urprised at the rapid progress we were making than at the facility with
which we accommodated ourselves to our strange condition of life, and
even grew cheerful under what would seem a state of the greatest
possible distress. Thus you observe how perfectly we may reconcile
ourselves to any fate, if we have but a resolute will, and the fear of
God in our hearts. I do not mean to boast about the Dean and myself: but
I think it must be owned that we kept up our courage pretty well, all
things considered,--now, don't _you_ think so, my dears?"

"To be sure we do," replied William. "And if anybody dares to doubt it,
I will go, like Count Robert, to the crossroad, and give battle for a
week to all comers, just as he did."

"Poking fun at the ancient mariner again,--are you?" said the Captain,
trying hard to look serious. "And so I'll punish you, my boy, by
knocking off just where we are, and saying not another word this blessed
day."

CHAPTER XII.

Relates how a Desert Island became a Rock of Good Hope,
and other Hopeful Matters which to be understood
must be read of.

"You now see," went on the Captain, when the story was again resumed,
"that the Dean and myself had by this time fallen into a regular course
of life. 'What cannot be helped,' said the Dean, 'we must make the best
of.'

"Being thus obliged to make the best of it, we became resigned; and here
let me say that even now I feel much surprised at the ease with which we
dropped into ways suitable to our new life. You have seen already how
one difficulty after another vanished before our patient efforts; and
now that we had a fire to warm us, and a hut to shelter us, we felt as
if we could overcome almost anything. So we gained great courage, and
were fast settling down to business, like any other people, feeling that
our lives were at least in no present danger.

"The Dean and I had a conversation about this time, which I will try to
repeat as nearly as I can. We were seated on the hillside overlooking
the sea to the west, attracted by what we at first took for a ship under
full sail, steering right in towards the island; but you can imagine how
great was our disappointment when we found that what we had taken for a
ship was nothing more than an iceberg looming up above the sea in a
misty atmosphere. This was the third time we had been deceived in that
manner. Once the Dean had come rushing towards me, shouting at the top
of his voice, 'The fleet! the