getting on shore as
many of the stores as we could fish up from the wreck. Mr Sedgwick was
well pleased at the appearance of the case of wine.

"It is just what my patients want," he observed; "and though I can
manufacture palm-wine and arrack, they will not answer the purpose
nearly so well. Indeed, the arrack is poisonous stuff at the best."

For some days both Mr Hooker and the mate appeared to hang between life
and death. Our uncle, I saw, was very anxious about them, and seldom
absent from their room. When he went away, the good Frau took his
place. When absent, however, he was still engaged in their service, as
he was either concocting medicines or cooking dishes to suit their
taste.

"Potto Jumbo is a very good sea-cook," he observed to me, "but not quite
capable of producing a dish fit for an invalid; and as to my Dyak,
Tanda, his ideas are somewhat limited in that way."

The weather continued fine, and the vessel hung together; but the
boatswain was of opinion that should another gale come on, she would
quickly go to pieces.

"Though we might get some of her timbers and planks, they would be
sorely battered by getting knocked on the rocks," he observed; "and to
my mind it would be better if we could get them ripped off at once. It
will be a pretty tough job; but it is to be done."

I proposed the matter to Mr Sedgwick, but he rather doubted our
capability of performing the operation. He could not help us, as he was
required to attend to our friends, while his man had to look after the
plantations and animals, and indeed had ample work. He thought that
fresh planks from the trees in the forest would be of more use than the
broken ones we might get from the vessel. We, indeed, were prevented
from returning to her for some days, on account of a strong wind setting
in directly on the shore, which created so much surf that we were unable
to pass through it in our small boat.

Mr Thudicumb was to be our master-builder. He had more acquaintance
with ship-building than any of us--indeed, probably than all the party
put together; but he was yet too ill even to superintend the
undertaking. We hoped, however, that in the course of a week or two he
would be sufficiently recovered to set us to work. At present, indeed,
he could scarcely even give his thoughts to the subject.

I proposed that we should employ the time in exploring the island. Mr
Sedgwick had never gone to any great distance from the sp