I fancied we all looked quite mouldy, when we emerged from our dusky
dark caverns. But the weather was so delicious, so cool and refreshing;
everything was so green and beautiful that we soon revived. I thought it
necessary to take an inventory of all our possessions, that we might
husband them as much as possible. We also attended greatly to our
gardens, and the few remaining potatoes that we had were planted that we
might not be totally bereft of such a useful vegetable. I never saw
anything like the growth of the English vegetables we had brought with
us. They were almost too luxuriant, approaching to rankness.
Day after day passed by and we were still alone. No ardently-desired
vessel hove in sight, nothing met our longing gaze as we daily scanned
the horizon. Fearing the inevitable lowness of spirits that such
constant hoping and longing, followed by as constant disappointment,
must end in, I, one evening, said that I should not at all like being
cooped up in those caverns again the next rainy season.
_Schillie._--"Now if you mention one word about building one of your old
huts, you shall be whipt."
_Mother._--"Oh no, no! I have had quite enough of the huts. I have not
the smallest intention of building such another flimsy affair."
_Schillie._--"Then if you are going to talk common sense, I am quite
willing to listen. Those caverns certainly put one rather in mind of
one's grave, and I cannot get the nasty dead smell of them out of my
nose. Now then, June, be speedy, and let us hear your intentions. Shall
we build a boat, and betake ourselves off or shall we live _al fresco_,
despite Madame's fears, or what? Come, speak up."
_Mother._--"I don't fancy building a boat at all, much less trusting
myself in it; but, agreeing with you in your horror of huts, I think we
must now make a good substantial house."
"Your horror!" said Schillie. "Delightful," exclaimed all the others.
"What splendid fun. How very charming. Where shall it be? Let us begin
immediately."
Spite of all her opposition, Schillie knew very well we must have a
house, and the more she grumbled I knew the harder she would work. So
everybody was ordered to use their best wits, and give their opinions as
to the kind, size, situation, and other things belonging to the intended
mansion, and at tea-time the sense of the company was to be taken. In
the meantime I compared our list of goods, with what the captain had
made out for us, and found that we had suffered considerably by the
rain. Out of seven barrels of flour four were nearly spoilt; a cask of
cheese and ship's biscuit was all that remained of those commodities;
not a bit of the salted beef and pork could be touched, we had to throw
it all away, but some bacon and hams were quite good. We had four or
five cases of preserved meats, but, as Jenny observed, we could eat
those up in a week, and then what were we to do for meat. I gave her
clearly to understand that we must do without meat for the future, which
caused her to drop one of our saucepans in surprise and dismay, while
she exclaimed, "Whatever, Ma'am, shall we do about Master Felix if he
has no meat, and he growing so fast?" "Whatever, Jenny, shall we do if
you knock holes in the saucepans in such a careless way?" said I. Jenny
apologised as best she could, but it was evident all the saucepans in
the world might get punched into holes provided her little master had
meat for his dinner every day; she comforted herself very much, however,
thinking of the ducks and chickens, though she bewailed over his great
affection for mutton chops and beef steaks, and now for the future that
weakness of his would run no chance of being gratified.
The potatoes were nearly all gone, as before mentioned, but that was to
be only a temporary deprivation. We had stores sufficient to last for
six months of rice, sago, tapioca, tea, coffee, sugar, raisins, and all
those kind of things; but the ship's provisions, which had been mostly
left behind to lighten the vessel (the Captain having only taken what
was just necessary) were greatly damaged by the rain; they had not been
in good tin cases like ours, and eventually were of little use. The
packets of seeds became now our most valuable possessions. We had a
great quantity of ropes, spars, sails, and other things belonging to the
vessel, carpenters' tools, nails, screws, &c., all of which became
invaluable to us, though we afterwards discovered a good substitute for
nails in the thick sharp thorns of a species of Cactus. We had a great
deal of furniture, sofas, bedding, hammocks, tables, chairs, bookcases,
a great deal of pantry furniture, of which we were now most careful,
knowing we could never replace the china or glass; also, we had a plate
chest, in which we had silver to the value of L200. Of kitchen utensils
we were greatly in want, almost everything having been lost in the
caboose when it was washed away. We had two kettles and a small boiler.
The men had constructed a sort of fire-place and oven for Jenny before
they left, but it was so far from the dining place that we had
everything generally cold. We had about six dozen bottles of various
sorts of wine, a large cask of rum and another of brandy, which belonged
to the ship's company, plenty of beer, ale, and porter, which, however,
being in casks, spoilt long before we could drink it, from the heat of
the climate. But such details must be tedious, as it can be easily
imagined what our possessions would be out of a vessel victualled,
furnished, and prepared for a twelve months' voyage. The result of the
investigation, however, proved that of civilized food we had but little,
and that we must soon set about preparing to live upon what the island
would afford us. And when I looked round on the fertility and richness
surrounding us, and the vast variety of food we could indulge in, I
could not help thanking the Giver of all good for so much mercy showered
upon us in the midst of such extraordinary events.
We had one cock and eleven hens and about seven ducks, all of whom
seemed to provide themselves with food, without any assistance from us.
Every one knows that in preparing for a sea voyage quantities of linen
are necessary; we were therefore most fortunate in that particular. I
had also pieces of muslin, white and coloured, which I brought to make
frocks for the young ones in the hot climates, knowing how fast they
would grow. I left the arrangement of the clothes to Hargrave, who
grumbled and put away, and put away and grumbled to her heart's content.
She arranged all the best dresses and also the fine things, laces and
trinkets, in such a manner that she could constantly look at them, as
she could not have the satisfaction of seeing us wear them, and to each
person was given out a certain quantity of wearing apparel that was to
last a given time. But these are such dry details, that I will proceed
at once to tea, at which such an important subject as building a house
was to be discussed.