tain was thankful that none of the
family had been injured, and not a word of complaint escaped him.

No time was lost in commencing to repair the damages. While Biddy was
trying to get her kitchen in order and light a fire, Janet and Mary,
with pails and mops, assisted by their cousins, were busily employed in
"swabbing decks," as their father called it, and hanging up the wet
bedding to dry.

The captain and his brother, with Mr Hayward, got the carpenter's
tools, and commenced repairing the roof, while the younger boys
collected all the shingles they could find. Paul, Harry, and Reggy
started off to the stock-yards, to see how things fared there, and to
assist Sandy and the men if necessary. Before going they took a glance
at the river. Reggy could scarcely believe that it was the same stream
he had seen the day before, as it now went foaming and rushing by,
carrying huge trunks of trees and dead cattle in its vortex, while it
appeared four times as broad as before.

"We have often had it as high as this in a rainy season, although it has
seldom risen so high at other times," said Paul.

Hector declared that his hand hurt him too much to allow him to do
anything, although he at length condescended, when summoned by his
sisters, to try and put his own room in order.

As the lads went along, they observed the havoc which had been produced
by the storm. Several tall trees had been blown down, others denuded of
their branches. The maize was beaten to the ground, the kitchen-garden
had suffered greatly, and flower-blossoms had everywhere been torn off,
while many of the fruit-trees were destroyed.

"It cannot be helped," said Paul, "happily, things grow here very
rapidly, and in a short time we shall have all to rights again."

Reginald thought Paul a great philosopher, but he only spoke the truth.
They met Sandy coming to ask how the family had fared; he reported more
favourably of the stock-yard than Paul had expected. A portion of the
roof of some of the buildings had been blown off; but the strong fences
intended to resist the charge of a fierce bull or angry heifer had
withstood the strongest blasts.

"We ken weel where our weak points are," observed Sandy; "we will soon
get things to rights."

Every one had enough to do during that and several following days. The
buildings were re-roofed, the fallen trees were sawn through and dragged
out of the way to be split up or burned. The garden fences were