“There is one thing we want, and that is iron,” observed Tarbox; “and rope and blocks, and provisions, too. It would take us some time to put such a craft together.”
“All I know is,” said Oliver, “that Mr Williams had but the iron part of an anchor, a pick-axe, and a few garden tools, with some iron hoops. His vessel was from about sixty to seventy tons, and from the time he cut the keel until she was launched not more than four months had passed. Besides the bellows and forge, he made a lathe, and indeed manufactured everything that was required. His sails were composed of fine mats, woven by the natives; and the rope was manufactured from the hemp which grew on the island. In the same way he found substitutes for oakum, pitch, and paint, and everything he required.”
“He you speak of must have been a very wonderful man,” observed Tarbox. “I consider that a man who could do what he did is fit to be Prime Minister. Why, he would have made the Thames Tunnel, if he had tried.”
“Very likely he would,” said Oliver; “but God wanted him for His work, and that was to go out to those islands to the east of us in the Pacific, and to convert the natives to Christianity.”
By this time we had regained the wreck. Our first search was for the clothing of the Frau and the young ladies. We managed to get up a trunk which contained a portion of them, though the water had got in, and had greatly spoiled the contents. We fished about for some time, and then got up another box, which had suffered in the same way.
“It cannot be helped,” observed Tarbox. “We will not be particular how the old lady and little girls look; and the clothes will soon dry—that’s one good thing. The sun is not idle out in these parts.”
Our next hunt was for the carpenter’s tools. When I say that half the deck was under water, it may be supposed that there were very few things which had escaped soaking. Fortunately the carpenter had stowed many of his things away in a locker on the upper side of the vessel. These we secured, and then searched for his chest, which we knew contained some more of the necessary tools.
“Poor fellow! if he had stuck by us instead of attempting to swim on shore, he would have been here to lend us a hand,” observed Tarbox.
Oliver was very busy hunting about. Of course, we had thrown off our jackets, and retained only our trowsers. We did not mind, therefore, plunging into the water, now and then diving down in the hopes of getting hold of something. At length Oliver cried out that he felt the handle of a chest, which he thought must be the carpenter’s. We soon got a hook and rope, and hauled it up, when with much satisfaction we found he was right. It was somewhat heavy, and we doubted if we should get it into the boat. At last Oliver suggested that we should open it, and carry some of the tools separately, so as to lighten it. This we did; and by the time we had got a few coils of rope on board, and some blocks, our boat was heavily laden.