at first that they would bite him, but he soon found that they meant
him no harm, and one of them let him get on his back and ride up to me
as I came from the hold of the ship.

When the boys had done their search, and the spoil was brought on deck,
we thought we had found all that we should need. "As for me," said my
wife, "I have brought good news, for I find we have still on board a
cow, an ass, two goats, six sheep, a ram, a pig, and a sow, and I have
found food for them all."

"All that you bring will be of use," said I; "but I fear that Jack's
dogs will do us more harm than good."

"Not at all," said Jack, "for they can help us to hunt when we get to
land."

"Well said, Jack. And now let us see what we can do that will aid us to
get there."

We then took the casks that we had found, and Ernest and I soon cut
them in half. With these tubs we made a kind of raft, though it was no
slight task. The tubs, in fact, were a fleet of eight small round
boats, made so fast to some planks that no one of them could float from
the rest. The next thing to be done was to launch the raft. This we at
length did, and when the boys saw it slide down the side of the ship
and float on the sea, they gave a loud shout, and each one tried who
should be the first to get on it. I made it fast to the ship, and there
left it.

I then told my wife to change her dress for that of one of the crew