We were in high spirits as we had made a good start or rather laid a basis for our work. We certainly felt sturdy and adequate enough for anything. There is a peculiar feeling of strength that comes to one after a day of muscular exercise and we had had that all right.
"What are you going to do with that big stick, Jim?" I asked.
"That goes for the keel," he answered.
"You are not going to build a boat, are you?" I inquired.
"No," replied Jim, "but even with a raft you will have to have something to keep her in the current."
We got into our blankets quite early and slept like logs, with never a thought of mosquitoes or anything else. A mountain lion might have crept down and yanked one of us off and the other two would not have been the wiser.
Jim got us out the next morning before the sun was up and we were down at the beach working like beavers. I tell you it was a busy scene.
Tom and I, with axes and adzes, hollowing out the two logs. Jim went to work on his stringer, shaping it up and also digging it out after he had made some measurements of the log I was working on.
When night came, after we had put in twelve hours' steady toil I felt discouraged. It did not seem that we had accomplished much, but Jim was cheerful.
The following morning, however, after a refreshing night's sleep, it looked much more hopeful as I stood on the beach looking over what had been accomplished on the two previous days.