The first thing was to make a list of the provisions, and then of the weapons, instruments, utensils, clothes, tools, etc. The food question was serious, for it seemed they were in a desert land. They would have to trust to fishing and shooting, if anything remained to be shot. Donagan, who was a capital shot, had seen nothing yet but the birds on the reef and beach. But to be reduced to feeding on sea-birds was not a pleasant prospect, and it was desirable to know how long the schooner's provisions would last if managed with care.
If was found that except the biscuits, of which there was a large store, the preserves, hams, meat biscuits — made of flour, minced pork, and spice — corned beef, salt beef, and sea stores generally, could not last longer than two months, so that from the very first they must have recourse to the productions of the country, and keep the provisions in case they had to journey some hundreds of miles to reach a port on the coast or a town in the interior.
"Suppose some of these things have been damaged?" asked Baxter. "If the sea-water got into the hold — "
"That we shall see when we open the cases that look as though they had been knocked about," said Gordon.
"If we were to cook them up again, they might do."
"I'll look after that," said Moko.
"The sooner the better," said Briant, "for the first day or two we shall have to live entirely on these things."
"And why shouldn't we start to-day? " asked Wilcox," and see if we cannot find some more eggs among those rocks to the northward? "
"Yes! that's it! " said Dole.
"And why shouldn't we go fishing?" asked Webb.
"Are there not any fishing-lines on board? Who'll go fishing?"
"I will! I will!" said the youngsters.
"All right," said Briant. "But no playing about; we only give the lines to those who mean business."
"Don't get excited," said Iverson. "We will be as steady as—"
