Old Ready had his boat loaded and had made sail for the other side of
the island long before the family were up; indeed, before they were
dressed he had landed his whole cargo on the beach, and was sitting
down quietly taking his breakfast. As soon as he had eaten the beef and
biscuit which he had taken with him, he carried up the things which he
had brought, and commenced arrangements for setting up the tent,
intending to await the arrival of William and Juno, that they might
assist him in getting up the spars and canvas over it.
About ten o'clock William made his appearance, leading one of the goats
by a string, followed by the others. Juno came after with the sheep,
also holding one with a cord; the rest had very quietly joined the
procession. "Here we are at last!" said William laughing; "we have had
terrible work in the woods, for Nanny would run on one side of a tree
when I went on the other, and then I had to let go the string. We fell
in with the pigs again, and Juno gave such a squall!"
"I tink 'em wild beast," said Juno. "Ah! what a nice place! Missis will
like to live here."
"Yes, it is a very nice place, Juno; and you'll be able to wash here,
and never mind about saving the water."
"I am thinking," said William, "how we are to get the fowls here; they
are not very wild, but still we cannot catch them."
"I'll bring them with me to-morrow, William."
"But how will you catch them?"
"Wait till they are gone to roost, and then you may catch them when you
please."
"And I suppose the pigeons and the pigs must run wild?"
"The best thing we can do with them."
"Then we shall have to shoot them, I suppose?"
"Well, William, so we shall; and the pigeons also, when they have
become plentiful, if we remain here so long. We shall soon be well
stocked and live in plenty. But now you must help me to get the tent up
and everything in order, so that your mamma may find things comfortable
on her arrival, for she will be very tired, I dare say, walking through
the wood."
"Mamma is much better than she was," replied William. "I think she will
soon be quite strong again, especially when she comes to live at this
beautiful place."
"We have a great deal of work to do, more than we can get through
before the rainy season; which is a pity, but it can't helped; by this
time next year we shall be more comfortable."
"Why, what have we to do besides putting up the tents and shifting over
here?"
"In the first place we have to build a house, and that will take a long
while. Then we ought to make a little garden, and sow the seeds which
your father brought from England with him."
"0h! that will be nice; where shall we make it, Ready?"
"We must put a fence across that point of land, and dig up all the
brushwood; the mould is very good."
"Then what next?"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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