no means of making a signal, for all the
masts and spars had been carried away when the schooner first struck;
and, being dashed about on the reef, had been broken to fragments. The
group of trees were all close together, so that no signal could be seen
flying from them.

Mr Collinson evidently had great difficulty in keeping up his own
spirits; he did his best, however, for some time. Employment, he knew,
was a great thing both for himself and the rest. He