When we met the following morning, my mother, as I shall in future call
her, said to me, "This will be a busy day, Frank, for we have a great
many arrangements to make in the cabin, so that we may be comfortable.
In future the cabin must be kept much more clean and tidy than it is;
but that is my business more than yours. Let us get our breakfasts, and
then we will begin."
"I don't know what you want me to do," replied I; "but I will do it if I
can, as soon as you tell me."
"My dear boy, a woman requires a portion of the cabin to herself, as it
is not the custom for women to live altogether with men. Now, what I
wish is, that the hinder part of the cabin, where you used to stow away
your dried birds, should be made over to me. We have oars with which we
can make a division, and then nail up seal-skins, so that I may have
that part of the cabin to myself. Now, do you understand what I want?"
"Yes, but the oars are longer than the cabin is wide," observed I. "How
shall we manage it?"
"We have the old saw, and that will do well enough to cut them off,
without its being sharpened."
"I never saw one used," replied I, "and I don't understand it."
"I will soon show you. First, we must measure the width of the cabin.
I shall not take away more than one-third of it."
My mother went into the cabin, and I followed her. With a piece of
fishing-line, she took the width of the cabin, and then the height up to
the rafters for the door-posts. We then went out, and with the saw,
which she showed me how to use, and which astonished me very much, when
I perceived its effects, the oars were cut up to the proper length.
Gimlets I had already from the sea-chest, and nails and hammer we had
just obtained from the boat; so that before the forenoon was over, the
framework was all ready for nailing on the seal-skins. The bag of
broad-headed short nails, which had been thrown on the rocks, were
excellent for this purpose, and as I had plenty of skins, the cabin was
soon divided off, with a skin between the door-jambs hanging down loose,
so that any one might enter. I went inside after it was complete.
"But," said I, "you have no light to see what you are about."
"Not yet, but I soon will have," replied my mother. "Bring the saw
here, Frank. Observe, you must cut through the side of the cabin here,
a square hole of this size; three of the planks cut through will be
sufficient. Begin here."
I did as she directed me, and in the course of half an hour, I had cut
out of the south side of the cabin a window about two feet square, which
admitted plenty of light.
"But won't it make it cold at night?" said I.
"We will prevent that," replied she, and she took out a piece of white
linen, and with some broad-headed nails, she nailed it up, so as to
prevent the air from coming in, although there was still plenty of
light. "There," said she, "that is but a coarse job, which I will mend
by-and-bye; but it will do for the present."
"Well, it is very nice and comfortable now," said I, looking round it.
"Now what shall I bring in?"
"Nothing for the bed but seal-skins," said she. "I do not like the
feathers. The seal-skins are stiff at present, but I think we may be
able to soften them by-and-bye. Now, Frank, your chest had better come
in here, as it is of no use where it is, and we will make a storeroom of
it, to hold all our valuables."
"What, the diamonds?" replied I.
"My dear boy, we have articles to put into the chest, which, in our
present position, are more valuable to us than all the diamonds in the
world. Tell me now, yourself, what do you prefer and set most value
upon, your belt of diamonds, or the iron kettle?"
"The iron kettle, to be sure," replied I.
"Exactly so; and there are many things in our possession as valuable as
the iron kettle, as you will hereafter acknowledge. Now do you go and
get ready some fire for us, and I will finish here by myself Nero keep
out, sir--you are never to come into this cabin."
I went with Nero for a fish, and when I returned. I determined that I
would use the iron kettle. I put it on with water and boiled the fish,
and I thought that it ate better than broiled on the embers, which made
it too dry.