bserved. When these were
planted and watered, my garden looked very gay and full of plants, and
then I discovered the mould came down for want of support at the edges;
I therefore went and picked up pieces of rock of sufficient size to make
a border and hold up the mould, and now all was complete, and I had
nothing to do but to go on watering them daily. This I did, and
recollecting what Jackson had said about the guano, I got a bag of it,
and put some to each plant. The good effect of this was soon
observable, and before the birds came, my garden was in a very
flourishing condition.

I cannot express to the reader the pleasure I derived from this little
garden. I knew every plant and every shrub, talked to them as if they
were companions, while I watered and tended them, which I did every
night and morning, and their rapid growth was my delight. I no longer
felt my solitude so irksome as I had done. I had something to look
after, to interest me, and to love; they were alive as well as I was;
they grew, and threw out leaves and flowers; they were grateful for the
care I bestowed upon them, and became my companions and friends.

I before mentioned that during the latter portion of the time I was with
Jackson, he had taught me to sing several songs. Feeling tired, in my
solitude, of not hearing the human voice, I found myself at first
humming over, and afterwards singing aloud, the various airs I had
collected from him. This afforded me much pleasure, and I used to sing
half the day. I had no one to listen to me, it is true; but as my
fondness for my garden increased, I used to sit down and sing to the
flowers and shrubs, and fancy that they listened to me. But my stock of
songs was not very large, and at last I had repeated them so often that
I became tired of the words. It occurred to me that the Prayer-book had
the Psalms of David at the end of it, set to music. I got the book, and
as far as the airs that I knew would suit, I sang them all; never were
Psalms, probably, sung to such tunes before, but it amused me, and there
was no want of variety of language.

Every three or four days I would go up the ravine, and search carefully
for any new flower or shrub which I had not yet planted in my garden,
and when I found one, as I often did, it was a source of great delight.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN.

At last the birds came, and I procured some of their eggs, which were a
very agreeable change, after living so l