andering about the island, gun in hand,
in search of botanical and natural history specimens; and he not only
secured several rare birds, the skins of which he managed to cure, but
also some very valuable medicinal plants. Gaunt and Nicholls, on the
other hand, chose to devote their time to a further and more complete
examination of the island, the result being that they discovered a very
much more suitable site for the shipbuilding-yard than the one already
fixed upon; a site which, though somewhat further away from the spot
where they had intended to build their house, was much more secure and
less liable to discovery by an enemy, should such unhappily make his
appearance.

Nothing worthy of mention occurred during these two days, and on the
morning of the third work was once more resumed with a will. The task
of reloading the raft proved, as had been anticipated, a somewhat
laborious one, and, indeed, their first idea had been that instead of
discharging on the beach it would be better to convey the goods direct
from the wreck round to the islet; but the loss of time which this would
involve seemed to them so serious that, rather than incur it and the
loss which might possibly result therefrom, they had decided to put up
with the inconvenience and the extra labour of an additional handling of
all their goods. The real value of the raft and the wisdom which had
suggested her construction now became fully apparent, for she made two
and sometimes three trips a day between the west bay and Fay Island with
loads averaging about ten tons on each trip.

The day at length arrived when this part of their task drew so near its
completion that they expected to finish the transfer before evening; and
on this particular day they experienced a most agreeable surprise. For,
as the raft, with Gaunt and Nicholls on board, was running down with its
last load, Nicholls caught sight of what he took to be a tiny sail in
the offing to the northward, to which he drew Gaunt's attention. The
latter, who usually carried his telescope with him, at once brought the
instrument to bear upon the object, and found that Nicholls was right;
it was indeed a sail. The craft, a very small one, was some four miles
to leeward when first descried, and notwithstanding the loss of time
which such a step would involve the engineer promptly bore up to examine
it. As the two craft closed with each other it was seen that the small
sail was heading in for