“I shall be glad enough to remain, and never was so happy in my life,” answered Dick, who spoke from his heart. “I am very glad to hear it, Hargrave. I may say the same for myself, and I really think that I shall be sorry when the life we are now leading comes to an end.”
Chapter Fifteen.
Progress in boat-building—Hot pokers—System in working—Fixing on the keel—Dick and his pigs—Finishing the boat—The only regret—Preparing for the trial trip—The launch—Once more afloat—Aspect of the island—The volcano—Cleaning decks—A strange sail—Running for the bay—“What’s to be done?”—The boat recalled—A storm—A fearful night.
The two Crusoes, now no longer rivals, worked vigorously away at their boat. Every day Lord Reginald gained strength, and was able the more effectually to help Dick, who, however, never spared himself. With the young lord’s assistance, he sawed off the large pieces at the end intended for the bows, which he afterwards shaped with his axe and plane. From the stern, much less had to be taken off. Here the axe did nearly all the work. Having then planed all round the sides and bows, the log presented the appearance on the upper part of a well-formed canoe. The workmen had now to turn her over, and to commence shaping the lower part. Having stripped off the bark, which he could not before get at, Dick, again using his level, planed it evenly, and then carefully marked out the part to which the keel was to be fixed. With his adze he shaped both sides, using the forms he had previously prepared. In some parts there was very little wood to take off, though he had to cut away considerable at the bows and stern. Lord Reginald found that as yet there was comparatively little for him to do, as, from want of experience, he could not for some time use either the adze or the axe.
At length, the whole of the outside of the canoe was shaped, and Dick and his companion surveyed it with no little satisfaction.
“We must now turn her on her keel again, and begin digging her out,” observed Dick. “It will cost us no little trouble, I suspect. We may begin with the axe, but it won’t do to use that as we get on, for fear of making a hole through the side or bottom. We must then employ the gouge, and I have sharpened up all the large ones I found in the carpenter’s chest.”
“I have heard of a mode of digging out canoes by means of hot stones or hot irons. We have irons enough for the purpose, and by lighting a fire near at hand, might keep them constantly hot,” said Lord Reginald.
“I should be afraid of burning through the wood, or causing it to split, unless we use the irons only in the centre. We might try that, and see how it answers,” replied Dick.