His joy at the discovery was lessened considerably by the difficulty in the way of utilizing it, and he studied over the problem a long while without having arrived at a conclusion which was satisfactory.
“It’s certain I can’t have a spade or anything like one,” he said thoughtfully; “so the question is, what else can I find to throw the sand away with? I reckon those timbers are buried pretty deep, and a fellow couldn’t do very much with only his hands.”
In order to ascertain exactly what might be accomplished with nothing in the way of implements he began to kick and shove away the sand; but in a short time his fingers were made sore by the sharp particles, and he realized that in less than an hour of such work his hands would be blistered and cut.
Then he walked slowly back to the grove and looked around as if for an inspiration.
This was neither more nor less than a waste of time, for the saplings were the only objects which could be cut down with the knife, and these he attacked at once.
“A fellow can’t make very much of a fist diggin’ sand with a stake,” he said as he worked; “but so long as I couldn’t use my hands more than half an hour, these poles will go, way, ahead of nothin’.”
After cutting down half a dozen small trees, the trunks of which were no larger than his wrist, he whittled the thickest ends flat and proceeded to the work.
It was very much like trying to dig with a spoon; but yet he made a certain amount of progress, and when inclined to grow down-hearted because so much labor was necessary in order to accomplish very little, he repeated to himself again and again that when a fellow has more time on his hands than he knows what to do with, it can matter very little how long it takes him to perform a certain piece of work.
When the night came he had uncovered a couple of timbers down to where the planking of the vessel still held comparatively sound, and found that he was at the stern of the craft.
“She run head on to the key,” he said as he stopped to rest before returning to his hut. “The crew must have been asleep to strike here, for the island shows plain enough.”