The structure was barely completed when Hilda awoke.
"Why, what is this?" she inquired.
"Your quarters, Miss Vivian," replied Alwyn.
"Mine? How quaint!" she exclaimed rapturously. "It reminds me of Peggotty's Hut, made out of an old boat."
"Do we keep the fire up all night?" asked Mostyn.
"Better not," replied Burgoyne. "We'll have to be careful in case Strogoff sends a boat after us."
"How will he know?" said Peter. "He thinks that Minalto and you were drowned on the Donibristle, and the pirates probably fired on us while under the impression that a strange craft had approached the island."
"H'm," replied Alwyn dubiously. "I wish I could agree with you on that point. Strogoff will find that you are missing, my festive, and probably Young Bill as well. Also, if he takes the trouble to look—as quite probably he may do—he'll find that the life-boat's no longer pinned down by the ship. He'll be in a tear, not because he has any regard for us, but because he knows that Ramon Porfirio will have the wind up when he returns. Why? He'll know that if we do reach a civilized port we'll spoil his little game. So if a craft shows up here we'll have to make sure of her character before we start hoisting distress signals."
Well before sundown the camp was in a fair state of completion, considering the limited resources at the disposal of the castaways.
Not only had a fairly commodious tent been erected—the boat's sail and spare canvas being pressed into service—but Minalto had built a fire-place of rocks, over which he placed three iron bars obtained from the broken keel-band of the boat. The air-tanks, since they could be put to no better use, served as seats, while the boat's back-board, supported on Minalto's li'l ole cask, formed a table.