It was Dutchy who suggested that we have a chicken yard, in connection with our camp, to supply us with fresh eggs.  It was a capital idea, and by the dint of some coaxing we managed to secure the loan of a half dozen hens and a rooster.

Our miscellaneous list included a spade, pick and shovel, an ax, a hatchet, two large pails, a barn lantern, a can of kerosene, a dozen candles, a cocoa box filled with matches, a pair of scissors, needles, buttons, pins and safety pins, a spool of white and another of black cotton, fishing tackle, a roll of heavy twine, a coil of rope, and a set of dominoes and checkers.  But most important of all was a chest of tools belonging to Reddy.  These were all collected when Uncle Ed arrived.  Dutchy also contributed a large compass, which we found very useful later on, for surveying the island.

Crossbow.

Reddy had a shotgun which he wanted to bring along, but my father, and Dutchy’s as well, wouldn’t let us go camping if there was to be any gunpowder along, so we had to leave it behind.  Of course we didn’t miss it at all when we got to the island, because there was so much else to do; but we all agreed with Dutchy, that “it wouldn’t be no sort of a scientific expedition without takin’ a gun along.”  As a substitute I suggested a bow and arrow.  They all laughed at such a “kiddish” idea; all but Bill, I mean.

“It ain’t such a bad notion,” said he, “only a crossbow would be better.  I’ve seen them made out of umbrella ribs so they’d shoot like greased lightning.”  Of course we had to have one of these wonderful weapons.  Down in the ash heap we found two broken umbrellas with 27-inch ribs.  Bill selected ten good ribs, from which he wrenched off the spreaders with a pair of pliers.  The ribs were then bound together by winding stout twine around them.  The winding was very evenly and closely done, so that the cord completely covered the ribs, making a solid rod of spring steel.  But before winding we had laid in between the ribs a piece of heavy twine, to which the bowstrings could be tied after the bow was all wound.  The stock of our crossbow was cut out of a board of soft wood 1 inch thick to as near the shape of a gun as we could get it.  A hole was drilled through the muzzle end to receive the bow, and then the bowstring was tied fast.  Along the upper edge of the barrel a V-shaped channel was cut.  The channel was not very deep, only enough to receive a tenpenny nail with the head projecting half-way above the sides.  A notch was cut across the barrel, through this channel, at the trigger end, and a trigger made of heavy iron wire, bent to the shape shown in Fig. 51, was hinged to the gun by a bolt which passed clear through the stock and through both eyes of the trigger.  By using two nuts on the bolt, and tightening one against the other, they were prevented from working loose and coming off.  When we wanted to fire the gun the bowstring was drawn back, and held by slipping it into the notch, and a nail was laid in the channel with its head against the bowstring.  Then, on pulling the trigger, the bowstring was lifted out of the notch, and sent the nail off sailing.  The long-grooved barrel insured a very good aim.