the tools and building materials to that
site occupied the whole of another day, for the site chosen was on the
eastern slope of the hill, about a mile distant from the cove where the
boat lay, involving the carrying of several heavy loads of timber all
that distance up-hill; but it was well worth the labour, for the
situation afforded a magnificent and uninterrupted view of the open sea
to the eastward, while toward the west and south-west we had a view of a
considerable portion of the island with the remarkable precipitous
cliffs, and a broad stretch of lagoon to the south of it.

Spending the night of that very fatiguing day on Eden, we returned to
the wreck on the day following, a fair wind the whole way enabling us to
accomplish the trip in time to load up the boat that same evening in
readiness for an early start next day. This mode of procedure was
followed for nearly a month; by the end of which period we had
transported from the wreck to our islet the whole of the material for
our house, the chests of treasure, the ship's medicine-chest, all the
tools of every description that were to be found in the ship, all the
arms and ammunition, the chronometer and other navigating instruments,
the charts, and a considerable quantity of the most valuable contents of
the lazarette; after which we were practically independent of the wreck;
for as soon as we had built our house we should be in possession of
everything absolutely necessary to the maintenance of life and health.

The house, however, still remained to be built, and this task kept Billy
and me busy for another six weeks; but when it was finished we found
ourselves, relatively speaking, in clover, for our house consisted of a
strongly-built, weather-proof bungalow containing living-room, store-
room, two bedrooms, kitchen, scullery, fuel house, and other
outbuildings, with a stoep and veranda extending all round it; and it
was roofed with deck planking, caulked, thoroughly well tarred, and then
coated with sand. The furniture was of course a bit rough, but it
served its purpose, and it was eked out by the addition of a couple of
comfortable arm-chairs and six deck-chairs from the wreck, with, of
course, beds and bedding, table linen, crockery, cutlery, and all the
cooking gear.

This great task accomplished, my next business was to run the boat,
single-handed, to and fro between the islet and the wreck, removing from
the latter everything that might by any ch