here two or three feet of
vegetable earth, and below that granite. It was therefore necessary to
manufacture some more nitro glycerine, and the nitro glycerine did its
accustomed work. In less than a fortnight a ditch twelve feet wide and
six deep, was dug out in the hard ground of the plateau. A new trench
was made by the same means in the rocky border of the lake forming a
small stream, to which they gave the name of Creek Glycerine, and
which was thus an affluent of the Mercy. As the engineer had
predicted, the level of the lake was lowered, though very slightly. To
complete the enclosure the bed of the stream on the beach was
considerably enlarged, and the sand supported by means of stakes.

By the end of the first fortnight of December these works were
finished, and Prospect Heights--that is to say, a sort of irregular
pentagon having a perimeter of nearly four miles, surrounded by a
liquid belt--was completely protected from depredators of every
description.

During the month of December, the heat was very great. In spite of it
however, the settlers continued their work, and as they were anxious
to possess a poultry-yard they forthwith commenced it.

It is useless to say that since the enclosing of the plateau had been
completed, Master Jup had been set at liberty. He did not leave his
masters, and evinced no wish to escape. He was a gentle animal, though
very powerful and wonderfully active. He was already taught to make
himself useful by drawing loads of wood and carting away the stones
which were extracted from the bed of Creek Glycerine.

The poultry yard occupied an area of two hundred square yards on the
south eastern bank of the lake. It was surrounded by a palisade, and
in it were constructed various shelters for the birds which were to
populate it. These were simply built of branches and divided into
compartments made ready for the expected guests.

[Illustration: PENCROFT'S SCARECROWS]

The first were the two tinamous, which were not long in having a
number of young ones; they had for companions half a dozen ducks,
accustomed to the borders of the lake. Some belonged to the Chinese
species, of which the wings open like a fan, and which by the
brilliancy of their plumage rival the golden pheasants. A few days
afterwards, Herbert snared a couple of gallinaceae, with spreading
tails composed of long feathers, magnificent alectors, which soon
became tame. As to pelicans, kingfishers, water-hens, they