Chapter Sixteen.
Ensign Holt makes himself useful.
Proceedings at the village—Various employments—School established—Ensign Holt recovers his senses—Mrs Morley reads the Bible—The doctor’s excursion inland—The dead seaman buried—Ensign Holt makes himself useful—Anxiety about Harry and his party—Fanny’s meditations—Holt leads expedition to look for Harry.
The party at the village were busily employed. The doctor had set the armourer and cooper to work, to make, under his superintendence, an apparatus for manufacturing sugar and beer. The women, directed by the ever-active Mrs Rumbelow, were scraping the roots which had been collected for that purpose, while the tanner was trying various ways of preparing the seals’-skins. Two or three of the men were endeavouring, with fair success, to make shoes from some they had roughly cured, to replace those of several of the party which were nearly worn-out.
Captain Twopenny and his party returned from his hunting expedition with three hogs. Though they had seen traces of many more, the animals were so active and the country so difficult that they had been unable to kill them. Still it was satisfactory to know that the island possessed means of giving them support besides that which the waters afforded. He had also shot as many birds as the men could carry.
The doctor, ever fertile in resources, had had a stone hut constructed in which both birds and fish could be smoke-dried after the fashion practised in England and elsewhere.
The children had now plenty of work in plucking the birds ready for curing, and afterwards in sorting the feathers for beds and coverlids.
From the first Mrs Morley and her daughters had visited the women’s hut every evening to read the Scriptures and to comfort them in their sorrow. The poor women, most of whom had left their husbands on board the “Ranger,” well knew how truly Mrs Morley could sympathise with them, and listened to her exhortations and advice. Some who had before been very indifferent to matters of religion now looked forward with satisfaction each day to the time when they were to receive a visit from her and the young ladies. She and her daughters held school with all the children at their cottage. It was carried on under difficulties, for they had only one book, but that was the Bible. The young ladies devised, however, various means for teaching the little ones. Some thin flat stones served as slates, and young Broke cut out several sets of letters from wood, which were greatly valued. On Sunday the whole party assembled in the men’s hut, where Harry had conducted a service, and every evening also he had borrowed Mrs Morley’s Bible, and read a chapter to the men. During his absence she now did the same. This system tended greatly to keep the people contented and orderly. They saw that those of superior education among them were resigned to the trials they were called on to endure, and were trusting to the support and protection of that great and merciful God whose message of love to man they every day heard read, and who would send them relief in His good time.