he requested earnestly that he might be of our party
next day, and Francis, good-naturedly, offered to stay with mamma,
expecting, no doubt, Ernest's congratulations on the forward state of
the Franciade. The next morning Ernest and I set out, his brothers
having preceded us. Poor Ernest regretted, as we went, that he had no
share in these happy schemes for his mother. I reminded him, however, of
his dutiful care of her during her sickness, and all his endeavours to
amuse her. "And, besides," added I, "did you not make her a
straw bonnet?"

"Yes," said he, "and I now remember what a frightful shape it was. I
will try to make a better, and will go to-morrow morning to choose
my straw."

As we approached Tent House, we heard a most singular noise, echoing at
intervals amongst the rocks. We soon discovered the cause; in a hollow
of the rocks I saw a very hot fire, which Jack was blowing through a
cane, whilst Fritz was turning amidst the embers a bar of iron. When it
was red hot, they laid it on an anvil I had brought from the ship, and
struck it alternately with hammers to bring it to a point.

"Well done, my young smiths," said I; "we ought to try all things, and
keep what is good. Do you expect to succeed in making your auger? I
suppose that is what you want."

"Yes, father," said Fritz; "we should succeed well enough if we only had
a good pair of bellows; you see we have already got a tolerable point."

Now Fritz could not believe anything was impossible. He had killed a
kangaroo the evening before, and skinned it. The flesh made us a dinner;
of the skin he determined to make a pair of bellows. He nailed it, with
the hair out, not having time to tan it, to two flat pieces of wood,
with holes in them; to this he added a reed for the pipe; he then fixed
it by means of a long cord and a post, to the side of his fire, and
Jack, with his hand or his foot, blew the fire, so that the iron was
speedily red hot, and quite malleable. I then showed them how to twist
the iron into a screw,--rather clumsy, but which would answer the
purpose tolerably well. At one end they formed a ring, in which we
placed a piece of wood transversely, to enable them to turn the screw.
We then made a trial of it. We placed a tree on two props, and Fritz and
I managed the auger so well, that we had our tree pierced through in a
very little time, working first at one end and then at the other. Jack,
in the mean time, collected the shavings we mad