Part 17 (1/2)
”So did I,” admitted Mr Fenwick
”It was probably loosened by the shock, and so fell into the sea,”
spoke Toht over, the castaways proceeded to get their breakfast Toasolene stove, for he had rescued a tea-kettle and a coffee pot from the wreck of the kitchen of the airshi+p Shortly afterward, the aroled with it the appetizing odor of sizzling bacon and eggs, for Mr Fenwick, as very fond of the latter, had brought along a supply, carefully packed in sawdust carriers, so that the shock had broken only a few of them
”Well, I call this a fine breakfast,” exclai into his coffee the hard pilot biscuit, which they had instead of bread ”We'reat all, I suppose”
”Indeed we are,” chimed in Mr Fenwick
”I'h,” spoke Tom ”I suppose it's ot over the ocean, and while the stor, but I never supposed it would grow to a gale so suddenly The poor old WHIZZER--there's not much left of her!”
”Now don't distress yourself in the least,” insisted Mr Fenwick
”I'ate at all I see where I et back to Philadelphia, I' to build a better one, if you'll helpinventor
”And I'll take a voyage with you!” cried Mr Damon ”Bless s again!”
There was a jolly laugh at the eccentric man, in which he himself joined, and the little party felt better They were seated on bits of broken boxes taken froasolene stove, which Tom had set up on the beach The wind had alreat billows, and masses of surf
They had no exact idea of the time, for all their watches had stopped when the shock of the wreck came, but presently the sun peeped out froun to fall, they judged it was about ten o'clock, and accordingly set their timepieces
”Well,” observed Tom, as he collected the dishes, which they had also secured froin to think about a place to spend the night I think we can rig up a shelter fro-planes, and from what is left of the cabin It doesn't need to be very heavy, for from the warmth of the atmosphere, I should say ere pretty well south”
It was quite waretation of the island, they saw that it was almost wholly tropical
”I shouldn't be surprised if ere on one of the smaller of the West Indian islands,” said To a hundred miles or more an hour, to have reached them But this one doesn't appear to be inhabited”
”We haven't been all over it yet,” said Mr Damon ”We may find cannibals on the other side”
”Cannibals don't live in this part of the world,” Tom assured him
”No, I think this island is practically unknown The storht have landed us in a worse place”
As he spoke he thought of the yacht RESOLUTE, and he wondered how her passengers, including the parents of Mary Nestor, had fared during the terrible blow
”I hope they weren't wrecked, as ere,” hts If they were going to build a shelter, they knew that theyof thankfulness that their lives had been spared, they set to work taking apart such of the wreck as could the ot at
Boards, sticks, and planks were scattered about, and, with the pieces of canvas fro-planes, and some spare ood shack, which would be protection enough in that warot out the food and supplies, their spare clothing and other belongings, fehich had been hars were piled under another rude shelter which they constructed
By this tiain Then they prepared to spend the night in their hastily made camp They collected driftwood, hich to asolene stove, they sat about the cheerful blaze, discussing their adventures