ork and beef and live turtle, and, by Ready's
advice, they did not eat, as it would only increase their desire to
drink.

The poor children suffered much; and little Albert wailed and cried for
"water, water." Ready remained on the look-out; indeed, everything was
so miserable inside of the house, that they were all glad to go out of
it; they could do no good, and poor Mrs Seagrave had a difficult and
most painful task to keep the children quiet under such severe
privation, for the weather was still very warm and sultry.

CHAPTER SIXTY THREE.

But the moaning of the children was very soon after dusk drowned by the
yells of the savages, who, as Ready had prognosticated, now advanced to
the night attack.

Every part of the stockade was at once assailed, and their attempts now
made were to climb into it; a few spears were occasionally thrown, but
it was evident that the object was to obtain an entrance by dint of
numbers. It was well that Ready had taken the precaution of nailing the
deal planks above the original stockade, or there is little doubt but
that the savages would have gained their object; as it was, before the
flames of the fire, which Juno had lighted by Ready's order, gave them
sufficient light, three or four savages had climbed up and had been shot
by William and Mr Seagrave, as they were on the top of the stockade.

When the fire burnt brightly, the savages outside were more easily aimed
at, and a great many fell in their attempts to get over. The attack
continued more than an hour, when at last, satisfied that they could not
succeed, the savages once more withdrew, carrying with them, as before,
their dead and wounded.

"I trust that they will now re-embark, and leave the island," said Mr
Seagrave.

"I only wish they may, sir; it is not at all impossible; but there is no
saying. I have been thinking, Mr Seagrave, that we might be able to
ascertain their movements by making a look-out. You see, sir, that
cocoa-nut tree," continued Ready, pointing to one of those to which the
palisades were fastened, "is much taller than any of the others: now, by
driving spike-nails into the trunk at about a foot apart, we might
ascend it with ease, and it would command a view of the whole bay; we
then could know what the enemy were about."

"Yes, that is very true; but will not anyone be very much exposed if he
climbs up?"

"No, sir; for you see the cocoa-nut trees are cut down clear of the
palisades t