The next morning was one of bustle; there was packing up and every
preparation for departure. Juno was called here and called there, and
was obliged to ask little Caroline to look after the kettle and call to
her if it boiled over. Master Tommy, as usual, was in every one's way,
and doing more harm than good in his attempts to assist.
At last, Ready, to get rid of him, sent him down with a large bundle to
the beach. Tommy shouldered it with great importance, but when he came
back, looking rather warm with the exertion, and Ready asked him to take
down another, he said he was too tired, and sat down very quietly till
breakfast-time, before which everything was ready.
Mrs Seagrave and Juno packed up the breakfast and dinner things in a
basket after breakfast was over, and then Mr and Mrs Seagrave and the
family set off on their journey, accompanied by the dogs, through the
cocoa-nut grove.
William and Ready lost no time in getting through their work; the
crockery, kitchen utensils, table, and chairs, were the first articles
put into the boat. The goat was then led down, and they set off with a
full load, and arrived at the bay long before the party who were walking
through the wood. They landed the things on the beach, and then shoved
off again to bring round the bedding, which was all that was left. By
three o'clock in the afternoon they had arrived at the bay with their
second and last load, and found that the other party had been there
about an hour, and Mr Seagrave and Juno were very busy taking the
articles up from the beach.
"Well, William," said Ready, "this is our last trip for some time, I
expect; and so much the better, for our little boat must have something
done to her as soon as I can find time."
"Yes, indeed, Ready, she has done her work well. Do you know I feel as
if I were coming home, now that we are back to the bay. I really feel
quite glad that we have left the tents. I found the pigeons among the
peas, Ready, so we must pick them as soon as we can. I think there were
near twenty of them. We shall have pigeon pies next year, I expect."
"If it pleases God that we live and do well," replied Ready, who had his
eyes fixed upon the sea.
Before night everything was in its place again in the house, and as
comfortable as before, and as they were very tired, they went very early
to bed, having first arranged what they should do in the morning. At
daylight Ready and William went down to the turtle-pond and speared a
turtle, for now the time was coming on for turning the turtle again, and
the pond would soon be filled. Having cut it up and put a portion of it
into the pot, all ready for Mrs Seagrave, as soon as breakfast was over
they proceeded to the storehouse.
After a little consultation with Mr Seagrave, Ready marked out a square
of cocoa-nut trees surrounding the storehouse, so as to leave a space
within them of about twenty yards each side, which they considered large
enough for the inclosure. These cocoa-nut trees were to serve as the
posts between which were to be fixed other cocoa-nut trees cut down, and
about fourteen feet high, so as to form a palisade or stockade, which
could not be climbed over, and would protect them from any attack of the
savages.
As soon as the line of trees had been marked out, they set to work
cutting down all the trees within the line, and then outside to a
distance of ten yards, so as to give them room for their work. Ready
cut out cross-pieces, to nail from tree to tree, and now they found the
advantage of having saved so many of the large spike nails, without
which they never could have made so good or so quick a job of it. Mr
Seagrave cut down trees, William and Juno sawed them off at a proper
length with one of the cross-cut saws, and then carried them to Ready.
They soon had more cut out than he could use, and then they dragged away
the tops and branches, and piled them at a distance on the ground, to
use as winter fuel, while Mr Seagrave helped Ready in fixing up the
palisades. They worked very hard that day, and were not sorry to go to
bed. Ready, however, took an opportunity to speak to William.
"I think," said he, "that now we are here again, it will be necessary to
keep a sort of night-watch, in case of accident. I shall not go to bed
till it is quite dark, which it will be by nine o'clock, and shall have
my glass to examine the offing the last thing. You see, there is little
fear of the savages coming here in the night-time, but they may just
before night or very early in the morning, so one of us must be up again
before daybreak, that is between two and three o'clock in the morning,
to see if there is anything to be seen of them; if there is not, of
course we may go to bed again, as they cannot arrive till many hours
afterwards; and we must watch the wind and weather, if it is favourable
for them to come to us, which, indeed, the wind will not be except at
the commencement of the rainy season but it may be very light, and then
they would not care for its being against them. I've been thinking of
it, William, a great deal, and my idea is, that it will be at the
beginning of the rainy season that we shall have a visit, if we have one
at all; for you see that the wind don't blow regular from one quarter,
as it does now, but is variable, and then they can make sail in their
canoes, and come here easily, instead of pulling between thirty and
forty miles, which is hard work against wind and current. Still, we
must not be careless and we must keep a good look-out even now. I don't
want to fret your father and Mrs Seagrave with my fears on the subject,
but I tell you what I really think, and what we ought to do."
"I agree with you, Ready, and I will take care to be up before daybreak,
and examine very carefully with the spy-glass as soon as the day dawns.
You take the night part, and I will do the morning part of the
watching."