Tom now felt like a giant refreshed; and while sitting in front of the
evening fire, he occupied his mind with plans for the morrow, which
were all directed towards enlarging his supply of provisions.
He awaked late on the next morning, and found the weather unchanged.
He tried to quell his impatience and disappointment, and feeling that
idleness would never do, he determined to go to work at once, and carry
out the plans of the preceding day. It was now Thursday, the middle of
the second week, and the fog had clung pertinaciously around him almost
all that time. It was indeed disheartening, and idleness under such
circumstances would have ended in misery and despair; but Tom's
perseverance, and obstinate courage, and buoyant spirits enabled him
still to rise above circumstances, and struggle with the gloom around
him.
"O, go on, go on," he muttered, looking around upon the fog. "Let's see
who can stand it longest. And now for my foraging expedition."
Making a hearty repast out of the remnants of the supper of the
preceding evening, he went first to the shore, so as to complete his
search there while the tide should be low. It was going down now, and
the beach was all before him. He wandered on till he came to where
there was an immense ledge of sharp rocks, that went from the foot of
the precipice down into the bay. Over these he clambered, looking
carefully around, until at last he reached the very lowest point. Here
he soon found some articles of diet, which were quite as valuable in
their way as the clams and lobsters. First of all, he found an immense
quantity of large mussels. These were entangled among the thick masses
of sea-weed. He knew that the flavor of mussels was much more delicate
than that of clams or lobsters, and that by many connoisseurs these,
when good and fresh, were ranked next to oysters. This discovery,
therefore, gave him great joy, and he filled his pan, which he had
carried down, and took them back to the shore. He also took an armful
of sea-weed, and, reaching his camping-place, he threw the mussels in a
hollow place in the sand, placing the sea-weed around them. In this
way he knew that they would keep fresh and sweet for any reasonable
length of time.