John, together with Harry, Tom and Jim, who were the engineering force of the island, soon began the work of preparing the material for the ship which would place them in communication with the great world.
The three new boys were initiated into the crafthood which was ever widening and gaining new recruits. The natives showed remarkable aptitude for the various branches of work. But the Professor and Blakely had other ideas than to train too many of them to labor in the mechanical lines.
Here was a land, rich in soil, capable of growing any crop, or adapted to give up its bounty in the form of many valuable kinds of produce. Rubber, coffee, spices, cocoanuts, the finest fibers, in variety, and all of them now growing wild.
This land must be occupied and tilled by a people adapted to the soil and climate. The principles of agriculture must be instilled. What a wonderful work to contemplate!
The schoolhouse was ready, but there were no books. Robert had taken the preliminary lessons as an artist, and was very handy with the brush and pencil. Entirely on his own initiative, he[p. 230] prepared a set of letters, containing the caps of the alphabet, and these were cut out by him, and the work so delighted the Professor that he instructed the boys how to cast the whole series at one time, so that a good stock of type was finally turned out.
"I have an idea," said Robert, "that it would be a good thing to put some pictures in the primer; just enough to make it look attractive."
"That would be fun," answered Min. "Don't say anything to the Professor about it."