But Cassia-bud went wandering all by himself round the island one day, and, lo and behold! he found a bed of clams near the shore. The clams proved an unexpected delicacy to all, but more especially to Frank. Turtles' eggs, also discovered by Cassia-bud, completed the cure.
And so Frank grew strong again once more, and happiness and joy reigned again in the little camp by the sea. And now, not knowing how much longer they should have to live on this unknown island, Fred planned the building of a house and laying out of a garden; for though a tent of boughs is all very well in times of health, it is wanting in comfort when sickness comes.
For weeks the four men—note, I have come to call them men at last—the four men laboured hard in effecting a clearing, while the catering and cooking devolved entirely upon little Cassia-bud and Bob. Not that Bob did much, but he often caught a cavy, and besides he was such a companion to Cassia-bud, it is doubtful if the lad could have got on at all without him. For gardening tools our castaways were worst off, but they managed to manufacture spades of a rough sort from the wood of the pandanus tree.
So the work of clearing and digging went merrily on, and the exercise it evolved strengthened every muscle in their bodies, and caused them to feel as happy as the birds that sang in the boughs.
All round the garden they wove a snake fence, and hung gates; but the fence was more for show than utility, as there really was nothing to protect themselves from; all their enemies lived in the water, and, with the exception of robber-crabs, and an occasional octopus, never came on shore.
Trees were now sawn into planks, and exposed to dry, by being piled up so that the warm air could blow over them.
Twenty-four feet long by twelve wide, that was the size they measured out for their cottage; and it would be seven feet high at the eaves, and consist of two rooms. So they proceeded at once to plant or put down the uprights and strong cross-beams to support the roof. For these purposes many of the planks saved from the wreck of the Resolute came in very handy. The uprights were firmly fixed in the ground, and the cross-beams fastened with hard wooden pegs on top of these.
The plan they adopted for boring holes was certainly original and expeditious also. Quambo had proposed to burn holes in the planks.
"No," said Fred, "I know a quicker plan."
"You do, sah!"