CHAPTER XIII.

WE had now so much work to do, and the days and weeks came and went so
quick, that I do not think we should have known the time of year had it
not been for our log.

Some days were spent at the Cave, where we made our goods, ground our
flour, stored our food, and kept our tame live stock. Then we had to
take care of our crops in the fields near The Nest, and this took us
two or three days in each month. Once in ten days at least we went to
the Farm on the hill, and at the same time made a call at the Half Way
House; so that there was not a day that we had not our hands quite
full. Now and then we went out to hunt for sport or to add to our stock
of beasts, which had grown so large that there were few we could name
that had not been caught and brought home. We had birds of the air,
fowls of the land, and beasts of all kinds' from the great black ox of
the plain to the small wild RAB-BIT that came and made its hole close
by our cave.

But there was one bird that we had not yet caught, though we had seen
it two or three times in the woods. This was the OS-TRICH. Fritz found
a nest with some eggs in it, and this led us to make a tour with a view
to catch one of the old birds. We rose that day ere it was light, and
set out at dawn, each on the back of a good steed.

As we should have to hunt through the woods, my wife was left at home;
and Ernest, who did not like rough work, chose to stay with her. We
made it a rule to take one of the dogs with us when we went out to