recked party
by the loss of one whom they had learned to respect, the urgent need of
obtaining better food and shelter compelled them, as we have said, to
give their whole mind and attention to this work.

They pitied poor Peggy sincerely, however, and endeavoured to comfort
her a little by raising the hope that her husband might have merely lost
himself in the woods of the island, and would yet, perhaps, be found
alive and well. But, although their intentions were kindly, they could
comfort neither Peggy nor themselves with such a hope; for their
experience convinced them that the woods, although thick and tangled,
were not extensive enough for any one to be permanently lost in them,
and it seemed quite certain that if the lost man had not met with some
fatal accident, he would certainly have made his way to the coast, by
following which he could have easily found the camp.

"It is very sad to give over our search for poor Mitford," said Dr
Hayward one morning, while seated on a ledge of rock near the beach,
taking counsel with his male companions as to the order of procedure for
the day, "but we cannot afford to delay our operations longer. This
poor fare of mussel soup, with such a small allowance of pork, is
beginning to injure the health of our women, not to mention ourselves;
besides, the pork won't last long, even though we put ourselves on the
shortest possible allowance; so I think that to-day we must go on an
expedition after the seals we saw the last time we went to the southern
end of the island. What say you, comrades?"

"All right, cap'n," answered Massey. "You've only got to say the word.
But who's to stop at home to mind the camp-fire and the women?"

"I'm afraid," returned Hayward, with a deprecatory smile, "that it's
your own turn, Bob. I would say that I'm sorry for you, were it not
ungallant to pity a man for being condemned for a day to female
society."

The way in which the coxswain received this showed that he did not
repine at his fate. He did not even object to O'Connor's remark that,
"Faix, he might consider himself the luckiest man o' the lot!"

Accordingly, Massey remained at the camp while the doctor, Slag,
O'Connor, Tomlin, and Jarring set out on a hunting expedition with two
days' cooked provisions in their wallets. The doctor and Tomlin armed
themselves with spears, but Jarring and Slag preferred clubs.

"You see," said the latter, "I've heard--though I can't rightly say I'v