CHAPTER FORTY NINE.
The next morning they went with their shovels to the yam plantation, andcommenced their work. As the ground was soft and swampy, the labour wasvery easy. The ditch was dug nearly a yard wide, and the earth thrownup on a bank inside. They then went to where the large patch of pricklypears grew, and cut a quantity, which they planted on the top of thebank. Before night, they had finished about nine or ten yards of thehedge and ditch.
"I don't think that the pigs will get over that when it is finished,"said Ready, "and William will be able to get on by himself when we aregone, as well as if we were with him."
"I'll try if I cannot shoot a pig or two," said William.
"Let it be a young one, then; we must not kill the old ones. Now Ithink we may as well go back. Juno is carrying in the supper."
Before Mr Seagrave and Ready started on the following morning, thelatter gave William directions as to the boat. The provisions and theknapsack having been already prepared, they took leave of Mrs Seagrave,and set off, each armed with a musket, and Ready with his axe slung overhis shoulder. They had a long walk before them, as they had first tofind their way back to the house, and from thence had to walk throughthe wood to the cove.
In two hours after leaving the house they reached the spot where theyhad first landed. The rocks near to it were strewed with timber andplanks, which lay bleaching in the sun, or half-buried in the sand. MrSeagrave sat down, and sighed deeply as he said, "Ready, the sight ofthese timbers, of which the good ship Pacific was built, recallsfeelings which I had hoped to have dismissed from my mind; but I cannothelp them rising up. The remains of this vessel appear to me as thelast link between us and the civilised world, which we have been tornfrom, and all my thoughts of home and country, and I may say all mylonging for them, are revived as strong as ever."
"And very natural that they should, Mr Seagrave; I feel it also. I amcontent, it is true, because I have nothing to wish or look forward to;but still I could not help thinking of poor Captain Osborn and myshipmates, as I looked upon the wreck, and wishing that I might takethem by the hand again. It is very natural that one should do so. Why,sir, do you know that I feel unhappy even about the poor ship. Wesailors love our vessels, especially when they have good qualities, andthe Pacific was as fine a vessel as ever was built. Now, sir, I feelquite melancholy when I see her planks and timbers lying about here.But, sir, if we cannot help feeling as we do, it is our duty to checkthe feeling, so that it does not get the mastery over us. We can do nomore."
"Very true, Ready," said Mr Seagrave, rising up; "it is not onlyuseless, but even sinful to indulge in them, as they only can lead toour repining at the decrees of heaven. Let us now examine the rocks,and see if anything has been thrown up that may be of use to us."
They walked round, but, with the exception of spars and a barrel or twoof tar, they could find nothing of value. There was no want of stavesand iron hoops of broken casks, and these, Ready observed, would makeexcellent palings for the garden when they had time to bring them round.
After they had returned, they sat down to rest themselves, and then theywent to the tents in the cocoa-nut grove, in which they had collectedthe articles thrown up when the ship went to pieces.
"Why, the pigs have been at work here!" said Ready; "they have contrivedto open one cask of flour somehow or another; look, sir--I suppose itmust have been shaky, or they could not have routed into it; the canvasis not good for much, I fear; fortunately, we have several bolts of new,which I brought on shore. Now, sir, we will see what condition thestores are in. All these are casks of flour, and we run no risk inopening them, and seeing if they are in good order."
The first cask which was opened had a cake round it as hard as a board;but when it was cut through with the axe, the inside was found in a goodstate.
"That's all right, sir; and I presume the others will be the same; thesalt water has got in so far and made a crust, which has preserved therest. But now let us go to dinner, and to work afterwards."