summer, and as many of the fruit-trees continued to bear fruit and
blossom all the year round, we never wanted for a plentiful supply
of food. The hogs, too, seemed rather to increase than diminish,
although Peterkin was very frequent in his attacks on them with his
spear. If at any time we failed in finding a drove, we had only to
pay a visit to the plum-tree before mentioned, where we always
found a large family of them asleep under its branches.

We employed ourselves very busily during this time in making
various garments of cocoa-nut cloth, as those with which we had
landed were beginning to be very ragged. Peterkin also succeeded
in making excellent shoes out of the skin of the old hog, in the
following manner:- He first cut a piece of the hide, of an oblong
form, a few inches longer than his foot. This he soaked in water,
and, while it was wet, he sewed up one end of it, so as to form a
rough imitation of that part of the heel of a shoe where the seam
is. This done, he bored a row of holes all round the edge of the
piece of skin, through which a tough line was passed. Into the
sewed-up part of this shoe he thrust his heel, then, drawing the
string tight, the edges rose up and overlapped his foot all round.
It is true there were a great many ill-looking puckers in these
shoes, but we found them very serviceable notwithstanding, and Jack
came at last to prefer them to his long boots. We ago made various
other useful articles, which added to our comfort, and once or
twice spoke of building us a house, but we had so great an
affection for the bower, and, withal, found it so serviceable, that
we determined not to leave it, nor to attempt the building of a
house, which, in such a climate, might turn out to be rather
disagreeable than useful.