the pieces of canvass I could collect; but my present object was a slip for our boots; and, in getting that, I improved the opportunity to obtain some very large pieces, indeed as much as I could carry at three times, which I brought all aft, and laid on the quarter-deck. After breakfast, we shaped out our boot-legs; I say we, because it required our united ingenuity to accomplish it. I got some sewing twine from the sail-maker's box, also a couple of his needles, and his palm (a sort of thimble that fits by a strap to the palm of the hand, and which, by that way, gives more power to push the huge needle through the canvass). With this palm I undertook to sew the canvass gaiters on to the shoes, if my wife would previously run them up stoutly behind with one of her largest needles and some strong thread. She immediately set about her part of the task ; and, after sitting by her a little while to see the work fairly begun, I proposed taking the goats on shore, and placing them in the cavern, with a few plantains and some Indian corn, to use them to the spot. As they were very tame, I did not think it probable they would stray away; and as there was a good deal of herbage about the thicket, they would soon learn to subsist themselves, without drawing further on our little imported stock of grain. We now thought my pistols security enough; I put them in my belt, leaving the guns on board; and, having but a short distance to go, I concluded my dear companion would remain on board; but she preferred accompanying me, and taking her station with her work under the shadow of the rock, while I was bringing the goats from the brig to the cavern.

I

took the lame animal up in my arms, and brought her on shore: the other jumped after me. I then led the lame one along by the horns; and, when we arrived at the spot where my wife and her little dog had disposed themselves, they got up and joined the party.

As soon as we entered the avenue of the thicket, the goats began to browse: however, I drove them forward into the cave, where their bleating gave us an opportunity of seeing a great many pigeons take wing from the sides of the cavern, and fly out at its aperture on the opposite side. Although the dung of the birds was thickly spread on the floor, particularly towards the sides, yet the floor of the cave, and every part of it, appeared quite dry. We found it cool and airy, and pronounced it no bad lodgings for shipwrecked persons in such a climate.

When we left the cave, the goats followed us out of it, but they stayed behind in the thicket to browse observing this, and seeing there was plenty of herbage, we did not think it necessary to bring them any more provisions from the ship. Having thus begun to move our live stock, our next essay was to transplant the cock and hens to the same place, and put food and water for them in the cave, it being clear they would never breed in the coop with respect to the ducks, we determined to keep them where they were for the present, lest they might take to the water, and swim away. Having decided on these weighty matters, in our little commonwealth, we retrod our steps to the vessel; and, putting the four fowls into a bag, and some bruised corn into another, returned to the cave, where,

after throwing some of the corn on the floor, we let them out, and were glad to see them picking up the corn without any signs of fear, or even disturbance. This was a bold measure, and of so much importance to us in its consequences, that we were not ashamed to ask of God his blessing upon this, as well as every other thing we undertook. I then brought some water in a bucket, that they might not be induced to stray away to seek for drink. Our goats were enjoying themselves among the bushes: and we left this little colony with some little anxiety, notwithstanding the security of their situation.

We returned on board, and refreshed ourselves with a couple of the oranges; which we found fully ripe, and delicious, but now took care of the seeds; which we had neglected to do, when we eat them before, at a time when we were less collected in mind. My wife then set to work in earnest on the gaiters; and I made up the fire on shore, to prepare our dinner. When the provisions were done, I brought them on board. By that time she had completed one pair of our sand defences; we therefore sat down comfortably to our fare, and she now made no scruple of eating the iguana, but acknowledged it to be a great delicacy. On this occasion, it being new-year's-day, we treated ourselves to a glass of wine; having discovered not a few bottles, perfectly safe, in one of the after-lockers. This little feast being finished, we sat down to resume our work together, with great delight. She begun upon the other pair of legs; while I, with the sail-maker's palm and some of his twine, got on cleverly, closing in the tops of her shoes with the canvass gaiters

she had prepared. "Edward," said she, after a short pause between us; "as you have frequent occasion to go to and fro from the vessel to the other side of the isthmus, and you know I am never happy when you are out of my sight, could you not contrive a temporary tent on the ridge of the isthmus, whence I could always see you when on these excursions? And besides, it would be a place to keep an eye over our goats and poultry: and the cave being near, which we thought so pleasant, we might take some useful things there, and occasionally make our fire, and dine. We should not then be far from the spring; and if you were at work either at the vessel or by the spring, we should always be sufficiently near both, and you would not have far to come to rest yourself." I thought the arrangement good; and we decided to put it in execution on the morrow.

Thus by degrees we felt our wants, and had reason to be thankful that it was within our power gradually to provide for them: we were not insensible to the mercy and bounty of our heavenly Father: how could we be so? for it was but one week to that day, since we hung in awful jeopardy on the reef, amidst thunder and lightning, and a fierce tempest of wind, with an overwhelming sea. All these things were commented on during our work: and one reflection occurred to both, which seemed very unaccountable; viz. that those seven days appeared, on retrospection, like so many months; while some weeks in our lives had passed away, which on looking back to the day week, for instance, from one Sunday to another, had seemed

but a point in time. But this last week, although the minutes and hours sped quickly by, yet from the multitude of the objects, and the important events it had produced, appeared to have embraced even a year's duration.

cave.

We sat close at our work until nearly sunset, and then went ashore to visit our live stock at the We found them all within: the goats lying on the floor, at some little distance from its mouth; the poultry perched up on one of the stalactetic ledges about three feet above them. The interior of the cave was still quite light, which allowed us to see some bluish-coloured pigeons on the lower ledge of the window aperture. They did not fly on our coming in, and we took care not to make any noise to scare them. I had brought the kettles with me for a supply from the spring, and proceeded there, for the water on board was a very unpleasant beverage. We deposited our vessels at the fountain and now, having little apprehension of wild beasts or savages, arm in arm, penetrated a little further into the wooded region: we proceeded about half a mile, passing several palm trees, which I was glad to see, and at last came to an immense silk cotton tree,—a tree such as we had seen in Jamaica, at Mr. Dickinson's pen; and which, in magnitude, reminded us of our native elm, bringing back recollections dear to our minds. At this place the ground appeared clear for a quarter of a mile, with the exception of some Indian figs and aloes here and there: beyond which, the trees spread again in great luxuriance; the mountain cabbage palm being among them. The clear