"And I am very glad of the compasses, Ready; for with them I shall be
able to make a sort of survey of the island, when I have a little time.
Your pocket compass is too small for surveying. I shall take some
bearings now, while I am here, as I may not be back again very soon."
"Well, sir, I think if we open this other case, which I perceive has
your name on it, it will be as much as we need do to-day, for the sun
is going down; we can then make up some kind of bed, eat our suppers,
and go to sleep."
"I am very tired, Ready, and shall be glad to do as you propose. That
case contains books; but what portion of my library I do not know."
"But you soon will, sir," replied Ready, wrenching it open with his
axe. "They are a little stained on the outside, but they are jammed so
tight that they do not appear to have suffered much. Here are one or
two, sir."
"Plutarch's Lives. I am glad I have them: they are excellent reading
for young or old; there is no occasion to open any more, as I know all
the other books in the case are `History'; perhaps the best case which
could have been saved."
Chapter LI
Mr. Seagrave and Ready then set to work, and made a rough sort of bed
of cocoa-nut branches; and, after eating their supper, committed
themselves to the divine protection, and went to sleep. The next
morning they resumed their labour, and opened every other case and
package that had been saved from the wreck; they found more hooks, four
boxes of candles, three casks of rice, and several other useful
articles, besides many others which were of no value to them.
A chest of tea, and two bags of coffee, which Ready had brought on
shore, were, much to their delight, found in good order; but there was
no sugar, the little which they had saved having been melted away.
"That's unfortunate, sir."
"We cannot expect to get things here, as though we were a hundred yards
from a grocer's shop. Now let us go to where we covered up the other
articles with sand."
The sand was shovelled up, and the barrels of beef and pork and the
deal boards found in good order, but many other things were quite
spoilt. About noon they had finished, and as they had plenty of time,
Mr. Seagrave took the bearings of the different points of land with the
compasses. They then shouldered their muskets, and set off on their
return.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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