“Darrow,” said I, “there’s one thing you’ve overlooked; you forgot to bring a cupola and a gilt weather-cock for this concern.”

After the laboratory was completed, we put up sleeping quarters for the two men, with wide porches well screened, and a square, heavy storeroom.  By the end of the third week we had quite finished.

Dr. Schermerhorn had turned with enthusiasm to the unpacking of his chemical apparatus.  Almost immediately at the close of the freight-carrying, he had appeared, lugging his precious chest, this time suffering the assistance of Darrow, and had camped on the spot.  We could not induce him to leave, so we put up a tent for him.  Darrow remained with him by way of safety against the men, whose measure, I believe, he had taken.  Now that all the work was finished, the doctor put in a sudden appearance.

“Percy,” said he, “now we will have the defence built.”

He dragged us with him to the narrow part of the arroyo, just before it rose to the level of the valley.

“Here we will build the stockade-defence,” he announced.

Darrow and I stared at each other blankly.

“What for, sir?” inquired the assistant.

“I haf come to be undisturbed,” announced the doctor, with owl-like, Teutonic gravity, “and I will not be disturbed.”

Darrow nodded to me and drew his principal aside.

They conversed earnestly for several minutes.  Then the assistant returned to me.

“No use,” he shrugged in complete return to his indifferent manner.  “Stockade it is.  Better make it of fourteen foot logs, slanted out.  Dig a trench across, plant your logs three or four feet, bind them at the top.  That’s his specification for it.  Go at it.”

“But,” I expostulated, “what’s the use of it?  Even if the men were dangerous, that would just make them think you did have something to guard.”

“I know that.  Orders,” replied Percy Darrow.

We built the stockade in a day.  When it was finished we marched to the beach, and never, save in the three instances of which I shall later tell you, did I see the valley again.  The next day we washed our clothes, and moved ashore with all our belongings.

“I’m not going to have this crew aboard,” stated Captain Selover positively, “I’m going to clean her.”  He himself stayed, however.

We rowed in, constructed a hasty fireplace of stones, spread our blankets, and built an unnecessary fire near the beach.

“Clean her!” grumbled Thrackles, “my eye!”

“I’d rather round the Cape,” growled Pulz hopelessly.

“Come, now, it can’t be as bad as all that,” I tried to cheer them.  “It can’t be more than a week or ten days’ job, even if we careen her.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” said Thrackles.  “It’s worse than the yellow jack.  It’s six weeks at least.  Mind when we last ’cleaned her’?” he inquired of Handy Solomon.