re of work. But despite this, the aspect of the island
had greatly changed--not altogether for the better, I thought--during
the months of our sojourn upon it. In the first place, the warehouse
had been so easily and quickly erected that a roomy, barrack-like
structure had at once been built alongside it for the accommodation of
all hands, pending the erection of separate dwellings of better
appearance and a more permanent character for the several families.
Then, many marriages had taken place, Wilde, in his capacity of chief
magistrate, undertaking to tie the nuptial knot.

But the erection of two buildings by no means comprised the sum total of
what had thus far been accomplished by the settlers. Small parties of
prospectors had been sent out to ascertain the resources of the island;
and, among many other valuable products, coal, iron, clay of
exceptionally fine quality for the manufacture of bricks and tiles,
marble, granite, basalt, limestone, pine, satinwood, teak, and
sandalwood in exceedingly large quantities had been found. A brick and
tile yard had been established over on the north-west side of the
island, and large quantities of splendid bricks and tiles had already
been made; a limekiln had been built, and was in full operation; and a
large consignment of circular and other saws having been found among the
cargo, a sawmill had been erected alongside one of the numerous streams,
the flow of which had been utilised to drive the saws, and much timber
had already been cut down and converted into planks and scantling. A
considerable quantity of sandalwood had likewise been collected, with
the intention of loading it into the ship and dispatching her with it to
China, there to be converted into money, with which a cargo of tea and
another ship were to be purchased and dispatched to find a profitable
market, the proceeds of the cargo being expended to provide live stock
and such other necessaries as the settlers might require. So much
sandalwood indeed had already been collected that, to make room for it,
it had been found necessary to discharge all but some eighty tons of the
sand ballast that had been originally shipped, and the _Mercury_ was now
quite deep enough in the water to enable her to go to sea with safety at
any moment.

The only thing that was worrying Wilde and the council, so far as this
part of their plans was concerned, was the fact that I was the only
navigator among them; and, well knowin