His plan was to build an inclined trestle on the high ground just below the lagoon, and then run wooden tracks along the shore down to the pontoon bridge, and across the mill-race to Kite Island.  We started first to dig a road down to the bridge, because the bank was quite high at this point.  The task was rather greater than we anticipated, but we kept steadily at it until we had cut a fairly good road through the bank, though the grade was rather steep.

Before proceeding with the trestle and track we thought the best plan would be to build our car, and then we could use it as a gauge to determine how far apart the rails should be set.

The Car.

First we got a 2x4-inch scantling, and cut from it two lengths, each 4 feet 6 inches long.  These were laid on edge just 30 inches apart, and then a number of boards were nailed across from one scantling to the other and sawed off flush with their edges.  The floor thus formed was now turned over so that the scantlings lay uppermost and the sides of the car were then nailed on with their edges overlapping the ends of the floor boards.  The sides, which were about 18 inches high, were each made of two boards firmly battened together.  Great care was taken to securely nail both the flooring and the sides to the scantlings, because these scantlings were to carry the wheels of the car.  The car body was completed by nailing on the end pieces which overlapped both the flooring and the side walls.

[Illustration:  Fig. 297.  Putting the Car Body Together.]

The Flanged Wheels.

Next we sawed out the wheels of our car.  From a board of hardwood 3/4 of an inch thick four disks, 12 inches in diameter, were sawed out.  Then from a board 1 inch thick four 9-inch disks were sawed out.  We cut these disks in the same way as we had made the disks for our surveying rod (see page 78), by making cuts across corners and finally smoothing off the angles with a draw-knife.  A half-inch hole was now drilled in the center of each disk.  Then on each large disk a smaller one was placed, with the center holes of the two coinciding and the grain of one lying across the grain of the other.  In this position they were firmly nailed together, making a wheel like those used on a railway car, with the small disc forming the tread of the wheel and the large disk serving as a flange.

[Illustration:  Fig. 298.  The Car Wheel.]

The Car Axles.

For the car axles we bought four 1/2-inch bolts, 6 inches long, with two washers and two nuts for each bolt.  In each side of the car, about 8 inches from the ends, we nailed face blocks; that is, blocks of wood for the wheels to bear against.  These face blocks were only 1/2 inch thick.  Then in these blocks holes were drilled which were carried clear through the scantling.  The holes were just large enough for the bolts to fit snugly in them.  The bolts were inserted from the inside, so that their threaded ends projected out at each side of the car.  A patch of wood was nailed to the scantling over each bolt head to prevent the bolt from slipping back into the car.  Then the wheels were mounted on these bolts, which served as axles.