“But first let us have a look through this beautiful isle of the sea, while the girls are asleep.  There may be more bears.  Briton, you must stay and watch.  Veevee, you may come.”

Though Veevee searched every bush and grove, no bear was found.  The one Tom had so cleverly killed must have crossed to the island alone by the bridge of rocks.

So, after breakfast, the boys built their fire.  With big blocks of lava they made a sort of stove, and on top of this was placed a large cup-like stone, which they had chanced to find.  Into this they put the tallow to melt.  In the meantime Tom pulled a quantity of thick rushes, and set Frank and the girls to peel them, while the dogs looked on as if wondering what it was all about.

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“It’s something to eat, I suppose,” said Briton, looking very wise.

“A sort of soup of some kind from the smell of it, I should think,” was Veevee’s remark.

The long threads of white pith were about as thick as a penholder, and these were to form the wicks.  When dried they were tied two and two by one end.

Then between two uprights Tom placed a long willow rod, with three dozen strong thorns stuck in it about two inches apart, to serve as hooks.

By this time the tallow was melted and all was ready.

“Now, ladies and gentlemen,” said Tom, “you shall see how candles were built in the Royal Navy when Uncle was a boy.”  He rolled up his sleeves, and, picking up a double wick, dipped it in the pan, and then hung it on the first peg for the tallow to set.  He did the same with all the rest, and by the time he had the thirty-sixth wick hung up, No. 1 was ready to be taken down and dipped again.  So on he went all along the row, till he had dipped them a dozen times at least, when, lo! and behold! they were thick and beautiful candles, each one strong enough to give the light of half a dozen ordinary ship’s candles.

He worked for two days, and made about a hundred in all, so there was no fear of their having to sit in the dark.

Next night, while the moon was shining low over the snow-clad hills, the whole camp was alarmed by the fierce barking of Briton.  The mastiff was “wowffing”, Veevee was “wiffing”, and Flossy was moaning and wagging her tail in the air.  Though it was long past midnight, Briton wanted to be off out and kill something or somebody he had heard, and Veevee would also go on the war-path for fear Briton might get hurt.

Almost immediately after came the most tremendous yelling the Crusoes had ever heard, and it was clear that a whole pack of foxes had invaded the island, and if Briton and Veevee had been allowed to go out, they would both have been torn to pieces.  The awful din lasted for hours, with a sound now and then of fighting.

Then it stopped, and all was still.

Everybody went quietly off to sleep again, but next day, when they went to the lake-side, behold not a trace of the bear was to be seen.  The beasts had eaten all the flesh, and carried away the bones and skin.