Part 18 (1/2)
In thefoam-crested waves, which as they rolled in broke with a continuous roar on the rocky shore
They soon had evidence of the effect of the gale on the wreck
Frag in all directions, the larger portion drifting towards the northern end of the island Soht into the bay, and were at once secured; others struck the coral rocks, and were soon ground into s the shore, accompanied by Tim and Pat, in order to pick up whatever they could find They ht save not only ti under water, they had been unable to get up The rest of the party in thethe hut They first selected such ti as would be of no use to the vessel The discoht made them anxious to secure sufficient shelter before the rain should come on, as in that exposed situation they could not trust to the protection of the tent The roof, however, they intended to forh for the purpose, and it would answer better than anything else they could obtain Peter prepared dinner for all the party
”But there isinto the pot; ”we must be economical in the use of our provisions”
”Neber fear, ood time
Dey sht in his conjectures Just as he was about to serve out the stew, Jerry and his companions made their appearance They reported that they had hauled up several good-sized pieces of wreck, three casks of oil, a barrel of flour, and two of beef or pork
”Very good,” observed the doctor; ”we shall not run short of provisions; but I should have been glad to hear that you had found a case or two containing lietables of some sort, or we may not keep scurvy at bay”
”Shure, doesn't this island grow taters?” asked Tim
”I'm afraid not,” answered the doctor
”Thin it must be a poor place, and I'll not wish to spend the remainder of rih there are not potatoes, there may be roots of some sort, and we have not yet exaht out of the cabin
If I recollect rightly, soh fortunately we had no opportunity ofuse of them,”
observed the doctor
A search was at once instituted, and the box the doctor spoke of discovered; it contained cabbage, lettuce, onion, carrot, turnip, and several other kinds of seeds
”The onions, in our case, will prove the rown to some size before the vessel has been completed, and we can carry theainst scurvy,” said the doctor
These reether at breakfast They were all in good spirits, thankful that they were so well supplied with everything they could possibly require Had it not been for the doctor, however, how different would have been their condition! In a day or two they would have been suffering all the horrors of thirst, and must ultimately have perished miserably, but now they could obtain asand cooking
”One thing, however, we must remember, that our provisions will in time come to an end,” observed Tom ”We must use the most perishable first and keep the best preserved for our voyage”
”But we shall be able to catch fish, and we need not go on short commons, I hope,” said Billy
”You shall have all you catch,” said Dess, sir,” answered Ti full in the carpenter's store-roos”
The hooks and lines were soon discovered, but at present there was tooThe hut was very soon finished It was placed with its back to the wind