e, Ready observed, would make
excellent palings for the garden when they had time to bring them round.

After they had returned, they sat down to rest themselves, and then they
went to the tents in the cocoa-nut grove, in which they had collected
the articles thrown up when the ship went to pieces.

"Why, the pigs have been at work here!" said Ready; "they have contrived
to open one cask of flour somehow or another; look, sir--I suppose it
must have been shaky, or they could not have routed into it; the canvas
is not good for much, I fear; fortunately, we have several bolts of new,
which I brought on shore. Now, sir, we will see what condition the
stores are in. All these are casks of flour, and we run no risk in
opening them, and seeing if they are in good order."

The first cask which was opened had a cake round it as hard as a board;
but when it was cut through with the axe, the inside was found in a good
state.

"That's all right, sir; and I presume the others will be the same; the
salt water has got in so far and made a crust, which has preserved the
rest. But now let us go to dinner, and to work afterwards."

CHAPTER FIFTY.

After dinner they resumed their labour. "I wonder what's in this case?"
said Mr Seagrave, pointing to the first at hand. Ready set to work
with his axe, and broke off the lid, and found a number of pasteboard
boxes full of tapes, narrow ribbons, stay-laces, whalebones, and cottons
on reels.

"This has been sent out for some Botany Bay milliner," said Mr
Seagrave. "I presume, however, we must confiscate it for the benefit of
Mrs Seagrave and Miss Caroline. We will take them to them as soon as
we have time."

The next was a box without a lock; the lid was forced up, and they found
a dozen half-gallon square bottles of gin stored in divisions.

"That's Hollands, sir, I know," said Ready; "what shall we do with it?"

"We will not destroy it, Ready, but at the same time we will not use it
but as a medicine," replied Mr Seagrave; "we have been so long used to
spring-water, that it would be a pity to renew a taste for spirituous
liquors."

"I trust we shall never want to drink a drop of it, sir, either as a
medicine or otherwise. Now for this cask with wooden hoops."

The head was soon out, and discovered a dinner set of painted china with
gold edges.

"This, Mr Seagrave, may be useful, for we are rather short of plates
and dishes. Common white would have served as well."