“Oh, I’m going to get ready to make a wooden house for us to live in,” was the answer.
Tom motioned for the two sailors to follow him to the other end of the wreck. It was lower there, but now that the sea had gone down the waves did not break over it. The stern was really well out of the water.
“What is it?” inquired Joe when he and his shipmate had joined our hero.
“I think we had better take an account of stock,” suggested Tom. “See how much food and water we have, how long it will last us, and what we had better do.”
“Right you are, captain!” exclaimed Abe admiringly. “I knowed we didn’t make no mistake when we elected you.”
“First then, the food,” suggested Tom. “How long will it last us?”
Joe and Abe collected it—that which they had brought with them on the abandoned life-raft, and that which had been in the boat in which Professor Skeel had been found. That individual was sitting on the stern, gazing moodily off into the distance.
“Well, if we don’t stuff ourselves too much, and keep at the drinking water every time we’re thirsty,” said Abe, “we’ll have enough here for a week, at least.”
“Good!” exclaimed Tom. “In that time something ought to turn up.”
“If we don’t turn up ourselves,” commented Joe grimly.