f her additional carrying
capacity, we rechristened her the "Cormorant." Then came the day on
which the Blue Peter was seen at her masthead, but what was even better
in my eyes, was my own outfit packed in the four huge cases which stood
so prominently on her hatchway amidships.

M. Oudin hobbled down to the harbour to see us off, and in doing so
handed me a long heavy case as a parting gift, with instructions not to
open it for a week, by which time he hoped to be far away in Paris.

We unmoored, left the harbour, and in an hour were laying at anchor off
the north end of Jethou.

[Illustration: Decorative scroll]

[Illustration: Decorative chapter heading]

CHAPTER II.

I TAKE POSSESSION OF THE ISLAND--LANDING STORES--A GRAND
CAROUSAL--FAREWELL--ALONE.

The 2nd March, 187--, was a bright mild day, with but little wind and a
quiet sea: just the day for landing my stores. The goods I had selected,
and those added by my father and M. Oudin, were of a very miscellaneous
kind, and included provisions, farm and garden seeds (and a few
implements), a canoe, a gun, clothing, fishing gear, oil and coal,
cooking apparatus, and a score other things. As I knew the island was
devoid of animals except rabbits, I asked for, and obtained some live
stock--in fact, quite a farmyard. There were a goat, a dog, a cat, six
pigeons, two pigs, six fowls, and last, though by no means least, a
young donkey.

The large cases of goods were landed in a boat, not without a slight
mishap, however, as one of them, in being lowered over the bulwarks, was
carelessly unhitched by the men in the boat and tumbled overboard; it
fell in three fathoms of water, but the water was so translucent that it
was clearly discernible on the bottom.

This took quite an hour to get up, as it was an awkward thing to
grapple, but there were plenty of hands willing to help in landing the
goods, as several of the Guernsey men had come over to have a parting
spree.

The pigs and donkey were pushed overboard and quickly reached the shore;
the former, in spite of popular belief, proving themselves excellent
swimmers when once they struck out shorewards, especially as the
distance was short. On landing they went up over the island, and for the
time disappeared among the rocks and wild bushes.

By dusk the cry was, "All ashore," as everything had been landed, and
the "Cormorant" brought to a safe mooring under the lee of the rocky
island of Crev