raft, went on board the wreck to search
for a suitable bit of iron. As he had said, there was plenty on board,
but none of the size or shape that he required, and he was about to quit
in despair when he observed the flat iron plates, about five inches
square and quarter of an inch thick, with a large hole in the centre of
each, which formed the sockets that held the davits for suspending the
ship's boats. A crowbar enabled him, after much trouble, to wrench off
one of these. A handspike was, after some hours' labour, converted into
a handle with one side cut flat. Laying the plate on this, he marked
its exact size, and then cut away the wood until the iron sank its own
thickness into it. There were plenty of nails in the wreck; with these
he nailed the iron, through its own nail-holes, to the hard handspike,
and, still further to secure it, he covered it with a little piece of
flat wood, which he bound firmly on with some cordage made by his sister
from cocoa-nut fibre. As the iron projected on both sides of the
handle, it thus formed a double-edged axe of the most formidable
appearance. Of course the edges required grinding down, but this was a
mere matter of detail, to be accomplished by prolonged and patient
rubbing on a stone!

Otto arrived triumphantly at the golden cave almost at the same moment
with his brother, and they both laid their axes at the feet of the
queen.

"Thanks, my trusty vassals," she said; "I knew you would both succeed,
and had prepared a royal feast against your return."

"To which I have brought a royal appetite, your majesty," said Otto.

"In truth so have I," added Dominick.

There was a good deal of jesting in all this; nevertheless the trio sat
down to supper that night highly pleased with themselves. While eating,
they discussed, with much animation, the merits of the axes, and
experienced no little difficulty in deciding which was the better tool.
At last Pauline settled the matter by declaring that the iron axe, being
the strongest, was, perhaps, the best; but as it was not yet sharpened,
while Dominick's was ready for immediate use, the flint axe was in
present circumstances better.

"So then, being equal," said Otto, "and having had a splendid supper, we
will retire to rest."

Thus, in devising means for increasing their comforts, and supplying
their daily necessities, the days and weeks flew swiftly by.

CHAPTER FIVE.

STIRRING EVENTS AND CHANGES.

An event w