used his gun. I took some of the rice, that my wife might judge how far
it was of use to us as food.

We went quite round the lake, and saw plants and trees that were not
known to me, and birds that Ernest said he had not seen in any of the
woods near The Nest. But we were most struck with the sight of a pair
of black swans, and a troop of young ones that came in their train.
Ernest would have shot at them, but I told him not to kill what we did
not want for use.

We did not get back till late in the day. Jack and Fritz, whom we met
just as we came round the foot of the bill, had done their task well,
for they had a good stock of food in a sack that lay on the back of the
ass, and they brought the good news that all was well at home.

We spent four more days at the Farm, and then left it in such a state
as to be fit for our use when we chose to go back to it.

The Farm House was but a part of our plan, for we had made up our minds
to build a sort of half way house, or cot, in which we could rest on
our way to the Farm. This took us six days to do. The spot we chose lay
by the side of a brook, and was just such a place as would tempt,
one to stop and rest in the shade of the trees, that grew on the bank.
While at the brook, I made a boat out of the tree we found at the Farm,
and took it back with us to Tent House in the cart.

We had still two months ere the rain would set in, and this left us
time to put the last touch to our cave. We laid the whole floor with
clay, and spread on it some fine sand, which we beat down till it was
quite smooth and firm. On this we put sail cloth, and threw down goat's