Gordon would have used some of the spare sails for the purpose, but he could not bring himself to sacrifice the thick canvas which might come in so usefully for tents, and so he did the best he could with tarpaulins.

Besides this, there was the urgent question of finding a better shelter. Even if they did go eastward, they could not move for five or six months, and the schooner would not last as long as that, and if they had to abandon her in the rainy season, where were they to find a refuge? The cliff, on its western face, had not the slightest indentation that could be utilized. It was on the other side, where it was sheltered from the wind from the sea, that search must be made, and, if necessary, a house built large enough to hold them all.

Meanwhile the cargo was done up into bales and packages all duly numbered and entered in Gordon’s pocket-book, so that when it became necessary they could be quickly carried away under the trees.

Whenever the weather was fine for a few hours, Donagan, Wilcox, and Webb went off after the pigeons, which Moko more or less successfully cooked in different ways. Garnett, Service, Cross, and the youngsters, including Jack, when his brother insisted on it, went away fishing. Among the shoals of fishes that haunted the weeds on the reef were many specimens of the genus notothenia, and hake of large size, and in and out among the thongs of the huge fucoids, some of which were four hundred feet long, was a prodigious quantity of small fish that could be caught by the hand.

It was a treat to hear the exclamations of the youthful fishers as they drew their nets or lines to the edge of the reef.

‘I have got a lot! I have a splendid lot!’ exclaimed Jenkins. ‘Oh! they are big ones!’

‘So are mine! Mine are bigger than yours!’ exclaimed Iverson, calling on Dole to help him.

‘They’ll get away!’ said Costar, as he ran up to help.

‘Hold on! Hold on!’ said Garnett, going from one to the other. ‘Get in your net quickly.’

‘But I can’t! I can’t!’ said Costar, as the net was dragging him in.

And then with a united effort the nets were got in on the sand. It was time, for in the clear water there was a number of hyxines, or ferocious lampreys, who would have made short work of the fish caught in the meshes; and although many were lost in this way, enough were saved to furnish the table. A good deal of hake was caught, and was found to be excellent, eaten either fresh or salted. The fish at the mouth of the river were chiefly galaxias, a kind of gudgeon, which Moko found he could cook best fried.

On the 27th of March a more important capture afforded a somewhat amusing adventure.

When the rain left off in the afternoon, the youngsters started off to fish in the river.

Suddenly there were loud shouts from them—shouts of joy, it is true—but shouts for help.

Gordon, Briant, Service, and Moko, who were busy on board the schooner, dropped their work, ran off to help, and soon cleared the five or six hundred yards that separated them from the stream.

‘Come along!’ shouted Jenkins.

‘Come and see Costar and his charger!’ said Iverson.

‘Quick, Briant, quick, or he’ll get away!’ shouted Jenkins.

‘Let me get down! Let me get down! I am afraid,’ said Costar, gesticulating in despair.

‘Gee up!’ said Dole, who was with Costar on some moving mass.

The mass was a turtle of huge size, one of those enormous chelonians that are usually met with floating on the surface of the sea. This time it had been surprised on the beach, and was seeking to regain its natural element.

In vain the boys, who had slipped a string round its neck, were trying to keep the animal back. He kept moving off with irresistible strength, dragging the whole band behind him. For a lark Jenkins had perched Costar on the carapace, with Dole astride behind him; and the youngster began to scream with fright as the turtle slowly neared the water.

‘Hold on! Hold on, Costar!’ said Gordon.

‘Take care your horse doesn’t get the bit between his teeth!’ shouted Service.

Briant could not help laughing; for there was no danger. As soon as Dole let go, Costar had only to slip off to be safe.

But it was advisable to catch the animal; and if Briant and the others united their efforts to those of the little ones, they might stop him; and they must put a stopper on his progress before he reached the water, where he would be safe.

The revolvers Gordon and Briant had brought with them from the schooner were useless, for the shell of a turtle is bullet-proof; and if they attacked him with the axe, he would draw in his head and paddles, and be unassailable.

‘There is only one way,’ said Gordon; ‘we must turn him over!’

‘And how?’ said Service. ‘He must weigh at least three hundredweight, and we can never—’

‘Get some spars! Get some spars!’ said Briant. And, followed by Moko, he ran off to the schooner.

The turtle was now not more than thirty yards from the sea. Gordon soon had Costar and Dole off its back, and then seizing the string, they all pulled as hard as they could, without in the least stopping the advance of the animal, which could have dragged all Charman’s school behind it

Luckily, Briant and Moko returned before the turtle reached the sea.

Two spars were then run underneath it and with a great effort he was pitched over on his back. Then he was a prisoner, for he could not turn over on to his feet And just as he was drawing in his head, Briant gave him such a crack with the hatchet, that he died almost immediately.

‘Well, Costar, are you still afraid of this big brute?’ asked Briant.

‘No! No! Briant for he’s dead.’

‘Good!’ said Service ‘but you daren’t eat him!’

‘Can you eat him?’

‘Certainly.’

‘Then I’ll eat him, if he’s good,’ said Costar, licking his lips at the thought.

‘It is good stuff,’ said Moko, who was quite within the truth in saying that turtle meat was quite a dainty.

As they could not think of carrying away the turtle as a whole, they had to cut it up where it was. This was not very pleasant, but the boys had begun to get used to the occasionally disagreeable necessities of Crusoe life. The most difficult thing was to break into the carapace, for its metallic hardness turned the edge of the axe. They succeeded at last in driving in a cold chisel between the plates. Then the meat cut away in pieces, was carried to the schooner. And that day the boys had an opportunity of convincing themselves that turtle soup was exquisite, to say nothing of the grilled flesh which Service had unfortunately let burn a little over too fierce a fire. Even Fan showed in her way that the rest of the animal was not to be despised by the canine race.

The turtle yielded over fifty pounds of meat—a great saving to the stores of the yacht.

In this way the month of March ended. During the three weeks since the wreck all the boys had done their best preparing for a long stay on this part of the coast. Before the winter set in there remained to be settled this important question of continent or island.

On the 1st of April the weather gave signs of changing. The barometer slowly rose, and the wind began to moderate. There were unmistakable symptoms of an approaching calm of perhaps longish duration.

The bigger boys discussed the matter, and began to prepare for an expedition, the importance of which was obvious to all.

‘I don’t think there’ll be anything to stop us to-morrow,’ said Donagan.

‘Nothing, I hope,’ said Briant ‘We ought to be ready to get away early.’

‘I understand,’ said Gordon, ‘that the line of water you saw in the east was six or seven miles from the cape.’

‘Yes,’ said Briant ‘but as the bay is a deep curve, it is possible that the sea may be much nearer here.’

‘Then,’ continued Gordon, ‘you will not be away more than twenty-four hours?’

‘That is, if we can go due east. But can we find a way through the forest when we have got round this cliff?’

‘Oh! that won’t stop us!’ said Donagan.

‘Perhaps not’ said Briant ‘but there may be other obstacles—a watercourse, a marsh, who knows? It will be best, I think, to take rations for some days—’

‘And ammunition,’ added Wilcox.

‘ Quite so,’ said Briant, ’and let it be understood that if we are not back in two days you need not be anxious.’

‘I shall be anxious if you are away more than half a day,’ said Gordon. ‘But that is not the question.