rotect ourselves."

"The _Golden Wave_ has enough provisions to last this party a year,"
answered the captain. "We haven't anything very fine, but we have
plenty of flour, dried beans, salt and smoked meats, and a good many
cases of canned vegetables, as well as sugar, tea, coffee, salt, and
pepper. With fresh fish and some game we'll be able to live as well
here as if we were on shore,--that is, if we can find fresh water."

"We have all the fresh water we want,--on the large island," said
Tom. "And lots of tropical fruit--cocoanuts, bananas, and the like."

"If we are going to live on the ship, we'll have to bring fresh water
over from the other island in a cask," said Dick. "That will not be
very handy."

"Can't we move the wreck over?" came from Tom.

"No, lad," answered Captain Blossom. "She is here to stay until her
timbers rot. But if we wish, we can move some of the provisions
ashore. There are the parts of a rowboat below, and I reckon I am
carpenter enough to put the parts together in a day or two."

"We have a boat on the north beach," said old Jerry; "we can bring
it around."

"To do that, we'll have to swim the channel again," came from Dick.
"And I must say I don't like that."

"Let us make a raft," cried Tom. "There must be plenty of material
on board of the schooner for that."

"There certainly is," answered Captain Blossom. "Come, we can make
a raft in less than an hour."

All set to work, and in a short space of time they had the material
together. Ropes and spikes were there a-plenty, and as Captain Blossom
laid out one stick and another, the boys and old Jerry either nailed
or tied them together. A board flooring was placed on top of the
spars and then the whole affair was dumped into the bay with a loud
splash. It floated very well, with the flooring a good ten inches
above the surface of the water, and as the raft was nearly twenty
feet long by ten wide, it was capable of carrying considerable weight.

"That's better than a boat," said Dick. "We can pile a good deal more
stuff on it."

"Let us get on and paddle to where we left the others," said Tom.
"They will be anxious to learn the news."

Captain Blossom was willing, and they took with them a variety of
provisions and also some extra clothing and some firearms. Then the
raft was moved to where the boys had left part of their own clothing
when they had started to swim the channel.

The coming of the big raft and its passengers