--being within sight, and only a few steps
across some rough rocks; but among these rocks we contrived, in course
of time, to make, by filling in with small stones, a pretty smooth walk.

"As we caught and put away the ducks in our storehouse, we began at
length to preserve their skins. At first we could see no value in them,
and threw them away; but we imagined at length that, in case we could
not catch the foxes, they would serve to make us some sort of clothing,
while out of the seal-skin which I mentioned before we could make boots,
if we only had anything to sew with.

"Thus one difficulty after another continued to beset us; but this last
one was soon partly overcome, for the Dean, on the very first day of
our landing, discovered that he had in his pocket his palm and needle,
carrying it always about him when on shipboard, like any other good
sailor; but we lacked thread."

"What is a palm and needle, Captain Hardy?" inquired William.

"A palm," answered the Captain, "is a band of leather going around the
hand, with a thimble fitted into it where it comes across the root of
the thumb. The sailor's needle differs only from the common one in being
longer and three-cornered, instead of round. It is used for sewing sails
and other coarse work on shipboard. The needle is held between the thumb
and forefinger, and is pushed through with the thimble in the palm of
the hand, and hence the name.

"To come back to our story (having, as I hope, made the palm and needle
question clear to you), let me ask you to remember that I told you, when
I landed on the island, I had four things,--that is:--

"1st. My life;

"2d. The clothes on my back;

"3d. A jack-knife; and

"4th. The mercy of Providence.

"But now, you see, I had added a fifth article to that list, in the
Dean's needle; and I might also say that I had a sixth one, too, in the
Dean himself, which I did not dare enumerate in the list at first, as I
felt pretty sure that the Dean was going to die, or at least wake up
crazy.

"But you see a sailor's palm and needle could be of very little use
unless we had some thread, of which we did not possess a single
particle, except the small piece that was in the needle, and by which it
was tied to the palm. It was a good while before we obtained anything
to make thread of, so we will pass that subject by for the present, and
come back to what we had more immediately in hand. This was the
preparation of our cave, or r