, and many other tools, all of which he heaped
with great labor upon the beach.

Then he explored the cook's galley, gleaning three large bags of flour,
supplies of salt and pepper, five cured hams, four big cheeses, several
bottles of cordial and other supplies such as were carried on any
well-found ship. It required great skill and caution to get all his
treasures safely ashore, but his enthusiasm rose as he worked, and he
toiled at his task until midnight. Then he slept beside the precious
heap until the next day.

He lighted a fire with his flint and steel, which he made a point to
carry with him always, and cooked a breakfast of slices from one of the
hams. Then he planned a further attack upon the schooner, which had not
altered her position in the night.

Robert now felt like a miser who never hoards enough. Moreover, his
source of supply once gone, it was not likely that he would find
another, and there was the ship. The sea was in almost a dead calm, and
it was easier than ever to approach her. So he decided to board again
and take off more treasure.

He added to the heap upon the beach another rifle, two muskets, several
pistols, a small sword and a second cutlass, clothing, a considerable
supply of provisions and a large tarpaulin which he meant to spread over
his supplies while they lay on the sand. Then he launched a dinghy which
he found upon the ship with the oars inside.

The dinghy gave him great pleasure. He knew that it would be an arduous
task to carry all his supplies on his back across the island to the
house, and it would lighten the labor greatly to make trips around in
the boat. So he loaded into the dinghy as much of the most precious of
his belongings as he thought it would hold, and began the journey by
water that very day, leaving the rest of the goods covered with the
tarpaulin in the event of rain.

It was a long journey, and he had to be careful about the breakers, but
fortunately the sea remained calm. He was caught in currents several
times, but he came at last to the opening in the rocks through which he
and the captain had entered and he rowed in joyfully. He slept that
night in the house and started back in the morning for another load. One
trip a day in the dinghy he found to be all that he could manage, but he
stuck to his work until his precious store was brought from the beach to
the house.

He could not make up his mind even then to abandon the schooner
entirely. There